Chapter 2508: Gu Banjin, Famous Throughout the World

A faint smile appeared on Zhou Andong's face as he pointed to his own head with his finger.

Gu Bing looked at Zhou Andong, completely confused. "What do you mean?"

Zhou Andong said in a slow, unhurried tone, "Dealing with those old guys requires using your brain. You, you're just missing this thing; even if I tell you, you might not understand."

Gu Bing: "..."

Gu Bing's face darkened. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Zhou Andong raised his hand and slapped Gu Bing heavily on the shoulder, making the guy roll his eyes, and the words that had reached his lips were slapped away.

Zhou Andong chuckled and turned to Dong Tang Wenjuan. "Tang Wenjuan, go to the cafeteria tomorrow morning and tell the head chef to make some buns. Get some lamb, beef, and pork ones. We'll eat buns tomorrow at noon, and then bring some to Yu Miao."

Dong Tang Wenjuan quickly replied, "Okay!"

The First Bar was now very famous, not just in the capital, but even in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Many people coming to the capital from other places, whether for business, travel, or other matters, would definitely come to the First Bar for a drink if they had time, to experience the unique atmosphere here.

If they were lucky, they could even see celebrities performing here. Therefore, business at the First Bar remained excellent; if you came late, there would be no seats, and you could only go to other places.

Wang Wang Wentian parked the car in a designated spot. The waiter standing at the door to welcome guests ran over quickly and opened the door. "Chairman Zhou, Chairman Gu, good evening!"

"Good evening!" Zhou Andong nodded. "Have Factory Director Wu and the others from the Zhao Hongxing Factory arrived?"

"They have!" The waiter replied, turned around, ran back, and pushed open the bar door. "Chairman Zhou, Chairman Gu, the lighting is a bit dim, please watch your step."

"Welcome!" The beautiful hostess inside, wearing a cheongsam, bowed and called out.

Zhou Andong glanced at the hostess. She wasn't old, maybe eighteen or nineteen, and looked very unfamiliar; she must be a newcomer, but she was truly beautiful. Her face and figure were perfect. This was only because it was the First Bar; no matter how beautiful the waitresses were, no one dared to cause trouble here.

As the saying goes, a beautiful woman is a disaster. If this were any other bar, given the face and figure of the girl in front of him, she would have been subjected to countless wandering hands every day, or even forced molestation.

Zhou Andong smiled and nodded at the hostess. The girl blushed and was about to speak, but Zhou Andong walked past, making the girl pout in anger.

Gu Bing stopped, looked the hostess up and down, and also smiled and nodded. He sighed inwardly, thinking this woman was really beautiful; he wondered where Tang Xiaoer found her, and if Nie Wen knew.

The girl frowned at Gu Bing's gaze and snorted through her nose. "What are you looking at?"

Gu Bing was stunned, then laughed. "Do you know who I am?"

The girl grinned, revealing two small dimples on her delicate face. "I know, aren't you Gu Gu Xiaowu?"

Gu Bing was stunned. "How do you know me?"

"Hmph!" The girl raised her head proudly. "None of your business!"

Even if Gu Bing's brain was lacking, he knew this girl had a significant background; she was probably related to Tang Xiaoer or Nie Wen and had come here to experience life.

"What's your name?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "I won't tell you."

"Ha!" Gu Bing laughed. "Is your surname Ji or Du?"

The girl was stunned. "You... how did you know?"

Gu Bing pointed to his head with his finger. "Just use your brain and you'll know. However, looking at you, you silly little girl, you probably don't have this thing."

The girl ground her teeth and glared at Gu Bing. "You say I have no brain, Gu Banjin?"

Gu Bing's face darkened instantly. "You little brat, who told you to call me Gu Banjin?"

"Does it need someone to tell me?" The girl grinned at Gu Bing, triumphantly saying, "Go ask on the street, who doesn't know Gu Banjin, famous throughout the world?"

Gu Bing's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He pointed his finger at the girl. "Your surname is Ji, right?"

The girl blinked her big eyes. "Guess!"

"Hmph!" Gu Bing snorted. "When I have time, I will definitely visit the Ji family and ask the old Mr. Ji how he educated his granddaughter."

Tang Lin's mother was from Shandong Province, surnamed Ji, named Shenwei. It originated from "In Zhou, in Jing, the woman is Shen" in the *Book of Songs*, implying that the girl is good at thinking and knowledgeable.

The Ji family was not a political family, but a scholarly one. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Ji family was a famous and powerful clan with deep cultural heritage, and its family members were quite famous in the cultural field.

