11: You Have a Weakened Constitution

Su Muqing (a beautiful young CEO) calmly said, "Zhang Wenzhi (a persistent suitor), please don't misunderstand. My boyfriend is always very blunt. His tone might be a bit harsh, but don't take it too much to heart."

Seeing that Su Muqing had no affection for him whatsoever, and seemed to trust this young man implicitly, Zhang Wenzhi became quite displeased.

In other words, in Su Muqing's eyes, he had become a man who indulged excessively in sensual pleasures and was fond of self-gratification (a euphemism for masturbation).

This made Zhang Wenzhi realize that it would be very difficult to pursue Su Muqing through conventional means anymore.

Zhang Wenzhi snorted coldly, his gaze dark as he stared at Shen Yifei (Su Muqing's seemingly ordinary but secretly extraordinary boyfriend). He sneered, "Your name is Shen Yifei, isn't it? Very well, I'll remember you."

Shen Yifei merely shrugged, a calm smile playing on his lips. If Zhang Wenzhi didn't provoke him, that would be the end of it, but if he dared, Shen Yifei wouldn't mind giving him a good beating.

A few minutes later, the French feast was served, but the previous conversation had rendered the dining atmosphere far from harmonious.

In front of Su Muqing, Zhang Wenzhi didn't dare to go too far.

After all, Su Muqing was his guest, and Zhang Wenzhi still had to finish the meal; he couldn't afford to lose face.

In fact, Zhang Wenzhi even smiled and raised his wine glass, inviting Shen Yifei to drink, eager to display his drinking prowess.

Shen Yifei, however, suddenly stated, "You have a weakened constitution (a concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine often associated with low vitality and, in this context, implying overindulgence), so you'd best avoid alcohol."

Zhang Wenzhi's face turned ashen. He forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes and retorted, "Mr. Shen, please don't make such a fuss. I feel perfectly fine, and I often entertain clients, so my tolerance for alcohol is quite good. Since Mr. Shen seems to know so much about weakened constitutions, perhaps you yourself suffer from one, which is why you can't drink?"

He considered himself a seasoned veteran of countless drinking engagements; it would be difficult for ordinary red wine to get him drunk.

If Shen Yifei wasn't prepared to accept the challenge, then so be it. But if this kid dared to accept, Zhang Wenzhi intended to get him utterly plastered.

How could Shen Yifei not see through Zhang Wenzhi's petty scheme?

Given how Su Muqing had seemed to look down on him earlier, Shen Yifei also wanted to make a statement. And wasn't Su Muqing annoyed by this guy anyway? Shen Yifei decided he would decisively crush Zhang Wenzhi, leaving him no face to show in public.

"How about this, Mr. Zhang," Shen Yifei proposed first, "why don't we have a drinking contest?"

"Excellent! Mr. Shen, you said it yourself!" Zhang Wenzhi grinned, as this was exactly what he wished for.

With that, Zhang Wenzhi smiled, raised his glass, and downed its contents in one gulp.

Shen Yifei also picked up his red wine glass and drained it in a single swallow.

Seeing Shen Yifei's arrogance in daring to challenge him to a drinking contest, Zhang Wenzhi secretly rejoiced. He became much more enthusiastic, repeatedly raising his glass to Shen Yifei as if they were long-lost friends.

Shen Yifei ordered several more bottles of high-proof red wine. Whenever Zhang Wenzhi raised his glass, Shen Yifei never refused, matching him drink for drink.

Forget red wine; even if it were pure alcohol, with Shen Yifei's extraordinary constitution, he could drink any amount without ill effect.

Su Muqing watched this spectacle unfolding, saying nothing further. She quietly ate her French dinner, observing the scene and letting Shen Yifei have his way.

The table was soon littered with empty wine bottles. The excessive drinking by the two was truly a shameful waste of fine wine, drawing frequent glances from the surrounding diners.

Su Muqing, of course, sensed the atmosphere was somewhat off, but her attention was solely on Shen Yifei.

