Chapter 111: Celebration Banquet (Part 2)
Everyone sat down with smiles on their faces and continued to clink glasses. The topic shifted from the "lawyer friend" to the future development of the company, filled with excitement of surviving the disaster and longing for the future.
No one noticed that in the midst of the laughter and noise just now, Yu Ling, by bending over to pick up the thermos, very naturally and unnoticeably approached Mr. Zhao who was still blushing and wanted to bury his head in the plate.
Her red lips were almost touching his crimson earlobe, and her warm breath, with a hint of sweetness and mischief, was like the lightest feather brushing past:
"Mr. Zhao..." Her voice was extremely low, with a whisper that only the two of them could hear, like a murmur between lovers, "Next time before you make up an excuse like 'lawyer friend'..."
She paused slightly, and with the tip of her nose, she sniffed the collar of his shirt, which was near his neck, almost imperceptibly, with a movement so quick it seemed like an illusion. Then, with a knowing smile, she continued to whisper:
"Remember to get your suit dry-cleaned first. The smell of the burning circuit boards at the Qixia Mountain Villa... the smoke mixed with the smell of burnt high-grade insulation material is quite strong. It's a bit off-putting for an 'ordinary office worker' to get on it."
"boom--!"
The moment Zhao Chen heard the words "Qixia Mountain" and "gun smoke," his body felt like it had been struck by a high-voltage electric current! He froze! The blush that had just receded a little suddenly surged back in an even more turbulent manner! Even the base of his neck was red!
He turned his head suddenly, his eyes widened behind the glasses, with an expression of incredible shock and a hint of panic of being exposed on the spot, staring at Yu Ling who was so close to him and smiling like a cunning fox!
Yu Ling, however, sat up straight as if nothing had happened, picked up the thermos cup, and slowly drank a sip of brown sugar water, as if the earth-shattering whisper just now had never happened.
Even under his horrified gaze, she gracefully picked up the last peeled shrimp on his plate with her fork, put it into her mouth, savored it carefully, then winked at him and mouthed silently:
"He peels the shrimp well, more reliable than 'Lawyer Friend'."
Zhao Chen: “…………”
He felt a surge of heat rising from the soles of his feet to the top of his head! His ears were buzzing! The clattering of wine and the laughter of his colleagues seemed to be blocked by a thick layer of frosted glass!
All his calmness, all his pretense, completely crumbled in the face of Yu Ling's casual whisper and that knowing look! All that was left was immense embarrassment and a panicked feeling of being completely controlled by his own wife, with nowhere to hide!
He suddenly lowered his head, almost burying his face in the plate in front of him, and frantically reached for the glass of water, trying to cool the scorching heat on his face with ice water. As he did so, the expensive watch on his wrist struck the rim of the glass, making a crisp sound.
"Mr. Zhao, why is your face so red? Is the air conditioner too hot?" a director nearby asked with concern.
"Ah? Ah! It's... it's a bit hot! This champagne is quite strong!" Zhao Chen spoke incoherently. He picked up the water glass and took a big gulp. As a result, he choked on the ice water and coughed repeatedly. His face, which had finally faded a little, turned red again, causing a burst of good-natured laughter from those around him.
Yu Ling looked at his miserable state, and the smile in her eyes spread like spring water, almost overflowing from her eyes. She suppressed her smile and considerately picked up the napkin and handed it to him.
"Drink slowly, no one is competing with you." Her voice was gentle, with a hint of anger, but the mischief in her eyes could not be hidden.
Zhao Chen took the napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth carelessly, not daring to look her in the eye. He felt like a clown performing a poor magic trick on stage, only to have all his tricks exposed by his closest audience!
The cunning of a billionaire! The majesty of the dark night emperor! Before Yu Ling's eyes that seemed to see through everything, everything vanished into thin air!
He could only resign himself to his fate, stiffly picking up his knife and fork, and fiercely stabbed at the innocent piece of steak on the plate, as if venting his anger. Only one thought was frantically flashing through his mind:
It's over! He's exposed! Even though it was just a small amount of information, I can't live with this anymore! The difficulty level of this "ordinary husband" script is too high!
The banquet continued in a lively atmosphere. Yu Ling calmly responded to the toasts and congratulations from all sides, chatting and laughing, showing the demeanor of a chairman.
