The dishes from Dongbao Fishery were indeed excellent, and they suited everyone’s tastes perfectly. Buoyed by good fortune and high spirits, at Wang Zhuo’s suggestion, they ordered some celebratory drinks. At this time, the mid-range gift boxes of Wangchao Wuliang had just hit the market, with the average price per bottle reaching around one hundred Yuan.

While still a stretch for the average person, salespeople in the liquor industry or civil servants could now afford this "lower-tier" indulgence. However, much like how popular cars often see inflated prices from dealerships, the official suggested retail price for the mid-range gift boxes also faced implementation hiccups. A box clearly marked at 428 or 388 Yuan would end up costing consumers six hundred or five hundred, and in some high-demand areas, one even needed to place a reservation.

After conquering the mid-range market, the high-end market remained booming. That crowd who only "choose the expensive, not the right one" simply wouldn't care about the price; they spent money for status, for glory. Whether the efficacy of the cheap stuff matched the premium goods, they cared little.

What mattered was that what they used was the most revered, the absolute best! So, the four-bottle high-end package, retailing at 5888 Yuan, remained highly sought after and sold well! Would the CEO of Sinopec drink a 388 gift box?

Are you kidding! Would that be worthy of the Feitian Maotai he’d be drinking afterwards?! What?

He’s just a regional head? And only in the Quality Inspection Department? Let me tell you, never underestimate a village chief, even if he’s just a section-level leader—he’s still backed by the Petrochemical giants.

Their conscience and morality might be lacking, but their money is never lacking! Wang Zhuo treated his friends with the same standard as a Sinopec executive, but he wasn't one to "only choose the expensive." The price for the 5888 set was only a hundred-plus Yuan more than the 388 set; he had no reason to be stingy with himself or his friends over such a small sum. Each person downed a bottle of Wangchao Wuliang, and with that, the drinking truly began.

Ning Yao, An Qi, Guan Yingying, Wang Zhuo, and An Qi—none of these five had massive capacities for hard liquor, but with the help of Wangchao Wuliang, they could drink white spirits like red wine, red wine like beer, and beer like soda. Consequently, everyone loosened up completely, and the atmosphere grew lively. Since it was past peak meal times, the chefs weren't busy, so the dishes arrived incredibly fast.

Within half an hour of Wang Zhuo and his group being seated, the food was all served, and they had already finished one bottle of red wine and three beers. “What kind of finger-guessing games do you all know?” Wang Zhuo suggested spontaneously. After a brief discussion among the women, they settled on "One Little Honeybee." Wang Zhuo lost the first round.

He didn't use his X-ray vision to cheat and just happened to have bad luck, so he was penalized with a glass of red wine. Ning Yao lost the second round. As they got to know her better, everyone found her personality sincere, unpretentious, generous, and straightforward—a big sister figure who was easy to get along with.

Thus, after she downed her drink in one gulp, she was met with a round of cheers and applause. “I’m not great at that one,” Ning Yao said, setting down her glass and shaking her head. “I’m much better at Two Little Honeybees.” Two Little Honeybees was a two-person guessing game; it turned out she was quite the one-on-one expert.

There were no experts present, but there was certainly no shortage of challengers. Wang Zhuo immediately switched seats with An Qi, who was next to Ning Yao, eager to compete against her. This time, Wang Zhuo employed his supernatural ability.

During the game, Ning Yao naturally lost. Just as Wang Zhuo made the light fanning gesture, and Ning Yao, amidst the laughter, began buzzing like a bee, several crisp knocks sounded on the door. Everyone assumed it was a server.

Wang Zhuo and Ning Yao picked up the pace, increasing the chances for the other to make a mistake and be penalized. Guan Yingying casually called out, “Come in,” but it wasn’t a server who entered, but the two men from the BMWs earlier. “Heh heh, apologies for interrupting,” the man with the slightly protruding stomach said with a nod.

Disturbed by the unexpected guests, Ning Yao, who had just won the round, forgot to fan Wang Zhuo. She smiled wryly and nodded at him, signaling that she would settle the drink later. The man with the protruding stomach closed the private room door behind him, turned back, and smiled, “Let me introduce myself first.

I am Jiao Yuanbo, Deputy General Manager at Tonggong Group. This is Hai Jun, the Assistant to the President.” The tall man nodded beside him, “The surname is Hai, the given name is Jun.” Hai is a surname from certain minority groups, but after the founding of the PRC, many people changed their ethnicity and surnames for political reasons. Now, this surname is just relatively uncommon, and one cannot discern the person’s background based on the surname alone.

Wang Zhuo hesitated for a moment before leading everyone to stand up. The two men each held a glass of bubbling beer; it seemed they had come specifically to toast them. “Heh heh,” Jiao Yuanbo chuckled.

“Meeting by chance is fate. Hai Jun and I both enjoy making friends, so we came uninvited. We wanted to offer you all a toast.

I hope we haven’t disturbed you.” The women all stood up politely, saying they weren't disturbed. Jiao Yuanbo seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Wang Zhuo, saying, “This young man clearly isn’t from an ordinary background. May I ask where your parents work?” He had seen Wang Zhuo playing the guessing game with Ning Yao the moment he walked in, hence the question.

Although Guan Yingying and the An Qi sisters were also rare beauties, his focus was on Ning Yao. Because the other women were with Ning Yao, he made a quick assumption, classifying them all as being from the entertainment industry. It was Wang Zhuo’s closeness to Ning Yao during the game that made him feel Wang Zhuo’s status was worth inquiring about.

