Chapter 62 Indulging Your Arrogance: One Card Swipe Explodes Hong Kong
Lin Lexin couldn't understand Xie Qingci's sudden change of heart; she had been hesitant about going to a bar just a moment ago, but now she wanted to stay out all night.
But she didn't need to understand, and readily agreed: "Okay!"
Putting down her phone, Xie Qingci glanced at her empty water glass. Most of the people in the CEO's office had gone to the conference room, so she could finally walk out without being stared at.
The intern secretary who stayed behind saw her come out, glanced at the water glass in her hand, and hurriedly reached out to take it from her: "Let me help you."
She smiled and said, "No need, I'll move around a bit. You keep going."
The other person's gaze lingered on her smiling lips, and then they smiled too, blushing slightly for some reason, and softly replied, "Okay."
Liang Jingzhuo's office occupied an entire floor, and most employees were attending meetings, so even the break room was very quiet.
While getting water, Xie Qingci looked at the various afternoon tea items on the tea table, from coffee and milk tea to desserts and sweet soups, and all kinds of snacks, which were laid out to the brim.
I recall Ke Meng saying that computer science students' first career choice after graduation is to work for Liang's company.
The benefits were indeed good; at noon, she and Liang Jingzhuo ate the staff group meal together, which was also the highest standard.
After filling the water container, just as I was about to turn around, a slightly surprised voice suddenly came from behind me, "Xie Qingci?"
Xie Qingci turned around and looked over, holding the water glass.
Zhou Huai was holding a dark blue folder. After she turned around, the uncertain look on his face disappeared, and he smiled, "You look just like me from behind. It really is."
Xie Qingci smiled, nodded, and glanced at the folder in his hand. "Here for a meeting?"
He waved what he was holding and laughed, "No, I'm here to submit a set of data for review."
After saying that, he looked at the water glass in her hand, "You are..."
He stopped mid-sentence, as if suddenly remembering something, smiled, and cut off the conversation.
An employee responsible for liaising with the technical department came over from behind and asked, "Mr. Zhou, are you sending data?"
He turned around, smiled gently, and said, "Yes."
He handed over the folder, explained a few details, and said gently, "Thank you for your help."
The other person smiled, said it was no big deal, and left with the folder.
Xie Qingci watched as their negotiations ended and was about to say goodbye when Zhou Huai strode into the tea room and pointed to the tea counter behind her.
He said in a humorous tone, "We're out of mango pomelo sago over there, so a colleague from my group asked me to come and grab a few servings."
Although the logistics team said they would replenish the data immediately, a group of people were getting impatient. Seeing that he was coming to deliver the data, they asked him to check if there were any spares in the president's office break room, and if so, to bring a few copies so that the logistics team could replenish them later and then exchange them for the missing data.
Xie Qingci glanced at the dessert plate beside her and smiled, replying, "Okay."
Holding her cup, she was about to walk past him towards the door when the person next to her suddenly spoke again: "Are you a junior now?"
She could only stop once again and reply, "Yes."
Zhou Huai nodded, picked up a few servings of mango pomelo sago from the tray and put them aside, then asked, "When did you get married?"
The topic changed so quickly that Xie Qingci paused for a moment, looked at the other person's gaze, and suddenly understood something. She smiled slightly and said, "This year."
After saying that, he gestured towards the door, "You're busy, I'll go now," and then didn't linger.
The meeting room door was separated from the tea room by an office area. When the meeting ended, Deng Bo'an followed Liang Jingzhuo out.
As soon as I stepped out the door, I saw the person in front of me stop.
The sudden stop caught him off guard, and he nearly bumped into his back. He managed to stop in time, frowning in annoyance: "What are you doing?"
If he hadn't stopped in time, he would have crashed into her, and it would have been like the Titanic's "you jump, I jump" scenario.
Liang Jingzhuo didn't say anything. He walked out from behind him and looked in the direction where Liang Jingzhuo's gaze was fixed.
In the break room, the young proprietress, whom they had just met that morning, was chatting with a man of similar age.
