“Tóngtóng, you’re actually this amazing!” Looking at Qín Shí’s disheveled and stumbling retreat, Zhào Rán couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion, secretly rejoicing. After all, Lǐ Míng had told him that before he lost his memory, he had suffered a lot from Qín Shí’s gaslighting and manipulation. Today, he finally had a chance to hold his head high and vent his frustration.
“These spoiled rich kids are nothing more than people who drive luxury cars around all day, squandering their money and playing with women. What are their strengths? Perhaps their greatest skill is being born into the right family! I’ve seen plenty of people like this,” Lín Lètóng said with a scornful curl of her lips. “Alright, let’s not bother with him. Let’s go pay quickly.” As soon as she finished speaking, she took Zhào Rán’s hand and headed straight for the checkout.
Arriving at the self-checkout counter, Zhào Rán skillfully and naturally scanned each item he had chosen, placing them on the counter. Once everything was ready, he unhesitatingly took out his phone to pay. As usual, Lín Lètóng was responsible for picking out what she liked while shopping, and he was always ready to pay the bill, just like an older brother taking his younger sister shopping.
Lín Lètóng, who had already prepared to pay the bill with her phone, watched everything unfold before her, her eyes revealing an unexplainable emotional shift: three parts joy, yet accompanied by seven parts deep nostalgia. Finally, she silently put her phone away. Time flies, and years pass, but after so many years, Brother Ran is still Brother Ran, unchanged, always retaining his childhood habits.
On the way home, Lín Lètóng looked at Zhào Rán beside her and softly asked, “Oh, right, Brother Ran, are you free tonight?” She asked this because she had suddenly remembered that the branch company had organized a welcome banquet for her that evening, inviting the CEOs of many large local corporations. While nominally a welcoming reception, it was actually more of a venue for industry leaders to network and collaborate. For her, being new to the area, it was an important opportunity for a formal introduction and to pay respects to various influential figures. This banquet was undoubtedly the “debut banquet” she had to attend, and building good relationships with the local powers that be was an unavoidable task.
“Yes, why?” Zhào Rán replied without looking back as he drove.
“Accompany me to a dinner party tonight. I’m new here and don’t know anyone. If I don’t have someone with me, I’ll feel uneasy and insecure!” Lín Lètóng said in a sweet, soft voice that seemed to drip with charm. In reality, she really hoped Zhào Rán would accompany her, as she harbored a tiny, lingering hope in her heart.
“A dinner party? Is it the kind of purely business entertainment?” Zhào Rán’s body trembled slightly at the words, a hint of surprise flashing across his face. However, he quickly regained his composure and asked calmly, though his heart was already churning with turbulent emotions.
“Mm… you could say that. After all, I’ve just arrived here and am not familiar with everything. So, they’ve specifically organized this wine reception to meet and greet industry colleagues in Hùchéng. It’s also a kind of unwritten business rule in the industry,” Lín Lètóng replied softly after a moment of thought, carefully organizing her words.
“I see. I’m afraid I might embarrass you; I’ve never been to such a big event.” Zhào Rán tried to politely decline Lín Lètóng’s invitation. After all, he didn’t belong to that circle; even if he went, he wouldn’t fit in. They would be discussing projects worth millions, and he wasn't sure if he could even understand, let alone contribute. He only had projects worth hundreds of millions to discuss with women, and nothing else.
“Oh, what’s there to be embarrassed about? Have you ever eaten at a buffet? It’s just like that – everything is laid out, and you can take whatever you want to eat or drink. I just need to make a simple appearance for a few big shots, and I don’t need to negotiate anything specific,” Lín Lètóng immediately protested upon hearing this. However, despite her usual intelligence, in her haste, she failed to notice Zhào Rán’s unusual reaction, completely focused on her own concerns.
“Okay, then. But let’s be clear beforehand, I really don’t understand anything. If I embarrass you, don’t blame me.” Seeing that Lín Lètóng had insisted, Zhào Rán, who had always found it difficult to refuse others, could only reluctantly agree, bracing himself. However, on second thought, he made sure to state his reservations upfront.
“Oh, Brother Ran, the way you say that…” Lín Lètóng couldn’t help but roll her eyes in exasperation upon hearing his words.
Meanwhile, Sū Qīngchéng, who had been crying for a long time in her room, was curled up on the bed like a wounded animal. Her small body trembled slightly, and her once fair and delicate hands clutched her knees tightly, burying her head between them. Sū Qīngchéng stared motionlessly at the lifeless, somewhat dim curtains, as if the entire world had drifted away from her, silent and full of unconcealed loneliness and sorrow.
Just then, a soft but clear knock echoed from the door. “Knock, knock, knock…”
“Qīngchéng, how are you? Your father just called. He said there’s a banquet you need to attend tonight,” hearing the unusual sounds from inside, Sū mǔ, standing outside the door, finally couldn't help but speak softly.
“Mom, tell Dad to go alone this time. I really don’t feel like attending any banquet,” Sū Qīngchéng, immersed in her pain, hesitated for a few seconds before slowly raising her head and calling out to the closed door. Perhaps due to excessive crying, her once clear and melodious voice, like a warbler emerging from a valley, had become slightly hoarse, evoking pity.
“Your father really can’t get away today, and Mom doesn’t understand these things at all. You’ll have to go yourself. What other option is there?” Sū mǔ said helplessly from outside the door. The Su Family’s immense success, of course, involved a great deal of business entertainment.
“Alright then, I’ll get ready,” although her heart was filled with pain at that moment, Sū Qīngchéng understood the priorities. She replied softly, then got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. After washing up, bathing, and dressing carefully, Sū Qīngchéng pushed open the door and slowly descended the stairs. An hour had quietly passed.
“Here, precious daughter, Mom has prepared some food for you. Fill your stomach first, so your stomach doesn’t get hurt from drinking later. Alas, it’s all my fault for not being healthier! If only I could have had another son for you, he could handle these social obligations,” Sū mǔ’s face lit up with a brilliant smile as soon as she saw her precious daughter coming downstairs. She said with concern.
“Mom, it’s okay,” Sū Qīngchéng shook her head. She didn't sit down to eat anything, just replied faintly, then picked up her handbag and left. The driver was already waiting for her at the door in a Maybach with the engine running.
Meanwhile, Zhào Rán also drove Lín Lètóng’s Panamera out of the residential complex and headed towards their destination.
“Tóngtóng, you’re the main guest, so it’s not strange for you to be dressed up. Why did you dress me up like this too? It feels so weird,” Zhào Rán said, adjusting the bow tie around his neck, clearly uncomfortable.
“Oh, it’s just basic etiquette,” Lín Lètóng said smugly from the passenger seat, her mind replaying the scene of choosing a light luxury suit for Zhào Rán at the menswear store they passed earlier. Zhào Rán’s figure was truly a natural clothes hanger, looking slim in clothes and muscular without them; he looked good in anything. The female store clerks were completely captivated.
“Alright, alright,” Zhào Rán shook his head helplessly, feeling nervous inside because he was worried he wouldn’t be able to handle such a grand event.
Lín Lètóng in the passenger seat, however, didn’t pay much mind to it. The reason she wanted Zhào Rán to accompany her was entirely selfish – to indirectly let her father know that she already had someone.
Thus, one black and one white car drove into the hotel parking lot side by side. Inside, Zhào Rán suddenly felt a sense of crisis, with a nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen.
......