The three of them arrived at the banquet venue together.
The banquet was being held on an open-air lawn by the sea.
The setting sun was slowly sinking beneath the waves, dyeing the entire sky a soft orange-pink. The salty sea breeze carried a faint fragrance of magnolia as it brushed past them.
Crystal chandeliers hung all over the lawn, shimmering brilliantly, while one limited-edition luxury car after another pulled up at the entrance.
Everyone was dressed to the nines, glasses clinking as they mingled. The guests were all influential figures who could make waves in the tech world.
The moment the three of them appeared on the red carpet, the lively venue fell silent for a brief moment.
Then, the atmosphere shot straight to its climax.
“Click, click, click.”
The reporters waiting nearby were visibly thrilled, raising their cameras and aiming them at the trio.
The flashes were bright enough to turn night into day.
The crowd erupted in discussion.
“Oh my God! What kind of god-tier combination is this? Did the three of them coordinate this appearance just to set the whole scene on fire?”
“Who’s that girl? She looks kind of familiar.”
“Huh? You don’t recognize her?”
The speaker chuckled. “That’s Zhou Suisui, the Zhou family’s only daughter!”
“What?”
“So that’s the younger sister CEO Zhou has kept hidden all these years?”
“Miss Zhou never shows her face in front of the media. I can’t believe she’s this stunning! No wonder Zhou Sui'an protects her like she’s his own eyes.”
“Mr. Jiang and CEO Zhou standing together is an incredible sight. Two heirs from the biggest families in the city in the same frame—what a rare spectacle!”
Someone nearby caught the scent of gossip and lowered his voice. “Don’t you think Young Master Jiang and Miss Zhou seem to have an unusual relationship?”
Not far away, a tall, stern-looking man reached out and straightened the hem of the girl’s dress for her.
“Wow, that’s so sweet! If the Crown Prince doesn’t like Miss Zhou, I’ll livestream myself eating a camera!”
At once, someone objected. “Impossible! Everyone knows the Crown Prince and CEO Zhou are famous rivals. I went to school with them, so I have a say in this.”
“They’ve been competing openly and secretly since their school days. Back when they were freshmen running for student council president, the Crown Prince won by a single vote. CEO Zhou tore up his campaign poster on the spot and flung it in his face. The Crown Prince’s expression went green…”
“There have been plenty of incidents like that. If the Crown Prince really manages to win Miss Zhou over, CEO Zhou will probably fight him to the death!”
The buzz of discussion reached Fu Jie’s ears, drawing his gaze over.
He and Zhang Liang had arrived at the banquet venue early.
They still had to scout for suitable candidates.
They had been there all day, but had only managed to recruit Jason. They were still a long way from reaching the target Zhou Sui'an had set.
Seeing Jiang Zongyan standing beside Zhou Suisui, the handsome man and beautiful woman surrounded by envious gazes, Fu Jie’s eyes instantly darkened.
“Finance Director Fu, we still have plenty of work to do. This isn’t the time to get sentimental.”
His colleague had seen straight through his thoughts.
Fu Jie’s face turned awkward, and he quickly looked away.
No one noticed that, at the back of the inconspicuous crowd, a man in a floral shirt was holding a wineglass and staring intently at Zhou Suisui. His eyes were filled with undisguised admiration.
He hadn’t expected that after two years, Zhou Suisui would have blossomed into such a radiant beauty—more alluring than ever.
His female companion noticed where he was looking and said unhappily, “Young Master Xiang, why do you keep staring at that woman? What’s so great about her?”
Xiang Lingxiao sneered. “You think you can compare yourself to the Zhou family’s only daughter? Who do you think you are—a cheap slut who can’t even appear in decent company?”
The insult was filthy and utterly merciless.
The woman’s dignity was trampled beneath his feet. Tears immediately spilled from her eyes.
Xiang Lingxiao snorted, shoved her aside, and left without a backward glance.
—
The moment Mr. Jiang and Zhou Sui'an appeared, a crowd of business leaders immediately surrounded them, enthusiastically greeting them both.
