Chapter 101 – The Banquet I
As soon as Jiang Ruolan entered the banquet hall, she found that the hall had been filled with tables. Four or five round tables were arranged lavishly. The chief editor told her that dinner started at 7:30. She had deliberately delayed her arrival for more than an hour.
Since she was invited on behalf of the company, it would not be very nice if she did not come. If she came earlier, no one might care about her, so she purposely arrived a little late. Once she entered, she looked for Director Lan and walked towards him.
Jiang Ruolan greeted him politely before being arranged to another table.
Just when she was about to ignore the strangers' curious stares on the table and take food to fill her stomach, the door of a private room at the side of the banquet hall suddenly opened. She lightly glanced at the door, then continued put the food into the plate in front of her.
Director Lang wanted to greet the guests but suddenly seemed to recall something. He glanced at the banquet hall, looking for someone. When he found Jiang Ruolan, he walked towards her with a smile.
"Miss Jiang, you just said that you are from H City's Fengyu Media, right?" Director Lang smiled at Jiang Ruolan, then held out his hand towards her as he spoke.
Jiang Ruolan stood up and shook his hand, "Yes, I am from the Business Reporting Department."
When she answered, she smiled at him politely and decently. It was said that the chief editor had a good relationship with Director Lang, and she was not able to offend him.
Director Lang suddenly smiled meaningfully and then whispered in her ear. "Your editor told me that your relationship with President Qin was not bad; I was drunk to the point of fainting and almost forgot about it. Come with me to the private room, how can you sit at this table. Everyone, please sit down and have a drink! Miss Jiang, please follow me."
"It's all right. I'm quite happy to sit here. Director Lang, please don't worry about me. This table is nice. Besides, my alcohol capacity is average. I'm afraid it will ruin your mood." She stiffened on the inside, and her expression gradually turned severe.
"How can that be? How can I let you sit at this table?" Director Lang grabbed her hand excitedly and pulled her towards the room. "Since you are under President Qin's special care, considering my good relationship with him, how can I not invite you in for a drink!"
"It's all right."
"Come come come, Miss Jiang, don't mention it! Qin's and our company have allied and contributed a lot to the city's construction; no matter who is here tonight, I cannot mistreat them! Oh yes, why did President Qin not come with you? I heard he was supposed to come to F City, but what's the problem? Nevermind…He's probably very busy. Please follow me, Miss Jiang."
Jiang Ruolan originally wanted to refuse, but this Director Lang seemed to be very cordial. When she heard him asking about the reason behind Qin Gengxin's absence, her eyelids twitched, and she braced herself to follow him into the private room.
When Director Lang pulled Jiang Ruolan into the private room, everyone's gazes turned towards them. The so-called prominent figures, the high-ranking politicians, and the various provinces' financial and commercial elites were mostly pot-bellied people. About seven or eight people sat around the table.
The dishes appeared to be no different from those on the outside, but they were much more decadent.
"Who is this lady?" Someone asked. Seeing that Director Lang was holding her hand, he smiled dubiously.
Xian Zihao had been sitting the entire time calmly. Ever since they had walked into the room, his calm gaze had only lightly rested on Jiang Ruolan once he saw her. His initial surprise had immediately disappeared.
"This is H City's Qin's chief editor!" Director Lang still smiled enthusiastically, but he did not discuss much about it. He pushed Jiang Ruolan's shoulder towards the table and said, "Hurry, Miss Jiang, Please take a seat first."
The group of people did not understand the situation. Jiang Ruolan's entire body stiffened. The moment she met Xian Zihao's gaze, she felt that she should not have come today.
In just a few seconds, she was forced to sit at the table. She was a little embarrassed and politely nodded when she saw the doubt on their faces.
Luckily, she was not the main character for today. The crowd only looked at her for a while. Not long later, the atmosphere in the private room was lively again.
She never raised her head and even deliberately avoided looking at someone. However, when everyone raises their glass, she must follow their actions. Jiang Ruolan raised her glass. The moment when she raised her head, she was caught off guard and met Xian Zihao's unfathomable eyes once again.
"President Xian, Miss Jiang, is the backbone of the Fengyu Media Department from H City. I believe you two have met before?" After three drinks, Director Lang suddenly smiled and started talking about various things.
Xian Zihao shifted his gaze carelessly, his faint gaze falling on Jiang Ruolan's face.
To avoid embarrassment, Jiang Ruolan spoke first, "President Xian is very busy with a thousand problems every day. How could a small figure like me be able to meet him in person?"
Xian Zihao's expression did not change; his eyebrows slightly raised. "Miss Jiang is too serious. I, Xian Zihao, are used to doing things quickly. Therefore, we have never met before. Since this is our first meeting, why not share a drink?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Ruolan's froze. When she saw someone pouring Maotai wine on her glass, her face immediately turned green.
In an instant, a hint of teasing appeared in his calm eyes. Xian Zihao raised his glass and indicated to her, "Please."
"This is President Xian's first time taking the initiative to treat a woman to a drink at a table." Someone jeered.
"Miss Jiang is so beautiful and capable, and even I want to toast her. Who would have thought that President Xian would have snatched her away first! "Haha…"
Although there were some big company bosses at this table, however, the Xian Family and Xian Group were very well known. Xian Zihao was also a legitimate successor to Xian Group, so of course, everyone will try to flatter him.
Jiang Ruolan discovered that most of the men at the table were toasting to her, and each one was more attentive to her than the other.
"What is it? Miss Jiang doesn't know how to drink?" As Jiang Ruolan sat stiffly, Xian Zihao asked with a non-smiling smile.