Jiang Zongyan watched the farce unfold and lifted a hand to rub his temples.
He turned his head and glanced at Zhou Suisui.
“Come over here. I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
Zhou Suisui nodded.
The two of them left, one following the other.
Just then, Chairman Liu of the Haishi Market Administration came over with a wineglass in hand.
“Mr. Jiang, what a pleasure to meet you. Your speech this morning was truly remarkable. Haishi needs entrepreneurs with your kind of practical spirit.”
“You’re too kind, Chairman Liu.”
Jiang Zongyan gave a slight nod and raised his glass to clink against Liu’s.
Standing beside him, Zhou Suisui’s eyes flickered.
So the person Jiang Zongyan wanted to introduce her to was actually Chairman Liu of the Haishi Market Administration.
Now that Haishi had become the first free-trade zone in the country, the Zhou Group would have to win the Market Administration’s approval if it wanted to develop the Haishi market.
Jiang Zongyan glanced at her and said gently, “Chairman Liu, allow me to introduce you. This is the Zhou family’s eldest daughter, Zhou Suisui. She is currently the president’s special assistant at the Zhou Group.”
Zhou Suisui immediately put on a smile and extended her hand in a poised and generous manner. “Hello, Chairman Liu. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Chairman Liu froze for a moment before smiling and shaking her hand. “So you’re Miss Zhou. I’ve heard so much about you! Young people these days are truly impressive. You’re certainly not to be underestimated.”
There were many people at the banquet. After exchanging a few polite words, Chairman Liu was called away by someone else.
Zhou Suisui looked up at Jiang Zongyan, warmth spreading through her heart. “Jiang Zongyan, you deliberately introduced me to Chairman Liu just now, didn’t you?”
Jiang Zongyan looked at her with an amused smile and deliberately exaggerated his tone. “Oh? The young lady is pretty clever, isn’t she? You actually figured that out?”
Zhou Suisui secretly rolled her eyes. She wasn’t stupid!
Seeing her puffed-up cheeks, Jiang Zongyan couldn’t help smiling. He stopped teasing her.
But the affection in his eyes was impossible to hide. It was like melted cotton candy, quietly settling over her.
Zhou Suisui felt her cheeks grow hot, and her heart began pounding uncontrollably.
“Hello, Miss Zhou. Could I add you on WeChat?”
Suddenly, a shy voice reached her ears.
Zhou Suisui froze and turned to look.
A tall, slender young man stood there with his phone in hand, gazing at her bashfully. Even his neck had turned red with embarrassment.
Everyone attending the event was part of the same social circle.
Zhou Suisui nodded, took out her phone, and opened the QR code for adding friends.
“Come here.”
Jiang Zongyan’s cold voice suddenly came from nearby.
Zhou Suisui paused, then turned to see him standing at the foot of the stairs.
He looked down at her from above, his expression dark and the air around him several degrees colder.
Zhou Suisui raised an eyebrow, then hurriedly gave the man who had asked for her WeChat an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry. My friend is calling me.”
“N-No problem.”
Meeting Jiang Zongyan’s threatening gaze, the man quickly left with an awkward smile.
“What are you doing? You scared him away.”
Zhou Suisui walked over, her face full of exasperation.
Jiang Zongyan smiled. “What? Was I interrupting you while you were adding him on WeChat?”
Zhou Suisui puffed out her cheeks.
Why was he being so sarcastic again?
She deliberately teased him. “So Brother Yan knows he was interrupting me! You just ruined a beautiful romantic encounter.”
“Romantic encounter? You want one of those?”
Jiang Zongyan tilted his head and curled his lips into a wicked smile. A strong possessiveness churned in his eyes as he said meaningfully, “Brother Yan was wrong to interrupt your fun. How about Brother Yan makes it up to you with one of his own?”
Make it up to her with a romantic encounter?
Zhou Suisui quickly waved her hands. “No, no, that won’t be necessary. You didn’t interrupt anything.”
Only then did Jiang Zongyan’s expression ease. He reminded her, “Stay away from those random men out there. How do you know whether they’re decent people or trouble?”
“Got it.”
Zhou Suisui curled her lips and muttered under her breath, “Why is he exactly like my brother?”
