Chapter 28: The Drunkard's Purpose Lies Not in the Wine

At dinnertime, someone knocked lightly at the door and called softly, “Miss Shu, are you there?”

“I’m here,” Shu Manyun answered as she opened the door. It was the bodyguard who usually accompanied Qiu Jinshan, and he was standing outside with a few other guards.

“Miss Shu, Chairman Qiu has arranged a dinner to welcome you, and he invites you to join him for the meal,” the bodyguard said.

“Oh, is it mealtime already? I was so tired today that I lost track of time while resting. Haha, let me go call the others,” Shu Manyun replied with a smile, about to look for Ye Fei and the rest.

Suddenly, Qiu Jinshan’s bodyguard stretched out his arm to block her. “Miss Shu, there’s no need. Given their positions, how could they dine at the same table as Chairman Qiu and yourself? Chairman Qiu knows you care for your employees, so he has specially arranged a nice dinner for them, ensuring they eat and rest well.”

Being blocked at the door, Shu Manyun quickly furrowed her brows before lowering her head.

“Please rest assured, Miss Shu, this is just a welcome banquet. However, our Chairman Qiu said you could bring your secretary and the female employee with you. That way, it avoids any awkwardness, and it will be convenient for you to discuss your company’s plans and development with our chairman. Perhaps the two companies’ cooperation can be settled right at the banquet,” the bodyguard continued.

A chill ran through Shu Manyun’s heart. Qiu Jinshan had invited the three women but deliberately excluded the three men whose job was to provide protection. She could not take this situation lightly and even considered giving up altogether. However, after some mental struggle, she decided to hold on to a sliver of hope—she didn’t want to abandon this rare opportunity until the very last moment.

“That’s very considerate of Chairman Qiu,” Shu Manyun replied with a smile.

They then went to invite Andy, but when they reached Su Xue’s room, she was nowhere to be found.

Noticing this, the bodyguard turned and said, “Miss Shu, you and Miss An should go ahead. Chairman Qiu has already ordered the meal, and it will be served soon. We can’t keep him waiting. I will escort Miss Su Xue over later.”

Shu Manyun said, “Since Su Xue isn’t here, don’t worry about her. She already discussed the situation with me this afternoon; I’ll report to Chairman Qiu myself to show my sincerity.”

Unexpectedly, the bodyguard insisted, “Chairman Qiu’s status is such that you shouldn’t be troubled with such minor details. We’ll bring Miss Su Xue over soon. Please, you and Miss An go ahead.”

They split into two groups—one escorted Shu Manyun and Andy to the banquet, while the bodyguard and another went off to search for Su Xue.

Through the hotel’s surveillance footage, they saw Su Xue and Ye Fei entering Ye Fei’s room together.

“She’s gone to that bodyguard’s room. Have a waiter call her out,” the bodyguard said with a frown.

“Brother Hai, why don’t we just go get her ourselves?” the other bodyguard asked.

Hu Hai shook his head. “Chairman Qiu wants the women drugged first, so we can’t arouse their suspicion.”

“I think Miss Shu is already suspicious,” the bodyguard replied.

“Su Xue is different from the others. Shu Manyun needs Chairman Qiu’s help, so even if she suspects something, she won’t give up until the very end. Once she’s drugged, she’ll have no say. Her secretary Andy is a materialistic woman—given Chairman Qiu’s wealth and that her boss is already drinking, she’ll have no choice but to go along. It’s only Su Xue who’ll be a problem,” Hu Hai explained, repeating what Qiu Jinshan had told him.

Soon, they saw from the surveillance that the waiter’s attempt had failed—Su Xue remained in Ye Fei’s room. Left with no other option, they decided to go themselves.

“Su Xue, try calling Miss Shu,” Ye Fei said as he sat in the room.

“Alright. Why? Did you notice something?” Su Xue asked while dialing.

