Chapter 188

Chapter 188 - 188 181 Gathering of big shots Young Master Xie the Chapter 188: 181: Gathering of big shots, Young Master Xie the Fourth arrives (second update) Chapter 188: 181: Gathering of big shots, Young Master Xie the Fourth arrives (second update) Qin Qi greeted guests at the entrance of the banquet hall and saw Wen Changling, followed by Jiang Chengxue.

Eastern Automobile and Huaqi Technology had a partnership and had developed a new type of assisted driving system together.

Jiang Chengxue, as the new chairman of Eastern Automobile, was someone Qin Qi had to pay due respect to, so he specially sent an invitation. However, he didn’t expect Jiang Chengxue to attend, given the man’s importance and busy schedule.

Qin Qi was surprised to see Jiang Chengxue’s appearance.

“Changling,” Qin Qi approached, glanced at Wen Changling, and then at Jiang Chengxue, “you two...”

Wen Changling stepped aside, distancing herself to indicate they were not close.

Qin Qi discarded an impractical thought.

“Chairman Jiang.” Qin Qi took the initiative to introduce, “This is my daughter, Wen Changling.”

Wen Changling neither made an effort to ingratiate nor was she intimidated, standing there with an easy grace.

Jiang Chengxue nodded slightly, politely and gentlemanly, “Jiang Chengxue.”

With that, they were formally acquainted.

Qin Qi personally led Wen Changling into the banquet hall, where most of the guests had already arrived. Today’s birthday celebration was secondary; the CEO transition at Huaqi Technology was imminent. Chen Qiuchan and the other founding partners were present, and everyone was well aware that tonight’s banquet was warming up for Qin Qi’s upcoming appointment.

As the host, Qin Qi had Wen Changling by his side, naturally becoming the focus of everyone’s attention.

“Let me introduce you.”

Not hiding anything, Qin Qi brought Wen Changling over to the senior executives of Huaqi Technology and introduced her forthrightly, “This is my daughter, Changling.”

Someone joked, “When did President Qin add such a flower-like and jade-like daughter?”

Qin Qi was unmarried.

It was common knowledge.

Qin Qi said with a smile, “My daughter was abroad before and has only recently come back.”

Many pairs of eyes were on Wen Changling, full of various inquiries, but by unspoken agreement, they all considered her to be Qin Qi’s illegitimate daughter. These kinds of scenarios were not uncommon in their circle.

Whoever chose the gown Wen Changling was wearing did a good job. It was blush pink, with a long hem and layer upon layer of ethereal chiffon that semi-concealed the slightly darker embroidered flowers underneath.

Like a runaway princess from a rose manor.

She wore only a touch of makeup, looking beautiful without being ostentatious, standing in a relaxed and composed manner, calm and confident, allowing people to size her up.

“She’s so beautiful, she doesn’t resemble you,” joked a company president named Yan, the CFO of Huaqi Technology.

Qin Qi replied half in jest, “She takes after her mother.”

Wen Changling held back her discomfort.

She hated hearing anything about Wen Yuan from Qin Qi’s mouth.

“No wonder you kept her hidden. If I had such a good-looking girl, I’d hide her too,” President Yan, a genial and smooth middle-

aged man, asked Wen Changling with a smile, “Niece, how old are you this year?”

Before Wen Changling could speak, the birthday lady herself answered for her.

“She’s already past twenty-five and still without a partner.”

The implication was clear.

Immediately, President Yan introduced a young man at his side, “Our Little Wu is also without a partner, just right, get to know each other.”

Wu Yue, the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of Huaqi Technology and the youngest of the founding partners, was discussed in a small circle just last month for the ambiguous relationship with an employee’s wife.

Men tend to be forgiving towards other men; as long as they’re successful in their careers, they’re considered good men.

Qin Qi patted Wen Changling’s hand, “I’ll go and attend to the guests; you chat with Little Wu. You young people have common topics to discuss.”

Wen Changling was beginning to understand why Qin Qi made his “illegitimate daughter” publicly known.

Wu Yue took the initiative to come over.

“Did Miss Qin study abroad previously?” Wu Yue was very satisfied; although she had a lower status as an illegitimate daughter, her face and figure were very flattering.

Wen Changling corrected, “My surname is Wen.”

Quiet and calm, a bit aloof.

Wu Yue didn’t feel discouraged; on the contrary, he found it challenging, “Ah, you take your mother’s surname.” He stepped closer to Wen Changling, face-to-face, “Let’s get formally acquainted. My name is Wu Yue, your father’s colleague. But don’t think of me as too old; I joined the Huaqi founding team right after graduation, so I left school quite early.”

Wen Changling didn’t respond, instead stepping to the side.

“Miss Wen, where do you work?”

“Hospital.”

Wu Yue’s gaze lingered on Wen Changling’s figure, the more he looked, the more stunning he found her proportions: “Miss Wen is a doctor?”