In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic, the central government invited the head of the Ji family, Ji Yanxiu, to serve as a leader in the cultural department, but Ji Yanxiu refused. However, during that special era, Ji Yanxiu did not survive that unspeakable turmoil.

Later, the Ji family was rehabilitated. The current head of the Ji family, Tang Lin's maternal grandfather, Ji Jingyun, also received an invitation from the central government, hoping he could serve as a leader in the cultural department. But surprisingly, Ji Jingyun also politely declined.

Therefore, although the Ji family was not a political family, its influence in the cultural field was extremely huge. And the reason Gu Bing was so sure this little brat was from the Ji family was that her Mandarin was excellent, without a trace of a southern accent.

There was another point: although this little girl looked eccentric, the temperament formed by the cultural influence she had received since childhood could not be changed.

The girl raised her beautiful eyebrows, pointed to her nose with her slender fingers, and said proudly, "My name is Ji Shaojiu, from *Chu Ci*: 'Playing the Nine Songs and dancing to Shao, taking leisure to steal joy.' If you know what it means, I won't call you Gu Banjin, and I will apologize to you."

Gu Bing's eyes flickered, and he sneered, "Are you afraid I'll go complain to your grandfather, so you're finding an excuse to apologize to me?"

"Pfft!" Ji Shaojiu snorted, saying with disdain, "They say if your IQ isn't enough, you should make up for it with diligence, but you don't have either. If you don't know, just say you don't know. Saying those nonsense things won't cover up your lack of IQ."

"I..."

Gu Bing was so angry he gritted his teeth. He didn't expect this girl's tongue to be so poisonous, comparable to Zhou Andong's. But he couldn't hit her, and he couldn't scold her, so he could only be angry by himself.

"The Ji family is a scholarly family, yet they produced a little brat like you who has no manners and doesn't know how to respect people. It's simply a disgrace to the Ji family."

"Oh my!" Ji Shaojiu looked shocked, then giggled. "My dad says the same thing about me. When you have time, I can introduce you two. You must have a common language."

"..." Gu Bing took a deep breath, grinned, and said with a fake smile, "I thank you, Comrade Ji Shaojiu."

"You're welcome!" Ji Shaojiu cupped her hands and made a gesture of invitation. "Please, come in."

The muscles on Gu Bing's face twitched. He snorted helplessly and walked inside with an arrogant stride.

"Hee!" Ji Shaojiu laughed. Immediately after, the bar door was pushed open, and the girl immediately bowed. "Welcome."

"Oh, Xiao Jiu, when you shout like that, my heart beats faster, Brother Zuo." Zhang Zuo clutched his chest with a painful expression. "Let's go, accompany me for a few drinks to soothe my restless heart."

"Is your rectum connected to your brain? A restless heart." Ji Shaojiu rolled her eyes, then reached out, clenched her five fingers slowly, and said with a milky ferocity, "Then dig out your heart, and I'll help you soothe it."

Zhang Zuo pointed at Ji Shaojiu. "Xiao Jiu, oh Xiao Jiu, you are the granddaughter of old Mr. Ji Jingyun. If Mr. Ji knew you spoke like this, his heart would definitely be very restless too."

"It's okay!" Ji Shaojiu said with a smile, hands behind her back. "That old man is very sturdy, unlike you, whose body was hollowed out at a young age—kidney atrophy, brain atrophy, heart atrophy. Wait a few more years..."

As the girl spoke, her eyes slowly moved downward, and then she giggled.

Zhang Zuo clamped his legs together and immediately reached down to cover his crotch. "Where are you looking?"

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Ji Shaojiu's eyes revealed disdain, and she clicked her tongue. "Sooner or later, that toothpick of yours will atrophy too."

"I..." Zhang Zuo's face darkened instantly. "You're just a yellow-haired little girl, why do you say everything? Don't you have any sense of shame?"

"I have a great sense of shame." Ji Shaojiu shook her head. "I'm standing in front of a joke, and he doesn't know shame, so what do I have to be ashamed of?"

"Dead girl, your tongue is so poisonous, aren't you afraid of being poisoned to death?" Zhang Zuo rolled his eyes in anger; he had finally met his match.

"Pfft!" Ji Shaojiu patted her chest. "This young lady is immune to all poisons. I'll poison you to death."

"I won't lower myself to the level of a yellow-haired girl like you." Zhang Zuo walked away with his head held high, like a proud rooster.

Ji Shaojiu stood with her hands behind her back, watching Zhang Zuo walk toward the innermost table. The figure that had just walked past her, smiling and nodding, appeared in her mind, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, Xiao Jiu!" A teasing voice sounded in Ji Shaojiu's ear, startling the little girl. She turned around and saw her sister-in-law, Nie Wen, looking at her with a mischievous smile.

