Chapter 120 The Hongmen Banquet Failed
"You didn't leave." She turned sideways, trying to avoid him.
Yan Baiqing's brows were covered with a barely perceptible haze. He took off his coat and gave it to her, "Put it on first to block it out."
They were standing next to the railing, and the male guests passing by below glanced at them, their eyes changing from surprise to mockery as they stared at the bulge revealed by their wet clothes.
Chen Qing was in a dilemma whether to answer or not.
The teahouse area was relatively quiet, so quiet that the music seemed to be a hundred miles away, but she was nervous and her ears perked up. The folk art troupe changed to a flute solo, which was accompanied by drum beats. The sound was so passionate that it made her tremble.
There were dim light poles every few meters in the corridor. Chen Qing noticed someone's shadow at her feet. Before she turned around, Jiang Jingyan came up the stairs to the beat of the drum, with a cold look in his eyes.
He had a dark suit draped over his arm and his tie was neatly tied, as if he had just come from some occasion.
Chen Qing wanted to explain, but the man put his suit jacket on her shoulders and buttoned it slowly, covering her spring light. "Let's go."
She was led away, in the direction of V3.
Although Jiang Jingyan is usually unkind, this is the first time he has ignored Yan Baiqing in public.
Others might think that he was angry, but Chen Qing was in his arms, looking up along the thin blue skin on the man's jaw. This was Jiang Jingyan's calmest expression.
He had no emotions, no joy or anger. In his eyes, Yan Baiqing, who passed by him, was like a rotten piece of wood.
Chen Qing instinctively glanced at Yan Baiqing, and a hint of hostility appeared on the latter's face, but it disappeared in an instant.
At this moment, the two men seemed to have switched places.
In a trance, she stood at the door of box V3, and suddenly came to her senses, "My clothes are dirty."
"Stay a little longer." Jiang Jingyan put his arm around her waist as he walked in, his lips pressed against her ear. "Go home right away."
The "while" he mentioned was the time it takes to complete a round at the card table.
The other lady had something urgent to do, so Chen Qing took her place.
Jiang Jingyan sat behind her and directed her to play cards.
In this social circle, card games aren't just entertainment, they're about social etiquette. Mrs. Guo doesn't like playing cards, and eight out of ten times she's not there. If she hadn't been busy, she probably wouldn't have sat for so long this time.
She didn't dare to beat Mrs. Jiang, let alone Jiang Jingyan. She failed to play the cards several times in a row. The bank president's wife was an old hand, so she couldn't get any benefits.
After one round, I lost a lot.
Mrs. Guo was too embarrassed to smile. She knew Jiang Jingyan had done this on purpose. Chen Qing had been used as a pawn tonight, and he wouldn't let her off easily. It was undeniable that this incident was solely caused by Mrs. Jiang.
If things go wrong, both mother and son might be offended.
Mrs. Guo thought she was unlucky. When it was time to pay the bill, Mrs. Jiang picked up her teacup and said, "It's just entertainment. How can we really make Mrs. Guo bleed? If Chiang Kai-shek finds out, he will be furious again."
With the stairs, Mrs. Guo smiled happily, "Then——"
"Mother has principles and refuses to accept. Don't let others decide for you." Jiang Jingyan suddenly interrupted, raising his eyelids to look directly at Mrs. Guo. "What do you think?"
Mrs. Guo felt a layer of sweat on her back. She turned around and took out a velvet square box from her purse. "This is a little thing I just got at the auction. I think it suits Miss Chen perfectly."
Jiang Jingyan smiled but said nothing.
Chen Qing does not participate in business entertainment, and he also knows that money and objects are different. If the other party's accounts are not clean, he will get into trouble. Therefore, in general occasions, it is more appropriate to give gifts than money.
Mrs. Guo thought Jiang Jingyan was dissatisfied and thought for a moment, "After the forum summit, I heard that Huasheng is going to establish an international theater. I might be able to help with the investment."
