Chapter 30
Li Qinyue looked at Zhuo Zhi’s determined expression and felt a surge of happiness. Zhuo Zhi was willing to protect her at all times, it meant that she truly cared about her.
But Li Qinyue wouldn’t let her drink.
Drinking for fun on her own terms was completely different from being forced to drink at a business dinner like this.
If she truly didn’t want to drink, Li Qinyue wouldn’t touch a single drop, regardless of who offered it. And Zhuo Zhi had no vested interests with anyone at this table, Li Qinyue wouldn’t let her suffer this kind of injustice.
As the atmosphere at the table grew lively, Li Qinyue picked up some of Zhuo Zhi’s favorite dishes and placed them in her bowl, “Okay, I understand. You eat more.”
“Hmm,” Zhuo Zhi obediently took a big bite, “It’s good for your stomach to eat something before drinking.”
Li Qinyue just smiled.
During the following course of the dinner, Wang Zilai tried to persuade Li Qinyue to drink twice more. Each time, Zhuo Zhi was ready to jump in, but Li Qinyue skillfully dodged the requests without taking a single sip.
She had been firm from the moment she entered the room. Others were either not close enough to her or didn’t dare to pressure her, so no one focused on her anymore.
Zhuo Zhi, having been ready for action for a while but not getting a chance to intervene, sat quietly beside Li Qinyue, not speaking to anyone at the table, like a little mushroom.
Mi Xingyi had organized this dinner to discuss business. Since he had invited Wang Zilai, it was definitely related to media.
Wang Zilai owned several media companies. His biggest one was led by one of the four most popular young actresses, and his other companies, with similar new generation actresses, were also doing well.
They were competitors with Li Qinyue’s “Shengle Media”, but “Shengle” was currently on a completely different level.
That was why Wang Zilai dared to repeatedly try to persuade Li Qinyue to drink, making those greasy and suggestive remarks.
Li Qinyue could refuse the drinks, but she couldn’t lose her temper and leave. On the one hand, she didn’t want to offend a big player in the industry and make things difficult for her company’s management. On the other hand, she had to give Mi Xingyi face, she couldn’t ruin this dinner and prevent him from closing his deal.
After several rounds of drinks, more than half of the people at the table were drunk.
Wang Zilai ordered another round of seafood, picked up an oyster, and placed it in Lan Xi’s bowl, urging her to eat it.
Lan Xi held her wine glass and said something. Zhuo Zhi, with her sharp hearing and constant attention to that side of the table, clearly heard her say, “I’m allergic to seafood.”
But after those words, Wang Zilai didn’t let Lan Xi off the hook. He said loudly, “Hey, your allergy will go away if you eat more. Those who claim to be allergic to alcohol at the dinner table always end up being the ones who can drink the most.”
Lan Xi pursed her lips and didn’t reply, nor did she touch the oyster.
She had already drunk a lot. From what Zhuo Zhi could see, everyone at the table had toasted her twice, and Wang Zilai had been constantly pouring her strong liquor.
Zhuo Zhi stared at her, her brows furrowing.
Li Qinyue noticed that Zhuo Zhi was getting ready to intervene again. She tugged at her sleeve and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zhuo Zhi spoke up, not bothering to lower her voice, “Allergies can be fatal.”
Lan Xi looked over, but her gaze only lingered on Zhuo Zhi for a moment before moving to Li Qinyue.
Li Qinyue met her gaze and calmly looked away, saying to Zhuo Zhi, “Then she should be careful about what she’s allergic to.”
Her meaning was clear. Lan Xi was an adult, she was responsible for what she ate.
Just like with her drinking, no one was forcing her at knifepoint. If she wanted to gain benefits from Wang Zilai, she had to pay the price.
If someone else stepped in to protect her, it might ruin her plans.
Li Qinyue didn’t look at Lan Xi again. She picked up some food and placed it in Zhuo Zhi’s bowl, urging her to eat.
Zhuo Zhi ate while keeping an eye on Lan Xi. After a brief exchange between Wang Zilai and Lan Xi, Lan Xi suddenly picked up the oyster and swallowed it in one gulp.
Zhuo Zhi, who was chewing on a piece of meat, froze.
The next second, Lan Xi suddenly stood up, covered her mouth, and ran out.
Wang Zilai made a move to follow, but Zhuo Zhi threw down her chopsticks, pushed back her chair, and rushed to the door.
Li Qinyue didn’t move, watching Zhuo Zhi’s figure disappear. She said to Wang Zilai, “President Wang, my friend went after her, it’s fine, you can’t leave, this table can’t function without you.”
This was the first time Li Qinyue had taken the initiative to speak to Wang Zilai since arriving. Wang Zilai laughed and pointed at the door, “I don’t know what happened, maybe she drank a bit too much.”
He sat back down and winked at Li Qinyue, “Little President Li, don’t call her your ‘friend’, that’s your little girlfriend, right?”
