Chapter 7
It's unclear whether Li Junqian realized his behavior that day was too much, but he hasn't appeared at the company or in front of her for some time now. Anyway, Liang Shide hasn't seen him for half a month; all business communication has been via email.
However, to her surprise, half a month later, Li Junqian invited her and Gu Feng to lunch.
Moreover, it's a Western restaurant where even lunch is by reservation only.
It's truly luxurious and grand, quite in line with this young master's taste.
Liang Shi lowered his head and typed on his phone, pretending to be busy with work.
"Suzie, what would you like to eat?"
She didn't want to talk to Li Junqian, so she said in a cold tone, "I don't have any dietary restrictions, so you can order whatever you think is best for me."
Luckily, Gu Feng, the king of warming up the crowd, was there, otherwise she probably would have just performed a short act and left on the spot.
"How's it going with your situation with Cha Junjun? I heard your 'Little Princess Card' has been frozen? Apparently, they can't even leave the house?"
Upon hearing the name Cha Junjun, Liang Shi's typing stopped abruptly. Gu Feng's three questions seemed to indicate something important.
Could it be that Li Junqian broke up with his girlfriend?
She placed her phone face down on the table, rested her chin on one hand, and joined the group chat.
"Did Mr. Li have a fight with his girlfriend?"
Gu Feng, with the air of a gossip king, said, "Tsk, this is more than just awkward! That little princess got drunk at a bar and was persuaded to smoke marijuana. When she got carried away, she called Karsten to come and pay the bill. Tsk, that kind of woman is practically defiling my brother, okay? Good thing you broke up with her!"
After ordering, Li Junqian returned the menu to the waiter, leaned back in his chair, and looked a little tired.
"Let's not dwell on the past, it's pointless."
Gu Feng picked up a piece of bread and broke it into small pieces with his hands to eat: "Just these few days and it's already over? That little sister spent some time with you, don't you even remember the past? But seriously, if Cha Junjun hadn't done something stupid, you really wouldn't have been able to get rid of this rich heiress. How about it? Isn't it great to be single again?"
Li Junqian only ever saw Cha Junjun as a little sister, so how could he possibly be single again?
"It's much easier now. Suzie, what kind of salad would you like?"
Liang Shi rolled her eyes inwardly. Why did this man always try to change the subject by teasing her? She had clearly told him that he didn't have any dietary restrictions.
"Salmon, I guess."
Gu Feng was clearly still curious about his good friend's love life: "Your brother should have nothing to say about you and Cha Junjun, right? You insisted on having Cha Junjun accompany you to Iceland. Tsk, he won't dare to pressure you anymore now."
"Frankl, if you don't shut up, I'm getting my car back!"
Sure enough, cars are men's favorite toys. Gu Feng took a sip of water and made a zipping motion near his mouth.
So, Li Junqian originally didn't want to take Cha Junjun to Iceland for vacation? Liang Shi stared at him for a moment. He looked refined and his tone wasn't fierce, so why did his words carry so much weight? It was really a little intimidating. Gu Feng was clearly the general manager, so why was he so afraid of Li Junqian, the vice president?
She shifted her gaze to the window; if she continued to stare at him, she might become even more unable to extricate herself.
Suddenly, two people appeared before him. The woman, dressed in an extremely sensual office lady outfit, was pulled along by a man half a head shorter than her. Upon seeing the woman's face, Liang Shi exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that Frankl's secretary?"
Gu Feng saw it too and slammed his hand on the table: "Damn it, who is this? Daring to bully my secretary? You guys eat first, I'll go help."
Soon, Gu Feng appeared outside the restaurant, but by then the two people had already gone far away. Gu Feng chased after them, and only from her angle could she see Gu Feng's back.
"Frankl seems to have a special feeling for this secretary?"
“Zhou Yun is indeed extraordinary. I told Frankl a long time ago that the two of them were a good match, but he just wouldn’t listen.”
Liang Shi thought to himself, "Aside from their good looks, the playboy is completely unworthy of this little white rabbit, isn't he?"
"Do you men all like the type like Secretary Zhou?" she asked, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at him.
Unfortunately, before he could even speak, an uninvited guest arrived.