Chen Qing knew that Huasheng had researched several culturally rich cities before ultimately settling on a location outside the province. Yuan Hui had met a few wealthy second-generation students from neighboring universities during her summer vacation, connecting her with the international student community. During casual conversation, she learned that if the province was interested, she'd likely pursue a career there after graduation.
Jiang Jingyan rested his fingers on his eyebrows and said casually, "I have no right to make decisions for Huasheng. Besides, I didn't even go to the table, and my mother confiscated it. How dare I?"
Mrs. Jiang said nothing, her face looking extremely ugly.
Mrs. Guo, feeling embarrassed, continued to put on a smile and said, "Ms. Chen's debut performance, I'll take care of it!"
Chen Qing was stunned. Before she could refuse, Jiang Jingyan accepted the offer for her. "Mrs. Guo is willing to give you face. The performance will definitely not disappoint you."
Mrs. Guo breathed a sigh of relief and handed the jewelry box in her hand to Chen Qing, motioning her, "Try it on. If it suits your taste, wear it when you debut. Consider it a blessing."
Chen Qing wanted to act dignified and calm, but she failed to do so, and heard a vague laugh behind her.
Jiang Jingyan took it over her shoulder and picked up the turquoise necklace with his index finger. It was of good quality, quite heavy, and had an exquisite design.
The man glanced at Chen Qing. Her eyes were still childish, and she looked too funny pretending to greet others. His smile deepened and he put the necklace around her neck.
Just as I hung up the phone, the waiter knocked on the door and said, "Mr. Yan is here."
Mrs. Jiang took a deep breath. Why not come at any other time? Why did she have to bump into him now?
Yan Baiqing walked steadily, and the moment he walked around the screen, Chen Qing smelled a strong smell of alcohol.
"Aunt Jiang." Perhaps because he was drunk, his voice sounded a little lazy and his eyes were full of affection.
Mrs. Jiang was just worrying about how to get away with this in front of Jiang Jingyan. Seeing him staring at Chen Qing, she had an idea. "Mrs. Guo paid seven figures for this necklace. Let's bet it's definitely not worth it. Why don't you take a look at it, Bai Qing?"
Mrs. Guo walked down the slope. "Right! I don't want to bother your mother with this little thing. I thought you might know something about it."
Yan Baiqing unbuttoned the collar of her neck with his fingertips, sat down beside her, and squinted his eyes to look at her.
Chen Qing felt uncomfortable all over and clutched the edge of the seat tightly.
After Jiang Jingyan put it on for her, he lifted her chin and lowered his eyes, "Not bad."
Yan Baiqing chuckled, "It's really good. Mrs. Guo got a good thing, but she sold it so quickly?"
"My card skills are terrible, there's nothing I can do."
Mrs. Guo's goal was not achieved and she lost two favors. She couldn't complain and was unhappy when the show ended.
Mrs. Jiang was also sitting in the back seat, but she didn't show it on her face. She lowered the window and looked at Jiang Jingyan, "Did you go to the hospital? How is Yinyin today?"
"Does mother think I'm idle?"
"What are you doing here if you're not free?"
"If I don't come, who are you going to sell?"
Mrs. Jiang's expression suddenly changed, and her eyes swept over Chen Qing. "I'm just doing Mrs. Guo a favor, why are you being so aggressive?"
Jiang Jingyan's eyes darkened. "Why are you involving Chen Qing? Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"
"She'll have to socialize with the ladies sooner or later. Did I provoke you by showing her the world?"
"Did your father ever take you to see this kind of world?"
Mrs. Jiang choked and told the driver to drive away with a cold face.
Chen Qing stood by, silent, but he took it all in. Following a man like Jiang Jingyan, one couldn't just focus on romance.
She had understood this principle from the beginning, but Jiang Jingyan hadn't allowed her to learn anything over the years. All she had was the experience of meeting the teachers with Mrs. Luo. Tonight's scene couldn't even be called a "Hongmen Banquet," and it nearly got her into trouble.
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