The dinner gathering was arranged, once again, at the Baorui Grand Hotel. Business at the Baorui was as bustling as ever. Xu Ze led Lin Yumeng inside, and they saw that the main hall was already about eighty percent full.
Xu Ze scanned the room briefly and soon spotted Li Qijiang not too far away, seated at a table, waving to him with a smile.
Seeing the three friends and the two bottles of liquor on the table, Xu Ze gave a light chuckle. He then walked over with Lin Yumeng, a smile on his face.
Noticing Xu Ze had brought a young woman along, and seeing Lin Yumeng’s lovely and adorable appearance, the trio’s eyes lit up. Jiang Zhibo teased with a grin, “Hey, pal, you didn’t bring your girlfriend today just as a shield, did you?”
At Jiang Zhibo’s words, Lin Yumeng’s face flushed, a hint of shyness appearing. She glanced at Xu Ze beside her. Xu Ze could only offer an awkward smile and said, “What nonsense. Why would I need a shield with you guys?”
With that, he turned to Lin Yumeng, who was standing quietly by his side with a gentle smile, and said, “These are some close friends of mine. This one is Jiang Zhibo…”
Following Xu Ze’s introductions, Lin Yumeng smiled and nodded politely to each person, then introduced herself, “Hello, big brothers. I’m Lin Yumeng…”
Naturally, everyone greeted her with smiles, but they all shot Xu Ze knowing, somewhat mischievous looks.
Seeing their ambiguous expressions, Xu Ze sighed helplessly and explained, “She’s my junior from school. We’re both from Liuhe…”
He knew, of course, that these guys wouldn’t believe his explanation. Sure enough, all three wore smirks of shameless amusement. Xu Ze could only sigh inwardly and decided to drop it. Instead, he looked at the two bottles on the table and chuckled lightly. It seemed if he didn’t manage to out-drink at least a couple of them today, he wouldn’t be able to vent his frustration.
Watching Xu Ze skillfully uncork a bottle and pour full glasses of baijiu for the guys, Lin Yumeng couldn’t help but look at him with concern. She wasn’t sure about his alcohol tolerance, but she knew that for most people, just two glasses of such strong liquor—each containing about three liang—would be enough to get them drunk.
Noticing Lin Yumeng’s worried expression, Jiang Zhibo beside her laughed, “Yumeng… you haven’t seen this guy drink before, have you?”
“No, I haven’t…” Seeing Jiang Zhibo’s strange expression, Lin Yumeng quickly shook her head and smiled, “This is only the second time I’ve had a meal with Brother Xu Ze…”
“No wonder…” Jiang Zhibo said with a laugh, shaking his head in a mock sigh. “Don’t worry about him. You should worry about us instead…”
“Ah…” Taken aback by Jiang Zhibo’s words, Lin Yumeng froze for a second. She stole a glance at Xu Ze, thinking to herself, “He doesn’t really seem like it… Could Brother Xu Ze really hold his liquor that well?”
Xu Ze distributed the four glasses of liquor to the guys, then turned to Lin Yumeng with a smile and asked, “Yumeng… what would you like to drink?”
Lin Yumeng thought for a moment before replying with a smile, “Wang Laoji herbal tea, please.”
Xu Ze nodded, signaled a waiter, and asked for a can of Wang Laoji. Then, with a faint smile, he turned his gaze to the three friends beside him, a look that sent a slight chill down their spines.
It was Lin Yumeng’s first time eating at such a grand hotel. Seeing the exquisitely presented dishes being served, her appetite was thoroughly whetted. Despite maintaining a ladylike demeanor, she still managed to finish two small bowls of rice.
After satisfying her hunger, she held her Wang Laoji and watched the guys drink. That’s when she finally understood why Jiang Zhibo had spoken as he did.
Watching Xu Ze down several glasses of baijiu one after another as if it were water, his face remaining unchanged and showing not a trace of drunkenness, Lin Yumeng’s beautiful eyes widened in surprise beside him.
Lin Yumeng was genuinely startled by Xu Ze’s capacity. She blinked, still somewhat concerned and wanting to advise him to drink less. But seeing that after consuming nearly half a catty of baijiu he still wore a calm smile, she held back her words. She simply looked at him curiously, realizing there were probably many things about this Brother Xu Ze of hers that she didn’t know…
Jiang Zhibo, Tang Yijun, and the others naturally knew Xu Ze’s limits. After the four of them polished off over two bottles of baijiu, Tang Yijun and the other two were showing clear signs of tipsiness. However, they all unanimously waved their hands to stop Xu Ze as he was about to call the waiter for more liquor.
