Not only were Yu Duo and Yu Fei surprised to see Qi Kai, but even Yu Zetao and his wife, who were relatively familiar with him, were taken aback.
Qi Kai standing before them was still the same Qi Kai, neatly dressed and impeccably groomed, with a smile on his face seemingly unchanged. However, he appeared ten years older; the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were more apparent, and his temples were streaked with visible gray hair.
Yu Zetao distinctly remembered that when they met last month, Qi Kai didn’t look this worn out.
"Old Qi, what’s this about..."
Surprised, Yu Zetao instinctively asked.
Qi Kai clearly knew what he was inquiring about, and for a split second, his gaze flickered evasively. But he quickly recovered his smile, waved his hand, and said, "Oh, I’ve just been in poor health lately, so I might appear a bit out of sorts..."
"Are you ill? Is it serious?"
Yu Zetao quickly asked.
"It’s nothing, it’s all good now."
"Old Qi, you must take care of yourself. I know your business is thriving, and you’re usually busy, but don’t neglect the basics for mere trifles."
Upon hearing Qi Kai’s explanation, Yu Duo’s mother also expressed her concern.
"You could say that life always has some hurdles that are hard to avoid..."
Qi Kai said with a self-mocking tone. Without waiting for the two puzzled individuals to ask more, he led Yu Zetao onward, saying, "Come on, let me introduce you to some friends... By the way, Old Yu, did you buy what I asked you to?"
When they passed through the corridor, Qi Kai paused again, confirming.
"It’s all here. I hurried with the purchases, so I’m not sure if it’s enough..."
"Should be enough, as long as everyone gets something."
Qi Kai glanced at the gift bags the family of four was holding, nodded slightly, and gave a final reminder, "Old Yu, today you mustn’t drop the ball. The people sitting in there, even I wouldn’t dare offend lightly. Calling you here posed a great risk..."
"Understood, don’t worry, Old Qi. We’ve known each other for so many years; do you not know what kind of person I, Yu Zetao, am?"
Seeing Qi Kai’s serious tone, Yu Zetao responded quickly, "Today, I’m prepared to accompany you at any cost. I’m not afraid of anything, but I fear I won’t even get a chance to toast!"
"That’s fine then."
Seeing Yu Zetao’s cooperative demeanor, Qi Kai felt relieved and led the four of them around a partition wall to the restaurant inside.
The previously faint sound of laughter suddenly grew louder. There, in sight, was a large automatic round table that could accommodate over a dozen diners, with two attendants in cheongsams holding decanters serving the room.
Around the round table sat seven or eight people, mostly men of varying ages, with a few women, who, judging by their demeanor, were obviously just companions.
The main seat was not occupied by Qi Kai, but by a slightly portly man in his early thirties.
As Qi Kai led Yu Zetao and the others toward the table, the people at the dining table paused their laughter and cast evaluating glances.
"Come, Old Yu, fill the glasses, and let me introduce you!"
Qi Kai signaled to a waitress to fill Yu Zetao’s glass, then led him to the head seat.
"This is Mr. He, He Jiang, a native of Magic City... Old Yu, I’m not exaggerating; in Magic City, for anything, remember, for anything, if you can find Mr. He to help, that’s half the problem solved!"
Listening to Qi Kai’s exaggerated words, Yu Zetao’s eyes flickered.
Because in Qi Kai’s short introduction, a lot of information was actually conveyed.
In general business interactions, introductions will include the industry the person belongs to and where they have their company, as it’s basic etiquette to give each party an immediate understanding.
However, notice Qi Kai’s wording; he only said two things: he referred to He Jiang as "Mr. He".
...Don’t think this term only appears in novels; it exists in real life too, usually when the other person’s profession is hard to define but they hold a certain status within a circle, such vague titles are used to denote respect and subtly hint at their powerful family or elders behind them.
If it were just this one sentence, it wouldn’t be enough, but Qi Kai specifically added that he is a "native of Magic City", and considering that he sits in the only main seat, it’s very telling.
