ABT ### Chapter 200: Powerful Acting
The large banquet hall was stunned by this interlude; the guests all stopped talking, only occasionally whispering among themselves. Even the music playfully changed to the famous Russian piece "The Dawns Here Are Quiet."
Li Fanyu sat innocently in his chair, enduring the stares from all around.
This won't do, I need to find a way out! I splashed that bastard with soup, he’s definitely going to come after me!
Li Fanyu’s mind raced as he glanced at the crowd at the table, all enjoying the spectacle. He rubbed his forehead.
What to do? If nothing else works... play dead?
Thinking of this, Li Fanyu gave An Ning a deep look and then flipped his eyes and slumped onto the table.
An Ning instantly understood and immediately stepped forward to support him. “Oh dear! President Li, are you okay? Everyone, President Li has had too much to drink. I’ll take him back first. When President Xu returns, please help convey our apologies. Sorry for the trouble, everyone.”
But before she could get Li Fanyu up, she saw Xu Guangsheng, drenched and furious, storming over.
Liu Wenhai saw Xu Guangsheng’s angry stance and quickly got up to stop him. “President Xu, don’t be angry. It’s common to lose control after drinking. Let’s not make a big deal out of it.”
Xu Guangsheng, having cleaned himself up and feeling slightly sobered by the cold water, realized he had been set up.
“Drunk my ass! That son of a bitch did it on purpose!” He shoved Liu Wenhai aside and roared in anger.
The guests had never seen anything like this—a scene where high-profile business executives were about to clash. They were delighted!
Ever since humans gained the ability to communicate, what’s been the main reason for forming tribal societies? Gossip! This is not made up; it's even argued in "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind."
So, seeing Xu Guangsheng lose his temper, everyone got subtly excited.
“Hey! Looks like there’s going to be a fight!”
“Fight? President Li is already out of it. What, is he going to hit a woman?”
“Yeah, he’s had too much. Who can control themselves when they’re this drunk? It’s a bit... well, you know.”
“President Li shouldn’t have drunk so much if he couldn’t handle it. Look at the mess.”
“You don’t understand. I think there’s more to this. Can a person like him really not control himself? There’s definitely something going on.”
Lu Heming watched everything clearly from the side. He knew Li Fanyu was causing trouble, but he disliked Xu Guangsheng even more now.
So, he stood up and intervened between them. “President Xu, why bother? President Li already said he couldn’t drink anymore, yet you forced him. Look, he’s like this now. Just let it go.”
Liu Wenhai chimed in, “Don’t be angry, President Xu. Come on, I’ve arranged a room upstairs. Let me help you back.”
“Get away from me!” Xu Guangsheng pushed Liu Wenhai away and pointed at Lu Heming. “Lu, are you mocking me?”
Lu Heming spread his hands. “President Xu, what are you talking about? Maybe you drank too much and don’t remember clearly. Ask President Li if that’s what happened.”
Then he turned and looked at Li Zhaokui.
Li Zhaokui, holding his waist and seeing everyone’s curious faces looking for answers, suppressed his laughter and nodded.
“No mistake. President Li did say he couldn’t drink anymore. If President Xu hadn’t forced him, this wouldn’t have happened.” Li Zhaokui, already having grievances against Xu Guangsheng, was happy to add to his embarrassment.
The guests understood: Oh, so it’s self-inflicted. You forced someone to drink, and they vomited on you in return. These seasoned drinkers despised such coercion.
“Fine, fine, you’re all good!” Xu Guangsheng, his face trembling with rage, pointed at Lu Heming and Li Zhaokui several times.
Li Fanyu, still slumped over the table, felt his limbs go numb but his mind was clear.
Seeing that the situation had been explained, he slowly got up.
“Huh? President Xu! Come... let’s drink some more!”
Saying this, he moved towards Xu Guangsheng again. After two steps, he covered his mouth and dry-heaved.
Once bitten, twice shy, Xu Guangsheng immediately jumped aside when he saw Li Fanyu coming towards him again.
Li Fanyu stumbled, took two steps, and was caught by Liu Wenhai.
Seeing this guy so drunk, and Xu Guangsheng jumping away like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, the crowd couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
Unable to vent his anger and now mocked by everyone, Xu Guangsheng felt utterly humiliated. Any further quarrel would only make him look worse, so he snorted heavily and headed towards the elevator.
Seeing this, Li Fanyu hid his face in his arm and smirked. When he lifted his head, he didn’t forget to act drunk and cute.
“Don’t go, President Xu... there’s still more to drink...”
An Ning covered her face, quickly stepped forward to support him, and whispered, “Enough, stop pretending!”
Li Fanyu nodded slightly, leaning fully on her.
An Ning, supporting this big burden, nodded apologetically to everyone and walked out of the Aurora Building.
Once in the taxi, Li Fanyu immediately sprang to life, slapped his thigh, and laughed. “Haha, that felt great. Did you see that bastard’s face? It was hilarious.”
An Ning poked his forehead with her finger. “You really pissed off Xu Guangsheng this time.”
Li Fanyu rubbed his temples and sneered, “I’m not in the system; what can he do to me? Throw a tantrum? Spit on me?”
An Ning thought about it and realized he was right. Recalling the earlier scene, she couldn’t help but smile.
“You really are a good actor, but it was pretty gross. I almost wanted to throw up.”
“Hey! Brush my teeth, and I’m a hero again. Sis...”
“Stop! Don’t even think about it tonight.”
...
Although the leaders didn’t attend the banquet, the incident still reached their ears.
“Lacks self-respect.” This was one leader’s comment on Xu Guangsheng.
“Lacks restraint.” This was another leader’s comment on Li Fanyu.
The next day, at a small meeting with only a few attendees, two names were crossed off a candidate list.
That morning, the new president of the China Automobile Industry Association was announced. Despite high expectations for Li Fanyu and strong speculation about Xu Guangsheng’s potential, neither was selected.
The result was a surprise; the title went to Lu Heming.
Just like Clinton supporters seeing Trump win, upon hearing the news, Xu Guangsheng smashed the hotel room TV.
“Lu Heming, Li Fanyu... fine, you two are really fine!”
Recalling the cooperation between Hongqi Shengshi C-class and Zhengxin’s ZGX888 engine, Xu Guangsheng immediately conjured up a scheme of palace intrigue.
Li Fanyu, meanwhile, slept in until almost noon. He got up, freshened up, and dragged An Ning to the bedroom.
He leaned towards the disgusted An Ning, grinning. “Sis, smell me, no odor at all... Achoo!”
At that moment, he sneezed three times in a row.
Wiping his nose, he muttered, “Damn, who’s talking about me...”
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