Chapter 41 Attending the Banquet

Chen Shuting did not sleep for very long. When she woke up, she found herself lying on the sofa, covered with a thin blanket.

The sound of pots and pans clinking came from the kitchen. Following the sound, she saw Ye Fan with his back to her, wearing an apron over his broad shoulders and narrowed waist, busy cooking.

"Ye Fan!"

Chen Shuting called out playfully, "Did you forget we're going to the Golden Dragon Tower for dinner tonight?"

"Ah? You're awake!" Ye Fan turned his head and smiled, "Of course I know! Huang Dalei is apologizing to you, right?"

Smiling, he brought out a bowl of noodles. "Have a little something first, drinking on an empty stomach is bad for you!"

"Thank you!"

Chen Shuting sat up and stretched lazily.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I am! I have some too!"

Ye Fan smiled, placed the bowl of noodles on the dining table, and turned back to the kitchen.

A flushed warmth from crying still lingered on Chen Shuting's face. She propped herself up by the sofa and stood, letting out a sudden gasp of "Oh!", her face turning even redder.

She realized her stockings were missing...

"What on earth did this guy do?"

Chen Shuting thought to herself, choosing not to point it out. Instead, she picked up the blanket and wrapped it around herself like a long skirt. In truth, she was still wearing her suit skirt, but she felt awkward inside, experiencing a strange sense of shame.

With short, tentative steps, she shuffled over to the dining table and sat down just as Ye Fan walked over with another bowl of noodles.

It was ordinary dried noodles topped with a poached egg, accompanied by a small dish of pickled vegetables.

It was very homely, yet it warmed her heart.

"Thank you for the noodles."

Chen Shuting expressed her sincere gratitude, earning a smile from Ye Fan.

"What's there to thank for a bowl of noodles? Eat up!"

With that, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. Chen Shuting followed suit, picking up a small strand with her chopsticks and putting it into her mouth.

The taste was neither too salty nor too bland—just right.

Whether it was psychological or because Ye Fan was genuinely a good cook, Chen Shuting loved it. She felt as though she could never get enough of it for the rest of her life!

"Make me noodles every day from now on!"

"You'll get tired of it if you eat them all the time."

"Yours... I'll never get tired of them!"

Chen Shuting took a bite of the noodles and replied with an expression of pure bliss.

"By the way, you mentioned earlier that you went to see Lin Junqiang this afternoon. How did it go? How much of Lin Zhenjie's assets did he give you?"

Last time at the Lakeside Villa, Lin Junqiang had promised in person to hand over all of Lin Zhenjie's assets to Chen Shuting. Today, she had gone to take them over.

"He kept his word, more or less!"

Chen Shuting picked up a piece of pickled vegetable, chewing as she spoke. "Under Lin Zhenjie's name, there is a film and television company, an electronics factory, and a few properties. All of them have been handed over to me to manage."

"However, he didn't give me the security company and the bank that were previously under his name."

Hearing this, Ye Fan couldn't help laughing. "That old fox Lin Junqiang! He still can't bear to let go of the truly good stuff!"

"That's normal," Chen Shuting said with a smile. "The security company is the blade, and the bank is the money pouch. If he gave those two to me as well, I'd be able to break away and stand entirely on my own!"

Pausing for a moment, she continued, "That's why Huang Dalei's importance is even more apparent now. He also owns a security company—the very gang that chased and tried to kill you before belongs to his company."

"Ha! How interesting. He's clearly running a triad, yet he puts on a facade and opens a company!"

"If he doesn't open a company, he'll be harmonized away!" Chen Shuting replied with a smile. "Company or triad, we can't rely on him too much!"

"Of course!" Ye Fan took a bite of his noodles and replied, "We can stabilize the situation first and slowly hollow him out behind his back!"

"Right! I'll settle the score with him sooner or later!"

After finishing their noodles, Ye Fan and Chen Shuting prepared to set off. Chen Shuting first picked up Old Luan.

Old Luan knew martial arts and could act as a bodyguard.

When the three of them arrived at the Golden Dragon Tower, night had just begun to fall. Chen Shuting pressed the button for the 87th-floor elevator; that was where Huang Dalei was hosting them tonight.

"Welcome!"

As the elevator doors opened, the receptionist bowed, and Huang Dalei was already waiting by the elevator entrance.

"Sister Chen! You're finally here!"

Huang Dalei's flesh-laden face was plastered with flattery as he bowed his head and waist to usher Chen Shuting and her group into the private room.

Walking behind Chen Shuting, Ye Fan felt a lingering sense that something wasn't quite right, though he couldn't put his finger on it.

"How strange! Could it be I've developed a trauma regarding the Golden Dragon Tower? PTSD?"

Upon entering the private room, a man and two women were already waiting inside.