Deng Bo'an paused for a moment, narrowed his eyes, and recognized the man beside her: "Dr. Campbell's prized student?"
After saying that, he thought for a moment and asked, "Zhou Huai?"
Liang Jingzhuo shifted her gaze back to him and asked, "Do you know him?"
Deng Bo'an felt a chill run down his spine under his gaze. "What kind of look is that? You can't even have a casual chat with people, can you?"
After speaking, he gestured towards the tea room, "Of course I know him. While you were away on your business trip, a piece of code in the project team had a problem. Dr. Campbell wasn't here, and he was the one who solved it. I even know about his achievements. You were personally overseeing the project, weren't you? How could you not know that?"
Liang Jingzhuo was away on a business trip recently, and the critical phase of the project had already passed. He delegated many tasks to various departments for follow-up, and she no longer participates unless there are major changes or alterations.
I really don't know.
Judging from his expression, Deng Bo'an knew that he really couldn't find any information. He crossed his arms and clicked his tongue. "Seriously, why don't we just poach the project team? We've already spent so much on hiring Dr. Campbell, so we don't mind spending another penny, right? I think this handsome guy has a bright future. Even Engineer Yu said he's never seen anyone with such talent."
Everyone in the Liang family knows that the specially appointed team was hired at great expense, and their professional skills are beyond question. However, even Yu Gong, the head of the technical team who has worked at Liang family for decades, praised such talents, which is indeed rare in recent years.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Xie Qingci came out of the tea room. Liang Jingzhuo didn't respond and continued walking towards his office.
Deng Bo'an looked blankly at Zhou Huai, who was still in the tea room.
He first denied the conjecture that someone would be so audacious as to try to seduce the boss's wife, saying there was only one possibility: her ex-boyfriend or her "white moonlight" (ideal love).
Otherwise, why would some people care?
When Liang Jingzhuo returned to his office, Xie Qingci was already sitting on the sofa. Seeing him push the door open and come in, she looked up and casually asked, "Is the meeting over?"
He responded with a "Hmm," walked back to his desk, put down the documents in his hand, and sat down.
There was still time, so Xie Qingci planned to do another set of practice questions. As she picked up her pen to flip through the questions, her gaze inadvertently fell on the person sitting behind the desk who didn't seem to be busy with anything.
He slowly turned his head to look and realized that the man was leaning back in his chair, watching him the whole time.
She blinked twice and asked him, "What's wrong?"
Liang Jingzhuo looked at her for a moment, then replied, "It's nothing." He looked away and continued to review the documents.
Xie Qingci pursed her lips, finding him strange.
Lin Lexin arrived around 5 PM with her driver to pick up Xie Qingci. She didn't go upstairs but instead texted her saying she was downstairs.
Xie Qingci glanced at the message, packed her things, and looked up at Liang Jingzhuo, who was still focused on his work. "Lexin is here. I'm going to find her?"
The person who was hunched over the desk finally looked up, glanced at her, and said, "Tell me when you're done."
Xie Qingci's cheeks flushed involuntarily for a moment. She mumbled a reply, picked up her bag, and went out.
Liang Jingzhuo watched Xie Qingci's figure disappear into the elevator entrance before turning his gaze away. After a moment of hesitation, he picked up his pen again.
-
Xie Qingci came downstairs, and Lin Lexin had already seen her first, sticking her head out from the back seat of the nanny van and waving excitedly at her.
She smiled in response, walked over, and bowed as she got into the car.
"I thought my brother wouldn't let you out."
Seeing that she was seated, Lin Lexin instructed the driver to drive and handed her a drink that she had just bought in Wan Chai.
When I was chatting with Xie Qingci yesterday, she mentioned that she was going to bring her a super awesome bubble tea shop today.
Xie Qingci took it, thanked him, and thought about how Liang Jingzhuo hadn't said anything when she came out, not even a hint of hesitation. "Did you tell him where we were going?"
In the morning, Lin Lexin assured everyone that she would handle everything.
