_1In the evening, Xiao Ming had just finished tying his bow tie in front of the dressing mirror when Shen Siyi called to say that the car had arrived downstairs of his house.
He left the apartment and went downstairs, and as soon as he stepped into the van, he felt a flash of brightness before his eyes.
He saw Yun Shi Yu and Yang Hanqing dressed to the nines, occupying two airplane seats to the left and right, smiling radiantly.
One was wearing a moon-white strapless mini dress, her fair legs exposed, lively and pretty.
The other was in a dark blue off-the-shoulder, floor-length mermaid dress, its form-fitting cut perfectly accentuating her hourglass figure, sultry and captivating.
One youthful, one mature, like flowers of spring and autumn, each outstanding in their own right, making it impossible to decide who was more beautiful.
Glancing at Siyi, who was curled up dejectedly in the third row, Xiao Ming pondered for a moment before stepping back out of the car and, under the surprised gazes of Yun Shi Yu and Yang Hanqing, pulled open the passenger door and sat down.
To Lan, who was driving, he flashed a brilliant smile and said, "Hello, Lan! You look very beautiful today."
Lan gave him a sidelong glance, "Mr. Xiao, there's nothing different about me today."
"That means you're beautiful every day."
Lan pursed her lips and drove off in silence.
Yun Shi Yu was livid.
She had spent an entire afternoon on her hair and makeup, and yet she was deemed less attractive than Lan, who didn't even use skincare products and was today wearing a suit and trousers?
The jerk was definitely doing it on purpose.
So she kicked the passenger seat in frustration and complained, "Blind man! Are you saying that I... I and Qing aren't beautiful?"
"Huh?"
Xiao Ming turned around, feigning shock, "Is that Hanqing next to me? Then you can't be Yu, can you?"
Yun Shi Yu and Yang Hanqing looked at each other in bewilderment and almost simultaneously asked, "What are you up to now?"
"No tricks. It's just that you two look better now, I didn't recognize you at first."
The two women were instinctively pleased at first, but then they realized what Xiao Ming's comment implied: they only looked good because of makeup and dressing up, and had been altered to the point of being unrecognizable.
In his eyes, how ugly were we normally?
This was unbearable!
So, two jade-like hands reached forward from either side of the passenger seat, each seizing a piece of soft flesh, and started to twist vigorously in circles.
Xiao Ming howled in pain, while Shen Siyi silently gave him a thumbs-up from the back, acknowledging his bravery.
Actually, Xiao Ming was quite helpless in this situation.
He was the only one originally invited, perhaps along with Yun Shi Yu, but Zhou Jicang must have heard about Yang Hanqing and Shen Siyi being part of his group during the land auction.
Thus, Yun Shi Yu's invitation was also sent to Ruiye Holdings.
The two women had dressed so beautifully that, out of politeness, he had no issue complimenting them, but they were clearly competing with each other. And since he didn't want to favor one over the other, nor waste words that could be easily misconstrued, he simply chose not to compliment either of them.
As for whether his arms would bruise, his wife wasn't home to sleep and see them anyway.
Before long, the van entered the hotel's underground parking lot directly managed by the city, and when they took the elevator, Yun Shi Yu and Yang Hanqing were in front, with Shen Siyi and Xiao Ming side by side behind.
But as they reached the banquet hall floor and the elevator doors opened, Shen Siyi was squeezed into a corner, while Yun Shi Yu and Yang Hanqing each took Xiao Ming's arms on their respective sides.
The receptionists at the door were stunned, not only by the women's breathtaking beauty but also out of admiration and jealousy for Xiao Ming.
After all, there were officials in attendance at today's event, and anyone bold enough to show off like this had to be a colossal fool.
"Please! I'm a married man; can you two please be mindful of the impression we're giving?"
Walking into the hall, amidst myriad peculiar glances, Xiao Ming was exasperated.
Feeling uneasy under all the stares, both Yun Shi Yu and Yang Hanqing were uncomfortable, yet to avoid losing to the other, they both had to grit their teeth and endure.
