“What—?!”
Yao Ge was shocked.
“No! I refuse! I have suddenly had a surge of inspiration lately. I want to design intimate apparel!”
He absolutely did not want to design women’s wear!
Men’s wear would not do either!
Fan Qing had a headache.
“I know.”
Should he be grateful that he had the foresight to keep his voice as low as possible?
Presumably, none of the people in front of him had heard what Yao Ge just said, right?
Fan Qing carefully observed the crowd and, among a group of sharp-minded elites, barely managed to find one who seemed a little less clever.
Good. That expression still looked full of expectation.
If they were still expecting something, that meant they had not heard.
Fan Qing remained expressionless inside, but began putting on a performance.
“You went out to gather inspiration? For half a year? All right…”
“You are asking what it is about? Actually, there are several ladies—oh, and a few gentlemen as well—who have expressed great admiration for your designs… What? After designing for Miss Yuan last time, you temporarily have no inspiration?”
“All right then, have a good rest. Enjoy your trip.”
Fan Qing swiftly hung up the phone.
He wore the most regretful smile possible.
“I am very sorry, everyone. You heard it just now—Designer Yao said he has not had any new inspiration recently and has already left to seek it elsewhere. If you truly wish to make a reservation, perhaps I can contact you again in half a year?”
He could be busy.
Yao Ge?
Absolutely not.
The crowd surrounding him revealed faint looks of regret.
But they quickly expressed their understanding.
“Of course. Artists are like that—they rely heavily on inspiration.”
“It is a bit of a pity, but half a year is nothing. I can wait.”
“Yes, yes. But actually, even if Designer Yao is unavailable, it would not matter too much. President Fan, would you care to join me for a drink?”
Fan Qing: ?
Was there something slightly off about what you just said?
The others present: ?
How could someone say their hidden intentions out loud ahead of everyone else?
That is not very honorable!
Once someone had spoken first, the others followed one after another, extending invitations to Fan Qing.
Earlier, when Fan Qing had deflected so skillfully, they had not managed to extract a single useful detail.
Let alone anything about Jin Si.
Many of them quickly began to speculate.
If it had not worked earlier, it must have been because Fan Qing was sober!
In that case, if they got him drunk, would he not start speaking freely after a few drinks?
There were actually two or three people thinking along those lines.
The moment their gazes met, they understood each other perfectly.
And just like that, Fan Qing became even more sought after.
Hua Er and Jin Yi were squeezed out of the crowd.
Jin Yi looked at the lively scene in front of him and pondered for two seconds.
“Come to think of it, Ah Qing looks like the kind of young celebrity surrounded by coal bosses demanding he name his price for a drink. The especially good-looking kind.”
Hua Er forced his expression to remain steady.
Through clenched teeth, he squeezed out a few words.
“Second Young Master, President Fan asked me to remind you to pay attention to the company’s image.”
Although it really did look like that…
You do not have to say it out loud!
Good grief, the sense of immersion is too strong—my fists are already clenching.
Not for any other reason. I just want to ask—if I just switched careers to become an assistant and then beat up my own boss, would I be fired immediately?
Fan Qing once again played tai chi, diverting everyone’s attention back to Miss Yuan’s engagement banquet.
However, in the pocket of his suit trousers, several business cards now lay quietly.
Before he could even sigh in relief at having temporarily escaped disaster, Miss Yuan suddenly approached him with her fiancé.
Fan Qing glanced at the two of them, then at the two glasses of wine in Miss Yuan’s hand.
How should he put it?
He suddenly had a rather bad feeling.
The next second, Miss Yuan spoke excitedly.
“President Fan, thank you and Designer Yao. I truly love today’s outfit. Let me toast you!”
Just as he thought.
Fan Qing forced a slight smile.
He tried to catch Hua Er to drink in his place.
The attempt failed—at some point, Hua Er had followed Jin Yi and was standing a full five meters away from him.
Fan Qing then tried to come up with several excuses for himself.
All failed.
He slowly accepted the glass.
Whether he stretched out his neck or shrank it, the blade would still fall. In that case…
Fan Qing slowly raised his wine glass.
Champagne released a faint fragrance inside the glass. Presumably, it had to be a very fine wine.
And if it was fine wine, that meant—it could not possibly be fake, right?
The thought flashed through his mind just as Fan Qing had already swallowed it.
From a distance, Jin Yi watched with a gloomy expression.
“Why does it look like he is drinking as if it is going to kill him?”
Hua Er observed carefully for quite a while before slowly nodding.
“It does seem a little like that.”
Jin Yi: “Huh?”
He had only said that casually!
After thinking for a moment, Hua Er humbly sought advice from the Second Young Master beside him.
“Second Young Master, at an occasion like this, can President Fan leave now? Or does he have to wait until the banquet ends?”
“Huh?”
Jin Yi froze. “Why are you asking—”
Then he met Hua Er’s eager, studious gaze.
Oh, right. He had almost forgotten again.
Hua Er was now Fan Qing’s assistant. It made sense that he should learn these things.
However…
Jin Yi slowly turned his face away, looking troubled.
How would he know?!
His brother had only told him to show up, make an appearance, and represent the family. He had just come to go through the motions and had originally planned to pat his backside and leave!
