Liu Qian knew that Dou Jiao usually kept a low profile, hardly ever mixed with that group of second-generation rich kids, and rarely made public appearances. Thus far, he had only seen her once at a previous banquet, so it surprised him to see her again here today. What surprised him even more was that she had co with Tang Qing, which made him curious about their relationship.
During the acquisition of the jewelry company, he was not personally involved, as he was out of the province visiting the house of the wealthy individual who had recently exchanged a large sum of dollars. He just returned this morning, hence, he had not seen Dou Jiao.
Without any suspicion, Tang Qing introduced with a smile, "Uncle Liu, this is my company’s general manager, Dou Jiao. And these two are employees of my company, my driver and bodyguard, Sun Chao. This is Boss Liu, the chairman of Tian Qian Group. Behind him are his bodyguards, Brother Gang and Brother Monkey."
Liu Qian’s mouth opened wide in surprise on hearing that Dou Jiao was the General Manager of one of Tang Qing’s companies. He was left with one thought: Dou Jiao was working for Tang Qing...
At this mont, nurous speculations flashed through Liu Qian’s mind:
Had Dou Jiao and Tang Qing known each other for a long ti?
Or did the Tang family have a background he was unaware of? But why were Tang’s parents living such a ’miserable’ life, and Qin Yugang was just a bureau chief.
Could the Dou family be the providers of those dollars for the exchange business? But he had never heard of anyone from the Dou family involved in such activities. And if it were true, Dou Jiao definitely wouldn’t risk exposing herself by attending this banquet. The Dou family must know enough to avoid suspicion.
If all of the above were untrue, then what exactly was the relationship between Tang Qing and Dou Jiao, and how deep did it run?
The more Liu Qian contemplated, the more confused he beca, his mind was in disarray. Nurous questions sprung up that he couldn’t resolve. In scientific terms, he was completely perplexed.
It wasn’t Dou Jiao’s identity that had him baffled, but the imnse number of questions created by his overthinking.
"Uncle Liu, are you okay?" Seeing Liu Qian deep in thought, Tang Qing asked with curiosity. This was unusual for the typically composed Liu Qian.
Liu Qian was brought back to reality by Tang Qing’s question, feeling a bit embarrassed. Seeing Dou Jiao shake her head subtly, Liu Qian imdiately understood her intentions and said, "Oh, it’s nothing. You guys are well. When did you get bodyguards?"
Presumably, Tang Qing didn’t know about Dou Jiao’s status. So of the questions in his mind were instantly answered. However, he didn’t dare to complint on how beautiful his general manager was, or perhaps it slipped his mind due to his eagerness. Instead, he shifted the topic to Sun Chao.
"When we bought the car last ti, Uncle Liu. Let’s go in and talk. Sorry to have kept you waiting." Tang Qing answered.
"No problem, no problem. We are not starving and we have pastries and fruits, so it’s alright." Liu Qian hurriedly responded. He didn’t dare to show any displeasure while Dou Jiao was present. What Tang Qing had given him today was not just a surprise, but indeed a shock.
Previously, he thought he had overestimated Tang Qing’s capabilities. Now it seed that he was a touch overconfident. Tang Qing was like a mysterious fog, within which lurked a beast that could jump out at any mont.
Under Liu Qian’s guidance, they arrived at the most extravagant private dining room. Unmatched luxury is needless to say. Inside, there were three gigantic round combination tables, each of which could seat around thirty people without a problem. At this ti, two tables were already filled with important figures from both groups. The central table still had several empty seats, with nearly twenty male and female waiters standing by to attend to the guests.
When everyone saw Liu Qian warmly leading a few young people in, they stood up unconsciously. Apparently, they were the people Liu Qian had been awaiting, and the mysterious Boss Tang, given Tang Qing’s young appearance, everyone imdiately categorized him as a super second-generation rich child. Otherwise, how could he be sush a big shot, making Liu Qian wait for thirty minutes without a complaint.
They reached their respective seats and sat down one after the other.
Liu Qian took the main seat, with Tang Qing on his left. The presidents of the Tian Qian Group and Dream lody Group sat on Liu Qian’s right since they were his people. Naturally, Dou Jiao and her team also sat at this table, taking their order on the left of Tang Qing.
Next ca the introductions, but Liu Qian only introduced the nas of Tang Qing and Dou Jiao. He didn’t ntion the Sky Eye or Sheng Tang at all. Even though many people knew, without Tang Qing and Dou Jiao’s consent, he wasn’t sure whether it was appropriate to say anything, so he decided not to.
Of course, the dinner was filled with a cheerful and welcoming atmosphere. Liu Qian took Tang Qing over to toast every table. This ti, Tang Qing didn’t drink beverages. At such an occasion, it was better to do as the Romans do. And now, drinking alcohol was just like drinking water to him. The Level 2 Genetic Lock could block off five senses, so wasn’t it just like drinking water?
After they made the rounds, a group of people ca over to toast in succession, including ones from their own table. They each took their turn, showing off all aspects of the local drinking culture.
