Liu Dong has really struck gold.

Fang Qingye rode his small scooter to the internet cafe all by himself and played World of Warcraft for a while, returning home only at ten o'clock in the evening—at that hour, no one would come to disturb him anymore.

The next day, after getting off work at five o'clock in the afternoon, Fang Qingye went home, took off his uniform, changed into a T-shirt and long trousers, and after lingering for a bit, seeing that it was almost time, he headed downstairs.

Given the summer heat, riding the small scooter definitely wouldn't be comfortable, and since he planned to drink that evening, Fang Qingye decided against using the vehicle and prepared to hail a taxi outside.

As soon as he stepped out of the residential complex, he saw a girl standing under the shade of a tree across the street, pushing a bicycle.

Bai Ou.

Fang Qingye walked over, and only then did he notice that Bai Ou seemed to be wearing light makeup today, dressed in a tight black T-shirt and denim shorts, which made her skin look even more snow-white.

"Are you waiting for me?" Fang Qingye asked.

"Mhm, let's walk together."

"Then why didn't you go upstairs and sit for a while in this weather?" Fang Qingye asked.

"I only got here a few minutes ago myself, let's go."

"Alright, I'll give you a ride."

"Okay." The girl's eyes curved into crescent moons with a smile.

Fang Qingye took the bicycle and rode with Bai Ou southward along Culture Road.

Sitting on the back seat, Bai Ou was in high spirits and softly hummed a song.

Writing poems for you, standing still for you,
Doing the impossible for you,
For you I learned to play the instrument and write lyrics...
...

Arriving at Dingcheng Hotel, Fang Qingye parked the bicycle and the two went up to the second floor, entering the reserved private room. Liu Dong had already arrived, and sitting next to him was a girl wearing a floral dress.

At a glance, Fang Qingye couldn't help smiling.

Sure enough, it was her—Bi Qiaoqiao, who used to play ball with Liu Dong.

Seeing Fang Qingye, Bi Qiaoqiao initially felt a bit embarrassed, but she quickly composed herself, stood up, and greeted them with a smile.

"Qiaoqiao, let me introduce you," Liu Dong said at this moment. "I don't need to introduce Fang Qingye, you already know him. This is Bai Ou, Yezi's childhood sweetheart, currently pursuing her master's degree at East China University of Political Science and Law."

"She is my girlfriend, Bi Qiaoqiao, who works in the government office."

"Hello, Bi Qiaoqiao."

"Hello, Bai Ou."

The two girls exchanged greetings and then sat down beside their respective boys.

While waiting for everyone to arrive, they chatted idly. Bai Ou noticed that Bi Qiaoqiao's gaze kept scanning her up and down, which made her feel rather strange.

Could it be that there's something wrong with what I'm wearing today?

That shouldn't be right? I spent a long time picking this out and even asked my best friend for her opinion on QQ.

Little did she know the inner monologue running through Bi Qiaoqiao's head.

So pale.
No wonder my cousin felt so insecure...

A few minutes later, the door to the private room was pushed open once more. This time, it was Song Dahai who walked in with a beaming smile.

"All by yourself?" Fang Qingye asked.

"Meimei..." Song Dahai called out.

A petite girl wearing a suspender dress then walked in, looking somewhat shy.

Impressive...
He actually managed to invite her out.

"Chen Meimei, come in and sit down," Fang Qingye greeted as well.

Seeing Fang Qingye, a familiar face, Chen Meimei seemed to find some comfort from her initial nervousness.

More introductions followed, and then the six of them seated themselves around the banquet table.

The dishes were sumptuous. The boys drank Mengzhulan baijiu, while the girls drank Great Wall dry red wine. They ate and chatted, clinking glasses and pouring drinks for one another; the one who drank the most, naturally, was Liu Dong.

Although only three men were drinking, the first bottle was quickly emptied, and a large portion of the second bottle was also gone. Everyone was getting a bit tipsy, and Fang Qingye even began to feel lightheaded.

"Hey, Liu Dong, how is it that you managed to transfer to the Propaganda Department so quickly?" Song Dahai asked at this point.

"I got lucky," Liu Dong replied, his face flushed red from the alcohol, though his speech remained fluent. "I was temporarily transferred to the Propaganda Department, and shortly after, someone there retired, leaving a staffing quota vacant. Minister Wang approached Director Li of the Organization Department to request personnel, asking for my personnel file to be transferred over. Director Li agreed on the spot, and I processed my transfer procedures just the day before yesterday."

