Chapter 2
Point it out, and I'll stand up for you.
Qi Yingjie's base is in northern Beijing, while Lu Junyan's is in Dongguan. The two are in the north and south respectively, and originally had no connection.
Four years ago, after Qi Yingjie's uncle took up a post in Dongguan, Qi Yingjie met Lu Junyan at a dinner party. Based on the idea of making money together, they became friends who benefited each other.
That same year, Qi Yingjie invested in an entertainment company called "Sanqian Media," which held a beauty pageant every year under the guise of casting. The selected girls were all fair-skinned, beautiful, and had long legs; they were also good at singing and dancing, and any few of them could easily form a group.
So people in the industry joked that Sanqian Media was basically his harem.
Qi Yingjie neither openly admitted nor denied it, and said nonchalantly, "Brothers are like hands and feet, women are like clothes. If any brother wants to change into new clothes, just tell me anytime. I may not have much else, but I have the most clothes, all kinds of styles."
A group of wealthy and powerful young men laughed as they listened, praising Young Master Qi for his generosity.
Sure enough, today Young Master Qi generously hosted a banquet for his friends at Hongyu Club, and even invited twelve beauties from Sanqian Media to accompany him.
However, he didn't let these people accompany him because he had already lost interest.
His mind was completely focused on Cheng Jiamo. After hanging up the phone, he said to Lu Junyan, "He Qingzhao will be here in ten minutes. You can talk to him later. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Shen Zechuan laughed and said, "What could possibly be wrong with you?"
Qi Yingjie brandished his phone and said with a roguish air, "On a date with a beautiful woman."
Lu Junyan raised his hand and pressed it down: "Sit down, let's finish discussing business before we go."
Shen Zechuan clicked his tongue: "What kind of stunning beauty would make Boss Qi put aside a nine-figure cooperation deal and make a special trip to meet her?"
The man who had previously suggested that Qi Yingjie take off his pants chimed in with a laugh, "Brother Jie, why don't you call over the beauties? It'll be a good opportunity for us to meet them too."
Others echoed this sentiment.
"Call him over, call him over."
"Brother Jie, call the beauty over."
Qi Yingjie wavered amidst his friends' teasing, and remembering Cheng Jiamo's repeated and unforgiving rejections, he sat back down on the sofa and sent a message to Cheng Jiamo.
Have you arrived yet?
Cheng Jiamo had already arrived and had been standing at the entrance of the club for several minutes, but she didn't dare to go in.
Looking at the magnificent high-end club, her legs felt like they were made of lead, and she couldn't move them.
At that moment, she was afraid, regretful, and wanted to turn around and leave.
But she knew in her heart that she couldn't leave. Even if it was a dangerous place, she had to go in today.
After she entered the club, a silver Bentley pulled up in front of it.
The car door opened, and a man in a black bespoke suit stepped out.
The man handed the car keys to the valet and strode into the clubhouse.
Led by a waiter, Cheng Jiamo arrived at the door of the VIP room on the second floor.
The waiter rang the doorbell, and Qi Yingjie's voice came from inside.
"What's up?"
"Mr. Qi, the girl who was looking for you has arrived," the waiter replied respectfully.
Qi Yingjie actually saw Cheng Jiamo through the screen, but he pretended not to know and asked, "Which girl is she? What's her name?"
The waiter thought to himself: Who else could it be but the one you personally instructed me to bring up?
Just as he was about to speak, Cheng Jiamo stepped forward, facing the video phone, and said in a clear voice, "Mr. Qi, it's me."
The door opened, and Qi Yingjie's voice came from inside: "Come in."
Cheng Jiamo stood at the doorway, looking at the dim and enchanting light and shadow inside the room, which made the people inside look like floating ghosts.
She didn't dare go in immediately; her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
After hesitating for a moment, she mustered her courage and went inside. Because of the dim light, she couldn't see where Qi Yingjie was sitting for a moment. She only saw that there were many people in the room, both men and women.
