"Welcome, everyone! The food is all ready!" Although this was a five-star hotel, it rarely hosted celebrities like Director Kong, Murong Li, and Fang Yuanshan. Oh, and of course, Shen Yibin and Hah’Er. The pair were practically the most famous locals in Yunzhong City at the moment. As such, the hotel staff took this wrap party very seriously, and all the head chefs pulled out all the stops.
What’s more, Director Kong had used his own connections to procure a batch of high-quality fruit wine for the party. While it couldn’t compare to the Monkey Wine brewed by Xiaoliu, it was still considered a rare vintage. Director Kong still had two bottles of Monkey Wine himself, but there was no way he was going to bring them out to share with everyone.
After all, when Shen Yibin had given a bottle of Monkey Wine to Mr. Cha, Director Kong had the gall to ask Mr. Cha to open it on the spot and share it. Why on earth would he be willing to take out his own stash for so many people to drink?
"Come, Bin, and you too, Hah’Er. Try this wine. It can’t compare to your Monkey Wine, but it’s still pretty good." Director Kong picked up an antique-style wine bottle and personally poured a glass for Shen Yibin and Hah’Er. Beside them, Xiaoliu sniffed the air and pushed his own cup forward.
The little guy was a true connoisseur of alcohol. Before he had learned to brew his own Monkey Wine, he was constantly rummaging through Shen Yibin’s liquor stash. Since this fruit wine seemed to suit his palate, he wanted a taste as well.
"Oh, silly me! I almost forgot. My apologies." Director Kong apologized profusely. He’d seen Xiaoliu drink before when they had dinner at Shen Yibin’s store.
Everyone was seated. Director Kong stood up, glass in hand, and began his speech. "...Thank you all for your hard work... When the movie becomes a blockbuster, I’ll give every member of the crew a huge bonus... For now, let’s start with this toast!" Gratitude, encouragement, promises, a toast—he delivered the whole speech perfectly, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became electric.
"Cheers!" Everyone stood up, raising their glasses high.
Hah’Er grunted in agreement, clutching his glass with both paws. The four members from the animal welfare organization exchanged bewildered glances. ’A panda can drink?’ They had never seen Hah’Er drink alcohol before.
"SQUEAK SQUEAK!" Xiaoliu, not to be outdone, also chirped. Of all the animals at the banquet, only Maphario remained unfazed, sitting comfortably on the dining table and nibbling on a mix of assorted nuts the hotel had prepared specially for him.
"Alright, everyone, please, enjoy yourselves," Director Kong said after the first three formal toasts, signaling for everyone to sit down. Immediately, the individual tables broke into their own rounds of toasting. Everyone wanted to go over and toast the important figures like Director Kong and Shen Yibin, but it wasn’t the right time. The main table hadn’t even finished their own private conversations.
"Ah, Bin, this film owes its success to you and Hah’Er. Come, let me be the first to toast the two of you." Before anyone else could begin, Director Kong made his way over to Shen Yibin and Hah’Er, glass in hand.
"I’ll finish mine, but Hah’Er will just take a sip!" Hah’Er had a very low tolerance for alcohol. If he drank the whole glass, he’d probably have a drunken fit in no time, and it would not look good in front of the people from the animal welfare organization.
After finishing his drink, Director Kong sat back down. At this table, only Shen Yibin and Hah’Er were worthy of him personally offering a toast; no one else had that privilege. Of course, if he knew that the Monkey Wine was brewed by Xiaoliu, he probably would have toasted the little monkey in hopes of getting more of the precious brew. But for now, he was still in the dark.
"Director Kong, I’d like to propose a toast to you. Thank you for your guidance and support," the male lead, Fang Yuanshan, said as he respectfully approached Director Kong’s side, glass in hand. Murong Li, Fang Yun, and the other core cast members also prepared to follow suit.
"Whoa there. You should be toasting Bin first. Without him, this movie wouldn’t even exist," Director Kong said with a chuckle, pushing Shen Yibin into the spotlight. Fang Yuanshan tried to protest, but seeing the director’s firm stance, he walked over to Shen Yibin.
"Alright, bottoms up!" Shen Yibin had no choice but to raise his glass and down it. As before, Hah’Er just barely touched his lips to the drink. Even so, this was enough to make Fang Yuanshan ecstatic. After all, Director Kong himself had received the exact same treatment just moments ago.
"Mr. Bin, I hope we’ll have the chance to work together again in the future." As Fang Yuanshan returned to his seat, Murong Li immediately stood up to take his place. Though she was a woman, she was every bit as bold as her male counterparts and downed her drink in a single gulp.
"Bottoms up!" ’What else is there to say? I have to drink this one, too.’ Shen Yibin couldn’t find a single reason to refuse. With the two of them leading the charge, everyone else at the main table stood up one by one to toast him. It was a large, twelve-person table, and after a full round, Shen Yibin was already feeling woozy, even though it was only low-proof fruit wine.
’I’m a dead man tonight,’ Shen Yibin thought, glancing around the hall. There were still five or six other tables. ’If every single person here clinks glasses with me, I’ll probably end up in the hospital getting my stomach pumped.’
Seeing that the main table had finished its internal round, people from the other tables began swarming over to offer toasts, making a beeline for Shen Yibin. Seeing the distressed look on his face, Director Kong stepped in to help. "Bin, if you can’t drink anymore, find someone to drink on your behalf!" This was a common custom at such banquets. The moment he spoke, Fang Yuanshan, Murong Li, and the others looked ready to volunteer. This was a perfect opportunity to make Shen Yibin owe them a favor.
Shen Yibin, of course, understood the implications. If someone drank in his place, he would owe them a favor. Should they come asking for help in the future, it would be difficult for him to refuse. He was reluctant to become indebted so easily, so he scanned the room, desperately looking for help.
’Who can drink for me?’ He looked around. ’The only people here I’m close enough to ask are Director Kong and Sun Qian. But Director Kong is a prime target himself—he probably needs his own substitute. As for Sun Qian, I doubt her alcohol tolerance is up to the task.’ He sighed. ’Why didn’t I bring Xia Shixuan? If she were here, I wouldn’t have a thing to worry about!’
Just as he was lamenting his situation, he caught sight of Xiaoliu out of the corner of his eye. ’Aha! How could I have forgotten about this God of Wine? I’ve never seen this little guy get drunk back at the store. That settles it. Your master has decided: the job of drinking for me is now yours!’
"Mr. Bin, if you’re using a substitute, you have to use the big glasses!" The person offering the toast produced two large glass tumblers and filled them to the brim. This was, in fact, one of the unwritten rules of such drinking bouts.
Before Shen Yibin could say a word, Xiaoliu impatiently snatched one of the glasses and chugged it dry. GULP, GULP, GULP.
"Awesome! Mr. Bin, my turn now!" Seeing how incredible the monkey was, several other people rushed forward, all vying for a chance to drink against Xiaoliu.
Gradually, however, the number of people daring to come forward dwindled. Xiaoliu had already downed more than ten large glasses of wine but didn’t show the slightest sign of being drunk. People were amazed. ’That Bin is really something else, isn’t he? First a panda that can act, and now he brings a monkey that’s the God of Wine?’
’Haha! Who else wants a drink with me?’ Shen Yibin was feeling utterly triumphant.