Chapter Nineteen

At this dinner, Su Xiaobai felt extremely uncomfortable, but she could only force herself to continue discussing work matters with the others. What annoyed her was that Mr. Chen, the CEO of Jincheng Company, seemed in no hurry to talk business. He kept making idle chatter, and at one point, he even started discussing the stock market with several of Jincheng's supervisors. Although Su Xiaobai's team felt awkward, they had no choice but to continue smiling and trying to stay engaged.

In fact, Su Xiaobai wasn't as skilled at the twists and turns of the dinner table as Su Bai was. Though Su Xiaobai had a bold and carefree personality, her experience in the workplace was still far behind Su Bai's. She was essentially a newcomer, still in the early stages of her career.

While Su Bai didn't like attending these kinds of events, after years of work, there were some dinner gatherings that couldn't be avoided. Over time, she had figured out the ins and outs of such occasions. Additionally, Su Bai gave off an air of being cold and serious, so even those who might have been interested in her soon lost interest after a few failed attempts. After all, pursuing a cold beauty only to be rebuffed was a fruitless endeavor.

Su Xiaobai, however, was different. She rarely had the chance to appear in such settings, and it was only due to circumstances that she had to step in for Su Bai and handle this work. Let alone social dinners, she didn't even understand the "culture" of these wealthy people's gatherings.

In fact, her outfit today wasn't inappropriate. Knowing the purpose of her visit was for work, she had chosen several professional outfits from Su Bai's old wardrobe, all in sleek and efficient business styles.

However, it could only be said that Mr. Chen was a shrewd and cunning individual. People like him, who had spent years navigating the business world, had an excellent sense for reading others. Just like his bloated appearance, he was well-versed in the subtle art of knowing who was easy to approach and who wasn't.

Mr. Chen then had the hotel staff bring over two bottles of Wuliangye, pouring them into small glass cups before raising one to Su Xiaobai. Smiling, he said, "Director Su, this is your first time in Huaijiang, right? Let me tell you, Huaijiang is a great place. It's one of the national tourist cities, with the ancient pagoda of Feng Mountain and the peach blossom forest of West Mountain. There are so many fun places to visit. You should stay for a longer time and take the opportunity to explore. In a few days, I'll send someone to pick you up. Let me show you the beautiful scenery of Huaijiang. I'll drink to that. Cheers!"

As soon as Mr. Chen finished speaking, one of the supervisors beside him immediately added, "Wow, Mr. Chen really has a great tolerance for alcohol. Director Su, our Mr. Chen doesn't usually offer to be a tour guide for anyone. For him to offer, this is quite something!"

A slightly awkward smile tugged at the corner of Su Xiaobai's lips as she reluctantly lifted her glass. "Mr. Chen, you're too kind. I hope our collaboration this time will be successful. You should also consider our factory's new…"

"What's all this about being polite? Director Su, we're all friends here. This is fate, such a big one too. Speaking of fate, who knows what the future holds? Who knows, we might even end up as family, right? Director Su, let me toast to you again."

Before she could finish, Mr. Chen waved his hand, directly interrupting her words. Both Su Xiaobai and the two managers from the factory felt somewhat displeased. Since earlier, Mr. Chen had frequently steered the conversation away from the main topic, unwilling to discuss the cooperation between the two sides in any depth. They had eaten, drunk, and more than an hour had passed, but there was still no sign of progress on the cooperation. It was starting to make them anxious. If this collaboration didn't work out, Su Xiaobai's trip would have been wasted, and the work in the coming days would become even harder. Therefore, both Su Xiaobai and the two managers had come with the mindset of securing the project.

"By the way, Mr. Chen, aren't you famous for telling jokes? How about sharing a few with everyone to lighten the mood?" One of the other supervisors from Jincheng glanced at Su Xiaobai and then looked at Mr. Chen, smiling broadly.

Mr. Chen suddenly understood, but shook his head. "Ah, those are just some idle jokes I tell when I'm bored. I'm afraid they'll just make people laugh at me if I say them out loud," he said, but his gaze was fixed on Su Xiaobai.

Su Xiaobai nearly wanted to slap the man in front of her, but instead, she nodded and smiled. "Oh? Mr. Chen tells jokes as well? Well, now we're even more interested."

The managers from the factory were also skilled at reading the room and immediately joined in with laughter. "Yes, Mr. Chen, don't keep it to yourself."

Encouraged by their teasing, Mr. Chen nodded smugly and began to tell a joke. However, at a dinner like this, what kind of jokes could there be but crude ones?

