Chapter 54 Chapter 54
At six forty, the two arrived at their destination.
Ling Yun was already waiting for them at the entrance of the first floor hall.
"Boss Ling." Upon seeing her, Cheng Lulu quickly trotted forward a few steps. "Sorry, we're late."
Ling Yun is the immediate superior of Ren Li's team. He is in his forties and usually wears a smart business suit, has short hair and red lips, and is serious. He fits the stereotype of a financial elite in the eyes of others.
"It's not too late." Ling Yun glanced at his watch and handed the invitation to Cheng Lulu. "Here, this is for the two of you. Zhang Bo has already gone in. You two will follow me later. Don't be nervous, just be casual."
Zhang Bo's surname is Zhang, and he holds a doctorate, so everyone usually addresses him respectfully as Zhang Bo. He's the department head and Lingyun's boss. His personal presence today signifies that tonight's event is bound to be extraordinary.
Ren Li took the invitation letter handed to her by Cheng Lulu. The dark blue letter was full of design and had large gold-plated English letters printed on it. It felt heavy and substantial when she held it in her hand.
"Let's go, Ren Li." Cheng Lulu whispered to the side. She finally came to her senses, collected her thoughts, and quickly followed Ling Yun's footsteps.
Tonight's banquet was on the third floor. At the VIP registration desk at the entrance, the formally dressed waiter checked the invitations and then respectfully handed them back to them with both hands.
"Ladies, this way please."
Ren Li followed Ling Yun into the banquet hall with trepidation. It was indeed magnificent, just like what was shown on TV.
Ling Yun brought the two of them in, gave them a few instructions, and then went about his business.
Ren Li looked around. There was a long white table decorated with expensive and high-quality flowers. Everyone was dressed very formally and was sitting in their seats talking in low voices.
There was a nameplate on the table with each person's name on it. Ren Li easily found her seat in the corner. Fortunately, her seat was next to Cheng Lulu's.
She sat down, bent down, and gently placed the paper bag in her hand on the carpet at her feet.
After doing all this, she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
Fortunately, at least for now, she can still cope with it.
Cheng Lulu, who was standing by, seemed to enjoy this occasion very much. After taking a few photos, before dinner started, she pulled Ren Li aside and told her about some banquets she had attended before.
Ren Li listened for a while and then asked quietly, "Lulu, are you nervous?"
"What's there to be nervous about? It's just a meal." Cheng Lulu suddenly changed the subject. "But I just heard someone say that there's a business reception after dinner."
"Cocktail party?" Ren Li's face was full of questions. "Isn't this the only one we have today?"
"How can it be over after just a meal?" Seeing how nervous Ren Li was, Cheng Lulu comforted her, "But it's okay, you don't have to worry too much. After all, the protagonist tonight isn't a small-time idiot like us. As for us, we just do what we have to do, and no one will mind."
That’s true. Ren Li felt relieved again.
Cheng Lulu suddenly looked at Ren Li and said, "Why are you still wearing this? Where are your new clothes?"
Ren Li had originally planned to let it go, as she had just met Mr. Ling downstairs and he hadn't had any complaints about her outfit. But she had bought new clothes specifically for tonight, and if she didn't wear them once, she would feel a bit sorry for the money she had just spent.
So she picked up her things from the carpet and quietly went out the back door of the banquet hall.
The restroom was easy to find, right across the street. Ren Li walked in, found the innermost cubicle, and closed the door.
She changed into her new clothes, then carefully folded the white shirt and skirt she had taken off and put them back into the bag.
She tidied herself up, walked out of the cubicle and stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
Although this black skirt does not have a complicated design, fortunately Ren Li has a good figure, so this simple piece of cloth looks high-end when she wears it.
But she obviously didn't care and was still wondering why the dress exposed such a large area of her chest!
However, there was no better choice now. She stared at herself in the mirror for a while and suddenly thought of whether she could wear a necklace to divert other people's attention.
She found a small black velvet box from the bag she brought.
The box had become a bit worn because it had been with her for so long. Ren Li gently opened it, and a platinum necklace lay quietly on the black velvet lining.
An exquisite star-shaped pendant hangs in the center of the necklace, sparkling with delicate and brilliant light under the light.
She hesitated for a moment, took the necklace out of the box, and carefully put it around her neck.
That necklace was a gift from someone she once truly loved. But no matter how much she loved him, she hadn't seen him since four years ago.
Perhaps it was the sudden memories that made Ren Li feel a little sad. She took a long time to sort out her feelings before returning to the banquet hall.
At this time, the appetizers had already been served and no one noticed the chaos in the corner.
Ren Li sat down in her seat again. Cheng Lulu, who was standing beside her, glanced at her and her eyes widened instantly. "Oh my god, I didn't expect you to have such a great figure! You really are quite secretive."
"Really?" Ren Li was thin-skinned and her face turned red instantly. She had no choice but to put her hands in front of her chest again.
But she was still a step too late. Cheng Lulu's eyes were already attracted by the diamond necklace on her chest: "Hey, where did you buy this necklace? It's really beautiful."
