527: The Internet celebrity wine pit has spread abroad

That’s right, he remembered.

This so-called Tinghua Liquor, wasn’t it that trending “high-end business baijiu” that emerged in China around 2020?

It was once extremely popular, and even exposed during the 315 Gala.

Because in just three short years since its launch, Tinghua Liquor could be seen everywhere: in news publications, on elevator posters, mall billboards, building lights, and even in many movies.

Its overwhelming publicity used truly astonishing language:

Things like “ushering in the era of baijiu’s beneficial regulation,” “a milestone in world alcohol history,” and so on. What shocked the market and consumers even more was Tinghua Liquor’s price.

The standard bottle cost 5,000 yuan, and the premium version even reached 50,000 yuan per bottle.

The founder of this liquor claimed it was created after a dream bestowed by Lao Jun, and the way he boasted about it was truly miraculous.

To personally experience this expensive baijiu, in early 2024, a CCTV reporter even visited a Tinghua Liquor experience store.

The store was exquisitely decorated, and upon seeing a customer, the staff greeted him very warmly. After a few pleasantries, the key points emphasized by the staff surprised the reporter.

According to the Tinghua Liquor experience store staff, this liquor had excellent effects on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, regulating sexual function, anti-tumor properties, boosting immunity, and improving deep sleep quality.

They also claimed that its core was to mobilize the body’s self-regulation, activating glands to automatically regulate the body, with effects comparable to a miraculous elixir.

However, China’s “Measures for the Administration of Food Production Licenses” explicitly states that “alcoholic beverages” belong to food, not health products.

The “Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China” also explicitly stipulates that food advertisements must be truthful and legal, must not contain false content, and must not involve disease prevention or treatment functions.

But Tinghua Liquor’s sales staff seemed unaware of these laws and regulations; in their descriptions, Tinghua Liquor’s functions were exaggerated to the heavens.

Such as boosting immunity, improving sleep, and enhancing male function.

If he hadn't known this was a liquor experience store, the CCTV reporter would have suspected he had walked into a health product sales company.

Although Tinghua Liquor’s sales staff were also clever, never once mentioning the word “health care” throughout, all the content they introduced from beginning to end was related to health care functions, which was always their sales staff’s main emphasis.

And to ensure the authenticity of the report and that it wasn't an isolated case, the CCTV reporter went undercover at another Tinghua Liquor experience store.

The staff there used the same sales pitch, emphasizing Tinghua Liquor’s health benefits. This time, the staff simply told the reporter that drinking Tinghua Liquor could make People youthful again.

It was said that a client in her sixties, who had been menopausal for over ten years, drank about one or two liang (50-100ml) daily for half a month, and her menstruation reappeared the following month. After she went to the hospital for examination, her ovarian follicles, including sex hormones, had significantly rebounded, and she even had the possibility of becoming pregnant.

To prove the truthfulness of this statement, the sales staff even produced a journal, claiming to be “the first food industry media in China,” where it was clearly written in black and white.

Moderate consumption of Tinghua Liquor can not only help lower blood pressure but also reduce the risk of heart rate fluctuations.

It has a certain anti-aging effect on menopausal women, improves immunity, enhances sleep quality, stabilizes emotions, regulates endocrine dysfunction, and also shows an increase in facial collagen.

After one week of consumption by males, the anxiety improvement rate was 19.38%. For females, anxiety also significantly improved.

The “Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China” clearly stipulates that advertisements for alcoholic beverages and drinks must not contain explicit or implicit claims of health benefits.

Tinghua Liquor’s promotion clearly violated these laws and regulations.

What made the reporter even more curious was how Tinghua Liquor, with its miraculous health benefits, was produced? What raw materials were used?

Finally, the investigation revealed that the materials Tinghua Liquor mentioned for regulating sexual function and protecting the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems were not some high-tech substances; in fact, they were just common mint.

Thinking of this, Ren Yi only felt at the time how easily these People were deceived, and he was even more speechless about spending two million US dollars on these two bottles of liquor.

Now he really wanted to give himself two big slaps.

Such a low-level trick, and he actually fell for it.

How could he have been so muddle-headed at the time, believing that old Taoist priest’s words?

However, he could only swallow this bitter pill himself.

One willing to be beaten, one willing to take it; they didn't force the sale.