Therefore, Yu Zetao did not dare to neglect. He hurriedly took the white wine glass handed by the waitress, smiling eagerly:
"Hello, Mr. He, I’m Yu Zetao, a longtime business partner of President Qi. I toast to your success and good fortune... I’ll finish my drink, and you may do as you please!"
Yu Zetao said this and then downed his drink in one go.
At this moment, He Jiang, sitting at the table, just slightly raised his eyelids and smiled, lifting his glass, "Since you are a friend of Old Qi, we’re all on the same side. No need for formalities. My tolerance isn’t great, so I’ll just take it easy."
He said this, sipped the red wine in his glass, but as he was about to put down the glass, his eyes swept past Yu Zetao and suddenly froze.
Standing at the back was Yu Duo. To emphasize formality, the young lady had put on her finest outfit after two months.
She wore a pink Chanel haute couture dress, with her hair styled in a bun adorned with a matching bow. A diamond necklace strikingly similar to the lace hem of her gown adorned the spot beneath her delicate collarbone.
This dreamy outfit, accompanied by Yu Duo’s angelic pure face and bright black eyes, made her seem like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.
(AI Portrait—Princess Dress Yu Duo)
In fact, from the moment the Yu family of four entered, it was Yu Duo who attracted the most attention. But Mr. He had been keeping his head down, and it was only now that he noticed this treasure-like young girl.
Especially Yu Duo’s evidently shy demeanor and expression nearly caused He Jiang’s breath to halt.
Even in Magic City, having been among many beauties, Mr. He had rarely seen someone as pure and stunning as this young lady.
However, being stared at like this by Mr. He, Yu Duo felt annoyed but dared not show it. She could only lower her head.
In this moment of briefly suspended animation, Yu Zetao, sensing something amiss, stepped forward and, while blocking Mr. He’s gaze, cheerfully said:
"Mr. He, I’ve never been around Magic City before, and now that I’m here, I hope you’ll look after me!"
"Oh, no worries, no worries... who are these people?"
Mr. He also realized his loss of composure, discreetly withdrawing his gaze, his attitude towards Yu Zetao warming up.
"They are all Old Yu’s family, here with us for the feast; surely Mr. He doesn’t mind a few extra people, right? I thought it’d be merrier this way..."
"Of course, I don’t mind; it’s just a few more plates and utensils, isn’t it?"
Mr. He laughed heartily.
"Come, Old Yu, Mr. He is a big figure, but the others are also not too shabby..."
After those words, Qi Kai continued to introduce every guest, pulling Yu Zetao forward.
"This is Secretary Ge, working in Huangpu District. Today, he’s here on account of Mr. He, and it took a lot of effort to get him here. Secretary Ge doesn’t have many hobbies except drinking, so you’ll find a match there..."
"This is Director Gao from the Finance Department of the Zhao Hang Magic City Branch. As Magic City was the first domestic branch of Zhao Hang, Director Gao’s capacity to manage finance here speaks volumes of his capability, doesn’t it?"
"The CEO of Ginkgo Capital, Ms. Xu Qing, in Magic City’s private equity sector, Mr. Xu is, well, you know what I mean?"
"This one is even more remarkable, Old Yu. You definitely need to get to know him well... Dean Wang Chunsheng from Magic City’s Jiahui International Hospital, a highly respected figure in the medical field. If you manage to get Dean Wang on your good side, you’ll never worry about orders for your factory again!"
"Lastly, here is Mr. Elva, the Executive Director for the Waldorf Hotel’s Magic City region..."
Even Yu Zetao didn’t expect Qi Kai’s words to lack fluff; the attendees today were all influential figures in their specific fields in Magic City.
Feeling quite thrilled, Yu Zetao cheerfully downed cup after cup as Qi Kai introduced him to each person, winning quite a few cheers at least on the surface.
As Yu Zetao went from drink to drink, Yu Duo and Yu Fei exchanged worried glances, both recognizing the concern in each other’s eyes.
Although Yu Zetao had prepared himself with some food beforehand, meeting six or seven white wine rounds head-on was something even an iron man couldn’t stand...