"Sister-in-law!" Ji Shaojiu stomped her feet coquettishly. "You scared me to death."

Nie Wen laughed loudly and pinched Ji Shaojiu's cheek. "What were you smiling so foolishly about just now? Did you fall for that handsome guy? Tell your sister-in-law, as long as his character is fine, I'll introduce you."

"No way!" Facing Nie Wen, her sister-in-law, Ji Shaojiu suddenly became very gentle and ladylike. She grabbed Nie Wen's hand, shook it, and said coquettishly, "Sister-in-law, you're teasing me again. I'm not playing with you anymore."

"Let's go!" Nie Wen took Ji Shaojiu's hand and walked inside. "You've always admired Zhou Andong, right? He's here, you should have seen him. I'll take you to meet him."

Zhou Andong was eating skewers when Gu Bing came over with a dark face and sat down.

"Yo!" Zhou Andong looked at Gu Bing and asked in surprise, "Chairman Gu, what's wrong with you? Your face looks like the bottom of a pot."

"Huh?" Gu Bing didn't have the face to say he had been scolded by an eighteen or nineteen-year-old little brat, so he pretended to be relaxed. "Where is my face black? Don't look for trouble when there is none."

Zhou Andong chuckled, picked up a beer bottle, and held it up. "Come, come, let's have a drink."

Wu Wu Hongkang, Zhang Zhang Shenghui, Liu Lijuan, and Dai Chen Weimin raised their glasses. Zhou Andong signaled to Wang Wang Wentian and the others at the nearby booth. "Wang Wentian, take good care of Tang Wenjuan, Bai Wenlu, and Kong Yu. Order whatever you want to drink or eat."

Just then, Zhang Zuo came over, swaying. This guy was shameless; he had been scolded by Ji Shaojiu for a long time and was furious at the time, but he threw it to the back of his mind as soon as he turned around.

"Old Wu and Old Zhang are here too." There were no seats in the booth, so Zhang Zuo asked the waiter to bring a stool, then picked up a meat skewer and started eating. "This lamb skewer was grilled at Xiaohai Barbecue, right? The taste is average. Not far from his place, a new one opened, and the taste is quite good. Let's go to that one next time."

"Sister Wen!"

"Sister Wen!"

"Sister Wen!"

"..."

Greeting after greeting of "Sister Wen" came. Zhou Andong looked up and saw Nie Wen walking over, and she was also pulling the hostess from the door.

"Boss Zhou!" Nie Wen waved her hand, then greeted the others. "Factory Director Wu, Factory Director Zhang, Factory Director Liu, Factory Director Dai, welcome."

The few knew Nie Wen's identity, so they hurriedly stood up and shook hands politely.

"We are all family, don't be so polite." Nie Wen smiled and let them sit, then looked at Zhou Andong. "Boss Zhou, let me introduce a little beauty to you. Her name is Ji Shaojiu, Tang Laoer's cousin. She has always admired you.

A few days ago, when I was chatting with her, I said you often come to the bar. She said she wanted to earn some college living expenses, so she pestered me to arrange a job for her at the bar. Actually, she just wanted to run into you here."

"Sister-in-law!" Ji Shaojiu shook Nie Wen's arm coquettishly, then extended her delicate hand and said shyly, "Hello, Chairman Zhou, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Looking at Ji Shaojiu's shy little girl appearance, Gu Bing and Zhang Zuo widened their eyes. They cursed inwardly, feeling very unfair. This was truly a case of comparing people and being angered to death. This little brat almost poisoned them to death, but she was so gentle to Zhou Andong. They were very unconvinced.

Zhou Andong stood up and gently shook Ji Shaojiu's hand. "Ji Shaojiu, it should be from *Chu Ci*: 'Playing the Nine Songs and dancing to Shao, taking leisure to steal joy,' right?"

Ji Shaojiu's eyes were bright, and she said happily, "Chairman Zhou, you are amazing. You knew the origin of my name right away."

"I just read a few more books." Zhou Andong smiled and shook his head. "It's just that I really didn't expect Tang Xiaoer to have such an elegant and beautiful cousin."

Ji Shaojiu looked happy, but her tone was gentle, sounding very well-bred. "Chairman Zhou, you flatter me. If we talk about beauty, my sister-in-law is the real beauty; I can't compare."