Zhao Chen, who was sitting next to her, had completely turned into a quiet background board, concentrating on eating. Occasionally when his name was called, he would just respond vaguely, avoiding her gaze, completely losing his usual gentleness and composure.
As the banquet was drawing to a close, Yu Ling got up and went to the bathroom to touch up her makeup.
In the luxurious women's restroom, softly lit, Yu Ling carefully applied her lipstick in front of a large mirror. Her expression in the mirror held the composure of a victor, with a subtle hint of sweetness.
At this moment, the bathroom door reflected in the mirror was gently pushed open.
Zhao Chen appeared at the door, somewhat awkwardly. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before stepping in, hanging a "Cleaning in Progress" sign on the door and locking it.
Suddenly, they were the only two people left in the bathroom.
Yu Ling looked at him in the mirror, raised her eyebrows, said nothing, and continued to apply lipstick slowly.
Zhao Chen walked a few steps behind her, very close. He took a deep breath and seemed to want to say something, but when he saw Yu Ling's half-smile in the mirror, he instantly lost his temper, and the blush on his face that had just faded away came back with a vengeance.
He tugged at his tie irritably, his movements tinged with childish annoyance. After a while, he spoke in a low, hoarse voice that was extremely frustrated, extremely helpless, and a bit resigned:
"Is that smell of gunpowder really that obvious?" His tone was filled with incredible frustration.
Yu Ling put on her lipstick, pursed her lips, turned around, and faced him directly. She tilted her head slightly and looked him up and down, her eyes as if she were admiring an interesting work of art.
"Hmm..." She deliberately prolonged her tone, with a hint of mischievous scrutiny, "Actually, if you don't smell it carefully, you can't smell it."
Zhao Chen was just about to breathe a sigh of relief.
"It's only slightly more obvious than the difference between truffles and shiitake mushrooms." Yu Ling added slowly, a smile spreading across her eyes.
"Yu Ling!" Zhao Chen's defense was instantly broken, and he growled in anger and shame, reaching out to grab her and give her a "teach-in"!
Yu Ling deftly dodged backward, leaning against the cold sink, a smile blooming on her face. She raised the silver thermos cup in her hand, waving it at him like a victory flag.
"Mr. Zhao, please be aware of your identity! This is the women's restroom! Be careful or I'll have security kick you, an 'ordinary employee', out!"
Looking at her smug look, as if she had all the leverage over him, Zhao Chen felt both angry and amused, with a surge of anger and an inexplicable pampering surging in his chest.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the urge to press her on the sink and severely "punish" her, and whispered through gritted teeth:
"Okay... okay... lawyer friends, right? Truffles and mushrooms, right? The smell of gunpowder from Qixia Mountain, right? Chairman Yu, you... you just wait!"
After saying this harsh word which had no deterrent effect, he turned around and wanted to escape from the battlefield where he had lost his dignity.
"Wait." Yu Ling's voice came from behind with a smile.
Zhao Chen paused and turned back unhappily: "What?"
Yu Ling walked forward and put the thermos cup in her hand into his arms, her movements as natural as breathing.
"We're running low on strategic supplies." She tilted her head back, the light dancing in her clear eyes, and said in a coquettish manner that was almost rogue, "Chef Zhao, if there's half a mushroom in tonight's truffle chicken stew..."
She paused deliberately, stood on tiptoe, put her red lips close to his still red earlobe, and whispered softly:
"I'll hang that battle robe in your suit closet, stained with the 'smell of gunpowder from my lawyer friends,' in the Xinghui Building's boardroom for display!"
Zhao Chen: “!!!”
He held the warm thermos cup like a hot potato, feeling the heavy weight of the "strategic material" in his arms and the gentle yet demonic whisper of threats in his ears. Then he looked at the pretty face before him, smiling like a cat that had successfully stolen some meat...
Zhao Chen took a deep breath, and then another deep breath.
Finally, he closed his eyes resignedly and squeezed out a word from between his teeth:
"……stew!"
Holding the thermos cup, he pushed the door open and walked out with heavy steps and without looking back, with the lingering smoke of gunpowder and the tragic feeling of about to rush to the kitchen battlefield.
The back view is filled with the desolation of an "ordinary husband" who is completely controlled by his own chairman's wife and has no desire to live.
Yu Ling looked at his back as he almost ran away, and finally couldn't help it. She held on to the sink and bent over with laughter.
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