Fan Shengmei stepped into the banquet hall, where a magnificent crystal chandelier cast a soft glow, illuminating the elegantly dressed figures throughout the hall. The men wore exquisitely tailored suits, while the women were dressed in various gowns. Their soft conversations mingled with the melodious background music, and the air was filled with the mixed aromas of fine perfumes and champagne.
Su Ran followed closely beside Fan Shengmei, a confident smile on her face, nodding occasionally to acquaintances she encountered. Fan Shengmei outwardly chatted and laughed with those around her, but her eyes darted shrewdly, searching the crowd for suspicious targets. Suddenly, her gaze fixed on several familiar figures in the distance—executives from a rival company. They were holding champagne glasses, conversing quietly, and occasionally casting meaningful glances in Fan Shengmei's direction. Fan Shengmei's heart tightened; she knew a test was about to begin.
The leader of the executives from the competing companies was a tall, stern-faced middle-aged man named Chen Yu. A slight, malicious smile played on his lips as he walked straight toward Fan Shengmei.
"Oh, isn't this Miss Fan? What, is the Fu Group now sending people like you to participate in events?" Chen Yu's voice wasn't loud, but just loud enough for everyone around to hear, and his tone was full of sarcasm.
Fan Shengmei was furious inside, but she still maintained a polite smile on her face: "President Chen, it's been a long time. The Fu Group is full of talented people. Although I am not very capable, I am fortunate to be able to represent the company to expand business. President Chen, I suppose the company's business has been quite slow lately, which is why you have the leisure to talk about such trivial things."
Those around Fan Shengmei raised an eyebrow upon hearing her response, secretly admiring her courage. Chen Yu's expression changed slightly; he hadn't expected Fan Shengmei to dare to retort.
"Hmph, expanding business? I bet you're just using the Fu Group's name to snag a rich husband. I heard your background isn't anything special; you only got to where you are because of your pretty face." Chen Yu continued his attack, his words becoming increasingly sarcastic.
Su Ran, who had been listening for a while, stepped forward and stood in front of Fan Shengmei: "President Chen, please show some respect when you speak. Miss Fan is a guest I invited. It's not appropriate for you to humiliate her like this."
Chen Yu sneered, "Su Ran, this is an internal matter within our business world. You'd better not interfere. Are you going to go against me for a woman?"
Su Ran did not back down: "President Chen, I am just stating the facts. Miss Fan's abilities in the Fu Group are obvious to all. Your malicious slander is really unbecoming of your manners."
The two were on the verge of exchanging blows, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Those around them, seeing this, gathered around, eager to see how the drama would unfold.
While everyone's attention was focused on Su Ran and Chen Yu, Fan Shengmei quietly observed her surroundings. She noticed a mysterious man not far away, dressed in a custom-made black suit, with a cold face and deep eyes. He was talking quietly with another senior executive from a rival company, his expression focused, occasionally glancing in Fan Shengmei's direction.
A thought struck Fan Shengmei; her intuition told her that this mysterious man might be connected to a mysterious investment group. She subtly moved closer, trying to hear what they were saying.
"This plan must be approached with caution. The Fu Group is on high alert lately..." The mysterious man's voice was very low, and Fan Shengmei could only hear bits and pieces of it.
"Don't worry, with the support of those above, the Fu Group won't last long..." another senior executive replied.
Fan Shengmei was startled; it seemed the mysterious investment group was indeed planning something bigger. She tried to get closer, but Chen Yu noticed her movement.
"Fan Shengmei, what are you doing sneaking around like that? Are you trying to eavesdrop on our conversation?" Chen Yu shouted, drawing everyone's attention back to Fan Shengmei.
Fan Shengmei inwardly cursed, but maintained a calm demeanor: "President Chen, I was just taking a casual stroll. But President Chen, you've been targeting me. Are you afraid I'll steal your company's thunder at this event?"
Chen Yu snorted coldly: "You? Don't be delusional. Today I'll show you that in the business world, you can't get by just by talking."
