Chapter 118: Jiang Hu: Don't Push Your Luck

"Gentlemen, I’ll step out to take a call. It’s regarding some matters at the department."

Seeing the others seated, Yu Baijiang stood up with tact, picked up his phone, and turned to walk out of the private room. It was obvious that Yang Dong had something specific to discuss with Song Sifeng, and as an outsider, he clearly needed to make himself scarce. There was an advantage to this, of course: regardless of the outcome of their discussion, he could claim total ignorance. As for when he would return, the later, the better.

Yu Baijiang left the room and closed the door behind him.

Yang Dong immediately turned to Song Sifeng and said, "Director Song, let’s have a drink. I know you’re usually swamped with official duties, so consider this a way to relax. Our Director Lü managed to bring in some Jijiang Daqu from the city—the collector's edition, aged ten years."

Lü Yanqing, catching Yang Dong’s cue, added with a smile, "Director Song, a relative of mine used to work at the Jijiang Daqu distillery. After the plant closed down, they managed to hold onto a few bottles of this ten-year-old reserve. I had to swallow my pride to get two bottles from them, and you really must try it today. In fact, Team Leader Yang is only getting to taste this thanks to you, Director Song; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the chance."

As he joked, Lü Yanqing pulled a beautifully packaged box of Jijiang Daqu from under the table—two bottles in a luxurious red box. He opened the packaging, took out the two 520ml bottles, and placed them on the table.

"This liquor isn't easy to come by. Must be two thousand yuan a bottle, right?" Song Sifeng was clearly a man of the world. As the chief secretary to the County Party Secretary, how could he not recognize Jijiang Daqu? It was the most prestigious liquor in the entire province, even harder to find than Moutai or Wuliangye. Since the distillery had ceased production, every bottle of the collector's edition was precious—once you drank one, there was one less in existence.

"Talking about money is so vulgar when drinking with you, Director Song," Lü Yanqing said with a laugh. He opened the bottle and personally poured a full glass for Song Sifeng.

"Team Leader Lü, I'll do it myself." When Lü Yanqing reached to pour for Yang Dong, Yang Dong took the bottle and filled his own glass.

"Director Song, let’s drink until we’re satisfied today!" Yang Dong raised his glass toward Song Sifeng.

Song Sifeng reached out, placed his hand over Yang Dong’s glass, and said with a stern expression, "I really can’t drink this. And you’d all be better off not drinking, either. Kaiyang County has recently started cracking down on drunk driving; you have to be careful."

Yang Dong’s smile didn’t falter, but he set his glass down. "Director Song, we came all the way from the city to the county just to have a few drinks with you. We certainly won’t reach the threshold for drunk driving. You know the rules of your county, and I, Yang Dong, am not ignorant of them either. So, tell me the terms—speak your mind, and I will listen."

Yang Dong looked at Song Sifeng, waiting for him to respond.

"Director Song, let’s just enjoy the meal. We won’t let you get plastered, don't worry," Lü Yanqing chimed in, patting the bottle with a smile.

Song Sifeng leaned back after hearing them out. "It’s not about the terms. I really do have high blood pressure and poor digestion; I genuinely can't drink. It’s not just the alcohol—I have to be careful with the food too. The dishes at Zhuangyuan Pavilion are surely excellent, but no matter how good they are, I can’t eat much. My digestion just isn't up to it." Song Sifeng kept a smile on his face, his tone filled with polite refusals.

Yang Dong stared at his glass, his smile fading slightly. "Director Song, you’re only four years older than me, barely thirty. You’re still young—no need to be so cautious or overly guarded."

"Team Leader Yang, you’re actually wrong there!" Song Sifeng shook his head with a smile, correcting him. "The younger one is, the more one needs to understand self-care and be cautious. Otherwise, all sorts of troubles will come knocking when you’re old."

Lü Yanqing glanced at Yang Dong, his expression unreadable. Yang Dong gave a slight shake of his head at Lü Yanqing and continued to smile at Song Sifeng. "Director Song makes a fair point. It seems this wine won't be drunk today. What a pity, it’s a shame to waste Team Leader Lü’s good intentions."

Jiang Hu, who had been sitting to the side, felt his expression sour. He glared at Song Sifeng with fire in his eyes, finding him increasingly intolerable. *Drag your feet, why don't you? If you didn't want to drink, you should have said so earlier! If you're not going to drink or eat much, why did you even come? The City Discipline Inspection investigation team is incredibly busy, and we specifically made time for this meal with you. If you were feeling unwell, you could have just refused over the phone. Why make us come all this way? It’s not like Zhuangyuan Pavilion is the only restaurant in the world.*

"My health really doesn't permit it, or I would have certainly had a drink with you," Song Sifeng said, maintaining his smile and offering another apology.

"No matter. Let’s just eat," Yang Dong said. He pressed the service bell to signal the staff to bring the food.

"I didn't know what you liked, Director Song, so I ordered a 'muddled mess' of dishes. Will that suit you?" Lü Yanqing capped the bottle and asked. He was the one who had ordered the food, and his choice of words—"muddled mess"—was intentional.

Song Sifeng naturally caught the frustration in Lü Yanqing’s tone. Even a commoner knew that "muddled mess" wasn't a compliment. Lü Yanqing was mocking him for feigning ignorance. Yet, he wasn't really pretending; his superior had already given orders—a meal was fine, but no taking leftovers, as it would look bad. As the chief secretary to the County Party Secretary, he had to follow orders. As for offending the two team leaders from the City Discipline Inspection Commission, he had no choice. He hadn't intended to be rude—otherwise, he would have rejected Yang Dong over the phone—but he had his instructions. However, these were things he couldn't say. The directives given to him by his superior were his own responsibility; only a fool would push the blame onto their boss.

"A 'muddled mess' is fine! Fifteen dishes—that's plenty!" Song Sifeng continued to play the fool with a smile.

Yang Dong, unlike Lü Yanqing, didn't resort to sarcasm after failing to get what he wanted. He had been the one to call Song Sifeng, and whether or not Song Sifeng helped was his prerogative. However, there was a matter of moral debt involved. He had previously done a favor for Tan Long, the Kaiyang County Party Secretary, and that was the entire reason he had sought out Song Sifeng today. He had expected Song Sifeng to help and return the favor. He hadn't expected Song Sifeng to be a master of feigned ignorance.

Yang Dong realized that Song Sifeng’s behavior was actually at the behest of Tan Long. With Song Sifeng’s political acumen, he wouldn't have acted this way unless Tan Long had instructed him to. Ultimately, it meant that Tan Long had no intention of helping.

*Bang!*

At that moment, Jiang Hu, his face livid, slammed the table and stood up. Pointing at Song Sifeng, he cursed, "Don't you dare push your luck! If you don't want to help, just say so—what's with all this nonsense? Team Leader, stop begging the Kaiyang County crowd. Isn't it just asking the police for help? Leave it to me!"