GHLCS Chapter47

The banquet was halfway through, and many businessmen were drunk.

 

Xu Hang was cautious and didn’t drink too much. He just moved his chopsticks symbolically and didn’t even eat the food. But what was coming still couldn’t be avoided.

 

Xu Hang noticed that the Military Control Commissioner exchanged glances with a drunk man, who came towards him with a glass of wine and sat next to him: “Sir, why don’t you drink? Come, I’ll toast you a glass!”

 

Xu Hang declined: “I haven’t been feeling well lately. I can’t drink alcohol while taking Chinese medicine.”

 

Yuan Sen laughed in a low voice and said to the man, “Hey, Wang Ji ah, this Young Master Xu is no ordinary man. The amount of wine you drank was too light. How can you toast to the popular person around Commander Duan?”

 

Everyone looked at each other, and their expressions were all meaningful.

 

Wang Ji slapped his head and said, “Oh—it turned out to be Commander Duan’s, burp… person ah, my apologies!” He burped intentionally at the wrong place and spoke in an ambiguous way, “I’m short-sighted. Isn’t it because Young Master Xu looks well-dressed that I didn’t expect him to be a ‘noble man’?… Ahahahaha…”

 

Some people at the table were already laughing.

 

Xu Hang finally understood that Yuan Sen’s move was intended to humiliate him, but he still couldn’t figure out what the purpose of the humiliation was.

 

Although Xu Hang was calm, Yuan Ye was a little impatient: “Someone, Mr. Wang is drunk, take him to the back to sober him up!”

 

“Xiao Ye.” Yuan Sen glared at him. “We’re all having a good time drinking. It was just a joke. Don’t spoil the fun!”

 

Wang Ji got Yuan Sen’s instruction and became even more presumptuous. He even put a hand on Xu Hang’s shoulder and said, “That’s right. Let’s be happy. Come on, Young Master Xu, I’ll feed you this cup myself. You won’t refuse to give me face, right?”

 

Xu Hang forcefully brushed off Wang Ji’s hand, his gaze sharp with unwavering righteousness. Fixing him with a cold stare, he said, “Apologies, but this is the Military Control Commissioner’s banquet. I need to stay clear-headed out of respect, so unlike you, Sir, I won’t indulge in excessive drinking, no matter the occasion.”

 

The implication was that he slapped Wang Ji in the face, and even the Military Control Commissioner was too embarrassed to follow suit and persuade him to drink.

 

Putting down the wine glass with a “bang”, Wang Ji came up with another plan when his first one failed. This time he was even more shameless. He pretended to lean close to Xu Hang’s ear but spoke in a very loud voice.

 

“Young Master Xu, tell me the truth! Are you having an affair with Commander Duan?”

 

“Spare me the talk of ‘brotherhood’—I don’t buy that nonsense. Everyone in Hezhou City knows that Commander Duan’s back door is the hardest to get through. Yet, you waltz right in without a hitch?”

 

“It’s nothing, actually. But would you not be easily hurt by a tough guy like Commander Duan?”

 

“Hey, you’ve been touched by him, right? Tell me about it! Hey! You hate men touching you, right? You are not capable with women now, right?”

 

The more he spoke, the more vulgar and shameless he became. Yuan Sen had been waiting for Xu Hang to explode in anger, but Xu Hang remained motionless, like a ball of cotton, making all the damage insignificant.

 

Wang Ji grew anxious and grabbed the wine glass, seemingly ready to force Xu Hang to drink. However, just as he lifted it, Xu Hang discreetly pressed an acupoint on his waist. With a yelp of pain, Wang Ji lost his balance and toppled forward, landing face-first on the ground.

 

Xu Hang brushed his shoulders, as if there was something dirty: “Mr. Wang seems to be really drunk, you should have a good rest.”

 

Wang Ji was already drunk, and when he saw Yuan Sen stroking his beard, hinting for him to exaggerate, he simply played along. Slurring his words, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Broken goods! Who are you trying to fool, acting like some master? Everyone knows exactly what you’re selling! You were fidgeting under the table just now, and now you won’t even let me touch you. What’s the deal? Are you offering something rare? Go on, name your price!”

 

No one in the community was aware of the relationship between Duan Yelin and Xu Hang. Yuan Sen had orchestrated this scene, clearly intending to reveal their connection. Although it was nothing more than the ramblings of a drunk, these days, rumors spread quickly and often became accepted as truth.

 

As expected, the gazes of those present turned toward Xu Hang, no longer as friendly as before.

 

Yuan Ye couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed the man by the collar and threw him out, shouting, “Are you all blind? He’s completely drunk—why don’t you shut him up and get him out of here!”

 

Seeing that Yuan Ye was really angry, several servants stepped forward and did as he said.

 

Unexpectedly, Xu Hang glanced at Wang Ji’s tightly-gagged mouth before turning away indifferently. He sighed at Wang Ji, who was pretending to be mad, and said with a hint of regret, “Mr. Wang, I understand you’re drinking to drown your sorrow today. As for your feelings for the Commander… well, I won’t go into that. But don’t worry, I won’t hold this against you. It’s easy to find a priceless treasure, but finding a true lover is rare. If your misunderstanding and anger bring you some comfort, then I’ll accept it.”

 

Everyone’s mouth opened wide, as if they had just heard a big drama. It turned out that after all the fuss, the real homosexual was this Wang Ji!

 

When Xu Hang looked back at Wang Ji, he saw his bloodshot eyes and heard him making muffled “umm, umm” sounds, as if angry and embarrassed after being insulted. Unfortunately, Wang Ji was quickly dragged away, unable to speak a word. As he was pulled away, he shot Xu Hang a fierce glare, which Xu Hang returned with a cold smile.

 

The most angry person at the table was Yuan Ye. He grabbed Xu Hang’s arm and said to everyone present, “Mr. Xu was neglected today. I will personally send him back. Please continue to do as you please.”

 

“Xiao Ye!” Yuan Sen called in a low voice.

 

Yuan Ye did not give in at all: “Father, don’t let others say that our Yuan family doesn’t understand etiquette!”

 

Leaving everyone behind, Yuan Ye personally escorted Xu Hang to the car. Standing outside, his face was filled with apologies, but he seemed too embarrassed to speak, unsure of where to begin.

 

Xu Hang said, “You don’t have to feel guilty, this is not your fault.”

 

Yuan Ye was very confused. He could see that his father did it on purpose, but he didn’t understand why his father targeted Xu Hang, so he replied, “I’ll come to your house to apologize after I figure it out!”

 

Xu Hang nodded, and the car drove away.

 

He sat in the back seat of the car, still not figuring out the real purpose of today’s Hongmen Banquet.

 

Just to humiliate? That’s an exaggeration.

 

Or was it to test Duan Yelin? That was also too childish.

 

His right eyelid kept twitching, and the more Xu Hang thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

 

Suddenly, the car bumped on the flat ground. The right rear tire burst with a low “pop” sound, and then the car swayed from side to side and rushed to the other side of the road without any hesitation!