But while he could do that, Fan Qing could not.
He was supposed to be a playboy; naturally, he did not have to follow the unspoken rules of the circle.
Fan Qing, however, clearly intended to establish himself in this circle. So he definitely could not act the same way.
So???
Could Fan Qing leave or not?
After thinking it over and over, Jin Yi felt a little guilty and turned back around.
“Well, that is a very good question. But I need to use the restroom first. Wait for me to come back, and I will answer you!”
With that, he swiftly slipped away.
Reinforcements!
He was going to find reinforcements!
But—
Before Hua Er could say anything, the Second Young Master had already vanished.
He looked at Jin Yi’s retreating back, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
Still, he had a feeling that if this continued, President Fan was going to get drunk.
Hua Er pondered for a few minutes and observed a little longer.
After watching again and again, he gritted his teeth, took out his phone, and walked to the side.
Fan Qing had a bad feeling.
He was still deflecting smoothly, but—
Since coming here, this body had not touched a single drop of alcohol.
Fan Qing was extremely attentive to maintaining his figure and overall condition. He did not smoke or drink.
So now, unable to handle alcohol, he was already close to being drunk.
Being drunk was not the frightening part.
The frightening part was the group of people staring at his face as if ready to pounce.
Fan Qing was certain—
If his consciousness blurred even a little more, these people would take advantage of his drunken state and dig out every detail, including whether he wore anything at all when he was with Nie Luo.
As for his relationship with Jin Si?
That would be impossible to conceal.
Though his expression remained composed, his fingers could not help reaching for his phone—where were Hua Er and the Second Young Master?
The moment he touched his phone, it vibrated.
Fan Qing paused slightly.
Perfect timing!
He immediately put on a polite smile.
“Excuse me, I need to take this call.”
As soon as the call connected, he first froze, then showed an expression of great surprise.
“I am sorry, everyone. Something urgent has come up at the company. I need to leave first.”
A few people tried to stop him, but Fan Qing simply pretended not to see them.
He hurriedly greeted Miss Yuan, then rushed toward a shadowed corner.
In the darkness, a tall figure lurked.
Watching Fan Qing approach, the shadow trembled slightly.
The next second, he lunged forward!
“Ah Qing, did you drink too much?”
A pair of iron arms caught the staggering Fan Qing just in time.
It was Nie Luo.
The familiar scent of cologne lingered at his nose. Fan Qing instinctively leaned closer and inhaled.
“Ge, why are you here?”
It really was Nie Luo.
Regaining a bit of clarity, Fan Qing looked at his face, then leaned in and kissed him lightly.
“Did the Second Young Master tell you?”
“Jin Yi?”
Nie Luo lifted him up and carefully placed him in the back seat.
“No. It was that new assistant you mentioned. He sent me a message—through Weibo private messages.”
“Him?”
A trace of surprise flashed across Fan Qing’s flushed face.
He had actually contacted Nie Luo through Weibo private messages?
Hua Er truly was clever—very innovative.
“Yes. But Jin Yi was there too?”
Nie Luo sounded perfectly justified.
“Next time, if he is present, just make him drink instead.”
That was about all Jin Yi was good for.
Thinking this, Nie Luo looked around.
“Speaking of which, where is he?”
Jin Yi was currently being scolded in the restroom.
“Did I not warn you before not to disturb me today?”
Jin Si’s voice was the very embodiment of teeth-gritted fury.
Even through the phone, Jin Yi could sense the murderous aura emanating from his brother.
And could the scolding not wait until next time???
Jin Yi was already numb.
He could even hear his brother breathing heavily over the phone!!!
And it was the deep, rough kind!
Brother. Dear brother!
When you are in the middle of something, could you please just not answer the phone?
Look—even Sheng Ge is not making a sound anymore!
What is even the point of continuing at that rate?
Jin Yi had never imagined this.
He had only wanted to maintain a bit of dignity in front of his new subordinate.
He had only made a call to ask his brother—of course his brother would know!
But no one had told him that his brother would already be in the middle of things at this hour!
And judging by the sounds, it had clearly been going on for quite a while!
If you refuse to hang up, could you at least take a break first?
Finish scolding me before you continue?
On the surface, Jin Yi trembled like he was walking on thin ice; inside, he was cursing nonstop.
On the other end, Jin Si felt thoroughly delighted.
He did not care in the slightest that Jin Yi could hear his breathing. Instead, he wore a full smile as he admired Ah Sheng biting down hard on his tie.
No grand spectacle could compare to this, he thought.
And besides…
When Ah Sheng got tense, he really was “tense.”
A pleased smile curved on Jin Si’s lips. To Tang Sheng, who was enduring with all his strength, that smile was nothing less than the embodiment of perversion.
Tang Sheng tried to lift his foot to signal for Jin Si to hang up the phone, only for Jin Si to seize his ankle in one swift motion.
Still smiling, Jin Si brought it to his lips and bit lightly, while continuing to scold Jin Yi.
“If you ever call at a time like this again, your allowance will be gone.”
Damn it!
Tang Sheng finally lost his composure.
His fingers dug into the muscle of Jin Si’s thigh, dragging out a long red mark.
Some beasts really should not be let out of their cages so casually!
Furious, he still forced two words out through his throat.
“Hang. Up.”