The next day, Mu Qian appeared before Su Li with two enormous dark circles under his eyes.
"Did you stay up late reading novels? How did it feel?" Su Li asked, with a hint of anticipation.
Mu Qian shook his head.
"Not good?" Su Li felt a bit disappointed, as this was her first attempt at writing a drama, and naturally, she had some expectations.
"No, it's very good..." Mu Qian quickly waved his hands, explaining.
What he really wanted to say was that the dark circles weren't from staying up late. They were completely out of fear...
He had been so scared that he dared not sleep even with the lights on. Who would have thought that President Xi, who was already a nightmare in the business world, could be afraid of all these eerie things.
Mu Qian clenched his teeth, his face twisted as he said, "I've already submitted your manuscript, and you'll get a response in a few days. Hereafter, my assistant will handle everything, and if there's anything you're dissatisfied with, just let me know. He will definitely handle it perfectly, as he's the most capable assistant I have."
Mu Qian snorted inwardly. He had dared pretend to know nothing yesterday—served him right to be squeezed dry.
Is the boss's joke really that funny?
"Alright then, I'll wait for your news."
Seeing that Su Li seemed to be in a good mood, Mu Qian changed his tone and tentatively asked, "There's a banquet tonight at my place, but I'm in need of a female companion. Would you like to help out?"
Su Li was indeed in a good mood, and considering that Mu Qian had just helped her, she readily agreed.
Mu Qian was delighted, his face bursting with joy he could hardly contain.
"Don't worry about Yaya. My parents love children, especially little girls, they really like them... The banquet will only last a couple of hours. They can look after Yaya for a bit during that time. What do you think?"
Mu Qian spoke cautiously, his eyes filled with deep-seated nervousness.
Su Li sighed deeply and, under Mu Qian's increasingly tense expression, slowly nodded.
"Then let's do as you say..."
-------------------
The venue of the banquet was a private club in the suburbs of Shanghai.
The entire hilltop was owned by the club. Vehicles were restricted from traveling beyond the base of the hill, ensuring high-level security, often reserved for guests with special identities.
Mu Qian originally only wanted to host a simple celebration, but many well-informed people in Shanghai attended uninvited, some of whom Mu Qian could not afford to turn away.
CE International had recently developed a new, impressive drug, which had even alarmed the higher-ups...
With these bits of news, many well-connected individuals had managed to secure invitations early, eager to see what was in store and prepare accordingly.
If the rumors were true, then CE International and Mu Qian himself might skyrocket to success.
Some more astute individuals even brought their daughters or sisters...
It was said that Mu Qian was still single, without even a close female companion.
By the time Mu Qian and Su Li arrived, the base of the hill was already filled with numerous luxury cars.
Those without invitations were stopped at the base of the hill, but they did not leave. Instead, they parked their cars nearby, eyes glistening as they watched other vehicles being allowed through.
Su Li rolled down the window, curious, and peeked outside. "Why are there so many people here...but the scenery and air here are really nice."
Mu Qian chuckled softly, "If you like, we can come here again."
"The view from the top of the hill is even more beautiful. There's a tea room up there, not open to the public except for a few close friends. Coincidentally, the owner of the tea room is a good friend of mine."
Su Li and Xi Muqian exchanged brief words before following the car ahead, slowly passing through the checkpoint.
"Hey, why doesn't that silver-gray car need an invitation?"
A displeased voice rose from the waiting crowd.
Not far from him, someone directly snorted, disdainfully rolling their eyes at the other person.
"Don't you recognize the owner of that car?"
"How can you not look into such an important matter? What are you here for, sightseeing?"
"You...."
Chen Jin, accompanied by an assistant he had recently promoted, was also present.
Although their company didn't have much to do with the pharmaceutical industry, this banquet was a gathering of high-profile figures.
One of them was the key figure in the project he was responsible for.
He had always failed to meet this person, but after hearing that they would be attending the banquet, he decided to prepare in advance to intercept them here.
As long as he could meet them face to face, Chen Jin was confident that they would be interested in his proposal.
"Mr. Chen, you see there are so many people here with the same goal as us, I reckon our plans might be a bit shaky.... Just now, I even saw Mr. Xu's car, the one always causing us trouble."
"It would be great if we could get into the venue...."
His assistant mumbled dejectedly, but Chen Jin didn't hear a word.
He was completely captivated by that silver-gray car that has just entered.
Previously, he hadn't noticed it until a quarrel, not far from him, drew his attention that way.
Through the half-open window, a beautiful, glowing face appeared, familiar yet unfamiliar.
Su Li....
Why was his ex-wife here... and with that man...
Xi Muqian, Xi... Mu Qian...
A man he still didn't want to mention, whose mere thought revealed all his covert, gloomy thoughts.
His presence always reminded himself of the side of him that strayed from being honest, righteous, and open.
And now, these two were together....
Chen Jin's face gradually turned stormy as if thunder was about to strike. His hands by his side clenched into fists, the bulging veins on the backs of his hands enough to reflect his turbulent emotions.
Xi Muqian had merely appeared with Su Li at the banquet and then quickly disappeared.
Many present both admired and envied Su Li's appearance, all speculating about the relationship between the two.
"This time, you really helped me out big time... You didn't see it, some people were like wolves with green eyes, I really couldn't bear it...." Xi Muqian said gratefully with a smile to Su Li.
Su Li smiled lightly, "Is that so?"
"Glad to be of help... But there are so many nice girls around; you could consider them."
Though Su Li hadn't said anything special, Xi Muqian felt somewhat guilty, turned his head properly as if focusing on driving.
"What's so good about those women, rotten melons and cracked dates...."
"All the famous beauties of Shanghai appeared here tonight, if they knew what you just said, I'm afraid...."
Su Li rarely teased him: "Your ability to make enemies has really gotten sharper."