My Daily Basic Stipend Is 10 Million

Chapter 156: Chapter 154: A Smart Mouth and Off One’s Meds

Li Man chuckled. "President Gao isn’t a fan of strong-aroma baijiu. She only drinks Maotai."

Gao Yue glanced at her, surprised that she knew her so well. She played along, saying, "It’s true, I’m not a big fan of strong-aroma baijiu. It’s fine, you all go ahead. Don’t let me be a buzzkill. I’ll just have some juice!"

She lowered her head and took a sip of water. ’Hmm, I should probably build up this reputation. From now on, I only drink Maotai, and nothing else!’

Hou Fei felt a pang of awkwardness. ’So it’s not that President Gao doesn’t drink, she just *only* drinks Maotai!’

’What’s the point of treating someone to dinner if they can’t even have a good time?’

But to let her have her fill, a few bottles of Maotai from the hotel would easily cost over ten thousand yuan. He couldn’t help but feel a pained pinch.

He turned to look at Yuan Kai, the words "Yuan, you’re handling the drinks!" practically on the tip of his tongue.

Yuan Kai played dead, saying nothing.

The atmosphere grew awkward. Without Gao Yue even needing to speak, Li Man was already thinking, ’This Hou Fei isn’t a decisive man. People like him never get anything done.’

"How about this, President Hou? You all can drink the Wuliangye. I’ll go get a bottle of Maotai, and I’ll pay for it!"

This made Ji Hua even more embarrassed. He was the one who had organized this dinner, after all. He stood up and said, "President Li, please, allow me!"

Now it was Hou Fei’s turn to be mortified, his face as red as a baboon’s ass. He managed to force out, "No, no, it’s fine. We’ll have the waiter bring a bottle of Maotai. I’m treating, how could I possibly let you pay?"

Li Man looked at him with contempt. ’Either everyone drinks Maotai, or no one does. What’s the point of bringing just one bottle? Is President Gao supposed to drink it by herself?’

Sure enough, President Gao spoke up. "Let’s not make a fuss. How about this: President Li, please go ask the front desk to bring a case over. I’ll expense it! I need to go next door to propose a toast in a bit, so one bottle probably won’t be enough anyway."

The situation was toe-curlingly awkward.

Hou Fei, flushed crimson, said, "That won’t be necessary. We’re treating today, so the drinks are on us. Right, Yuan?"

’Fuck me,’ Yuan Kai thought. ’Whatever you say goes, so why the hell are you asking me? You still want me to pay? Then what about those bottles of Wuliangye I bought? Were they for nothing?’

’When you need me to run errands, you call me Xiao Yuan. When you want me to foot the bill, suddenly I’m ’Yuan’.’

Yuan Kai gave a perfunctory nod and a hollow laugh, but said nothing.

In the end, Hou Fei had the waiter bring in a case of Maotai, and the issue with the drinks was finally put to rest.

Hou Fei felt utterly pathetic, having spent the money only to be looked down on. He shot a reproachful glance at Yuan Kai. ’That cheapskate isn’t generous either.’

As if he were any better.

During the dinner, Hou Fei found a chance to propose a toast to Gao Yue. "I’ve always heard that you have a powerful network, President Gao," he said, "especially when it comes to resources for investment and financing. If a good project comes up in the future, I may need to ask for your help!"

Gao Yue laughed lightly. "In that case, President Hou, you’d be the one helping me. A good project would be a chance for you to bring us along for the ride!"

Hou Fei smiled. "You’re right, you’re right. Ah, President Gao, I truly do want to work with you! When might you have some time for us to discuss this in detail?"

’Here we go again,’ Gao Yue thought, rolling her eyes internally. ’This guy can’t take a hint. You say one nice thing, and he takes it as gospel.’

"If you have a project, send me the business plan first. I’ll look it over and see if I can make a recommendation."

Gao Yue offered a polite, noncommittal reply before turning to speak with Li Man, effectively cutting off Hou Fei’s rambling.

After a few rounds of drinks, Li Man suddenly turned to Hou Fei. "Dr. Hou, what about that handsome young subordinate of yours we ran into earlier? Aren’t you going to call him over to offer a toast?"

Her request was rather strange. Hou Fei knew she was just lusting after the guy. ’You old lech,’ he thought, ’still haven’t given up, have you?’

Gao Yue gave Li Man a curious look, wondering what she was up to.

’As if I’d dare message Chen Xiao and tell him to come offer a toast,’ Hou Fei thought. ’He’d probably smash a bottle in my face if I did.’

’The guy earns a bonus of several million a month. Why would he come here and sell his good looks?’

"Yuan," Hou Fei said, "he’s your subordinate. Why don’t you send him a message? Tell him to come over and meet the bosses here. It’s a good networking opportunity for him!"

Yuan Kai was dumbstruck. ’Damn it, have you no shame? You know exactly what my relationship with Chen Xiao is like! You can’t handle it yourself, so you dump it on me? He doesn’t give a damn about me!’

"Oh, I’ll send him a message and see if he’s free," Yuan Kai said.

Yuan Kai made a show of fiddling with his phone, giving everyone the impression that he was messaging his colleague.

A few more rounds of drinks went by. Li Man had glanced toward the door several times before she prodded Yuan Kai, "Your subordinate doesn’t seem very responsive, does he?"

Hou Fei shot Yuan Kai a look. "How do you normally manage your people? You need to give him a good talking-to back at the office. He has no sense of propriety at all!"

Yuan Kai’s face went beet red. He cursed inwardly, ’Who the hell are you trying to be? If you’ve got the balls, you go tell Chen Xiao off. You go "educate" him. If you’re so damn capable, why were you smashing cups in your office the other day?’

’All he knows is how to throw his weight around and put me down in front of other people,’ Yuan Kai fumed internally. Despite his anger, he answered sheepishly, "He hasn’t messaged back. He probably hasn’t seen it yet."

Li Man frowned and shot a look at Ji Hua, her expression clearly saying, ’What kind of friends do you have? They’re completely clueless.’

Gao Yue didn’t know what little scheme Li Man was concocting, nor did she care. She stood up. "You all carry on. I’m going to pop over there and propose a toast."

Everyone in the private room glanced over. They were all thinking the same thing: President Gao was going to offer a toast in person? The people next door must be important.

Li Man quickly stood up. "President Gao, mind if I tag along?"

Gao Yue nodded, and the two women left the private room together.

"President Li, what was that about asking Dr. Hou’s colleague to come over?"

It was unusual to summon someone to a dinner table for such a thing, and Gao Yue’s curiosity had been piqued by her strange behavior.

Li Man burst out laughing. "That’s just my type. I saw a cute young guy, so incredibly handsome. I’ve never felt such a strong desire for a young man before!"

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