In the room, Mo Hanzhou smiled gently and said in a soft tone:
“Master Zhou is naturally an outstanding talent among men. I’ve heard he studied literature and art abroad for many years. Even if he doesn’t inherit the family business in the future, he will undoubtedly become a respected writer or critic.”
“And how does he compare to the young master of the Lu family?”
Outside, Lu Qiao thought: How audacious!
He put down the menu, turned to the waiter beside him, and said, “I’ll have grilled beef tongue, stir-fried bean sprouts.”
When Mo Hanzhou heard him mention Lu Qiao, the smile on his face faded slightly:
“Lu Qiao is naturally a good boy too, but compared to Master Zhou, he is more shy. Perhaps because he is young and inexperienced, he can be a bit too lively and naive.”
He referred to Zhou Jinyu as “Master Zhou,” but called Lu Qiao directly by his name. Everyone present was a seasoned veteran, and from this single form of address, they could sense something.
Old Master Zhou pretended not to notice:
“But he is too naive. When two families arrange a marriage, even if it doesn’t work out, they should sit down and talk properly, not make a fuss for the whole world to know like he did.”
The old man suddenly sighed: “I’m old, and many things are beyond my understanding of young people. Decades ago, how could I have imagined that young people today would like the same sex or even marry them? Take Jinyu, for example. He says he likes men I can’t understand it. But whether he likes men or women, I must think about his happiness. Hanzhou, I.”
Before Old Master Zhou could continue, one of the bodyguards beside Mo Hanzhou suddenly raised his hand. He stepped forward to stop the conversation, his gaze sharp and alert as he scanned the surroundings.
Everyone in the room was startled.
Mo Hanzhou asked, “What’s wrong?”
The man’s eyes were sharp. He stepped forward a few paces, retrieved a thumbnail-sized camera from the door of a cabinet against the wall, then opened each cabinet door one by one. From a crack in one of them, he dug out a listening device.
“Mr. Mo.”
Mo Hanzhou’s expression turned grave. Old Master Zhou also exclaimed in shock, “How could there be such things here? Where’s the manager? Call him in!”
The restaurant manager, having received a message from the waiter stationed in the private room, rushed in. When he saw the devices on the table, his face paled, and he immediately notified security:
“Please ask all guests in the restaurant to stay for now. Don’t let anyone leave the restaurant!”
Two minutes earlier, Lu Qiao saw the bodyguard interrupt Old Master Zhou’s speech. The woman in front of him was perfectly playing the role of a tool person enjoying a happy “sibling” meal with her “brother.” She was happily scooping mushroom chicken soup from a small bowl when the young man opposite her abruptly stood up.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
Seeing the man leave the table without another word, the woman could only hurriedly follow. Something seemed to have happened in the direction of the private room, as someone rushed over in a panic.
Lu Qiao quickly swiped his card and was about to leave the restaurant when a waiter behind him suddenly called out, “Ma’am, you left your bag behind!”
Fang Zhongbai received Mo Hanzhou’s message and hurried upstairs. As he reached the second floor, he noticed a young man standing sideways by the entrance, paying his bill. The young man was dressed in particularly flashy clothes, but Fang Zhongbai, preoccupied with other matters, didn’t pay much attention until the waiter’s voice rang out. He instinctively glanced toward the young man, and that one look made him realize something was off.
Although Lu Qiao was dressed completely differently than usual, even wearing makeup on his face, Fang Zhongbai’s keen eyesight was naturally extraordinary. If he couldn’t recognize him at first glance, that would be one thing but if he still couldn’t tell after such an obvious look, he might as well resign from his position as the chief assistant of the Mo Group.
“Young Master Lu Qiao!” Fang Zhongbai stared in shock at his disguise, and as he connected it with the news he had just received, a wild guess flashed through his mind.
It couldn’t be
The moment the waiter spoke, Lu Qiao knew he was done for. But he had done plenty of mischief before and had been caught red-handed many times. Recalling the plot of a melodramatic romance drama he had just watched, he immediately switched tactics without a hint of panic.
“Assistant Fang!”
Lu Qiao looked up in a fluster, then immediately lowered his head again, looking as guilty as a thief.
Fang Zhongbai grew even more suspicious. He stepped forward to block Lu Qiao’s path and, after a moment’s thought, spoke in a gentle tone:
“Young Master Lu Qiao, Mr. Mo is also dining here. Why don’t you join us?”
Lu Qiao was half-pushed, half-persuaded into the private room where Mo Hanzhou and the others were. The atmosphere inside was tense the restaurant manager was sweating profusely, unsure how to explain the situation, while Mo Hanzhou and the Zhou family wore grave expressions. Given their status and position, they were most wary of commercial espionage like this.
When Fang Zhongbai brought Lu Qiao in, almost everyone in the room instinctively turned to look at the door. Upon seeing Lu Qiao, Mo Hanzhou first showed a puzzled expression, then stared at his attire as an unbelievable suspicion flashed through his mind.
