Chapter 69 Zhu Qingzhi is quite resourceful. I'm troubled by this; I'll see how you walk...
Chairman Liu is a prominent figure in Beijing, so his birthday banquet was held in a grand manner. He booked the largest banquet hall on the top floor of Lingmei Hotel and spared no expense in decorating it. At the entrance, there was a life-sized golden tree made of pure gold.
When Zhu Qingzhi arrived, all the warm-colored lights under the golden tree were turned on, illuminating the golden leaves so bright they were almost blinding. Gu Qiao tugged at her sleeve, and without even looking at each other, the two stealthily moved closer, wanting to smell the scent of money.
Ji Cen, following behind: "......"
Seriously, I'm speechless. If these two were gender-swapped, what chance would anyone else have?
Attendance at the birthday banquet required an invitation from the Liu family, which kept out too many petty people trying to curry favor. Most of the attendees were people from prominent families in Beijing's social circles.
The older generation has high standards; when they pass by, they might at most jokingly remark to Chairman Liu, "Wow, what a grand display!" The younger generation, on the other hand, cares about face and doesn't want to appear timid in public, so very few people linger around the Golden Tree.
The sudden appearance of two people next to the golden tree was quite eye-catching, and everyone turned to look at them.
Someone recognized one of them as the eldest daughter of the Gu family. The other was completely obscured by the golden tree, so her face couldn't be seen. However, judging from the intimate way the eldest daughter of the Gu family and she were acting, it was clear that the two had a very close relationship.
But no one dared to say anything. Few could rival the Gu family's social standing, and Miss Gu had been used to doing whatever she wanted since childhood. She was just curious and probably didn't care about such trivial matters.
It wasn't until Zhu Qingzhi's face appeared from behind the golden tree that people began to exchange glances.
"Zhu Qingzhi? How come it's her? How do Miss Gu and she know each other?"
"Could it be that you met Katrina at the press conference? It just broke in the news. Is Kiyoshi's social skills that good?"
"Given Miss Gu's temper, if she doesn't like someone, she'll twist her hair out and it won't make a difference. The fact that she's willing to embarrass herself alongside Zhu Qingzhi shows just how close they are."
Whispers spread like wildfire.
Gu Huaichuan listened quietly, holding his wine glass, but his brows furrowed unconsciously. Ji Ran didn't speak either, only giving Ji Cen a look, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer: he needed to speak up and defuse the situation.
Who knew that Ji Dalmatian's brain really wasn't working? Ji Cen didn't get it at all, and even opened his eyes wide, revealing an extremely clear questioning look.
It seems Wen Qi was right; it really is time for him to go back to work. Ji Ran silently took out his phone and sent a message to his assistant.
Lu Yao, who had been surrounded by people discussing the project but whose eyes were always on Zhu Qingzhi's movements, suddenly changed the subject: "I've never seen such a large-scale golden tree before." With that, he took a step towards the golden tree.
As soon as he made that move, a few other people followed him.
Zhu Qingzhi was studying the realism of the golden leaves with Gu Qiao when she was suddenly shoved and tripped over her skirt. Luckily, Gu Qiao caught her in time, otherwise she would have fallen into the tree and made a fool of herself.
She and Gu Qiao said in unison, "Please watch where you're going."
"I'm sorry, Miss Gu, I'll definitely be more careful next time." The person was taken aback for a moment, then quickly begged for forgiveness.
He apologized out of respect for Gu Qiao, but there was no need to cause a conflict over such a trivial matter. Zhu Qingzhi adjusted her swaying diamond earring and was about to leave when she met Lu Yao's gaze.
Lu Yao stopped next to her, took out his phone, and took a picture of Zhu Qingzhi: "If you like it, I'll order one for you to display on your birthday."
"No, just send the money." Zhu Qingzhi immediately covered her face and jumped away. "This place is poorly lit, it looks awful!"
Lu Yao glanced at the photo album, put his phone back in his pocket, and nodded in agreement: "It really is ugly."
"..." Zhu Qingzhi visibly choked for a moment, "I don't want to talk to you."
The two siblings bickered without a care in the world, leaving the onlookers horrified.
"Young Master Zhou, you'll be graduating from university next year, right?" Lu Yao glanced at the boy who had shoved Zhu Qingzhi, his tone heavy. "Your father said he'll assign you business after you graduate. Which area will you be in charge of? We at Lu's Group should keep an eye out for that."
Without any attempt to hide it, and with his blatant protectiveness, Lu Yao practically had "Zhu Qingzhi is mine" written all over his face.
For a moment, the faces of the onlookers were filled with shock and confusion, and the few who knew the inside story dared not utter a word.
Mr. Zhou hurriedly squeezed through the crowd from the side, making sure not to bump into anyone, his face beaming with smiles: "Mr. Lu is joking. How could I possibly assign business to a recent graduate like him?"
Then he pinched his youngest son's arm and said in a deep voice, "Quickly apologize to Miss Zhu!"
"No need." Zhu Qingzhi wiped Gu Qiao's arm, leaning back slightly, her voice light but carrying a clear sense of detachment. "President Zhou, you're too kind. It's just a small matter."
She spoke these words to President Zhou, but her gaze lightly swept over the defiant young master Zhou. Finally, she lowered her eyes and pinched her slightly reddened earlobe, as if the small conflict just now and President Zhou's current fear had nothing to do with her.
This nonchalant attitude made President Zhou even more uneasy than a direct accusation. Did this little star really not want to give him a way out?
He chuckled awkwardly, about to say something more, when Lu Yao casually waved his hand and glanced at him. President Zhou knew in his heart that the real estate project they had recently finalized was going to fall through.
But there was nothing he could do. Zhu Qingzhi wouldn't give him a way out. He couldn't possibly bow and scrape to a minor celebrity for the sake of a project; he had his pride too.