"A poor village was distributing subsidy money. An old man asked, 'What's this money for?' The village head said, 'It's a one-time living subsidy.' The old man was overjoyed and took the money. The next day, the old man came back, bent over, holding onto the wall, and said, 'Today, I need a five-time living subsidy!'"

After he finished, the two supervisors from Jincheng laughed knowingly. Su Xiaobai didn't know whether to laugh or not, her lips twitching awkwardly.

At this dinner table, she was the only woman; the rest were all men. They didn't care about her feelings when telling such crude jokes, and in fact, seemed to take a particular interest in watching her reaction. It almost seemed like if she blushed just a little, it would amuse them even more. Unfortunately, they misjudged Su Xiaobai's reaction. She did blush, but it wasn't because of embarrassment. It was because she had been forced to drink a few more cups than usual after repeatedly being toasted. The mix of white wine and red wine had started to get to her, and she was feeling a little overwhelmed. Though her smile had faded, the alcohol had already begun to take effect. Her cheeks were flushed, and she could feel a burning sensation in her stomach as the alcohol churned there.

Suppressing her discomfort, Su Xiaobai managed a strained smile, "Mr. Chen, it's getting late. If you're interested in our factory's product, here's some information. Feel free to take a look when you have time. We can get in touch later. For now, we'll excuse ourselves."

As soon as she said that, she noticed Mr. Chen and the two supervisors' faces freeze for a moment. They immediately dropped their polite attitude, and Su Xiaobai let out a breath of frustration before forcing herself to stand up.

She exchanged a glance with the two managers beside her. They were both academic types, having been sent temporarily to handle the project with Su Xiaobai, but they weren't skilled in socializing. They, too, had wanted to leave this kind of occasion as quickly as possible. So, they stood up as well, ready to leave.

Su Xiaobai walked briskly, almost rushing, and pushed open the door of the private room with a firm motion. She walked swiftly down the corridor, massaging her temples, her steps light and unsteady as if the carpet underfoot were floating.

The private room was at the very end of the corridor, and she needed to turn left after exiting to reach the elevator. For some reason, the corridor seemed endless, stretching far ahead.

Behind her came a series of hurried footsteps and the sound of a door opening.

"Director Su, Director Su, wait a moment!" Su Xiaobai heard the noise and turned around to see one of the supervisors from earlier rushing after her, his face full of urgency. Behind him, Mr. Chen was also following quickly, his expression sour.

"Director Su, it's so late. How about letting our Mr. Chen give you a ride?" The supervisor squinted, smiling ambiguously.

Su Xiaobai knew exactly what they were implying and gave him a cold glance. She replied indifferently, "No trouble for Mr. Chen. I'm staying at this hotel. I can walk back myself. But if Mr. Chen has time, I'd hope he could seriously consider our project."

"Of course, of course. But this project needs to be discussed slowly, you know? Why don't we go to my room and continue the conversation? You can tell me the main plans there," Mr. Chen said, his politeness from the dinner table completely gone. He now looked at Su Xiaobai from head to toe, his words laced with double meanings.

Su Xiaobai's face darkened, and she turned away, unwilling to look at him any longer. The two managers were also shocked. They couldn't believe how Mr. Chen from Jincheng had crossed the line. They had spent the afternoon with him, talking, eating, and now he was taking things to a new, uncomfortable level. His behavior was truly unacceptable, and they furrowed their brows, not bothering to engage further.

Just as Su Xiaobai thought she could leave it at that, Mr. Chen wasn't about to give up. Perhaps her attitude had provoked him, or maybe the alcohol had emboldened him. He waddled over, his short, plump legs quickly catching up with her. He grabbed her hand with no intention of letting go.

"Director Su, let's go back and talk properly. Let's talk properly," he insisted.

At that moment, a group of people exited the meeting room on the other side. They didn't pay attention to them at first, but as they walked away, some of them turned back, curious about what was happening between Su Xiaobai and Mr. Chen.

Su Xiaobai had lost her patience. She forcefully yanked her hand away from his greasy grasp and slapped him across the face. The slap wasn't hard, but it was enough to sober him up.

"Get lost! You think you can show off just because you have a little money? Let me tell you something: there are plenty of companies that want to cooperate with our factory, not just your Jincheng. If Jincheng doesn't work out, we can always find another partner. We have the time to wait, but Mr. Chen should take a good look in the mirror. He's embarrassing himself here. This is the kind of behavior that gives people from Huai Jiang a bad reputation!"

Su Xiaobai's words came out fast and sharp, all her usual composure gone. Her little mouth moved like lightning, scolding him relentlessly. Even the small group of people who had just exited the meeting room turned around, shocked by the force of her words, curious about what was unfolding.