One person said: The essence of Wuhou Qimen lies not in Qimen, but in Wuhou.

He spread his fingers apart, pulled them to both sides, and his expression changed from tender to accusatory. He then took a big gulp of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor): "For the past two weeks, I've had a constant feeling of unease."

I'm so scared—so scared that you're secretly saving money for the New Year behind my back.

Everyone is poor and doing just fine, living in harmony, so let's not mess things up.

Otherwise, I can come to your house for Chinese New Year this year.

Brother, remember this: nothing is better than being rich, nothing is better than being healthy, nothing is more important than striving for success, and always keep in touch when things are going well—but don't contact me when something is wrong.

As long as you don't do anything inhuman, we'll always be best brothers! But what about now?

He pointed a finger at Xu Si, running his finger from Xu Si's hair to his toes, his expression a mixture of drunkenness, anger, and a profound sense of betrayal: "Now, today, you stand before me—how much do you resemble before! Back then, the outcome was uncertain, and you became the dark horse! You transformed into a section chief! You even got promoted! Now, I've smoked a few cigarettes from you, and you're already holding a grudge against me! You really—you really make me lose all love!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the half-empty bottle of Erguotou in one gulp. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down three or four times, and the empty bottle slammed heavily on the table with a dull thud.

Xu Si stared blankly at Dou Le, the fried dough stick in his mouth completely untouched.

He blinked, then blinked again. Dou Le's words were like a bucket of cold water mixed with strong liquor poured over his head, sobering him up considerably.

Then he did something that Dou Le never expected—he stretched out his right hand and slapped his left cheek with a loud slap, and then slapped his right cheek with a loud slap.

The two slaps landed solidly and loudly, leaving red marks on the skin immediately.

As he patted the table, he said in a pained and deeply repentant tone, "Brother! It's my fault! It's all my fault! I didn't think I was myself just because I drank some horse piss!"

After slapping his face, he picked up the half-empty bottle of Erguotou in front of him and looked at Dou Le with a solemn expression, as if he had deeply reflected on his mistakes and was now repenting. His tone was full of heartfelt introspection and a profound critique of Chinese drinking culture: "This liquor—you know, we have 56 ethnic groups in China, and 55 of them sing and dance after drinking, but we Han people—we're just full of bullshit, not thinking straight! Enough said, buddy, it's all in the liquor—I'll drink it all!"

Then he tilted his head back and drank half a bottle of Erguotou in one gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing violently several times. He slammed the empty bottle down on the table, placing it next to the empty bottle that Dou Le had just put down.

Dou Le looked at the four empty Erguotou bottles placed side by side on the table, then at the two still-present red handprints on Xu Si's face, let out a burp, and finally revealed a satisfied smile on his lips after being appeased.

He leaned back in his chair, pointed at Xu Si with his cigarette butt, and said in a tone that was more like magnanimous forgiveness and brotherly banter: "Hmph—that's more like it."

You're a decent guy, aren't you?

Xu Si wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, took several deep breaths to suppress the smell of alcohol, then leaned forward and said in a serious and urgent tone, "Brother, you can't drink anymore."

Hurry up and use your Qi to break down the alcohol in your body—it's almost midday, and we two brothers have a meeting at 2 PM.

I need to get things sorted out properly; I can't be careless about work.

Being late for Director Zhuge's meeting is no laughing matter.

Dou Le nodded, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and the Qi within his body began to circulate.

His complexion visibly returned to its normal color after a blush of intoxication, and his breathing became much more even.

But he didn't stop talking; the resentment and anxiety in his tone became clearer and heavier after the alcohol wore off: "You're right—my senior director."

You're free, you've made it, you've reached the shore.

I, Dou Le—am worried.

He forcefully stubbed out the cigarette butt in his hand, then reached for the cigarette pack, only to be glared at by Xu Si before sheepishly withdrawing his hand.

He leaned back in his chair, looked up at the gray sky over Nanchang, and continued in a tone that sounded like he had finally found an outlet after being suppressed for a long time: "Do you know that I flew from Shanghai to the Celestial Master's Mansion in Longhu Mountain yesterday to deal with that Quanxing sorcerer?"

Then, early the next morning, I flew from Longhushan to Nanchang without stopping.

As the head of the East China region, in charge of seven provinces and one municipality, with thousands of people under my command, I don't even dare to lead a single subordinate.

This Xiao Zizai—he's holding a grudge against me, so I don't dare let him go.

I'm afraid something bad will happen.

But it's been so long, and they still haven't sent me any messages. They don't answer my calls, they don't reply to my messages, and I don't even know where they are.

The top leader specifically requested that all responsible persons, temporary workers, and even board members be included.

"How can he not show up for such an important meeting? How am I supposed to explain this to Director Zhuge?"

Xu Si immediately leaned forward, his tone shifting from the playful banter to the earnestness and warmth befitting a truly trustworthy brother.

He reached out and patted Dou Le's forearm with just the right amount of force, the warmth of his palm passing through Dou Le's shirt sleeve: "Brother, don't worry."

You mentioned Xiao Zizai—I almost forgot to tell you.

He's with the baby.

Feng Baobao, a temporary worker in my region, and they have always been in contact, as you know.

"We should probably spar somewhere secluded now," my friend texted me, saying that one of your employees is acting a bit off and she's helping to calm him down.

It's the same old problem of inner demons.

Dude, don't suppress yourself too much.

"When things come to a head, there will naturally be a solution. If you can't handle it yourself right now, how can the meeting this afternoon be held?"

Upon hearing this, Dou Le felt as if the tightest string had been pulled out, and his shoulders visibly slumped several inches.

He closed his eyes briefly, exhaled a long breath, and brushed a strand of hair that had fallen across his forehead back. The anxiety in his voice finally eased a little, but it was replaced by a deeper, more helpless weariness: "This Xiao Zizai—at least knows what's important."

"Just come, as long as you can come."

He paused for a moment, reached for the bowl of soggy rice noodles on the table, stirred it a couple of times with his chopsticks, then put it down without eating.

He looked up at Xu Si, his eyes filled with bitterness and honesty, like the true colors revealed only after all the disguises have been scraped away. Every word was a heartfelt statement squeezed out from between his teeth: "You know what? He told me a few days ago that he wanted to protest."

If his protests are ineffective, he'll quit and run away.

What does he take me, Dou Le, for? What does he take the company for? What does he take the big boss for? You tell me—I treat him like a brother, but he treats me like a stepping stone.

I've had enough.

Let me tell you, I can't even imagine what will happen at this meeting this afternoon.

I'm mentally prepared—at worst, I'll just go home and clean the latrines.

"Brother, I'm shoveling latrines, and you're doing your job as a department head. We're both serving the people, right? There's no difference."