Senior Wang led Zhou Suisui around the banquet hall, introducing her to everyone they met.
"President Zhang, this is my junior, Zhou Suisui. She just graduated and is working in new media..."
"Director Li, this is Suisui. Please look after her in the future..."
Zhou Suisui stayed by his side, wearing a proper smile as she nodded and greeted each person. She could feel their gazes lingering on her face a little longer than usual. Some would ask an extra question about her university, while others would smile and say to Senior Wang, "Director Wang, you are quite lucky to have such a beautiful junior."
His hand rested lightly on the small of her back the entire time, occasionally guiding her and reminding her which way to turn.
After making their rounds, Senior Wang was called away by a client to discuss business. Zhou Suisui could finally catch her breath. She walked over to the buffet table, grabbed a glass of juice, and found a sofa against the wall to sit down.
Less than a minute after she sat down, a man in a navy blue suit approached with a wine glass in hand.
"Are you alone?"
He sat down naturally in the single sofa next to her, introduced himself as Mr. Wu, said he was in the building materials business, and asked if it was her first time here.
Zhou Suisui nodded. "I came with my senior to broaden my horizons."
Mr. Wu smiled and said it was good for young women to get out more. After chatting for seven or eight minutes, he received a phone call, said he had something to take care of, and got up to leave.
Right after Mr. Wu left, another one came.
This time it was a Mr. Zhao, in his early thirties, who worked at a bank. He was a great conversationalist. Instead of asking Zhou Suisui too many questions, he shared some amusing anecdotes from his industry, making her laugh a few times.
As they were talking, a middle-aged woman in a champagne-colored evening gown walked over and smiled at Mr. Zhao. "Manager Zhao, President Liu is looking for you over there. It seems urgent."
Mr. Zhao froze for a moment, then had no choice but to stand up. He gave Zhou Suisui an apologetic smile and left with the woman.
Zhou Suisui took a sip of her juice. Before she could even set her glass down, a third man walked over.
This Mr. Sun was in the import and export trade. When he spoke, he unconsciously leaned forward, getting a bit too close. After just a few words, a waiter approached carrying a tray and politely said, "President Sun, Chairman Wang is looking for you over there. There is a document that needs your confirmation."
Mr. Sun frowned but stood up anyway. "Please excuse me for a moment, Miss Zhou. I will be right back."
He left and never came back.
Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Suisui slowly began to realize what was happening.
In less than half an hour, three men had approached her, and each was called away mid-conversation. Once was an accident, twice was a coincidence, but three times...
She looked up, her gaze subconsciously sweeping across the hall before landing on the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Chen Boxu was standing there, talking to a few people. He was facing sideways toward her, holding a water glass, his posture very relaxed.
Zhou Suisui only took one glance before retracting her gaze.
She was probably overthinking it. In a setting like this, who wasn't busy? Getting called away halfway through a chat to discuss business was perfectly normal. She was just a fresh graduate; who would care who she was talking to?
Just as she was thinking this, someone else sat down on the sofa next to her.
"Miss Zhou?"
It was a man in a dark gray suit, around forty years old, with a gentle smile.
"I saw you chatting with President Sun just now," he said. "I hope he didn't scare you. President Sun is a good guy, just a bit too enthusiastic sometimes."
Zhou Suisui smiled but didn't reply.
The man introduced himself as Mr. Zheng, working in educational investment. He spoke with a sense of propriety, neither rushed nor slow. After chatting for about ten minutes, he took the initiative to hand over a business card. "If Miss Zhou ever wants to change platforms in the future, you can contact me."
Zhou Suisui took it. "Thank you, President Zheng."
Just as Mr. Zheng stood up, a waiter walked over. "President Zheng, sorry to interrupt. Chairman Wang has requested your presence over there. He says there is an urgent document that needs your signature."
Mr. Zheng paused, looked at Zhou Suisui, then at the waiter, and finally gave a helpless smile. "My apologies, Miss Zhou. I have to go handle this."
He left with the waiter.
Zhou Suisui pinched the business card she had just received, her fingertips pressing down slightly.
That was the fourth time.
She looked up, this time directing her gaze clearly toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Chen Boxu was still there, though the people around him had changed. He was talking to a middle-aged man in a silver suit. The other man said something, and a very faint curve appeared at the corners of Chen Boxu's lips as he raised his glass to lightly clink against the man's.
He stood there, calm and self-assured, as if everything was exactly as it should be.
Suddenly, Zhou Suisui understood.
It wasn't a coincidence.
Someone didn't want her to have a proper conversation with anyone else.
Zhou Suisui withdrew her gaze and put Mr. Zheng's business card into her handbag. There were already several cards in her bag: Mr. Wu's, Manager Zhao's, President Sun's, and now President Zheng's.
These men all seemed very capable, had all shown an interest in her, and had all given her their contact information. But for some reason, as she held this stack of cards, her heart felt utterly empty.
Could these people give her what she wanted?
She didn't know.
As she was thinking, a shadow fell over her.
Zhou Suisui looked up.
Chen Boxu had walked over at some point and stopped right beside her. He didn't look at her; his gaze landed on her hand resting on her lap, clutching the stack of business cards.
Zhou Suisui subconsciously tried to put the cards away. The moment her fingers moved, Chen Boxu reached out.
His movements were natural. His long, slender fingers directly covered the back of her hand, and with a light pinch, he slipped the cards right out from between her fingers.
Zhou Suisui froze, staring at him.
Chen Boxu didn't even glance down at the cards. With a flick of his wrist, he folded the entire stack in half and casually tossed them into an empty wine glass nearby. The paper slowly sank into the leftover liquid, the ink gradually bleeding out.
"These are useless," he said, his voice calm.
Before Zhou Suisui could react, Chen Boxu reached out again. This time, he pulled his own business card from the inner pocket of his suit.
It was pure white, devoid of any decoration.
He didn't hand it to her.
Instead, holding the card between two fingers, he turned his wrist and slid the thin, hard edge of the card into the square neckline of her velvet dress.
The movement was terribly slow, carrying an unquestionable sense of dominance.
The business card glided over the sensitive skin just below her collarbone, sending a fine shiver through her, before finally wedging securely between the fabric and her skin, leaving only a tiny sliver of white edge exposed.
Zhou Suisui's entire body stiffened. She could clearly feel the presence of the card, the faint coolness of the paper seeping through the velvet fabric, pressing against her chest.
There was clearly music and the sound of conversation all around them, but at this moment, she couldn't hear a thing except her own deafening heartbeat.
Chen Boxu let go.
"Tomorrow night at eight," he spoke, his voice deep and flat. "The address is on it."
With that said, he turned to leave.
A sense of humiliation rushed to the top of Zhou Suisui's head like boiling water, burning her cheeks hot. Yet, at the same time, something even stronger exploded in her chest.
It was all the unwillingness she had accumulated over the past few months, all her jealousy toward Lin Xiao, and all her crazy desires to prove herself.
Just as he was about to take his second step, Zhou Suisui abruptly stood up and reached out, grabbing his wrist.
Chen Boxu stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned his head, his gaze landing on her hand gripping him, and then slowly traveled up to her face.
Those pale amber eyes remained calm, betraying only a hint of impatience at the interruption.