Lin Lexin was holding a small mirror, touching up her lipstick which had smudged a bit from drinking milk tea. She stopped what she was doing when she heard this and turned to look at her.
"Oh no, I forgot to tell him."
After saying that, she didn't even touch up her makeup, picked up her phone, and said, "I'll talk to him now."
Xie Qingci watched her turn on her phone, "Hmm... maybe we shouldn't talk about it for now?"
Lin Lexin paused for a second, met her gaze, and chuckled, "Yeah, what if they come and arrest me, saying I corrupted you, and beat me up?"
He immediately put down his phone and decided to stop talking.
Xie Qingci smiled and said, "I think so too."
And it's highly likely that it won't just be Lin Lexin; she might also get "beaten up."
It's better not to say anything.
It was still early, before the bar opened, so Lin Lexin took Xie Qingci to wander through the streets and alleys, trying all the Hong Kong-style snacks hidden in every nook and cranny.
Lin Lexin has been hanging out in this area since elementary school, and she knows exactly which shop has the most authentic shaved ice and which has the best cheesecake.
The two strolled around until dusk. Xie Qingci had an iced lemon tea in her left hand, a soft serve of ice cream in her right, and a fried pork chop bun hooked on her little finger. She really couldn't eat anymore.
Lin Lexin took a sip of ice cream and said that there was another French toast place up ahead that was very good, with condensed milk, it was super delicious!
Xie Qingci looked at the food in her hand and shook her head. "I can't eat anymore. If you want to eat, just buy what you want. I'll pay."
As the host, Lin Lexin naturally wouldn't let Xie Qingci spend money, but after hearing that it was Liang Jingzhuo's card, she became quite unceremonious.
She touched her lower lip and thought for a moment, "Never mind, the place that sells pork chop buns only accepts cash."
If they don't accept credit cards, then there's no need to go.
Xie Qingci laughed, "I have cash on hand."
Lin Lexin turned to look at her, "Is it my brother's?"
She shook her head. "No."
Before each trip, she would exchange some cash to have on hand, as the situation on Hong Kong Island is somewhat unique, with more places requiring cash compared to the Jingzhao Association.
The person in front of him, who had been looking at him with anticipation, immediately shook his head upon hearing this, "Then no thanks."
After saying that, he took her arm and continued walking forward. "Let me tell you, don't be stingy with a man's money. Spend it when you should. If you don't spend your money on your wife, who will you spend it on? Besides, Hong Kong has a system of separate property ownership. Save your own money and don't be shy, just use his card."
She turned her head and pointed to the supplementary card Liang Jingzhuo had given her, "Just this one, it'll be enough to max out Hong Kong Island!"
Xie Qingci glanced down at the card she had just taken out when paying the bill but hadn't had time to put it in her bag yet, and smiled, "This is a supplementary card, it has a limit."
Lin Lexin opened her eyes upon hearing this, choking on the milky liquid in the ice cream. "Who told you it was a supplementary card? Where's my brother?"
Actually, no. That day, Liang Jingzhuo only told her that he had left her a card, but didn't say it was a supplementary card.
She only uses it when she comes to Hong Kong Island; in Beijing, she uses her own card.
He shook his head. "No, it should be a secondary card, but he didn't say."
We can't just give her the main card directly, can we?
Lin Lexin laughed and pointed to the special code, "The main card."
He looked at her and wrinkled his nose, saying, "That's why I said, it's no problem for it to go viral in Hong Kong."
Then, with a wicked grin, he said, "How about we buy a building now? When you graduate and come to Hong Kong, you can become a landlady."
Xie Qingci laughed, pursed her lips, and nodded with a serious expression. "I think it's okay."
Although Liang Jingzhuo's last batch of overseas assets was transferred to her name last week, she is now richer than him in terms of assets being divided equally.
-
During dinner, Liang Jingzhuo ate the same group meal as before, and his phone, which was on the table, kept popping up with notifications of bank card withdrawals.
There were dozens, ranging from a dozen to several hundred entries, large and small.
