Since Mr. Hong had made that comment, everyone at the table started drinking even more recklessly. 

There were just over ten people at the table, and the four bottles of liquor were quickly emptied. 

So a waiter came over to ask whether they should open the other bottles brought by the guests. Among the remaining liquor were four bottles of Lingyang’s 20-year cellared liquor and two bottles of Yuan Chuan’s Tequ aged nine years. 

Before Lu Nan could respond, Wu Kecheng, who always had something to say, spoke up again: “Manager Lu, why would you bring Tequ? That’s really low-end. We at Lingyang brought a whole case of 20-year cellared liquor today.” 

Judging by market price alone, Lingyang clearly had the upper hand. 

Huang Dafang became anxious upon hearing this.  

In the afternoon, when Manager Lu said she was bringing Tequ, I should’ve advised her otherwise. But I figured she probably had her reasons, so I didn’t speak up. Now that we’re comparing them, the tasting liquor we brought really seems a bit inadequate. 

“Should I call Zheng Jing and…?” Huang Dafang leaned close to Lu Nan and quietly suggested. 

Lu Nan shook her head slightly. Doing so would mean letting Lingyang lead them by the nose. 

Besides, she had her own reasons for bringing Tequ. 

It had already been mentioned before: Yuan Chuan’s Classic Liquor is a sauce-aroma baijiu, just like the benchmark of the category in China, the Guojiu Porcelain series, with its prominently fragrant characteristics. The sauce aroma type is quite particular—some people genuinely love its rich and mellow flavor, some pretend to like it just to appear refined, and others are blunt enough to say outright they can’t stand it. 

That “can’t stand it” is the most direct reaction of drinkers who cannot accept sauce-aroma baijiu. 

Lu Nan recalled that future big data studies revealed a regional preference when it came to aroma types in baijiu—people in southern regions generally preferred the strong-aroma type, like Tequ. 

She had already confirmed this both in her past and current life, in Jujiang City and Hua’an City respectively. Although Yuan Chuan Tequ hadn’t made much of a splash in Hua’an yet, the sharp increase in sales over the past month and a half had given her confidence. 

Moreover, based on her research into Hong Lijun’s rise and combining it with information from Tian Aizhen, Lu Nan speculated that Mr. Hong probably spent a good amount of time in a hot, humid southwestern province during his youth—a province also known for producing famous baijiu, and where Tequ shares the same strong-aroma style. 

So this is basically a bet on triggering nostalgia? 

Based on these two reasons, she had instructed Zheng Jing to bring the nine-year Tequ. 

That said, even without the second, more tactical reason, Lu Nan didn’t believe Tequ was unpresentable just because it had a lower market price than the Classic Liquor. 

Product price is merely a monetary label; it doesn’t equate to value. 

Just like how Lu Nan had always believed that the lower-priced Tequ had more potential and greater value in the Hua’an market. 

Wearing a polite smile and appearing unbothered by Wu Kecheng’s remarks, she replied calmly: “Mr. Hong, Tequ and our Classic series represent two different aroma types in Yuan Chuan’s product line. They come from the same base grains and lineage, with only the fermentation agents and brewing techniques differing. It’s true that Classic Liquor is more well-known at the moment, but our Tequ has also received high marks from professional tasters. I’m sure you’ve tried our Classic Liquor before, but I’m not sure whether you’ve had the Tequ. Since this is a tasting event, it wouldn’t be complete without it, which is why I brought both. I hope you’ll give it a try. 

Listening to this, Wu Kecheng couldn’t help but think that maybe Lu Nan did have a knack for sales. She certainly sounded like she knew her stuff—her words flowed even better than a stage performance. 

But what’s the point of just saying all that? It just tricks people who don’t know better. 

Mr. Hong had just laid out three standards: understanding wine, being able to drink it, and loving it. 

That, to Wu Kecheng, was the standard by which Mingjiu Shijia would choose its partner. 

And how long had Lu Nan even been in the business? 

How could she possibly know more about liquor than him? 

At most, she just memorized some theoretical knowledge after joining the company—all talk, no experience. 

Maybe she could hold her liquor well, but he had been drinking at banquets for years. Surely he could outdrink a newcomer. 

And as for “loving” liquor—if she didn’t even drink more than he did, how could she dare use that phrase in front of Mr. Hong? 

I swear I’m going to teach this Manager Lu from Yuan Chuan what it really means to love liquor! 

Wu Kecheng was full of inner monologue, even vowing silently to himself. 

But unexpectedly, Mr. Hong smiled at Lu Nan and said, “To tell you the truth, I actually really like Tequ. I always keep some in the car. How about this—Manager Lu, you don’t need to open yours. Let’s just taste the ones I brought.” 

Mr. Hong gave a slight nod to his secretary, who went to make the preparations. 

Everything Wu Kecheng wanted to say and do immediately fell apart: Wait, what? 

At that moment, he really wanted to swallow back his earlier comment about it being low-end. 

The secretary wheeled in two cases of liquor on a hotel cart—one case of Yuan Chuan Tequ and one case of Lingyang Tequ. 

Mr. Hong instructed, “Bring them all out.” 

All of them? 

The waiter paused briefly, then quickly followed the order. He unpacked the bottles—twelve in total: two bottles each of Yuan Chuan Tequ aged 3, 6, and 9 years, and two bottles each of Lingyang Tequ aged 3, 6, and 9 years. They were arranged neatly in a row on the serving table—an impressive sight. 

Lu Nan glanced at Wu Kecheng, wondering if he wished he could go back in time just a few minutes and strangle his past self—because now, Mr. Hong had brought out nothing but the very bottles he’d just mocked as low-end, including ones from his own company. 

