Chapter 39 My foot! Sign this so I can release him. ...

Zhu Qingzhi had no idea that Wen Qi would arrive so quickly. Even with smooth traffic, it would take at least twenty minutes to get from the Wen Group to the LR headquarters building.

When he arrived, the back of his black coat was tucked in, his chest heaving, and he was breathing slightly heavily. Anyone could tell how hurried he had come.

Zhu Qingzhi's heart pounded like a deer's, and a belated sense of embarrassment quickly welled up inside her. The self-righteous look on her face when she snatched the phone from Zhou Shicheng just now was replaying in her mind again and again, making her ears burn.

With the coffee still at her lips, the creamy milk foam on top of her cappuccino gradually melted away. She could almost hear the sound of each bubble bursting. When Wen Qi looked over, she immediately lowered her eyes and looked away, so guilty that she didn't even have the courage to meet his gaze.

The moment Zhou Shicheng saw Wen Qi, he glanced at his watch. Only fifteen minutes had passed since he hung up the phone, and a hint of amusement flashed across his lips: "Isn't President Wen busy?"

Wen Qi glanced at him indifferently, ignoring his subtle sarcastic tone. Her gaze swept over the messy files on the desktop, while the computer screen remained on the handover documents that had just been signed.

“Mr. Wen, you’ve come at the perfect time.” Zhou Shicheng said, turning his laptop towards him and then gently pushing the electronic pen and signature board over as well. “Sign here too, keep the procedures simple so I can release him.” He pointed to the blank space next to Zhu Qingzhi’s electronic signature on the screen. “Here.”

After signing his name, Wen Qi closed the computer screen and then, as if suddenly remembering something, casually mentioned, "Just now in Xisha, I saw Mr. Zhao from Mingyuan being cornered in a private room, apparently about a jewelry endorsement."

Dani, who had been quietly observing the situation, suddenly sat up straight: "Is it short hair, the kind that's close to the scalp, and carrying a tan Mystic bag?"

Wen Qi naturally turned his gaze to her and nodded slightly: "It seems so."

“Huang Shan has already gone, I have to go check on her too.” Dani immediately grabbed her bag, her bright eyes wide open, patted Zhu Qingzhi on the shoulder, and hurriedly said goodbye to Zhou Shicheng before leaving without any hesitation.

Zhou Shicheng leisurely gathered and tidied the documents on the table, then pushed the jewelry box in front of Wen Qi, stood up, and, being the same height as Wen Qi, casually rummaged through his collar.

"Please do as you please, Mr. Wen." He spoke casually, as if he had only done a trivial matter.

Even after Zhu Qingzhi sat in the passenger seat, her cheeks were still burning, and her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton—dry, choking, and blocked; she felt uncomfortable all over.

The car had a fresh, sweet citrus scent, and this time she finally didn't associate it with Wen Qi's "girlfriend." She initially thought it was a new car air freshener, until Wen Qi put the jewelry box in the back seat, got into the driver's seat, and handed her a citrus fruit.

Zhu Qingzhi silently took it and tossed it back and forth in her hands.

As the car drove out of the underground parking lot, the afternoon sun was dazzling, shining in through the front window. The texture of the cashmere sweater was clearly visible, and the citrus in my hand still had a short, thick stem attached, along with a green leaf.

"Do you have any plans for this afternoon?" Wen Qi's voice seemed to carry the warmth of the sunshine, sending a tingling sensation through me and rippling in my heart.

Zhu Qingzhi gently pinched the orange peel with her thumb. Her fingertips were icy cold, and the sour taste of the citrus spread out, instantly melting the cotton stuck in her throat: "No, but if you need anything, I can go back by myself."

Wen Qi automatically ignored the second half of her sentence: "Then come with me to Xisha."

Sunlight quietly filled the carriage, and the sweet scent of citrus wafted silently between the two of them. Neither of them mentioned the words Zhu Qingzhi had said on the phone.

