Chapter 47 "Would you like to invite Miss Tang into the car?"...

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a few seconds of silence in the private room.

Everyone stared at Tang Ci, but Tang Ci seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in his words, still looking down and reaching out her hand to him.

In the unbearable silence, Sheng Yu sat upright in the chair, his well-defined knuckles resting on the back of the chair, making no attempt to shake her hand in return.

After waiting a few more seconds, Tang Ci curled her fingertips and withdrew her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips: "You flatter me."

Sheng Yu's expression became even more unreadable. He turned his gaze away noncommittally, as if he couldn't be bothered to look at her: "I don't think so."

Liu Ye's smile froze on his face as he took out his phone and sent a message to Tang Ci.

Tang Ci didn't rush to look at it; she only took out her phone after sitting down with Jiang Zheng.

Liu Ye's message was meant for the two of them to see, so when Jiang Zheng looked down at her phone screen, Tang Ci moved the phone closer to him, and the two of them looked at it together.

"Why do I feel like he's talking back to you? What did you do to offend him?"

Tang Ci tightened her grip on her phone and looked up at Liu Ye.

Liu gestured towards her with his lip, silently asking, "What's going on?"

Tang Ci forced herself not to look at the man sitting next to her. She only caught a glimpse of his sharp, iron-gray suit out of the corner of her eye, and immediately looked away as if she had been scalded by boiling water.

In the end, she simply shook her head slightly at Liu Ye.

Liu hesitated for a second, then texted her: "Don't say anything yet, wait for me to call you."

Tang Ci replied with an "okay," and then sat quietly drinking water, without looking up again.

After the minor incident, the atmosphere at the banquet remained lively. The young master surnamed Tan ordered several bottles of champagne, and a waiter brought in an ice bucket, placed it on the table, and waited by the table to pour the drinks.

Tan Rui was young and at the age where he loved to have fun. He brushed aside the waiter, opened and poured the wine himself, and offered it to the people around him one glass after another.

Tang Ci was eating when a wine glass was suddenly placed in her hand. The glass was icy cold, and the light golden wine inside was bubbling with tiny bubbles. The strong aroma of the wine hit her nose.

She paused for a moment, then placed her glass on the table: "I'm sorry, I can't drink alcohol."

Looking at her fair face and those clear, cold eyes, Tan Rui suddenly became interested: "Is the great designer Tang so aloof that he won't even give me a glass of wine?"

As he spoke, he shoved the glass of wine back into Tang Ci's hand and pressed down on the back of her hand as a warning.

Tang Ci has a lot of work-related social engagements and has encountered clients who aggressively pressure her to drink. She always handles these situations with ease. As long as she reveals that she has undergone a transplant, the other party will always give up.

But today, the perfect excuse is on the tip of my tongue, yet I just can't bring myself to say it.

Everyone in the room turned their attention back to her. Sheng Yu, a guest of honor, had already expressed his dissatisfaction with her. Tan Rui acted wickedly without any restraint, while the rest of the people looked on with mocking expressions, waiting to see this great designer bow her head.

Jiang Zheng shielded Tan Rui's arm, saying, "Young Master Tan, there are plenty of people who can drink with you. It's not fun for you to make things difficult for a girl like this."

The Tan family has been riding the wave of the internet boom in recent years, enjoying unparalleled success. He didn't take Jiang Zheng, who came from a scholarly family, seriously, and said with a smile, "Among so many people, only the great designer Tang is the most beautiful. Just take pity on my love of beauty."

"Besides, it's just a drink," Tan Rui said teasingly. "It's not like we're doing anything else. It's pointless for you to be so protective of me, isn't it?"

Some busybodies also started teasing Jiang Zheng. Jiang Zheng was a gentleman who rarely socialized, and he didn't know how to deal with this troublesome playboy.

"Alright, alright, Young Master Tan, stop dawdling and come drink with me," Liu Ye stood up to smooth things over, pouring himself a drink while smiling at Tan Rui, "I happen to have something I'd like to ask you."

Tan Rui stood still, looking at Tang Ci with a forced smile: "The fact that they're all protecting you makes me want to have a drink with you even more."

Liu remained unmoved by reason, his face darkening. He slammed the wine bottle back onto the table with a thud, drawing many stares.

Tang Ci also looked across the table and suddenly met a pair of dark, deep eyes.

Sheng Yu had taken off his suit jacket at some point, and his light gray striped shirt was rolled up to his elbows, revealing his thin, cold arms. He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, one tap after another, watching the scene as if it were none of his business.

