Shengshi Dynasty readily accepted the invitation from the Jiangzhou City Jade Collectors Association, and upon hearing the news, many people immediately called the event organizers to confirm their punctual attendance. A meticulously prepared welcoming feast, a veritable Hongmen Banquet aimed squarely at Wang Zhuo and Shengshi Dynasty, had quietly commenced its unfolding. When a disruptor enters an established industry, it inevitably invites a collective siege from the incumbents.

The methods of conflict are manifold, yet the objective remains singular: to restore the industry to its former tranquility. The disruptor must either be assimilated by the existing order or cast out entirely. However, when the disruptor proves to be a formidable, emerging powerhouse, it often succeeds in redrawing the industry’s map and rewriting its established rules.

Consider the Flying Shuttle, which drastically accelerated the speed of weaving, consequently stimulating the demand for cotton yarn; or the Spinning Jenny, which transformed spinning from one thread at a time to multiple threads simultaneously. Following intense conflict, Britain was ultimately reshaped into a dominant force in the cotton industry, a shift that eventually impacted and even supplanted China's textile trade. From this, it is evident that disruptors are frequently pioneers, agents of change, and catalysts for progress.

Yet, the precise role Wang Zhuo and his Shengshi Dynasty are playing in this current scenario will only be revealed after the passage of time. …… The second weekend following the National Day holiday marked the first gathering for Wang Zhuo’s high school class. It must be said that Wang Zhuo’s school lived up to its reputation as one of the city’s premier key high schools.

Several classmates had secured placements in the elite 'Top Tier' universities; over half had made it into the 'First Tier,' and even the lowest-performing student, Fat Dragon, had avoided the embarrassment of a diploma mill. The caliber of both faculty and student body was plainly evident. After the college entrance exams, the class scattered across the nation for university studies, with Beijing attracting the largest contingent—after all, it is the nation’s capital, the triple nexus of politics, culture, and economy.

The next largest concentration was in the direct-controlled municipality of Jiangzhou, even surpassing Shanghai. Among these attendees were Wang Zhuo, Gan Lin, Haozi (Sun Donghao), Fat Dragon (Jin Chengyou), Cheng Gang, along with Jiang Jie, the chubby girl who had briefly shared Wang Zhuo’s desk for a few minutes during high school, and a young man nicknamed Glasses Bro, whose name was also Zheng Peng. (For the chubby girl Jiang Jie and Glasses Bro Zheng Peng, see Chapter Seventeen of this book: Ideals Are Plentiful.) Wang Zhuo and Gan Lin presented themselves as a committed couple.

The reunion was strictly 'pay-as-you-go' (AA system), and Wang Zhuo kept a low profile by not driving, arriving at the restaurant with Gan Lin via taxi. Now into their second year of university, old classmates inevitably engaged in subtle posturing upon reunion: those with better schools compared prospects, those with better family backgrounds compared assets, and those lacking in both compared skills. While the camaraderie of these school days remained purer than what one finds after entering the professional world, everyone viewed this gathering as an opportunity for personal display.

There was no need to elaborate on Wang Zhuo and Gan Lin; the entire class knew they were simply beyond comparison. One seemed to have ingested some miraculous elixir before the exams, roaring into a Top Tier university; the other transformed overnight from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan the day she collected her graduation certificate. Soon after, the two made their relationship public and relocated together to Jiangzhou, making countless yearning men and women deeply envious.

Gan Lin’s situation was somewhat more understandable. She had been a class cadre since the first grade of primary school, even serving as the top class monitor for three years in middle school. She only relinquished that role in high school to become the study committee member, so her acceptance into a Top Tier university was hardly surprising.

But Wang Zhuo’s trajectory was far more legendary. Shortly before the college entrance exams, he nearly assaulted his Physical Education teacher, Liu Guoyang, in the school corridor, resulting in a public bet that required him to crawl around the track backward while holding a sign. This incident caused a stir throughout the school.

