"Isabella Xiang?" Grace Wang noticed Isabella Xiang's gaze turning sharp.
"I'm not going," Isabella shook her head and walked back into the house.
Grace Wang, accustomed to Isabella Xiang's temperament, merely smiled without comment.
Isabella Xiang watched through the window as the BMW X5 drove away from the apartment, her brows furrowing in confusion.
How did Leon Chen get involved with Grace Wang??
"This is getting complicated."
...
"I didn't expect her to be living in the same apartment as you." Leon Chen still found the situation bizarre.
Grace Wang pursed her lips, not intending to reveal the reason to anyone.
Leon Chen didn't press further. He was simply puzzled by Grace Wang's calmness. A roommate witnessing them leaving the house together must have seemed quite ambiguous.
Doesn't it need explaining?
"I understand Isabella's character. An explanation would only seem like a cover-up. She's not interested in getting to know strangers." Grace Wang said lightly.
Leon Chen laughed awkwardly. Grace Wang believed Isabella would never get involved with him. Little did she know, their relationship had progressed to the point where they had met each other's families and even discussed marriage.
"Ninety-nine percent of men always think about taking advantage of women." Grace Wang mocked.
"I never thought about it!" Leon Chen firmly stated his stance as the one percent. Although, the more he tried not to, the more likely it seemed to happen.
"You're not going to brag about what happened today, are you?" Grace Wang asked, driving calmly.
"Unless I have a death wish..."
Grace Wang smirked. If Leon Chen were the type to boast about minor achievements, she wouldn't have let him into the apartment.
Leon Chen couldn't help but ask, "Is the third roommate also from our university?"
"Of course."
Leon Chen's eyes lit up. He was quite curious about the glamorous reputation surrounding the girls at their university. "Is she that exceptional beauty 'Moonlight'?"
"What?" Grace Wang stopped at a red light.
"Haven't you heard? The stunning beauty Grace Wang, the ice beauty Isabella, the seductive Serena, and the exceptional beauty, Moonlight." After saying this, Leon Chen realized how foolish it sounded. Who would dare gossip about the student council president? They'd be torn to shreds.
As expected, Grace Wang's expression turned bored.
"Compared to your girlfriend, she's a bit less impressive. She probably isn't the Moonlight you mentioned." Grace Wang said, her lips curling slightly.
Leon Chen laughed it off, unsure if Grace Wang's words were a compliment or sarcasm.
Click!
The sound of a camera shutter!
Grace Wang quickly turned her sharp, eagle-like eyes toward the street.
"What is it?"
Grace Wang frowned deeply but didn't answer. She scoffed and, as soon as the light turned green, sped away from the street.
After a while, Grace Wang's phone rang. She answered.
"About to go eat with a friend!"
After a brief hesitation, Grace Wang responded, "Got it!"
She hung up and asked Leon Chen, "An employee from the company is treating us to dinner. Want to join?"
"An employee?"
"The chief software designer!" Grace Wang's smile lacked warmth, her eyes deep in thought.
"No problem."
When they arrived at the Nanhai Hotel, it was already brilliantly lit outside, the entrance packed with vehicles of diners. Under the guidance of a security guard, Grace Wang parked the car. After waiting for a moment, a young man hurried over.
The man wore scholarly glasses, a well-fitted suit, and had sleek hair. His neatly clipped fingers were especially clean.
"Hello, you must be Grace Wang's friend? Haha, nice to meet you. It's enviable to be acknowledged as a friend by President Wang. I'm Kevin Xie, chief designer at Empress Software!" He shook hands with a brotherly familiarity.
"I'm Leon Chen, nice to meet you." Leon smiled.
"If it weren't for Brother Leon, President Wang wouldn't have agreed to this apology dinner." Kevin Xie laughed.
Apology dinner?
Grace Wang seemed disinterested in the topic. "Let's go, I'm a bit hungry."
"Sir, Miss, how can I assist you?" The pretty hostess greeted them with a ninety-degree bow and a smile.
"We have a reservation for VIP suite 08. Lead the way, please," Kevin Xie said.
"Sure, please follow me."
The hostess led Grace Wang, Leon Chen, and Kevin Xie to suite C8, then gently knocked on the door.
Grace Wang paused, her brows knitting. "Who else is here?"
"Although I know you'll be upset, it's for the company's future. Why not talk it out? It might not be so bad," Kevin Xie explained.
Upon opening the door, they saw a man at the dining table, and Grace Wang's expression instantly darkened.
"Come on, Brother Leon, join us. Let's get acquainted." Kevin Xie pulled Leon Chen inside without waiting for a response.
Grace Wang gritted her teeth, shot them a cold look, and also entered the suite.
Leon Chen finally understood the man's plan; he had been used to keep Grace Wang there.
Leon Chen despised him for it, any goodwill he had evaporating.
"Walking with grace and elegance... Even your footsteps are poetic, President Wang. Any man would dream of dining with you," the man said with a smile.
Leon Chen felt like vomiting at the flattery. How could he spew such nonsense?
