13 Singles' Party

It was Alice's duty on Wednesday night.

She toured and inspected one building after another, and finally arrived at the hotel's entertainment department, the two-story bar.

Actually, compared to other places, the bar was the quietest, with its dim blue lighting and sparse consumers. There were only three VIP rooms, and the manager came out hurriedly, "Miss Smith."

Alice smiled, "How is the business today?"

Mm, is this your last stop? She sighed enviously, "I'm just getting started."

It was almost 11, and Alice glanced at the only VIP room with a light. The thick doors blocked out the debauchery and extravagance within.

She nodded, finished her report, and was about to leave when the doors opened unexpectedly. She paused and found it was John. Clearly, they both did not expect to see her there.

Hello, Mr. Williams. Alice smiled as she greeted him. "Enjoying yourself."

Holding his phone, he was likely stepping out to take a call, but now he hung up the phone and said, "Would you like to come and have a cup of coffee?"

The manager had already discreetly gone upstairs, and Alice put away her pen and paper, smiling, "Sure."

She followed him in, offering the manager a wry smile from the stairs – clearly not thrilled about it. The servers noticed some snickering.

John glanced back at her, full of a smile, "What's up?"

She adjusted her expression, "Nothing, let's go."

She expected to find a lively scene with plenty of beautiful young ladies and thought she could just greet them and make an exit. But the spacious VIP room was only occupied by about eight gentlemen.

The lighting wasn't bright, but it was better than outside. Alice silently observed, glancing at John beside her.

You finished your call so quickly? Someone asked.

John smiled and introduced her to the others. Many names and faces were familiar, high-ranking executives from Lemon, all young and energetic.

James Wilson, John pointed to the man in the corner, and Alice suddenly remembered, it was the man she had met at the dinner, with a familiar aura – was it the intense memory hiding in the corner for so long, or was it the dormant exhaustion reminding her? She suddenly felt suffocated in the room.

One by one, they were all young and full of vitality, politely greeting each other. As Lily would say, they were the "best of the best" at blind dates.

Jack was a bit drunk, speaking without thinking, and Alice was secretly pleased, not taking it to heart. It was nice to have a familiar face, so there wouldn't be such an awkward moment.

John sat down and noticed her uneasiness. After all, she was a young lady thrust among these young men, and he regretted bringing her in.

Luckily, Jack was quite talkative and hadn't seen Alice in a while. He pulled her down to chat, saying nonsensical things. Alice couldn't resist glancing over at him.

This was the first time she saw him smoking, the tiny flame flickering between his fingers, his lips were sexy.

John caught her gaze and smiled apologetically, "Sorry." He extinguished the cigarette, "Why are you still working so late?"

I'm on duty, Alice simply replied, while Jack was calling for a waitress to bring a glass of alcohol.

She then turned to scold him sternly under her breath, "Hey, don't make me drink!" She said it softly but urgently, and John couldn't help but smile.

Jack grinned. " It's the first time for Mr. Williams to bring a lady to a singles' party, we've got her a drink."

Luckily, others were chatting, and the soft music playing in the background made Alice feel a bit more at ease.

She was too embarrassed to say anything, and she wasn't sure if John's gaze was on her or just on her glass of wine. Maybe he hadn't even heard the words.

She almost couldn't help but stand up, but John was a step ahead. "Is everything ready for the forum?"

Alice brightened at the mention of the forum, she smiled in the dim light, "Almost, the collection of related papers has arrived. Are you interested? Should I send you a copy?" She asked, "Are you also interested in Chinese culture?"

He looked genuinely interested, "Actually, I'm not too familiar with it. Just trying to keep up with the Joneses. Maybe good for developing the Chinese market in the future."

He joked, "Miss Smith, don't look at me like that – you've seen through me, haven't you? Just an excuse for some free advertising, right?"

Alice smiled, "No, of course not. I'll bring you some books in a few days." She paused, she absently looked at the table, her tone taking on a wistful note as if she was recalling something, "Most are written by my teachers."

John looked at her with a light smile, "Really?"

Alice checked her watch, frowning slightly, "Mr. Williams, I need to go. Enjoy yourself."

John, leaning against the sofa with a glass of wine, replied with a light smile, "Alright."

As soon as she stepped out, Jack's gaze cleared up, fixed unblinkingly on John, "There's something going on." His voice was loud and sing-song, making everyone fall silent.

Someone laughed, "He's smiling so sweetly."

Another joined in, "I think there's something going on too."

Only John remained unruffled, lighting up another cigarette as if he hadn't even heard the surrounding laughter and chatter.