In Rome, do as the Romans do.

Su Yehao casually hosted, setting up two tables of Chinese food at the hotel.

The chef, having previously been in charge of state banquet dishes, had no problem handling this small occasion. He had been notified in advance and began preparing Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Kai Shui Bai Cai (literally, "boiled water cabbage"), Squirrel Mandarin Fish, Wensi Tofu Soup, and so on.

Actually, Su Yehao quite liked Dongpo Pork and Yang Zhou Lion's Head.

Unfortunately, their main ingredient was pork, so it wasn't suitable to serve today. Instead, he chose sugar-glazed abalone and charcoal-grilled lamb chops, among other dishes, as substitutes.

An acquaintance from Pengcheng came to help Su Yehao entertain these Middle Eastern tycoons.

When they saw the waiter carrying in a case of Moutai liquor, they immediately understood that this meal would probably not end well.

The person responsible for assisting with the reception, after seeing the vintage on the bottle, realized it was from 1983, genuine twenty-year-old liquor. His face twitched, and he asked:

"Only baijiu (Chinese white liquor) for lunch? Old Moutai is a bit strong, and it's fifty-two proof aged liquor. How about getting some red wine instead?"

Su Yehao had just had a son, so he was in a good mood. In addition, he rarely actively wanted to drink, so he held up the bottle and said with a smile:

"It's okay, I know that many places in the Middle East prohibit alcohol. If anyone doesn't want to drink, it's fine to have a soft drink. I made several hundred million dollars investing in the company that brews this baijiu. The raw materials are nothing more than wheat, sorghum, etc., so it can be considered a coarse grain drink made from pure grains. Anyone want to try it?"

Saleh Al-Mirsar from the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund immediately replied:

"I have a liquor license, and my friends all have them too. I usually love vodka the most. Unlike Saudi Arabia, where many people specifically go to Bahrain to buy alcohol, and get so drunk on just one bottle of beer that they can't find their way home, they don't have the opportunity to train their alcohol tolerance..."

Representatives from several Saudi companies looked at each other after hearing this. With a slightly unconvinced tone, they raised their glasses to indicate they could drink a little.

Su Yehao saw this scene, and realized that without him even stirring things up, the atmosphere had already begun to build. He was immediately amused and asked the waiter to help pour the wine.

Twelve people were sitting at the main table, but only one Qatari rich man explicitly stated that he would just have Coke. Looking at his potbelly, he probably supported fizzy drinks quite often.

Saying "white-robed tycoon" doesn't necessarily mean they're really rich.

Just like many CEOs of long-established listed companies, most are just highly paid employees. The people here are mainly professional managers, or have some connection to the royal family.

Even the wealthiest Saudi oil merchant only had a total net worth of about $1.2 billion, which was undoubtedly far behind Su Yehao in comparison.

Therefore, Su Yehao could hold his own. When he suggested trying the baijiu, no one refused to give him face.

On the contrary, everyone showed great interest in this liquor company that had reportedly helped Su Yehao earn hundreds of millions of dollars. After all, they were here for investment, so of course they would pay attention to what assets Su Yehao himself had invested in.

After the waiter finished pouring the wine, Mr. Saleh Al-Mirsar, who was already over forty years old, picked up his cup, smelled the aroma of the Moutai, and praised:

"It's not as strong as I imagined, but it has a unique, clear fragrance. It really is a grain liquor. It feels like araq, so it's easy to get people drunk."

Su Yehao didn't like meaningless socializing, but now that he had so much confidence, he didn't actually feel any pressure when interacting with strangers.

After listening to the translation, he replied:

"I haven't had araq from the Middle East, but Moutai is one of my most successful investments. Even if the Rothschild family were willing to offer Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild, I wouldn't trade them. In my mind, it's worth fifty Château Lafite Rothschilds."

"Oh? So, do I have the opportunity to invest in it?"

"Not yet. It's a privately held distillery, and I'm responsible for providing the funding. There are so many projects in the country, it's easy to pick out high-potential investment targets. If you're willing to trust my judgment, I can even promise a guaranteed minimum return of 10% per year."

Su Yehao had been bothered by 5s Asset Management more than once, and now he was gradually figuring it out.

Since he was clearly helping others get rich, why should he worry about this and that? Even if there was a wave of withdrawals during a bear market, he would just let them go, since he wasn't the one who would suffer.

Since he figured this out, he no longer deliberately tried to attract clients, and left all the marketing tasks to his subordinates. He only occasionally adjusted his positions, which was especially easy.

Not rushing to talk business, Su Yehao saw that the waiter had poured the wine. He picked up the wine divider in front of him, poured a small cup into his wine cup, stood up and raised his glass, saying:

"Come on, to welcome everyone, let's have a drink first. The beds in the rooms are already prepared, so it's no big deal if you have to be carried back to sleep. Since you're on my turf today, we'll follow my rules. We can only end when everyone is happy. This is called a Chinese-style dinner, which is equivalent to a party in Europe and America."

Some people think that the rich are aloof and always like to put on airs.

In reality, it's just that the occasion isn't right, and they haven't met the right people to interact with.

At least these white-robed tycoons were smiling happily at this moment, and thought this kind of drinking party was quite interesting.

One by one, they followed Su Yehao's example and took a small sip.

Many people then realized that baijiu wasn't so simple. It burned from their throat to their chest. Some closed their eyes, some exhaled, and some choked and covered their mouths to cough.

Some of the dishes today were served individually, while dishes like Kung Pao Chicken and Squirrel Mandarin Fish were served with serving spoons and chopsticks.

Those who say that Chinese food isn't refined or high-end enough have definitely never eaten state banquet cuisine.

He pointed to the Kai Shui Bai Cai (boiled water cabbage) in the small bowl and introduced:

"Don't underestimate this dish, the key is in the soup. The chef uses hen, duck, and beef bones to make the broth. Have a few bites first to line your stomach, otherwise you'll get drunk very quickly. There's also Wensi Tofu Soup, which requires the chef to practice for many years to cut the tofu into thin threads. It really tests their skill. As for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, the cost of the ingredients alone is tens of thousands of dollars, because it uses a very rare type of fish maw."

This successfully stumped the translator, who paused for a moment before finishing the introduction.

Many people hadn't recovered from drinking the baijiu, and upon hearing this, quickly drank a few mouthfuls of the Kai Shui Bai Cai soup to calm their nerves. The taste was indeed different from what it looked like on the surface, and it was extremely delicious.

After briefly introducing a few dishes, Su Yehao raised his glass again, saying that according to local custom, everyone should drink three cups together first, and then find someone to drink with individually.

Due to the language barrier, everyone tacitly chose to focus on the key points. For example, Saleh Al-Mirsar asked at this time: "How much is appropriate to drink at a dinner like this?"

"Let's start with three cups, like this wine divider. I'll be about done after three cups. This wine divider holds one hundred and sixty milliliters, so it's about one bottle of baijiu."

As soon as Su Yehao finished speaking.

Mr. Saleh Al-Mirsar immediately put on a pained expression and said, "No wonder you mentioned that the beds were ready. I might need to sleep until the day after tomorrow to get up. That seems like a bit too much."

Before the guests could start competing, the Saudi oil tycoon immediately replied:

"I should be able to handle it. I drank a whole row of B-52 cocktails when I was on vacation in England last year."

Su Yehao smiled without saying a word.

He had seen too many examples of people who were soft all over from drinking, but still had a tough mouth.

Whether it was a mule or a horse, he had to see it pulled before he knew...