The beauty's hospitality
Zhang Chenglin's gaze hadn't left Feng Yue since she arrived, so he clearly saw the dim light in Feng Yue's eyes gently fade after He Zhonghua said those words.
"Hey? What are you doing standing here?" Zheng Mingzhe's sudden voice broke the somewhat strange atmosphere: "Zhonghua, Mr. He is looking for you."
"Oh, okay," He Zhonghua said after a moment's thought, realizing that the "Mr. He" Zheng Mingzhe was referring to was his father. "Coming right away."
He Zhonghua entered the inner area first. Before Zheng Mingzhe turned to go in, his gaze lingered on Feng Yue, who was standing next to Zhang Chenglin, for a few seconds.
Feng Yue didn't notice, but Zhang Chenglin did.
Looking at Zheng Mingzhe again, his smile carried a hint of wicked charm and a touch of nonchalant roguishness.
It's very similar to when they first met in Cambridge many years ago, when Zhang Chenglin was young and arrogant, and didn't care about anything.
Something flashed through Zheng Mingzhe's mind for a moment, but it was so fast that even he couldn't grasp it.
"Let's go," Zhuang Eryi said first, seeing He Zhonghua and Zheng Mingzhe enter the venue. "Let's go in and find some seats for a while."
Zhang Chenglin nodded, and Feng Yue still smiled: "Okay."
When Zhang Chenglin turned around, Fengyue followed in his footsteps, while Zhuang Eryi lagged behind, watching their backs.
Feng Yue sat in the seventh row at the meeting, while Zhang Chenglin unsurprisingly sat in the first row—he had no real ability, it was all because of Zhang Deyue's influence.
When Feng Yue occasionally looked up, she could always spot Zhang Chenglin at a glance. His image and temperament were so outstanding that it was hard not to notice him.
The host had been building up the atmosphere for a long time, and Zhang Chenglin was starting to get sleepy when He Qidong took the stage.
As is customary in previous years, He Qidong always talks about a lot of things, such as the development of the Puyu Chamber of Commerce in recent years, its plans for the next few years, changes in the conference staff, and new attendees.
However, the host has already mentioned all of the above. Perhaps many people in the audience, like Zheng Mingzhe, are very curious about what He Qidong will say today.
After all, he hadn't heard of any major changes in the Puyu Chamber of Commerce in the past two years, and there shouldn't be anything worth talking about for two hours straight, unless—
"I won't take up too much of your time today. I'll just say one thing. After all, this person is getting old, and he's not as capable as he used to be when handling things. I have to delegate some authority. It really proves the saying—you can't deny getting old."
Zheng Mingzhe's idea was confirmed when he heard He Qidong's words. He turned his head slightly and glanced at Zhang Chenglin sitting next to him.
Zhang Chenglin's expression remained calm, showing no surprise or astonishment.
Zheng Mingzhe even thought that he made the decision on behalf of He Qidong.
"I hereby formally announce," He Qidong, with a faint smile on his square face, spoke with a strong voice despite being nearly sixty years old, "that I, He Qidong, will formally resign from my position as president of the Pudong Chamber of Commerce today, and that He Zhonghua will formally take over this position."
"I hope that my son Zhonghua will live up to expectations and lead the Puyu Chamber of Commerce to new heights."
After He Qidong finished speaking, He Zhonghua walked up to the stage from behind and stood in front of the microphone. Every smile and gesture exuded the air of a superior, devoid of his usual arrogance and nonchalance.
He does indeed bear some resemblance to Ho Kai-tung.
“So much time has passed,” Zheng Mingzhe’s slightly sentimental voice came from beside him. Zhang Chenglin smiled and glanced at He Zhonghua on the stage. After listening to Zheng Mingzhe finish speaking, he said, “Even the most arrogant person in the past is now wearing a suit and standing in the cage he hated the most.”
That year, a light rain fell on Cambridge Sky Street, and the grass was lush and the birds were singing. The four of them stood by the bridge and declared that they would dedicate their lives to their dreams and hopes, and would never be trapped by suits and the rules of capital.
How long has it been? Zheng Mingzhe has been in charge of the family business for nearly two years, He Zhonghua has officially inherited He Qidong's mantle, and Ji Yuxing has long been helping the family develop its business empire. Only Zhang Chenglin is steadfastly walking on that path that many people see as bleak and unbearable, remaining loyal and unwavering.
*
As Fengyue emerged from the inner hall after the leadership transition meeting, she happened to see Zhang Chenglin standing outside talking to Jiang Xiaoxiao. She paused and waited for him to finish by standing to the side and behind the entrance of the inner hall.
Perhaps she was too engrossed in waiting, because she didn't even notice when Zhang Chenglin finished chatting with Jiang Xiaoxiao and walked up to her.
"Wait for me?" Zhang Chenglin raised an eyebrow and got straight to the point.
“Hmm,” Feng Yue nodded, then smiled and asked him, “Would you do me the honor of having dinner together tonight, sir?”
"Yes! Of course we have! How could we not have?" The one who answered her was not Zhang Chenglin, who was being asked, but Zhuang Eryi, who was walking over from not far away.
"How could I not have time when a beauty like you invites me like this?" Zhuang Eryi smiled, walked to Zhang Chenglin's side and stood there, then smiled and asked Zhang Chenglin for confirmation: "Don't you think so?"
Zhang Chenglin turned to look at her; He Zhonghua and Zheng Mingzhe were beside her.
Zhuang Eryi's smile was so open and honest that it startled both Zhang Chenglin and Feng Yue.
