Chapter 166 Drink a Few More Cups

Ji Wanqing glanced at the caller ID and frowned.

She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said to everyone, "I need to take this call first."

[This doesn't look good.]

[Sunny's smile looks uglier than a cry; could something have happened at the hospital?]

I hope everything is alright; it took me so long to recover.

Ji Wanqing turned off her microphone and pressed the answer button.

"Mr. Wang, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Xiao Qing, I heard your mother is in the hospital. Is she alright?"

The first thing the other person asked about was Ji's mother's condition, and Ji Wanqing's heart tightened.

She knew, of course, that the person on the other end wouldn't care about her mother, and that there must be another purpose behind the call.

She had no interest in small talk and her voice was extremely cold as she cut straight to the point.

"Mr. Wang, please just say what's on your mind. I'm quite busy too."

The person on the other end chuckled twice. "Young people are just so impatient, but since you've asked, I'll just be frank..."

He paused, and Ji Wanqing held her breath, not responding, waiting for him to say something.

"I have a distinguished guest here who would like to invite you out for a meal. If this deal goes through, I'll reduce your debt by one million. How about it?"

Ji Wanqing frowned even more deeply and spoke without hesitation.

"Mr. Wang, have you made a mistake? I'm afraid I don't recognize your distinguished guest, and I certainly don't have the influence to directly facilitate your business. I suggest you find someone else, Mr. Wang."

"Of course I only brought this up because I know you." Mr. Wang was quite decisive. "Two million, won't you consider it?"

This time, Ji Wanqing hesitated; two million was really too much for her.

There was no urging from the other end. Ji Wanqing heard the sound of a lighter, and ten seconds later she spoke again.

"May I ask who you are...?"

“You probably wouldn’t know his name, I just happened to see him watching your live stream.” Mr. Wang continued patiently, “He’s just coming over for a meal. It’s a society governed by law, we won’t do anything to you. I’ll send a driver to pick you up.”

"No need, just give me your address." Ji Wanqing replied decisively, not wanting the other party to know her current address.

After hanging up the phone, Ji Wanqing put her headphones back on, forcing a smile, her eyes filled with guilt.

"I'm so sorry, everyone, I had some things to take care of and kept you waiting for so long. I only went live for a short while before I had to go offline. Next time... I'll definitely go live again when I'm done with this!"

[It's okay, honey! You go ahead and do your work! I'll be waiting for you!]

Let's deal with the practical matters first, I'll wait for you!

Fans responded enthusiastically, which comforted Ji Wanqing.

"The lucky bag draw will be held in two minutes. I'll go offline after the results are out. If you're the lucky winner, please message me in the background. The prizes may be sent out a little slowly in the next couple of days, so please be patient."

The older siblings didn't ask any questions, but instead gave gifts to show their support.

Ji Wanqing chatted with them for a while longer, and then left when the lucky bag draw was held.

She looked out at the darkness of the room, then glanced down at the nice outfit she had changed into for the live stream. Finally, she went to the wardrobe, picked out a very simple dress, changed into it, and went out.

I had just gotten into the car when my phone sent me a message.

Finish line [Have you run into trouble?]

Ji Wanqing looked at the sentence and didn't know how to respond. It took her a long time to reply.

Sunny Day Tuan Tuan: [I guess so. Is Brother Jidian busy tonight...?]

The other person immediately understood what she meant.

Finish line [Not busy, what can I do for you?]

Ji Wanqing took a deep breath and sent over the address that President Wang had given her.

SunnyTuanTuan: [If I don't reply to your message later, could you please come pick me up?]

To lighten her burden, she had no choice but to go.

But she wasn't completely naive; she wasn't so foolish as to sell herself for money.

Although it is a society governed by the rule of law, she was still afraid that something unexpected might happen.

Just then, the finish line sent a message, so I'll trouble him for a bit.

Ji Wanqing looked at the chat box, and the other party replied instantly without any hesitation.

Finish line [No problem.]

When Ji Wanqing arrived at the address sent by President Wang, it was a high-end restaurant with extremely luxurious and private decor.

The waiter led her to a private room. Pushing open the door, she found it filled with smoke. Four or five people were sitting around a round table, with Mr. Wang, a middle-aged man with a bloated belly and shrewd eyes, sitting at the head of the table.

"Oh my, our big anchor is here!" Upon seeing her, President Wang immediately stood up enthusiastically, but his smile was laced with too much calculation.

Sitting next to him was a man who appeared to be around forty years old and had a refined demeanor, but whose scrutinizing gaze was undisguised. This must be the so-called distinguished guest, President Li, while the others seemed to be there to keep him company.

Ji Wanqing suppressed her discomfort and forced a polite smile, "President Wang, President Li, and all the bosses, hello."

"Please have a seat." Mr. Wang gestured for her to sit in the empty seat next to Mr. Li.

Mr. Li's gaze swept over Ji Wanqing without any attempt to hide it. Although she had changed into simple clothes, her beautiful appearance and unique temperament were still outstanding.

"Miss Sunny is even prettier than in the live stream, no wonder she's so popular."

"Mr. Li, you flatter me." Ji Wanqing lowered her eyes slightly to avoid his uncomfortable gaze, while secretly making calculations in her mind. Then she looked up again and said, "I wonder which of my viewers Mr. Li is in my live stream? I must give him a proper welcome next time he comes."

She wanted to know who was so shameless.

But the other person just chuckled and pushed the wine in front of her, saying, "I'm just a nobody, nothing compared to your big shots who are so rich."

Ji Wanqing's smile froze; this was just playing games with her.

She glanced at the full wine glass, took a deep breath, picked up the glass and took a small sip. "Mr. Li is too kind."

She only took a small sip, but the other party didn't make things difficult for her and instead started talking about business.

They would occasionally steer the conversation toward Ji Wanqing, asking questions about the live-streaming industry and fan donations, their words carrying a hint of disdain for the influencer industry and a certain ambiguous curiosity.

Ji Wanqing tried to answer briefly and objectively, neither humble nor arrogant, but she remained tense.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere finally seemed to warm up, and President Wang began to frequently urge Ji Wanqing to drink.

"Xiao Qing, Mr. Li is in a good mood today, so you have to drink a few more glasses with him! Mr. Li is a big fan of yours!" Mr. Wang said, about to pour wine for Ji Wanqing.

Ji Wanqing quickly covered the rim of the cup with her hand, trying to speak as gently as possible.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Li, I'm really sorry, I'm not a good drinker, and I have to go to the hospital to take care of my mother later, so I really can't drink too much. But I can't refuse to give you gentlemen face, so I'll just have a little."

After saying that, she prepared to take another small sip, but this time, President Wang was not going to be so evasive.

Mr. Wang's expression immediately darkened. "Hey, it's just a few drinks, what could possibly happen? Are we so stingy that we can only let you drink this little?"

Mr. Wang's eyes carried a warning, silently telling him that two million was not so easy to obtain.

Mr. Li also put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and looked at her with a half-smile.