Chapter 293 Business Card
The Hong Kong businessman, known as Mr. Li, looked up, saw Gu Yan, gave a reserved smile, and pointed to his companions in the center of the dance floor who were dancing with great enthusiasm.
“Mr. Gu, look how much fun they’re having.”
"It's so good to be happy!" Gu Yan said.
Li Sheng's gaze then fell on Zhou Zhengping, with a questioning look in his eyes.
Gu Yan stepped aside and introduced the two: "Mr. Li, this is my good brother, Zhou Zhengping. Mr. Zhou is very good at trading! Zhengping, this is Mr. Li Zhiwen."
Zhou Zhengping stepped forward and extended his hand with neither humility nor arrogance, "Mr. Li, hello, nice to meet you, please give me your guidance."
Li Zhiwen smiled and shook hands with him, saying politely, "Mr. Zhou, it's a pleasure to meet you. Mr. Gu's brother must be an outstanding person."
Gu Yan casually pulled Zhou Zhengping down to sit, picked up a cigarette from the box on the coffee table, lit one, gestured with his chin toward the dance floor, and asked, "Mr. Li, why aren't you dancing? Mr. Wang and the others are having so much fun."
Li Zhiwen flicked his cigarette ash. "As for me, I prefer watching people dance; it's quite interesting. Mr. Wang and Mr. Chen are finally relaxing, so let them have some fun."
His gaze shifted to Zhou Zhengping, and he inquired about the nature of his business.
Zhou Zhengping braced himself, knowing this might be a crucial opportunity.
Gu Yan occasionally cracked jokes from the side, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
As the disco music paused, the other two Hong Kong businessmen, Mr. Wang and Mr. Chen, each with a heavily made-up dance partner, returned to their booth, chatting and laughing.
Wang Sheng was slightly overweight and had a loud voice. As soon as he came over, he greeted Gu Yan: "Gu Sheng! Who is this handsome young man? Aren't you going to introduce him?"
As he spoke, his hands wandered restlessly over the waist and hips of his dance partner beside him. The woman giggled and half-heartedly leaned into his arms.
Wearing sunglasses, Chen Sheng raised his glass to Gu Yan and Zhou Zhengping as a greeting, but his attention was more focused on the woman in his arms, chuckling softly.
Gu Yan ignored the lively scene before him, his face bearing the smooth smile typical of a businessman, and introduced them: "Mr. Wang, Mr. Chen, this is my good brother, Zhou Zhengping. Zhengping, these two are Boss Wang and Boss Chen, both of them are here in Huacheng to do big business!"
Zhou Zhengping imitated Gu Yan, picked up the wine glass in front of him, and gestured to Wang Sheng and Chen Sheng, "Wang Sheng, Chen Sheng, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Wang Sheng sized Zhou Zhengping up and down, noticing his upright posture and composed demeanor, unlike ordinary businessmen. With a hint of inquiry, he smiled and said, "Zhou Sheng, you are quite the handsome young man! Like Gu Sheng, you are both young and promising! Come, let's drink!"
He then raised his glass.
Zhou Zhengping clinked glasses with him and drank it all in one gulp.
Gu Yan tried to smooth things over, smiling as he said to Wang Sheng, "Wang Sheng, look at you, what's the rush? Drink slowly, chat slowly. Zhengping can't hold his liquor, don't scare the people."
Wang Sheng laughed heartily, his attention returning to the woman in his arms, and his hands became even more unruly.
The woman let out an exaggerated coquettish cry, which made Wang Sheng laugh even louder.
Gu Yan pretended not to see it and instead started chatting with Li Sheng about the music they had just heard.
Zhou Zhengping also shifted his gaze, no longer paying attention to the flirtatious interactions between the two Hong Kong businessmen and their dance partners. He only occasionally chimed in when Mr. Li or Mr. Gu mentioned business-related matters, his demeanor becoming increasingly composed.
The entire night consisted of insincere pleasantries and small talk.
Amidst the clinking of glasses, Gu Yan was once again plied with drinks until his eyes glazed over and his speech became slurred, but he persevered, cracking jokes and trying to liven up the atmosphere.
Zhou Zhengping also drank quite a bit with them, but he was more restrained, spending most of his time listening and occasionally exchanging information with a few Hong Kong businessmen about trade trends and differences between goods from the north and south.
As the event was ending, Wang Sheng patted Zhou Zhengping on the shoulder, reeking of alcohol, and said, "The younger generation is formidable. Let's keep in touch." Li Sheng and Chen Sheng also handed over their business cards, indicating that they would like to cooperate in the future.
Li Sheng, Wang Sheng, and Chen Sheng each embraced their pre-arranged dance partners, got into their cars, and drove away.
Chen Jun had already driven the car to the entrance of the dance hall, and he and Zhou Zhengping together shoved the completely drunk Gu Yan into the back seat.
Afterwards, Chen Jun first took Zhou Zhengping back to a residential building. After watching Zhou Zhengping stagger upstairs, he started the car again and drove Gu Yan to his residence.
The car reeked of alcohol, and Gu Yan was slumped in the back seat.
Chen Jun glanced at the rearview mirror and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "The boss is so drunk... He spent so much time and effort getting in touch with those Hong Kong businessmen, and even signing a contract was incredibly difficult. Now, he's just introducing his connections to Mr. Zhou... I really don't understand."
He thought his voice was very soft, but he didn't expect to hear Gu Yan's muffled voice coming from the back seat.
"He's my brother... I'm at ease as long as he's doing well. Besides, this business is such a big pie, how can I eat it all by myself? If I don't share with my brother, am I just letting an outsider benefit?"
Chen Jun realized he had spoken out of turn and immediately fell silent, not daring to say anything more. He then said, "Boss, go home and get a good night's sleep. I'll pick you up a little later tomorrow. I need to go back to the company and finish up my work."
Gu Yan hummed in agreement from the back seat, "Don't worry... stick with me, and when we make money, I'll give you a big red envelope..."
Chen Jun smiled, knowing that his boss was always generous and that this was no exaggeration.
The car was parked in a newly built residential area where Gu Yan had bought a three-bedroom apartment.
Chen Jun helped Gu Yan upstairs, and Ruan Wenjing, who had been waiting for a long time, opened the door.
Seeing that Gu Yan was completely drunk again, she frowned, her face showing dissatisfaction and worry, but she still went forward to help, and together with Chen Jun, they carried Gu Yan to the living room sofa.
"I'll go make some hangover soup." Ruan Wenjing's tone was somewhat stiff as she turned and walked towards the kitchen.
Chen Jun quickly responded, went to the bathroom to bring back a basin of warm water, soaked a towel, and carefully wiped Gu Yan's face and hands, trying to make him more comfortable.
Gu Yan let himself be manipulated, but his brows were furrowed and he occasionally uttered unconscious mutterings.
After Chen Jun finished tidying up, he greeted Ruan Wenjing, who was in the kitchen, and then left.
When Ruan Wenjing returned to the living room with the hangover soup, she found Gu Yan slumped on the sofa, already asleep.
Even in his sleep, he seemed restless, his long eyebrows slightly furrowed, his sleeping face devoid of its usual flamboyance, appearing unusually quiet, even fragile.
Seeing him like this, Ruan Wenjing's resentment dissipated without her realizing it, leaving only a trace of inexplicable pity.
She sighed softly, placed the hangover soup on the coffee table, found a thin blanket, and carefully covered Gu Yan with it.
Fearing the lights were too bright, she turned off the main living room light, leaving only a dim wall lamp on.
Then she sat down on the sofa, held his hand, and quietly looked at him for a long time.
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