Seeing their refusal to continue, Xu Ze smiled. He didn’t insist. Alcohol had little effect on him, but that wasn’t the case for the others. Another half catty, and someone among Jiang Zhibo and the rest might have collapsed.
Xu Ze looked at Lin Yumeng beside him, who was watching him with wide, worried eyes, and asked gently, “So? Are you full?”
“Mhm… I’m full…” Lin Yumeng nodded, her face slightly flushed, then looked at Xu Ze and asked, “Brother Xu Ze… you drank so much. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine… Do I look like I’m not?” Xu Ze chuckled, shaking his head. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, then smiled at Jiang Zhibo and the others. “Alright, we’ve had enough for today… I have classes tomorrow, so we’ll head back first…”
Hearing Xu Ze wanted to leave, Li Qifeng wasn’t having it. He laughed, “Xu Ze… it’s still early! What’s the hurry to go back? Everyone knows your tolerance. This little bit of liquor isn’t even enough to get you warmed up…”
“Exactly!” Jiang Zhibo chimed in with a grin. “Let’s stick to the old routine. Let’s go sing some karaoke… We’ll have a couple of beers later.”
Hearing Jiang Zhibo’s suggestion, Xu Ze shook his head with a smile. “Forget it, forget it… I still have to take Yumeng back to campus later. It wouldn’t be good to get back too late.”
“Come on, Xu Ze,” Li Qifeng joined in, smiling. “It’s rare for us to get together. And you really pulled one over on us—you’re still a senior in university! You had us fooled for a whole month. If you don’t treat us to karaoke today, we’re not letting you off that easy…”
Seeing all three were insistent, Xu Ze had no choice but to turn to Lin Yumeng and ask, somewhat apologetically, “Yumeng… so… would you like to come sing with us, or would you prefer to take a taxi back by yourself?”
Hearing “karaoke”… Lin Yumeng remembered Xu Ze’s performance on stage during the freshman welcoming event. Excited, she immediately nodded, “Brother Xu Ze, I’ll go with you all!”
Since Lin Yumeng wanted to go, Xu Ze could only agree. “Oh… alright then… Let’s go have some fun, but we’ll head back early…”
Having settled it with Lin Yumeng, Xu Ze stood up with a smile and said, “Okay… Let’s go, karaoke time…”
Seeing Xu Ze agree so readily, Jiang Zhibo and the other two stood up laughing, “Great, let’s go!”
Li Qifeng went to settle the bill. The five of them were about to head to the KTV upstairs when, after just a few steps, they saw two people emerge from a row of private rooms further inside.
A young man was supporting a middle-aged man, both swaying as they walked out. It seemed they were heading to the restroom. Suddenly, the middle-aged man leaned against the wall and, with a loud “Blergh!”, vomited.
Hearing the sound, everyone initially paid little attention, but now they all turned to look. What they saw startled them. The middle-aged man had just vomited a large mouthful of bright red blood!
The young man supporting him, seeing the blood, cried out in alarm. Panicked, he held onto the middle-aged man and exclaimed anxiously, “District Chief Bai… District Chief Bai, what’s wrong?!”
The young man had barely cried out twice when District Chief Bai, his face pale, leaned against the wall and, with two more loud retches, vomited two more substantial amounts of blood. And from the looks of it, he showed no signs of stopping.
This terrified the young man. He quickly turned towards the private room they had just exited and shouted, “Someone! Someone help! District Chief Bai is vomiting blood!”
Hearing his cries, several people quickly rushed out of the private room. The two in front, seeing District Chief Bai now slumped on the floor, his mouth still steadily bleeding, turned pale.
One immediately pulled out his phone to make a call. The other, after a quick glance, urgently said to a nearby waiter who also looked frightened, “Quick! Is there a doctor here? Get the nearest doctor over! And bring some towels!”
The waiter, upon hearing the order, hurried off to fetch towels and send someone for a doctor.
Watching this scene, Xu Ze and his friends exchanged glances. A trace of anxiety flashed in their eyes. Seeing the middle-aged man still vomiting blood, they all knew this “District Chief Bai” was likely done for today.