Grace Wang sat beside Leon Chen, her face expressionless.
Only then did the man notice Leon Chen, frowning. Kevin Xie hurried to introduce him, revealing the man as Ethan Xu.
Ethan Xu greeted Leon Chen casually, disdain clear in his eyes for the student. Why was a student even there?
"President Wang!" Ethan Xu started to speak.
Leon Chen interrupted, displaying his indifferent university student demeanor, "Let's order, I'm starving."
This made Ethan Xu even more contemptuous.
Grace Wang glanced at Leon Chen, a slight curve on her lips.
"Order," Ethan Xu said, sitting down with a stern face.
"Are you treating today, Mr. Xu?" Leon Chen asked in surprise, "Nanhai Hotel is quite expensive."
"Poor guy," Ethan Xu silently cursed, smiling at Grace Wang, "It's my honor to treat President Wang. Order anything you like!"
"Leon, you order," Grace Wang said calmly.
"Can I really order anything?" Leon Chen acted flattered.
Ethan Xu's vanity swelled.
"What would you like to order, sir?" The waitress handed the menu to Leon Chen, who didn't even look and said, "Anything's fine. How about a few bottles of Raphael Winery's Fallen Angel series red wine?"
Everyone was puzzled. Was there such a wine?
The waitress widened her eyes.
"Tell your manager, he knows. We're old friends." Leon Chen bluffed.
The waitress, half-believing, left.
Good at bluffing, huh. Ethan Xu sneered.
After a while, a portly middle-aged man walked into the suite, holding an exquisite brocade box. "Did you order Raphael Winery's red wine?" the manager asked hesitantly.
Ethan Xu, trying to cozy up to Grace Wang, was irritated by the interruption. "Of course, leave it and go, don't bother us."
"Alright." The manager carefully took out a bottle of wine from the luxurious box. The simple-looking bottle with an angel-shaped stopper caught even Ethan Xu's eye. This kid had good taste; such a wine did exist.
"This is the Blood of Corruption. Enjoy!" The manager smiled obsequiously at the arrogant young man.
Blood of Fallen?
What a tacky name, Ethan Xu thought disdainfully.
Leon Chen's eyes gleamed, and Grace Wang's lips curled again.
Ethan Xu moved to sit beside Grace Wang, saying, "President Wang, I know your company has faced some issues lately. I'm sincerely looking to collaborate. What do you think?"
Admiring Grace Wang's difficult-to-describe beauty, Ethan Xu felt a strong desire.
Kevin Xie, silent on the side, nodded repeatedly. "President Wang, Mr. Xu is right."
Grace Wang frowned, disliking Ethan Xu's proximity but unable to change seats out of politeness. "It's against dining etiquette. Let's eat first, okay?" She shot Kevin Xie a cold look, displeased with his unannounced arrangement.
Kevin Xie shrugged it off with a smile.
Leon Chen was unaware of Grace Wang's company's troubles. He couldn't imagine her having any issues. He decided to wait and see, although Ethan Xu's presence beside Grace Wang was irritating.
Leon Chen subtly used his "Cold and Ice" ability to lower the temperature around Ethan Xu.
Ethan Xu shivered awkwardly, earning puzzled looks from others. He glared at the waitress, "Turn off the AC! What's going on?"
The waitress, confused, replied, "I'm sorry, but we haven't turned on the AC."
"Not... then why is it so cold?" Ethan Xu stammered, his teeth chattering.
"Did Mr. Xu do something guilty, feeling scared?" Grace Wang teased.
Ethan Xu laughed, looking genuinely guilty. Grace Wang's gaze grew colder, and Leon Chen, following her eyes, noticed Kevin Xie also seemed nervous.
Leon Chen almost used mind reading to understand these seemingly refined men's thoughts but held back, knowing it could lead to unpleasant discoveries.
"Damn it, why is it so cold?" Ethan Xu complained, feeling increasingly cold.
"Mr. Xu, are you alright?" Kevin Xie asked quickly.
Leon Chen wanted to know their plans, so he suggested, "Maybe it's the spot you're sitting in?"
Ethan Xu moved away, and the coldness lessened. Moving further, the cold decreased even more. Everyone watched Ethan Xu retreating, looking foolish.
Finally, Ethan Xu settled beside Kevin Xie, feeling the temperature return to normal. "This is really messed up!" he muttered, glancing at the ice-cold Grace Wang, wondering if this ice queen had anything to do with it.
Leon Chen wanted to laugh; it seemed his control over ice and cold was quite effective.
The dishes were served quickly, all fairly standard fare. Leon Chen, starving, began to eat heartily.
"What's a meal without good wine?" Ethan Xu glanced at the Raphael Winery's Blood of Corruption. Despite its odd name, it looked decent enough. This country bumpkin had some luck after all, he thought, looking down on Leon Chen but deciding not to order any other wine.
As soon as the cork was popped, an incredibly rich aroma filled the suite. The moment Ethan Xu caught the scent, his mind went blank.