"Wu Jun, I’m so sorry. Xu Penghui isn’t usually like this. I don’t know what got into him today." Inside the supermarket by the small restaurant, Xu Fei followed behind Wu Jun, who was grabbing drinks from a shelf, and whispered, "Whatever tonight’s dinner costs, I’ll pay for it."
"What are you talking about? I said it’s my treat. You’re not going to deny me that, are you?" Wu Jun grabbed a bottle of hawthorn drink from the shelf, turned to Xu Fei, and said, "Your dad is still there. Don’t let your classmate ruin the mood. I called you out here just to tell you this. Come on, let’s go pay."
"Wu Jun..." The more Xu Fei thought about it, the more sorry she felt for Wu Jun. He had kindly treated them to dinner, only to run into someone like Xu Penghui, who wasn’t just ungrateful but was also causing a scene for no reason.
When the two returned after buying the drinks, several dishes were already on the table. Xu Shucai was sipping tea, while Xu Penghui, not even waiting for the host, Wu Jun, to be seated, had already started helping himself to the food.
Seeing them return, Xu Penghui said unapologetically, "Boss Wu, my apologies. I was just too hungry to wait, so I started without you."
"No need for formalities. If you’re hungry, eat." Wu Jun paid no mind to the young man’s crude provocation and gestured for Xu Fei to take a seat.
"Uncle Xu, it’s rare for you to visit, so we should drink something special today. A friend gave this to me last time they were over." As Wu Jun spoke, he picked up the bottle of Feitian Maotai from the empty seat beside him.
"Well, I’ll be! Feitian Maotai!" Xu Shucai had been too polite to stare at the bottle Wu Jun brought in, but now that it was on the table, he saw that it was, in fact, a bottle of Feitian Maotai.
Xu Fei didn’t touch a drop of alcohol, but Xu Shucai was a real boozehound—the kind who’d happily drink three times a day if he could.
Although he usually drank cheap, unbranded liquor, as a seasoned enthusiast, he knew the prices of famous spirits like the back of his hand.
Everyone loves to brag after a few drinks, and how could you brag if you didn’t even know the price of high-end liquor?
Xu Shucai’s eyes lit up at the sight of the good liquor. He grinned and said, "Boss Wu, you’re too generous! Thanks to you, I get to enjoy the good stuff today."
Xu Penghui’s hand froze mid-air as he was picking up food. He glanced at the bottle and said sarcastically, "Is that one of those fakes from a TV shopping channel? The kind they sell for sixty bucks a case?"
Xu Fei was about to explode, but Wu Jun reached under the table and took her hand again. She instantly quieted down like a kitten, blushing as she used her other hand to pick up her water glass and take a sip to hide her embarrassment.
"Young Xu has quite a sense of humor," Wu Jun said with a laugh. "You drove here today, so I won’t press you to drink. Don’t drink and drive, safety first. I’ll just have a little with Uncle Xu."
"What’s that supposed to mean, Boss Wu? Can’t bear to part with your precious fake liquor?" Xu Penghui shot back, then turned and called for the waiter. "Waiter, get me a bottle of Bai’niuer."
The waiter brought over a bottle of Bai’niuer. Xu Penghui grabbed it, twisted off the cap, and poured himself a glass.
Though Wu Jun was finding Xu Penghui more and more irritating, he still offered a kind reminder. "They often have DUI checkpoints on the road leading out of the city from the North Second Ring Road. Young Xu, you really shouldn’t drink."
Xu Penghui was ungrateful. "I’ve driven that road hundreds of times. I know it better than you," he said. "No need for your fake concern. If you’re too cheap to offer me a drink, just say it."
Xu Fei flared up in anger again, but Wu Jun simply reached out and held her hand, and she quieted down once more, taking a sip of water.
"Uncle Xu," Xu Penghui asked Xu Shucai, "are you going to drink that fake stuff with him, or have some authentic Bai’niuer with me?"
Xu Shucai’s eyes were practically glued to the bottle Wu Jun had placed on the table. He answered without a moment’s hesitation, "I think I’ll stick with what Boss Wu is having."
Xu Penghui was speechless.
Wu Jun just smiled, twisting the cap off by hand. The moment it opened, a rich, fragrant aroma filled the air, an intoxicating scent that seemed to bore right into their nostrils.
"Now that’s good liquor! This is absolutely the real deal!" As an old connoisseur, Xu Shucai recognized the aroma of Maotai at once. His praise was a resounding slap across Xu Penghui’s face.
