Qiao Xi felt unhappy and directly reminded him, "President Shang, you seem to have three secretaries. You can ask Secretary Qin to accompany you..."
I can't be the only one you're squeezing to death.
"Are you the CEO or am I?" he asked without looking up.
"You are," Qiao Xi gritted her teeth and squeezed out two words.
Damn capitalists!
"You have forty-seven minutes left," he said, looking at his watch.
Qiao Xi ran faster than a rabbit.
Damn it.
Half an hour to get home, seventeen minutes to put on makeup and change clothes. It was more urgent than hanging oneself.
She took out her phone and made a call as she ran.
"Mom, tonight, you pick up Little Bean. I have to accompany the boss to a business dinner."
"Okay."
..
When Qiao Xi walked out of the apartment, the dazzling Rolls-Royce was already parked by the roadside.
Just as Qiao Xi was considering which seat to take, the back door was pushed open.
She got in, and Shang Beichen turned his head to look at her.
His gaze was extremely aggressive, sliding unreservedly from her face to her collarbone, and then further down.
Qiao Xi was wearing a strapless blue long dress today.
Her snow-white shoulders were a little bony, and the curve of her chest was perfectly outlined, with her cleavage subtly visible.
The waistline was cinched perfectly, fully showcasing her entire figure.
Paired with her meticulously made-up face, she was incredibly charming.
Very alluring.
"President Shang, staring at your subordinate like this seems rather impolite."
Qiao Xi spoke.
The man's peach blossom eyes scared her!
Shang Beichen hooked his lips, "Secretary Qiao, haven't you had a boyfriend these past few years?"
"Where did you get that from?"
Qiao Xi narrowed her eyes, her gaze unfriendly.
"You've become like dried string beans. I remember they used to have a good feel."
His venomous tongue was unmatched in the world.
"I didn't expect President Shang's wealth to increase while his eyesight worsened," Qiao Xi snorted coldly. "As for what kind of beans I am, you don't need to worry about it, as it's not your turn anyway."
Shang Beichen showed a half-smile.
Her mouth was still as sharp.
Qiao Xi turned her head towards the window, thinking of string beans.
In her second year of university, she came back and her roommates teased her about being like string beans. He said he would help her develop further and then took her to a beautiful hillside.
That was where they had their first intimate encounter.
There was a beautiful ginkgo tree on the mountain, under a sky full of stars.
She cried bitterly, and he coaxed her for two days.
That place became their spot for exchanging tokens of love. For the first two years after their divorce, she would go there on their anniversary.
Later, that place was bought by a mysterious wealthy businessman who built a private villa and fenced it off, so she could never enter again.
She could only watch from afar; the ginkgo tree was still there.
..
Shang Beichen took out a brilliant necklace from his pocket and suddenly moved closer to her.
The specially blended light citrus scent wafted over, making Qiao Xi panic. It was her favorite scent from before.
"President Shang, please be respectful."
"Put on the necklace, don't embarrass me," he said, and tried to put the necklace around her neck.
Qiao Xi's heart tightened, her eyes narrowed. This necklace was the one she had taken out that afternoon, worth 52 million. She wouldn't dare to wear it.
If she broke it, she would be his servant for life, never to recover.
She suddenly remembered a classic essay from elementary school titled "The Necklace."
"President Shang, this is too valuable. I won't wear it. What if I break it? I can't afford to compensate..."
She adopted the stance of an elder pushing lucky money into a child's hand during Chinese New Year, only for the child to push it back.
"As long as it's not intentionally damaged, you don't have to compensate," he said, giving her a contemptuous look. "My female companion is dressed so shabbily. Am I supposed to lose face?"
Qiao Xi was stunned for a moment. Fine.
She was poor. She couldn't afford this season's haute couture. This was something she had reluctantly bought last year to accompany her boss to a banquet. It cost over 80,000 and she had only worn it once.
"Then, after the business dinner, I'll return it to you," Qiao Xi didn't dare to refuse, as it concerned his reputation.
Shang Beichen leaned in again to put the necklace on her. His warm breath brushed against her neck, and his fingertips inadvertently touched her skin, making her tremble.
