Huang Zhong sat at the head of the table, with He Suyan to his left and Liu Shu to his right. Su Mianmian, wanting to remain unnoticed, chose a seat furthest from the leaders.
Liu Shu was very sociable at the dinner table, quickly winning Huang Zhong over. After some warm-up, Huang Zhong's eyes darted to Su Mianmian. "Is this our department's new intern?"
Su Mianmian was about to answer when He Suyan preemptively answered for her. "Yes, Vice President Huang, a third-year French major at University A, with decent professional skills." Huang Zhong nodded. "What's her name?"
He Suyan was about to reply when Huang Zhong exclaimed, "Hey, Manager He, let the young lady say it herself. Are you going to keep doing all the interpreting for her?" He Suyan frowned slightly, giving Su Mianmian a subtle glance.
Su Mianmian didn't notice the wink He Suyan gave her. It was just a self-introduction, and she didn't think much of it. She gracefully greeted Huang Zhong, "Vice President Huang, my name is Su Mianmian."
"Su Mianmian..." Huang Zhong chuckled, his large hand casually touching the glass of baijiu in front of him. "A lovely name, young lady. I wonder how much you can drink?" Su Mianmian quickly waved her hand. "I'm sorry, Vice President Huang, I have a very low alcohol tolerance; I'm the type who gets drunk after just one glass."
Knowing that in this situation, it wouldn't be right not to toast Huang Zhong, Su Mianmian stood up, holding her juice. "Vice President Huang, my alcohol tolerance is really poor. Today, I'll toast you with juice instead of alcohol. I hope you'll forgive me."
She raised her juice, waiting for Huang Zhong's response. However, after waiting for a long time, Huang Zhong didn't respond. Instead, he glanced at Liu Shu.
"Deputy Manager Liu, it's not enough to just be a heavy drinker yourself. As a leader, you need to train your employees too. There will inevitably be social engagements in the future."
Huang Zhong, whom Liu Shu had deliberately hired to mess with Su Mianmian, understood her intentions and deliberately smiled in agreement. "I'm sorry, Deputy Manager Huang, it was my mistake."
With that, she got up and walked to Su Mianmian's side. "Mianmian, Deputy Manager Huang rarely attends department dinners. Offering him juice isn't very sincere. How about this, since baijiu is too strong, you can start with some red wine. We'll take it slow."
Liu Shu said, shoving a glass of red wine into Su Mianmian's hand. "Alcohol tolerance is something you develop through practice. There are so many colleagues here today, nothing will happen."
Su Mianmian held the wine glass, looking troubled. Gu Yizhou had repeatedly told her not to drink in his absence. "Deputy Manager Liu, I really can't drink."
Liu Shu clicked her tongue. "It's just one glass. Who really gets drunk after just one glass?" Xia Qing, standing beside her, tugged at Su Mianmian's sleeve. "Mianmian, just one glass. Just grit your teeth and finish it."
Then, taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, she lowered her voice and said, "If you don't drink, not only will Deputy General Manager Huang lose face, but that Liu vixen will also be watching you closely. The second half will be even harder." Su Mianmian pursed her lips and glanced at the red wine in her glass.
Last time she ate with Xue Jing and Jiang Ning, she drank three glasses of red wine before getting a little drunk. One glass today shouldn't be a problem, right?
Thinking this, Su Mianmian took a deep breath. "Deputy Manager Liu, then I'll have one drink, but let's make it clear first, I can only have this one."
Liu Shu nodded, smiling, but inwardly thinking, "This little girl is still too naive. At the dinner table, it's either zero drinks or countless drinks. Now that she's set a precedent, refusing later will be incredibly difficult!"
Seeing that Liu Shu didn't say anything more, Su Mianmian stood up and raised her glass to Huang Zhong. "Deputy President Huang, I toast you." With that, she tilted her head back and downed the glass of red wine.
After finishing, Su Mianmian's face scrunched up. Before, she had been curious about the wine, sipping it slowly, so it wasn't so hard to swallow. This time, downing the whole glass in one gulp, not only did she not taste the wine, but her throat felt incredibly uncomfortable.
"Good drinking capacity!" Huang Zhong led the applause, and the other colleagues echoed him.