Still, someone like Wu Kecheng wasn’t without his merits. 

For instance, he had thick skin. 

As long as no one brought it up, he could act like nothing had happened just moments ago. He even grinned as he recommended, “This is our Lingyang Tequ Nine-Year. Manager Lu, have you tried it? Let me tell you, when it comes to making liquor, you absolutely can’t drink only your own company’s products. Otherwise, you’ll become—what’s that saying again? Oh, right, ‘a frog at the bottom of a well.’ So today, you really need to try our Lingyang liquor.” 

“Manager Wu, you’ve got it wrong again. Not only have I tried all the varieties of Yuan Chuan’s products, I’ve also tried all of Lingyang’s. After all, they’re our competitors.” That last part was Lu Nan making a little joke. 

Wu Kecheng put on a fake expression of flattery and quickly followed up, “Then you must give us a thorough evaluation of our Tequ liquor. What do you think?” Obviously, he didn’t believe her—tried all of Lingyang’s varieties? Who was she trying to fool? 

Lu Nan just smiled, indifferent, as she watched Wu Kecheng hustle the waitstaff into placing decanters of their Lingyang Tequ Nine-Year on the table for everyone. 

“Come, come, let’s all have a taste.” 

Everyone raised their glasses. This time, Lu Nan didn’t use her “golden finger” trick. Instead, she swirled the liquor in her mouth and tasted it carefully. Though she had drunk it before her rebirth, it had been far too long to clearly recall the full flavor profile. After she finished tasting it, she let the Tequ slide down. 

With anticipation but ill intent, Wu Kecheng asked, “So? Manager Lu, care to give us your review?” 

Lu Nan turned the empty glass in her hand, set it down, and spoke in a calm, unhurried tone: “If the Classic liquor is known for its lingering aftertaste and the fragrance that remains in the empty glass—a kind of inner elegance—then Tequ liquor is characterized by its powerful aroma upon opening and its fragrant burst upon entry—a more outward elegance. So, it’s not without reason that the sauce-aroma and strong-aroma types have become the mainstream in baijiu.” 

“As for Lingyang Tequ, like Yuan Chuan’s, it uses base liquor from the Meijiu River. However, the grain selection differs slightly. We use round-headed red sorghum, while Lingyang uses a glutinous-type sorghum with a stickier texture. That’s one of the reasons why, despite both being Tequ, the taste differs. Lingyang’s Tequ has a rich aroma and a sweet flavor profile. The body of the liquor carries a full, well-fermented grain character with a touch of acidity—not due to a brewing error, but a byproduct of emphasizing the grain aroma during the first round of distillation.” 

As Lu Nan described these characteristics, her voice was crisp and clear. 

She explained the qualities of Lingyang liquor smoothly and objectively, using language that was both accessible and insightful—captivating everyone without them even realizing it. 

I underestimated her—she really pulled this off! 

Wu Kecheng didn’t even get the chance to say anything to take back the initiative before Hong Lijun got interested. “Oh? Then, Manager Lu, why don’t you tell us: what are the taste differences between your company’s Tequ and Lingyang’s?” 

“Mr. Hong, why don’t we taste and talk at the same time?” Lu Nan suggested. 

Hong Lijun nodded. “Yes, that would be more straightforward.” 

Then he told the waiter, “Open another bottle of Yuan Chuan Tequ Nine-Year.” 

Lu Nan added, “And let’s use fresh tasting cups.” 

So Wu Kecheng could only watch helplessly as all his effort to promote Lingyang Tequ dissolved into nothing. 

Lu Nan waited until everyone’s cups were filled, then poured one for herself and continued, “Our Yuan Chuan Tequ has a bolder aroma and a stronger stimulation on the tip of the tongue. That’s because the round-headed red sorghum we use contains a higher amount of alcohol-soluble proteins and just the right balance of esters, which enhances the flavor. It creates a four-layered sensation: spicy, numbing, sweet, and refreshing. When tasting, the flavor moves from the tip of the tongue to the middle, then to the back, allowing one to experience the essence of strong-aroma baijiu in stages.” 

As they listened to this young city manager from Yuan Chuan, everyone took a sip of Yuan Chuan Tequ and suddenly realized, “Ah, it really is those four flavors! Well said.” The speaker was the general manager of the Mingjiu Shijia flagship store—someone from Mr. Hong’s side. 

After speaking, the manager realized the table had gone a bit too quiet, so he glanced a little nervously at Mr. Hong. 

Mr. Hong set down his cup and smiled. “Manager Lu, I now believe you truly understand and appreciate liquor.” 

Lu Nan didn’t show off despite the praise. She just wore a perfectly modest smile and replied politely, “Mr. Hong, you flatter me. I’ve heard you’re the real liquor connoisseur here. I’m just making a fool of myself in front of an expert.” 

“Manager Lu, you’re too modest. I’ve learned a lot from your reviews of the two Tequ liquors. So tell me—if I wanted to distribute Tequ, which one would be the better choice: Lingyang or Yuan Chuan?” Mr. Hong asked. 

So direct. 

As soon as he said it, not only did Wu Kecheng tense up, even Huang Dafang unconsciously grabbed Xiao Hu’s arm beside him. 

Lu Nan looked back at Hong Lijun and joked, “Mr. Hong, you’re putting me on the spot. Just look at Manager Wu’s expression—he looks ready to eat me alive.” 

Then she answered seriously, “Both are excellent liquors. It really just depends on how the suppliers and distributors present and promote them.”