Chapter 85: Dinner Party (Part 2)

At this moment, Fang Qingkong, who had already been feeling awkward for quite a while and could not bring herself to stay, finally could not hold it in any longer and left the table early with an excuse.

The thoughtful reminder just now from Big Boss Gu made Yan Qihua feel even more ashamed, which could not help but make him think of his own good-for-nothing son.

If only his son could be this outstanding, how wonderful that would be.

He sighed and said, "Sigh... President Gu is not only young and promising, but also so meticulous; I truly envy President Gu's parents."

To be able to raise such an outstanding talent, his parents must be extraordinary as well. He truly wished for a chance to meet Gu Liyan's parents and ask them for advice on how to raise children.

As the chairman of the largest conglomerate in W City, Chaowei Group, Yan Qihua had a career that appeared to be flourishing on the surface.

Yet, having reached middle age, he had still not managed to groom a successor.

Yan Qihua had a son named Yan Huan, who was about the same age as Gu Liyan, yet he spent his days idling about with no ambition.

He only knew how to eat, drink, and be merry, frequenting bars, nightclubs, and chasing women.

This caused Yan Qihua and his wife great headaches and had become a source of deep concern for them.

Gu Liyan had also heard of some of Yan Huan's scandalous deeds; it was said that not long ago, Yan Huan had made headlines in both the entertainment and business sections because he got a female model pregnant.

It was only natural for Yan Qihua to have so many reflections.

With such a large conglomerate, his only son—the most likely person to take over—was so disappointing; as parents, they were not only pained but also helpless.

At this time, Yan Qihua, who had sighed several times, realized he was acting out of sorts again, so he quickly put on a smile and changed the subject.

"President Gu, I have already had someone book a private room at a club. In a moment, we can go sing a few songs, have a few more drinks, and while we're at it, discuss some of the details of the project proposal."

Originally, upon hearing that there was to be another round of socializing, the gentleman's brows furrowed involuntarily, but then, upon hearing that they would be discussing his project proposal...

He had no choice but to agree, "Very well, we have eaten enough now; why don't we go now? Let's not make it too late, as President Yan should also return to rest early."

These words once again warmed Yan Qihua's heart, and his impression of Gu Liyan grew even more favorable than before.

What a pity that such a fine young man could not be his son; if only he could be his niece's husband, that would be good too.

In a moment, he must be sure to help Fang Qingkong ask about Gu Liyan's personal life.

The two-hour dinner finally came to an end.

This made Zhou Xiaoru also quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

This meal had truly made her feel quite anxious!

As the group began to leave the private room one after another, Zhou Xiaoru hurriedly pulled Gu Liyan to the back.

She did not want to attend any more social gatherings after this.

She did not want some Tom, Dick, or Harry to pop up again; she had no time to watch the show.

She had already spent several hours taking notes at the meeting that followed, and now this meal had taken up another two hours.

Why did she feel like it was never-ending!

No! She wanted to go back, take a shower, and sleep! She was already considering whether she could skip tomorrow's bidding conference.

Now that the bidding results were already out, what was the point of going through the motions.

As the two walked at the back, Zhou Xiaoru hurriedly reported to the gentleman.

"Boss, can I go back first? You guys are a group of grown men going to sing; I think I'll skip it."

Gu Liyan glanced indifferently at the person half a head shorter than him and said only one sentence, which made her obediently shut her mouth.

"I just sent a message to the Finance Department a moment ago; there should be someone in the Finance Department right now, settling your salary."

Zhou Xiaoru, "......."

Besides keeping her mouth shut, what else could she say now!

Wasn't the meaning of those words obvious! If she said anything else that displeased the big boss, he would surely make one phone call, and her salary would be intercepted halfway!

Watching the man who had already walked away with such flair, his handsome and upright figure, Zhou Xiaoru could not help but sigh to herself.

Sigh...

Then she recited silently in her heart, Amitabha, everything is for the sake of money!

She had no choice but to bite the bullet, steel her nerves, and follow along.

The group of people boarded their respective private vehicles.

As the car started, Zhou Xiaoru, feeling bored, powerless, and helpless, rested her chin on her hand against the car window, looking at the dazzling city lights outside.

Seeing her lack of interest, Gu Liyan found a topic to chat about.

"Are you full?"

Hearing him speak suddenly, Zhou Xiaoru did not understand at first and turned her head to ask in confusion.

"What?"

"I asked you, are you full from dinner tonight?"

"Oh, I'm full."

Just as she was about to turn her head away, she happened to catch the lingering gaze of Xiao Chen peeking in the rearview mirror.

Changing the subject, Zhou Xiaoru asked, "Xiao Chen, have you eaten?"

This guy had been following them on call the whole time; she didn't know if he had eaten or not. This guy must be very curious about her relationship with Gu Liyan, as he had been observing their interactions in secret.

Xiao Chen, who was driving, did not expect Zhou Xiaoru to suddenly shift the topic to him.

And at this moment, the gentleman's gaze also followed this question and looked at the mirror in front.

Now, the little eyes that had been peeking from time to time in the rearview mirror suddenly became a bit flustered.

After a dry laugh, Xiao Chen replied.

"Eaten... I've eaten... hehe..."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xiaoru continued to ask.