"What a coincidence, Karsten. Tsk, this pretty lady isn't another blind date your mom arranged for you, is she? Even though my sister made a mistake, you should at least still have some feelings for her. There's no need to go on a blind date right after breaking up with her, is there? If my sister knew, she'd probably cry her eyes out. But I can't blame you, Junjun really made a big mistake this time..."
Cha Junjun's brother? Liang Shi thought, they really are a family, they all talk a lot.
"Let me introduce you. This is Liang Shi, the company's new creative director. This is Cha Zhengyu, the young master of Haixing Entertainment. Frankl just left because of something. Shall we sit down and have something to eat?"
"Oh, so he's one of your subordinates. If it's not a date, then I'll just mooch a meal off you."
Liang Shizhen admired Li Junqian; when someone misunderstood, he easily cleared things up with a single sentence. And what about Cha Zhengyu? A restaurant with reservations, and he just sat down anywhere? Doesn't he care about the people he made the reservations for?
Wait, an appointment system? Li Junqian couldn't possibly have specifically invited her and Gu Feng to dinner, right? So, is it possible that he originally intended to invite Cha Junjun to dinner, but something happened to her...?
Cha Zhengyu snapped his fingers in front of her, and she snapped out of her reverie: "Excuse me, I was just thinking about work. What did you say?"
Cha Zhengyu leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on the back of Li Junqian's chair, the other fiddling with the tablecloth, looking every bit the carefree young master.
"I mean, Miss Liang is so beautiful, why don't you consider switching jobs to Haixing? I'll personally promote you, you're definitely a rising star."
They really are siblings; they say the same things.
"Sorry, I'm allergic to cameras. I get nervous whenever a camera is on me."
After she finished speaking, she touched her nose. It hadn't grown longer, so it wasn't a lie.
But then, Li Junqian across from him started laughing? What was he laughing at?!
"I see. It's a pity that Miss Liang's beautiful face can't be appreciated by all of China."
Liang Shi smiled ingratiatingly, but in his heart he had already given Cha Zhengyu a score. He was glib and had no manners. Compared to him, Gu Feng was much better.
This meal was so uncomfortable; thankfully it was just lunch, so she didn't have to socialize for too long. She'd gotten a ride with Gu Feng on the way there, but he'd slipped away, and she couldn't very well refuse Li Junqian's invitation to ride with him on the way back.
Last time the car didn't smell at all, but this time it's full of the scent of plaquemine.
It's a car air freshener, clipped to the air vent.
"So, when will this car air freshener be released? I've never heard of this scent being used in a car air freshener."
She had just finished speaking when she received a message on WeChat. At the end of lunch, Cha Zhengyu insisted on adding her on WeChat. If she had been alone at the time, he would have left without saying a word, regardless of which young master she was. But Li Junqian was there. Seeing Cha Zhengyu holding her hand and ignoring her, she was furious. She was very proud and told Cha Zhengyu that they would keep in touch after adding each other on WeChat.
Actually, she was just putting on a show for Li Junqian. She never expected it would backfire so badly.
My hand accidentally clicked on Cha Zhengyu's voice message: "Ms. Liang, are you free in the evenings these days? How about we have dinner together? I think we'd have so much to talk about, wouldn't we?"
For a moment, Liang Shi felt like jumping out of the window.
"This fragrance isn't for car air fresheners. I made it myself in a lab in Paris. If you like, I have some more at home, I'll bring them to you another day."
Liang Shi quickly put his phone into his bag: "No need, I don't even have a car, so this aromatherapy is useless to me."
Li Junqian didn't say anything more and drove quietly.
While waiting for the elevator to go back to the company, Liang Shi was rummaging through the lipstick in his bag when the man next to him, whether intentionally or unintentionally, said, "Xiao Shi, Cha Zhengyu is a womanizer. It's best to keep your distance from him."
Tsk, Liang Shi didn't like hearing that. What right did he have to cut off her romantic prospects? Even if it was a bad one.
"Isn't it an honor to be friends with the young master of Haixing Entertainment? Who knows, we might even need his help in our work or life in the future. Having more friends means having more opportunities, don't you agree, Mr. Li?"
Li Junqian had one hand in his pocket and didn't say anything, but he felt a little uncomfortable. He even forgot about the etiquette of giving priority to ladies and entered the elevator first.
