Half an hour after Hao Jian and Lin Qingxue arrived, Zhang Gui noticed that most people were already present, so he didn't waste any words and directly instructed the hotel to start serving the dishes. The space of this bar was quite large, as the entire floor was used as a bar. For a banquet of nearly two hundred people, just the tables alone numbered over thirty, all of which were eight-seaters. Even with over thirty tables inside the bar, it still felt somewhat spacious, indicating just how large this bar was. At the table where Hao Jian was seated, most of the people had big bellies and were the type who knew how to eat well. Whatever dish was brought to the table, these six people would immediately divide it among themselves, leaving nothing for Hao Jian and Lin Qingxue. However, compared to Hao Jian, who couldn't eat anything, Lin Qingxue was better off, as a server occasionally brought her some high-end food separately. Perhaps noticing this, Lin Qingxue also shared her food with Hao Jian, with an apologetic look on her face. She knew that it was her Brother Gui, Zhang Gui, who orchestrated this behind the scenes. Among the close to two hundred people, only a few were such food enthusiasts. How could they all end up at their table? It was nothing more than an arrangement by her Brother Gui, who, as the protagonist of the banquet, could orchestrate such arrangements, knowing the backgrounds of all the guests. "Hey, girl, if you're going to eat, just eat properly. What's with the face you keep putting on?" Seeing Lin Qingxue with an apologetic look again, Hao Jian was speechless. He gently tapped her forehead, shook his head with a smile, and said, "Since I'm here with you, and you said today would be different, I'm accepting this discrimination as well. Besides, tell me, am I the kind of person who would care about such trivial matters?" Noticing a change in Hao Jian's tone, Lin Qingxue quickly nodded. Seeing Lin Qingxue , Hao Jian shook his head, then picked up an abalone and ate it. After the crowd had enjoyed their food and drinks for a while, Zhang Gui felt it was about time. He grabbed his wine glass and slowly stood up. Seeing Zhang Gui stand up, the invited guests all stopped what they were doing, focusing their attention on Zhang Gui, waiting. Feeling the gaze of the crowd, Zhang Gui felt a bit dazed. This feeling of being the center of attention was truly wonderful. After enjoying it for a few seconds, Zhang Gui coughed a few times. He slowly raised his wine glass, sweeping his gaze across the room, and said loudly, "Today is my birthday, Zhang Gui's birthday, and I thank you all for accepting my invitation. First, I want to drink this to show my respect!" After speaking, he lifted his head and downed the wine in one go. As he emptied the glass, the crowd erupted into applause, cheering him on. After finishing one glass, Zhang Gui poured another, this time not wine but liquor. He picked up the glass again, raised it, and said, "All of you who came here honor me, Zhang Gui. As for those I invited who didn't come, they do not respect me. I, Zhang Gui, have a large heart and won't hold grudges, but I'm still a bit upset, so I'll drink another to that!" With that, he raised the glass high and drank it down! Upon hearing this, everyone understood what Zhang Gui meant. It seemed he planned to use this against those people, or rather, against the forces behind them. Many considered how to help, while others were indifferent, naturally those who were on the same level as Zhang Gui. Only they could ignore Zhang Gui, but when it came to helping, they would help, if only to earn some favor with the Zhang Family, making future dealings easier. "This third glass is for everyone here! Thank you for attending my birthday banquet!" After finishing this sentence, nearly everyone raised their glasses, toasting him from afar, and drank down. Seeing this, Zhang Gui laughed heartily and drank his glass in one go! "After three glasses, everyone, please continue!" After speaking, Zhang Gui sat down. As he did so, the guests burst into hearty laughter and then started finding acquaintances to drink and chat with. Even those unfamiliar with each other chatted; after all, no one here was a simple person. If they collaborated, it would be a strong alliance. However, a peculiar phenomenon emerged in the room. It seemed someone intentionally overlooked Hao Jian. No matter how people toasted, they ignored Hao Jian. Several times, someone wanted to toast with Hao Jian, but was suddenly pulled away by someone accompanying them. After a whispered conversation, that person left with a changed expression. Seeing the behavior of these people, if Hao Jian didn't understand what