Shang Beichen looked at her slightly flushed earlobes and suddenly asked, "Qiao Xi, you haven't been thinking about me all these years, have you?"
"Why would I think about a heartless ex-husband?"
Qiao Xi glanced at him.
Heaven knew she had been on seventeen blind dates, and none of them had appealed to her.
His influence on her was profound.
"Your tone carries personal emotion, which clearly shows you still have feelings for me."
Shang Beichen knew how to provoke her.
"President Shang, don't flatter yourself. Do you know how to be a qualified ex-husband?"
Act as if you're dead!
"With President Shang's current net worth, there must be many women lining up to throw themselves at you, right?"
She sneered, looking at his devastatingly handsome face.
"Do you want to take a number? I can give you priority."
She glared at him, "I don't have a habit of climbing into my superior's bed. A rabbit doesn't eat grass near its burrow."
He asked again, "Then what do you do when you have needs? Use your hands?"
Qiao Xi:?
Is their current relationship suitable for discussing this topic?
Qiao Xi gritted her teeth and replied, "I find someone temporary, with good stamina and variety."
"Secretary Qiao, you're quite adventurous."
Shang Beichen looked at her plump, red lips and realized it had been a long time since he had tasted her.
"That's still not as adventurous as President Shang disappearing for three days and three nights."
Qiao Xi said indifferently.
Ha, bringing up old scores?
Shang Beichen's eyes held a playful glint, "Old man, wanna play?"
Qiao Xi: ...
Shang Beichen's large hand suddenly reached out, grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulled her closer, and kissed her sexy red lips...
"Mmmph." Qiao Xi panicked when he kissed her.
She pushed against his chest with both hands, but he pinned them with his other large hand.
He domineeringly pried open her teeth and began to conquer.
"Shang... mmmph."
He domineeringly stole the air from her mouth, with a large hand pressing on his chest. It felt heavy, seemingly aimless, yet it was gently caressing her softness with his lower abdomen.
Four years...
The driver, Old Wang, quickly raised the partition.
At this moment, he wished he were deaf and blind.
Qiao Xi's heart trembled. She bit down hard, and the metallic taste filled her taste buds.
The man finally let her go.
"Shang Beichen, you're shameless."
Shang Beichen smirked triumphantly, "I think you enjoyed it too."
Qiao Xi: ...
She didn't want to deal with this dog man anymore!
Twenty minutes later, the Rolls-Royce stopped at the entrance of the six-star Dynasty Hotel.
As soon as the car stopped, Li Changcheng, the president of Ningcheng's business community, hurried over and personally opened the car door to greet them.
Shang Beichen's acquisition of Tianyu Group and his powerful return to Ningcheng was a major event for the entire upper-class circle.
The focus wasn't Tianyu, but Shang Beichen himself.
Bei Qiao Capital, which he founded abroad, was a trillion-level behemoth, and every project it invested in was incredibly profitable.
Tonight, all the entrepreneurs in Ningcheng wished they could carve their names onto their faces just to be remembered by Shang Beichen.
Ningcheng previously had four major wealthy families: the Shen, Gu, Jing, and Bai families. After the Bai family immigrated abroad, only three remained.
Now that Shang Beichen had returned, he occupied a position of his own.
According to the financial magazine, his current net worth is 184 billion. He is known as the "Black Yama King" of the investment world, capable of bankrupting someone by the third watch and never letting it go to the fifth.
Any company he took a liking to would either soar or be utterly destroyed.
There was no third possibility.
Therefore, from the moment he set foot in Ningcheng, the business world was shaken, and a large number of high-quality startups returned from overseas.
From then on, Ningcheng respected the Shang surname.
After getting out of the car, Shang Beichen suddenly extended his hand, offering his arm.
Qiao Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she didn't reach out.
"Secretary Qiao, be professional."
Fine, it's just a formality.
Qiao Xi took a deep breath and gently placed her hand on his arm.
The familiar warmth belonging to him was transmitted through the thin suit fabric.
This intimate gesture made her heart pound inexplicably, and her cheeks instantly flushed hot.
Four years.
Being this close made her so nervous that her palms began to sweat.
