My minimum living allowance is credited to my account every day with 1000 million yuan

When Wang Lun saw the two of them running back looking like they had lost their parents, he turned around and asked them what was going on. He then learned that the woman in the next private room was actually Chen Xiao's woman.

He felt a sudden darkness engulf him, and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion and fear instantly overwhelmed him. He slumped into the chair, not wanting to move a single finger.

This meal... was fucking torture!

I've never eaten a meal in my life that made me so nervous and anxious!
All he wanted to do now was to escape Jiangzhou immediately, to get as far away from this utterly bizarre place as possible!
Liu Gang couldn't help but secretly wipe the cold sweat that kept seeping from his forehead, inwardly cursing:

"Damn it! Is Wang Jian cursed with bad luck today? How come he's causing so much trouble? I've never heard of him being this unlucky in the capital! He just keeps running into tough opponents!" He felt that following this group of people meant he was at risk of being crushed to pieces at any moment.

Wang Jian and Qin Jun slumped in their chairs, their faces ashen, saying nothing. They had considered getting up and leaving immediately, but where could they possibly escape to?
Can the monk escape, or can the temple escape?
If Chen Xiao really wanted to cause them trouble, he could find them even if they hid at the ends of the earth!

The two could only desperately try to comfort themselves:

Fortunately... fortunately, nothing serious happened today!

Zhao Liang only made a few harsh words, but didn't actually do anything!
As for Bailu, she was so frightened that she ran out as soon as she barged in, without uttering a single word!

This...this can't be considered offending anyone, right? Chen Xiao wouldn't make such a big fuss over something so trivial, would he?

Looking at the lifeless private room, Liu Gang forced a smile, attempting to break the suffocating silence. He pointed to the case of Moutai he had brought on the bar and cautiously asked:

"Sir... gentlemen, to calm your nerves... would you like some baijiu (Chinese liquor) tonight? I brought some with me..."

Wang Jian took a deep breath, barely suppressing the fear and surging anger in his heart. All he wanted now was to finish his meal quietly and without a sound, and then disappear from Jiangzhou immediately! His voice was hoarse, carrying a resigned weariness:
"Let's just... drink some baijiu... and eat..." He picked up his chopsticks as if they weighed a ton.

Tuk-tuk-tuk——

The door to the private room was knocked on again.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, but then relaxed. It must be the new waiter coming to serve the food. The manager had promised to replace Zhao Liang; otherwise, who could eat with him standing there? Good, let's hurry up and serve the food, eat, and leave!
However, when the door to the private room was pushed open, a figure in a neat uniform, with a professional smile on his face, carrying steaming dishes, came into view—

boom!
The entire private room seemed to freeze in mid-air! The air solidified instantly! Everyone—Wang Jian, Qin Jun, Wang Lun, Liu Gang—was completely still, their movements and expressions frozen! It was as if an invisible force had collectively struck their pressure points!
There was a knock on the door of the private room, but they knew it was the waiter bringing the food and didn't pay much attention. The manager had already agreed to replace Zhao Liang; otherwise, if he had come, everyone would have been terrified, and the meal would have been pointless.

Just as they were thinking this, when they saw who had arrived, the entire room seemed to freeze in place as if they had been struck by a pressure point.
next moment!
With a "whoosh!" Wang Jian sprang up from his chair as if he'd been branded on the butt! His face instantly turned from ashen to deathly pale!
"Whoosh!" Qin Jun also stood up, looking at the newcomer with fear in his eyes!

Zhao Liang walked in with a perfectly timed, even slightly "friendly" smile, as if the conflict in the corridor had never happened. He gently placed the dish on the table, his movements textbook perfect.

Wang Jian felt a rush of blood to his head, and his vision blurred! The immense humiliation and fear almost made him lose his balance! He clenched his teeth, using all his strength to suppress the urge to turn and run. He forced himself to lower his head, his voice dry and hoarse, filled with unprecedented humility and trembling, as he squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth:

"Mr. Zhao... I'm so sorry... I offended you greatly... Please... be magnanimous..."

Zhao Liang seemed not to hear his apology, his smile becoming even more "friendly." He waved his hand, his tone as relaxed as if they were having a casual chat:

"Hey, Mr. Wang, what are you saying? Please don't! Don't apologize!" He tilted his head slightly, looking at Wang Jian with a mischievous smile. "I'm just waiting for you to keep your promise and see me kneel down and beg for forgiveness... Hehe."

