Chapter 2599

Vice Mayor Pan sat down, took the chopsticks Mu Dezhang handed him, ate a bite of food, and said to Su Xinghui, "Deputy Director Su is indeed young and promising. I knew you were young, but I didn't expect you to be this young. You should be about the same age as my eldest son, right?"

Su Xinghui smiled slightly and said, "I'll be twenty-nine in two months."

Vice Mayor Pan said, "That's half a year younger than my eldest son, but he doesn't even know what he's doing yet. Compared to you, he's far behind. You are truly a formidable youngster!"

Su Xinghui said, "Vice Mayor Pan, you overstate it!"

Vice Mayor Pan said, "Come, let's have another drink. It is our honor that such a young and promising cadre as you has come to our Shanghai to guide our work!"

Su Xinghui quickly raised his glass and said, "I should be the one to toast Vice Mayor Pan for this glass!"

Vice Mayor Pan said, "No, no, no. You are the guest, and I am the host. I came late today, so I will toast you!"

Vice Mayor Pan raised his glass and drank it in one gulp. Su Xinghui also drank the glass.

After a while, Vice Mayor Pan ate a few bites of food and wanted to toast Su Xinghui a third time. Seeing that his tongue was a bit slurred when he spoke, Su Xinghui said, "Vice Mayor Pan, why don't you just take a sip, and I'll finish mine?"

After all, Vice Mayor Pan was about the same age as Su Xinghui's father, so Su Xinghui couldn't compete with him in drinking.

Mu Dezhang also said, "Vice Mayor Pan, why don't I drink this glass for you?"

Vice Mayor Pan glared and said, "You, you drink for me? Drink what? This glass, I, I must drink with Deputy Director Su! Come, Deputy Director Su!"

Helpless, Mu Dezhang could only watch as Vice Mayor Pan drank another glass.

Mu Dezhang naturally knew Vice Mayor Pan's character well. His alcohol tolerance was average, but he loved to drink, so he often ended up getting drunk, especially in situations with foreign guests, where he would drink every glass offered.

Today, receiving this Japanese inspection delegation, Vice Mayor Pan had likely drunk quite a bit. Now, arriving here and downing four glasses in a row, he was definitely drunk.

Watching Vice Mayor Pan pick up his chopsticks and struggle to pick up the peanuts, unable to do so for a long time, Mu Dezhang was very anxious. He knew Vice Mayor Pan was high now and would definitely become more and more excited, and wouldn't leave the table until he was dead drunk. But he couldn't persuade him, and he didn't know what to do.

This Vice Mayor Pan was usually a decent person with good work ability; it was just this flaw he couldn't change. He didn't know how many things had been delayed because of his drinking. Otherwise, he might have achieved even more.

Su Xinghui picked up an empty wine bottle, stood up, called Mu Dezhang aside, and said to him, "Director Mu, take this bottle and fill it with cold boiled water."

Mu Dezhang's eyes lit up. He ran out and personally filled a bottle with cold boiled water. At this moment, Vice Mayor Pan still hadn't managed to get that peanut into his mouth. His chopsticks were poking around in the peanut plate, and he was muttering, "What's going on? Why can't I pick it up!"

Su Xinghui said, "Vice Mayor Pan, let's stop drinking and eat some food, shall we?"

Vice Mayor Pan shook his head like a rattle-drum: "No, no, how can that be? I'm happy today, let's keep drinking!"

Su Xinghui said, "Vice Mayor Pan, you have a massive capacity, but I can't drink too much. How about this: I'll toast you three more times, and then we'll all go back to rest, okay?"

Vice Mayor Pan said, "Ah, you can't drink anymore? Young man, how is your alcohol tolerance not as good as mine? Alright, then three more glasses."

Su Xinghui toasted Vice Mayor Pan three times in a row. Vice Mayor Pan naturally drank the cold boiled water Mu Dezhang had just filled. After drinking, everyone ate, and Vice Mayor Pan insisted on personally seeing Su Xinghui to his room before being supported away by Mu Dezhang.

Su Xinghui watched his retreating figure and shook his head with a smile. This Vice Mayor Pan was quite a character; Su Xinghui rarely saw such a high-ranking cadre so fond of alcohol.

Su Xinghui called all the members of the research team to his room and divided them into two groups: he would take Xia Song, and Xing Guodong would take the other two, acting separately.

Just as Su Xinghui was assigning tasks, Mu Dezhang arrived. Seeing him, Su Xinghui had the others return to their rooms and smiled, asking Mu Dezhang to sit down.

Mu Dezhang said gratefully, "Director Su, thank you! If it weren't for your good idea, Vice Mayor Pan would probably have gotten dead drunk. He's fine now; I sent him home, and he's resting."

Su Xinghui said, "It's nothing. This is what I should do. If the leader were to get drunk, I would also be responsible."

Mu Dezhang said, "Vice Mayor Pan was just happy today; he usually doesn't drink this much. Today, a Japanese inspection delegation came to the city, wanting to form a joint venture with our city's machinery factory. Vice Mayor Pan must have had high hopes for this delegation, so he drank a few extra glasses."

Upon hearing this, Su Xinghui realized this fell within the scope of his research work this time. He asked, "Oh, which company is this Japanese inspection delegation from?"

Mu Dezhang had just asked Vice Mayor Pan's driver and learned the origin of the delegation. He said, "It seems to be called Ono Precision Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. I heard it's quite famous in Japan."

Su Xinghui vaguely remembered hearing the company's name; it was indeed quite famous in the machinery industry.

Su Xinghui asked again, "Why does the Shanghai Machinery Factory want a joint venture? Isn't the Shanghai Machinery Factory always doing quite well?"

The Shanghai Machinery Factory was a famous large state-owned enterprise, well-known in the domestic machinery industry.

Mu Dezhang said, "Sigh, in recent years, the Shanghai Machinery Factory's efficiency hasn't been good either. It has been losing money year after year, and now there are no orders, so it must reform. There is no way out without reform."

Su Xinghui nodded and didn't ask anything more.

Mu Dezhang said, "Director Su, tomorrow morning I will accompany Vice Mayor Pan to come over and discuss the research route for the next few days with you. What do you think?"

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "That's fine."

Mu Dezhang stood up and said, "Then I'll go first. Director Su, get some rest early, see you tomorrow morning."

Su Xinghui saw Mu Dezhang out of the room and called home. After Lu Xiaoya answered, Su Xinghui asked about the elderly and the children. Lu Xiaoya said everything at home was fine and told him not to worry.

Su Xinghui said, "Xiaoya, I've made you work hard again."

Lu Xiaoya laughed and said, "Don't say that. You've been relaxed at home for a few months and have been with me for a few months; I'm already very satisfied."

Su Xinghui couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed. He had been married to Lu Xiaoya for four years, and it seemed these were the only few months he could be like an ordinary couple, going home on time every day to be with his family. He hadn't expected these few months to make Lu Xiaoya so satisfied.

Su Xinghui said, "I might have to stay in Shanghai for a while this time. Once I finish the research, I'll go back to be with you." ===== CHAPTER 2601 =====