"Qi..." she was about to speak when a hand grabbed her arm.
She turned her head and saw Qi Yingjie's sinister and cold face hidden in the pale blue light, like a ghost from the underworld, extremely terrifying.
Qi Yingjie pinched her slender, soft arm, then quickly let go.
He withdrew his hand, leaned back, crossed his legs, and spoke to the person next to him while tilting one side of his body.
Cheng Jiamo stood in front of him across the gray coffee table. Seeing that he didn't even look at her or say anything, she felt more nervous than embarrassed.
"Mr. Qi, do you still stand by what you said before?" she asked, mustering her courage.
Qi Yingjie seemed to only then notice her, slowly turning his face to look at her, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"What did you say?"
Cheng Jiamo paused for a moment, then mustered her courage and said, "You said that as long as I come here, you will resolve my friend's loan issue."
Qi Yingjie picked up the Remy Martin bottle from the table, poured her a full glass of wine, and pushed it in front of her.
"Drink this glass of wine first."
Cheng Jiamo looked down at the glass of wine, paused for a moment, then bent down, picked it up, held the glass in both hands, and took a small sip.
She frowned after just one bite.
She rarely drinks alcohol, and when she dine with friends, she doesn't even drink beer much. For her, a strong alcohol content like Remy Martin is too high.
"Cough, cough..." She coughed repeatedly from the spiciness, tears streaming down her face. She forced back her discomfort and asked, "If I finish drinking it, will you help me?"
Qi Yingjie chuckled: "Silly child, you're the one begging me, not the other way around. The initiative is mine, not yours." He pointed a finger into the air, "This drink is just an admission ticket. Only after you finish it will you have the right to beg me."
Cheng Jiamo's lips moved, as if she wanted to refute, but she couldn't utter a rebuttal.
Qi Yingjie was right. She was the one who begged him, so he held the initiative and she had no right to bargain.
She held her wine glass, looking at him with a stubborn yet pitiful gaze.
"Okay, I'll drink it."
Shen Zechuan couldn't bear to watch and advised, "Why is Boss Qi getting so worked up over a young girl?"
Qi Yingjie turned to look at Shen Zechuan and chuckled cryptically, "What, Young Master Shen, have you taken a fancy to him?"
Shen Zechuan seemed startled and waved his hands repeatedly: "Boss Qi is joking. I was just saying it casually. Please continue."
Even if he did like this type, he wouldn't compete with Qi Yingjie for her.
He simply felt sorry for the little girl because she looked so delicate and pitiful, and he took pity on her and wanted to help her.
However, being in the world of fame and fortune, his kindness only goes so far; he can't give more.
After saying that, he sat down next to Lu Junyan.
Nevertheless, Cheng Jiamo still looked at him gratefully.
She didn't know him at all, so it was already quite kind of him to speak up for her in this situation.
Out of politeness, she didn't look at it for long; after just one glance, she lowered her head again.
Qi Yingjie saw her glance at Shen Zechuan with brimming eyes, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart. He sneered and said, "It seems that Little Jasmine is not sincerely asking me for help."
Cheng Jiamo looked up at Qi Yingjie, her lips moved, but she couldn't say a word.
She wouldn't say flattering words in the world of fame and fortune, and she couldn't bring herself to say anything obsequious.
At that moment, she stood blankly in front of Qi Yingjie, like someone who had lost her voice.
Before coming here, she had already prepared for something worse than drinking, but when it really came down to it, she still felt resistant and even disgusted.
Meeting Qi Yingjie's impatient gaze, she knew there was no way to avoid this drink, so she picked up the glass and prepared to drink.
Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open, and everyone inside sprang up from the sofa like springs, even Qi Yingjie stood up.
"Master He." Qi Yingjie hurriedly left the sofa, walked around the coffee table, and quickly went to greet him.
