Chapter 105
The last syllable seemed to be erased by some force, and Xie Xubai could not hear what the brewery owner was saying. Only a buzzing noise remained in his ears.
The sudden attack from the man with the gold-rimmed glasses was unexpected. In the two seconds he was stunned, the tentacles that had transformed from the glasses' temples intensified their caresses on his earlobes, kneading them twice.
The force was neither too light nor too heavy, leaving behind a clear scent—damp, cold, and slippery—stimulating Xie Xubai's sensitive nerves.
Xie Xubai's brow twitched violently. He looked up and met the distillery owner's panicked gaze, then smiled calmly: "Did I remind you of something terrible?"
He is used to doing things himself, but if he has a powerful backer, he doesn't mind using that backer's influence.
Yan Shuo had the ability to guide him to godhood, so his strength was beyond question. Xie Xubai wasn't surprised that the gold-rimmed glasses could frighten the boss like this, but the boss's behavior was somewhat intriguing, as if he knew Yan Shuo's deeper identity.
Under Xie Xubai's ambiguous gaze, the shopkeeper broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "You...you...you must be joking. If you had revealed your identity earlier, how could I have...been so unhelpful!"
As he spoke, he hurriedly boiled water and brewed tea. If the factory workers saw him in such a servile manner, they would be astonished.
Pei Yuheng watched from the side, completely bewildered, but knew that now was not the right time to ask questions, so he remained silent throughout.
Xie Xubai took the opportunity to finalize the details of the deal.
His preparations paid off. Although he couldn't reach the major retailers, he managed to integrate all the small and medium-sized supermarkets and bars he'd been dealing with over the past few months. While individual supermarkets might not have ordered much, the total orders amounted to 60% of the brewery's total – that's a substantial amount!
The key is that Xie Xubai was able to open up so many channels and connect so many people.
The boss was already intimidated by the other party's identity and dared not disobey. Unexpectedly, they were able to make a profit from this cooperation, and he was overjoyed and cheered repeatedly.
Xie Xubai had come to the factory beforehand to investigate, and just in case, he needed to get assurances in advance: "I've heard that some unscrupulous merchants like to use human blood to brew wine and pass off inferior products as superior ones. I trust the owner's character, and I'm sure your factory won't have such problems."
The boss was dumbfounded. In the monster's eyes, human blood and flesh were excellent raw materials, so how could it be considered inferior? It was only because he didn't use them to save costs.
But he wouldn't be foolish enough to refute Xie Xubai on the spot. He just muttered to himself, wondering if Xie Xubai might have a prejudice or preference against humans.
The deal between Hong Hing Winery and the survivor base was finalized.
To entertain Xie Xubai and his companion, the distillery owner hosted a grand banquet.
As the tobacco and alcohol industry is highly profitable, it's impossible to expand without connections, which is why the people the boss calls over are all influential figures.
Xie Xubai did not let go of this excellent opportunity. He took the chance to expand the base's network and worked hard to bring them on board so that the First Hospital could be built later.
The other business owners had received prior instructions from the brewery owner. Although he hadn't explicitly revealed who Xie Xubai was, his serious demeanor was enough to make them uneasy and treat him with utmost respect.
Both sides felt they had gotten a great deal by establishing a connection with each other, and the drinking session ended with everyone enjoying themselves.
There was a small mishap during the drinking session.
It stems from the fact that Xie Xubai looks like a model student.
The old father's patience only lasted until he saw Xie Xubai take a sip of baijiu, at which point he declared the end of his patience and refused all other toasts.
Xie Xubai wanted to stop him, but before he could persuade him, he suddenly sensed the warning of the [rules].
It's not the vague and incomplete consciousness we have now, but the "rules" from ten years in the future.
The rules state: Please follow the settings.
The original setting that Pei Yuheng would drink until he suffered a stomach hemorrhage at a banquet constitutes the Pei Yuheng as perceived by later generations, such as Physician Li.
Interfering with history has only two outcomes: either the historical traces become inconsistent, triggering an uncontrollable butterfly effect.
Secondly, history will self-correct, meaning that all tragedies will be postponed until Xie Xubai leaves this era, when no one can help Pei Yuheng, and the tragedies will still occur as usual.
After hearing the explanation of the "rules," Xie Xubai's smile faded considerably.
After returning to the base, Pei Yuheng vomited violently into the toilet.
Xie Xubai poured a cup of hot water and handed it to him to rinse his mouth after he had calmed down a bit.
Pei Yuheng was a little embarrassed: "I only had a few drinks, how did I get like this?"
To be precise, it was five cups. When it was time to drink the sixth cup, Xie Xubai saw through Pei Yuheng's "outward strength but inner weakness" and secretly used his mental power to make it impossible for him to swallow.
But for someone who doesn't drink at all, five cups of baijiu is already a huge amount. Not to mention that when they were on their way back, Xie Xubai kept saying it was cold outside and he was afraid of catching a cold, so he wouldn't let them open the window. This made Pei Yuheng's stomach churn, and he almost threw up in the car.
