She practically fled from the private room. Without stopping once, she hurried all the way to the entrance of the Forbidden Summit Club, where a cool breeze brushed her face.
Only then did Shen Zhihui calm down. Still shaken, she quickly patted her chest, then turned to Guoguo Jiujiu, who was still looking utterly bewildered. “Guoguo Jiujiu, next time, we absolutely cannot go to a dinner like that.”
She really wasn’t cut out for these dinners.
For one thing, she couldn’t hold her liquor. For another, she was genuinely afraid she’d run into Jiang Jingnian again.
If Sun Yuzhu really fired her for it, so be it.
Guoguo Jiujiu had no idea what Shen Zhihui was worried about. She was still worked up. “Huihui, what happened? What was that dinner about? Do you know President Jiang?”
“He seemed pretty familiar with you, didn’t he? And you were the only person he went out of his way to toast!”
“How could I possibly know a Hades like him?” Shen Zhihui hastily denied it.
She lifted a hand to brush the windblown strands from her face and let out a warm breath. “I’m a little tired. Let’s go home first.”
“You really don’t know him?” Guoguo Jiujiu had the strange feeling that she didn’t believe her.
Shen Zhihui shook her head, her temples aching. “I absolutely don’t.”
“Stop asking. Do you think I’d lie to you?”
Guoguo Jiujiu looked at her. Now that she thought about it, her Huihui really wasn’t the sort to lie, so she didn’t press further. She only sighed regretfully and took out her car keys. “I thought you two knew each other! Then you might’ve been able to get your hands on some opportunities.”
“But he seemed a little different with you. Do you think he’s interested in you?”
Jiang Jingnian had some of the best connections and resources in the industry.
All it would take was one word from him.
Shen Zhihui could easily get access to top-tier fashion design opportunities—Dior, Hermès, and the like.
“Don’t say things like that. What are you thinking? Men like him are just out to have fun.” Shen Zhihui tensed up so badly she nearly stopped breathing.
Jiang Jingnian was obviously just using her for his amusement.
How could a man as high above everyone else as he was fall for an ordinary woman in the design world at first sight?
She reached over and covered Guoguo Jiujiu’s mouth. “Stop talking. There are too many people around here. Didn’t you see Chen Jingyi giving me a dirty look just now? She seems to like President Jiang. We’d better keep our distance from him, for our own safety.”
“With the resources she has, she might try to suppress me.”
Guoguo Jiujiu froze. Chen Jingyi? She’d been so busy watching President Jiang that she hadn’t even noticed her.
“Really?”
Shen Zhihui nodded. “Why would I lie to you? Come on, let’s go.”
Crossing Chen Jingyi really wasn’t a small matter. That did it—Guoguo Jiujiu gave up entirely on trying to get close to Jiang Jingnian and took Shen Zhihui by the hand, leading her toward the parking lot.
“I wasn’t thinking. In that case, we really do need to keep our distance from President Jiang.”
“Mm,” Shen Zhihui agreed.
They hurried toward the parking lot, their steps mingling with the play of night shadows. Just as they were nearing their car, a clear, refined male voice called from behind them. “Miss Shen, wait a moment.”
The voice was unfamiliar.
Shen Zhihui frowned and turned around. Jiang Jingnian’s assistant, Lu Congbai, had somehow followed them out and caught up. His handsome face wore a courteous smile, and he held a finely crafted business card in his hand.
“Sorry to interrupt. I’m President Jiang’s assistant, Lu Congbai. President Jiang would like to get to know you, Miss Shen.” Smiling, Lu Congbai held out the elegant gold-embossed card. “President Jiang had wanted to come out and give it to you himself, but he was afraid it might seem presumptuous and startle you, so he asked me to bring it over.”
Shen Zhihui blinked, staring in disbelief at the obviously expensive gold-embossed card held out to her. Her thoughts knotted up, and she stood there for a long moment without taking it. ???
Why was Jiang Jingnian giving her his business card?
Was he really… going to keep having his fun with her?
When she didn’t take it, Lu Congbai politely offered it again.
Shen Zhihui’s mind was a mess, and she still wouldn’t accept it. Guoguo Jiujiu, afraid of offending Jiang Jingnian, could only put on a smile and take it herself. “Assistant Lu, I’m her assistant. We’ll take the card for now.”