Cheng Jiamo turned around, her eyes widened suddenly, her hand trembled, and the wine glass fell to the ground, shattering into pieces, spilling wine all over the floor.
She stared at the newcomer with her mouth slightly agape, unable to believe her eyes.
The man was tall and straight, with an elegant and refined air. His face, which was originally gentle and refined, was now outlined with a sharp edge by the light and shadow.
He had his left hand in his pocket, a cigarette between two fingers of his right hand, and a faint smile on his lips.
Although he was smiling, he exuded an aloofness that seemed detached from worldly affairs.
Cheng Jiamo stared at him blankly, her nose stinging with tears, and her throat feeling like it was stuffed with a wad of cotton, making her feel choked and uncomfortable.
She hadn't cried when Qi Yingjie had made things difficult for her before, but now that she saw He Qingzhao, she felt like crying.
In that instant, she felt as if she had returned to that rainy dusk three years ago.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say "Sir, save me," but when she met He Qingzhao's completely unfamiliar gaze, her heart sank, and she realized that He Qingzhao didn't remember her at all.
The words of pleading for help reached his lips, but he silently swallowed them back.
Actually, He Qingzhao did remember something. Three years ago, he helped a little girl in Taijing, and he still remembered it to this day.
He simply couldn't remember what Cheng Jiamo looked like, so when he saw her, he couldn't connect that incident with her.
After all, three years had passed, and three years ago Cheng Jiamo was still very young, a naive and immature high school student. How could he have taken her to heart? In addition, he hadn't thought about her at all in these three years, so how could he remember her appearance?
Although he didn't recognize Cheng Jiamo, seeing her excited yet disappointed expression as she looked at him, he knew that this girl should know him, and thus he felt a pang of pity.
Most importantly, the little girl looked at him with a pitiful expression, her watery peach blossom eyes filled with indescribable emotions, which made his heart inexplicably soften.
On a whim, he strode over to Cheng Jiamo's side, placed the hand holding a cigarette on her shoulder, and leaned close to her ear in an ambiguous manner, his smile a mix of roguishness and flirtatiousness.
"Who bullied you just now? Point it out, and I'll stand up for you."
Before Qi Yingjie could speak, Lu Junyan interjected, "Boss He is joking. How could a few grown men like us possibly bully a little girl?"
He Qingzhao ignored Lu Junyan, removed his hand from Cheng Jiamo's shoulder, turned his head closer to her face, and said with a charmingly roguish smile, "Don't be afraid, tell me, has anyone bullied you?"
Cheng Jiamo felt the hot breath he exhaled as he spoke, which brushed against her face, making her cheeks burn. Her heart felt swollen and astringent, as if it had also been scalded by the heat.
His casual "Don't be afraid" reminded her of that rainy evening when she fell in front of him in a disheveled state, desperately asking him for help. He also told her "Don't be afraid," but his voice was gentler then, and his demeanor more dignified, unlike the somewhat frivolous and teasing tone he had now.
"No." She lowered her head and said softly, "Thank you, no one bullied me."
He Qingzhao straightened up and said with a half-smile, "It seems I've been meddling in other people's business."
Cheng Jiamo hurriedly raised her head, her voice choked with emotion, and said, "No, nothing."
She spoke quickly and urgently, afraid that if she spoke too slowly, he would misunderstand.
He Qingzhao gave a slight twitch of his lips, then turned to Qi Yingjie without speaking further, asking, "Is this how Boss Qi conducts business?"
Qi Yingjie waved his hand and said to the girls inside the room, "You all get out."
The twelve fair-skinned and beautiful women quickly walked out.
Cheng Jiamo stood still, her charming and captivating peach blossom eyes following He Qingzhao, lingering on him.
He Qingzhao turned his head and glanced at her: "Go outside and wait for me."
[Author's Note]
Please add this to your favorites, please keep adding it to your favorites, please love it, my darlings~
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