Chapter 33 "Then you have pretty good stamina..."
The dinner with Marie's brand representatives did not last long. After the core message was conveyed, both parties tacitly ended the exchange.
At the entrance of Yunting Club, after seeing off the brand representatives, Jiang Nuanyu, Ye Ji, and Xiao Xu each breathed a sigh of relief.
"It seems the client is fairly satisfied, right?" Jiang Nuanyu spoke first.
Ye Ji, however, was not so optimistic. He sighed and said, "It's alright, at least nothing went wrong."
"Relax," Jiang Nuanyu comforted her. "For a brand of this caliber to be willing to sit down and talk is already an opportunity. After all, they won't waste their time for no reason."
Jiang Nuanyu spoke from the heart, and as she spoke, she suddenly thought of President Jing, the mysterious figure who had arranged this dinner.
She wanted to ask, but seeing that Ye Ji seemed to be deliberately avoiding the topic, she silently swallowed her words.
This topic is somewhat sensitive, especially with Xiao Xu present.
Xiao Xu has a baby face, and her short bob haircut makes her look even younger. She carried her bag in both hands, looking reserved, clearly not quite used to such social occasions.
Jiang Nuanyu wanted to help her relax, so she said, "Thank you for your hard work today."
Xiao Xu smiled shyly and shook her head slightly: "It's not hard work..."
After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but glance at Jiang Nuanyu again.
At the dinner table, she met this girl, who was about the same age as the boss, for the first time and felt a little fond of her. After all, it's hard not to feel goodwill and admiration for someone who is so professional and good-looking.
However, when she wasn't speaking, she gave off an unapproachable vibe. Xiao Xu never expected that Jiang Nuanyu would actually take the initiative to talk to her.
Xiao Xu's somewhat hesitant demeanor inexplicably reminded Jiang Nuanyu of herself when she first entered the workforce, everything was new and exciting, and she was trying hard to find her place. She wanted to integrate into the team, but was also worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. She was inexperienced, but genuine, and it made Jiang Nuanyu want to offer her more encouragement.
"You were really crucial today. Your understanding of the brand's tone was spot on," Jiang Nuanyu smiled at her. "You're clearly quite capable."
Feeling pleased with the affirmation, Xiao Xu smiled and touched his ear.
“That’s right,” Ye Ji said. “Don’t let Xiao Xu’s recent graduation fool you; she’s already won a lot of prestigious awards during her university years. She’s really impressive.”
Xiao Xu pursed her lips: "It's a good thing you and Teacher Jiang are at the dinner table, otherwise I wouldn't know what to say."
When Jiang Nuanyu heard "Teacher Jiang", she smiled and said, "You don't need to call me that. Just call me Nuanyu."
Xiao Xu explained, "I thought that since you're a professional media person, this would be more...formal?"
“This isn’t an outsider.” Ye Ji put his arm around Jiang Nuanyu’s neck and said to Xiao Xu, “This is an unofficial general in our team.”
"Unofficial? Sounds like unpaid work." Jiang Nuanyu questioned, raising an eyebrow at Xiao Xu. "Right?"
Ye Ji laughed out loud: "So what if it's voluntary work? You'll get plenty of opportunities in the future." While promising something, she didn't forget to praise, "See how well you managed to keep things running smoothly today?"
She leaned half her body against Jiang Nuanyu, who supported her and gritted her teeth in disgust: "You're really heavy."
"I'll pin you down!" Ye Ji said, and simply pounced on her.
The two joked back and forth, and Xiao Xu, standing to the side, laughed along.
After making a fuss at the entrance for a while, Ye Ji suggested, "Let's go back too. Let's take a taxi together and send Xiao Xu home first."
Xiao Xu quickly waved his hand: "No need to trouble yourself, I can go back by myself."
"You're one of my most capable assistants, don't make me worry," Ye Ji said. "Let's go back together!"
Xiao Xu smiled and lowered his head, no longer refusing.
While the three were waiting for their car, a black Maybach slowly drove into the porch.
It was just past eight o'clock, a time that was neither too early nor too late, and there weren't many people coming in or out of the clubhouse. Naturally, this car became the focus of attention.
Jiang Nuanyu glanced at the license plate and vaguely felt that it was familiar, and her heart started pounding.
