Chapter 94 The Banquet: A Battleground
Everyone remained calm and showed no signs of anything amiss.
It was as if the rumors about her recently ended marriage, Zhu Jin, and all those unsavory gossip never existed.
Everyone tacitly maintained a facade of harmony.
Shen Shuangmiao knew that this must have been arranged by Zhao Mobai in advance.
She held Zhao Mobai's arm, maintaining a distant and polite smile as she dealt with various people, but her heart was far from calm.
Although he has distanced himself from Zhu Jin, he has not distanced himself from this circle.
They were all from high society, and Shen Shuangmiao was extremely familiar with every face here.
It was as if she had never divorced Zhu Jin, and that she had come here with him today.
The more this was the case, the more Shen Shuangmiao understood that in these circles, the truth and the past were not important; what mattered was whose side you were standing on at that moment.
Just as everyone was toasting and exchanging pleasantries, a slight commotion arose at the entrance of the banquet hall, as if some important figure had arrived.
Everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to it.
Shen Shuangmiao also turned around and looked.
A black Rolls-Royce stopped at the entrance, the door opened, and a tall figure stepped out.
As the man slowly walked into the banquet hall, almost everyone gasped and instinctively held their breath.
It's Zhu Jin!
He actually came!
His forehead was bandaged, and his cheeks and the corners of his mouth still bore bruises that had not completely faded.
The most striking thing was his arm, which was still in a heavy cast and slinged across his chest. He was wearing a high-end black coat over it, and instead of looking disheveled, he exuded an even stronger aura.
He was so powerful that people could overlook the injuries on his body.
Zhu Jin had no expression, but his eyes were filled with a cold chill.
He stood tall with a steady gait, exuding an aura of authority that suggested he wasn't the one who had lost control and gone berserk in the bar the night before.
All eyes darted back and forth between him, Zhao Mobai, and Shen Shuangmiao with suspicion and uncertainty.
It was as if invisible sparks were crackling in the air. Everyone felt that something interesting was about to happen.
Shen Shuangmiao held her breath as she watched Zhu Jin, covered in unhealed wounds, calmly survey his surroundings.
"you……"
“I didn’t know he would come today.” Zhao Mobai interrupted her, already knowing what he wanted to ask.
No one present expected Zhu Jin to appear here.
Shen Shuangmiao bit her lip, unsure of what to say.
Just when she thought things would get better, the next thing she did kept pushing the boundaries of embarrassment.
Zhu Jin's gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on Zhao Mobai and Shen Shuangmiao.
Shen Shuangmiao's heart raced uncontrollably, and she instinctively tightened her grip on Zhao Mobai's arm, her fingertips turning slightly white.
Looking into Zhu Jin's cold eyes, alarm bells rang in her mind.
What is he doing here? Is he going to do something irrational in this situation?
Zhao Mobai sensed her tension and patted the back of her hand gently, signaling her to relax.
Immediately, a smile appeared on his face as he met Zhu Jin's gaze.
"President Zhu."
Zhao Mobai spoke first, his tone relaxed, as if he had simply encountered a business acquaintance.
"What a surprise! I didn't expect you to grace us with your presence. What's this on you...?"
He spoke with a pointed tone, his gaze sweeping over the gauze on Zhu Jin's forehead and his arm in a cast.
Zhu Jin stopped in front of the two.
His gaze swept over Shen Shuangmiao with extreme intensity.
But it was only for a moment.
Zhu Jin looked away, as if she were just an insignificant decoration.
He glanced at Zhao Mobai, a smile playing on his lips. "It was just a minor incident, no need for you to worry, Mr. Zhao. As for the party hosted by President Zuo, I naturally had to join in the fun, and by the way..."
He paused, picked up a glass of champagne from the waiter's tray, gestured slightly to Zhao Mobai, and stared sharply into Zhao Mobai's eyes.
"By the way, congratulations to Mr. Zhao, you have finally achieved your wish."
On the surface, Zhu Jin was congratulating Zhao Mobai on his engagement, but both men present knew that this was more like a warning before a declaration of war.
Zhao Mobai's smile remained unchanged as he casually picked up a glass of wine and lightly clinked glasses with him.
"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Zhu."
"I also wish you a speedy recovery and all the best."
The conversation between the two sounded polite and harmonious, even carrying a hint of mutual flattery.
Only those at the eye of the storm can feel the turbulent undercurrents beneath the calm surface.
Zhu Jin took a sip of wine, his gaze sweeping over Chen Shuangmiao again, this time lingering a little longer.
He looked at Zhao Mobai and slowly uttered a few words in a volume that only the three of them could hear.
"Mr. Zhao, the business world is ever-changing. Just because something is in your hands temporarily doesn't mean it will always be yours. Things you keep too close to are more likely to break."
His tone was threatening.
"As for the rest..."
Zhu Jin's gaze swept over Shen Shuangmiao, instantly turning pale, and the coldness at the corners of his mouth deepened.
"We have a long future ahead of us, let's wait and see."
After saying that, Zhu Jin drank the rest of the wine in his glass without waiting for Zhao Mobai's response. He then placed the empty glass back on the waiter's tray and turned to walk towards the banquet hall entrance without looking back.
From beginning to end, he did not say a single word to Shen Shuangmiao.
There were no questions, no entanglements, and he didn't even glance at her again.
That's how he arrived.
Covered in injuries, he exchanged a few words with Zhao Mobai before leaving so decisively, leaving behind a room full of whispers and countless speculations.
Shen Shuangmiao frowned, completely dumbfounded.
What exactly does he mean? What does he want to do?
As Shen Shuangmiao watched Zhu Jin's resolute departure, she suddenly felt uneasy for some reason.
As Zhao Mobai watched the direction where Zhu Jin disappeared, the smile on his face gradually faded.
He gently swirled the wine in his glass, the liquid reflecting a hazy luster under the light. Suddenly, he let out a soft sigh, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible helplessness.
"Looks like the thing I finally set my sights on has been targeted by someone else."
Zhao Mobai's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.
Upon hearing this, Shen Shuangmiao was jolted awake from her thoughts.
She looked at Zhao Mobai, subconsciously trying to understand what he was saying.
"Is it the Zhu Group? Was he threatening you just now, saying he would harm the Zhao family's business?"
Zhao Mobai turned his head to look at her, his eyes dark and unreadable.
He neither admitted nor denied it, but simply smiled meaningfully.
"Perhaps, business, or something else."
Hearing his vague answer, Shen Shuangmiao's heart sank even further.
She couldn't feel at ease at all.
Is Zhu Jin really planning to go to any lengths, even resorting to business tactics, to harass her or get revenge on Zhao Mobai?
Shen Shuangmiao felt an inescapable fear, and even her palms were sweating.
Zhao Mobai suddenly asked, "If he really wants to deal with the Zhao family one day, who will you help?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
