Chen Jiang said, “This is Mrs.
Xu’s daughter.
Mrs.
Xu asked me to come with her.
What are you doing here?
You’re not stalking me, are you?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Ling Qingyue said coolly.
“This is the Ling Family’s property.
Don’t tell me I need to check in with you before I come here?”
“You’re welcome to report your whereabouts to me, if you’d like,” Chen Jiang said with a smile.
Ling Qingyue frowned.
‘This guy really knows how to take a mile when you give him an inch.’
Seeing the two of them flirting, Jiang Yuning’s expression grew serious as she shot a sideways glance at Ling Qingyue.
‘This Wanli Restaurant is owned by the Ling Family.
That woman just said it was her family’s property…
Could she be the eldest daughter of the Ling Family?’
‘The ice queen CEO of the Ling Group, a business prodigy, and the most prominent career woman in all of Lin City!’
‘But so what if she’s the Ling Family’s eldest daughter?’
Jiang Yuning pressed even closer to Chen Jiang, looking incredibly intimate, as if afraid some ill-intentioned person would take the opportunity to snatch him away.
Seeing how close the two were, Ling Qingyue felt a surge of displeasure.
In her mind, she was already cursing Chen Jiang out.
‘Some “Mrs.
Xu’s daughter.” And they aren’t even trying to avoid looking suspicious?’
‘Damn scumbag!’
‘Heaven will strike you down one day!’
‘But if this little girl thinks she can provoke me with this, she’s still too green.’
She immediately fired back, “Chen Jiang, I can see you two siblings are very close.
Since Mrs.
Xu gave you this task, you can’t afford to mess it up.
You have to protect our adorable little sister.”
Jiang Yuning frowned.
‘This woman is no joke.
With a single sentence, she’s framed me as just a little sister.
I have to admit, she’s a formidable rival!’
“I have Jiang with me, so I won’t trouble you with this.”
The two women stared at each other in silence.
Squeezed between them, Chen Jiang felt incredibly awkward.
‘What is going on?’
DING!!
Thankfully, after a few seconds, the elevator doors slowly slid open.
“Jiang, this is our floor.” Jiang Yuning pulled Chen Jiang out of the elevator.
As they were leaving, Ling Qingyue said, “Chen Jiang, this is my territory.
Feel free to come find me whether you need something or not.
I’m just upstairs.”
“Alright.” Chen Jiang nodded, feeling a wave of relief as he stepped out of the elevator.
Jiang Yuning asked tentatively, “Jiang, you and Miss Ling seem to know each other well.
How did you meet?”
“We met at Shangyi Hall.
She came to see me for treatment this morning,” Chen Jiang said simply, seeing no need to go into further detail.
“Oh, so it’s just a doctor-patient relationship,” Jiang Yuning said, secretly delighted.
She didn’t give it another thought.
The two had just reached the door of private room 09 when Zhang Xiaozhi, who had been waiting for some time, rushed over with a huge smile.
“Ningning, you’re finally here!”
“Xiaozhi,” Jiang Yuning began, but Zhang Xiaozhi immediately grabbed her hand.
“Let’s hurry inside.
Everyone’s waiting for you!”
“Wait.” Jiang Yuning stopped.
“Xiaozhi, let me introduce you.
His name is Chen Jiang.
He’s the son of my mom’s best friend.”
At that, she leaned close to Zhang Xiaozhi’s ear and whispered, “Xiaozhi, I’ll tell you a secret.
He…
he’s my ideal boyfriend.”
“What?!” Zhang Xiaozhi frowned instantly.
“How come I’ve never heard you mention this before?”
Jiang Yuning quickly whispered a reminder, “It only just happened in the last day or two.
Keep it a secret.”
Zhang Xiaozhi’s frown deepened, and her eyes held a hint of ice as she looked at Chen Jiang.
‘Young Master Zhou is in there.
I can’t let anything go wrong tonight.
I have to get rid of this fly in the ointment.’
Though the icy look was fleeting, Chen Jiang caught it all.
Zhang Xiaozhi said icily, “You’re Chen Jiang, right?
You’ve brought Ningning here, so you can leave now.”
Jiang Yuning was confused.
“Xiaozhi, what are you doing?”
Zhang Xiaozhi explained, “Ningning, this is my birthday party.
Everyone inside is a person of status.
This kind of occasion isn’t suitable for him.”
“I’m just thinking of him, really.
Imagine how awkward he’d be, sitting in there not knowing anyone.
It would be better for him to just go home.”
Chen Jiang said calmly, “It’s fine.
It won’t bother me.
I came here tonight specifically to accompany Yuning.”
“You—”
Zhang Xiaozhi was getting annoyed.
‘Can’t this guy understand plain English?’
“Look, do I have to spell it out for you?
Just look at yourself!
You’re dressed like a beggar.
A high-class place like this is no place for you.”
“Xiaozhi!
How can you talk to Jiang like that!?” Jiang Yuning was shocked by her friend’s words and came to his defense.
“If you don’t welcome Jiang, then I’m not going to this party either.”
“Jiang, let’s go.”
Zhang Xiaozhi panicked and quickly grabbed Jiang Yuning.
“Ningning, you’ve got it all wrong!
I…
I was just thinking about you!
I was worried people would gossip.”
“Okay!
Okay!
Don’t be mad.
I misspoke just now.
It’s my fault!”
Then, she forced a smile at Chen Jiang.
“Chen Jiang, right?
It’s my birthday today.
Why don’t you come in and join the fun.”
Chen Jiang sneered internally.
‘This scheming bitch really knows how to put on an act.’
Zhang Xiaozhi held Jiang Yuning’s hand.
“Ningning!
It’s my birthday!
We can’t let a little thing like this ruin the mood, can we?”
Jiang Yuning softened.
‘After all, they had been best friends for so many years, and Zhang Xiaozhi had apologized sincerely.
It didn’t seem like she had said it out of malice.’
She turned to Chen Jiang.
“Jiang, it’s my best friend’s birthday today.
How about we stay and celebrate with her before we head back?”
“It’s up to you.” Chen Jiang wanted to see what this so-called “best friend,” who was trying so desperately to make Jiang Yuning stay, was really up to.
Seeing that they were both staying, Zhang Xiaozhi’s face lit up.
She quickly pulled Jiang Yuning into the private room, completely ignoring Chen Jiang.
‘She knew someone inside would deal with Chen Jiang.
He would get what was coming to him.’
Inside the private room, a group of people was in high spirits.
They were all gathered around a young man in a sharp suit, toasting him and fawning over him.
“Our Ningning is here!” Zhang Xiaozhi shouted, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
“Wow, Ningning, you look so beautiful today!”
“Of course she is!
Yuning is our school’s belle.
If she isn’t beautiful, then who is?”
“Around here, only Young Master Zhou and Jiang are a true power couple, a match made in heaven!!”
At the head of the table, Zhou Shijie’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Jiang Yuning.
He waved her over.
“Ningning, come sit here.”
Zhang Xiaozhi chimed in, “Ningning, Young Master Zhou saved that seat especially for you.
So many people would be jealous of that privilege!
Go on, sit down and chat with him!”
Zhou Shijie was full of anticipation.
But the next second, his smile instantly froze.
“That’s okay.
We can just sit anywhere; we don’t need to be so formal.” Jiang Yuning sat down at a nearby spot and pulled on Chen Jiang’s hand.
“Jiang, let’s sit here.”
“Alright.” Chen Jiang sat down beside her.
This move immediately drew Zhou Shijie’s displeasure, but he still forced a smile.
“Ningning, I don’t recognize the gentleman next to you.
And you are?”