In the end, the culprit was none other than his foolish youngest son. No one else dared to provoke Zhu Qingzhi, but he went out of his way to do so.
Mr. Zhou became increasingly angry, but he couldn't show it because of his pride, so he made an excuse to leave with his youngest son.
Seeing that one of the main characters had dispersed, the crowd of onlookers realized it would be impolite to continue watching, especially since Lu Yao was clearly on Zhu Qingzhi's side. So they all dispersed, but the gazes they cast at Zhu Qingzhi as they left were filled with unprecedented scrutiny and inquiry.
Lu Yao's first words were a question: "Where's Wen Qi? Didn't he say he was going to pick you up?"
“He picked me up. Now that my aunt and uncle are downstairs, he went to…” Zhu Qingzhi blurted out, completely unaware that Lu Yao’s expression was getting increasingly grim.
When she noticed, she stopped abruptly and forced herself to tell the truth, "I don't want to come up with him."
Seeing that she had told the truth, Lu Yao's expression softened slightly, and he adjusted his shirt cufflinks: "Because of Xiao Tang?"
"Um."
"What are you afraid of?" Lu Yao casually pulled out a gold leaf from his pocket and looked at it. "Which of the things you didn't want the outside world to know about, I didn't take care of for you?"
"It's not because of that." Zhu Qingzhi scratched her nose, quickly glanced at Lu Yao, and seeing that he wasn't paying attention to her, she put one foot back in a retreating position and threw out the last sentence, "I'm going to the restroom!"
Her hurried figure, clad in ten-centimeter heels, walked unsteadily. Lu Yao's brow twitched, but he was too lazy to pull her back.
What else could it be? It's just that he's been exposed and is being stubborn, but to be on the safe side, he changed his target: "Ji Cen, tell me."
Ji Cen, innocently implicated, was completely bewildered. How did he know? He wasn't a mind reader for Zhu Qingzhi.
At this moment, Gu Qiao chuckled, snapped her fingers, and whispered, "Brother, let me tell you something!"
Ji Cen: "...?"
Ji Ran, who had been watching everything from a distance, couldn't help but picture Mario jumping around and frantically bumping the question mark box when he saw Ji Cen's "surprised face".
He couldn't bear to watch any longer, but Gu Huaichuan patted his shoulder, his tone more turbulent than usual, a mixture of pity and speechlessness: "This time I'm on Wen Qi's side, it's really time to get back to work."
*
Passing through the bustling crowd, those curious, inquisitive, and perhaps still somewhat disdainful glances disappeared completely only when we reached the relatively quiet corridor.
Zhu Qingzhi followed the signs and walked forward, then took out her phone to text Wen Qi: "Have you made it up yet?"
【Yes, I'm waiting for the elevator.】【Will you come pick me up in a bit?】
"I'm afraid some people will be unhappy." Zhu Qingzhi tilted her head, leaning against the corner, adjusting her slipping left shoulder strap with one hand, and casually replied, "But actually, it's not like one more thing will make a difference."
"Come pick me up." Wen Qi didn't respond, only wanting an answer, giving off a sense of relentless pestering.
Zhu Qingzhi suppressed a laugh and typed a curt "Oh." before walking inside.
The warm yellow light shone on the smooth marble floor, refracting a golden glow. A faint fragrance wafted through the air, and Zhu Qingzhi stopped at the steps without going up.
The mirror in front of the sink reflected the figures of a man and a woman.
The man leaned lazily against the wall, his indifferent eyes lowered, one hand twirling and playing with the woman's long hair.
“Brother Shi Yan, I didn’t, I just…” The woman clutched the corner of the man’s suit, her voice trembling with tears, “You have to believe me, I really didn’t have a relationship with Zhao Zhixun.”
Oh, that's exciting, but I guess I'll stop listening now.
Zhu Qingzhi held her breath and leaned back against the wall. She had only taken two steps when her phone chimed.
Haha. People can never leave quietly when they should.
Zhu Qingzhi wanted to take a few more steps since no one on the other side could see who she was, but the next second Zhao Shiyan's voice floated out: "Miss Zhu".
Zhu Qingzhi, caught red-handed: "......"
Forget it, if they're not embarrassed, why should she be?
She strode confidently up the steps, shrugging with an expression that said, "I didn't hear anything, I didn't see anything," and said, "You guys continue."
Zhao Shiyan had two buttons undone on his black shirt, revealing a lipstick stain on his prominent Adam's apple. The cuffs were folded up to his elbows, and there were a few scratches on them, giving him a somewhat unrestrained air.
Upon hearing this, he showed no embarrassment at being caught out; instead, he chuckled softly, his laughter low and playful.
He released his fingers from Xiao Tang's long hair, and Xiao Tang immediately turned her back, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. Xiao Tang thought she had bad eyesight and thought that this would cover it up.
"Continue?" Zhao Shiyan repeated, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe before finally settling on her feigned composure. "Miss Zhu, what do you think we should continue?"
"Continue what?" Zhu Qingzhi originally didn't want to get involved, but Zhao Shiyan clearly didn't want her to leave easily, so why should she let others make her a pushover?
She simply raised her chin, lightly tapped her fingertip on the corresponding spot on her neck, and curved the corner of her lips into a playful smile. "President Zhao, your battle situation is written all over your face. Are you still asking me what kind of live broadcast you want to watch?"
-----------------------
Author's note: Qingzhi [cracked]: Life.
Wen Qi [resting her chin on her hand]: Why didn't you answer me?
Lu Yao [glasses]: Oh.
Gu Qiao [Let me see]: Hehe.
Ji Cen [crying]:? ? ?
Ji Ran & Gu Huaichuan: Let him go to work.
Ah Mei [Let me see]: Extreme posting!
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