Fearing that Director Fei wouldn't be able to control those people, she went downstairs again.
"Quick, Director Fei told me to call you, Director Qin." The cafeteria lady jogged over to greet her. Qin Xiaoyu knew that everyone had finished eating, and she would have to wait at least another hour.
As Qin Xiaoyu entered the cafeteria, she heard a commotion coming from the private rooms, but thankfully the female workers in the main hall had all left.
Qin Xiaoyu walked to the private room, lifted the curtain, and went inside.
"Director Qin, what do you mean by this? You just abandoned us and left!" Deputy Director Wang, his face flushed from drinking, said angrily when he saw Qin Xiaoyu.
"I'm sorry, there was a little accident in the workshop. A worker slipped and twisted his ankle, so I had to take him to the hospital." Qin Xiaoyu made up an excuse and pulled up a chair to sit down.
"Why are you sitting so far away? Come here, I have to punish you with a drink!" Deputy Director Wang said unhappily.
"I can't hold my liquor, you guys drink. Here, let me pour you some." Although Qin Xiaoyu was upset, she still had to maintain appearances.
She stood up, picked up the wine bottle, and filled the glasses of the inspection team members.
The men were all drunk, and their faces flushed with alcohol. The way they looked at Qin Xiaoyu was lecherous and disgusting.
"Come on! Director Qin, fill your glass too, have a drink." Deputy Director Wang also had his eye on Qin Xiaoyu.
"I really don't drink alcohol at all, I'm allergic," Qin Xiaoyu had to make up an excuse.
"Don't give me that. What do you mean by allergy? Even if you have an allergy today, you still have to drink it. You're not taking your brother seriously at all. You're still my superior, aren't you?" Deputy Director Wang actually stood up unsteadily, walked to Qin Xiaoyu's side, and insisted on pouring wine into her glass.
"I really can't drink alcohol." Qin Xiaoyu dared not get drunk in front of this group of lecherous men; the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Don't try to fool me. Do you think there are women from Northeast China who can't drink alcohol?" Deputy Director Wang said, feigning anger.
"Deputy Director Wang's words are biased. People are of all kinds, and there are people everywhere who can drink well and people who can't. Although I was born in Northeast China, I haven't developed a good drinking capacity. Please excuse me." Qin Xiaoyu was getting angry at him and was almost about to lose her temper.
Qin Xiaoyu was protecting her wine glass when Factory Director Fei shoved another glass into her hand.
"Xiaoyu, have a drink with Deputy Director Wang." With just a glance from Director Fei, Qin Xiaoyu understood. Before Deputy Director Wang could react, she drank the glass of water in one gulp.
"I'll drink it all, now it's your turn." She slammed her glass down on the table, which was a proper gesture at the dinner table; if others didn't drink it, they would lose face.
Deputy Director Wang returned to the table dejectedly and downed his drink in one gulp. Director Fei busied himself pouring another round of drinks.
"Come on, have some food." More dishes were added from the kitchen, and two steaming bowls of catfish stew with eggplant were brought out.
Factory Director Fei served Deputy Director Wang a small bowl and placed it in front of him.
"Catfish stewed with eggplant, enough to stuff the old man to death, this is a famous dish in our factory canteen, all the visiting leaders like it. Director Lu always orders this dish when he comes." Director Fei was just making things up. Lu Di only came to the garment factory a few times and had never eaten at the factory.
Now, Director Fei is desperate and grasping at straws. At least Lu Di is now a provincial leader, so bringing him out can sober these guys up and remind them of their status as state cadres, urging them not to forget their roots.
"Director Lu? Which Director Lu?" Deputy Director Wang was either genuinely stupid or pretending to be.
"I heard that Director Qing has been transferred to the provincial level."
"Yes, it's a direct promotion. I guess they'll be the future high-ranking officials," someone remarked.
"Which Director Qing?" Qin Xiaoyu was a little curious when she heard this, as there weren't many people with the surname Qing.
"That's Mayor Zuo's mother-in-law. Impressive, a real strong woman!"
Qin Xiaoyu's heart sank. She was starting to realize that this inspection team was probably someone important, and the garment factory might be in for a major setback.
After several rounds with Bai Weiwei, Bai Weiwei suffered crushing defeats each time. Qing Xiaoxu hadn't made a move yet, probably conserving her energy. Now that they were in the provincial capital, Lei Bingzheng would likely be too far away to intervene.
"Director Qin, why aren't you saying anything? I thought all female entrepreneurs were like Director Fei, so sophisticated and capable." Deputy Director Wang had his eyes on Qin Xiaoyu all day.
"I can't hold my liquor, so I won't bother you. After you've had your drinks, I'll go order more food." Qin Xiaoyu wanted to find an excuse to slip away for a while longer and go upstairs to check on the construction progress.
"Director Qin, please don't add any more dishes. This is all dry and bland, it's not very interesting. Why don't you take us upstairs to rest?" Deputy Director Wang's face darkened.
"The food is too dry? I'll have someone change it. This is my territory now, and it would be difficult for me if you all didn't enjoy your food." Qin Xiaoyu had to adjust her attitude and put on a smile.
"That's more like it. Come on, Director Qin, let's have a drink alone, shall we?" Seeing Qin Xiaoyu's smiling face, Deputy Director Wang immediately took advantage of the situation and came over with a wine glass.
Seeing this, Director Fei quickly took out a wine bottle from behind her and poured half a glass for Qin Xiaoyu. This was "baijiu" she had specially prepared. Qin Xiaoyu understood and could only pretend to be embarrassed as she picked up the glass.
But this Deputy Director Wang had a peculiar streak. He reached out and grabbed Qin Xiaoyu's hand holding the cup, looked inside, and shook his head, saying, "Too little. Are you trying to sabotage me?"
Qin Xiaoyu tried to pull her hand away, but he held it too tightly, and she could only watch helplessly as he poured half of the wine from his glass into hers.
This disgusted Qin Xiaoyu; no matter what, she couldn't drink the wine. She looked to Factory Director Fei for help.
"Our Factory Director Qin can't hold her liquor, so I'll drink with you." Factory Director Fei has always been a tough woman, more manly than any man, and upon seeing this, she immediately grabbed the glass.
"Director Qin, you're really not giving me any face at all. You served me plain water, and I didn't say anything, did I? Now you won't even drink this watered-down wine. What are you trying to do?" Deputy Director Wang was furious, his breath reeking of alcohol on Qin Xiaoyu's face, making her feel like she was about to vomit.
"How's it going? Still not finished drinking? The model team is ready to perform." The curtain was lifted, and Wang Lingling rushed in to save the day.
Upon hearing that the model team was about to perform, the inspection team immediately perked up. What were they here for? Didn't they know their place? No matter what, Qin Xiaoyu was still a young widow; she couldn't possibly be as pretty as those fresh-faced, delicate young girls.
They followed Wang Lingling and rushed out in a swarm.
"Xiaoyu, we have to be patient and not act impulsively!" Director Fei said, seeing Qin Xiaoyu's face turn red with anger.
"It's alright, don't worry, I won't make things worse. Come on, let's go keep an eye on things."
Qin Xiaoyu had already contacted the model team, and the training photos were ready.
When she pushed open the door, the room was filled with blasting music. Qin Xiaoyu's plan was to play heavy metal all day, as loud as possible.
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