Song Qingcheng stood behind CEO Liu. As CEO Liu passed cigarettes to the other middle-aged bosses to exchange greetings, she turned her head away, and her eyes squinted to look elsewhere in the wind. Her expression was calm as if it was none of her business.
CEO Liu didn't mind her throwing a tantrum. It wasn't a bad thing for a woman to have a temper.
Having a temper made things more interesting.
Those middle-aged bosses also had young female companions with them so they didn't ask much about the girl CEO Liu brought along. In their circle, some things went unspoken.
"…that President Gu was only just playing golf. He should be sitting there taking a break now."
As he spoke, one of the bosses raised his chin and pointed at Rest Area A nearby.
CEO Liu wasn't really here to play golf. His real purpose was to snag a big client like Hengyuan. Although he had a brief conversation with Yu Tingchuan at the birthday banquet, the other party's attitude was only lukewarm. They did not talk about business either. However, as a veteran in the business world, since he had already made contact with Yu Tingchuan; how could he give up this great opportunity?
Therefore, he was just using golf as an excuse to try his luck.
After being told that CEO Gu was really playing golf there, CEO Liu was relieved. He was confident that this wasn't going to be a wasted trip.
That Gu Zhengshen and Yu Tingchuan were personal friends was no secret in the South City business circle.
In addition, the two families had a lot of business dealings so it reinforced the closeness of their relationship.
Since Gu Zhengshen was here today, Yu Tingchuan was most likely around, too.
After grasping the situation, CEO Liu was in no hurry. He did not want to seem too desperate, for that would sometimes only cause annoyance. Instead, he brought Song Qingcheng to rest area B on the other side.
As soon as he sat down on the chair under the parasol, he leaned over and asked Song Qingcheng casually, "Those few CEOs you saw just then… their businesses aren't any less than mine. How about it? Do you want to get to know them?"
Resting her chin on her hand, Song Qingcheng looked into the distance and replied, "It's a waste of time to think about it. It's not like they'd be willing to tell me about their businesses."
She was nonchalant.
Under the sunlight, even with the parasol over her, Song Qingcheng's skin was as fair as translucent jade. The hand propping up her chin was slender and pale as if made of snow. Coupled with her slightly languid demeanor, she was delicate in a way that was hard to describe. It was the sort of aura that men would find pleasing.
CEO Liu licked his lips and looked over at the rest area on the other side.
After a while, he leaned against the armrest of the chair and asked, "Have you heard of Hengyuan Corporation?"
Without waiting for Song Qingcheng to reply, he pointed at Rest Area A and said, "That's the boss of Hengyuan over there. Some people are born lucky. The money and status that we obtained through hard work is just the starting line for them. So, the achievements of a person in his lifetime are not based on how hard he works, but the family he was born into."
Song Qingcheng did not respond to this remark but picked up the beer on the table.
…
At the rest area on the other side…
Gu Zhengshen was also looking at CEO Liu. Naturally, he recognized the person beside the short and fat old man. He was a little surprised and turned to ask Yu Tingchuan, "Is that the adopted daughter of the Lu family?"
Yu Tingchuan took the lighter and lit a cigarette.
Then, he drew the cigarette away from his mouth, exhaling a swirl of long and thick white smoke.
Seeing that Yu Tingchuan did not respond, Gu Zhengshen sized up Song Qingcheng who was resting her chin on her hand and looking bored. He slightly changed his sitting posture and crossed his legs as he said, "She looks good even by the entertainment industry's standard. A rather good figure, too. Just look at her legs. No wonder my nephew was so infatuated with her. The other day when he went back from Yuanquan Villa, that rascal got restless again, and he kept insisting on breaking up with his current girlfriend."
"How's Xu Yuan?" Yu Tingchuan asked.
When it came to talking about business matters, Gu Zhengshen became a little more serious. "Xu Yuan is getting on in years. He has been refusing to take another step forward for fear that he might ruin his integrity at this point in life. His youngest son is not bad though. He called me the day before yesterday to invite me for a meal. I think he wants to know more about the project. However, he has two elder sisters ahead of him and doesn't have any real power. One of them is still unwilling to get married. She could very well be waiting for a share of the Xu Corporation."
As Yu Tingchuan listened, his slender fingers tapped lightly on the cigarette ash, and his gaze seemed to inadvertently wander over to Rest Area B.
Over there, Song Qingcheng was tilting her head back, drinking beer.
The girl's arms were slender and fair, and she had a graceful jawline. Bathed in the golden sunlight, the beauty exuded a sense of pureness and tenderness in her every movement.
However, the next moment, he looked away.
After extinguishing his cigarette in the ashtray, Yu Tingchuan got onto his feet and said, "I'm going to the washroom."
At the resting area B…
Song Qingcheng removed the can from her lips and swallowed some beer in her mouth. She smiled at CEO Liu. "My phone is vibrating. I'm going to take a call."
CEO Liu figured that she wouldn't dare to run away so he didn't stop her.
…
Yu Tingchuan came out of the washroom. He hadn't walked a long way before he saw the person who was supposed to be at the rest area by the lawn.
She was leaning against the full-length window not far ahead. In her right hand was an opened bottle of beer, and she looked enthusiastic. In front of her stood a well-dressed young man with one hand in his pocket and a bottle of beer in the other. The two of them seemed to be chatting happily, and from time to time, soft laughter could be heard.