Li Qinyue smiled but didn’t say anything.
Wang Zilai said, “Don’t think I’m gossiping, we’re all in the same circle, you can’t hide the fact that you’re so protective of her.”
“Nothing can be hidden from President Wang,” Li Qinyue changed the subject, “Then is this girl President Wang brought today also your little girlfriend?”
Wang Zilai laughed, glancing around at everyone before saying, “You can’t say such things, the little girl is just here to get to know everyone.”
“Oh,” Li Qinyue said, “I thought she was a new artist signed by President Wang.”
“I think she’s not bad,” Wang Zilai said, “What do you think, Little President Li?”
“She’s missing something,” Li Qinyue said.
“Hahahahaha…” Wang Zilai raised his glass and toasted her, “Yes, she is missing something.”
Lan Xi ran all the way to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. She didn’t even close the door. Zhuo Zhi followed her, not knowing how to help.
After she finished vomiting, Zhuo Zhi asked, “Are you okay?”
Lan Xi just raised her hand and waved at her.
It was a gesture telling her to leave. Zhuo Zhi left the bathroom and asked a waiter for a bottle of mineral water.
When she returned to the bathroom, Lan Xi was washing her face with cold water, which was running down her neck, soaking her clothes.
Zhuo Zhi observed her face. It was a little red, but still normal. Her breathing and demeanor were steady. Zhuo Zhi sighed with relief and handed Lan Xi a tissue.
Lan Xi wiped her face, threw the tissue into the trash can, and looked up at Zhuo Zhi.
Zhuo Zhi unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle and handed it to her.
Lan Xi took it and took two sips.
“How are you feeling?” Zhuo Zhi asked again.
“I’m fine,” Lan Xi replied, her voice a little hoarse.
“No allergic reaction?” Zhuo Zhi asked.
Lan Xi looked at her and said, “I’m not allergic to seafood.”
Zhuo Zhi was stunned.
“But I don’t like it, it’s disgusting,” Lan Xi said.
“Oh, okay, that’s good,” Zhuo Zhi suddenly felt that she had followed her out for nothing, “Then… I’ll go back now.”
“Do you like being in there?” Lan Xi suddenly asked.
“Of course not,” Zhuo Zhi replied.
“Come with me,” Lan Xi walked out, turned a corner, and headed in another direction.
Zhuo Zhi said, “If you’re okay, I need to go back. Although I don’t like that kind of environment, President Li is still in there.”
“No one can force her,” Lan Xi continued walking, “But they can force me.”
Zhuo Zhi didn’t agree with her words, but she felt a little sad.
“Where are you going?” she asked, catching up.
Lan Xi suddenly pushed open a door on the side of the corridor, “Nowhere, just finding a place to rest.”
It was a dark bridge room, empty and quiet after the door closed.
Lan Xi didn’t turn on the lights and sat down on the sofa.
Zhuo Zhi asked the question that had been on her mind since entering the private room, “Are you that President Wang’s subordinate?”
Lan Xi looked up at her, “No.”
“Then do you owe him a lot of money?” Zhuo Zhi frowned.
“No.”
“Is he blackmailing you?”
“No.”
“Then why did you drink when he told you to drink, and eat something you hate when he told you to eat?” Zhuo Zhi was a little angry.
“I…” Lan Xi was stunned for a moment, then smiled, “Zhuo Zhi, your name is Zhuo Zhi, right?”
“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi responded.
“Not everyone is as lucky as you,” Lan Xi paused, “To be able to stay by Li Qinyue’s side.”
Zhuo Zhi thought for a moment. Li Qinyue, as her employer, although sometimes childish and mischievous, was generally a good person. So she nodded and said, “I do have a good job, but I believe that if you work hard, you can find one too.”
“A job?” Lan Xi chuckled, “Don’t you two have any other kind of relationship?”
Zhuo Zhi paused, her mind racing, “Do you like Li Qinyue?”
The smile on Lan Xi’s face disappeared. She probably hadn’t expected Zhuo Zhi to be so direct and couldn’t respond for a moment.
Zhuo Zhi took her silence as agreement. After all, they had been flirting with each other at the bar, it didn’t seem like they were indifferent towards each other.
Besides, Zhuo Zhi still didn’t know what had happened after Li Qinyue returned to the bar.
When she arrived, they had already had a fight, and she had taken the excited Li Qinyue home in a daze.
Zhuo Zhi’s frown deepened, “If you like Li Qinyue, why are you trying to please Wang Zilai? Do you think President Li and Wang Zilai have a good relationship? You could have approached President Li directly. After all this effort, he made you drink so much…”
Lan Xi interrupted her, “Are you really stupid or are you pretending?”
Zhuo Zhi glared, “I’m not stupid, you’re the stupid one.”
Lan Xi looked at her, silent for a long time.
Zhuo Zhi, worried about Li Qinyue, turned to leave, “I’m going back.”
