Chapter 122: Drinking
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Brother Qian, who are you waiting for? Your neck looks like it’s about to snap from all that craning.” Yu Qian was standing at the racecourse gate, and Qiao Shan, beside him, asked with a puzzled expression.
“Waiting for a friend. Brother, let me fill you in, so you don’t accidentally offend him later. Anyway, he’s quite a big shot, easygoing, and straightforward. He rarely returns to Jingdu, so I took the liberty of inviting him to join us for a drink today.” Qiao Shan was also a smart guy, and as soon as Yu Qian mentioned it, he understood.
“Old bro, thanks a lot!” Yu Qian waved his hand in response.
“We, brothers, don’t need to say these things.” Both of them laughed spontaneously.
While the two were chatting, a Rolls-Royce Phantom approached from the distance and soon arrived at the gate of the racecourse.
Zhou Chao saw Yu Qian and Qiao Shan standing at the entrance and got out of the car.
“Master Yu, what are you doing at the gate? You’re not waiting for me, are you?”
“I’m waiting for you, let me introduce you. This is my buddy, Qiao Shan, from the entertainment industry, and this incredibly handsome guy is Zhou Chao.”
“Qiao Shan, I’ve heard of you before. I used to watch your foot massages. Hello, I’m Zhou Chao.”
“Hello, I’m Qiao Shan, pleasure to meet you.” They exchanged polite handshakes.
“Let’s go; they can’t wait any longer.” The three of them got into the car, and Xiao Wu drove into the racecourse.
Soon, the Phantom arrived at the courtyard where they had dinner last time. Everyone opened the car doors and got out, while Zhou Chao took out the red wine he had brought from the trunk.
“Another gift, huh? If you keep this up, 1 might hesitate to come over for dinner at your place!” Yu Qian joked as he noticed the red wine in Zhou Chao’s hand.
“Hahaha, feel free to come over for a meal anytime.” They all walked in, joking and laughing.
As soon as Zhou Chao entered, he saw Ma Wei and the others chatting. Ma Wei stood up when he saw Zhou Chao walk in. “You kid, you’re back in Jingdu, and you didn’t even make a phone call. We have to have a good drink tonight.” “Zhou Shao, you’re here!” Wu Jing, who was standing nearby, also stood up. Zhou Chao waved his hand.
“No need for formality tonight. We’re all friends here, so we should enjoy ourselves. Just call me Zhou Chao.” Wu Jing agreed without any pretense and gave a nod.
“Zhou Chao, let me introduce you.” Yu Qian, who was standing next to him, pulled Zhou Chao to the side.
“This is Sun Yue and this is Yu En Tai.” Zhou Chao exchanged greetings and handshakes with the three.
“Alright, let’s all sit down. Since everyone is here, let’s get started.” Zhou Chao handed the bottle of red wine he had been holding to Yu Qian, who found a decanter and started to aerate the wine.
“Brother Qian, what kind of wine is this? It smells so good.” Qiao Shan couldn’t help but ask when he smelled the fragrance of the red wine.
Yu Qian looked at Zhou Chao, and Zhou Chao nodded slightly. Yu Qian began, “You’re in for a treat today. This is a 1945 Domaine Romanee Conti Grand Cru wine. It’s already considered extremely rare in the world, and its value is around 4 million yuan!”
Yu Qian’s words were like a bombshell to Qiao Shan and Yu En Tai, as for Wu Jing and Sun Yue, they had already known, so they were not surprised.
“Haha, last time when we visited his place for dinner, it was a real treat. We enjoyed a bottle of Han Emperor Maotai, an absolute collector’s gem. The flavor was exquisite!” Ma Wei, seated next to Zhou Chao, began to boast, and upon hearing the words “Han Emperor Maotai”, Wu Jing, Sun Yue, and the others couldn’t help but feel a twinge of desire, whether for the liquor itself or out of sheer amazement.
“You won’t get such good wine tonight; you’ll have to settle for a few thousand yuan bottles of Maotai.” Yu Qian walked out with a box of Maotai and gave each person a bottle.
Everyone accepted the Maotai without hesitation and poured themselves a glass.
“Cheers, everyone!” Ma Wei raised his glass, and everyone began to drink.
At times, men could be quite simple. After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table became cheerful and relaxed. Wu Jing pulled Zhou Chao aside for a drink.
“Brother Jing, this isn’t fair; you keep me as your drinking partner all the time. You should give others a chance!” Zhou Chao complained after a few rounds of drinks with Wu Jing.
“Hehe, isn’t it because last time Yu Qian mentioned that your ability to handle alcohol put the three of them under the table? I’m here to even the score!” Zhou Chao couldn’t help but wear a wry smile upon hearing this.
“No, no, no, last time they overindulged on their own because they were in high spirits. It’s not like I forced them to drink!” Zhou Chao didn’t want to be chased into drinking by Wu Jing, so he had to enlist the help of Yu Qian and Ma Wei as buffers.
“Is that true? They both lied to me, saying that you can really drink. No, I have to show them.” With that, Wu Jing went to drink with Ma Wei and Yu Qian, completely unaware of the mischievous grin that Zhou Chao had on his face.
“Mr. Zhou, I’ll do my best with this drink.” Qiao Shan approached with a two-Hang glass of white liquor in hand.
Zhou Chao waved his hand, saying, “We’re all friends here; you don’t need to call me Mr. Zhou. Just call me Zhou Chao.” With that, Zhou Chao stood up and raised his glass, clinking it with Qiao Shan. Qiao Shan downed the entire glass of white liquor in one gulp.
Zhou Chao also finished his glass of white liquor, which was a smaller glass. The two exchanged a few words and took the opportunity to exchange contact information and phone numbers. Qiao Shan then returned to his seat.
Next, Sun Yue and Yu En Tai approached Zhou Chao with their drinks. Zhou Chao reciprocated by exchanging contact information and phone numbers with them. By now, with half a bottle of white liquor in their system, everyone was talking freely, and Zhou Chao heard many interesting anecdotes he had never heard before.
Zhou Chao finished his last glass of white liquor, and most of the drinks on the table were empty. He glanced at the red wine on the side and got up to fetch the wine decanter.
“I’ll do it. You’re the guest; you shouldn’t have to do it yourself!” Yu Qian, seeing Zhou Chao getting up to pour the red wine, stopped him and fetched the red wine himself, turning to Zhou Chao and saying, “Everyone is more or less drunk now. Let’s taste this bottle of Domaine Romanee Conti.”
Yu Qian provided each person with a glass, pouring half a glass for everyone. They all savored the fragrance of the red wine and felt a bit more awake.
“Cheers!” After a gentle clink of glasses, they began to sip the wine. After all, one sip of this wine was worth tens of thousands!
“Good wine is meant to be savored!” Wu Jing finished his glass of red wine in a few sips, savoring the lingering taste in his mouth.
The others, on the other hand, took small sips but finished their glasses quickly. One sip followed another, and after a while, they had all emptied their glasses. They could only savor the aftertaste because even the last drop in the decanter was consumed by Wu Jing.
After indulging in food and drinks, the group relaxed on recliners, and engaged in conversation until approximately 11 o’clock when they agreed to call it a night.
“I’ll leave first!” Yu Qian and the others accompanied Zhou Chao to his car. Zhou Chao waved goodbye to them and got into the car, which soon disappeared from their view.
“Xiao Wu, have you eaten?” Zhou Chao suddenly remembered that Xiao Wu had been sitting in the car the whole time.
“Boss, I’ve eaten. Master Yu’s disciple, Xiao Long, came to get me something to eat.”
“Alright, let’s go home.” With that, Zhou Chao closed his eyes and rested..