Shang Beichen seemed pleased with the subtle change in her expression, a barely perceptible curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
As soon as they entered the banquet hall, all eyes swept over them like searchlights.
"Wow, that's President Shang! So handsome! Finally, we can see him in person in Ningcheng!"
"I went to Haicheng before and waited for half a month without seeing him!"
"The female companion beside him has such great temperament and is very beautiful. Is she his girlfriend?"
"This is the big shot of the investment world, the richest man in Ningcheng right now, surpassing Young Master Shen and Second Young Master Gu!"
"Ningcheng belongs to President Shang now!"
Exclamations of admiration rose one after another.
Li Changcheng, the president of the business community, quickly stepped forward and loudly introduced them to everyone.
"Everyone, this is the founder of Bei Qiao Capital, President Shang! Welcome back to Ningcheng, President Shang!"
Enthusiastic applause erupted instantly.
Soon, entrepreneurs of all kinds surrounded them, three layers deep.
Among them were three alluring beauties, whose watches were worth enough to buy a house. They were clearly daughters of prominent families.
Qiao Xi found an excuse and quietly withdrew from the crowd.
Just as she stepped outside to catch her breath, a woman in a haute couture evening gown walked up to her.
"Are you President Shang's secretary?"
"Hello," Qiao Xi nodded politely.
The woman directly handed her a check.
"I want President Shang's itinerary for the next month. This is your compensation."
Qiao Xi glanced at it. Three hundred thousand. She was indeed generous.
At the same time, she recognized the person in front of her.
Su Wanyue, the daughter of the Su family from Yancheng, and the founder of a new jewelry brand.
"I'm sorry, protecting my boss's privacy is a basic principle for us secretaries."
"You think it's too little?" Su Wanyue raised an eyebrow disdainfully and took off an expensive bracelet from her wrist. "This is a million-dollar treasure. I'll give this to you too. I only want one month."
Qiao Xi suddenly smiled.
She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly touching the brilliant blue diamond on her neck.
"Miss Su, since you're in the jewelry industry, you should recognize what I'm wearing on my neck. What is its value?"
Su Wanyue narrowed her eyes and stared intently at the necklace on Qiao Xi's neck.
The deep blue, like the sea, the perfect cut... it was the legendary "Heart of the Deep Blue"!
"Impossible! This can't be real!" she exclaimed.
"Excuse me," Qiao Xi said, not wanting to argue with her, and turned to leave.
For the first time, she felt that being rich was quite satisfying.
Su Wanyue stared intently at Qiao Xi's retreating back, her eyes filled with venom.
How could a mere secretary afford such an expensive necklace!
Could it be... she had slept with Shang Beichen?
That damned bitch! No wonder she refused to sell him the itinerary, she wanted to monopolize Shang Beichen! Did she even deserve it?
Su Wanyue beckoned a male waiter and stuffed the check into his pocket.
Qiao Xi returned to the hall, and a magnetic, mocking voice sounded from behind her.
"Secretary Qiao, you're quite good at using the fox's prestige."
Qiao Xi's heart trembled. Did he hear?
She turned around, a professional smile on her face, walked up to him, and said softly in a voice only they could hear.
"President Shang is currently the god of Ningcheng. As your secretary, I naturally have to borrow the light of the god."
Qiao Xi didn't know that the way she slightly tilted her head, her eyes sparkling, was so alluring to Shang Beichen.
He wished he could strip her naked right now and throw her onto the bed.
Four years.
He had been a monk for four years.
He had no intention of remaining a monk after returning this time.
Shang Beichen forcibly suppressed the surging heat within his body.
Another entrepreneur walked over, "Hello, President Shang, I am Xia Dongsheng from Xia Dong Technology..."
Shang Beichen turned his head and said to Qiao Xi, "Go get something to eat. I'll find you later."
"Okay."
Qiao Xi turned and walked towards the food area.
She was indeed hungry.
A waiter carrying champagne passed by, and she casually took a glass, drinking a couple of sips.
Then she picked up a few delicate pastries and ate them slowly.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of dizziness and weakness wash over her, and her body felt hot.
Was she drugged?
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