[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-romantic-path-to-success":3,"chapter-the-romantic-path-to-success-the-romantic-path-to-success-chapter-512":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Romantic Road to the Top",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2146703,3567,"Chapter 512","the-romantic-path-to-success-chapter-512",512,"\u003Cp>Hou Guangbi stood up. “Alright, Mr. Su, let’s go to the restaurant for dinner together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Su Xinghui said, “Old Mr. Hou, please don’t call me that anymore. Just call me by my name. Didn’t you just say I was your junior?”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Hou Guangbi smiled. “Then you don’t have to address me like that either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Su Xinghui then called out, “Grandpa Hou!”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Hou Guangbi nodded with great satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Hou Dali opened the door and knocked on the doors of the other rooms, calling out several young people. They were the juniors of the Hou family, including Hou Dali’s son Hou Wenzhi and daughter Hou Wenhui, as well as Hou Guangbi’s two grandsons and one granddaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>This time, these were the only members of the Hou family who returned to the country. Other family members, for various reasons, were unable to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Several people took the elevator to the first floor together. Zhang Chenxi and the others were waiting at the elevator entrance. Seeing the Hou family come down, they all greeted them diligently and welcomed them into the restaurant. Zhang Chenxi saw Su Xinghui also following Hou Guangbi toward the restaurant, his teeth itching with hatred, but he was helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Even Deputy Mayor Ge Honglin had suffered a loss in front of Su Xinghui; what could he, Zhang Chenxi, do to Su Xinghui?\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Entering the restaurant, Ge Honglin, who was sitting at the head of the table, stood up with a smile and greeted Hou Guangbi. “Old Mr. Hou, sit at my table.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Hou Guangbi nodded and sat at that table, then greeted Su Xinghui. “Xinghui, come sit with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Su Xinghui didn’t stand on ceremony and sat beside Hou Guangbi, then let Lu Xiaoya sit beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Ge Honglin’s face stiffened, but since Hou Guangbi had spoken, he naturally couldn’t object, so he could only let Su and Lu sit at the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>He greeted Hou my lord, Hou Dali, Hou Dayi, and Hou Dajun to sit down, and with himself and Xing Xiuhe, the table was full. Cheng Han and the others went to accompany the juniors of the Hou family.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The kitchen had long been preparing, and after the guests were all seated, various delicacies were served one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>In this era where the economy is in command, the investment promotion offices everywhere are the most popular and wealthiest units. The Jiangcheng Investment Promotion Office is no exception. Their staff are all wearing famous brands and are arrogant, staying in star-rated hotels and eating delicacies. Naturally, this dinner was extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The delicacies on the table, such as sea cucumber, abalone, bird’s nest, and shark fin, went without saying. Even some protected animals could be seen on the table. Su Xinghui even saw bamboo rats, pheasants, and other things on the table; these should be specialties of Meng Hu Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Seeing these things, Su Xinghui didn’t say anything. He remained calm; he knew that there were too many such things, and with his current status, saying anything wouldn’t have any effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>In short, the Investment Promotion Office would do whatever it took to entertain big investors, fearing that they would offend them.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The wine used during the meal was Moutai. Xing Xiuhe poured wine for everyone at the table. When he poured it for Su Xinghui, he hesitated. Su Xinghui looked at Xing Xiuhe with a smile. Xing Xiuhe still filled Su Xinghui’s glass, then poured wine for Ge Honglin and his own glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Ge Honglin raised his glass to Hou Guangbi. “Old Mr. Hou, I toast you. Welcome back to your hometown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Hou Guangbi smiled slightly, raised his glass, and said, “Although Jiangcheng is good, it is not my hometown!”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Ge Honglin was a bit embarrassed, but he couldn’t not drink the toast he had proposed himself. He tilted his head back and drank the glass of wine, then said with a smirk, “Old Mr. Hou, Jiangcheng can be considered your second hometown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Hou Guangbi was noncommittal. He only touched the glass to his lips and put it down. He said to Ge Honglin, “Mayor Ge, this old man is old, so I can only express it this way. Please don’t blame me, Mayor Ge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Hou Guangbi was seventy-five or seventy-six years old. Although he looked in good spirits, Ge Honglin naturally didn’t dare to let him drink too much. He was already satisfied that Hou Guangbi could express it.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Next, Ge Honglin drank a glass with Hou my lord, Hou Dali, Hou Dayi, and Hou Dajun respectively. He had no choice; he was in charge of the Investment Promotion Office. When he heard that the Hou family’s assets were in the billions of dollars, he was overjoyed. This investment promotion result was directly related to his official hat. He had given instructions at the time to spare no cost to keep the Hou family’s investment in Jiangcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>In fact, nothing was set in stone yet, but Ge Honglin had already reported this matter to several main leaders of the city and even some leaders of the province, because it was the end of the year, and there would be personnel adjustments early next year. Comrade Ge Honglin was also thinking about promotion. If he could pull in a large investment now, it would be very beneficial for his promotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>At this critical moment, one would grab even a straw, let alone such a large weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Ge Honglin hadn’t thought he wouldn’t be able to compete with Shangjun County. Although he knew the Hou family were Shangjun people, Jiangcheng’s investment environment was many times better than Shangjun County’s, and Jiangcheng’s administrative level was also much higher than Shangjun County’s. Investors also wanted a return on their investment. Investing in Jiangcheng naturally had a higher possibility of a return than in Shangjun County.