She suddenly felt that Shen Yifei was rather mysterious; this man was not as simple as she had initially thought.

After four or five bottles of red wine, Zhang Wenzhi already felt quite drunk. Seeing that Shen Yifei still hadn't collapsed, he felt both surprised and anxious, thinking he had to play even harder.

Zhang Wenzhi increased the frequency of his toasts, and Shen Yifei matched his pace.

"Bro... brother, what a capacity for drink! I... I'm almost starting to admire you. As the saying goes... it's true, when kindred spirits meet, a thousand cups are too few! Let's keep toasting, more drinks!" Zhang Wenzhi's face was flushed crimson, his head spinning. He was completely intoxicated.

"Alright," Shen Yifei chuckled, a hint of mockery playing on his lips.

After more than a dozen glasses of red wine, Zhang Wenzhi became completely disoriented. He sprawled on the table, flailing his arms, muttering incoherently, and then, without warning, began to loudly cry and wail.

"Sir, are you...?" The French waitress standing by was startled.

Su Muqing's brows furrowed. Seeing Zhang Wenzhi completely passed out from drink, she asked with some concern, "Zhang Wenzhi, do you need to go to the hospital?"

Zhang Wenzhi violently flung his hand, crying even harder. As he cried, he loudly wailed, "I have a weakened constitution! I indulge excessively! I... I engage in self-gratification! Waaah, I'm not a human being..."

"Pfft..." Su Muqing covered her mouth, barely suppressing her laughter.

Shen Yifei saw Su Muqing laugh and was momentarily captivated. He had to admit, her smile was truly beautiful, and he couldn't help but take a few extra glances.

This 'ice-faced' CEO (a common descriptor for a cold or unapproachable female executive) actually had a sense of humor after all.

Noticing Shen Yifei staring at her, Su Muqing's pretty face grew a little self-conscious. She forcibly suppressed her smile, her expression turning cold as she said, "Shen Yifei, look at what you've done, you've gotten him completely drunk!"

"He brought this upon himself. Alright, let's go," Shen Yifei smiled, not bothering to drink the remaining wine.

"What about Zhang Wenzhi?" Su Muqing asked.

"Don't worry about him, he'll sober up." Shen Yifei shook his head, instinctively taking Su Muqing's small hand.

This woman's hand was truly different – soft and comfortable. Shen Yifei couldn't help but hold it a few extra moments.

Su Muqing's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled her hand back, glaring at Shen Yifei with a hint of irritation. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was deliberately taking liberties with her (a common Chinese idiom for flirting or making light physical contact).

Zhang Wenzhi was still wailing and shouting. The surrounding diners stared at him with wide eyes, wondering if there was something wrong with the guy's mind.

The two paid him no mind, exited the restaurant, and got directly into a car.

In the car, Su Muqing still couldn't resist asking, "Shen Yifei, have you... studied abroad?"

"I've been abroad, but I didn't study there. And by the way, I never went to university," Shen Yifei chuckled.

Su Muqing was a little surprised: "You never went to university, so how did you..."

"How? Do you think I'm very impressive?" Shen Yifei's lips curved slightly upwards.

Su Muqing raised a delicate brow, her tone haughty, "Alright, don't flatter yourself. Even if you are impressive, it has nothing to do with me."

Shen Yifei was a bit speechless. Couldn't this beauty say something remotely flattering? Couldn't she just give him a compliment?

After the incident just now, Su Muqing vaguely felt that Shen Yifei wasn't the kind of lazy, parasitic man she had initially thought. Her impression of him had shifted slightly.

"Shen Yifei," Su Muqing said, "since you know French, our company happens to be looking for a French translator. You could come work for us; the compensation is quite decent."

"No need, as I said before, I already have a job," Shen Yifei replied calmly.

Su Muqing said nothing more, feeling a little annoyed. She didn't believe Shen Yifei could possibly have a respectable job.

She was clearly acting out of good intentions, so why did this man always seem to go against her?