“Nurse.”

Her patience was nearly exhausted.

“That’s good, women don’t need too strong a career ambition,” Wu Yue hinted, “especially beautiful women like Miss Wen.”

How does being beautiful matter?

Is beauty the only standard by which to measure a woman?

When she wore glasses and had bangs, she had also been called ugly. She never asked Xie Shang what he liked about her, but she was certain of one thing, it wasn’t her appearance that he liked.

After all, Xie Shang had fallen in love with her when she was very “ugly.”

Where did this Mr. Wu get his confidence from, with that strong sense of superiority in his eyes when he wasn’t as tall as Xie Shang, nor as wealthy, didn’t read as much, wasn’t as polite, didn’t understand how to respect women, wasn’t as good-looking as Xie Shang, wasn’t like Xie Shang...

Why was she thinking of Xie Shang again?

Wen Changling was even more annoyed now, pulling out her phone from her bag, it was still on the lock screen, hold it to her ear, and said, “Sorry, I have to take a call.”

She walked away.

What expression Mr. Wu had, she didn’t care.

Separated by a few tables, Jiang Chengxue dipped her cigarette butt into her red wine.

Dinner started promptly at eight.

Initially wanting to hide in a corner, Wen Changling was called over by Qin Qi.

“Changling, come sit at this table.”

There were in total eight tables that day, and Qin Qi’s was the main one, seating businessmen and Huaqi executives. It was Old Lady Zhao’s birthday, so she sat at the head, with Chen Qiuchan to her left and an old boss of a state-owned enterprise to her right.

The table had twenty seats with two left empty.

That jokester President Yan loudly said, “There’s an empty seat next to Little Wu.”

Wen Changling stood still without moving.

At that moment, a lady beside her pulled out a chair, “Sit here.”

Shi Lihong, the only female founding partner of Huaqi and its Chief People Officer (CPO).

Wen Changling sat down.

Then began the culture of dinner banquets, through everyone’s toasting and chatting, various factions became apparent. With real intentions and polite facades intermingling, these seasoned business veterans were all adept in social maneuvering.

A president suddenly brought up, “President Qin, how come President He isn’t here?”

Qin Qi replied, “He’s quite busy.”

“Right, with Noon Ferry doing so well, President He’s now a very busy man.”

No one knew that Qin Ke had an adopted son before He Dongzhou came out to start his own business. Then, everyone became aware of his relationship with the Qin Family. Many present had heard of He Dongzhou, renowned for his deep business acumen, dabbling a bit in every industry. But just how deep, no one really knew.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

He Dongzhou arrived; it was now thirty-six minutes past eight.

Not just He Dongzhou, but also another person who walked in with him. His appearance caused the entire banquet hall to turn their attention to him.

The atmosphere suddenly quieted down.

Someone whispered, “Who is that with President He?”

Another responded in a whisper, “Lawyer Xie from KE.”

KE, Xie.

Someone guessed, “The eldest grandson from the Xie Family?”

“Why is he here?”

Chen Qiuchan asked Qin Qi this question.

It wasn’t that the Xie Family was particularly arrogant; rather, Fourth Young Master Xie rarely attended dinner parties. He had handled a few major cases recently, and while everyone had heard his name, for many, this was their first time seeing him in person.

He Dongzhou walked over, standing with a casual yet graceful demeanor, smiling as he offered his good wishes, “Dongzhou wishes Old Lady Zhao happiness as boundless as the eastern sea and a life longer than the southern mountains.”

Old Lady Zhao gave a dry laugh.

She was quite intimidated by this “grandson” of hers. When he was disobedient as a child, a thrashing with a tailor’s measuring stick followed by a few meals skipped would settle things. Then, seemingly overnight, the boy she could punish and scold at will had grown up. He grew taller and could snatch the stick right out of her hands. His slender teenage back stood erect and firm, and his gaze alone was unnerving.

“I came in a rush and didn’t prepare a gift,” Xie Shang apologized. “That was rude of me.”

He was in full dress but hadn’t worn a tie, a blend of formal and casual. Neither prideful nor ingratiating, he exhibited an effortless elegance and politeness. He lacked the scent of a merchant and the stern rigidity of a lawyer, unmistakably exhibiting the bearing and proper upbringing of an aristocratic family. His air of nobility was never oppressive; he communicated an ease in any setting.

Qin Qi was delighted and stood up, “It is an honor for us that Lawyer Xie could join us.” He offered his own seat. “Please sit, Lawyer Xie.”

Xie Shang didn’t decline and took the seat.

Qin Qi quickly called over a server, “Add two more chairs to this table.”

With Xie Shang’s unexpected arrival, the various tycoons at the table couldn’t remain as comfortable as before, thinking twice before speaking.

A lawyer of his calibre always commands respect.

Wen Changling was seated opposite Xie Shang, and probably only she had an appetite better than before, constantly eating.