"I didn't just think of you. The top three winners of this year's piano competition have been announced. They were selected by the people under me. They said the entries this year weren't that great, so I sent them to you to listen."
"Alright." Qingyan was also one of the top judges, but she rarely participated in the selection process. It was usually handled by her subordinates.
Every year, there was a piano competition in Huaguo, but this year there were fewer participants as most of them went abroad to participate in international competitions.
"The first-place winner relied on their family's reputation and the fact that the other entries weren't that great, so they barely made it to the top. The second-place winner was a pity. The first half of the piece was average, and the second half was a bit disappointing. The climax was decent, but it felt like they added too much unnecessary stuff! It was a bit excessive! As for the third-place winner... well, no need to mention it..."
"Okay, let me listen." Although Qingyan didn't participate in the selection, she still wanted to listen and find out at which stage they were and who the talents were this year.
When she opened the audio file sent by Grandpa Long, she saw the name Li Yusha written on it.
Li Yusha got first place?
The piece did sound quite average...
She clicked on the second-place winner, and it was quite a coincidence—it was Lu Muyao?!
Why did this piece sound so familiar?!
A cold smile appeared on Qingyan's lips as she closed her computer without listening any further.
On the other side...
Lu Zhenhai sat in the rest area on the first floor of the Ou Yan Group, his gaze fixed on the direction of the elevator.
He had been waiting since morning, but Wu You didn't show up. He endured hunger pangs and managed to wait until this moment.
He was about to faint from hunger at this point!
No one invited him upstairs, and they didn't even pour him a glass of water!
He couldn't help but approach the reception desk with a carefully crafted smile on his face. "Excuse me, has Mr. Wu finished the meeting?"
It was impossible for a meeting to last all day!
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wu is still busy. Please come back another day!" The receptionist lady wasn't as enthusiastic as before and had a distant attitude.
Lu Zhenhai lowered his voice and pleaded, "Could you make an exception? Just ask for me. I've been waiting since morning."
"Our Mr. Wu is really busy." The receptionist lady's voice had just trailed off when she saw Wu You walk out of the elevator. She quickly stood up and respectfully nodded along with her colleagues. "Good day, Mr. Wu!"
"Wu You, it's me..." Lu Zhenhai finally saw that familiar figure and eagerly stepped forward to establish a connection.
But Assistant Liu blocked him with her hand. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wu has an important appointment to attend to."
"Give me three minutes..." Lu Zhenhai still wanted to squeeze to the front. "I have something to discuss with Mr. Wu."
"Sorry, Mr. Wu is in a hurry."
"Assistant Liu, can you tell me why Mr. Wu isn't working with us anymore?" Lu Zhenhai ignored the public and discreetly handed the bank card he had intended to give to Qingyan to Assistant Liu, trying to stuff it into his pocket.
"Mr. Lu, you must not do this!" Assistant Liu hurriedly pushed the card back to him.
Lu Zhenhai insisted on putting it in his pocket.
As a result, the card fell to the ground, attracting the attention of many people.
"Mr. Lu, this is blatant bribery! You could get me fired!" Assistant Liu was furious.
"Assistant Liu..."
Assistant Liu quickly shook off his hand and followed Yu Wu's footsteps, as if he couldn't wait to distance himself from him.
"Assistant Liu, wait for me..." Lu Zhenhai didn't care about his disheveled appearance and picked up the card from the ground, then caught up with their pace. When they got into a car, Lu Zhenhai quickly waved at a taxi and said, "Follow the car in front."
In a private room at Restaurant No. 9.
Qingyan had been waiting here for a while. When she saw Yu Wu enter wearing a formal suit, she couldn't help but tease, "You're becoming more and more like a CEO now."
"Boss is teasing me again." After entering the room, Yu Wu set the report aside and took out a gift as a token of respect. "This is tea made from a thousand-year-old ancient tree on Dongyifeng. It's specially brought to show my respect to you."
"Making me feel so old!" Qingyan accepted the gift. "Let's eat first."
Lu Zhenhai finally arrived at Restaurant No. 9 and found out that Yu Wu was in the private room on the second floor. As soon as he went upstairs, he saw Assistant Liu guarding the entrance of private room No. 1.
Assistant Liu also noticed him, and he didn't expect Lu Zhenhai to stick so closely. Assistant Liu's first reaction was that Lu Zhenhai wanted to barge into the private room, so he immediately stood in front of the door to stop him.
"Assistant Liu!" Lu Zhenhai approached him with a smile. "You misunderstood. I didn't intend to go in. I just wanted to wait for Mr. Wu to finish his business and see me for a moment. I have something to say to him."
"There's nothing left for Mr. Wu to talk to you about."
"How could that be!" Lu Zhenhai continued to smile. "We used to cooperate so well!"
"Hmph."
If it weren't for the big boss, Ms. Qing, who would bother to work with your small company?
And every previous cooperation was far from pleasant!
"Assistant Liu, if it's convenient to disclose, who is the person having dinner with Mr. Wu?" Lu Zhenhai smiled flatteringly.
But Assistant Liu replied coldly, "It's not convenient."
"Liu, the assistant..."
Lu Zhenhai was about to say something, but Liu, the assistant, cut him off coldly, "Mr. Wu won't see you. Mr. Lu, please leave!"
Lu Zhenhai wasn't annoyed and stood at the door, waiting. After a while, a waiter came in to serve the dishes. Lu Zhenhai tried to peek inside to see what was happening, despite Liu's efforts to block him. And there, with his sharp eyes, Lu Zhenhai caught a glimpse of a familiar figure!
Qing Yan?!
What is she doing in there?!
Is she the person Mr. Wu is rushing to meet?
How is that possible?!
After a while, another waiter entered to serve more dishes. Lu Zhenhai looked closely and indeed, the person was Qing Yan, no mistake about it!
But the key is, Wu You, who is usually serious and indifferent, was showing a hint of respect and politeness in front of that girl!
How is that possible?!
"That, that, that... Isn't that Qing Yan?"
After the door to the private room closed, Lu Zhenhai looked at Liu, the assistant, in shock, but Liu was already accustomed to such things and ignored his words.
Lu Zhenhai's heart was filled with shock. He remembered the cooperation being abruptly interrupted by someone, and that person happened to be Wu You...
Could it be related to Qing Yan?
What is the relationship between Qing Yan and Wu You?
Thinking like this, he suddenly realized, Qing Yan, Ou Yan Group...
Could there be some intricate connection between Qing Yan and Ou Yan Group?!
His breathing became rapid, finding it hard to believe this hypothesis. No, it couldn't be possible. How could that girl have such great abilities??
But remembering what happened just now, Wu You did treat Qing Yan with great courtesy, as if trying to please her...
The more Lu Zhenhai thought about it, the more something felt off. After waiting outside the private room for a long time, he noticed Liu, the assistant, suddenly leaving...
He hurriedly rushed forward and turned the doorknob!
The people inside had already finished their meal and left through another exit...
He never expected there would be another exit in the private room!
No, he had to find Qing Yan and clarify everything, to understand what was really going on!