“...”
Jiang Zongyan raised a hand to his forehead.
Forget it. She was still too young. He would just have to keep a closer eye on her.
Just then, an annoyed voice came from behind them.
“I told you to stay with your brother. Where did you run off to this time?”
Zhou Suisui turned around.
Her brother, Zhou Sui’an, strode over with a dark expression and a murderous air.
“Brother...”
Before she could say anything, Zhou Sui’an grabbed her hand.
“Stay with me! I’m your brother. What are you doing clinging to him?”
With that, he shot Jiang Zongyan a wary look.
Jiang Zongyan felt a headache coming on. “Then keep a close eye on your sister. Don’t let men come up and hit on her.”
“Hit on her?”
Zhou Sui’an immediately turned to Zhou Suisui. “Who was hitting on you?”
He gritted his teeth.
Which fool had dared to hit on his sister this time?
“No one. Come on, let’s go.”
Worried that the two of them would start arguing again, Zhou Suisui hurriedly pulled Zhou Sui’an away.
“I’m going to the restroom.”
She had drunk some fruit juice and was starting to feel the pressure, so she informed Zhou Sui’an before heading toward the restroom.
“Go ahead. Your brother will wait here for you.”
“Okay.”
When Zhou Suisui came out of the restroom, someone blocked her path at the entrance.
“Zhou Suisui.”
A familiar voice reached her ears.
The smile on Zhou Suisui’s face vanished instantly.
She looked up and met a face that was slick and roguish—and utterly revolting to her.
“Move.”
Her voice was icy, and her disgust was written plainly across her face.
But the man continued blocking her way, grinning cheekily. “Zhou Suisui, I can’t believe how beautiful you’ve become after not seeing you for two years. No wonder your brother kept you so well hidden!”
Zhou Suisui sneered. “I still can’t compare to Young Master Xiang, the regular star of entertainment headlines.”
Xiang Lingxiao was momentarily silenced, and his expression instantly darkened.
He was the Tianyu Group’s second young master, Xiang Lingxiao, as well as Zhou Suisui’s classmate in middle school.
Just thinking about this classmate made her sick.
Back in school, he had bullied her plenty of times. Of course, she had never let him get away with it. The scar at the corner of Xiang Lingxiao’s eye had come from her fist.
At the time, the boys and girls were only just becoming aware of the differences between the sexes and experiencing the first stirrings of curiosity.
One weekend, she and Jiang Ruitian had secretly slipped out to go shopping.
Xiang Lingxiao had brought several street thugs and blocked them at the entrance to an alley. Holding onto their waistbands, they had leered at the girls and said they wanted to show them their “treasures.”
Jiang Ruitian had been so frightened that she screamed.
Zhou Suisui, however, had remained perfectly calm. There had even been a smile on her collagen-rich little face.
Taking advantage of the moment they let down their guard, she bent over, picked up a large rock from the ground, and slammed it into Xiang Lingxiao with all her strength.
She had to beat that little punk senseless!
The rock had struck Xiang Lingxiao squarely on the head, and blood had immediately poured down like a fountain.
Remembering the incident, Zhou Suisui said meaningfully, “Xiang Lingxiao, if you don’t move, I might have to crack open the other side of your head too.”
Clearly recalling what had happened in their childhood, Xiang Lingxiao’s face darkened. He stepped forward and grabbed Zhou Suisui by the wrist.
“Come with me.”
“Don’t touch me!”
Zhou Suisui abruptly raised one hand and slapped Xiang Lingxiao across the face.
The crack of it rang out loudly.
Along with the resentment she carried from her past life, she had put every ounce of strength into that slap.
Xiang Lingxiao didn’t have the slightest chance to react. Five clear fingerprints appeared on his slick, roguish face.
Half of his face went numb.
It took him a long moment to recover. He pressed his tongue to the corner of his mouth, savoring the tang of blood.
As he looked at Zhou Suisui, there was no anger in his eyes. Instead, they held a trace of twisted amusement.
“Two years apart, and you’ve gotten even feistier.”
He licked his lips. “I like it.”
A wave of revulsion swept over Zhou Suisui. She yanked her hand free and spat without the slightest attempt to hide her disgust, “You’re disgusting.”