Wang Lun and Liu Gang exchanged a quick glance, both seeing deep relief in each other's eyes! Thank goodness! Thank goodness they didn't go out with Wang Jian to stir up trouble! Liu Gang was even more terrified; this Zhao Liang… looking all smiles, he clearly had ill intentions!

Wang Jian's face instantly turned a deep liver color! Shame, anger, and fear mingled together, making him feel like he was about to explode! He desperately suppressed the urge to vomit blood, his voice trembling with tears, almost pleading:
"Mr. Zhao... I was wrong... I, Wang Jian, was blind to your greatness! You... you are a magnanimous person... please forgive me..." He had already cursed that damned manager a thousand times in his heart: "Are you fucking dead? Didn't I tell you to replace him? Why did you bring him here again?!"

Zhao Liang seemed to have read his mind, his smile unchanged, his tone still "gentle" and "respectful":
"No, no, Mr. Wang. You're too kind." As he spoke, he skillfully picked up the Moutai bottle and began pouring wine into the empty glasses on the table, his movements fluid and graceful, as if he were truly just a dutiful waiter.

"The manager said he wanted to give me a private room. No way! I argued my case and even threatened to resign before I got this opportunity. Ah, the chance to serve you bosses is truly rare—"

He emphasized the word "service," then looked up, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on Wang Jian's pale face, where he gave a meaningful smile.

"By the way, I'll also be waiting here... for you, Mr. Wang... to see how you plan to 'deal with' me. I promise... I'll cooperate fully... Hehehe..."

Wang Jian felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head; it was so disgusting it was nauseating!
He just stood there, with that smile on his face and those words on his lips… How can anyone eat like this?! How can anyone drink like this?! This is worse than going to the execution ground!

Zhao Liang "thoughtfully" poured glasses of Moutai, but looking at the steaming, yet utterly unappetizing, dishes on the table, Wang Jian closed his eyes in despair. This wasn't dinner; it was a final judgment! Every minute, every second was hellish torture!

"Eat and drink, everyone!" Zhao Liang said with a grin.

"Mr. Wang, don't worry, I won't run away. Anyone who runs away is a coward. Yes, today I'm going to win people over with virtue."

Wang Lun and Liu Gang exchanged a quick glance, both seeing a hint of absurd "fortunateness" in each other's eyes. Survivors! They were the survivors on the edge of this storm! Zhao Liang's spearhead was precisely aimed at Wang Jian alone. Even the Qin soldiers who had followed Wang Jian out and bumped into him were only given a cursory glance by Zhao Liang and were not deliberately targeted.

This relieved the Qin army, who, while feeling fortunate, gradually shifted from being "participants" to "spectators." Duang!
A slightly muffled yet exceptionally clear crisp sound!
After filling everyone's decanters, Zhao Liang walked up to Wang Jian. Instead of pouring him a drink like he would for the others, he flicked his wrist and lightly slammed the half-full bottle of Moutai onto the table in front of Wang Jian!

Then, to everyone's astonishment, Zhao Liang, with utmost naturalness, as if he were merely tidying the table, removed the wine dispenser that was supposed to be used to hold the wine in front of Wang Jian and placed it directly on the corner of the table furthest from Wang Jian!

The meaning couldn't be clearer!
Blow it straight from the bottle!
This half-bottle of Moutai represents your virtue and your way of winning people over!
Wang Jian's expression changed. He understood what Zhao Liang meant; the other party wanted him to drink straight from the bottle.

While he was furious, he also felt a sense of relief. What he feared most was that Zhao Liang wouldn't give him a chance to apologize. Since the other party was punishing him with a slap on the wrist, as long as he complied, today's matter would be considered over.

But drinking this half-full bottle of liquor straight from the bottle puts immense pressure on you.

Looking at Zhao Liang's still "gentle" smiling face, Wang Jian gritted his teeth, forced a smile that was more like a grimace, and spoke in a tentative and pleading tone:
"Mr. Zhao... Mr. Zhao... look... I... I'll drink three cups as punishment... is that alright? Three cups... I accept the punishment!" He held up three fingers, adopting an extremely humble posture, even prepared to bargain and increase the amount to five or seven cups.