Yet, he scored 666 overall and was accepted into a highly selective, integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s/Doctoral program at a provincial key university that only admitted two students in total. Liu Guoyang, unwilling to honor the wager, subsequently vanished. In high school, Wang Zhuo first spent a year completing a transformation from an exemplary student to a problem child.

After that, he engaged in no small amount of fighting, gambling, and extortion. Just when everyone assumed he was beyond saving, he achieved the second-highest score in the entire city. Later, Wang Zhuo struck it rich gambling on raw stones, then bought property, cars, and started a company—details that need no retelling.

In short, to live just one year like him would be cause for lifelong satisfaction. Besides this couple, Sun Donghao, who had always been low-key in high school besides his top academic standing, surprisingly brought a female companion, a petite and delicate beauty. She had large eyes, a delicate nose, cherry-red lips, and a forehead as smooth and flawless as a peeled goose egg.

Her eyebrows were meticulously shaped, thin and arched. Sitting beside Sun Donghao, she maintained a charming smile, addressed everyone politely, and possessed a voice that was both crisp and sweet—an undeniably excellent young woman. Before the gathering, they had agreed that anyone with a partner should bring them along for the classmates' inspection.

Sun Donghao certainly delivered, stunning everyone upon arrival. Cheng Gang’s girlfriend was also attractive; while her looks were rather ordinary, her figure was extraordinarily hot. However, Wang Zhuo and Fat Dragon didn't recognize her.

It turned out the boy had dumped his previous girlfriend after the semester started and upgraded to this new one, rumored to be the niece of a coffee shop owner near their school. It was love at first sight for them, and Cheng Gang’s ex-girlfriend was reportedly present at the time. The 160-pound Jiang Jie brought a man whose tonnage easily exceeded 200; they were a perfect physical match.

This gentleman was fair-skinned, tall, handsome, and a local Jiangzhou second-generation rich kid, arriving in a Cherokee. They incessantly addressed each other as 'Husband' and 'Wife,' a display that bordered on nauseating. The only one without a female companion was Glasses Bro Zheng Peng.

Not only had he successfully enrolled in the Japanese Department of the Foreign Language Institute, but he had also fulfilled his ambition of dating a Japanese girl. He had been the most enthusiastic organizer of this reunion, intending, in his own words, to "show everyone the Japanese chick he’d ridden." Unfortunately, the Japanese girl's great-grandfather fell gravely ill two days prior, requiring her immediate return to Japan, much to Zheng Peng’s great chagrin. As for Fat Dragon’s date, the man had somehow sourced a non-mainstream technical secondary school student, standing about 5’1” (1.55 meters) tall, weighing perhaps less than 80 pounds (40 kg).

She sported eyelashes resembling a stiff brush, wore star-sparkling cosmetic contacts, and was adorned with jingling earrings. She addressed Fat Dragon as 'Uncle' repeatedly, leaving everyone utterly speechless. Once the food was fully served, the first to speak was Glasses Bro Zheng Peng.

Yes, this guy was the class monitor. Although nobody truly respected his position, his third uncle was the Director of the Organization Department, meaning securing the role of class monitor for his nephew as 'experience' took nothing more than a single phone call. "Ahem," Zheng Peng cleared his throat, adjusting his rimless glasses.

"Since everyone has nominated me, your class monitor, to speak first, I will keep my remarks brief…" "Ahem," after holding it in for an awkward moment, he extended his hand toward Gan Lin. "I’m not quite ready yet; perhaps our study committee member, Gan Lin, could speak first." No one could tell if he was attempting a joke or was genuinely unprepared. After a burst of roaring laughter, it was Wang Zhuo who spoke up, smiling, "We’re all old classmates, let’s not be so formal.