Tang Ci looked away, staring blankly at the glass of champagne in her hand, the bubbles gone. "It's just a matter of vomiting anyway," she thought, and picked up the glass to drink.

Jiang Zheng suddenly grabbed Tang Ci's wrist, causing Tang Ci's hand to tremble and spill the cold wine all over her hand.

Sheng Yu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Take the wine away."

The waiter standing in the corner was the most sensible; seeing that he had spoken, he quickly stepped forward and removed the ice bucket along with it.

Tang Ci pulled out a tissue and wiped the back of her hand haphazardly, then nervously glanced at Sheng Yu.

Even she herself didn't realize that there was a hint of cautious anticipation in her eyes at that moment.

Sheng Yu, however, kept a cold face and said in a flat voice, "It smells awful."

Tang Ci's expression was blank, her lips were tightly pressed down, and after sitting down, she kept wiping the remaining liquid on her hands with tissues. Her nose was wrinkled, as if she also found the smell unpleasant.

Tan Rui was left standing there, his face flushed and looking unwell. He squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "What does President Sheng mean by this? My wine isn't cheap."

Sheng Yu took a sip of ice water before slowly saying, "I'll pay for this meal, Young Master Tan, you can rest assured."

Rumor has it that Yunqi has political backing and the Sheng family has decades of foundation, so neither can be offended. Tan Rui sat back in his chair in a huff and half-jokingly mocked, "President Sheng is not fair. He just returned to the country and he's already bullying people with his power."

Sheng Yu's expression remained unchanged, but he glanced sideways and curled the corner of his mouth: "Not to be outdone."

Tan Rui had no choice but to grit his teeth and force a smile, pretending nothing had happened.

/

As Liu Ye and Sheng Yu discussed the hotel's supply projects, the playful atmosphere in the private room gradually dissipated.

Tang Ci was no longer under everyone's gaze and had some breathing room. She lowered her head and ate silently, not participating in any further conversations.

After finishing their business, Liu glanced at her several times but received no response. So he started a conversation with Sheng Yu: "Speaking of design, do you have any companies in mind?"

Sheng Yu didn't mince words with him: "Stop beating around the bush."

Liu chuckled twice and gestured towards Tang Ci: "I didn't explain in detail over the phone, but you know the Nanling Planetarium, right? Its design was trending online. It was all designed by our designer Tang."

Tang Ci swallowed her rice, looked at Liu Ye, and said softly, "I was just an assistant on that project."

Exaggeration is standard practice when discussing cooperation, and Liu had no idea what Tang Ci was doing wrong this time. He glared at her with exasperation.

Tang Ci swallowed nervously, preparing to explain to him after the show ended.

Given her attitude, Sheng Yu knew that there was no possibility of cooperation, let alone meeting her again.

When it was time to take her medicine, her phone vibrated. Tang Ci reached under the chair and realized that the bag containing the medicine was in Jiang Zheng's car.

Jiang Zheng noticed her movement and turned his head to ask, "Isn't it time to take your medicine?"

Tang Ci shook her head: "We can eat it when we get home tonight."

Jiang Zheng still said, "If you're not feeling well, we can leave early."

Tang Ci was stunned by what seemed like a normal sentence, as if she had just realized that she could leave the meeting early if the cooperation failed.

Tang Ci was stunned when her phone suddenly vibrated.

She tapped on her screen and saw a message from Xiao Jing: "Sister Xiao Ci? Did you meet the president of Yunqi? I think I can see houses beckoning to me!"

Tang Ci's throat tightened and then relaxed. After a long while, she turned to Jiang Zheng and said, "Let's see if there's still a chance to talk to... President Sheng."

Her voice was already low, and she barely uttered the second half of her sentence, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Liu Ye was also making a final push for her, and introduced their company to Sheng Yu directly: "If we're talking about the best design company in Nanling, then it has to be Jianchuan. They only accept graduates from A9 universities, and their entry requirements are very high."

“I remember that Designer Tang graduated from Ocean University, right?” Liu deliberately misspoke, giving her a chance to speak.

Tang Ci shook her head: "It's Peking University."

Liu also smiled at Sheng Yu: "That would be even more amazing."

Tang Ci pursed her lips, mustered her courage, and looked at Sheng Yu: "Although I was just an assistant on the planetarium project, I was indeed in charge of the design of the main hall."

Sheng Yu then looked at her.