Just then, staff from the event organizers came over. Seeing the tense atmosphere, they quickly tried to smooth things over: "Everyone, this is a pleasant business event. If you have any disagreements, let's put them aside for now."
Chen Yu glared at Fan Shengmei, then gave up for the time being. Su Ran looked at Fan Shengmei with concern: "Shengmei, are you alright?"
Fan Shengmei gently shook her head: "I'm fine, thank you for speaking up for me earlier."
Su Ran smiled and said, "I invited you here, so naturally I can't let others bully you."
Taking advantage of the brief moment, Fan Shengmei stole another glance at the mysterious man. She saw him exchange a look with someone beside him, and then the two slowly walked in another direction from the banquet hall. Fan Shengmei was anxious; she had to find a way to get closer to the mysterious man and obtain more clues.
"Su Ran, I want to go over there and say hello to some friends. You stay here for now." Fan Shengmei made an excuse and prepared to follow the mysterious man.
Su Ran nodded: "Okay, go ahead, call me if you need anything."
Fan Shengmei quickly walked in the direction the mysterious man had left. Pushing through the crowd, she saw him enter a rest area. The rest area contained several comfortable sofas, and was relatively quiet, with only a few people talking softly.
Fan Shengmei casually walked into the rest area and sat down on a sofa not far from the mysterious man. She picked up a magazine and flipped through it seemingly casually, but her ears were straining to catch any sounds coming from the mysterious man's direction.
"If this operation succeeds, our position in the business world will be unmatched..." The mysterious man's voice came again.
“However, Meng Yanchen of the Fu Group is not someone to be trifled with, so we still need to be careful…” another voice said.
Fan Shengmei's heart skipped a beat. It seemed their plan was indeed aimed at Meng Yanchen and the Fu Group. She was trying to figure out how to get more information from the mysterious man when he suddenly stopped talking, seemingly noticing her presence, and looked in her direction.
Fan Shengmei was startled and quickly looked up, giving a polite smile: "Excuse me, it's too quiet here. I'd like to find a place to rest. Please continue, I won't disturb you."
A flicker of wariness crossed the mysterious man's eyes: "Who are you? Why have you been loitering around here?"
Fan Shengmei inwardly groaned, knowing she couldn't reveal any flaws, otherwise all her previous efforts would be in vain.
"My name is Fan Shengmei, and I work for the Fu Group. I'm a little tired from attending this event today, so I was looking for a quiet place to sit for a while. I'm really sorry to bother you." Fan Shengmei tried her best to make her voice sound natural.
The mysterious man sized Fan Shengmei up, seemingly trying to determine if she was lying. Just as Fan Shengmei was starting to feel nervous, Su Ran suddenly appeared in the rest area.
"Shengmei, so you're here. I've been looking everywhere for you," Su Ran said with a smile, then looked at the mysterious man and his companion, "Gentlemen, do you mind if I sit here?"
The mysterious man frowned, but didn't say anything. Su Ran casually sat down next to Fan Shengmei and started chatting with her. The seemingly casual conversation was actually an attempt to help Fan Shengmei out of an awkward situation.
Fan Shengmei was grateful for Su Ran's timely appearance, and she cooperated with him, chatting and laughing. Seeing this, the mysterious man found it boring and got up and left the rest area with his companion.
Fan Shengmei watched their departing figures, feeling somewhat annoyed; the clue had simply gone cold. But she also knew that discovering the mysterious man's connection to a rival company's executives and overhearing snippets about plans targeting the Fu Group was already a gain.
She and Su Ran got up, preparing to leave the rest area. Just then, Fan Shengmei suddenly noticed that the executive from the rival company who had been talking to the mysterious man was standing not far away, watching her coldly with suspicion in his eyes.
Fan Shengmei's heart tightened. She knew her actions might have attracted their attention. How could she extricate herself from this predicament, and could she obtain more useful information? Who exactly was this mysterious man, and what was his relationship with the mysterious investment group? Fan Shengmei fell into deep thought…
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