Let’s have a toast first—to friendship forever!" "To friendship forever!" Fat Dragon, Sun Donghao, and Cheng Gang were all fiercely loyal to Wang Zhuo’s lead, immediately raising their glasses in support. Everyone then raised a glass and downed the first round. Cheng Gang was the most persuasive drinker, while Fat Dragon was the chief instigator.

If the two didn't forcefully push drinks, the entire meal would likely have involved everyone drinking at their own pace. Therefore, Wang Zhuo substituted tea for wine, and nobody raised an objection. As the atmosphere grew increasingly lively, Fat Dragon proposed switching to strong liquor.

Cheng Gang was the first to accept the challenge, then proceeded to taunt Fat Dragon into downing a two-ounce shot. Following that, Cheng Gang was rapidly toasted twice more by Fat Dragon’s non-mainstream companion before excusing himself to the restroom, clutching his stomach. Having successfully inebriated Cheng Gang, the non-mainstream girl remained composed, continuing to expertly slip food onto Fat Dragon’s plate.

The group suddenly realized—Fat Dragon’s date was actually a formidable drinking heroine, truly hiding her capabilities. "I hear people like her don’t absorb alcohol well; they can drink endlessly without getting drunk," Gan Lin whispered into Wang Zhuo’s ear. Wang Zhuo nodded slightly, then, using his X-ray vision out of curiosity, he peered through the girl’s body, observing her digestive, circulatory, and absorption systems.

He quickly found the reason—Gan Lin was correct. The girl’s blood had a significantly lower affinity for alcohol molecules. Comparing her to Fat Dragon, under the same conditions, Fat Dragon absorbed five to six times the amount of alcohol she did.

Is this innate? Wang Zhuo was pondering when Gan Lin lightly nudged his thigh, bringing him back to reality. "Stop staring at her like that," Gan Lin softly reminded him.

"Oh, right," Wang Zhuo hastily retracted his gaze. Just then, the non-mainstream girl noticed his scrutiny, glanced sideways at him, and gave a coquettish smile. Wang Zhuo managed a strained smile and nod of acknowledgment, thinking to himself that her underlying structure was quite good, but her current styling was a major problem, and her association with a guy like Fat Dragon pointed to questionable taste.

When Cheng Gang returned, his complexion was somewhat pale. His girlfriend, in a fit of pique, had challenged the non-mainstream girl to a drinking contest. It was apparent that the girlfriend also possessed decent drinking capacity, managing to keep up for two rounds before returning to her meal.

Wang Zhuo decided to observe her alcohol absorption rate as well, finding it to be roughly three times slower than the non-mainstream girl’s. This piqued Wang Zhuo’s curiosity. He intensely wished to gauge his own alcohol absorption speed against a known standard, but he had promised Qi Fei he would abstain from alcohol for six months, making immediate testing impossible.

Cheng Gang’s spicy girlfriend finally yielded and retreated to the restroom. Only then did the non-mainstream girl rise calmly, exiting with the air of a complete victor, presumably heading for relief as well. Wang Zhuo actually wanted to observe which of the people who went to the restrooms were actually relieving themselves and which were vomiting.

However, he truly did not wish to employ his X-ray vision for the purpose of spying on others in the lavatory, so after some hesitation, he restrained himself. It is said that alcohol absorption occurs either through the stomach or the intestines. Those who absorb through the stomach become intoxicated quickly; those who absorb through the intestines remain lucid longer.

Wang Zhuo reasoned that if the non-mainstream girl had an intestinal absorption system, she would certainly need to force herself to vomit the alcohol out. If she absorbed through neither the stomach nor the intestines, then a simple trip to the lavatory would suffice. China’s culture of drinking has been passed down for millennia, where in many social settings, those who can hold their liquor advance easily, while those who fear drinking find themselves at an impasse.

Wang Zhuo suddenly mused that if he could uncover the ultimate secrets of alcohol absorption and apply that knowledge to create specific antidotes for various body types, he would surely be welcomed with rapturous enthusiasm by the entire nation.

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