Just as Su Mianmian thought her task was complete and was about to sit down, Liu Shu exclaimed, "Mianmian, don't rush! You've already toasted Vice President Huang, and Manager He is right here too. He's been very kind to you these past few days since you joined the company; you can't forget him, can you?"
As she spoke, she refilled Su Mianmian's glass. Su Mianmian looked at the newly poured red wine in her glass, a troubled expression on her face. "Vice Manager Liu, I already said I could only have one glass." Liu Shu smiled. "Then it depends on your feelings for Manager He."
This was practically moral blackmail. Drinking it would be too much; not drinking it would be tantamount to disrespecting Manager He. Su Mianmian gripped her glass, pursed her lips, and was about to pick it up when He Suyan stopped her.
"Vice Manager Liu, just enjoy yourself. I don't like these formalities. It's better for everyone to cooperate actively at work than to toast me." "Manager He, the way you say that makes it sound like I love all this superficial stuff."
Huang Zhong's smile faded. "Vice Manager Liu, a dinner party is supposed to be about having fun. Since Su Mianmian doesn't want to drink, don't force her. Otherwise, everyone will say I'm being unreasonable."
He Suyan frowned. "Vice President Huang, I didn't mean anything by that." Huang Zhong waved his hand, his tone stiff. "Manager He, you don't need to say anything more. I understand."
Su Mianmian could see that He Suyan was trying to smooth things over for her, and she could also see Huang Zhong's deliberate attempt to make things difficult. Not wanting He Suyan to offend Huang Zhong because of her, she proactively raised her glass. "No pressure, Manager He. Thank you for your care these past few days. This is my toast."
He Suyan wanted to stop her, but Su Mianmian shook her head, signaling him to stop talking, and drank the wine directly.
Then, without waiting for Liu Shu to persuade her further, Su Mianmian poured herself another glass and said to Liu Shu, "Since joining the company, not only Manager He, but also Deputy Manager Liu has been quite 'caring' towards me. This glass is for you, so you won't accuse me of favoritism."
Su Mianmian's initiative saved Liu Shu from having to find other excuses. A smug smile appeared on her lips. "See? Su Mianmian's alcohol tolerance isn't as bad as she says. Three glasses down, and she didn't utter a sound. She's a true heroine!
Just for that, let's all have another drink with her!" Su Mianmian had already drunk three glasses of red wine, reaching her drinking limit. Her face was flushed, and her head was a little dizzy.
Hearing Liu Shu still urging her to drink more, she knew that Liu Shu was going to get revenge for the losses she had suffered at Liu Shu's hands before. Just as she was about to continue drinking, someone covered the rim of her glass with a hand. "Liu Shu!"
He Suyan appeared beside her, blocking Su Mianmian's path, his gaze cold as he looked at Liu Shu. "Su Mianmian can't hold her liquor, she should stop now."
Liu Shu exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't realize Manager He was so chivalrous, so protective of Su Mianmian. Why don't you just put her under your wing and mentor her yourself?"
He Suyan's gaze was icy. "I just can't stand some people bullying others. You have a high alcohol tolerance, you should know very well that Su Mianmian is in no condition to drink anymore. We're colleagues, don't deliberately cause trouble." "Who's causing trouble? Who's bullying others?"
Liu Shu laughed, swaying her slender waist as she walked to Huang Zhong's side. "Vice President Huang, you hold the highest rank here. Manager He, you wouldn't be implying I'm abusing your power, would you?" Huang Zhong raised an eyebrow, looking at He Suyan. "Is that what Manager He means?"
He Suyan took a deep breath. "Vice President Huang, Su Mianmian is just a new girl. Her father was worried today and came to the company to check on her. She can't be perfectly fine during the day and then be drunk and passed out at night." "Her father?
Who's her father? How come unauthorized people can come and go from the company so freely?" Zeng Ke, unsure how to defend Su Mianmian, finally saw an opportunity when she sensed He Suyan's intention to bring up Su's father.
"Yes, Vice President Huang, you probably don't know, but Su Mianmian's father is the chairman of Yongkang Group." "Yongkang Group? Chairman?" Huang Zhong feigned surprise.
However, his shock only lasted two seconds before a disdainful smile appeared on his lips. "I've heard of him, but we don't seem to have any dealings with him. We're not familiar with him."