*

After Wen Qi's scandal in Xisha last time, Yang Luo is now paying close attention to managing paparazzi in Xisha.

But when Xiao Zhao arrived today, Wen Qi specifically instructed her to relax her vigilance slightly, and even let a few paparazzi in if necessary. She did as instructed, and as a result, the number of paparazzi staking out the Xisha area was visibly much higher than in the previous days.

Wen Qi just received a phone call and left in a hurry. Before leaving, she specifically told her to keep an eye on things, otherwise she would never want to set foot in that chaotic, ravaged Cloud Palace of Little Zhao.

Yang Luo, reeking of cigarette smoke, had just come out when she saw a waiter leading a suspicious-looking woman who was bundled up tightly. She looked her up and down, feeling that the woman looked familiar, but couldn't remember who she was for a moment.

The waiter hesitated, then said, "Manager Yang, this lady..."

The woman awkwardly tugged at her scarf, revealing a mole on the left corner of her mouth. Yang Luo immediately remembered it and gestured for the waiter to leave.

"Agent Liang?"

Dani's uneasy eyes suddenly lit up.

When she arrived, she noticed several familiar paparazzi license plates. When she got out of the car, she covered herself up tightly and walked around looking around suspiciously. She probably did look a bit like a thief, which is why the waiter led her to the manager.

"Manager Yang, do you know me?"

Of course I know her. Ever since I found out that Zhu Qingzhi was the "boss lady", Yang Luo had recognized all of her staff. Luckily, I was prepared, otherwise there would have been another mess today.

"Is it about your wife?" She opened WeChat, pulled up a QR code, and handed it over. "You can let me know in advance when Liang Jingji comes over next time."

Dani suddenly realized that she had almost forgotten that Xisha was Wen Qi's private property. She quickly scanned the QR code, and the two added each other as friends.

Yang Luo didn't mention Wen Qi's arrangements, but only asked Dani, "Does Manager Liang want to observe up close, or wait for intelligence reports?"

Dani didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly, "Is Huang Shan really inside?"

"We arrived half an hour ago, intending to take Mr. Zhao to Moli. But Mr. Zhao is too drunk and not in the mood." Yang Luo said succinctly, then, noticing the corner private room door being pushed open, he immediately pulled Dani into the small cubicle next to it.

"Have you contacted Zeng Rou?" Huang Shan looked around, her tone revealing impatience. "How much is she asking for?"

Huang Shan is tall and extremely thin. Holding her phone, you can clearly see the bones on the back of her hand.

"Ten million? Is she crazy for money?" Huang Shan's voice suddenly rose, and she kicked the marble baseboard. Then she turned her head to look at the door of the private room. The solid wood was heavy and isolated from all the glitz and glamour inside. She gritted her teeth helplessly, "You deal with and appease her first, and then have Xiao Tang come over now. Be quick!"

Dani narrowed her eyes. Although there had been rumors in the industry that Xiao Tang had a sugar daddy, it had never been confirmed. She didn't expect it to be Xiao Zhao from Mingyuan. But could a playboy like Xiao Zhao, who had been with many women and had his hands stained with every petal, really have been able to support Xiao Tang for so many years?

She composed herself, watched as Huang Shan adjusted her expression, put on a smile again, and entered the private room.

Yang Luo glanced at his phone and led her toward the office: "Manager Liang, this way please."

Yang Luo's office was originally on the third floor, but since Boss Zhao's private room was on the fourth floor, she was temporarily working here. The door was ajar, allowing her to observe what was happening in the private room.

Yang Luo stopped in front of the tea cabinet: "Coffee or tea?"

"Whatever." Dani was reporting the situation to Yang Qing.

Yang Luo took the nearest can of Longjing tea and slowly brewed it. The room gradually filled with a fresh yet rich aroma of tea. With the warm air from the air conditioner blowing, Yang Luo's voice also had a textured quality, like the rubbing of gravel.

"Mr. Wen and his wife will be here soon."