The next day at work, Liang Shi ran into Gu Feng in the elevator. The man was acting suspiciously and didn't look like a proper boss at all.
"Frankl, I haven't seen you and Secretary Zhou since yesterday's lunch. What's going on between you two yesterday?"
Liang Shi was clearly a smart woman. Gu Feng was glad he had worn sunglasses today: "What could possibly happen between her and me? I heard you ran into Cha Zhengyu yesterday? He even asked me what kind of cuisine you like. Tsk, is he trying to pursue you?"
With her Prada shoulder bag slung over her shoulder, Liang Shi rolled her eyes inwardly, crossing her arms to look unapproachable. She sighed, "Sure enough, the world of rich kids is interconnected." She wondered if Cha Zhengyu had asked Li Junqian anything about her.
Liang Shi stared at him, and Gu Feng felt uneasy.
"I bet you two slept together last night."
Gu Feng cleared his throat guiltily: "Suzie, you're overthinking it."
She entered the office on time, but to her surprise, there was a white paper bag on her desk, next to an apricot-colored tag with the arrogant name "Li" on it.
I already said I didn't want it, so why send it over?
She took out her phone, took a picture, and sent it to Li Junqian with the message: "Mr. Li, are you trying to make things difficult for me? Or do you expect me to spend money to buy a car just for this gift?"
As if waiting for her questioning, a message arrived the moment she put down her phone: There's a car key in the bag. The car is parked in underground parking lot A100.
Wow, what a big boss! Giving her car air freshener and a car as a bonus? She opened the two air freshener packets and actually found a car key.
Liang Shi pursed his lips and typed on his phone: "Mr. Li is very generous, but I don't need it. This car isn't cheap, and with my driving skills, I'm afraid I'll damage it."
I probably only replied after looking at a document: "You have insurance. Take it, consider it a graduation gift."
A graduation gift, wow, that's thoughtful.
She's not stupid; why would she refuse someone offering her a car when they're practically begging for it?
Marry came in to deliver materials to Liang Shi. Seeing her smiling, she asked, "Director Liang, did something happy happen today?"
Liang Shi stuffed the bag into the drawer and nodded lightly: "There is indeed something that can make me happy and save me a few years of hard work. There's a dessert shop downstairs with pretty good cakes. Arrange an afternoon tea for me, buy a lot, and I'll reimburse you."
Of course, Marry was happy to be treated by her boss; she almost jumped for joy.
After getting off work that evening, Liang Shi went into the underground parking garage for the first time and got a little lost, but she still found the burgundy Porsche SUV quite easily. There was a man standing next to it who seemed to be waiting for her.
"Is Mr. Li having second thoughts?"
Liang Shi silently gave Li Junqian's outfit today a perfect score; the suit and coat made him look really handsome.
"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond, so I'll have to trouble Suzie to give me a ride today."
The implication is, 'I came all this way for you today, and now I have no car to take back.'
Liang Shi unlocked the car door: "What's the trouble? I'd do anything for the boss, even die a thousand deaths, wouldn't you agree?"
This Porsche was indeed rarely driven, but luckily the person next to him was a luxury car enthusiast. The road was already congested, and Liang Shi pretended to complain, "Without this car, I would have been home by subway long ago."
Li Junqian remained as gentle and refined as ever: "Then let's park it in the community. It'll come in handy someday."
Liang Shi pointed to her bag on the back seat: "President Li..."
“Little boy, have you forgotten again? You called me Karsten in private.”
Liang Shi rolled his eyes inwardly: "Karsten, I put the aromatherapy in my bag, could you help me with that?"
If her colleagues saw her directing their boss, they'd probably go crazy.
It was Li Junqian's first time going through a woman's bag, and he felt a little uncomfortable, but it wasn't too bad, as Liang Shi didn't have much stuff in her bag.
The car air freshener was installed quickly, but the traffic was still congested, creating an awkward atmosphere. Liang Shi thought to himself that he shouldn't have gotten the car in the first place; he had really brought trouble upon himself.
What are we going to eat tonight?
Li Junqian probably just asked casually. Liang Shi bought some frozen dumplings a few days ago and hasn't finished them yet; he'll probably make do with that today as well. But what does that have to do with him?
