Chapter 54: I'm here to have a drink at your wedding!

Su Dingping leaned toward Sun Yongguo and whispered, "Director, my tolerance for alcohol isn't great. If I get drunk, tomorrow's lecture..."

Clearly, Su Dingping was still trying to struggle for a way out.

"It's fine, we've got your back," Sun Yongguo replied with a calm expression.

Zhang Gongnong added, "Dingping, everyone is waiting for you."

Turning his head to look at the 295 Navy officers and soldiers standing there holding their glasses, Su Dingping knew he couldn't escape this drink.

He was lucky they had come together; if they had come one by one... he didn't even dare to imagine it.

Since he couldn't escape, Su Dingping didn't hold back.

He picked up his glass directly and looked at Zhou Qinglei and the others. "Gentlemen, you've all worked hard recently."

His gaze swept across everyone as he continued, "I know the 956E is being delivered to the Southern Fleet tomorrow morning. I have one thing to say to you all: give me some time, and I will give you an even more advanced warship! It will be absolutely more powerful than the 956E!"

"Did you hear that, brothers?" Zhou Qinglei shouted loudly. "This drink starts at a minimum of three rounds!"

Su Dingping was completely stunned.

*I'm connecting heart-to-heart with my brothers, but my brothers are playing mind games with me!*

"Comrade Su Dingping, we'll down this drink, but you can take it as you please!"

With that, Zhou Qinglei took the lead and downed it in one gulp.

Behind him, the Navy personnel at the remaining 26 tables followed suit, drinking in single gulps.

Immediately after, Zhou Qinglei refilled his glass and downed it again.

After three consecutive rounds of Erguotou, Zhou Qinglei's face didn't even turn red.

Once everyone had finished, they all turned their eyes toward Su Dingping in unison.

Su Dingping looked at the wine in his bowl, then at the crowd waiting for him. Steeling his resolve, he drained it in one go.

In an instant, a burning sensation traveled from his mouth straight to his heart.

Enduring the fiery sensation, Su Dingping flipped his bowl in front of everyone to signal that he had finished it.

Seeing this, the Navy personnel sat down, looking thoroughly satisfied.

"Dingping, that's the spirit!" Zhou Qinglei said excitedly.

Su Dingping managed a forced smile. He had barely eaten a few bites of food when Sun Yongguo took the lead and picked up his bowl.

"Dingping, come, let's have one together."

Su Dingping looked at Sun Yongguo in disbelief, his eyes seemingly saying: *Director, no way, you too?*

"Dingping, we really owe this one to you. Otherwise, there's no telling how many years it would have taken to restart the 956E. I won't say too much. Bottoms up, take it as you please."

After speaking, Sun Yongguo also quite gallantly downed it in one gulp.

Before Su Dingping could say anything, Zhang Gongnong, with quick hands and eyes, refilled the bowl.

Staring at the wine in the bowl, Su Dingping felt helpless and could only drink it. After two bowls of Erguotou, his stomach felt like it was on fire.

"Dingping."

Zhang Gongnong, who had been eager for a turn, quickly refilled another glass.

"As your former teacher, I am very proud to be able to attend your lectures now. No matter how fast you move, we old comrades will work hard to keep up with your footsteps!"

"Come, bottom's up!"

"Professor Zhang, don't..."

Before Su Dingping could finish his sentence, Zhang Gongnong downed it in one gulp.

Looking at the table full of food, Su Dingping sighed inwardly; he probably wouldn't get to eat much hot food today.

After the third drink, he suddenly felt his entire body heating up.

Gradually, the crowd's enthusiasm grew higher, and the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Perhaps because Su Dingping had already downed three rounds of Erguotou, the subsequent toasts from others were moderate, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief and quickly eat a few bites of mutton.

As the drinking progressed, Zhang Gongnong, sitting next to Su Dingping, became increasingly emotional.

"Back in the day, when I went to study in the Bear Country. From not knowing a single Russian word to being top of the university, why? Because back then, their 956E had just been launched for testing, and the top student in the school had a chance to board the ship for a look!"

"So I studied like crazy. And the result? Hey, they said I was Chinese and wouldn't let me on the ship."

"I told myself right then: I don't give a damn!"

Sun Yongguo and the others gradually fell silent; they had heard these experiences mentioned before when Zhang Gongnong was drunk.