“I can’t reach Li Qinyue,” Lan Xi suddenly said.
Zhuo Zhi was helpless with this kind of cryptic conversation. She turned back, “Aren’t you the resident singer at ‘Shengge’? You can just ask the manager for her contact information.”
“She won’t answer my calls,” Lan Xi stood up.
“Oh.” Zhuo Zhi hadn’t thought of that. In her impression, although Li Qinyue had a bad temper, she was quite approachable.
“Stalking her isn’t my style,” Lan Xi said, “I need a proper identity to communicate with her.”
“Oh,” Zhuo Zhi responded, feeling a little guilty. From the looks of it, Lan Xi was the kind of person Li Qinyue needed her shield for.
“Wang Zilai said he would introduce me to President Li,” Lan Xi paused, “As an artist.”
“Oh.” Zhuo Zhi had nothing more to say. Staying here any longer would feel like a betrayal to Li Qinyue.
Besides, Lan Xi clearly didn’t need her help. She had a clear goal and was being quite clever about achieving it.
Zhuo Zhi opened the door, “I’m going back.”
This time, she really left without hesitation, and after leaving, she felt a little angry.
She was genuinely angry, but she wasn’t sure why.
Zhuo Zhi, fuming, arrived at the private room door and pushed it open, only to freeze in surprise. The room was empty.
The table was a mess, and the waiters were cleaning up. Zhuo Zhi took out her phone and checked the time. She hadn’t been gone for long.
And there were no missed calls or messages from Li Qinyue.
Zhuo Zhi’s anger was replaced by anxiety. She was about to call Li Qinyue when a waiter looked at her and asked, “Are you looking for someone?”
“The people who were having dinner here just now,” Zhuo Zhi said, “Where did they go?”
She was so aggressive that the waiter was stunned for a moment. Instead of answering her question, he asked, “Who are you?”
“I was having dinner with them!” Zhuo Zhi frowned, “I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, they were gone!”
Seeing her anger, the waiter thought she was acting normally now.
He bowed and said, “Please come this way, President Mi and the others went to sing karaoke.”
Zhuo Zhi inwardly complained, “These rich people are so boring, all they do is eat and sing.”
She followed the waiter through a maze of corridors, finally arriving at a luxurious karaoke room.
The waiter bowed and stepped aside. Zhuo Zhi pushed open the door, and a cacophony of off-key singing blasted out.
Along with the annoying colorful lights flashing to the rhythm of the music, it felt like a disco for middle-aged and elderly people in a small town.
Zhuo Zhi frowned, searching for Li Qinyue in the room. It was huge, not just big, but a suite.
She couldn’t find Li Qinyue, but she noticed that there were many more people in the room than when they were having dinner.
And both men and women were dressed very skimpily, despite the winter weather.
Although the heating was on full blast, they were still dressed too revealingly.
Zhuo Zhi stared at the sea of white legs, and a thought suddenly clicked in her mind.
She slapped her forehead, berating herself for being so naive.
It had only been a few days of peace and quiet, and she had almost forgotten that these people, besides eating and singing, couldn’t live without another form of entertainment: illegal prostitution.
It seemed they were back to where they started.
But unlike then, Zhuo Zhi was more confident now. She wasn’t just Li Qinyue’s bodyguard, she could also be her “girlfriend”.
Catching your girlfriend doing this kind of thing, well, that was perfectly justifiable.
Zhuo Zhi spotted someone from the dinner earlier and walked over, grabbing his arm and asking, “Where’s President Li?”
The man was stunned. Zhuo Zhi repeated, “Where’s Li Qinyue?”
“Ah, ah, ah, President Li,” the man stammered, “She’s with President Wang and President Mi on the other side.”
“Which side?”
“Left,” the man pointed.
Zhuo Zhi rushed off like the wind.
The man rubbed his arm and exclaimed, “Such a small girl, so strong, I didn’t expect that.”
The person next to him leaned over and slapped him on the back, “You’re in trouble, you know that?”
“What trouble am I in?”
“Do you even know who that was? And you just gave her directions?”
“The girl who was having dinner with us just now, but I don’t know her name.”
“What’s her relationship with Li Qinyue?”
“Damn!” the man finally realized, “From the way Wang Zilai was acting, she’s Li Qinyue’s new lover!”
“President Wang finally managed to get President Li alone while that girl was gone, and you just gave her directions to catch them in the act.”
“Damn,” the man panicked, “It’s none of my business! When you’re hanging out with these bosses, don’t you have to be prepared for this kind of thing?”
Zhuo Zhi was prepared. She had seen it all, she had seen a group of men dancing in their underwear on her first day.
She reached the door of the other room, took a deep breath, and pushed it open.
She was stunned for a few seconds, then blinded by the scene before her.
Li Qinyue was sitting on a luxurious sofa, holding a glass of red wine, her legs crossed, a cigarette between her fingers
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