Upon hearing this, Director Zhao’s expression changed slightly, but he still maintained a smile and said, "I didn’t quite understand what President Lu just said."
Lu Jingchen gazed at the wrinkled face before him, withdrew his hand and put it in his pocket, standing tall, he continued to look at the man with a tepid and indifferent tone, "Does Director Zhao need to spell it out?
Sure enough, the mont these words were spoken, Director Zhao, who had been sowhat composed, suddenly changed his expression.
So in the surroundings who were adept at reading the room exchanged glances, feeling that the atmosphere was off. The music inside the private room had been deliberately turned down when Lu Jingchen arrived, so it wasn’t too noisy.
However, since Lu Jingchen and Director Zhao were not speaking loudly, the others couldn’t make out exactly what they were discussing, only catching the gist of it.
Seeing this, soone stood up to address Lu Jingchen, "President Lu has just arrived and starts talking business, there’s no need to be so serious, right? Co, co, President Lu, sit here. Let’s have a couple of drinks first, and then we can talk, okay?"
The deliberately lowered voice was an obvious sign of offering Lu Jingchen a way to back down gracefully.
Lu Jingchen glanced at the man, felt he looked familiar, and after giving it so thought, rembered that the CK Corporation had a partnership with this man’s company. He owed him a favor and did not decline, "Indeed, it might be better to sit down for talks."
The man, who had been worried that Lu Jingchen wouldn’t take the offer, had a back drenched with cold sweat but now, hearing Lu Jingchen’s response and seeing him sit down, the smile on his face widened. He imdiately called the waiter and ordered better drinks, while also casting aningful glances at Director Zhao.
In na, they all called him Director Zhao, but everyone was well aware that he wouldn’t be in his position much longer before retiring to make way for the next generation.
The so-called Director Zhao, was the head of An City’s Health Bureau, full na Zhao Kuan. On the surface, he was a clean and honest health bureau director, but in reality, he had once been a street thug, a fact known by few.
Among those few, Lu Jingchen was included, although he did not expose it right away.
Lu Jingchen had a reason to co here today, which happened to involve Zuo Yuqing.
Director Zhao fancied Zuo Yuqing, sothing probably known by quite a few in the circle, and Zuo Yuqing was a well-known "pure goddess" in the entertainnt industry, who besides having been involved in a scandal with a man in her early years, had not been seen engaging in any scandalous events.
Director Zhao always enjoyed playing with female actresses, and many young actresses had been involved with him, although it was never explicitly stated.
Who would go against Director Zhao, who held power and influence and could ruin soone’s career in a matter of minutes?
Moreover, it was rumored that Director Zhao had connections within the governnt, so even if soone exposed him, it wouldn’t necessarily lead to his downfall.
Lu Jingchen didn’t know how Zuo Yuqing got on Director Zhao’s radar, but it was common knowledge in the industry that Director Zhao was a pervert in secret, who had played with and wrecked many young girls.
Actually, Zuo Yuqing was quite innocent; she had always been well-behaved, focusing on acting when needed, going to the set when required, and filming comrcials when called for. She didn’t frequent bars or often attend banquets, preferring to stay at ho when not working.
Out of the blue, she received both overt and covert threats from Director Zhao. She refused them outright, and Director Zhao didn’t say much at first, but it was the sa the second ti around.
Zuo Yuqing continued to refuse, but then faced intimidation, and there was even an instance where she was nearly kidnapped by what looked like a group of thugs.
Luckily, her agent and assistant were not far away; otherwise, she could have been taken right then and there.
Having no other choice, Zuo Yuqing turned to Lu Jingchen for help. After all, her family was abroad, and in An City, she knew few people. The only person familiar to her was Lu Jingchen, her ex-boyfriend. Although her initial return to the country was to get back with him, after eting Song Qiao a few tis, she gave up that notion.
She could see that Song Qiao was a better match for Lu Jingchen than she was.
Initially, Lu Jingchen did not respond to Zuo Yuqing’s plea for help, but after so developnts, he found it hard to stay uninvolved.
At this mont, Director Zhao only felt a sense of irritation, especially when confronting Lu Jingchen’s perennially expressionless face, which aggravated him even more.
But he also knew that his CK Group couldn’t stand up to them, especially since CK Group had the Lu Family behind it.
Seeing Lu Jingchen sit down, Director Zhao also took his seat outright, but this ti he directly asked the several young ladies in the private room to leave.