The car slowly glided to the door and came to a stop. The doorman stepped forward and opened the back door.
It really was Liang Qi.
He strode out of the car, his suit jacket still buttoned. The porch light shone on him, highlighting his sharp and defined features.
After getting off the bus, he glanced unintentionally in the direction where the three people were standing. When he saw that it was Jiang Nuanyu, he paused for a moment, then turned and walked towards her.
Ye Ji also recognized Liang Qi. He glanced at Jiang Nuanyu, a smile of anticipation playing on his lips.
Jiang Nuanyu was stunned to see him again today. Seeing him walk towards her almost without hesitation only made her more bewildered.
Just what I feared most came to pass.
On the other hand, if Liang Qizhen were to ignore her now because she pretended not to understand his refusal that afternoon, she would be devastated.
Liang Qi stopped two steps away from her, his gaze fixed directly on her.
Ye Ji was the first to greet him: "Hello, Mr. Liang, it's nice to see you again."
Liang Qi looked at her; Ye Ji added, "You even drove us back for Jiang Nuanyu's birthday before."
Liang Qi smiled and nodded, clearly still remembering her: "Hello." Then he turned his gaze back to Jiang Nuanyu.
Jiang Nuanyu lowered her eyes and didn't look at him or greet him. She just stood there, thinking that since Ye Ji and Xiao Xu were next to her, she wouldn't be the only one feeling awkward.
Liang Qi naturally wouldn't let this tense atmosphere last too long. Seeing that she didn't speak, he relaxed his gaze, glanced at the other two, and casually asked, "Just finished a dinner party?"
Xiao Xu's eyes darted away as Liang Qi's gaze swept over her, and two blushes appeared on her cheeks.
The man in front of her was both handsome and charismatic. Being noticed by such a charismatic person made her both nervous and inexplicably shy.
But she instinctively glanced at Liang Qi again and found that his attention did not seem to be entirely on Ye Ji, whom he was talking to, but on Jiang Nuanyu, who had been quiet on the other side.
Ye Ji smiled and picked up where Liang Qi left off: "Yes, we just finished. I'm waiting for my car." Then she asked, "Are you... here for a business dinner too?"
Liang Qi said, "It's a gathering of friends."
"Oh..." Ye Ji gave a dry laugh, trying to ease the atmosphere, but even she felt it was forced.
She glanced at Jiang Nuanyu, who remained silent beside her, and her teeth were practically shattering: Jiang Nuanyu, say something...
Jiang Nuanyu couldn't possibly hear her inner grumbling.
Liang Qi said, "I'm going up now. If you're interested, we can go together."
This was clearly a polite invitation rather than a sincere one, and to accept it directly would be too abrupt and presumptuous, showing a lack of tact. However, Ye Ji could not refuse without permission.
She was momentarily speechless, then quickly looked at Jiang Nuanyu. The latter's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately she remained silent.
Just then, their taxi arrived and stopped at the spot next to them.
Ye Ji tentatively said, "Our car is here. How about Jiang Nuanyu stays, and Xiao Xu and I... go ahead?"
Liang Qi naturally had no objections, and Jiang Nuanyu surprisingly didn't object immediately either. Seeing this, Ye Ji quickly and quietly pulled Xiao Xu towards the taxi.
Jiang Nuanyu paused for a moment, then suddenly followed, saying, "I'll go with you."
Liang Qi's expression changed slightly. Without turning his head, he reached out and grabbed her arm as she passed by.
Jiang Nuanyu suddenly stopped, her heart pounding in her chest.
He wasn't using much force; she could have easily broken free, but she didn't.
She wanted to resist, but she couldn't truly resist.
Ye Ji tactfully led Xiao Xu into the car. With the sound of the car door opening and closing, the taxi slowly drove away, and Liang Qi let go of her hand.
He turned to the side, lowered his head, and his gaze swept over her slightly pursed lips. Without any preamble, he asked, "Why are you avoiding me?"
I woke up at his house last Friday, then went to his office in the afternoon, and now this is the third time.
The air outside was cool, but Jiang Nuanyu's face flushed. She knew she wasn't very good at hiding her emotions and that she definitely couldn't fool him, but she didn't expect him to be so direct in pointing it out.