To everyone's surprise, Zhao Liang was surprisingly easy to talk to! He nodded readily without any hesitation:

"sure--"

Wang Jian could hardly believe his ears! He was overjoyed! Three cups?! Although it wasn't a small amount, compared to chugging straight from the bottle, it was like going from hell to heaven! He was so excited that he almost burst into tears, and immediately wanted to express his overwhelming gratitude:

"Thank you, Mr. Zhao! Thank you for your magnanimity, Mr. Zhao! I, Wang Jian..."

However, before he could even begin to express his gratitude, Zhao Liang's next casual remark chilled him to the bone like a bucket of ice water!
Zhao Liang casually pulled his phone out of his uniform pocket, fiddled with it in his hand without even glancing at Wang Jian, and said in a relaxed tone as if he were saying, "I'm going to the restroom."
"Well... you guys make yourselves at home? I'm going out... to call my cousin and report the situation here..."

Holy crap!

Wang Jian's hair stood on end! He sprang back up from his chair as if struck by lightning! The movement was so violent it nearly overturned the chair! "Wait—"

He stared intently at the phone in Zhao Liang's hand, which resembled a "death switch." "Drink! I'll drink it!!!" Wang Jian practically roared, his voice hoarse with despair and a resolute, all-or-nothing determination. "It's just a bottle! I'll chug it!!!"

At this moment, no amount of humiliation, discomfort, or hospitalization matters mattered!

He'd rather drink himself to death right here and now than let Zhao Liang make that call!
Once that call is made, what awaits him might be the real, Chen Xiao-style "winning people over with virtue"! That would be true hell!
Wang Jian grabbed the heavy bottle of Moutai from the table, his knuckles turning white from the force. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and brought the cold bottle to his lips, with a tragic, resolute air, as if heading to his execution, and gulped it down!

The spicy liquid burned his throat and esophagus like fire, but he dared not stop, nor could he stop!

The private room was deathly silent, save for Wang Jian's painful, gulping swallowing sounds and the gurgling of the liquor hitting his throat, like the tolling of a death knell.

The scene was silent. Wang Jian, the heir of Huadi, who was enjoying great success on the outside, was enduring humiliation and swallowing bitter pills as he looked at Huadi with complicated expressions.

There was schadenfreude, a sense of shared sorrow, and even more so, a sense of absurdity and horror at witnessing one's dignity stripped bare in public.

Duang~!
Wang Jian slammed the bottle down on the table, his body swaying uncontrollably. His usually arrogant face was now a purplish-red, veins bulging on his forehead, large beads of sweat mixed with tears from suppressing nausea, smearing his face. His eyes were bloodshot and unfocused, his throat emitting hoarse, labored breaths, each breath carrying a strong, pungent smell of alcohol. "General Manager Zhao..."

He struggled to steady his swaying body, trying to focus his unfocused gaze on the figure who had been standing by, watching as if it were a show. His voice was hoarse and broken, filled with a dying weakness and a final plea:

"Mr. Zhao...I...I've finished drinking..."

Zhao Liang strolled forward slowly, extended two fingers, and casually picked up the wine bottle that still retained Wang Jian's body temperature and saliva, shaking it lightly in his hand.

He glanced again at Wang Jian's wretched appearance, a dramatic, regretful, and "heartbroken" smile curving his lips. His voice suddenly rose, carrying a contrived surprise and reproach that resonated throughout the entire private room:
"Ouch--!!!"

This shout startled Wang Lun and Liu Gang, who were already on edge!
"I'm telling you, Mr. Wang!" Zhao Liang said, shaking his wine bottle, his tone full of disappointment and frustration. "Look at what you've done! What a mess you've made!"

He shook his head while pointing at the bottle with his other finger, as if displaying some unforgivable evidence:

"I was just joking with you! Just kidding! Just kidding! How could you... take it seriously?!"

The "heartache" on his face became even more genuine, and his voice was filled with endless regret:

"This is Moutai! Genuine Moutai! Such fine liquor! How...how could you...how could you really chug it all in one go?!"

He abruptly tilted the bottle upside down, letting the last few drops of amber liquid fall onto the polished table. The action carried a deliberate, exaggerated sense of waste, and his voice abruptly shifted to an extreme expression of regret.
"Isn't this a waste?!"

With a thud, Wang Jian collapsed to the ground, whether from drinking too much or from being too angry, it was unclear. (End of Chapter)