“I heard you want to do as the Romans do…” Tang Ci took a deep breath before she could continue speaking smoothly: “I happen to be from Nanling, and I am very familiar with the customs of Nanling. Moreover, I have carefully studied the original design of your company. It is a simple and warm design style, which is exactly my forte.”

Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Just based on your empty words?"

Tang Ci froze, regretting that she hadn't brought her design drafts with her when she left home. In a panic, she blurted out, "Would it be convenient to add your contact information? I can send you a detailed plan..."

Sheng Yu suddenly chuckled lightly.

Tang Ci's remaining words caught in her throat. She belatedly realized that she had said the wrong thing. Her eagerness to ask for contact information sounded like she had ulterior motives.

Tan Rui chuckled dismissively: "President Sheng, be careful not to get entangled with him."

Tang Ci's already pale face paled even more, but her lips were pressed together and she looked into Sheng Yu's eyes as she said, word by word, "I really was just doing my job and didn't mean to bother you."

Sheng Yu gave her a cold look, as if trying to determine whether her words were credible.

Tang Ci clenched her fists tightly, seeing his face clearly again after seven years.

He had long since shed his youthful naiveté, and his demeanor was more composed and reserved than before, but his eyes were more distant than ever, and there was no warmth in his gaze when he looked at her.

Every second of eye contact was agonizing; Tang Ci regretted not listening to Jiang Zheng and leaving sooner.

After an unknown amount of time, Sheng Yu gestured to his assistant beside him with his chin and said, "Xiang Wen, give her a business card."

Tang Ci blinked and slowly exhaled with a sense of relief.

But then Sheng Yu added to his assistant, "Yours."

Tang Ci forced a smile and exchanged business cards with Xiang Wen. Only after sitting down did she feel breathless, her heart feeling as if it had been ripped apart by a knife.

/

As the event was ending, Liu received an urgent telegram.

When the company encountered a public relations problem, they reached out to the Jiang family for help, so Liu also dragged Jiang Zheng back to the company to work overtime.

Tang Ci walked along the path to the intersection to hail a taxi. Just as she took out her phone to call a car, several claps of thunder rumbled in the sky.

Summer rain comes suddenly and fiercely; before she could even hail a car, large raindrops were already pelting down on her.

Tang Ci put away her phone and looked around, trying to find shelter from the rain, but the walls of the neighborhood were high, and she couldn't find any space to hide for a while.

The shoulders of the knitted sweater were soaked with sweat and clung coldly to my body.

Tang Ci brushed the stray strands of hair behind her ears and ran to the intersection in one breath, trying to flag down an empty taxi. However, the streets were filled with speeding cars, and the only taxi that occasionally appeared had a red license plate.

As Tang Ci looked around, she noticed a car parked a few steps away. It had sleek lines and its black body gleamed from the rain.

Tang Ci wondered who she was waiting for, but when she turned her head, her gaze met that of the man sitting in the back seat for a moment.

Rumble—

In an instant, thunder roared again.

Lightning tore through the deep night sky, illuminating the sharp silhouette of the man inside the dimly lit carriage.

Tang Ci stiffly turned her head to the side, as if only then realizing the chill of the rain, and shivered slightly.

She took out her phone and opened the ride-hailing app again.

/

The car window was half-rolled down, and the sound of rain pouring into the cabin could be heard. Apart from that, there was no other sound; it was eerily quiet.

Xiang Wen glanced down at his watch. The car had been parked on the side of the road for ten minutes, which was very unusual for President Sheng, who valued time so much. Not to mention that ten minutes ago, President Sheng had only asked him to stop the car without giving any reason.

The windshield wipers diligently cleared the car window. A woman suddenly appeared on the empty street, standing in the rain. Her figure was thin, her black hair was tied up at the back of her head, revealing a section of her fair neck and soft profile.

A few seconds later, the woman noticed and looked towards the car. Xiang Wen could see her delicate, narrow face clearly.

It was Ms. Tang, whom the boss had made things difficult for at the dinner party.

Xiang Wen watched as Tang Ci stared blankly into the car for a few seconds before turning back, his shoulders slightly slumped as he took out his phone and tapped something.

The car was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xiang Wen glanced at the rearview mirror. Sheng Yu was leaning against the headrest with his arms crossed, looking very tired with his eyes slightly closed, his gaze seemingly unfocused on the rain outside the window.

He hesitated for two seconds, then turned his head and asked softly, "Mr. Sheng, shall we invite Miss Tang into the car?"

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Author's Note: Xiao Wen, you sit at the head table.