At eight that evening, Shen Zhihui wore a tasteful lotus-pink qipao and a light touch of makeup as she went with her assistant, Guoguo, to a dinner at the Peak of the Forbidden City Club.
The Peak of the Forbidden City Club was the most luxurious gathering place for the city’s elite.
They said a single night there cost at least five hundred thousand.
And there was no upper limit.
The guests they entertained were the richest of the rich, the very best of the best.
Their spending and entertainment there were also top-tier. In short, the stories going around called it a money-burning den for the wealthy and a paradise for the poor. It was so extravagant it left people speechless.
With the balance in Shen Zhihui’s bank account, she probably couldn’t even afford a bottle of foreign liquor there.
But Shen Zhihui didn’t feel much about it.
She wanted to make money, but she had no blind urge to worship extravagant spending.
She was content with being comfortably well-off. That was enough.
So she hoped tonight’s dinner wouldn’t make things too difficult for her, and that she might actually land some work. Otherwise, she’d end up losing both her money and her dignity again, just like last time. Even thinking about it made her feel… a little choked up.
Before long, they arrived at the club. After they got out, Guoguo handed the car keys to the attendant to park the car, then took Shen Zhihui by the hand and led her inside.
Since they had invitation cards, a club attendant warmly showed them the way.
They entered through the main doors, passed through a long, sumptuous corridor filled with the faint, pleasant scent of incense, and came to a private elevator.
The attendant pressed the button for their floor, and the doors opened.
The three of them got in.
Within seconds, the elevator stopped on the fifth floor.
When the doors opened, the attendant politely and respectfully led them to the private room.
She knocked three times, then opened the door for them.
Inside, the room was lively. There were men and women, seven or eight people in all.
The air was thick with cigarette smoke. Shen Zhihui couldn’t tolerate the smell lately; as soon as she caught a whiff, she felt nauseated and wanted to throw up. The men inside were puffing away, and the smoke mingled with the alcohol on them, making the air almost unbearably acrid.
Shen Zhihui’s stomach felt a little queasy. She covered her mouth and tried to suppress the nausea, then lowered her head and followed Guoguo inside.
The influential guests chatting and laughing in the private room noticed the two of them. They had been joking around, but Shen Zhihui’s beautiful face caught their attention. One after another, they found themselves openly sizing her up from head to toe.
Her skin was milky white, her features striking. She carried herself with the refined, classical air of a young lady from a distinguished family. Her figure was slender yet curvaceous—a beautiful classical siren.
It was easy to become the center of attention for men.
But Shen Zhihui hated those brazen looks, as if they wanted to devour her whole. She hurriedly chose a seat near the door. As soon as she sat down, she noticed that Chen Jingyi—the rising young star who had been all the rage in entertainment circles lately—was sitting near the main table.
Her pretty face froze in surprise.
Even a rising star like her had to attend dinner parties like this?
And one for the design world, at that?
Shen Zhihui found it hard to believe.
But then again, the entertainment industry was controlled by capital. Even famous stars couldn’t escape the clutches of the financial magnates. They could be blacklisted at the drop of a hat.
Maybe Chen Jingyi was here to secure resources too.
Guoguo had also spotted Chen Jingyi and was just as surprised. She had thought everyone at tonight’s dinner would be from the design world.
She hadn’t expected a top-tier star to be there as well. Just as Guoguo was wondering about it, a manager from a design company raised his glass and beckoned her over.
Guoguo came to her senses, put on a smile, and brought Shen Zhihui with her to sit beside the manager.
The manager swirled the red wine in his glass and turned to take a few looks at Shen Zhihui.
He seemed quite pleased with her looks.
Leaning toward Guoguo, he asked about Shen Zhihui.
Smiling apologetically, Guoguo did her best to keep the manager from getting any ideas about Shen Zhihui.
She even volunteered to drink three glasses as punishment for arriving late.
Seeing how fiercely she was protecting her, the manager smiled and said no more, clinking glasses with her and drinking.
At least he wasn’t some sleazebag.
He wouldn’t force himself on anyone or try to grope them.
After drinking the three glasses, Guoguo wiped the wine from her lips. Shen Zhihui felt bad for her and handed her a tissue.
Guoguo took it and wiped her mouth again, then asked the manager curiously, “Who’s Chen Jingyi here to keep company?”
He chuckled. “She came for President Jiang. You think she’s here to keep the design crowd company? Give me a break.”
Guoguo understood. She had heard President Jiang was young and handsome.
