Chapter 44: A Man Should Look Like a Man

Words : 1359 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: A Man Should Look Like a Man In the private room, the people who were just brimming with arrogance now looked like frosted eggplants. After all, they were not as impressive as Lu Deshui had described. Take Xie Zhifu, for instance—he was just a labor dispatch driver, yet he was said to swagger around the official compounds. The consequence of this mutual flattery was that once faced with a problem, their boldness completely fizzled out. "I’ll drink!" Finally, someone took the lead. As a teacher at the Number One High School, he dared not slack off in the slightest. If he were reported for a lack of professional ethics, he would be out of a job in no time. So without another word, he grabbed the cup in front of him and gulped down the liquor. With someone taking the lead, others followed suit. With no choice but to steel themselves, they downed their liquor cups one after the other, and the spicy liquid scorching their throats instantly changed their complexions. The feeling of drinking on one’s own terms was certainly different from being forced to drink. "Mr. Zhu, everyone has come from afar, and surely, they can’t just pour their own drinks. Come on, fill it up for the City leaders, and make sure it’s full. You wouldn’t want to give them less—that would be an insult." Lin Fan, with his arms crossed, watched the group with a sneer as Zhu Zhixuan obediently picked up the bottle and filled everyone’s cups. "Lin Fan, we’re all colleagues after all. Is this really necessary?" Under the pressure of everyone’s gaze, Xie Zhifu bit the bullet and spoke up. But in the next second, Lin Fan pulled out his phone and said, "How about I contact Director Qu right now and tell her about how you pressured a beautiful teacher to drink in the County City below? Guess whether she would scratch you to death?" "No... no, no, no... I’ll drink... I’ll drink!" Xie Zhifu hurriedly gestured with his hands. After that night, each day had been more unbearable than the last. Just the thought of Qu Liping, who seemed to have gone mad, made him shudder. He quickly picked up the cup and drained it in one go. Seeing Xie Zhifu backed down, the rest could only grit their teeth and pour another round from the cup into their systems. After two rounds, which totaled up to over half a jin of alcohol, their eyes were seeing stars, and they leaned back on their chairs, not daring to move a muscle. "The leaders have had their drinks." Watching the group’s pitiful state, Zhu Zhixuan sneered as she picked up the bottle and filled their cups again. With Lin Fan’s support, she felt an unprecedented sense of security. "Mr. Zhu... We can hardly drink any more... Maybe we should stop... I admit I wasn’t considerate enough before... After all, we’re colleagues, there’s no need to go so hard, right?" Lu Deshui, his face red, looked at Zhu Zhixuan uncomfortably as if he had swallowed a fly. He did not understand Lin Fan’s background, but Xie Zhifu’s fear forced him to take the matter seriously. If he were to stir up trouble, it wouldn’t end well. "You know now how ruthless it is? Just a moment ago, you weren’t speaking to me like this!" Zhu Zhixuan snorted coldly, picked up a cup filled to the brim, and handed it to Principal Lu. "Principal Lu, hurry up and drink. This is the third pot; after this, there are three more!" "This..." Lu Deshui clenched his teeth. Right then, he truly wanted to slap her, but with his hands tied by their blackmail, he could only clench his teeth and pour the cup into his mouth, while the others reluctantly followed suit, swallowing the contents of the pot. "Ugh..." Finally, with one person vomiting, the others soon followed suit, leaning over the table to throw up violently. Having not eaten a bite of food but downed a whole jin of liquor, even if they were accustomed to drinking, they couldn’t handle it. Watching their sorry state, Lin Fan laughed coldly. Deep down, though, he was completely unfazed, knowing that if he had not been there, it would have been Zhu Zhixuan sprawled out, vomiting— and the consequences would have been predictable. "That’s enough. Let’s go." Zhu Zhixuan frowned upon seeing this scene for the first time. After all, she would have to deal with these people frequently, and she didn’t want things to get too awkward. Since they had received their lesson, she was ready to let bygones be bygones. "Alright, I’ll give them a few more pointers." Lin Fan understood Zhu Zhixuan’s thoughts, but he couldn’t just walk away from this. So he approached Lu Deshui, who was still propped on his knees and retching, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Principal Lu, consider this a lesson. You’d best remember my name. If you ever want to play games again, come and play with me." Lu Deshui didn’t even have a chance to refute and could only lay there, vomiting like a broken drainpipe. It was the most miserable drinking experience of his life. As for Lin Fan, he took Zhu Zhixuan by the arm and walked out of the private room. "So, are you satisfied with this outcome? I guarantee that from now on, that guy surnamed Lu will take a detour whenever he sees you." "Why do I feel like you’ve become a different person?" Zhu Zhixuan eyed Lin Fan, confused. Once, he had been gentle and refined, and if she had to describe it—somewhat timid. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have just watched her get married without saying a word, let alone failing to exchange even a complete sentence after the wedding. "A man’s got to act like a man, don’t you think? Which version do you like better?" Lin Fan knew what she was getting at. Now, he had done everything he wanted but previously dared not, including taking on people he previously feared. Perhaps that’s what having a powerful backer did to one’s confidence. "I don’t like either." Zhu Zhixuan blushed, turned her head away, and started to walk off, but Lin Fan caught her by the hand: "I’ve done you such a big favor, and now you’re just going to walk away? Why not stay in town tonight and keep me company?" "Don’t flatter yourself, you think you haven’t bullied me enough?" Zhu Zhixuan shook off Lin Fan’s hand and said, "Don’t forget, I didn’t agree to any of this. It’s already generous of me not to accuse you of indecency. And with all this trouble you’ve caused, even though it’s been satisfying, how could that Lu still consider promoting me? You’re really going to be the death of me." "Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s not a problem. If he doesn’t promote you, I’ll have a bone to pick with him." Lin Fan smiled confidently but got only an annoyed roll of the eyes from Zhu Zhixuan: "Who do you think you are? Is the head of the education bureau your relative? I’m done talking to you." "Ah, the heart of a woman, as mysterious as the ocean’s depths." Watching Zhu Zhixuan’s departing figure, Lin Fan licked his lips. Her strut was like that of a vase, tantalizing. Their encounters might have been rushed, but the thrill of the locations—once outside under the sky, next in a public place—fueled his passion. "Oh, almost forgot." Suddenly, Lin Fan remembered that the superb young woman, Bai Xue, was still waiting for him. He hurried past the front desk back to the corner. By now, the food was cold, and Bai Xue was despondently playing with her phone, looking quite upset on seeing Lin Fan return. "I thought you couldn’t afford the bill and bailed." "Sorry for the wait, I was out setting things right," Lin Fan said with a secretive smile to Bai Xue, "And by the way, I got some revenge for you too!" Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m

Chapter 44: A Man Should Look Like a Man

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