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Even if Shangjun County took the lawsuit to the province, they wouldn’t be afraid. The province had always favored Jiangcheng in such issues. Besides, even if the province favored Shangjun County, it would ultimately depend on the investor’s own wishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Ge Honglin never expected that such a freak like Su Xinghui would jump out of Shangjun County, not only having an unusually good relationship with the Hou family but also daring to confront him, a deputy mayor. With him stirring the water, the water immediately became muddy. Hou Guangbi’s current attitude was also ambiguous, which made Ge Honglin, who was originally full of ambition, feel a bit unsure.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Originally, at noon today, Ge Honglin had other important matters and didn’t personally accompany the Hou family, only letting the Investment Promotion Office staff do the accompanying work. He felt there wouldn’t be any accidents and planned to accompany the Hou family for dinner in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>But after receiving Xing Xiuhe’s call in the afternoon, he became anxious and rushed over immediately. He had originally thought of using his status as a deputy mayor to exert pressure on Su Xinghui, thinking that a small town head would definitely not dare to confront him, the Deputy Mayor of Jiangcheng, and would definitely leave in a dejected manner. But who would have thought that Su Xinghui would argue with reason and not give an inch, making him, a deputy mayor, suffer a big loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Seeing that the Hou family’s attitude was beginning to change, how could Ge Honglin not flatter them? If the Hou family’s investment really fell to Shangjun County, not only would Ge Honglin’s promotion become a problem, but their Jiangcheng investment promotion department would become the laughingstock of the whole province.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Wouldn’t it be a laughingstock? A dignified Jiangcheng, a provincial capital, a sub-provincial city, actually couldn’t compete with a county in the competition for investors. The key was that they were the ones who started this matter, intercepting the investors Shangjun County had invited halfway. If they still couldn’t get the investment after doing that, what face would they have left?\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>As long as he could keep the Hou family in Jiangcheng, Ge Honglin wouldn’t care even if he drank himself under the table today!\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Deputy Mayor Ge’s drinking capacity was indeed good; drinking more than a catty of white wine was no problem for him. He had another skill: he was a “wine leak.” After drinking too much, he would sweat, and immediately he would be like a normal person and could drink again.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>He had drunk a meal at noon today, but after an afternoon, his alcohol had mostly worn off. Drinking a glass with the Hou family, it added up to two taels of wine, which was nothing to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>He drank with the Hou family, and the Hou family naturally had to return the toast. This was another glass each, and Deputy Mayor Ge had another two taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Just then, Su Xinghui raised his glass. “Deputy Mayor Ge, we had a little misunderstanding today. Come, I toast you. I hope you are magnanimous and don’t take it to heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Seeing Su Xinghui’s grinning appearance, Ge Honglin was furious. He really didn’t want to drink with Su Xinghui, but Su Xinghui asked him to be magnanimous. If he didn’t drink this glass of wine, wouldn’t he be narrow-minded?\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Hou Guangbi smiled. “Mayor Ge, don’t take the misunderstanding with the junior to heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Ge Honglin had no choice but to raise his glass, drink a glass with Su Xinghui, and express that he didn’t take Su Xinghui’s words to heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Next, Su Xinghui used various reasons to drink two more glasses with Ge Honglin. Ge Honglin really didn’t want to drink with him, but Hou Guangbi looked at him with a smile every time, forcing him to drink those two glasses of wine, and those glasses were all poured by Su Xinghui, poured full.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Seeing the momentum was wrong, Xing Xiuhe took the initiative to raise his glass to Su Xinghui. “Little Su, come, we also had a misunderstanding just now. I’ll drink a glass with you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Su Xinghui nodded. “Director Xing, come, I’ll drink with you. Don’t take any misunderstanding just now to heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Xing Xiuhe drank this glass, and then gave a wink to Cheng Han and the Investment Promotion Office staff at the other table, asking them to come and toast Su Xinghui to help the leader out.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Those people swarmed up and toasted Su Xinghui. Su Xinghui didn’t refuse anyone. Hou Guangbi frowned, and he said to Su Xinghui, “Xinghui, don’t drink too much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Zhang Chenxi said, “Old Mr. Hou, don’t worry. Su Xinghui has a huge capacity; he won’t drink too much. Come, Su Xinghui, we are old acquaintances, I’ll drink another glass with you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Su Xinghui looked at Hou Guangbi’s worried face and said to him, “Grandpa Hou, don’t worry, I won’t drink too much. I know what I’m doing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Su Xinghui said to Zhang Chenxi, “Come, Little Zhang, we are old acquaintances. This small glass is boring. Let’s change to a big glass, one tael per glass, let’s drink three glasses in a row!”\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Zhang Chenxi had drunk a lot at noon and had drunk several glasses at the table just now. Now changing to a big glass, he really couldn’t handle it, but in this situation, he had no choice but to drink. He gritted his teeth and agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>",1883,"2026-06-16T17:50:43.208Z","2026-06-17T08:56:06.694Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","8f9cca9d8256ab39835ee9cb5ac75e075cdc08735369063f06c3163891c77bb8","the-romantic-path-to-success-chapter-513","the-romantic-path-to-success-chapter-511",572,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-romantic-path-to-success-cover.jpg"]