Chapter 56
The car came to a stop, and they arrived at the Royal Dilante Hotel.
Ning Qiu found a parking space and parked the car. Everyone got out one after another. Pei Ning, seated in the front passenger seat, had just undone her seat belt. Before she could even open the door, her left hand was suddenly gripped tightly.
Who was holding her hand hardly needed to be said.
Ning Qiu suddenly spoke. “Pei Ning.”
It was rare for her to call Pei Ning by her full name. Her tone was different from usual, unusually solemn and serious.
Pei Ning had instinctively wanted to pull her hand away, but upon hearing Ning Qiu’s voice, the movement naturally stopped.
Outside the car, seeing that neither of them had gotten out for so long, the others all peered into the car through the half-open window.
Lin Zhiqiao, sharp-eyed as ever, spotted their clasped hands at once: [Good, good, good—so you’re secretly holding hands behind our backs, huh! This sugar is absolutely something I must eat!!!]
Pei Ning snapped back to herself and was just about to break free from Ning Qiu’s hand when she heard the other woman say, “You don’t have to be afraid. This time, you’re not alone.”
As she said this, Ning Qiu kept her eyes fixed firmly on Pei Ning’s, as if she wanted to use that gaze to erase every last bit of Pei Ning’s worry.
“I’ll stand unconditionally on your side. So will the Ning family.”
Pei Ning’s heart missed a beat in that instant.
She had to admit that even though she had already decided not to sit back and let herself be manipulated, Jiang Ling was still the president of Jiang Group, and behind Jiang Group stood a mountain called the Jiang family. It was impossible to say she was not worried at all.
Ning Qiu had clearly seen that trace of anxiety she had not shown.
Outside the car window, Ji Ran also said, “Exactly, Sister Pei—you still have us! Don’t worry, my parents hate this kind of petty bastard the most. You’re my friend, so there’s no way they’d just stand by and do nothing!”
The others chimed in as well. “That’s right, that’s right! Don’t forget, you have us too!”
Lin Zhiqiao thought for a moment, then said, “I don’t really have any background or fame, so I might not be able to help much…”
Everyone else looked at him, all wearing the same expression of wanting to say something and stopping themselves.
What do you mean you can’t help much? You’re obviously the one who’s helped the most!
Unfortunately, Lin Zhiqiao was completely unaware of this. “But… I know President Song from Song Group, and he still owes me a favor.”
Everyone almost thought they had misheard him.
Ji Ran patted his own ears and asked, “You know… who?”
“President Song, Song Fengshi,” Lin Zhiqiao repeated. “Don’t worry, President Song is actually a really good person. He’s just a little… cold on the outside and warm on the inside. If it really comes down to it, he’ll help.”
As if afraid they would not believe him, Lin Zhiqiao added, “The place I’m renting now was actually found for me by President Song!”
Everyone wore expressions of pure horror: “…?”
Are you sure the President Song you’re talking about is the same President Song we know?
That question was obviously not going to be answered for now.
An annoying voice drifted over from the distance: “A-Ning!”
Jiang Ling had parked nearby too and was now walking toward them.
With perfect tacit understanding, everyone fell silent and dropped the subject.
Not long after they arrived at the venue, the banquet formally began.
Tonight’s host was a man named Song Qingwen, a younger member of one of the Song family’s branch lines. He had created a small brand of his own that had been developing pretty well, and tonight’s banquet was essentially a celebration party for that.
Lin Zhiqiao looked around, and as expected, he spotted reporters and photographers in the hall.
Those must have been invited by Song Qingwen, meant to generate publicity for his self-created brand.
A sudden stir broke out near the entrance in the distance.
Lin Zhiqiao looked up in that direction, and his eyes shot wide open.
Song Fengshi?
He actually came too?!
Standing beside Pei Ning, Jiang Ling naturally noticed the commotion as well.
The instant he saw Song Fengshi, Jiang Ling frowned. His first reaction was tension—he worried that his plan might be discovered by the other man.
But Jiang Ling quickly calmed down again.
His plan was foolproof. Song Fengshi’s arrival would do him nothing but good.
Jiang Ling knew Song Fengshi’s temperament very well. That man could not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye. Although Song Qingwen was not from the direct main branch of the Song family, he was still a Song. To some extent, he still represented a bit of the Song family’s public image.
If a scandal broke out under such circumstances, Song Fengshi would absolutely not sit idly by. And if that happened, Pei Ning would have even less chance of turning things around.
With that thought, Jiang Ling completely steadied himself.
But when he came back to his senses, he suddenly realized that Song Fengshi was walking in their direction with measured steps, and eventually stopped in front of their group.
Song Fengshi said, “Long time no see.”