Zhang Chenglin didn't answer Zhuang Eryi's question, but instead asked Feng Yue, "Are you treating?"
Feng Yue's smile remained unchanged as she nodded, "Okay."
“Alright then,” Zhang Chenglin said with a barely perceptible smile, and followed He Zhonghua and Zheng Mingzhe out of the venue first. “See you tonight.”
After the three men left, Zhuang Eryi immediately pestered Fengyue to go shopping with her.
Fengyue didn't have much of an impression of this pampered young lady from the Zhuang family, but judging from her attitude today, it felt as if they had known each other for many years.
Thinking of this, Feng Yue couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Did Miss Zhuang and I know each other before?"
Zhuang Eryi was taken aback by her question, then shook his head: "I don't know him."
"You just resemble an old friend."
“A former Shanghai resident who was known to everyone.”
Hearing the answer she expected, Fengyue's smile remained unchanged. She continued, "You may not know this because you're not from Shanghai, but she was once the most dazzling pearl in Shanghai. She was not only the dream lover of countless young men, but also the most envied person in the eyes of us princesses and young ladies."
"So you like her too?" Fengyue asked her with a smile.
"I love her!" Zhuang Eryi said without the slightest hesitation, his eyes shining as he mentioned her: "She is a beauty in my heart who can never be replaced."
"She is the white moonlight of Shanghai."
"She will not belong to anyone."
"So sacred?" Feng Yue's smile deepened, as if he were talking to her about some shared past and old friends.
“Yes,” Zhuang Eryi replied, a hint of melancholy in her eyes: “I don’t know how happy she would be if she were still alive… For whom would she, that ethereal moon, bow down?”
"He will definitely be a very, very good gentleman."
Fengyue responded to her words, but a strangely clear figure appeared in her mind.
*
Six o'clock in the evening, at the Peace Hotel.
When Fengyue arrived at the private room Zhang Chenglin had mentioned, Zhuang Eryi was still following behind them, someone they couldn't shake off no matter what they did.
The moment he pushed open the door, he saw that not only Zhang Chenglin was in the private room, but also He Zhonghua and Zheng Mingzhe, who were talking to him.
"Hi~" Upon seeing Feng Yue and Zhuang Eryi, He Zhonghua was the first to greet them with a smile: "Welcome, two beauties."
Zhuang Eryi followed his words and went in first, instantly enlivening the atmosphere in the private room with the help of Zhuang Eryi and He Zhonghua.
After entering, Feng Yue exchanged a glance with Zhang Chenglin and nodded as a greeting.
Seeing Fengyue take her seat, He Zhonghua peeked out from beside Zhang Chenglin and explained with a smile, "Miss Fengyue, we're not here to freeload. Since you've come all the way to Shanghai, we should still show you hospitality. This meal is on me. Feel free to order whatever you like."
After listening to his words, Feng Yue turned and exchanged a glance with Zhang Chenglin, who nodded slightly.
Feng Yue then smiled and replied to He Zhonghua, "Okay, thank you for the invitation, Chairman He."
“Oh, don’t say that,” He Zhonghua said somewhat embarrassedly, “You’re being too formal.”
As soon as He Zhonghua finished speaking, Zhang Chenglin suddenly turned his head and glanced at him. There was no unusual emotion in his eyes. He Zhonghua raised an eyebrow at him.
"When are you going back to the Northeast?" After a few rounds of drinks, Zhuang Eryi, showing no signs of drunkenness, asked Zhang Chenglin with a smile.
Zhang Chenglin gently swirled the wine glass in his hand; it was still full, but he didn't drink a drop.
Before he could answer the question, Zhuang Eryi spoke first: "If you keep shaking like that, you'll practically become a human hangover cure."
Zhang Chenglin glanced at the wine glass in his hand without showing any emotion, but didn't seem to want to drink it. He leaned forward and placed the glass back on the table before speaking, "Tomorrow morning."
"Oh? So early?" He Zhonghua replied. "I thought you'd be staying for at least two days this time."
"Two days?" Zhang Chenglin's eyes flickered slightly, as if he were teasing or joking: "You want to scare Ji Yuxing to death?"
Zheng Mingzhe was amused by Zhang Chenglin and reached out to pat He Zhonghua on the shoulder, silently conveying his thoughtless teasing.
"First of all, I haven't provoked any of you." He Zhonghua picked up the wine bottle, poured himself another glass of wine, and angrily downed it in one gulp: "Secondly, I haven't provoked any of you."
Zheng Mingzhe still had his hand on Zhang Chenglin's shoulder, and they exchanged a glance, both seeing the same emotion in each other's eyes.
Feng Yue remained quietly by Zhang Chenglin's side throughout, and unless the topic was deliberately brought up, she would not say a word.
Quiet as usual.
Zhang Chenglin's gaze would occasionally linger on her, checking whether she was eating or intently listening to their conversation.
It was past eleven o'clock, and the hustle and bustle of Shanghai at night gradually subsided into silence. He Zhonghua had drunk too much and was a little too tired to stay awake, so he spoke first: "Let's go. Ah Lin has to get off early in the morning to go to the Northeast, so let's all go back and rest early."
As the host, and since he had spoken, no one dared to disrespect him, and they all followed him out.
The car that came to pick up Zhang Chenglin was sent by Jiang Yuanxing, so as soon as Zhang Chenglin got in the car, the driver asked, "Are you going back to the Jiang family, Mr. Zhang?"
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