Chapter 2561

That afternoon, Su Xinghui spent the time quietly in his office reading materials, primarily several internal publications from the Policy Research Office. These internal publications were intended for central leadership to read, and Su Xinghui also needed to familiarize himself with them.

The several directors had likely reached their limit as well, all staying in their own offices for the afternoon; no one came to look for Su Xinghui.

Near the end of the workday, Xing Guodong arrived. He said to Su Xinghui, "Director Su, I heard you drank quite a bit at noon. Should we reschedule this welcome banquet?"

Su Xinghui shook his head and smiled, "It's fine, let's just do it today."

Xing Guodong nodded, "Very well, then I'll come to pick you up after work."

After work, Xing Guodong picked up Su Xinghui, and the group went to a small restaurant in a nearby alley. To Su Xinghui's surprise, Xing Guodong had also called Xia Song, saying that Xia Song was a bachelor whose home was not in the capital, so he had invited him along.

This small restaurant was indeed not large; it had two private rooms, and the main hall outside could only fit four or five tables.

Xing Guodong had booked a private room long ago. The group entered, and Xing Guodong solicitously offered Su Xinghui the seat of honor. Su Xinghui did not stand on ceremony and sat in the seat of honor with composure.

He looked around the private room. Although it was small, it was decorated quite elegantly and was very tidy, proving that while the restaurant was small, its standards were likely not low.

Xing Guodong urged the waiter to serve the dishes quickly, then said to Su Xinghui, "Director Su, what would you like to drink tonight?"

Su Xinghui said, "I'll just have some soft drinks; you all can drink whatever you like."

Although Su Xinghui was immune to alcohol, generally speaking, he preferred not to drink if he could avoid it. He did not want to be seen as a drunkard. In fact, when he ate at home, he basically did not drink alcohol.

He had drunk quite a bit at noon today, so he could skip it this evening; this would also prevent others from gauging his true tolerance.

Precisely because Su Xinghui had drunk too much at noon, Xing Guodong did not urge him to drink. He had the waiter bring a bottle of soft drink, and the others all drank alcohol.

Counting Xing Guodong, there were over a dozen people in the Economic System Division, but several were researchers and deputy researchers who basically did not come to work. Two others had asked for leave today, so a total of ten people came, plus Su Xinghui and Xia Song, filling one table.

The table was large, so they were able to fit.

Xing Guodong introduced the names and identities of the people in the division to Su Xinghui. Su Xinghui nodded and greeted them one by one. They all nodded in return, flattered, saying, "Hello, Director."

Xing Guodong had booked this room early, so the dishes were served quickly. As Su Xinghui expected, the restaurant's food was quite good and of high quality, with excellent color, aroma, and taste. No wonder Xing Guodong would come here to eat.

Although Su Xinghui did not drink alcohol, everyone still insisted on offering him toasts. They drank alcohol while Su Xinghui drank soft drinks, and they would finish their glasses in one gulp while Su Xinghui just took a sip.

Of course, Su Xinghui would not let them drink too much. Seeing that they had had enough, he said he wanted to eat. Since he wanted to eat, the others naturally stopped drinking and began to eat.

After the meal, Xing Guodong solicitously had the driver take Su Xinghui back home.

Thus passed Su Xinghui's first day at the Policy Research Office. By the first day, his reputation had spread; everyone knew about Deputy Director Li Hong making a fool of himself while drinking with him, and Su Xinghui's alcohol tolerance was being described as miraculous.

Some said he drank over two jin, others even said over three jin. Those who heard these rumors were all left speechless. It was likely that no one would dare to test Su Xinghui's tolerance again, and no one would dare to take this young deputy director lightly.

The next day, Su Xinghui saw Li Hong. Li Hong's face was pale, looking as if his hangover had not yet worn off. Su Xinghui asked with a smile, "Is Deputy Director Li alright?"

Li Hong glanced at him, gave a sullen grunt, ignored him, and went back to his own office.