The man appeared to be of mixed descent, with sharp, three-dimensional facial features and a tall, handsome build.

"He's only slightly less handsome than me!"

Thinking this, Ye Fan heard Huang Dalei say, "This is my subordinate, White. He's here today specifically to serve Sister Chen!"

He then gestured toward the two heavily made-up young women at the side. "These are Xixi and Lanlan."

"You two take good care of Brother Ye and Brother Luan!"

Hearing Huang Dalei's words, the two young women immediately walked over with beaming smiles toward Ye Fan and Old Luan, reaching out to wrap their arms around them as they prepared to sit down.

Taking off her trench coat, Chen Shuting turned around just in time to witness this scene and immediately cut Huang Dalei off: "We don't play by your underworld rules here. Send them all away!"

Embarrassed, Huang Dalei chuckled awkwardly and said, "Sister Chen, these are people I trust completely. Once we cooperate in the future, their involvement will be indispensable!"

Hearing this, Chen Shuting remained noncommittal and dropped the subject.

Seeing that she no longer objected, Huang Dalei gave a sly chuckle and busied himself urging everyone to take their seats, though Xixi and Lanlan suddenly became much more reserved and well-behaved.

"This first drink is an apology drink!"

Huang Dalei began the proceedings. "In the past, blind old Huang here blindly followed Lin Zhenjie and, under his instigation, did things that wronged Big Sister. I, Old Huang, will drink this cup to punish myself!"

With that, he downed a cup of white liquor in one go.

Watching him toss back the drink without his face turning red or his heart skipping a beat, Ye Fan muttered to himself that Huang Dalei had a decent tolerance for alcohol!

Immediately afterward, he saw Huang Dalei pour a second cup.

"This second drink is a toast to Sister Chen. I never expected Sister Chen to use such clever tactics to send Lin Zhenjie packing back to his hometown. Sister Chen truly has superior methods! I, Old Huang, am deeply impressed!"

With that, the second cup of liquor went down his throat.

"Not bad!" Ye Fan thought to himself. Old Huang's drinking capacity was somewhat formidable.

Next, he saw Old Huang pour a third cup.

"Still going?"

Ye Fan was secretly astonished as he listened to Huang Dalei speak.

"From now on, I will follow Sister Chen's lead! This third cup of drink represents my absolute loyalty to Sister Chen! Sister Chen, Brother Ye, Brother Luan, little Huang will be your subordinate from now on. You must take good care of me!"

With those words, the third cup of liquor vanished down his throat.

"Heh! How amusing!" Ye Fan sneered inwardly. An ordinary person might have been awed by these three cups of liquor, believing the other party possessed utmost sincerity.

However, Ye Fan had been hunted down twice by Huang Dalei; he simply refused to believe the man didn't harbor other intentions.

Sure enough, Chen Shuting beside him didn't appreciate the gesture at all. She let out a cold sneer and said, "Whether you are our subordinate or not, I haven't acknowledged that yet!"

Saying this, she picked up a cup of wine. "Empty words prove nothing, and drinking doesn't equate to sincerity. Huang Dalei, you understand what I mean, don't you?"

A smile still lingered on Huang Dalei's slightly flushed face, but upon hearing Chen Shuting's words, a flash of irritation crossed his features—though it quickly melted back into an even broader, beaming smile.

"Sister Chen, I understand completely!"

With that, he pointed at Xixi. "Sister Chen, Xixi is our company's accountant. She can go back with you later!"

Then he pointed at Lanlan. "This is our company's HR manager. She knows everyone in the company and their backgrounds. She will also go back with Sister Chen!"

"And this one." He gestured toward White. "He is a retired foreign mercenary with extraordinary combat skills and serves as the company's head coach. In the future, he can stay by Sister Chen's side or help her handle matters within the company!"

"Heh!" Hearing this, Ye Fan let out a scoff. "He can just be a proper coach; Sister Chen has us to protect her!"

White looked at Ye Fan, a flash of contempt in his eyes. "I wonder what martial arts Brother Ye practices? Have you ever seen blood?"

"Me?" Ye Fan pointed at his own nose, recalling the cultivation techniques Li Yaoyao had taught him, and smiled, "I studied under an old Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor!"

White burst into a mocking laugh. "An old Chinese medicine doctor? What kind of nonsense is that? The kind who sets up stalls on the street?"

Seeing that the two of them were on the verge of coming to blows, Huang Dalei hastily barked in a low voice, "White, shut your mouth! Is Brother Ye someone you can test?"

White curled his lip and said nothing. Smoothly smoothing things over, Huang Dalei said, "Sister Chen, I won't interfere with the work of finance and HR anymore. Do you consider this sincere enough?"

"That's more like it!" Chen Shuting finally broke into a smile, raised her wine glass, and said, "Then let's toast to a pleasant cooperation ahead!"

"Pleasant cooperation!"