As the city lights began to twinkle, Qiao Zhen stretched her muscles and slowly exhaled.
All the project materials I had on hand were already prepared.
Qiao Zhen had arranged to meet with her business partner today. After clocking in at the company early in the morning, she went straight to the agreed location.
Pushing open the door to the private room, Qiao Zhen immediately saw Shen Yan sitting next to her business partner.
"Oh, Qiao Zhen is here." Shen Yan looked at Qiao Zhen with a smile, acting like the hostess.
Qiao Zhen was somewhat surprised to see Chen Yan, but she quickly composed herself.
"I didn't expect Miss Shen to be here too. Mr. Zhang, you didn't even tell me beforehand, so I could have brought a gift for Miss Shen."
Qiao Zhen put down her bag and smiled faintly.
One sentence turned the tide. Shen Yan hadn't been invited to the event in the first place; she had come on her own initiative.
Mr. Zhang understood her unspoken meaning and had no choice but to adopt a more assertive stance.
"Hehe, sorry, I forgot to tell you. I heard that Miss Shen is acquainted with you, so we arranged to meet. Miss Qiao, you won't mind, will you?"
He laughed it off, and although he apologized, he showed no remorse whatsoever.
"Mr. Zhang, you're too kind. This is a small gift the company prepared for you. Please accept it."
As she spoke, Qiao Zhen presented the company-prepared gift to General Manager Zhang.
The outer packaging box looks ordinary, but those who know, know what's inside.
Mr. Zhang was about to accept it with a smile, but when Chen Yan saw the packaging box, she sneered.
"No way, Mr. Lu is so stingy, sending something like this?"
Shen Yan's tone was full of disdain, and her face was full of mockery.
Mr. Zhang's hand was halfway out, unsure whether to take it or not.
"It's a small gift but a big sentiment. Although the gift isn't eye-catching, it's still a small token of our company's goodwill, Mr. Zhang, right?" Qiao Zhen didn't care what Shen Yan said at all. Seeing that Mr. Zhang was too embarrassed to reach out again, she simply placed the gift on the chair next to him.
Seeing Mr. Zhang's somewhat unpleasant expression, Shen Yan realized that she had said the wrong thing.
She glared at Qiao Zhen fiercely, her hatred for her growing stronger.
With Qiao Zhen offering a way out, President Zhang smiled and nodded in agreement, but his attitude towards Chen Yan was no longer as good as before.
Business was not discussed at the dinner table; Qiao Zhen only chatted with President Zhang.
They chatted about everything under the sun, completely ignoring Chen Yan. Several times, Chen Yan tried to interject, but was interrupted by President Zhang.
Shen Yan was anxious but helpless, and she cursed Qiao Zhen in her heart countless times.
Seeing that things were about to be done, Qiao Zhen didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble, so she contacted her colleagues from the same project at the company to come and help, and continue to the next stage.
"Miss Chen, please continue with your business. We'll contact you again when you have time."
At the restaurant entrance, Qiao Zhen, holding the gift for President Zhang, smiled and said to Shen Yan, "Miss Shen, you still have things to attend to, so please go back first. Let's meet again next time."
He smiled outwardly, but inwardly he cursed Chen Yan.
I originally wanted her to put pressure on Qiao Zhen so I could raise the price, but who knew Shen Yan would be so uncooperative.
The thought that the gift he was about to receive almost slipped away caused Mr. Zhang's attitude towards Chen Yan to change drastically.
"Okay, let's meet again next time!" Shen Yan naturally understood the politeness in Mr. Zhang's words.
She wore a forced smile, her eyes filled with malice as she looked at Qiao Zhen.
Qiao Zhen noticed her expression, smiled at her, and remained silent.
After seeing Chen Yan off, she and President Zhang got into the car heading to the entertainment club.
My colleagues at the club have already made arrangements, along with people from Mr. Zhang's side.
They headed to the private room and chatted happily along the way.
Seeing that Mr. Zhang had signed the document, Qiao Zhen finally felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.
On the surface, she listened to Mr. Zhang and the others singing with a smile, but in her heart, she was actually calculating how to sign the remaining projects.
"Miss Qiao, let's have a drink." When he came in, Mr. Zhang secretly glanced at the gift that Qiao Zhen had given him.
He was very pleased with the gift; besides the high-end items, there were also several shopping cards.
What's the best way to appease a haggard housewife? Gift cards, of course!
Luxury items can be given to women outside the home, while shopping cards can be given to women at home.
Why not solve the problems of two women without spending a penny?
Qiao Zhen picked up her wine glass and put on a polite smile.
"Come on, Mr. Zhang, let me toast you." After saying that, he clinked glasses with Mr. Zhang and drank the glass of wine in one gulp.
Seeing her so generous, Mr. Zhang was delighted and looked at her with a smile.
"Miss Qiao is truly remarkable; she is indeed a woman who is just as capable as any man!" Mr. Zhang was pleased and enjoyed his drink to the fullest.
When other colleagues saw that Qiao Zhen was being pestered by General Manager Zhang, they came over to help her out.
Even with her colleagues' help, Qiao Zhen still felt a bit dizzy after one round.
She made an excuse to go to the restroom.
As soon as she entered the restroom, Qiao Zhen leaned against the sink and started gagging.
Luckily, I had eaten before coming, otherwise I would definitely have a stomachache now.
Qiao Zhen washed her face with hot water and felt much more refreshed before slowly returning to the private room.
On her way back, she passed a private room and saw that the door was ajar.
She wondered to herself which idiot had forgotten to close the door. If they were just ordinary friends getting together, it would be fine, but if they were talking about something private, it would be troublesome if someone overheard.
Thinking it over, she took another step toward the private room, but the next second she heard a sound coming from inside, and Qiao Zhen pulled her foot back.
"Mr. Lu, what do you think about that matter?"
Upon hearing the title "President Lu," Qiao Zhen inexplicably felt that the person inside was Lu Zheng.
"If you can't handle this well, you don't need to come see me again."
Inside the private room, Lu Zheng sat with his legs crossed, a cigarette in his hand, staring blankly at the person sitting opposite him.
"Yes, yes, yes, we're going to keep it a secret over there?"
"Ha, I have to point everything out to you, what's the point of having you?" Lu Zheng, annoyed by his questions, leaned back on the sofa, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said casually.
Hearing Lu Zheng's words, the man's heart tightened, and he immediately stood up: "I'm sorry, Mr. Lu, I know what to do."
After he finished speaking, the private room fell silent.
Qiao Zhen heard no sound coming from inside and left quickly without lingering.
Back in the private room, Mr. Zhang and his group had already let loose. The several grown men were singing and having a great time, their arms around each other's shoulders. When they saw Qiao Zhen return, they only glanced at her before continuing their party.
Only then was Qiao Zhen able to calm herself down.
Her mind was a mess, and she couldn't figure out what Lu Zheng and the others were talking about.
She had a vague premonition that they were discussing her father's matter. But it was all just her speculation; she had no real evidence.
But if he was really talking about her father, did he also know that she was investigating her father?
How much did he know? Or did he always know, but simply turned a blind eye, watching her make a fool of herself like a clown?
He felt that no matter how much she jumped around, she couldn't escape his grasp.
The more Qiao Zhen thought about it, the more frightened she became. Her heart was pounding so fast that she could hear it herself.
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