"It's just... an inconspicuous little shop on the street. I came across it while shopping and just bought something from it." Ren Li said.
"I was wondering, the diamond on your necklace is really big. If it were real, it would be very expensive."
Ren Li was very happy that she thought this way because she often thought this way herself.
She always didn't want to owe that person too much, but this was the only thing she could have about him.
Today's dinner was delicious and in line with the standards of a five-star hotel. After the cold appetizers were served, the main course and dessert were presented one by one.
Because of the delicious food, Ren Li was in a much better mood tonight.
Before dinner was over, Ren Li received a message from President Ling.
As expected, tonight wasn't going to be as simple as she'd imagined. They were going to meet up with CEO Ling in the next room. As Cheng Lulu had said, the client from SW Company they were going to meet would be attending the more prestigious business reception next door.
The last bit of hope in Ren Li's heart was shattered.
After dinner, she and Cheng Lulu easily found Mr. Ling in the next room, but the other party seemed to have met someone he knew.
"Mr. Ling, long time no see." A man in a suit and tie came over and took the initiative to shake hands with Ling Yun.
"Mr. Song." Ling Yun smiled. "It's rare to meet you here. Why are you out for a social event today?"
Mr. Song laughed out loud. "Yeah, there's nothing I can do. I heard today that someone from the venture capital team will be coming, so I wanted to find a chance to talk to them. Are you here to serve clients today too?"
Ling Yun: "Yes. We have invited an important guest to our strategic meeting, but he is too busy and has to fly back tomorrow. I heard today that he will be here, so we took the opportunity to meet him tonight."
"Which company?" Mr. Song thought for a while. "Oh, it must be StarWind. I think you are quite capable. Otherwise, your strategy will be the most interesting."
Ling Yun smiled and said, "Tomorrow at 9 o'clock, at the Kerry Hotel next door, Mr. Song, remember to come and support us."
"Sure, no problem," Mr. Song said. "I think I saw Lao Zheng just now. We haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's go over and chat."
"Okay, let's go."
Ling Yun went to chat with a client, leaving Ren Li and Cheng Lulu standing there, staring at each other.
"The boss has left, so should we just wait here?" Cheng Lulu asked.
Ren Li shook her head: "I don't know."
She originally thought that today's task was simple, just follow the boss to meet the client and the task would be completed.
But obviously, that wasn't the case at all. Besides the main quest tonight, there were actually many side quests.
For example, eating, for example, this cocktail party.
Fortunately, she didn't know anyone here, and they weren't people she could interact with at her level. Without unnecessary socializing and entertainment, she could still be a nobody here with peace of mind.
Cheng Lulu sent a message to President Ling, saying that the two of them would be on standby at the tea break area nearby. Ling Yun replied with an OK, so she excitedly pulled Ren Li and headed straight for the beverage area nearby.
"Wow, the food here is really delicious. Ren Li, would you like some?"
Cheng Lulu picked up a cocktail, took a sip, and couldn't help sighing repeatedly.
Ren Li waved her hand: "No, Lulu, drinking is too difficult for me. In comparison, I'm more interested in the desserts next door."
Cheng Lulu rolled her eyes at Ren Li and decided to ignore her.
So Ren Li happily spent a long time looking at the desserts. Every dessert here looked beautiful, and she liked and wanted everything. But in the end, after choosing for a long time, she finally took out a piece of her favorite strawberry cake.
She picked up a spoon, scooped out a piece and put it into her mouth. The soft texture of the mousse mixed with the sweet taste of strawberries filled her mouth, making her feel full of joy and happiness.
The phone vibrated. Ren Li put down the cake and took out the phone.
The message was sent by my college friend Siying.
She had finished a day in the library writing her paper and returned to the dormitory. She didn't see Ren Li, so she sent a message to ask.
Ren Li types in the dialog box:
Pear [T_T My boss asked me to work overtime, so I won’t have dinner with you today]
The other party sent a crying face emoticon in reply, and then asked Ren Li if she had brought an umbrella, as the weather forecast said it was going to rain tonight.
Seeing that her friend cared so much about her, Ren Li couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth and replied that she had checked today's weather forecast before going out and brought an umbrella in her bag, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Siying replied "Be careful", Ren Li put away her phone and turned her attention back to the strawberry cake she had not finished eating.
Because she had her favorite cake, she suddenly felt that tonight's "overtime" was worth it.
There was a sudden small commotion among the crowd not far ahead, as if some important person had arrived.
Ren Li looked up curiously, where quite a few people had already gathered. Through the crowd, she could only see the silhouette of a tall man in a suit.
"Ahhh, Ren Li, did you see that person who just passed by?"
Cheng Lulu suddenly appeared out of nowhere and exclaimed wildly, "Is he a celebrity? How can there be a man in the world with a model face, wearing an abstinent suit, and yet so full of hormones!"
"Really?" Ren Li actually didn't see anything just now.
When she wanted to look up again, the man had already walked away.
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