novelraw Chapter 224 - 223: Love at first sight
Chapter 224 - 223: Love at first sight
After meeting up, the group directly took the vehicle arranged by Milan to head to the reserved upscale restaurant. Yun Qi, his assistant, and Cen Jin were all in a business car, with only one foreign driver inside."Did you guys have such a great time watching their rehearsal?" Yun Qi saw the three of them with smiles on their faces. After reading the documents his assistant gave him, he looked at them with a gentle smile.
"Brother, let me tell you something super exciting." Unable to contain her joy and smugness, Yun Xi blurted out what had just happened backstage, including how Sara had looked down on them, without giving Cen Jin and Ye Lingran a chance to stop her.
Hearing this, Yun Qi unconsciously raised an eyebrow, "Such a thing actually happened?"
"Yeah, when we heard her tone, we were all furious. Luckily, she had a bunch of lousy teammates. We didn’t even have to retaliate; they embarrassed themselves for us. How could we not take the chance? We should feel thankful we didn’t beat her up to the point of being unrecognizable." Thinking of Sara’s ugly expression made Yun Xi particularly happy and instantly dissipated her earlier anger.
Yun Qi raised an eyebrow but didn’t reply, instead glancing at Cen Jin. She met his gaze and smiled, "As of now, we have the upper hand. So, there’s no need to dwell on it. If she tries to stir up trouble again, we won’t hold back. Rest assured, Yun Xi alone makes it impossible for her to bully us, not to mention our upcoming collaboration. If she dares to cause trouble, probably her boss wouldn’t spare her either, and at most, she’ll just give us dirty looks behind the scenes."
"I’m sorry, Cen Jin, Miss Ye, that your first business trip with us involved such differential treatment," Yun Qi pursed his lips, looking quite guilty and uneasy.
"It’s okay, we’ve encountered these things before." Ye Lingran smiled and replied.
"Yeah, it’s no big deal." Thıs text ıs hosted at novelhall.com
"No, I mean, what do you mean with your politeness and jabs at me, saying that with only me, she can’t bully us? Am I a tigress?" Yun Xi listened to their chat and felt something was off, pouting and glaring at them displeasedly.
Cen Jin laughed: "Am I not praising how awesome you are?"
"Why didn’t I hear that?"
"Well, think about it more, you might hear it then."
"Tsk, you all can go away, hmph." Yun Xi rolled her eyes at them, scoffed lightly, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes for a rest.
After arriving at the restaurant, the group entered a spacious private room. The host then instructed the waiters to serve the dishes one by one. Once the dishes were all served, they had everyone poured a drink, and with that, they stood up with their glasses, giving introductions on the origins of the wine and delivering typical formal speeches.
Yet Cen Jin’s mind drifted off after hearing the introduction. Staring at the dark red wine in front of her, she contemplated her ’humble’ alcohol tolerance, worrying how to escape this fate of drinking.
Once the host finished the formalities, everyone lifted their glasses in response to his words. Cen Jin struggled for a moment but still raised her glass, taking a slight sip. A unique refreshing, slightly sweet, and spicy taste instantly spread from her lips and teeth to her throat, almost choking her.
Finally setting down their glasses, Cen Jin heaved a sigh of relief, only to hear another deputy director raise his glass, his gaze directly towards her, Ye Lingran, and Yun Xi. With utmost sincerity, he said, "The success of this big show progressing smoothly till now is thanks to you three designers. This is our first collaboration, and we hope there will be more opportunities in the future. I toast to you three designers, you truly worked hard."
Cen Jin’s smile stiffened slightly; what was bound to come was indeed here and unavoidable.
"Director Jack, you’re too kind. We’re also honored to work with your esteemed company. This collaboration indeed taught us a lot. Actually, we should be the ones to toast you." Ye Lingran smiled gracefully, raising her glass with poise and a gentle voice like a nightingale, pausing briefly to glance at Cen Jin beside her before she continued, "However, Cen Jin doesn’t hold her liquor well and has a slight allergy to alcohol, so if Director Jack doesn’t mind, I’ll drink on her behalf."
"Lingran..." Cen Jin was startled and widened her eyes at her. Even if Lingran’s capacity for alcohol was a bit better than hers, it wasn’t by much.
Her words also took Yun Qi, sitting on her other side, slightly by surprise. He was aware of both Cen Jin’s and Ye Lingran’s drinking limits. He initially intended to step in to block the drinks for both of them, but before he could speak, Ye Lingran had already taken the lead.
Within everyone’s surprise, Director Jack snapped back to reality, looking at Ye Lingran with appreciative eyes that carried a hint of hidden emotion, and said with a smile, "Never thought Miss Ye, who appears so delicate, would shield her friends from drinks. Truly admirable, makes me feel a bit inferior too. I’ll finish this glass; Miss Ye, feel free."
After giving Cen Jin a reassuring look, Ye Lingran retracted it. Although Jack said so, his words clearly implied that she should drink both glasses. Without much hesitation, Ye Lingran calmly downed both drinks, the fiery feeling quickly rushing to her chest, making her lift her hand to cover her lips and cough lightly.
"Miss Ye, impressive drinking skills. This one’s for the great pleasure of meeting you today, hoping we can become friends." Jack clearly showed interest in Ye Lingran. As he poured a second glass, he gestured for the waiter behind her to pour her another, raising his glass once more with a smile.
Jack, a Milan native, just turned thirty, tall and handsome, and successful at a young age. He seemed almost captivated, his eyes barely moving away from Ye Lingran, the instant attraction quite obvious.
Seeing this, Yun Qi frowned displeasedly. When Ye Lingran hesitated slightly in picking up her glass, his long arm stretched over, pressing down her hand firmly. His usually gentle gaze flashed a trace of displeasure and aloofness, his tone no longer as soft, carrying a hint of detachment and sharpness: "Director Jack, please understand. Lingran doesn’t have a high tolerance for alcohol either. Today, sitting together due to our collaboration is an honor. Wouldn’t you agree, Director Jack?"