“Mr. Jiang, I have a project I’d like to ask you about. Could I borrow you for a moment…”
Jiang Zongyan was surrounded by excited guests. When he noticed that someone was about to bump into Zhou Suisui, his expression turned cold.
Without making a fuss, he took hold of Zhou Suisui’s wrist and pulled her to his side.
He bent slightly, his warm breath brushing against her ear as he murmured, “Stay with me. Don’t wander off. There are too many people.”
Everyone nearby saw the scene and exchanged knowing glances.
Wow…
The Crown Prince and Miss Zhou?
They were perfectly matched—an ideal couple from equally powerful families!
This was far too good not to ship!
Meanwhile, Zhou Sui'an exchanged a few polite words with CEO Zhao of Shengyuan Group.
But when he turned around, his sister had already vanished from his side.
His heart sank. He immediately began searching for her through the crowd.
Soon, after looking past the tightly packed guests, he spotted Zhou Suisui following closely behind Jiang Zongyan like a little tail.
Zhou Sui'an gritted his teeth in fury.
That little traitor! That ungrateful brat! Whose side was she on, anyway?
He was just about to charge over and drag Zhou Suisui back when, after taking a few steps, he met the gaze of Wang Mingchuan, Mr. Wang, who was standing not far away.
Wang Mingchuan panicked and turned around, intending to hide.
But the two of them had already come face-to-face. There was nowhere left to run.
He could only force himself to put on an ingratiating smile. “CEO Zhou, are you enjoying the evening?”
Zhou Sui'an raised an eyebrow and replied with a smile that did not reach his eyes, “I am. Of course I am!”
“This summit is quite impressive, Mr. Wang. You must have spent a great deal of money. How did the sponsorship go? Did the Jiang family provide most of it?”
If the Jiang family hadn’t been willing to pay so much, would Wang Mingchuan have gone to such lengths to curry favor with Jiang Zongyan?
“No… Nothing like that!” Wang Mingchuan hurriedly waved his hands, though inwardly he couldn’t help grumbling: Even if I were going to secure sponsorship from the Jiang family, that would be for next year.
He quickly changed the subject and said with a beaming smile, “The biggest sponsor of this summit is still the Zhou Corporation. We have you to thank for that, CEO Zhou.”
At that, Zhou Sui'an’s smile turned even more ominous.
“Oh? In that case, I’m afraid the Zhou Corporation won’t be sponsoring you next year.”
“What?!”
The color drained from Wang Mingchuan’s face. He nearly burst into tears on the spot.
“Please don’t, CEO Zhou! I was wrong! The incident with the room was my oversight. Please be the bigger man and don’t hold it against me!”
“If you want me to forgive you, that’s simple enough.”
Zhou Sui'an raised a hand and pointed toward a solid wooden table not far away. In an unhurried voice, he said, “Since you enjoy arranging things for other people so much, go carry that table around the banquet venue once. Then we’ll consider the matter settled.”
“This…”
Just then, Jiang Zongyan walked over with Zhou Suisui.
Wang Mingchuan looked at him as if he had spotted a savior, his eyes filled with a desperate plea for help.
Jiang Zongyan expressionlessly glanced at Lin Zhou.
Lin Zhou immediately understood. He walked to the side, secretly took out his phone, and sent Wang Mingchuan a message.
[I’ll double the Jiang Corporation’s sponsorship next year if you make it up to CEO Zhou.]
When Wang Mingchuan saw the message, his eyes lit up instantly, and the gloom vanished from his face.
He immediately patted his chest and grinned from ear to ear. “No problem, no problem! Just wait, CEO Zhou! I’ll do it right now!”
With that, he rolled up his sleeves and began grunting and straining as he went to carry the solid wooden table.
Seeing this, one of his subordinates hurried over to help. “Mr. Wang, let me do it!”
“No, no, no!”
Wang Mingchuan hurriedly waved him off, beaming. “Every step I take carrying this table is money! You just stand over there!”
“What?”
His subordinate stood frozen, staring wide-eyed as his boss cheerfully carried the table around the lawn.
Had his boss gone crazy from thinking about money?
