0074 Refusing a drink

"Xiao Jiang, your speaking skills are getting better every day." President Li said with a flushed face, then turned her gaze to Xu Zhengyan next to her, "Hey, I haven't seen this young man next to you before."

Jiang Jifan seized the opportunity and "pushed" Xu Zhengyan in front of everyone, introducing him as "a newcomer to our company who hasn't been here long. He's honest and hardworking."

Then he gestured for him to greet the leaders.

Xu Zhengyan did as he was told, so that although the people at the dinner table still didn't know much about him, they at least had an impression of him.

"The new guy?" At the mention of this, President Li got excited and immediately waved him over, saying, "Come on, come on, have a drink with me."

He added that he was tired of everyone else present, and since a new face had finally arrived, he was determined to have a good chat with him.

Xu Zhengyan glanced at Jiang Jifan, and seeing her nod, he nervously picked up his wine glass and sat down next to her.

"You young people should liven things up more at the dinner table and show off your talents." Mr. Li, already tipsy and looking rather drunk, picked up the bottle, poured him a glass of wine, and asked, "Don't you think so?"

Xu Zhengyan dared not say no, so he could only nod with a polite smile and accept the wine poured for him with a nervous expression, then drank it down with a furrowed brow.

By the end, he was starting to feel dizzy. Seeing that the other person was still continuously offering him drinks, he didn't dare to refuse and could only grit his teeth and continue drinking.

Although Jiang Jifan appeared to be talking to others, he was keeping an eye on the situation on his side. Seeing that he was about to be overwhelmed, he stopped talking to him in time and stepped forward leisurely.

"Mr. Li, young people don't have a high alcohol tolerance, so drinking like this isn't very enjoyable. Come, let me drink with you." She dismissed Xu Zhengyan, sat down next to him with a smile, and offered a toast.

Xu Zhengyan finally found a chance to escape, hurriedly made an excuse to go to the bathroom, and then left while enduring his discomfort.

By the time he returned, the drinking party was almost over.

Mr. Li, who had just been drinking with him, was already completely drunk and had to be dragged up from his chair by his secretaries. Even so, he still managed to say to Jiang Jifan, "Little Jiang, uh! Next time, next time we'll continue, continue drinking!"

Jiang Jifan remained calm, smiled and agreed, then watched him being helped away.

Turning around, she saw Xu Zhengyan standing at the door. She picked up the bag hanging on the back of the chair and went out.

"You still need to practice your drinking capacity more." On the way out of the restaurant, Jiang Jifan glanced at his flushed cheeks.

"Once you're at the dinner table, the other person doesn't care whether you can drink or not. They'll just think that if you don't drink, you're introverted, not active, and don't fit in with the team. They can use this to label you in a lot of negative ways, which will make your future career path much more difficult..."

Xu Zhengyan's mind was a complete blank. Upon hearing this, he subconsciously asked, "Sister Ji Fan, did you go through the same thing back then?"

Jiang Jifan paused for a moment, then replied, "More or less."

She had a mentor who helped her get promoted, which made her promotion relatively smooth, but she also had to pay a lot of price.

Ninety percent of the people most likely to suffer unequal treatment at drinking parties are women, because many men immediately reveal their true colors after a couple of drinks. When drunk, they can't control their mouths and love to say all sorts of dirty and smelly things. Jiang Jifan has been openly harassed quite a few times because of her good looks.

But because she was bold, eloquent, and could drink a lot, some people looked down on her, while others appreciated her. Over the years, she has accumulated a lot of connections at drinking parties.

"If you want to climb up, you have to endure all kinds of unfair treatment. When you finally stand up for yourself, you will suddenly find that none of it is so unacceptable."

Xu Zhengyan gazed at her delicate profile. Because he had been drinking, his eyes were slightly misty, so she appeared blurry to him, but still beautiful.

To be honest, he never imagined that someone like her would need to climb the social ladder through drinking parties.

But on second thought, it makes sense. At her age, she has already secured a middle-management position. It's not just her work ability that matters; her social skills are also a significant factor.

Remembering how she had just stood up for him and shielded him from the drinking, Xu Zhengyan felt both relieved and grateful, so he took the opportunity to thank her.

Jiang Jifan looked at the simple and sincere young man in front of him, said nothing, and just smiled.

Emboldened by the alcohol, Xu Zhengyan admired her appearance up close for the first time since he started working.

She has two dimples when she smiles.

So beautiful...

Author: The readers aren't enthusiastic, so I'm also thinking of not being enthusiastic anymore (→o←)

I'll add more chapters later.