Lin Chen said, "President Zheng and the others were quite polite. I thought they'd try to act all high and mighty and slap me in the face. Guess I miscalculated."
Xu Mengyao said, "The upper class is different from the bottom. Smiling on the surface while stabbing you in the back is standard practice."
"They might be toasting you and calling you brother today, but tomorrow they could seize an opportunity to make you suffer."
Lin Chen nodded slightly.
"Zhao Tianyou is much less sophisticated than Zheng Xu."
Xu Mengyao said, "That's normal. The Zhao Family rose up alongside our Xu Family, so their Foundation isn't as solid. They've only been wealthy for about twenty years."
"The Shen Family's elders have been wealthy for generations. The education they and their sons received is different from ours."
Lin Chen nodded slightly.
"My intuition tells me they'll make a move."
Xu Mengyao said, "It's certainly possible. Our Xu Family is considered nouveau riche. We're making more money than them, and these old families aren't happy about it."
"My grandfather passed away early, so our Xu Family's Foundation/Background isn't sufficient."
Foundation/Background isn't just about money.
Various relationship networks take time to cultivate.
Old families might not be as wealthy, but they might have alliances through marriage with many other families.
Perhaps some of their family members have become influential figures.
It's also possible that one of them became a teacher and brought out many students, some of whom were very promising.
Xu Mengyao's grandfather's Legacy of Relationships was enough to keep the Xu Family going until now, and they are still receiving protection. One can imagine how strong the Foundation/Background of the old established families must be.
"Mengyao, you're probably not good at this. Your parents will be back next month. Let your dad deal with it."
"Your dad definitely has more experience with these kinds of struggles," Lin Chen said.
Xu Mengyao nodded. "My dad is definitely much better than me. I'm okay with taking the company through smooth sailing."
"Let's not talk about this anymore."
"They probably won't act anytime soon. Our Xu Family isn't easy to provoke either. Whoever sticks their neck out will have to pay a considerable price."
Lin Chen chuckled lightly. "Don't worry too much. Even if we lose money, you and Xiaoxi will still be provided for."
"I can support you both."
Xu Mengyao's face flushed slightly. "I don't want you to support me."
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
Half an hour later, the guests who were supposed to arrive had mostly shown up.
There weren't a lot of people, maybe a hundred in total, enough for ten tables. Two of the tables were large, each seating around twenty people.
One of the large tables was occupied by figures from the government, while the other was filled with business tycoons.
Lin Chen and the others were seated at one of those tables.
The Xu Family's assets, worth billions, were nothing to scoff at. Zhao Jingshou was, after all, just a district head. How many big shots from the business world would actually show up at his wife's birthday party?
"Esteemed friends and family, today is my wife's fiftieth birthday. Thank you all for coming. Please, enjoy yourselves."
"I'll drink to that first."
Zhao Jingshou stood up, holding his glass.
He then downed the baijiu in his glass.
"Alright!"
"Clap, clap."
Some people cheered, while others clapped.
Zhao Jingshou's official position wasn't particularly high, but as the district head of Modu, his position was definitely not low.
He wielded considerable power.
The banquet soon officially began, and the atmosphere was very lively.
"Daddy, I want to eat that."
"And that meat too."
Lin Xiaoxi sat on a high chair, to Lin Chen's left, while Xu Mengyao sat to Lin Chen's right.
Xu Mengyao had considered having Lin Xiaoxi sit between them, but when they sat down, she still chose to sit to Lin Chen's right.
This would send a signal to others that she and Lin Chen were on good terms, discouraging anyone from casually provoking Lin Chen.
The Zheng Family was an old, established family. Zheng Qingshan and his son were both very deep, but the other people at their table had fewer assets.
Their depth of character might not be as profound.
Some of them might start talking nonsense after a few drinks.
"Daddy will get you some," Lin Chen said gently.
He put some food on Lin Xiaoxi's plate.
Lin Xiaoxi tasted it, and her little mouth immediately puckered.
"Daddy, I want to tell you a secret."
Lin Xiaoxi looked at Lin Chen and said. Lin Chen leaned close to Lin Xiaoxi's ear and whispered, "The food here isn't tasty, Dad's cooking is the best."
"Xiaoxi, you can't be picky."
"Otherwise, Mom will cook for you later," Lin Chen said.
Lin Xiaoxi quickly stuffed a large spoonful of rice into her mouth.
She knew her mother's cooking. Compared to the food in this restaurant, what Xu Mengyao made was much worse.
"President Xu, I didn't expect you to be married."
"I'll drink a toast to you and your wife."
Someone at Lin Chen's table started to propose a toast.
——President Zheng and his son weren't at this table. Although the Zheng Family was a business family, President Zheng's wife's maiden family was quite influential, so they were at another large table.
"President Li, you're too kind."
"President Li, you're our senior, we should be toasting you."
Xu Mengyao said with a smile.
She was drinking red wine, while Lin Chen was naturally drinking baijiu.
Twenty minutes passed, and Lin Chen had already drunk quite a bit. Almost everyone at their table had been toasted.
Zheng Qingshan came over with a wine glass and a decanter: "Xiao Lin, that matter was our fault. I'll drink a glass as a penalty. Xiao Lin, don't take it to heart."
After saying that, Zheng Qingshan finished the wine in his glass.
Lin Chen naturally drank a glass with him.
"President Xu, Xiao Lin, I wish you both a sweet love."
Zheng Qingshan refilled his glass and said with a smile.
What else could they do when he said that?
They definitely had to drink.
Another glass of wine went down.
The wine glasses Lin Chen and the others used were not large, but a glass filled about seven-eighths full held around five qian. After two glasses, that was about an ounce of liquor.
"President Li, long time no see."
After finishing his drinks with Lin Chen and the others, Zheng Qingshan went to drink with the remaining people.
Judging by his appearance, he was perfectly fine, definitely a warrior tested by alcohol.
"Lin Chen, how are you feeling?"
"You don't usually drink. Don't force it if you can't handle it."
Xu Mengyao leaned her head close to Lin Chen's and whispered.
He had already drunk two or three liang earlier, and now he was quickly drinking another liang. Someone with a poor tolerance might throw up.
"Don't worry, my alcohol tolerance is alright."
"If you can't handle it later, I can help you out."
Lin Chen said softly.
He used to only be able to handle about half a jin of alcohol. After three or four liang, his head would definitely be spinning. Now, he didn't feel a thing. His physique was much stronger than before.
His physique now exceeded 180 points.
This already surpassed top boxers.
His combat strength was not as good as top boxers, but with his powerful physique, he was absolutely great at drinking.
"Lin Chen, I won't say anything else. I'll drink to your health first."
Zheng Xu also came over to drink with Lin Chen.
They were calculating, but if openly apologizing could still make Lin Chen drunk and embarrassed, they'd be happy to do it.
"Lin Chen, President Xu, congratulations."
The second glass came quickly.
"Lin Chen, I'll punish myself with another drink."
After drinking the second glass, Zheng Xu poured the third.
Lin Chen hadn't even spoken when he downed it in one gulp.
Lin Chen also drank a glass, it wasn't a big deal, was he really going to let Zheng Xu punish himself alone?
"Lin Chen, I can't hold my liquor."
"I'll go back and eat some food to settle my stomach, then I'll come and offer you a toast later."
Zheng Xu retreated after speaking.
Xu Mengyao looked at Lin Chen with some concern; in such a short time, Lin Chen had drunk another one or two liang of baijiu.
"Honey, how are you?"
"We should go out and offer toasts to others as well."
Xu Mengyao asked.
Lin Chen smiled slightly, "Wife, I'm fine."
-----------------------
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