He was someone countless rising stars and socialites flocked to.
It made sense now.
Shen Zhihui had heard him too. So she’d misunderstood.
She had thought Chen Jingyi was here to drink with the guests, but that wasn’t it.
Shen Zhihui rubbed the tip of her nose. The smoke in the private room was so strong it felt like someone was waving burnt matches beneath her nose. The lunch she’d eaten threatened to come back up.
Suppressing her nausea, she picked up the glass of water on the table and drank to wash away the awful smell.
With a creak, the door to the private room suddenly swung open.
Someone had arrived.
And there was quite a commotion—looked like two or three people.
The room had been noisy, but when they heard the door open, everyone turned toward the entrance in unison.
The moment they recognized the imposing figure standing there, the boisterous room fell instantly silent. All the influential guests stood up, along with the women there to drink with them and Chen Jingyi, who hurried to her feet to welcome Jiang Jingnian.
Only Shen Zhihui was slow to react because her stomach was bothering her.
As everyone stood, she was still leaning against the back of her chair, holding her glass and sipping her water unhurriedly. It wasn’t until Guoguo nudged her with an elbow that she belatedly turned to look toward the door.
By then, Jiang Jingnian had already strode inside.
His handsome, cold eyes—so decisive and ruthless in the business world—swept over the room before quickly settling on Shen Zhihui’s small face, where surprise was beginning to show.
He narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at her.
Something dark and predatory flashed through his ink-black gaze.
Shen Zhihui looked at him too, but her eyes were unfocused and full of panic. She didn’t dare look for long, afraid the people around her might grow suspicious—and afraid Jiang Jingnian might suspect something too.
Flustered, she quickly looked away, lowered her head, and stood up behind Guoguo.
“President Jiang, welcome, welcome!” One of the influential guests was already raising his glass to greet Jiang Jingnian. The rising star Chen Jingyi went over to him too, warmly calling, “Brother Nian.”
Brother Nian?
Were they close?
Hearing that, Shen Zhihui couldn’t help wondering to herself.
Jiang Jingnian exchanged a few polite greetings with them and was about to take a seat.
Chen Jingyi dropped her cool, ethereal demeanor from earlier and smiled brightly. “Brother Nian, there’s an empty seat over by me.”
“No need. I’ll sit wherever.” Jiang Jingnian wasn’t interested in Chen Jingyi, even though they did know each other.
He walked around her and headed straight for Shen Zhihui.
There was an empty seat beside her too.
But until then, no one had shown any interest in sitting there.
Now, though, it gave Jiang Jingnian the perfect opportunity.
Without asking, he pulled out the chair and sat down beside her.
Once he took his seat, the influential guests glanced at where he was sitting, then at Shen Zhihui, who was pretty enough but only an ordinary person. They seemed to understand at once: Big Shot Jiang had unusual tastes.
He liked classical beauties.
One by one, they sat down again with their glasses in hand.
The table grew lively once more, but Chen Jingyi was unhappy. Her pure, lovely face turned sour, and her big eyes glared at Shen Zhihui, angry and resentful.
It was as though Shen Zhihui had deliberately lured Jiang Jingnian into sitting beside her.
But Chen Jingyi was a top-tier star; she couldn’t throw her weight around and bully Shen Zhihui in front of everyone. She could only swallow her anger and return to her original seat. Once she sat down, someone began pouring Jiang Jingnian a drink, and others came over to chat with him. Shen Zhihui, however, was a little frightened. Her face went faintly pale, and she turned away from Jiang Jingnian, putting her back to him to keep her distance.
Guoguo found Shen Zhihui’s obvious rejection of Big Shot Jiang a little strange. Lowering her head, she whispered, “Huihui, what’s wrong? President Jiang’s sitting right beside you. This is such a good opportunity—why don’t you talk to him?”
Talk to him? The moment she thought of how he’d said that night he would kill whoever had set him up, Shen Zhihui shuddered. She couldn’t run even if she wanted to, so how could she possibly want to strike up a conversation? She covered her face with her hand and whispered, “Guoguo, I’m not feeling well. Can I leave early?”
As soon as she finished, Jiang Jingnian seemed to hear her. His sensual lips curved faintly as he turned the clear-stemmed wineglass between his fingers and looked toward Shen Zhihui, his voice a rich, velvety purr with a fizzy, alcohol-like buzz.
In an unhurried tone, he deliberately addressed President Zhang, who was standing behind him to offer him a drink. “President Zhang, who is this young lady? She seems… less than pleased to have me here?”