"What's all this about? This is your first time at this sort of event, right?
Let me tell you, in social settings, holding arms simply means being each other's companion for the evening, just like a dance partner. It doesn't necessarily indicate that kind of relationship."
Yun Shi Yu tried to remain calm as she spoke.
"That's right," Yang Hanqing added, "whether it's a boss and their secretary, friends, or even business partners, it can be this way. It only means that the relationship between the two parties is rather familiar."
"But it's not like we're playing three-legged race, is it?"
Yun Shi Yu couldn't help but laugh, shooting him a disdainful look, "Pah! Your arm is the leg!"
Yang Hanqing's reaction was exactly the opposite; he admired, "Your mind really works fast; I almost didn't catch up. Thinking about it, it does indeed seem that way!"
Yun Shi Yu immediately cast a disdainful look at her, as if to say, Brown-noser, shameless!
Yang Hanqing returned a totally disdainful glance, thinking to herself: This is just my style, dare you not to copy it.
Shen Siyi watched the two interacting and found himself looking forward to the "four-person battle" that Bai Xuechao and Gu Xiangmeng were about to join even more.
As for Xiao Ming's desire to cry but lacking the tears, who cared?
No, that's wrong, someone did care.
As the four were being led by the receptionist towards the table ahead, suddenly an unhappy reprimand came through.
"As entrepreneurs of Longyin City, conducting yourselves in such a vulgar and improper manner, what kind of example are you setting!"
The voice was pompous and condescending, clearly belonging to a "big shot" used to bossing people around daily.
The four turned their heads in unison, spotting a pot-bellied middle-aged man, bald, wearing a short-sleeved white shirt, dress pants, and leather shoes—the standard leadership attire.
The four looked at each other. Xiao Ming, seeking the most street-smart among them, asked Yang Hanqing, "Do you know him?"
Yang Hanqing shook her head blankly.
Xiao Ming then turned to Shen Siyi, who also looked puzzled.
So he asked the man, "And you are?"
The middle-aged man immediately reddened with an oily face, as if he had received a great insult.
"Ignorant! No wonder you would trigger a mass incident, daring to bewitch the people to trouble Dabang, such a conscientious and high-quality company. It's sheer ignorance and fearlessness. Your heart should be condemned!"
Huh! I'm ignorant just because I don't know you?
Are you the president of the planet?
The four of them couldn't help but laugh. Clearly, this guy was on Dabang Group's payroll.
While others might fear Dabang, Shen Siyi did not. His rebellious nature flaring up, he was about to lose his temper when another man by the middle-aged man's side stood up like a sycophant.
"You don't even know Director Zheng of the North District Real Estate Planning Department, and you think you can mix in Longyin's property circle?
Go stay somewhere cool and out of the way; don't embarrass the entrepreneurs of Longyin here."
"Oh," Xiao Ming nodded, "May I ask who you are then?"
"You... are really crude!" The sycophant was furious, "Listen well, I am the chairman of Longding Real Estate! I have been established in Longyin for over ten years, you..."
"Got it,"
Xiao Ming interrupted him, very seriously addressing Yun Shi Yu, Yang Hanqing, and Shen Siyi.
"After we complete the first phase of our plan, the first thing we'll do is take down Longding Real Estate, ensure they go bankrupt, and that this dear chairman loses every penny."
The sycophant was instantly dumbfounded.
His first reaction was to laugh, but for some reason, as he looked into Xiao Ming's cold eyes, the laughter that reached his throat just couldn't come out, and he felt an intense panic at the pit of his stomach.
"How dare you!" Director Zheng exploded with fury, "To speak such words in front of me, are you businessmen or bandits?"
Xiao Ming smiled faintly, "Director Zheng is right. When we're making money, we are businessmen; but when dealing with people like you, we act like bandits."
"You..."
"Xiao Ming! You've finally arrived. Come here quickly; I've got some amazing people to introduce you to."
A calling voice came from not far away. Director Zheng and his sycophant turned their heads, their bodies instantly stiffening as if turned to stone sculptures.