Taking the plate of food on the table, Lin Que picked up the fork and started feeding Lily in small bites. Meanwhile, Lin An also fed fruits to Yao Yao as they waited for the show in front of them to begin. Ginny, Toby and Lawrence walked towards the table as guests started gathering around them.
Watching silently from the crowd, Lawrence mumbled, "This guy is still the same as twenty years ago."
Toby heard his words and asked, "What do you mean?"
Lawrence explained, "Back then, someone insulted Yao Yao at a public event. To give that person a lesson, Lin An played a trick on him. Continue watching and you'll see. He wouldn't allow anyone to say a word about Yao Yao. Offending her is a direct blow to a firecracker's storage truck. Instant explosion. Plus, this time he promised a good slap for Lily."
Clenching his fists and quickly spreading his fingers outwards, he said, "Boom." Toby and Ginny understood his demonstration about Lin An's temper. Basically, nobody was allowed to do anything to his wife!
After five minutes of silence, Lin An looked up at Director Chu with impatience. "Director Chu, you just said it was degrading to speak about business with our family's Lily. You even said it would hurt your pride that way. So, here I am, sitting while offering you an investment opportunity. All you need to do is finish these drinks."
Beads of sweat soaked Director Chu's forehead as he faced Lin An's stressful gaze. "Unless Director Chu is demeaning my authority as well? So, it seems like Director Chu thinks the ex-CEO of Lin Corps is unworthy to match his position to talk about investment with him. If that's the case, I wonder if anyone in this industry would be up to his expectations. What does everyone think?"
"I'll drink! I will drink!" Director Chu grabbed the first bottle and messily poured the liquor into his mouth. Fortunately, for him, he had high alcohol tolerance. Although his tolerance was high, continuously chugging down alcohol on an empty stomach would not be a good method. A sudden thought popped up in his mind, making him praise his intelligence.
After devouring a few mouthfuls of liquor down his pipe, his mouth widened and let the rest of the liquor escape down his neck; soaking through his shirt and pants. Noticing his trick, Lawrence's lips curved to a wicked smirk. 'Yeah, he is done for.'
As Director Chu's drinking live performance carried on, everyone knew what he was trying to do. He reached for the fourth bottle after tossing the empty bottle to the floor. At this point, his shirt and dress pants were soaked enough to use as a mirror for females to fix their makeup.
"Stop." Lin An's deep voice made Director Chu pause instantly.
"Is Mister Lin satisfied with my drinking already?" Director Chu asked as he took a napkin from the table to wipe his mouth and shirt.
"Does Director Chu take me for a blind man or an idiot? You just wasted my expensive liquor to wash your filthy clothes. Since you show little to no sincerity in earning my investment, you can leave. My party will resume after you show yourself out of here." Lin An's meaning was exactly as it sounded. If he doesn't drink properly, he won't get a cent from him.
"Mister Lin, I've already finished three bottles of liquor. If I leave now, at least provide some investment for my company. If you don't, then these liquors will be wasted for no reason. As you already know, this liquor brand is quite pricy." Director Chu shamelessness was enough to have his skin sag down to the floor.
Yao Yao smiled and poured herself a glass of liquor. "I've seen many people in my entire life, but none matches up to you. Exactly, what kind of blatantly marketing ploy are you playing here? You've wasted our liquor and ruined our moods, yet you have the audacity to speak as if we owe you something. How cunning."
"Oh? Ma'am, you're not the one who is making the final decision to investment funds. Since my proposal is good, then it's already a pass. Mister Lin has a reputable status in the industry. I believe he won't take back his words. He told me to drink, but never said I can't spill. I've already drank mouthfuls from the bottles before. As for the wasted product, that is just an accident."
With his palms flat against the table, Director Chu leaned forward and stared at them like a cold-blooded serpent. "So, when have I not played by the rules? If you want, I can continue drinking the rest of the seventeen bottles. At the end, I'll still receive the investment. Well? What else do you have to say?"
His voice was low and dangerous as if he was ready to strike like a venomous snake. Unexpected to him, his words earned Lin An's loud applaud. Lin An stood up as he laughed heartily.
"Director Chu is right. Business is business. I did tell him to drink, but never mentioned anything about spilling. He played by the hidden rules. Since things have reached an end and I want to save my precious drinks for the rest of the guests here, I'll invest."
Everyone gasped as they heard his agreement on investing in Chu Entertainment. The Lin An they all knew is not the type of pushover for scumbags like Director Chu! While everyone reacted in shock, Lawrence didn't miss the sly smirk on Lin An's face.
'Ah, here it comes.' Lawrence thought to himself as he angled his glass to pour champagne into his mouth. His eyes did not leave Lin An as he anticipated the upcoming climax for long enough!
"Thank you for your investment. Shall I give you a toast?" Director Chu chuckled as he gave everyone the side-eye glance. He was looking down on them!
"Hold on that toast. I'll let you decide whether you could swallow another sip of alcohol after I say this. I will keep my word with the investment, but I don't ever recall mentioning the amount I am going to contribute. Didn't you just say I should give at least something for your efforts? Then, I'll do as you wish."
"What do you mean? Mister Lin." Director Chu asked as he caught the craftiness in his words.
"I'll invest...."
Lin An raised one finger up while leaving people hanging.
"One billion?" Director Chu frowned at the loss of two billion dollars!
"It's one dollar."