Xu Penghui had assumed Wu Jun was just the owner of some small supermarket, a guy who couldn’t even afford a car. ’How could he possibly be willing to drink such expensive liquor?’ Now, smelling the aroma, he too was stunned.
He hadn’t taken a sip, but you could tell the quality from the smell alone.
It was the unique, rich, "sauce-like" fragrance of Feitian Maotai. If a counterfeit could replicate this scent, it would be a perfect forgery.
Confirming that Wu Jun’s liquor was actually real, Xu Penghui’s sense of alarm grew stronger.
’This guy is using liquor worth thousands to treat Feifei’s dad. No one is that attentive for no reason—he must be up to no good. He’s definitely trying to suck up to his future father-in-law.’
Wu Jun smiled without a word and poured Xu Shucai a glass of the Maotai.
’Since Xu Penghui claimed it was fake, it was for the best that he wasn’t drinking it. I never wanted to share this good liquor with him anyway.’
’Being able to smell but not drink liquor worth thousands—this is the price for running his mouth. He’s just suffering to save face.’
"Boss Wu, it’s our first time meeting. How about a drink to get acquainted?" Xu Penghui raised his glass to Wu Jun. "Let’s down this first one. After that, you’re the host, you call the shots. Whatever you say, we drink. Anyone who backs down is a little bitch. I’m with you till the end."
Faced with Xu Penghui’s relentless provocations, even a saint would lose his temper. Hearing that he wanted a drinking contest, Wu Jun smiled.
’I can handle two and a half jin of baijiu, which puts me ahead of 99% of drinkers in the country. Last time I ran into someone from that top 1%, Luo Zhengang, and I almost lost. I refuse to believe I’m so unlucky that I’d immediately find another monster who can handle three jin or more.’
Xu Fei was about to speak up and stop them, but as if he’d read her mind, Wu Jun reached out and pressed her hand again. She fell silent once more, blushing as she picked up her water glass to drink.
"You tell me how we’re drinking. I invited Uncle Xu and you to dinner today, so I have to make sure both my guests are taken care of." Wu Jun accepted Xu Penghui’s challenge, then turned to Xu Fei, who was sipping her water. "Xu Fei, eat more food. Don’t just drink water."
"I know, Wu Jun. You guys drink, don’t worry about me," Xu Fei replied, her face still red. She had seen Wu Jun’s tolerance for alcohol before, so she wasn’t worried about him getting drunk.
Wu Jun had only brought one bottle of liquor and was afraid it wouldn’t be enough. Not wanting to compete with Xu Shucai for it, he finished the glass he had first poured, then handed the remaining half-plus bottle to Xu Shucai to enjoy by himself. Then, he ordered another bottle of Bai’niuer from the waiter.
’So you want a drinking contest? Fine, I’ll play. I was already sick of looking at you anyway. You walked right into my sights, so don’t blame me for pulling the trigger.’
One glass for you, one glass for me. Wu Jun and Xu Penghui went at it, and soon the two bottles of Bai’niuer on the table were empty.
After one bottle each, Wu Jun looked completely normal, feeling as though he’d just warmed up. Xu Penghui, however, was already under the table.
By Wu Jun’s estimation, Xu Penghui’s tolerance was seven liang at most. ’With a capacity like that, he dared to challenge someone to a drinking contest? I really don’t know where he got the courage.’
The drinking was more or less over. Less than half of the food Xu Penghui had ordered was eaten, and it looked like the Xu father and daughter had lost their appetites.
Seeing that things were wrapping up, Wu Jun got up and paid the bill.
After paying, he came back and, with Xu Shucai’s help, dragged Xu Penghui up from under the table and helped carry him out of the restaurant.
"Young Wu, look at this mess. I’m truly sorry. Penghui is a petty kid who likes to compete with people. Please don’t hold it against him, and don’t take any of it to heart." Xu Shucai apologized to Wu Jun, all while clutching the half-empty bottle of Feitian Maotai under his arm and supporting Xu Penghui with his other hand.
"It’s nothing, Uncle Xu. The point of drinking is to have a good time and enjoy yourself," Wu Jun said. "I can see Young Xu has had a lot to drink, so he definitely can’t drive. We should get him a room at a hotel to sleep it off. He can go back tomorrow."
Xu Fei said, "Wu Jun, my dad and I will take him."
"You wait here. Uncle Xu and I will go." Wu Jun pointed to a small inn across the street. "It’s still a ways, and he’s too heavy for you."
With that, Wu Jun gave a nod to Xu Shucai, and together they supported Xu Penghui as they headed across the street.