Su Dingping put down his chopsticks and looked at Zhang Gongnong.

To go from not knowing a single Russian word to being top of the university showed just how much effort Zhang Gongnong had put in during those years.

"The Americans thought we couldn't build it, the Russians thought we couldn't build it, and even the tiny island nation next door thought we couldn't build it."

"Three years, five years, twenty years... we are progressing, and they are progressing too! The gap hasn't narrowed; it has actually grown wider."

"I am not resigned! I want to fight for this dignity. I want to show them that if they can do it, we Chinese can do it too!"

Zhang Gongnong pointed toward Harbin and said, "A while ago, I ran into that Turgenev. That old fellow even advised me to give up! Give up my ass! That bastard, and after I taught him Chinese all those years."

Li Mingrui patted Zhang Gongnong on the shoulder and comforted him, "Aren't we making sense of the 956E now? Gongnong, it's all in the past."

"Yes, it's all in the past. From now on, we will follow Dingping to create even more advanced warships! So that our Navy can hold its head high in the Asian waters—no, in the whole world!"

As he spoke, Zhang Gongnong looked at Su Dingping with reddened eyes, pushed his bowl forward, and said, "Dingping, I'm counting on you!"

Su Dingping looked at Zhang Gongnong, seeing in him a microcosm of countless military industry experts fighting on the front lines.

These were people who appeared quiet and unremarkable on ordinary days, but once they were a bit tipsy, they would pour out the bitterness they had suppressed in their hearts.

"We will do it together, with everything we've got!" As he spoke, Su Dingping raised his bowl and clinked it against the other man's.

Just as the two of them downed their drinks, a familiar voice came from outside.

"Quite a lively scene here."

Su Dingping and the others looked toward the sound and saw Xu Dongguo walking briskly toward them.

Upon seeing Xu Dongguo, everyone stood up in unison.

"Greetings, Chief!"

"Chief, why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

Seeing the commotion, Xu Dongguo quickly waved his hand.

"I heard today is your celebration banquet, so I came specifically to share a celebratory drink. What, am I not welcome?"

"Chief, please, have a seat." Sun Yongguo hurriedly cleared the seat next to Su Dingping.

"I won't sit. I'll just take a look and then leave."

Xu Dongguo waved his hand with a smile.

Noticing that Xu Dongguo was in civilian clothes, Sun Yongguo and the others immediately understood his intention.

"Comrades, sit down, everyone sit down."

"First, to see you all, and second, to bring you some good wine. Guard?"

"Chief, I'm here."

Immediately after, several guards walked over carrying crates of white spirit.

Once the wine was set down, everyone was shocked to find that it was, in fact, specially supplied Moutai.

"Open the bottles!"

"Yes, Chief!"

"Fill the glasses for the comrades!"

"Chief, you mustn't do this." Sun Yongguo and the others grew anxious; they couldn't let the guards pour their drinks—it would be beneath their dignity.

"I specifically wore civilian clothes today!" Xu Dongguo's tone was exceptionally firm. "Fill them up!"

The guards were efficient, quickly filling everyone's glasses.

"This first glass is to all the heroes who participated in the 956E breakthrough! Come, bottom's up!"

All 279 people in the room raised their glasses and downed them in one go.

"This second glass." Xu Dongguo looked at Su Dingping. "Is to our greatest hero—Comrade Su Dingping!"

For a moment, everyone's gaze converged on Su Dingping.

"Come, bottom's up!"

*Gulp—* *Gulp—*

Having drunk so much wine in succession, Su Dingping's face had turned quite red.

"This third glass is to the future of our Navy!"

After the three glasses, Xu Dongguo did not linger.

He knew that as long as he stayed, these people wouldn't be able to eat comfortably, so he found an excuse to leave quickly.

Xu Dongguo's sudden arrival and sudden departure pushed the atmosphere of the scene to a climax.

...

Early the next morning, while Sun Yongguo was still sleeping, he was suddenly startled by a knocking sound, followed by Su Dingping's voice shouting from outside.

"Director Sun, class is starting! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

A moment later, he heard another round of knocking and a series of voices...

"Professor Zhang, wake up for class! The morning is the key to a successful day!"

"Professor Li, the sun is almost up, how can you still be sleeping?"