Ye Fei replied calmly, “I’m not sure, but the waiter seemed odd. If Shu Manyun wanted you, she’d come herself or at least call. Better to check with her directly.”

The call went through, and indeed, it was Shu Manyun’s voice.

“Su Xue, Chairman Qiu invited us to dinner. I wanted you and Andy to join me so we could finalize the cooperation plan during the meal, but you weren’t in your room. Andy and I will go ahead,” Shu Manyun said.

“Miss Shu, I’m with Ye Fei. I didn’t expect you to come for me. The waiter just now told me you were looking for me, so I found out,” Su Xue replied uneasily, realizing it truly was Shu Manyun seeking her.

“Ye Fei!” Shu Manyun was surprised—she hadn’t expected Su Xue to be in Ye Fei’s room. What was their relationship? She recalled seeing them arrive at the company together. Were the two of them…? Shu Manyun laughed softly. “It’s alright; you already described the situation to me this afternoon, so I’ll report to Chairman Qiu myself. By the way, is Ye Fei there? Let me speak to him.”

“Ye Fei, Miss Shu wants to talk to you,” Su Xue said, handing over the phone.

“Miss Shu, this is Ye Fei,” he answered.

“Ye Fei, Andy and I have been invited by Chairman Qiu to dine in the hotel’s luxury private room, ‘Moonlit Fragrance.’ No one else knows yet—please inform the others,” Shu Manyun said calmly.

She did this as a precaution—if Ye Fei and the others needed to rescue them, they’d know where to find them.

Ye Fei replied seriously, “Understood, Miss Shu.”

After hanging up, Ye Fei looked at Su Xue and said sternly, “From now on, stay with me and don’t go anywhere, understand?”

“Ye Fei, is something wrong with Miss Shu?” Su Xue asked shrewdly, immediately sensing something amiss.

Ye Fei nodded. “Qiu Jinshan invited Shu Manyun and Andy to dinner.”

“He invited me too. Miss Shu said they came looking for me but didn’t find me,” Su Xue added.

“That Qiu Jinshan has ulterior motives,” Ye Fei sneered. “Shu Manyun is a stunning beauty and holds interests in Tianxiang Group. It’s no surprise Qiu Jinshan wants to take advantage of her. But I didn’t expect his appetite to be so large. Su Xue, you’re as beautiful as Shu Manyun—just in a different way. Then there’s Andy—she may not compare to you two, but she’s also attractive.”

“That old fox Qiu Jinshan wants to have all three of you at once. Three women with different charms: a beautiful, elegant CEO; a seductive, enchanting office lady; and a captivating, sexy secretary. He certainly knows how to indulge himself,” Ye Fei said angrily.

Su Xue blushed and pinched Ye Fei in embarrassment.

Just then, there was another knock at the door.

Ye Fei walked over and opened it to find two cold-faced men standing outside.

“Mr. Ye, we’re here for Miss Su Xue,” Hu Hai said.

“You’re looking for Su Xue? What’s the matter?” Ye Fei blocked the doorway.

“Chairman Qiu has invited your Miss Shu to dinner. She intends to discuss cooperation with him during the meal and specially asked us to bring Miss Su Xue along to discuss the plans,” Hu Hai replied smoothly.

“Oh, so that’s it. You can go back now—Miss Shu just called and said she’ll report to Chairman Qiu on Su Xue’s behalf to show her sincerity,” Ye Fei said, pushing the door as if to close it.

Bang—

Hu Hai suddenly pressed his hand against the door, his voice lowering. “Mr. Ye, we are only following Chairman Qiu’s instructions. Miss Su Xue is on the guest list. As for what you said, we’ll verify it. If it’s true, we’ll bring her back. Please don’t make things difficult for us with Chairman Qiu.”

“Go back. Miss Shu will explain everything to your chairman, and he won’t blame you,” Ye Fei replied with a smile, pushing the door shut with force.

Bang—

Hu Hai blocked it once more.