"Xiao Chen, how old are you this year? Do you have a girlfriend?"

Hearing this question, Xiao Chen felt the somewhat sharp, judgmental gaze coming from his own Big Boss!

The hand gripping the steering wheel was already slick with sweat.

He screamed internally, "Big Boss, please don't stare at me like that; I don't know why either, you two were chatting just fine, how did I suddenly get dragged into this?"

He replied, "I'm twenty-four this year, and I still don't have... a girlfriend..."

He didn't know why, but the moment Xiao Chen said he didn't have a girlfriend, he was terrified that the Big Boss would tell him to get out of the car immediately.

And as soon as Zhou Xiaoru heard that he was about the same age as her, she instantly felt the topics of conversation multiply.

"You're only twenty-four? I only just graduated at twenty-three; how many years have you been working?"

"Th... three years..."

Xiao Chen's voice grew smaller and smaller as his spine continued to chill.

*'My dear lady, please stop asking; if you ask any more, the Big Boss really is going to throw him out.'*

Just as Zhou Xiaoru was marveling at how long Xiao Chen had been working, the gentleman's voice chimed in at the perfect moment.

"What's wrong? Why are you asking in such detail? Are you looking to... introduce a girlfriend to Xiao Chen!"

The latter part of that sentence made a giant bucket of cold sweat break out on Xiao Chen's back.

Zhou Xiaoru, however, replied very calmly, "What of it? Diligent and honest men are too rare these days; asking doesn't mean anything."

At this moment, in the dark of night, a dangerous glint flashed in the man's eyes.

He paused and said, "You mean to say, you're scouting for a new boyfriend for yourself!"

Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoru frowned; she couldn't be bothered to engage, so she just muttered something under her breath.

"A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory!"

The gentleman's ears twitched, but he hadn't heard the muttering clearly.

"What did you say?"

Zhou Xiaoru blurted out a lie, "I said your mother is calling you home for dinner!"

"..." The gentleman was instantly rendered speechless.

And Xiao Chen let out a snort, nearly laughing out loud!

As the gentleman shot a murderous look through the rearview mirror, the expression Xiao Chen had been about to laugh with froze instantly on his face.

His mouth followed suit, trembling again and again.

This stifling atmosphere remained unbroken until they reached a certain entertainment club.

After getting out of the car, she looked at the place, which was just like the nightclubs she had seen on TV.

Zhou Xiaoru felt inexplicably panicked!

She couldn't say exactly what she was panicked about; perhaps it was because she was already this old and it was her first time in such a place, so she was a bit nervous.

By now, Gu Liyan had already been ushered inside by the crowd, and she followed behind like a tagalong, carrying a bag in her hand.

Inside that bag were all of Gu Liyan's personal items.

From hundred-dollar bills to his specialized toilet paper!

Who would believe it if they were told: the dignified CEO of Tengyuan Company, the handsome Gu Liyan!

Actually had to carry his own specialized toilet paper when going on business trips!

Zhou Xiaoru couldn't help but sneer in her heart: he even has to bring his own paper for the bathroom!

Is his backside made of gold or white jade? Is he really that precious?

It was truly eye-opening!

Looking at the attire of the waitstaff in this establishment, as well as the attractiveness of the male servers, Zhou Xiaoru felt that this place was definitely not as simple as an ordinary KTV!

The reason was simple: she saw that all the female servers were wearing identical uniforms.

There was nothing wrong with that; what was wrong was that every female server's uniform consisted of a low-rise waist, a short skirt, and black silk stockings!

With those moving, fair, ample bosoms, even she, as a girl, felt her blood pumping and couldn't help but swallow hard!

Let alone a crowd of grown men!

As for the other male servers, their uniforms were worn quite normally, but...

These guys... they were just too pretty!

What was this for? A talent show, or choosing a concubine!

When she arrived at their reserved extra-large private room, she stood at the door and looked on with some frustration as the other bigwigs she had eaten with earlier had already entered another room next door.

And just as she was about to enter the room Gu Liyan had gone into, she was blocked by one of the bigwigs inside.

She looked with confusion at the middle-aged man who was already somewhat drunk; the way he looked at her made Zhou Xiaoru feel very uncomfortable.

It wasn't that she was looking at him with prejudice, but what were the lewd smiles on his lips and in his eyes supposed to mean?

She saw him chuckle and say, "Sorry, Miss, your President Gu and our President Yan have some private matters to discuss; please go to the room next door."

Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoru felt regret once again!

She shouldn't have come; why did she feel like a pet that wasn't allowed into the restaurant?

It was truly inexplicable!

Just then, a voice cut into the room.

"Please let my secretary in."

Once these words were spoken, the person who had intended to chase Zhou Xiaoru to another room turned his head and saw the gentleman standing two or three steps behind him.

This somewhat drunk middle-aged man was a director of Chaowei Group; as soon as he heard Gu Liyan speak, he turned around and said with a smirk.

"President Gu, I booked this room specifically for you, and I've even arranged other special programs for you; it wouldn't be appropriate for your secretary to stay here."

The way he said this, along with the suggestive look on his face, was a classic case of "there is no silver buried here"!

Only then did it dawn on Zhou Xiaoru!

So, there were "special services" later on; it really was an eye-opener for her!