Xie Xubai told Pei Yuheng to get out of the car before vomiting, but Pei Yuheng didn't want to embarrass himself in public, so he insisted on going to the restroom of the nearest building, which happened to be the laboratory building.
As the two were talking, Pei Yuheng tried to get up from the ground, since hugging the toilet was really unsightly.
Xie Xubai held him down while listening carefully to the footsteps outside. When the noisy voices gradually approached, he suddenly took out a test tube and poured the blood inside into the toilet.
These days, they're always taking samples, so it's not uncommon for them to carry blood-filled test tubes.
Before Pei Yuheng could react, he saw Xie Xubai dab the blood from the tube opening with his finger and smear it on the corner of his mouth.
"It's not contaminated blood, don't worry." After saying this, Xie Xubai suddenly rushed forward, alarmed, and supported Pei Yuheng's body. "Chief! What's wrong, Chief! Why are you vomiting blood?"
Pei Yuheng: "??"
His face was full of "What are you pretending for now?" when Dr. Li and the others rushed into the bathroom and saw the bright red bloodstains dripping onto the rim of the toilet and the corner of his mouth.
Shock, disorientation, heartbreak, followed by being moved to tears.
"Go find a doctor quickly! Get some medicine for stomach problems!" "Is this a stomach hemorrhage? There's a strong smell of alcohol, have you been drinking?" "Chief, how are you?"...
"Director, Deputy Director, you really..." Dr. Li, who knew in advance that Xie Xubai and his colleague were going to solicit investment and had imagined all sorts of difficulties and hardships, held Pei Yuheng's hand tightly with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for your hard work!"
Pei Yuheng: "???"
[Rules] More than twenty years later, witnessing this dramatic scene, there was also silence.
If it could make human expressions, its forehead would definitely be covered in black lines.
The commotion grew louder and louder, and the small bathroom gradually filled with people. Pei Yuheng, looking bewildered, was helped by the crowd to get checked, with Xie Xubai following behind.
Xie Xubai waited patiently for the "rules" to intervene, and seeing that the other party made no move, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
He knew he had successfully exploited a loophole in the rules.
—If the history recognized by the rules is based solely on human cognition, then who can say that a fabricated history is not history?
This investment was successfully secured without any major incidents. Pei Yuheng, who was experiencing some stomach discomfort, received full medical care from the medical department. Xie Xubai quietly made his contribution behind the scenes.
That night, he had a dream.
In the dream, Pei Yuheng was actually drinking himself to the point of stomach bleeding. His face was pale and sickly, with dark circles under his eyes. He kept vomiting at the sink until the filth covered the back of his clean hands, and he coughed up scarlet blood spots.
After vomiting, Pei Yuheng looked up at the mirror. The mirror reflected a face so thin it was unrecognizable. As he looked at it, he suddenly burst into a low laugh without warning. The laugh grew louder and more manic. Monster-like bluish-black scars slowly crept up the back of his hand, as if to engulf him.
Xie Xubai's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively lunged forward, shouting, "No!"
But a second later, Pei Yuheng suddenly turned his head and glared at him helplessly.
Pei Yuheng, who had been standing awkwardly in front of the mirror, had disappeared. In his place was a Pei Yuheng with a rosy complexion, who, under strong pressure from the medical department, could only sit on the hospital bed to undergo examination.
Pei Yuheng repeatedly stated, "I'm fine, really fine, I'm just feeling a little unwell."
After a thorough examination, the doctor estimated that the situation was not serious enough to cause vomiting blood, but seeing Pei Yuheng's nonchalant attitude towards his health, he felt a pang of heartache and retorted with a fierce expression, "You vomited blood, how can you be fine!"
Pei Yuheng: "..." Who knows the unspeakable suffering he has?
He couldn't help but glare at the culprit standing next to him.
Xie Xubai's mind was still stuck on the scene of Pei Yuheng's out-of-control transformation. After the daze, his lips twitched and his gaze shifted imperceptibly.
Although Pei Yuheng felt confused, he couldn't bring himself to contradict Xie Xubai and went along with it, letting the nurse put him on an IV drip. Of course, the doctor wouldn't prescribe random medication; it contained glucose.
"You should go to sleep too," Pei Yuheng urged Xie Xubai.
Having just "tricked" his father, Xie Xubai naturally had to act well. He was also tired, so he simply sat down on the chair next to him.
In a daze, he felt Pei Yuheng's hand reach out and gently rub his head.
When that handsome, otherworldly face lowered its eyelashes, a gentle smile bloomed on it, like an iceberg melting, and the corners of its upturned mouth reflected a hazy halo under the light.
Jade branches and trees, as beautiful as jade tablets and precious stones.
Fortunately, it wasn't defiled.
Xie Xubai truly relaxed, and his consciousness grew increasingly profound.
He could still feel the rubbing on his head, the force gradually becoming lighter and lighter... The man's prominent knuckles suddenly became much softer, and his palms became smaller and smaller, unable to hold his head, only gently stroking his temples.
The person spoke in a gentle, loving voice, full of affection, praising her generously: "Baby, you did a wonderful job."
"Remember those monster games we used to play?" the woman whispered, as if prophesying something. "The monsters are coming now."
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