Qin Yan, standing by, felt a pang in her heart.
He had downed two bottles of special-grade Maotai in a gulp. The damage to his body would be immense.
Regardless of his alcohol tolerance, it would severely harm his health.
"Chen Feng, that's enough. Let's go back quickly," Qin Yan whispered to Chen Feng.
"Almost done, just one more round to clear the table," Chen Feng forced a smile.
Liao Chengzhi had been placated, but the other provincial big shots hadn't been fully appeased. He had to keep drinking.
That's how the officialdom worked. Once you were at the drinking table, you had to drink to your limit.
This was Chinese drinking culture. If you were at a table full of leaders and said you couldn't drink, too bad, you were considered unenterprising!
Drinking until you vomited blood marked a young man as capable of great things!
"You want to clear the table again? You've already had two bottles of special-grade Maotai. You can't drink anymore."
Qin Yan was on the verge of tears.
"Director Qin, it's alright. I haven't been navigating officialdom for just one day. I've trained my alcohol tolerance long ago," Chen Feng replied, feigning ease.
He could tell from Qin Yan's expression that she was worried about him.
As long as Qin Yan cared, it was worth it, even if he drank himself to death.
What is a true man?
He's someone who would lay down his life for the woman he loves.
"Chen Feng, perhaps we should just stop. I don't want this director position anymore. To keep my job, I drink strong liquor as if it were water." Qin Yan said with a serious expression.
"Director Qin, if I leave now, all the previous drinking would have been in vain, right? It's fine. Men in officialdom have unfathomable drinking capacities." Chen Feng said, trying to appear nonchalant.
In reality, he felt very unwell.
However, this gathering was the best opportunity to speak up for Qin Yan. If he missed it, her path in officialdom would be over.
Therefore, he had to drink, even if it meant drinking himself to death.
This was the saying, "In the martial world, one's fate is not one's own."
Qin Yan, unable to persuade Chen Feng, could only relent.
They continued drinking for another hour. Suddenly, Xiang Wentian received a phone call about an urgent task in the provincial capital, requiring the relevant leadership team to convene a meeting overnight. It was only then that everyone finished drinking.
"Chen Feng, you performed very well tonight. Keep up the good work and don't disappoint me."
After dropping this line, Xiang Wentian led everyone away from the VIP room on the top floor of the six-star hotel.
The moment everyone left, Chen Feng couldn't hold it in any longer.
A wave of腥气 (xīng qì - the metallic taste of blood) surged up.
Chen Feng spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Just as Chen Feng was about to comfort Qin Yan, he collapsed onto the ground.
Qin Yan, terrified, yelled for a waiter to carry Chen Feng to the hospital.
Qin Yan had wanted to carry Chen Feng to the hospital herself, but Chen Feng was over 1.8 meters tall, and she, as a woman, couldn't carry him even if she wanted to.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctor's examination quickly revealed the cause.
Simply put, he had drunk too much, and it had damaged his stomach.
Fortunately, Chen Feng's physique was decent; otherwise, he would have definitely suffered a perforated stomach.
"Doctor, he vomited a large mouthful of blood. Will he be alright?" Qin Yan asked, visibly flustered and frightened.
To be honest, she hadn't been this nervous or scared even when her parents were hospitalized.
In a word, she was truly afraid of losing this man.
Even though this man was destined not to be her husband, he was her sky.
If the sky were to truly collapse, she didn't know how she would live.
"Don't worry, the patient has a common gastric hemorrhage. After a stomach lavage and a good night's sleep, he'll be fine," the doctor reassured Qin Yan.
However, truthfully speaking, this patient's physical condition was exceptionally good.
An ordinary person drinking this much liquor would likely either die or suffer a perforated stomach.
After a night of emergency treatment, Chen Feng finally pulled through the danger.
Then, Chen Feng fell into a deep, comfortable sleep on the hospital bed.
To ensure Chen Feng slept more soundly and peacefully, Qin Yan used her arm as a pillow for him.
Chen Feng slept like that for an entire night and day.
The next day, Chen Feng woke up refreshed from his sleep.
"Director Qin, you've been using your arm as a pillow for me all this time?" Chen Feng asked, deeply touched.
"I was afraid you wouldn't sleep well, so I used my arm as a pillow. This is a small matter. By the way, how do you feel? Is there any discomfort anywhere else?" Qin Yan asked anxiously.
"No, everything is recovering well," Chen Feng replied with a smile.
"Chen Feng, you're too foolish. Drinking yourself to death for me, a woman who can't marry you, is it worth it?" Qin Yan looked at Chen Feng with heartache.
"Director Qin, if you say that, it makes us strangers. I've already said before that although we can't end up married, you are still my woman. It's worth it to die for the woman you love," Chen Feng continued with a smile.
"Sigh, I don't know if your loyalty to women is a good thing or a bad thing," Qin Yan sighed deeply.
"To be honest, Director Qin, I don't know if what I'm doing is good or bad. But it doesn't matter, I'm very happy doing it!" Chen Feng said seriously.
"You, you are sometimes more cunning than a monkey; no one can trick you. Yet, at other times, you are so foolish, knowing it's a trap for a woman, but you still jump in. Fortunately, the big shots from the provincial capital have finally been handled." Qin Yan said with immense relief.
"Director Qin, you've misunderstood. Things are far from over," Chen Feng's tone shifted, his eyes gleaming with killing intent.
"Chen Feng, what do you mean by that?" Qin Yan was stunned.
"Liao Chengzhi must pay the price. Not only did he disrespect you, but he also almost made me drink myself to death. If I don't retaliate against such a person, how can I continue to navigate officialdom?" Chen Feng replied sternly.
"Chen Feng, Liao Chengzhi, the head of the Water Conservancy Bureau, is indeed despicable. But he's a big shot in the provincial capital. My point is, it's better to let things go. Forget it. Don't you often say that taking a loss is a blessing?" Qin Yan tried hard to persuade Chen Feng.
"Director Qin, if it were a minor matter, I could tolerate it. After all, in officialdom, it's impossible not to endure some grievances. But the problem is, Liao Chengzhi has touched my bottom line. He has brazenly molested my woman and trampled on my dignity. If I tolerate such a person, even if I succeed, it will be meaningless. While a true man knows when to bend and when to stand firm, a true man also knows what to do and what not to do. When my bottom line is crossed, I must act!" Chen Feng stated with conviction.
"But..." Qin Yan still wanted to persuade Chen Feng.
Chen Feng directly embraced Qin Yan...
"This is a hospital..." Qin Yan said, her face flushing.
"It's alright, this is a special care ward. Outsiders won't enter casually."
With that, Chen Feng undressed Qin Yan.
He was very skilled and natural.
When he first became Qin Yan's dedicated driver, he was so nervous that he wouldn't even dare to look at her, let alone undress her.
To be honest, taking down a cold and arrogant female leader felt pretty good.
Qin Yan didn't resist...
Thus, they spent two hours together.
Afterward, Chen Feng told Qin Yan to return to Mingshan District and focus on her work. He intended to stay in the provincial capital and make Liao Chengzhi pay for his arrogance yesterday.
After a week of thorough investigation, Chen Feng found a loophole to trap Liao Chengzhi.
He only needed to subtly incite this loophole, and Liao Chengzhi, the head of the Water Conservancy Bureau, would be finished.
This loophole was none other than a major catfishing scandal at a large reservoir on the outskirts of the provincial capital...