Thus, the scene appeared as though a freshly trained chef was serving a completed meal to a customer. Seeing that the customer was enjoying their meal, the new chef then broke into a meaningful smile.
Su Jiu thought the scene before her felt rather bizarre.
What is happening?
“I’m sorry I’m late,” a cold and crisp male voice spoke out of nowhere.
Su Jiu and Shen Qi were both startled, and they turned toward the direction of the voice.
It was Ye Moxuan. He was wearing a black and smart suit and looked handsome sitting in his wheelchair. Xiao Su, who was standing behind him, pushed Ye Moxuan toward the group.
Shen Qi’s eyes opened wide in surprise when she saw Ye Moxuan. Why is he showing up suddenly? Shouldn’t he be in the company right now? Besides, he passed this task to me. Did I do something wrong somewhere?
Shen Qi stood up abruptly the moment she thought of the previous two incidents, and she walked toward him while trembling reflexively. Her demeanor, which made her look like an obedient wife, caused Han Qing who was seated opposite and had an indifferent facial expression to lift his head up. His dark and serious eyes gazed at Shen Qi unwaveringly.
After that, Han Qing’s gaze shifted from Shen Qi’s figure to Ye Moxuan’s eyes.
Ye Moxuan…
When Han Qing thought of the results of the investigation this time, something flashed across his dark, serious eyes as though he thought of something.
For some reason, Han Qing’s gaze became rather curious.
Su Jiu stood up abruptly and greeted Ye Moxuan, “President Ye, if I had known you were coming too, I would have—”
Ye Moxuan answered indifferently, “No need to be so polite. I’ve just came over to check up on my assistant and the progress of the discussion.”
His voice was emotionless, and no one could figure out what was on his mind.
Su Jiu glanced at Shen Qi, embarrassed, whereas Shen Qi stopped in front of Ye Moxuan and whispered, “Why are you here?”
The surprise and amazement on her face was similar to that of a child, and Ye Moxuan squinted at her. Why have I not noticed how adorable this woman is?
Somehow, every expression of hers, including every tiny gesture or fleeting look, looked pleasing to Ye Moxuan.
In fact, he felt as if it was becoming more attractive with time.
Damn it! Is this happening because I slept with her once? This is impossible!
The more Ye Moxuan thought about it, the angrier he became, and he whispered in a very soft voice, “I’m checking up on you to see if you’re flirting with other men behind my back.”
Shen Qi was rendered speechless by his words.
In that instant, her expression stiffened.
On the other hand, a faint smile was plastered across Ye Moxuan’s handsome face when he pushed his wheelchair to the dining table. “I don’t suppose you mind an extra person joining?”
Han Qing put down his cutleries, remaining expressionless.
“President Ye, it’s an honor to have you here.”
Ye Moxuan smiled and replied to him, “The pleasure is all mine.”
Meanwhile, Shen Qi was still rooted to the spot, but she snapped out of it when she heard their conversation, and she turned around to look at them.
She walked back to her original seat, and everyone sat awkwardly while facing each other at the dining table. After a while, Shen Qi realized that Han Qing was the only person served with food, and she had forgotten all about herself and Su Jiu’s serving.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll get the server and order some food right away!”
Once the server arrived, Shen Qi asked for everyone’s preference and made the necessary order before finally sighing in relief.
Ye Moxuan broke the silence suddenly with a suggestion. “The atmosphere here is rather good. President Han, why don’t we have a couple of drinks?”
Su Jiu was about to answer Ye Moxuan, saying that President Han did not drink alcohol, but Han Qing agreed unexpectedly, “Sure.”
Thus, before the dishes were served, the server brought two bottles of liquor to the table.
Shen Qi’s expression changed slightly when she saw the bottles. She took the chance when they were both drinking alcohol to inquire about the price of the liquor, and she started panicking.
This was a famous restaurant in North City, and the food was prepared by a renowned chef. Their signature dishes alone were already very expensive, not to mention alcoholic beverages such as red wine.
Usually, ordinary workers wouldn’t patronize such a restaurant because these high-end venues were more suited for negotiating business deals or expanding one’s social circles. However, since the dishes here were prepared by a famous chef, there was a rather large crowd that patronized this restaurant to enjoy a good meal.
Nevertheless, the majority of the crowd was mostly wealthy.
Shen Qi was obviously the type of person who couldn’t afford to eat at such a restaurant.
Although the old man at the Finance Department applied quite a huge sum of money for her, it might not be sufficient to pay for this meal.
Shen Qi looked up at them before going quietly to the bathroom with her phone in her hand.
There was no one else in the women’s restroom, so Shen Qi stood outside of the cubicle and phoned Han Xueyou.
Han Xueyou was surprised when she received Shen Qi’s phone call. “Why are you calling me at this hour? Shouldn’t you be working? Are you going to ask me to have lunch with you?”
Shen Qi did not have the time to joke around with her because she was very anxious right now.
“Xueyou, I need help urgently. Please lend me some money!”
Han Xueyou asked tentatively, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Qi answered swiftly, “It’s a long story, but I really need that money right now.”
“All right, how much do you need? I’ll transfer to you right now,” Han Xueyou agreed without a second thought.
The two of them had been friends for many years, and ever since Han Xueyou joined the Han Family, she had been trying her best to make it up to Shen Qi in any way she could. Thus, Han Xueyou had been urging Shen Qi to find out if she needed anything at all, but Shen Qi had never asked Han Xueyou for money, nor had Shen Qi asked for help.
Besides, Han Xueyou was the one who offered to help Shen Qi search for that strange man.
Hence, Han Xueyou was quite happy that Shen Qi wanted to borrow money from her because Shen Qi was the one asking for help this time. This meant that Han Xueyou found a chance to repay Shen Qi, and she didn’t feel so bad anymore.
Han Xueyou transferred the money to Shen Qi promptly, and Shen Qi thanked her gratefully once she received the text confirming the transfer. “Thank you so much.”
Han Xueyou asked casually, “You haven’t told me what the money is for. Shouldn’t you just summarize it even if it’s a long story?”
Shen Qi giggled when she thought of that. “It really is a long story. Didn’t I mention that I’d like to treat your older brother to a meal before?”
Han Xueyou’s heart skipped a beat when she heard that, but she managed to mumble, “Y-Yes, why?”
“Ye Group will be collaborating with Han Group! That’s why I am lucky enough to treat your brother to a meal today.”
“Wh-What did you say?”
The color drained from Han Xueyou’s face after listening to Shen Qi’s explanation. Shen Qi heard as if Han Xueyou knocked over something on the other end of the line, so she asked in bewilderment, “What happened?”
“You… met with my brother?” Han Xueyou sounded very anxious, and Shen Qi frowned slightly since she was baffled by her reaction.
Shen Qi seemed to have thought of something, and she explained hastily, “Don’t you worry. I am not disrupting your brother’s work. We have the opportunity to meet today due to some work-related matters.”
“Where are you guys now?” Han Xueyou asked out of the blue.
“Why?”
“Tell me. Aren’t you guys having a meal? Which restaurant are you at?” Han Xueyou did not realize that her voice was quavering at that point.
Shen Qi answered gingerly, “We’re in North City’s most popular—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Han Xueyou blurted out swiftly before hanging up on her, “Wait for me! I’ll be right there!”