"Is my boss really that considerate of his subordinates? He's provided me with transportation to and from get off work, and he's even going to arrange dinner for me?"
Li Junqian turned to look at her. He hadn't had many opportunities to speak Mandarin in recent years, so why was she speaking so aggressively the first time?
"There's a good Cantonese restaurant here, wanna grab some?"
Liang Shi was still bothered by what happened in the ancient town that day. He drove steadily to his doorstep and said, "Maybe next time? I'll treat you next time. I have plans for today. Boss, Mr. Li, Karsten, goodbye."
What could she possibly do? She could only make a plate of dumplings and watch a TV series.
At nine o'clock in the evening, Liang Shi was about to take a shower when Cha Zhengyu called. She didn't want to answer, but he persisted and she eventually picked up.
Some things are better left unsaid.
"Hey, Mr. Cha, what's the matter so late?"
The person on the other end of the phone was honest, saying that some friends had made a joke at a bar that if he could get her to come out, he could save tens of thousands of yuan today.
She joked that as the young master of Haixing Entertainment, he shouldn't be worried about lacking a few tens of thousands of yuan. However, she still went downstairs and hailed a taxi. Nightlife was just too boring.
However, when she arrived, Liang Shi found out who had made the bet with Cha Zhengyu. She picked up a glass of gin and tonic that had been ordered for her and clinked glasses with the man sitting in the private room.
Men are all the same, no matter how gentle and refined they are, they all love to have fun.
She downed the glass of liquor, which had little alcohol content, and sat down. Cha Zhengyu, who was next to her, clapped and cheered, making her face feel a little hot. It had been a long time since she had done something so dashing and bold in front of everyone.
“Karsten, a bet's a bet.” Cha Zhengyu said as he poured half a glass of wine into Li Junqian’s glass.
Li Junqian shook the whiskey in his hand, said nothing, and downed the glass in one gulp.
Liang Shi stared at him, and perhaps because the alcohol was a bit strong, the man's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Although seeing Li Junqian still made me feel a little uncomfortable, it was a rare opportunity to have some fun, so I couldn't be too reserved.
Liang Shi decided to treat him like he was invisible. So, when the handsome men at the table tried to persuade her to drink, she didn't refuse and drank herself into a stupor.
Despite being a playboy and the son of Haixing Entertainment, Cha Zhengyu, though a playboy, lacked the courage to act recklessly, as the entire company was still in his father's hands. Therefore, he still managed to act with a degree of restraint.
At least when she was drinking, he shielded her from a lot of alcohol.
"She belongs to Karsten, so don't mess with the beauty, or you'll be in big trouble!"
Immediately afterwards, a group of people started to jeer.
What do you mean by saying someone belongs to Li Junqian? Liang Shi shook the beer bottle in his hand: "I'm telling you, Mr. Cha, there are some things you can't say carelessly. I'm just an ordinary employee under President Li! Don't ruin my boss's reputation."
Cha Zhengyu, as shrewd as ever, picked up the wine bottle and poured wine into Li Junqian's glass: "Karsten, are you any good as a boss? It's rare for a beautiful employee to grace us with her presence, aren't you going to treat her? Are you angry because you lost a bet?"
Liang Shi stared at the two men opposite her, thinking how incredibly boring it was to bet on her. Annoyed by the thought, Liang Shi went to the restroom.
Thinking that these men would probably drink until very late, I slipped out of the bar after leaving the restroom.
Unexpectedly, she ran into someone who was paying the bill. Liang Shishi didn't see him and walked past him. Li Junqian, however, didn't stop her.
Liang Shi flagged down a car at the intersection, and just as he sat down in the back seat, someone else squeezed in as well.
"Li Junqian, this is the car I called!"
Li Junqian leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, probably a little drunk from drinking too much of a mix of baijiu, beer, and foreign liquor.
"It's on the way, let's go together."
Liang Shi didn't want to cause any trouble, so he acquiesced.
But who knew that this man would put on a show of being drunk and unconscious? Logically speaking, shouldn't he be able to drink a lot?
I was thinking of handing him over to the security guards to take him home, but he's so drunk, what if something happens if there's no one to take care of him?
She thought to herself, "I might as well see this through to the end!"
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