Within the private room, there were only Lu Jingchen and four middle-aged n left, as well as a young man sitting in the corner who had been silent all along. The music coming from the speakers in the room was neither too loud nor too low, and it was not too noisy. When sitting down, Lu Jingchen specifically glanced at the young man in the corner but quickly withdrew his gaze.
Director Zhao poured Lu Jingchen a glass of wine himself, with a smile on his face that contained a hint of displeasure, and directly said, "President Lu, I’m just one of Miss Zuo’s suitors, is it not normal for to pursue Miss Zuo? Moreover, we are both single n and won, where did you get the idea of speaking so unpleasantly about letting go or not letting go?"
With his words laid out, Director Zhao did not spell it out but tried to beat around the bush with Lu Jingchen.
Hearing his words, Lu Jingchen gave him a faint look, leaning back sowhat lazily on the couch, took out a cigarette, and was about to light it when soone imdiately helped him with a lighter, lighting the cigarette for him.
Lu Jingchen did not refuse, allowing the others to help, then took a deep puff before looking at Director Zhao and chuckled twice before speaking, "Director Zhao, if I rember correctly, Miss Zuo does not see eye to eye with you, nor does she have any intention of accepting your pursuits. Your persistent bothering of her has constituted direct harassnt."
The forty-fifty-year-old Director Zhao was indeed unmarried, but that didn’t an he had never been married—you see, he had been married three tis before. The first ti, his wife died from illness, and the following two tis, the won couldn’t withstand his dostic violence and directly applied for divorce at the court.
But Lu Jingchen was even clearer about one thing: the two won who divorced Director Zhao suffered revenge after winning the lawsuits, with either their faces spoiled or their legs crippled, and they are still lying in the hospital to this day.
It’s an open secret who was behind these vengeful acts—it’s none other than Director Zhao’s retaliation against his ex-wives.
Although Lu Jingchen and Zuo Yuqing didn’t have much of a relationship anymore, she was, after all, a girl he had liked when he was younger, and besides, Zuo Yuqing’s grandfather and his own grandfather were old acquaintances.
If he didn’t help Zuo Yuqing, he’d probably be nagged to death by the old man when he went ho.
Even without this connection, Lu Jingchen would still consider helping Zuo Yuqing deal with Director Zhao’s issue, since it was about ti to settle so old scores that had been festering between him and Director Zhao.
Upon hearing this, Director Zhao’s face grew even uglier, alternating between shades of purple and white, and after a while, his complexion cooled down, and he sneered at Lu Jingchen, "President Lu, what you are saying seems to suggest that I, Zhao Kuan, am unworthy of Zuo Yuqing? I am, after all, the director of the Health Bureau and connected everywhere. Zuo Yuqing is just an actress, and yet you, President Lu, feel the need to lecture ?"
"Director Zhao, I’m not lecturing you." Lu Jingchen’s expression remained unchanged, his deanor still indifferent. Sitting next to Director Zhao, his presence was evidently more commanding, his face always indifferent. He spoke calmly, "I’m rely discussing a business deal with Director Zhao, didn’t I just ask how much money you would need to let Miss Zuo go? Na your price!"
"President Lu, do you think I, Zhao, am in need of money?" Director Zhao didn’t catch the implication in Lu Jingchen’s words, and responded with a cold laugh.
"Indeed, you’re not lacking." Lu Jingchen wasn’t surprised, readily acknowledging the fact that Director Zhao was not in need of money, his expression still showing no particular emotion.
The group of people around were completely confused, but they finally realized what exactly Lu Jingchen and Director Zhao were discussing. A few exchanged glances but remained silent.
Present this evening were the heads of several major companies in An City. They couldn’t afford to offend Director Zhao for the ti being, given that he still had the power to employ minor stratagems in health-related matters and expose their vulnerabilities before his retirent.
But to them, Lu Jingchen was even more untouchable.
After all, their companies all had partnerships with CK Group, which was involved in nearly every industry and held a significant market share. If they offended Lu Jingchen, their future market developnt could be potentially restricted.
For the mont, the group only wished to stay quietly in the corner, doing their best to diminish their presence, hoping not to draw attention from these two towering figures.
As for the young man in the corner, his gaze remained fixed on Lu Jingchen and Director Zhao, the corners of his mouth holding a faint smile. Wearing gold-rimd glasses on his nose, his deanor seed sowhat scholarly.
However, the inherent kingly aura about him made it impossible to ignore his presence, yet his corner had pitifully little lighting, dim and dingy, which subconsciously made it easier to overlook him.
A mont ago, Lu Jingchen did glance at him several tis, and that look clearly showed an interest in him.
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