Lu Congbai nodded and handed it to Guoguo Jiujiu. He said nothing more and returned to the club.
Only after he was gone did Shen Zhihui come to her senses. She hurriedly snatched the card from Guoguo Jiujiu’s hand and flung it away as if it were a hot potato.
“Good grief, what are you doing? You’re throwing away President Jiang’s card?” Guoguo Jiujiu was startled. She quickly bent down to pick up the precious card, brushing off the dust with trembling hands. “You can’t just throw this around. If someone sees, we’re done for.”
“I don’t want to have…anything to do with him.” Shen Zhihui pressed her fingers to her aching brow, her pretty face twisting into a grimace. “Don’t forget…Chen Jingyi seems interested in him. I don’t want to make an enemy of her.”
Why did the very thing she feared have to happen?
For a whole month, she’d been having nightmares every night, afraid Jiang Jingnian would find out about her and kill her.
And now…he’d actually sent her his business card? He wanted to get to know her?
Did she have a death wish?
“I know, but we still have to keep up appearances. We can’t afford to offend Chen Jingyi, and we can afford to offend President Jiang even less, right? How about this…I’ll hold on to it for now. We just won’t contact him.” Guoguo Jiujiu patted her back. “Let’s get in the car.”
Shen Zhihui nodded and climbed into the car, her brows knitted in troubled reluctance.
Guoguo sighed, tucked the business card into her pocket, and got in too. Now she was afraid of offending either of those two big shots.
The car started up, turned out of the exit, and disappeared into the layers of night mist.
After it vanished from sight, Jiang Jingnian—who had come out just behind them—sat in a car not far away, a cigarette between his fingers, its tip glowing red. He rested it by the window and gazed thoughtfully at the parking-lot exit where they had disappeared.
When the ash fell, Lu Congbai, who had been waiting nearby, finally said, “President Jiang, they’ve left.”
Jiang Jingnian gave a quiet “Mm,” collected his thoughts, and flicked the cigarette ash away. His thin lips curved in an unreadable smile. “Did she just throw my business card away?”
Lu Congbai couldn’t make sense of what his boss was thinking. All he knew was that President Jiang seemed very interested in Miss Shen, the woman who had schemed to sleep with him.
So he answered honestly. “Yes. Miss Shen threw it away.”
Jiang Jingnian’s lips curled, his eyes looking impossibly aristocratic and languid in the night. “She’s got quite a temper. She thinks I’m beneath her.”
“Look into her background again. Find out whether she’s ever liked another man.” He wanted to know if she thought she was too good for him because there was someone else in her heart.
But even if there was, he was confident he could make her submit to him.
Lu Congbai paused. Was President Jiang really planning to pursue Miss Shen?
“Understood, President Jiang.”
Jiang Jingnian nodded and tossed the cigarette butt aside. “Back to the residence. Fang Wanyue wants to see me.”
Lu Congbai nodded and hurried into the car to start it.
The car roared as it began to turn out, when Chen Jingyi came running after them. She raised a hand to stop Jiang Jingnian’s car, then hurried over to the rear window and leaned down to tap on it. “Brother Nian.”
Jiang Jingnian didn’t particularly like her, but since they knew each other, he had no choice but to lower the window. His expression was cool. “What is it?”
“Could you give me a ride home?” Chen Jingyi asked with a sweet smile.
“That wouldn’t be appropriate. You’re a celebrity. If a rumor got out, it would be bad for me.” Jiang Jingnian refused without a hint of courtesy, then raised the window and told Lu Congbai to drive.
The luxurious Bentley swept past Chen Jingyi coldly, the wind it stirred up whipping her hair into a wild mess.
She looked utterly wretched.
But she didn’t care about her hair at all. She was shaking with rage.
Why was this happening?
What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t he like her? Could it be that…Shen Zhihui? Had he taken an interest in her?
At the thought of Shen Zhihui’s beautiful, classically elegant face, jealousy flared in Chen Jingyi’s eyes.
She would never let another woman get close to Jiang Jingnian.
She was still furious over the cruise-ship mishap last time. She still hadn’t found the shameless woman who’d taken her place and stolen the opportunity.
This time, even if the gods themselves came, no one was going to take Jiang Jingnian away from her.
Jiang Jingnian was hers alone.