Even though he was a bit uncomfortable, Tang Qing knew that such occasions would beco common moving forward. Therefore, he let loose for once, accepting every drinking offer that ca. His strong alcohol tolerance managed to impress both groups. Whenever soone proposed a toast saying, "I’ll drink this, and you can do as you wish," Tang Qing would always finish his drink. If he didn’t drink, it would be alright, but when he did, he made sure to drink everyone under the table.
He would show the necessary respect once and, in the future, a gesture with so fruit beer would be enough. He could compromise once, but he wouldn’t continue doing sothing he didn’t like.
Dou Jiao saw that Tang Qing remained unaffected, even after drinking at least two bottles of Maotai. Nevertheless, she was worried about his health. After all, there’s a limit to how much anyone can drink. Consuming too much alcohol could lead to health issues, even death. Hence, she began to block drinks on behalf of Tang Qing. He didn’t refuse and would pour a small amount whenever Dou Jiao insisted. Although he could drink a lot without issue, Dou Jiao didn’t know that. She always endeavored to at least extract half of it for him.
However, Tang Qing noticed that ever since Dou Jiao started blocking drinks for him, the number of people proposing toasts significantly reduced. Eventually, most were saying things like, ’I can’t handle my alcohol’, ’I can’t drink anymore’, ’Let’s all have so tea instead’. The atmosphere beca peculiar, but Tang Qing thought nothing of it, assuming that they were rely being considerate towards Dou Jiao, given she was a woman.
Tang Qing did not connect these events to the fact that Liu Qian sent out a group text ssage suggesting to substitute alcohol with tea. On seeing Dou Jiao dutifully blocking drinks for Tang Qing, Liu Qian dared not sit idly by. If Dou Jiao got hurt because of drinking, he would be in real trouble.
After dinner, it was almost eleven o’clock. Everyone departed considering they had a eting the next day. It wasn’t a pleasure trip, so there was no need to carry on with wining, dining, and entertainnt.
After the dinner party, Liu Qian left the building with Tang Qing.
"Xiao Tang, why didn’t you stay here initially and chose to live so far away? Why don’t you rest here tonight? There are plenty of rooms," Liu Qian, with flushed red cheeks, urged him to stay. Though he usually had a high tolerance for alcohol, too much intake would affect anyone.
"Well, Dou Jiao thought it would be more convenient for work if we stayed sowhere close by, rather than wasting ti commuting. I think we should go back to rest tonight. Dou Jiao has already booked the accommodation, and I have so matters to discuss with her." Tang Qing politely declined with a smile.
"Alright, I won’t hold you back then. Drive safely, Xiao Sun, and take care of Boss Tang and Dou Jiao." Liu Qian backed off after hearing Dou Jiao had sothing to discuss with Tang Qing. At the start of their buyout process, he had arranged rooms at his hotel for Dou Jiao and her group, but they didn’t move in. Dou Jiao had been using this sa reasoning then. But as the saying goes, life is full of drama; one could always choose to stay inford or ignore certain affairs.
"Boss Liu, you’re too polite. It’s my duty," said Sun Chao.
"Well, you’re a fine young man. Looking at your physique, you could really use so ti to spar with my bodyguard, Monkey. He’s been complaining about not having the chance to practice for ages," Liu Qian chuckled. Given his affable and tactful nature, Liu Qian was naturally keeping tabs on Tang Qing’s bodyguard— it’s a highly sensitive and essential position, not one you would assign to soone you don’t trust.
Despite not involving Sun Chao in his dollar exchange business, that didn’t necessarily an Tang Qing didn’t trust him. Perhaps he simply didn’t want to drag Sun Chao into anything shady. He himself had always been ambiguous about those things. However, Tang Qing was different; he was still a student.
Moreover, Liu Qian was speaking the truth. Monkey always stayed close to him, and with limited opponents, he obviously lacked practice. Over ti, Gangzi, being busy with managing other businesses, let his training slide and was no match for Monkey anymore.
"I would like that, actually. An opportunity to learn from Monkey is quite appealing," Sun Chao chuckled. While he expressed interest verbally, he didn’t have much actual interest in fighting with Monkey. He didn’t share Monkey’s sentint about having no worthy opponents even when using a telescope. For him, one Han Leng was more than enough to chase around. Let alone Tang Qing, the hidden boss who was always around him, made him feel a bit desperate.
A few days ago, when he got the itch to spar with Tang Qing, the result was... utter defeat. In the aftermath, he even began to question his life’s worth. Following that dominated bout, Sun Chao suddenly thought about a certain individual... Jingjing.
"You guys take care. Dou Jiao, Xiao Tang, get a good rest. If you wake up late tomorrow, I’ll instruct them to delay the eting," Liu Qian said, addressing Tang Qing and Dou Jiao.
"Uncle Liu, there’s no need to postpone anything, we won’t be late," Tang Qing responded with a smile.
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
"..."
After saying their goodbyes, Sun Chao started the car and left the Tianyun Grand Hotel.
PS: Thanks to the readers ’An’s Yōu no Kon’, ’His Dad Is Superman’, ’z Bored to Co and Turn’ for their monthly tickets as well as the recomndation votes from other friends. Appreciate your support!
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