But Ren Yi didn't expose Jensen Huang; instead, he clapped his hands and praised, “Mr. Huang, you are truly learned and talented. I have learned a lot today.”

As he spoke, he refilled Jensen Huang’s glass to the brim, then raised his own glass and said, “Mr. Ren, I toast to you. May you be healthy and live a long life.”

After speaking, he drained the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Jensen Huang laughed heartily and said, “Good wine! It’s a pity, Daoist Wu said that the raw materials for this wine are hard to find, so it’s limited to five jars per person.

Otherwise, I’d want to drink it every day. Today, we must not go home until we’re drunk.”

At this point, he even looked at Ren Yi gratefully.

Ren Yi almost burst out laughing, thinking mischievously, “If I showed him the news about Tinghua Liquor, would he die of anger on the spot?!”

However, he naturally wouldn’t do such a buzzkill thing. He immediately waved his hand and said, “Mr. Huang, you exaggerate. As the saying goes, fine wine suits heroes. For a distinguished person like you, this wine is the one that has risen in status.”

At this moment, Jensen Huang changed the subject and asked about family matters:

“Ren, what does your family do? Seeing that your name can be so culturally profound, you must come from an intellectual family, right?”

Ren Yi shook his head and said,

“Oh, just a country bumpkin. When naming myself, I just randomly flipped through a dictionary and picked whatever looked pleasing. It’s your name, Mr. Huang, that is truly grand and magnificent; one can tell immediately that you are a successful person.”

After speaking, he clinked glasses with Jensen Huang.

Jensen Huang greatly appreciated his gesture and laughed, “Ren, we can be considered to have become acquainted through conflict. Regarding the chip matter before, I was actually forced into it. Please don’t take it to heart!”

Ren Yi looked at his expression, unsure if he was joking or saying this intentionally.

He could only laugh and say,

“Mr. Huang, what are you saying? I know you were also coerced by the United States government and had no choice.

In fact, why was I any different? I just wanted to build good cars and take care of my own business, who would have thought I’d be put on the spot, caught between a rock and a hard place.”

This statement was extremely slick, yet it cleverly resolved the grievances between Nvidia and Fenglei, shifting the conflict to their respective governments.

Jensen Huang said no more, and another glass of wine went down.

At this moment, the first hot dish was served: a simple, ordinary sweet and sour pork ribs.

It was served in a huge white porcelain bowl, topped with a layer of chopped green onions, and emitting a fragrant aroma.

Ren Yi knew that this dish, though seemingly unremarkable, must have been made with very complex ingredients and an extremely intricate cooking method.

He couldn't help but pose the question to Jensen Huang:

“Mr. Huang, these sweet and sour pork ribs look quite ordinary. Why are you so fond of them?”

Unexpectedly, Jensen Huang shook his head repeatedly and said,

“You wouldn’t know. This dish is not as ordinary as it looks; there’s a lot more to it.”

Ren Yi feigned surprise and said,

“Oh? What mystery could a dish hold?”

He knew Jensen Huang liked to show off. At this moment, as long as he encouraged him to talk more, he would surely make him happy.

Later, when discussing cooperation, the other party would also be too embarrassed to bargain.

Sure enough, he heard Jensen Huang smile triumphantly:

“Don’t think this dish is just simple sweet and sour pork ribs. In fact, just these ribs are not something ordinary People can get.

They must come from a wild boar that is eighteen years old and has not been castrated.

Because domesticated pigs rarely live that long.

“If the pig isn’t old, the meat from the fried ribs won’t have that aroma, and it won’t be able to balance the sweetness of the sugar. Then this dish would be a failure.

However, having just the ribs isn’t enough. The auxiliary ingredients for braising the ribs also matter. We add precious medicinal herbs like Centennial Wild Ginseng (century-old wild ginseng) and Ten-year Deer Antler (ten-year-old deer antler).

After boiling out the medicinal properties, we then use huanghuali wood for firewood to reduce the sauce. This way, a dish of sweet and sour pork ribs is not just a human delicacy, but also has the effects of strengthening the body and prolonging life.”

Ren Yi listened to him speak with great enthusiasm; from the earlier Tinghua Liquor, he couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning prolonging life.

He thought to himself, this guy, despite his high position and power, is extremely fond of his life.

However, with his eating habits, even a Great Immortal would probably be unable to make him live a hundred years.