This looked like severe gastrointestinal bleeding. In this state, if he were in a hospital, there might still be hope. But the nearest hospital was at least seven or eight hundred meters away. By the time help arrived, it would probably be too late…
Xu Ze’s eyes flickered for a moment, and he also sighed. He turned to his friends and said, “Let’s go… to karaoke…”
Jiang Zhibo and the other two nodded and prepared to leave. But Lin Yumeng, seeing the terrifying sight of the man vomiting blood, had turned rather pale herself. She tugged at Xu Ze’s hand and said in a shocked voice, “Brother Xu Ze… You’re all medical students, aren’t you? Aren’t you going to help him?”
Hearing Lin Yumeng’s words, the friends exchanged glances again, smiling wryly, then looked at Xu Ze.
Xu Ze also sighed and said to Lin Yumeng, “Yumeng… there are no medicines here, no emergency equipment. This person can’t be saved.”
“But… Brother Xu Ze… you know acupuncture! You know acupuncture! That person looks so pitiful right now…” Lin Yumeng’s large eyes were filled with hopeful anticipation. After entering university, she had heard about Xu Ze’s past heroic deed—using just a few silver needles to allow a girl who was nearly gone to speak for quite some time…
Seeing the hopeful look on Lin Yumeng’s face, Xu Ze sighed inwardly. This kind of severe gastrointestinal hemorrhage was extremely difficult to treat. If it were other traumatic bleeding, it might not be such a big problem, but stopping internal bleeding from the digestive tract was incredibly hard. Even with his acupuncture needles, he had no real confidence…
He shook his head helplessly. “Yumeng… there’s no way… Even acupuncture can’t save him. And… I don’t have a medical license. For something with almost no hope of success, I can’t intervene.”
Seeing the helpless expression on Xu Ze’s face, Lin Yumeng finally nodded in disappointment. “Oh…”
Noticing Lin Yumeng’s pale, frightened face, Xu Ze sighed softly. He reached out, took her cold hand in his, and gave a comforting nod. Then, he led her towards the elevators.
Meanwhile, the other people who had emerged from the private room were looking on with grim, anxious expressions at District Chief Bai, who was still vomiting blood on the floor. Two younger men and the restaurant manager who had just arrived were frantically trying to wipe the blood with towels.
A middle-aged man standing in the center, carefully flanked by the others, exuded an air of authority. He frowned and said to someone beside him, “Secretary-General Lin… Is there really no doctor nearby?”
“Mayor… the nearest hospital is at least four or five minutes away by car, and the traffic around here is always a bit congested… I’m afraid by the time they arrive…” Seeing the mayor’s grim face, the man addressed as Secretary-General Lin quickly responded in a low, cautious voice.
Hearing this, the mayor sighed quietly, inwardly annoyed: How did something like this happen today? If something really happens to District Chief Bai here, it’ll be a huge scandal… A district chief of Fuping District, losing his life from vomiting blood after a dinner with the mayor? Who knows what people will say…
This Bai Zhiping… If he couldn’t drink, he shouldn’t have forced himself… The mayor glanced helplessly at the surrounding onlookers pointing and whispering. The situation was creating a very bad impression. He was about to suggest they retreat into the private room to avoid attention when he suddenly spotted a somewhat familiar-looking young man not far away.
“Hmm? Is that him? It should be that kid.” The mayor’s eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly called out in a clear, testing voice, “Xu Ze!”
Hearing someone call his name, Xu Ze was taken aback. He turned to look and saw, from within the crowd gathered at the private room entrance, a person leaning out, looking directly at him.
Xu Ze frowned slightly, looked more carefully, and was startled. “Why is he here?” Seeing him stop, his friends also turned around in confusion.
Seeing the man nodding at him, Xu Ze sighed quietly. Although he had never formally met this person face-to-face, since he was calling for him, he had to go over. He quickly made his way through the crowd towards the man.
The people surrounding the man, seeing Xu Ze approach and knowing the mayor had summoned him, made a small path for him to enter.
Xu Ze walked over and addressed the mayor respectfully, “Uncle Tang…”
“Xu Ze, you’re here. Quick, take a look at District Chief Bai… There isn’t a single doctor around!” Mayor Tang urged immediately.
Hearing Mayor Tang ask him to help District Chief Bai, Xu Ze frowned slightly. He looked at Mayor Tang and said, “Uncle Tang… District Chief Bai’s chances are very slim…”
