It was not until Jiang Jun met Qin Xiao again and had dinner together that she understood what Yan Lixin meant.
The drinking culture in the north and the south is completely different.
Qin Xiao is particularly good at persuading others to drink. He watches others drink one cup after another, but he himself can avoid drinking a drop of alcohol.
Bu Senyuan and Yan Lixin's faces became redder as they drank, while Qin Xiao remained as fair as ever.
Qin Xiao's wine was drunk by his subordinates.
Jiang Yun and Miao Haiping were greeted by two female clerks assigned by Qin Xiao, and watched several male colleagues toasting each other.
In terms of level, Jiang Jun's unit is one level higher than Qin Xiao's unit.
But at the dinner table, Bu Senyuan and his friends did not enjoy any preferential treatment as high-ranking officials.
As they drank two bottles of white wine, Bu Senyuan's topic was still going around in circles, and he did not achieve the countermeasures they had discussed before they came out in the morning.
Jiang Yun secretly kicked Miao Haiping.
Miao Haiping bravely toasted Qin Xiao: "Director Qin, we are new here and don't know the etiquette of the wine table here. I will drink this glass of wine first as a toast, please feel free to do as you please!"
These words were all taught by Jiang Yun.
When an ordinary staff member of a superior unit toasts a junior leader of a subordinate unit, even if Qin Xiao doesn't drink, he won't lose face for anyone.
Qin Xiao looked at Miao Haiping with a half-smile as he drank three glasses in a row, and motioned his female clerk to join him.
Bu Senyuan reached out to stop him: "Director Qin, are you looking down on us? Why do you think our toast is too low-level and not of high enough status?"
Alcohol makes people brave, Bu Senyuan said it bluntly.
It can be said that if Qin Xiao did not return the toast, it would mean that he was refusing to accept the toast, and Bu Senyuan and the others would be completely embarrassed.
Qin Xiao picked up his glass and joked, "I'm waiting to toast your Deputy Team Leader Jiang!"
Jiang Yun didn't want to participate in this kind of drinking culture. This kind of work-related drinking, once it happens the first time, there will be a second time. If you can refuse it, refuse it.
She found an excuse that wasn't really an excuse: "Director Qin, I'm allergic to alcohol. I can't even get an IV drip when I'm sick. I can only take pills."
Originally, these female comrades shouldn't have attended such banquets. Since they didn't drink, they could only watch, which was very embarrassing.
Bu Senyuan and Yan Lixin raised their glasses: "Come, let's toast to Director Qin together. Do you think this is enough of a gesture?"
Qin Xiao still smiled faintly: "The two team leaders are too proud. Qin is not worthy of it! Mr. Qin is still in the hospital, and I have to report to him every day. So Qin will not drink today. This afternoon, I will accompany Team Leader Yan to the unit below for a walk. It is my apology."
Yan Lixin didn't pursue the matter and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp: "Okay, I won't drink anymore! Xiao Jiang, if I drink too much, you can talk more with Director Qin this afternoon. Ask for advice if you have any questions."
Jiang Jun smiled: "Director Qin, please don't think I don't know anything."
Qin Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled at Jiang Jun: "Deputy Team Leader Jiang, it's an honor to work with you!"
In the end, when the banquet was over, except for Jiang Jun and Qin Xiao who had not touched a drop of alcohol, everyone else was drunk. Even the two female clerks were drunk by Miao Haiping.
Qin Xiao arranged for the driver to take everyone back to the office, leaving only Jiang Jun behind. "Deputy Team Leader Jiang, it's already one o'clock. The journey will take about an hour and a half. Why don't we leave now? This way we won't be delayed. If you're tired, you can take a nap in the car."
Jiang Jun smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Director Qin!"
This was a plan she had discussed with Bu Senyuan. She would first use her identity as Qin Lao's savior to test Qin Xiao alone to see if she could find a breakthrough.
Qin Xiao raised his eyebrows: "Deputy Team Leader Jiang is indeed a heroine, very straightforward!"
Jiang Yun said modestly, "My abilities are limited, Director Qin, please don't laugh at me."
She tried her best to lower her center of gravity so as to observe Qin Xiao's reaction.
Qin Xiao smiled slightly and said nothing more. Without the driver's help, he personally opened and closed the car door for Jiang Jun, and then sat in the passenger seat himself.
Jiang Jun lowered his eyelids for a few seconds and then closed his eyes to pretend to sleep.
When she got in the car, she found that the driver had adjusted the direction of the rearview mirror inside the car. From Qin Xiao's perspective, he could fully observe her every move in the back seat.
It was very quiet in the car.
After about half an hour, Qin Xiao called out to Jiang Jun, "Deputy Team Leader Jiang, there's the Yangtze River ahead. Do you want to get out of the car and take a look?"
Jiang Jun pretended to have just woken up, rubbed his eyes and looked out the window: "Yangtze River Bridge?"
Qin Xiao opened the car door for Jiang Yun politely: "Deputy Team Leader Jiang, please!"
Jiang Jun looked at Qin Xiao's outstretched arm and, without hesitation, grabbed it as a handrail and got out of the car. He smiled and said, "Director Qin, when you call me like that, it sounds like a line from a movie."
Especially in Lingcheng, Qin Xiao was wearing a Zhongshan suit with a black woolen coat half open, looking very much like an actor in Jiang Heng's crew.
Qin Xiao stared at Jiang Yun's smiling face: "What movie? Which line?"
Still far from shore, the wind was strong. Jiang Jun held onto the large scarf on her head and stared at the train passing beneath the bridge. "I forgot which movie it was from, but this scene just felt so familiar, like I've heard it described before."
Of course, this line is from Jiang Heng's crew's script and has never appeared in this era.
Qin Xiao took two seconds to answer: "I feel familiar too!"
Jiang Jun pretended not to understand and pointed at the scenery in the distance: "The bridge is so magnificent. I've only seen it on a pillowcase at home before."
Qin Xiao suggested: "Do you want to go in and take a look? I can take you to the guardhouse."
There are soldiers on duty guarding the bridgeheads at both ends of the bridge, and only people with special identities are qualified to climb up.
Jiang Jun actually wanted to go, but could only refuse verbally: "I'll go again when I have the chance. Today's work hasn't even started yet. I can't go out on my first day and then go back without reporting anything to my team leader. If I return to Beijing and get criticized by my superiors and punished, I won't have the chance to go out again."
She hoped Qin Xiao could understand her hint. It would be best if he didn't cooperate during the afternoon work, as long as he didn't stop her.
Yan Lixin shook his head when he mentioned Qin Xiao in the morning.
Qin Xiao narrowed his eyes out of habit: "Deputy Team Leader Jiang is eloquent and holds an important position at such a young age. How could the leader possibly do anything to you!"
Jiang Jun sighed deliberately: "What's the point of being eloquent? I have no academic qualifications and no professional title. They made me deputy team leader, not because they value my ability, but because I'm stupid, so they can let me take the blame!"
Qin Xiao looked at Jiang Jun, wondering how much truth there was in her words.
He didn't believe that the superior unit would send a simple-minded person to be the deputy leader of the working group. That would be too much of an insult to him!
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