He glanced at it briefly and then closed the notification.
Deng Bo'an, sitting to the side, also saw the notification. "Has it gone viral all over Hong Kong Island?"
From Central to Wan Chai and then to Causeway Bay, and now we're off to Tsim Sha Tsui.
Without a doubt, it was Lin Lexin who planned and planned the trip. This girl is always witty and clever, and is known as the all-knowing expert of Hong Kong Island.
Liang Jingzhuo didn't reply, put down her phone and continued eating slowly.
Deng Bo'an spotted a cafe in Tsim Sha Tsui with his sharp eyes, and when he looked down at the food in front of him, which, despite being prepared by a five-star chef, suddenly seemed rather tasteless.
I couldn't help but sigh, "My life is so hard. My friend just sent me pictures of food, and she used my card too."
She then added with a touch of self-pity, "Men!"
Liang Jingzhuo's usually calm face showed a change when he heard the word "BB". He turned his head and asked, "Can I leave from my rest area?"
Deng Bo'an asked reluctantly, "What are you doing?"
Liang Jingzhuo looked at him indifferently, "You're making me lose my appetite."
"..."
-
The location was the newly opened bar that Lin Lexin had mentioned before. The new store was quite lively with lots of drinks and promotions, so Lin Lexin immediately signed up for a membership card.
Xie Qingci resolutely refused to drink alcohol. Learning from her previous experience, she had made up her mind that she would never drink alcohol in Liang Jingzhuo's presence.
Lin Lexin held up the drinks menu. "What about cocktails? I don't drink hard liquor, I can't handle that either."
Xie Qingci looked at the drink menu and wavered a bit under Lin Lexin's persuasion. They were already at a bar, and drinking juice and eating fruit platters seemed a bit out of place.
After hesitating for a while, he nodded and raised his index finger, "I'll only drink one."
Lin Lexin laughed and said, "OK!"
Lin Lexin had a decent alcohol tolerance; after drinking a regular cocktail, she started browsing the daily menu. Xie Qingci ordered a gin and tonic and slowly drank it for a while.
Lin Lexin mostly drinks short drinks, finishing one in ten minutes. Xie Qingci, biting her straw, stared in shock at the eighteen-year-old girl who was smacking her lips and continuing to look at the menu.
"Lexin, you can hold your liquor so well?"
I've already had three drinks in half an hour, and now I'm going to order a fourth one.
Lin Lexin looked up and smiled brightly: "Yes, I often drink red wine with my mom at home."
After saying that, she raised her hand to cover her lips and whispered, "I can only come to the bar to drink after I turned eighteen at the beginning of the year, and I always get my ID checked!"
Hong Kong Island does indeed have very strict controls in this regard, Xie Qingci laughed, "You do look very young."
The bar was dimly lit. Lin Lexin glanced at her and laughed, "You're only two years older than me, you're young too."
After saying that, he called over a waiter and ordered another drink, and continued, "My brother will be so bored. He'll probably just drink Whisky or Martell at the bar."
Xie Qingci took a sip of her drink, then looked up at him. She had always thought that Liang Jingzhuo wouldn't like coming to places like this. "Does he come to bars often?"
Thinking of his well-stocked liquor cabinet at home, he probably doesn't need to come to a bar.
Lin Lexin took a bite of fruit from the fruit plate. "I don't know. I only remember running into him at the entrance of a bar three years ago."
Xie Qingci asked in confusion, "Three years ago?"
Lin Lexin nodded, "Yes, I was shopping with my classmates and ran into him coming out of a bar. I asked my mom and she said that something had happened at the company around that time, so I guess he was probably in a bad mood."
Xie Qingci took a sip from her straw and thought for a moment. Suddenly, she recalled what he had told her that day: his initial stage of joining the group was not smooth, and there was a lot of internal impeachment against him.
If you calculate the time, it was three years ago.
"Did he go abroad to pursue an MBA later?"
Lin Lexin looked on in surprise, "You knew about this? He told you?"