Never underestimate a transfer like this; in reality, it was extremely difficult.

Fang Qingye had heard from his second uncle that the transfer of any cadre at the deputy section chief level or above in the county had to be discussed and approved by the county standing committee before the Organization Department could issue a red-headed document.

Although ordinary cadres didn't have to go through such complicated steps—their personnel transfers were managed by the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau—in truth, the head of the HR bureau lacked the authority to transfer any given cadre without the consent of several key county-level leaders.

The Head of the Organization Department, who also served on the county standing committee, was one of them.

While the Head of the Propaganda Department did not have the authority over personnel transfers, they were likewise a member of the standing committee—holding equivalent rank—and since the Propaganda Department happened to have a vacant slot at the time, the matter was easily settled.

Thus, when Liu Dong attributed it to good luck, everyone deeply agreed.

Then Song Dahai chimed in with a smile, "Liu Dong, your badminton skills are top-notch. Not only did you sort out your career, but you also found a girlfriend... Tell me, shouldn't we toast him another drink?!"

"Of course we should!"

Liu Dong's face was completely red as he just chuckled silently without speaking.

At that moment, Bi Qiaoqiao suddenly smiled and said, "Dahai, I think the main reason Liu Dong was able to transfer to the Propaganda Department is because of his own competence and ability to endure hardship. He goes down to the townships under the scorching sun during the day, stays up late at night writing official documents, and sometimes doesn't even get to rest on weekends."

"The documents he wrote, I brought home for my dad to read, and even my dad praised them as well-written... I suppose if Liu Dong didn't have what it takes, no matter how well he played badminton, Minister Wang wouldn't have transferred him over, right?"

"Oh my... Bi Qiaoqiao, sticking up for your Liu Dong like that. But what you said is right! I misspoke just now, I'll penalize myself with a drink!" With that, Song Dahai picked up his wine glass.

"No, no... don't talk about penalties. You're all good friends and brothers, how can you punish yourselves? Dahai, Liu Dong can't drink anymore, how about I have a drink with you instead?"

With that, Bi Qiaoqiao took out an empty glass, poured a cup of baijiu, clinked glasses with Song Dahai, and drank it all in one gulp.

Liu Dong has truly struck gold.

Seeing Bi Qiaoqiao's performance, Fang Qingye sighed inwardly.

After having a drink with Song Dahai, Bi Qiaoqiao turned her gaze toward Fang Qingye.

"Speaking of playing badminton, I also need to toast a cup to Yezi. You were the one who taught Liu Dong how to play badminton, and both Liu Dong and I are very grateful to you."

"This cup must be toasted. If Yezi hadn't taught Liu Dong how to play, he probably wouldn't have gotten to know you so quickly either," Song Dahai added.

This time, Bi Qiaoqiao didn't refute him, a shy expression blooming on her face.

More drinking...
Yet this drink seemed impossible to avoid, so Fang Qingye had no choice but to stand up with his glass. Beside him, Bai Ou asked in a low voice, "Can you handle it? If you can't, I'll drink it for you."

"You? Can you drink baijiu?"

In Fang Qingye's memory, he had never seen Bai Ou drink baijiu.

Bai Ou didn't say anything further; she simply grabbed an empty glass, poured herself a drink, and said to Bi Qiaoqiao, "As you can see, Yezi has had a bit too much as well. Let me drink this cup on his behalf?"

"Sure."

And so the two girls drank a cup with each other.

Seeing this scene, Song Dahai immediately turned his head to look at Chen Meimei, who had been quiet the whole time.

"Don't look at me, I can't drink baijiu," Chen Meimei replied softly, which left Song Dahai feeling a little disappointed, though of course he couldn't show it and prepared to offer the girl a word of comfort.

Instead, he heard Chen Meimei say, "How about I pour a round of red wine for everyone instead?"

"Alright..." Song Dahai instantly brightened up and announced loudly, "Meimei will now pour drinks for everyone! She can't drink baijiu so she'll only drink red wine, but all of you must drink baijiu..."

After the meal, they went singing at a KTV and played until nearly 11 o'clock before dispersing.

Fang Qingye walked Bai Ou home.

"Bai Ou, are you alright?" Fang Qingye pushed the bicycle as he walked and asked.

He was rather worried.

Today Bai Ou had consumed quite a bit of baijiu during dinner, followed by beer at the KTV, and now her cheeks were flushed like blossoming peach blossoms.

"I'm fine, you can rest assured... You forgot, my dad can hold his liquor, I inherited just a little bit of it from him," the girl said with a smile.