Jiang Ling’s heart skipped.
Was President Song greeting him?
Jiang Ling was flattered and surprised. Before he could even speak, he heard the name that came out of Song Fengshi’s mouth.
“Lin Zhiqiao.”
Jiang Ling: “…?”
Lin Zhiqiao was standing behind Jiang Ling and Pei Ning. Hearing his name, he greeted Song Fengshi, “Long time no see, President Song. I really didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“Right? I didn’t expect it either. The moment Fengshi heard you’d be coming, he even pushed back his evening meeting just to come to the banquet.”
Another familiar voice sounded from the side. Lin Zhiqiao and the others all recognized it immediately—it was Fang Xinnan, the director of Our Life.
Song Fengshi gave him a cold look but did not bother refuting him.
Lin Zhiqiao blinked and did not take Fang Xinnan’s words to heart at all.
He thought to himself with absolute certainty: [With President Song’s type of character, if he doesn’t say anything, it’s definitely because he can’t be bothered to respond to such a boring tease!]
Fang Xinnan only smiled without saying a word.
On the contrary, Ning Qiu and Pei Ning, standing nearby, seemed a little more perceptive. It was as if they had noticed something, and their gazes went back and forth between Song Fengshi and Lin Zhiqiao a couple of times.
Song Fengshi did not stay there long, as though he had really only come over to greet Lin Zhiqiao.
Before leaving, he gave Lin Zhiqiao a slight nod.
“Have fun,” he said. “I’ll be here all night. If anything comes up, come find me.”
Lin Zhiqiao waved at him. “Okay!”
Very soon, the banquet moved into its free socializing stage.
Lin Zhiqiao, who had been growing drowsy listening to speeches, immediately perked up. Jiang Ling would most likely make his move during this time.
Sure enough, Jiang Ling soon began walking around the venue with Pei Ning, bringing her over to talk and mingle with different people, as though he were truly introducing his beloved “fiancée” to everyone.
Lin Zhiqiao followed behind them, neither too near nor too far, terrified that Pei Ning might carelessly consume something Jiang Ling handed to her.
Before long, Jiang Ling brought Pei Ning to a long table covered in tea and beverages, picked up a cup of tea from it, and handed it to her.
There were quite a few people coming and going around the long table, so Lin Zhiqiao could not see Jiang Ling’s movements very clearly. [No no no! Tea that’s passed through Jiang Scumbag’s hands absolutely, absolutely cannot be drunk, ahhh!!!]
Lin Zhiqiao was frantic. Just as he was trying to move closer to the tea table, his shifting line of sight caught two familiar figures standing there as well.
It was Ning Qiu and Fang Xinnan. Each of them was holding a cup of tea, standing very naturally at Pei Ning and Jiang Ling’s side.
Lin Zhiqiao relaxed slightly.
With Ning Qiu here, Jiang Ling probably would not get his way.
Things happened just as Lin Zhiqiao expected.
Fang Xinnan stood behind Jiang Ling and said something—whatever it was, it seemed to catch Jiang Ling’s attention, because Jiang Ling turned sideways as if responding to him.
Ning Qiu stood on Jiang Ling’s other side. She and Pei Ning exchanged a glance, and Pei Ning swiftly switched the cup in her own hand with the one Ning Qiu was holding.
Jiang Ling’s attention was off Pei Ning for only a few seconds. When he looked back at her, he saw Pei Ning already sipping from the teacup, with nearly a third of the liquid gone.
Naturally, Jiang Ling assumed that what Pei Ning was drinking was the tea he had handed her.
Sensing Jiang Ling’s gaze, Pei Ning lifted her eyes slightly, curved her lips at him, and asked softly, “What is it?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Ling shook his head, but the stone in his heart had already dropped by more than half.
Pei Ning had drunk the tea.
The plan was already more than halfway successful.
Just as he was thinking that, Ning Qiu’s voice rang by his ear: “President Jiang, want a cup?”
Jiang Ling snapped out of it and reflexively accepted the teacup Ning Qiu offered him.
Ning Qiu looked at him with a bright smile. “Too bad. If I didn’t have to drive later, I’d definitely have had a couple of drinks with you tonight.”
To Jiang Ling’s ears, those words were no different from blatant flirting.
Ning Qiu raised her own teacup toward him. “Let’s use tea in place of alcohol—cheers?”
The string that represented Jiang Ling’s rationality was tugged. He suspected nothing. He lightly clinked cups with her, then drained the tea in one gulp.
Not far away, Lin Zhiqiao saw the entire scene with perfect clarity.
[What a masterful switcheroo! Double Ning joining forces is truly unbeatable—how can their coordination be this perfect? This is straight-up paying him back in his own coin, ahhh!!!]