It couldn’t be
“Mr. Mo, I.”
As he entered, Lu Qiao bit his lip, looking uneasy. But when he saw Mo Hanzhou, he finally seemed unable to bear the weight of his pride. His eyes reddened in an instant, and he burst out crying:
“Mr. Mo, I’m sorry! I just love you too much!”
“…”
Under the astonished and shocked gazes of everyone in the room, Lu Qiao quickly scurried over to Mo Hanzhou, crouched down, and tightly hugged his leg.
“Mr. Mo, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please don’t be angry with me. I was just so afraid of losing you. Please don’t be mad, okay?”
He clung to Mo Hanzhou, weeping pitifully.
Mo Hanzhou: “…”
Everyone else in the room: “…”
Mo Hanzhou had experienced many grand scenes in his life, but he had never encountered anything like this.
He looked down with difficulty at the boy clinging to his leg, then raised his gaze to meet his ever-capable assistant across the room.
The ever-capable Assistant Fang: Uh, this was a situation he had never witnessed before.
The entire room fell into confusion. They had seen jealousy and rivalry before, but planting a camera at someone’s blind date was a first. For a moment, they weren’t sure whether to prioritize legal or moral condemnation.
In the end, it was Old Master Zhou who took charge. He looked at Lu Qiao, his cloudy eyes sharp and piercing: “Why did you do this, Young Master Lu?”
Lu Qiao bit his lip, a transparent tear still lingering at the tip of his nose. He turned back with a pitiful expression: “I told you, I was just afraid someone would take Mr. Mo away.”
His soft expression gradually grew resolute as he stood up from Mo Hanzhou’s leg but still leaned close to him.
“I was too willful before, and I know I was wrong. I just care too much about Mr. Mo. Please don’t take him away from me. To you, Mr. Mo is just a favorable candidate for a marriage alliance, but to me, he is the person I love!!”
The young man’s tone grew increasingly impassioned, brimming with genuine emotion!
At the start of his performance, Lu Qiao had deliberately imitated the villainous female lead from True Love Unlimited, but as he poured more and more emotion into it, he could no longer feel the traces of acting. At this moment, he was the deeply devoted male lead, hopelessly in love with Mo Hanzhou!
I love him so much!
Although Lu Qiao’s performance was overly dramatic, perhaps all men fell for this kind of act even Mo Hanzhou was no exception. He gently patted the back of Lu Qiao’s hand, speaking as if to him:
“Don’t do this again.”
Lu Qiao shook his head vigorously. “There won’t be a next time!”
Everyone could hear the partiality in Mo Hanzhou’s words. In fact, the few sentences exchanged before the conversation was interrupted had already made Mo Hanzhou’s choice clear. Old Mr. Zhou knew that pushing too hard would backfire, and stepping back now might even earn him some goodwill. He stepped forward and said:
“There have been too many unexpected incidents today. We won’t disturb you any further. Let’s arrange another time to discuss matters.”
Mo Hanzhou wore a faint smile on his lips, speaking with gentle refinement. “I apologize for interrupting your enjoyment, Chairman Zhou. A-Qiao, apologize to Chairman Zhou, President Zhou, and Mrs. Zhou.”
Lu Qiao obediently bowed. “I’m sorry, it was all my fault.”
“It’s nothing. Young Master Lu was simply acting on his emotions.”
One had to admit that those who had spent decades navigating the business world truly knew how to speak. Lu Qiao even felt a bit embarrassed, his face flushing red as he obediently escorted the Zhou family to the door of the private room.
“Please, no need to see us out.”
Only after seeing the Zhou family off did Mo Hanzhou’s expression turn stern as he looked at Lu Qiao:
“Do you know how much it would damage the restaurant’s reputation if word got out that there were surveillance devices in the private room?”
His cold expression was quite intimidating. Lu Qiao immediately reverted to his “well-behaved” persona and apologized to the restaurant manager. The manager didn’t dare to accept the apology he just prayed that this troublemaker wouldn’t cause any more incidents.
Mo Hanzhou turned to the manager with a pleasant expression. “I will compensate the restaurant for today’s losses. I know Mr. Qi, the owner of this restaurant, and I’ll call him later to explain.”
The manager thanked him profusely.
Mo Hanzhou then turned to Lu Qiao. “Let’s go.”
Lu Qiao followed him, ready to obediently leave, when he suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” and quickly turned back.
He hurried to the round table in the private room, reached under it, and pulled out a listening device the size of an earpiece.
Mo Hanzhou: ?
Lu Qiao then pushed aside the cabinet against the wall, retrieving two more listening devices one from behind the cabinet and another from inside the socket connected to the wall outlet and placed them obediently on the table.
He turned to face the group at the door, wearing an innocent expression as he said:
“This time, there really aren’t any more. I’ve taken them all out.”
“…”