Xie Qingci said, "It wasn't that he brought it up on his own initiative."
He probably wouldn't have brought this up if he hadn't mentioned that he had met her before.
Lin Lexin laughed, "I knew it. A man like my brother would never show his vulnerable side in front of his wife."
Xie Qingci smiled, recalling Ke Meng's previous assessment of Liang Jingzhuo's abrupt retirement: "Such an iron-fisted and influential man has been out of the historical stage for two years."
However, after returning to the Liang family, his style of doing things changed slightly, becoming more gentle, but his decisive core remained unchanged.
Xie Qingci was silent for a moment, recalling their long time together. He always seemed mature and composed in front of her, so steady that it made her feel at ease. He would solve the problem and arrange it before handing it to her, so she didn't have to worry about it.
The bar lights flickered, and she rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
-
After the initial phase of the project was over, the work of the entire project team was no longer as busy as before, and Liang Jingzhuo also stopped working overtime like crazy.
After dinner and a meeting, I went home from get off work.
Lu Li asked him if he was going straight back.
He sat in the car for a moment, lost in thought, and remembered that when he got off work earlier, several secretaries from the president's office had invited him to go out for a stroll later, as there was an art museum nearby with an exhibition.
Having been with Xie Qingci for so long, apart from having seen her paintings at her home before, he seemed to know nothing about her.
They couldn't really talk about anything beyond their daily conversations. In fact, she had been thinking for a long time about whether she should take some time to learn about the art world and create some common topics with her.
He glanced at the still-early sky outside the car window and replied, "No thanks, do you know of any art galleries nearby with exhibitions?"
Lu Li dealt with the secretariat every day and knew that there was an art museum exhibition recently, so he replied, "I know, I've heard about it."
He nodded. "We'll go there."
Lu Li paused for a moment, as if he didn't quite understand, and replied, "Okay."
-
The bar's nightlife was in full swing, bustling with activity. Performances began, with handsome young men in suits and shirts dancing energetically on stage, their white shirts soaked and clinging to their skin, revealing glimpses of their abs, which made Lin Lexin scream wildly from the side.
Xie Qingci held her breath as she watched, and as the dance became more and more unrestrained and sexy, she felt waves of heat rising on her face.
There was no mention of this program.
Hsieh Ching-Tzu had never seen anything like this before and was a little embarrassed to look directly at the stage, but she also felt that if she was too coy, she would seem out of place. So she sat stiffly on the sofa with a smile and watched Lin Le-Hsin having a blast on the side.
They also realized that it was the right thing to not tell Liang Jingzhuo and the others that they were coming to the bar beforehand.
How could he possibly see that?
Wouldn't that really mean we're doomed?
Finally, when the muscular man on stage started unbuttoning his shirt and dancing blindfolded, she lowered her head.
I really can't take it anymore.
He picked up the glass on the table and pretended to be dead while drinking.
The music started playing, and the atmosphere in the entire bar was energized, creating a lively scene.
After the dance ended, Lin Lexin, though not on stage, felt as if she had danced the whole thing herself. Covered in sweat, she sat back on the sofa, took a sip of iced wine, and said she would come back with her roommates another day.
"Instead of looking at the greasy male students in our school, you might as well come and see free abs."
As she was about to pick up her phone to share with her friends, she saw that her mother had called her and sent her an unread message during a break from her "dance".
She exclaimed "Huh?" Before leaving, she had mentioned that she was going out with her sister-in-law, so she shouldn't have been urged to go home.
While pondering what it was about, he suddenly contacted her at this moment, opened the unread message, and was then stunned. He then abruptly looked up at Xie Qingci beside him.
Xie Qingci held her glass and turned to look at the bartender standing behind the bar, who was performing flair bartending for the customers. Lin Lexin's sudden movement of looking up drew her attention back.
He turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Lexin looked shocked and bewildered. "My mom just told me that she saw my brother at the hospital, and it looks like he was injured."
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Author's note: There should be a [yellow heart][yellow heart] at 20:30 tomorrow.
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