"Stop saying that about me." Nie Wen shook her head helplessly, then said to Zhou Andong, "This girl is taking the college entrance exam this year, and her grades are quite good. She got into the Chinese Department of Peking University. Since school is starting soon, she came to the capital a few days early to accompany her aunt."

"Peking University?" Zhou Andong's heart stirred. Since this girl was Tang Lin's cousin, her family background definitely wouldn't be bad. Jian Mingfan also got into Peking University, and the two were of similar age. He could play matchmaker and try to set them up. Mainly, he really liked Jian Mingfan; such a good girl shouldn't be taken advantage of by others.

"Shall we sit down and have a drink together?" Zhou Andong asked Nie Wen and Ji Shaojiu.

"I'm still young, I can't drink!" Ji Shaojiu felt a bit embarrassed, then turned and ran to the bar, came back with a brand-new ledger and a ballpoint pen, her face flushed. "Chairman Zhou, please give me an autograph."

"No problem!" Zhou Andong took the pen and signed his name on the cover of the ledger.

"Thank you!" Ji Shaojiu smiled sweetly at Zhou Andong, two small dimples appearing on her cheeks, then ran back to the bar and put the ledger with Zhou Andong's autograph into her small bag.

Zhou Andong glanced at Ji Shaojiu and said to Nie Wen, "My brother-in-law, Jian Mingfan, has been here with me twice, you should have seen him. He also got into Peking University this year. He is of similar age to Ji Shaojiu, and their families are well-matched. I feel they are a very good match."

Nie Wen's eyes lit up. She didn't remember if she had seen Jian Mingfan, but they were of similar age, well-matched, and got into Peking University in the same year. It wouldn't hurt to set them up. Anyway, they were still young; if they liked each other, they could date, and if they didn't, it didn't matter—they could just be friends.

"I think it works!" Nie Wen was very interested in this matter. "When do you think we should arrange for them to meet?"

"No rush." Zhou Andong thought for a moment and said, "I'll talk to Jian Qiu about this tonight and ask for her opinion."

"That's how it should be!" Nie Wen nodded. "Once you've decided, let me know anytime, and we'll arrange a time."

Just then, Ji Shaojiu returned, holding a glass of fruit juice. Looking at Zhou Andong, she said embarrassedly, "Chairman Zhou, I'm very happy to meet you. But I don't drink, so I'll toast you with fruit juice."

Zhou Andong stood up, picked up the beer bottle, clinked it with Ji Shaojiu's glass, then tilted his head back and drank more than half a bottle in one breath. "When you have time, call your brother, sister-in-law, and a few friends to go camping."

"Okay!" Ji Shaojiu said happily. "Best before I start school."

"No problem!" Zhou Andong nodded, thinking that no matter how busy he was, he had to spare a day. This concerned Jian Mingfan's lifelong happiness. "Once I'm done with these few days, we'll go when the weather is nice."

Ji Shaojiu nodded her little head in agreement, then happily went back to being her hostess. She didn't know yet that she had already been sold out by her sister-in-law and her idol.

Zhou Andong looked at Nie Wen. "Why didn't I see Tang Lin? Is he not coming today?"

"He went to Jinmen." Nie Wen picked up an opened beer, "The Jinmen bar opens this Sunday, and he went over to prepare. I can't get away from here, so I'll go over on Saturday."

After finishing, Nie Wen picked up an empty glass on the table and filled it with wine, "I'd like to propose a toast to everyone."

Just as Wu Wu Hongkang, Zhang Zhang Shenghui, Liu Lijuan, and Dai Chen Weimin stood up, Nie Wen raised her hand to press down, then drank the wine in her glass in one gulp, "Please, feel free to drink as you like."

Nie Wen put down the glass and continued, "You all take your time drinking; I'm going to the back to take a look."

"You go ahead and get busy!" Wu Wu Hongkang said.

This drinking session didn't last very long, but everyone drank quite a bit. After all, the biggest tumors in the factory had been cut out, and whether it was Zhou Andong, Liu Lijuan, or Dai Chen Weimin, they were truly happy in their hearts.

Zhou Andong arrived home just past nine o'clock. He went straight to the rear building, pushed the door open, and entered the room. Jian Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the sofa watching TV. Seeing Zhou Andong return, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"Out drinking again?"

"Didn't drink much." Zhou Andong walked to the sofa, sat down beside Jian Qiu, and then hugged his wife, about to kiss her, but Jian Qiu pushed his head away mercilessly, "You smell like alcohol; go take a shower first."

"I'll shower when I go back to the guest room in a bit." Zhou Andong still "forcibly" bit Jian Qiu's mouth, then chuckled, "I saw a very, very beautiful little beauty with a lot of class at the first bar today."