He always acts with propriety and thoughtfulness, and always leaves room for maneuver in his words. Isn't that the Liang Qi she remembers?
He caught her off guard by his sudden questioning, her mind a complete mess. She didn't know how to explain to him that her avoidance wasn't because she really wanted to get away from him, but simply because she hadn't figured out how to face him yet.
She didn't want to lie to him, but couldn't bring herself to say the real reason, so in the midst of the confusion, she hastily made up an excuse: "I agreed to go back with the two of them..."
The excuse was so clumsy, so infuriating. As soon as the words left her mouth, her heart sank. She was disappointed in her own dishonesty and afraid that Liang Qi would continue to expose her pretense.
Liang Qi did not expose her.
He remained silent for two seconds, seemingly helpless, his brow furrowing slightly as he glanced towards the doorway, but ultimately he didn't want to make things too difficult for her.
He held her shoulders and turned her around to face him.
Jiang Nuanyu followed his movements. They were so close that his body filled her vision, and she didn't know where to look. She lowered her eyes, her gaze darting around, before finally settling on his tie clip.
That small, metallic clip became the focal point of her attention.
Liang Qi glanced at her for a moment and said, "If you don't want to go up, I'll have the driver take you back."
Jiang Nuanyu softened immediately.
She had thought he would be offended and angry by her repeated avoidance, or at least somewhat dissatisfied. But he wasn't. And it was precisely this quiet tolerance and gentleness that she found most irresistible.
He easily broke through her already fragile defenses.
She slowly raised her eyes to look at him. The two were standing very close, and the height difference became more and more obvious. She almost had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze.
Liang Qi looked down at her slightly and said, "It's your decision."
She hesitated before asking, "Would it be...appropriate for me to go?"
"It's just a friend's gathering. Don't worry."
Jiang Nuanyu lowered her eyes and didn't say anything more.
Liang Qi understood the meaning behind her silence, nodded, and lowered his hand from her shoulder.
The two stood there for a moment, neither moving first. It wasn't until Jiang Nuanyu turned and walked inside that Liang Qi slowly walked beside her.
Once inside the elevator, Liang Qi pressed the floor button, took a half-step back, and stood next to her.
The man's presence was immediately apparent. Jiang Nuanyu hurriedly looked up, only to meet his gaze in the mirror.
She held on for less than two seconds before hastily looking away, but Liang Qi didn't look away as easily as usual. She could feel that he was still watching her.
She couldn't help but look back curiously, and sure enough, Liang Qi's gaze was fixed on her face in the mirror, with a restrained determination, as if he wanted her to feel something.
She had a vague feeling that Liang Qi seemed different today.
She wanted to ask him why he was looking at her like that, but after swallowing hard, the words that came out were: "Haven't you eaten yet?"
A faint smile flickered in Liang Qi's eyes. He actually liked her making conversation; it was better than her hiding from him like a frightened rabbit.
He closed his eyes briefly and answered simply, "Mmm." After a few seconds, he added, "Haven't eaten yet."
His voice was languid and deep, whether from genuine work fatigue or intentional, it was hard to tell. In any case, the voice, combined with his relaxed and slightly leisurely demeanor, was exceptionally sexy.
Jiang Nuanyu felt a heat spreading from her ears to the back of her neck, and she was already flustered.
To fill the silence that might make things even more heated, she said whatever came to mind: "Assistant Peng said you've been very busy lately."
"fine."
Do you usually eat this late?
"More or less. But not necessarily."
"oh."
"Won't you get hungry?"
"I'm used to it."
"oh."
"You have good stamina." The words went through her mind, but she didn't say them aloud.
After a brief pause, the conversation did not continue.
Although her questions were mostly trivial, Liang Qi answered each one earnestly. She inexplicably liked this dynamic between them, and her heart began to race involuntarily.
The elevator arrived, and Liang Qi waited for her to exit first before following her out.
Walking through the thickly carpeted corridor, Liang Qi easily found one of the private rooms and pushed the door open.
What comes into view is a bright and airy reception room with three sets of long sofas in the center and several low tables around them.
Jiang Nuanyu originally thought that the set Ye Ji ordered was already high-end enough, but the one in front of her was much bigger.
Four people were already sitting on the sofa, two men and two women. Hearing the noise at the door, they all turned around at the same time.
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