After the mist dissipated, the large, exaggerated teardrop-shaped earrings under the bright and clear design were very eye-catching, and her delicate eyebrows and eyes were filled with a sense of repression and restraint.

Dani was clearly taken aback, thinking she must have misread it.

"Online searches about Miss Zhu keep popping up one after another, and the popularity only keeps rising. Is Manager Liang planning to keep being led by the nose and in the end earn a good reputation for having worked hard even if he didn't achieve anything?"

Yang Luo made no attempt to hide his meaning; his words were quite direct, implying that she lacked the ability to prevent problems before they arise or to turn the tide in time.

Dani's eyes sharpened, and she abandoned all polite words: "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing." Yang Luo took a sip of tea. "I'll say it again, no comment. Please go ahead, Manager Liang."

Dani's anger, which had just been building up to the point of being overwhelming, immediately turned into a head full of question marks.

Yang Luo showed no mercy, making a phone call right in front of her and ordering security to remove her. Dani had never been treated this way before, and even though she found it strange, her face darkened completely.

The two faced off, neither willing to back down.

The sound of increasingly hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and a security guard pushed the door open, breaking the silence.

"Manager Yang." He adjusted the brim of his hat, his eyes darting between the two men, but he didn't dare to directly shoo them away.

Yang Luo waved first, signaling the security guards to take Dani out.

Dani didn't wait for the security guard to approach her; she picked up her bag, turned around, and left. The security guard glanced at Yang Luo and immediately followed her out.

Yang Luo stood there with a cold face for a while before picking up his phone, which was face down on the table, and typed a bunch of messages. He then glanced up and saw Huang Shan standing outside the door.

Huang Shan knocked on the door in a mock manner: "Manager Yang."

Yang Luo didn't discriminate, lowering his eyes and ignoring the question: "Does Huang Jingji also want me to ask you to leave?"

"I came out for some fresh air and unfortunately ran into Manager Yang's temper." Huang Shan had just seen Dani being kicked out and left with no face, and while she wasn't entirely pleased, she was at least pleased, so she didn't take Yang Luo's rudeness to heart.

Dani's presence here could only mean one thing: she must have heard that Dani was here and rushed over specifically for that purpose.

The source of this latest trending topic is undisputed; there were only four people present, and she was prepared to confront Asahi when she revealed it.

But Dani chased her all the way to Xisha to ambush her, which was something she hadn't expected. Luckily, she couldn't stay in Xiao Zhao's private room for too long and had to come out for some fresh air from time to time, otherwise it would have been a real problem.

Both out of courtesy and reason, she should thank Yang Luo properly: "Manager Yang is very dedicated and responsible, thank you very much."

Yang Luo didn't give him a look, frowning as he continued texting on his phone: "Huang Jingji, there's no need to be so polite. Mr. Zhao is a client of mine in Xisha, so of course I have to protect his privacy. If Mr. Zhao finds you an eyesore, I will ask you to leave just the same way."

As soon as she heard that, Huang Shan knew that she was asking him to leave. She didn't want to get in the way, so she said goodbye and just as she put her hand on the doorknob of Xiao Zhao's private room, she caught a glimpse of Yang Luo leaving the office and talking on the phone as he entered the elevator. It seemed that he was indeed busy with something.

With a forceful push, she opened the door to the private room. The curtains blocked out all the light, and colorful spotlights moved about in the dim, enclosed environment.

The music was so fast and powerful that it made people uneasy. On the sofa, the drunken CEO Zhao was holding a bottle of whiskey and was about to gulp it down.

She couldn't care less about anything else and rushed inside immediately.

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Author's Note: Kiyoshi: [Facepalm with laughter and tears][Facepalm with laughter and tears][Facepalm with laughter and tears]

Wen Qi: [Glasses][Glasses][Glasses]

Dani: [Melted][Eating melon seeds][Scared][Angry]

Yang Luo: My livelihood! [Fearful]