“Not exactly high-ranking. I just make a living through my craft,” Wang Zhuo replied casually, thinking that Wang Zhengdao’s craft was all about deception—deceiving women, deceiving his son, and eventually deceiving the audience. Saying he made a living through this craft wasn't far from the truth.

Jiao Yuanbo gave an "oh," mentally filing Wang Zhuo somewhere between the son of a director or a relative of a screenwriter. With that classification made, he decided not to waste any more time and suddenly focused on Ning Yao, letting out a small gasp. “Excuse me, are you Ms.

Ning Yao, who starred in Divorce, Go Ahead?” The tall man also immediately feigned surprise, examining Ning Yao before glancing back at Jiao Yuanbo. Ning Yao paused slightly. She usually intended to deny it, but considering they hadn't pursued the matter after their car was hit, she felt it would be rude to act aloof.

She smiled and nodded, tacitly admitting it. With this confirmation, Guan Yingying and the other two shifted into spectator mode, though standing felt awkward. Wang Zhuo, however, slightly raised an eyebrow, detecting a layer of performance in Jiao Yuanbo’s reaction.

He immediately concluded that the man surnamed Jiao hadn't just recognized Ning Yao now; he must have identified her downstairs. Coming up now to offer a toast was merely an excuse to approach Ning Yao! Recognizing a huge star and then using that as a pretext to socialize was understandable human nature.

Wang Zhuo hesitated, choosing not to cause a scene, planning to see how they acted before making a decision. “It really is you?!” Jiao Yuanbo beamed with feigned delight. He exchanged a look with Hai Jun, who mirrored his surprise, then immediately launched into a stream of flattery.

Ning Yao was long accustomed to this, simply listening with a faint smile. An Qi couldn’t stand the pretense and took the opportunity to excuse herself to the restroom. Wang Zhuo signaled subtly, and everyone settled back into their seats.

This was exactly what Jiao Yuanbo and Hai Jun were waiting for. They quickly moved their chairs closer. This small room was designed for six people, so there was only one empty seat originally.

After Guan Yingying left, a seat became temporarily vacant, and the two men edged their chairs near it, eventually sitting down while continuing their conversation! “Oh my!” Jiao Yuanbo suddenly exclaimed softly, his eyes shining. “Look, look, how could I forget this!

We are here entertaining Mr. Ma from Jingying Group today! We were just talking about him during dinner; Mr.

Ma is one of Ms. Ning’s die-hard fans!” “That’s right!” Hai Jun chimed in immediately, enthusiastically suggesting to Ning Yao, “Ms. Ning must know Jingying Group, right?

A top 100 domestic listed company, with assets in the tens of billions! Mr. Ma achieved success early; he’s quite the figure!” “Hai Jun, we should introduce Ms.

Ning to Mr. Ma!” Jiao Yuanbo said excitedly. “Jingying Group is interested in expanding into the entertainment industry, and Ms.

Ning is a major star in the circle. Jingying has immense capital—this is a perfect alliance of strength! Ms.

Ning and Mr. Ma surely have common ground!” “Right, right, I’ll go invite Mr. Ma over now!” Hai Jun immediately stood up.

Ning Yao hesitated, then looked toward Wang Zhuo, only to be stopped by his gaze. In the script written by Jiao Yuanbo and Hai Jun, at the point where they invited Mr. Ma over, Ning Yao was supposed to stand up and proactively suggest joining Mr.

Ma elsewhere. To ordinary people, a major star was an incredible figure, but to someone at Mr. Ma's level, she was just a little performer.

One must understand that the backing of Jingying Group was far beyond that of an ordinary listed company; they didn't believe Ning Yao wouldn't know that this group was supported by the powerful elite. In simple terms, Mr. Ma’s status was that of a 'princeling'—a member of the party royalty!

Yet, Ning Yao remained seated. Hai Jun took two steps, then suddenly stopped, turning back with a troubled expression: “But this private room is too small. Mr.

Ma is no ordinary person; if we bring him in, there won't even be standing room. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?” This was a second hint directed at Ning Yao: Esteemed Film Empress, we know you carry weight, but the other party is royalty. Shouldn't it be obvious who should yield to whom?

We shouldn't have to spell it out, right? Having navigated the entertainment industry for over a decade, how could Ning Yao not understand the delicate implications? At this juncture, she was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

If she hadn't known the man's background, it would be one thing. But now that she knew he was in the same establishment, refusing to go over for a toast would be a severe snub, potentially offending someone powerful. This was the tragic reality of being a star.

If you were an ordinary person, even if you went to offer a toast, the recipient might not even deem you worthy of their time. But if you are a celebrity, and you know the person is your fan, remaining silent and noncommittal is seen as causing them to lose face. If that person happens to be narrow-minded, who knows what trouble might arise later!

Who hasn't seen the widely circulated photos online of female celebrities offering toasts? Or photos of female celebrities being forcibly kissed or grabbed? Some people always look at them and feel they are cheap, disgusted by their forced smiles while being violated.

They fail to realize that this is the social dark side that female stars must confront. Forget the 'princelings'; even local thugs like Wen Qianghui Hai, with a flick of the wrist and a wave of the hand, could make life miserable for any star whose backing wasn't strong enough—they’d have no choice but to obediently offer themselves up for drinks, small talk, and bedding, or the thugs would find endless ways to ruin them!