Ni Sitian knew she was late, so she apologized first.

The twenty or so people in the private room finally came to their senses, and several male colleagues couldn't help but linger their eyes on Ni Sitian.

Seeing that everyone's attention was on Ni Sitian, Ji Xiaoyun felt a little resentful. She got up, smiled, walked over, took Ni Sitian's arm, and praised her, "Sitian, you look so beautiful today."

Many colleagues nodded in agreement. Ni Sitian did look beautiful today. In the past, when they saw her in the office, she always dressed very simply, with her hair in a ponytail or bun, and she never wore makeup. She still looked youthful and innocent, at most a cute and pure beauty.

But tonight was different. She was wearing makeup and looked more mature. The openwork lace dress had a subtle, alluring feel, which accentuated her figure beautifully. The high heels also made her slender legs look straight and long. She exuded a charming, girlish aura.

"Sitian, being late means you'll have to drink a penalty shot." Ji Xiaoyun took Ni Sitian's arm and led her to her seat, poured her a glass of red wine, and deliberately encouraged everyone to cheer her on.

Because of her initiative, the atmosphere in the private room became lively, and everyone shouted for a penalty drink.

Ni Sitian had no choice. These were all her superiors and senior colleagues, so how could she refuse? Knowing she couldn't avoid it, she stopped being coy, grabbed the cup, and downed it in one gulp.

Ji Xiaoyun exclaimed "Good!" and everyone cheered for another drink.

"Sitian hasn't eaten yet, so it's best not to drink too much on an empty stomach," a male colleague said, trying to smooth things over.

The others looked over and saw it was Xiao Liu from the editorial department, who was usually very quiet. The crowd started to tease him again.

Xiao Liu blushed at the teasing, but didn't hesitate and said directly, "I'll drink it for Si Tian."

He took the wine glass from Ji Xiaoyun's hand and downed it in one gulp.

The crowd applauded and cheered for Xiao Liu and Ni Sitian, pushing Xiao Liu to sit next to Ni Sitian.

Ni Sitian felt a little awkward, so after sitting down, she changed the subject and first wished the editor-in-chief a happy birthday.

This drew everyone's attention to the editor-in-chief, and they all began to wish him a happy birthday.

The private room was bustling with activity as dishes were served one after another.

Ni Sitian had just drunk some alcohol and felt a little uncomfortable in her stomach. She wanted to eat something to calm down, and just as she picked it up, she heard a familiar voice say, "Happy birthday, Editor-in-Chief Li."

Ni Sitian froze for a moment, then turned around to see Qin Mubei walking in calmly, smiling as he said to the editor-in-chief, "I was having dinner with friends next door when I heard you were celebrating your birthday here. I came to offer a toast, is that alright?"

The editor-in-chief stood up, shook hands with Qin Mubei, and said with a smile, "How could Mr. Qin's visit be a disturbance? It is an honor, an honor indeed."

We all live in the same office building, so we see each other all the time and naturally know each other to some extent.

After toasting and congratulating Editor-in-Chief Li, Qin Mubei showed no sign of leaving.

He wanted to stay, and of course no one would kick him out.

Ni Sitian buried her head in her food, hoping he would ignore her.

Unfortunately, her wish was not fulfilled. He walked straight towards her, glanced at Xiao Liu, and Xiao Liu automatically moved aside.

He sat down next to Ni Sitian and whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful today."

Ni Sitian didn't want to talk to him, but she couldn't resist other people's curiosity and gossip. Someone asked, "Does President Qin and Sitian know each other?"

"We're more than just acquaintances, we're quite close." Qin Mubei smiled, raised his glass, and said rather affectionately, "Sisi is still young, so please take good care of her."

Ni Sitian frowned upon hearing this; these words were far too easy to misunderstand.

Sure enough, everyone seemed to realize something and exchanged ambiguous glances between the two of them.