was happening, then he wouldn't really be Hao Jian. Moreover, even Lin Qingxue, beside Hao Jian, noticed, though she wasn't toasted either. But that was because in everyone's eyes, she belonged to Zhang Gui. Since she's Zhang Gui's woman, how dare they come up and toast her? If Zhang Gui takes the opportunity to make trouble, they would really have no ground to complain. "Hao Jian, I'm really sorry!" Lin Qingxue quickly apologized to Hao Jian, her face looking a bit unpleasant. The more she thought about Zhang Gui, the more she disliked him. How did he turn so bad after just a few years? Upon hearing this, Hao Jian looked at Lin Qingxue helplessly, shrugged his shoulders, completely indifferent, and said, "Didn't I say so? I had already guessed this might happen, you don't need to apologize to me. You're already my woman, why should I care about such things?" "But that Zhang Gui, I didn't expect him to be ..." "Zhang Gui is Zhang Gui, you are you, I won't confuse the two." Hao Jian naturally understood what Lin Qingxue meant, nothing more than worrying that he would blame Zhang Gui's actions on her. But of course, he would never do such a thing, this girl was just overthinking it. But he couldn't explain too much, and didn't know how to explain it to Lin Qingxue. While Hao Jian was busy reassuring Lin Qingxue, not far away at a table, Zhang Gui was chatting with Liu Yong. He suddenly noticed Lin Qingxue's pitiful look and was slightly taken aback, quickly giving a signal to Liu Yong beside him. Seeing Zhang Gui's signal, Liu Yong glanced at the couple being ignored, nodded to Zhang Gui, then laughed loudly and said, "Brothers, let's go stir up some action." Saying this, Liu Yong led over a dozen men, each carrying a bottle or two of Laobaigan Liquor and holding glasses, towards Hao Jian. "Haha, Mr. Hao Jian, don't you feel bored drinking alone?" Coming in front of Hao Jian, Liu Yong burst into laughter, placed two bottles of Laobaigan on the table, poured himself a glass, and then poured another for Hao Jian. Raising his glass to Hao Jian, he laughed and said, "Mr. Hao Jian, since you came with Miss Qingxue, I toast to you with a drink." Seeing this, Hao Jian took the glass Liu Yong handed him, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm in his words, instead showing a troubled look and said, "Mr. Liu Yong, I can only handle one glass of this strong liquor, my tolerance isn't great, I used to get drunk after a few bottles of beer..." Lin Qingxue heard Hao Jian's troubled words, her pretty face immediately showing surprise, but she was secretly amused, as she knew Hao Jian's capacity for alcohol. She had personally seen Hao Jian drink down more than a dozen bottles of strong Maotai just to get rid of her suitors, while those men were all knocked out and Hao Jian was still fine, even able to drive normally. But for safety's sake, Lin Qingxue insisted on driving Hao Jian herself, rather than letting him drive. Now seeing Liu Yong come to toast Hao Jian, she found it even more amusing. "Haha, Mr. Hao Jian, just take it easy, let's do this!" Liu Yong wasn't going to give Hao Jian an out, directly downing his glass in one go, sneering internally, it seemed today's task could be completed. Heh heh, since you intend to cling to Mrs. Qingxue, you better weigh your capabilities well! Hao Jian feigned reluctance, mimicking Liu Yong's pace by downing the drink in one go. As the alcohol went down, his face flushed instantly, and his body swayed as if about to get drunk. Haha, as expected, a man who can't hold his liquor! Seeing this, Liu Yong was instantly pleased, quickly grabbing Hao Jian's glass again, pouring him another drink, laughing once more, "Come on, Mr. Hao Jian, let's continue!" And so, they continued drinking glass after glass, and Hao Jian's face became even redder, with his swaying more intense. But after downing a full liter bottle of Laobaigan, Hao Jian was still in the same state, while Liu Yong began to struggle. Noticing this, Liu Yong's expression changed slightly, then he shouted to the others, "Come and toast with Mr. Hao Jian!" "Haha, Mr. Hao Jian, come on, let's drink!" Following Liu Yong's order, more than a dozen men, who've long lost their patience, quickly grabbed their glasses and went to toast Hao Jian, who in turn accepted each toast without refusing. Within half an hour, Hao Jian downed a total of thirteen bottles of Laobaigan in front of everyone, while the others each had at least a bottle down. These people's faces were extremely red, stumbling, and burping continuously. Finally, after another fifteen minutes, the first person collapsed, and after that, more people tumbled down, resulting in five or six people getting drunk.