She hugged her snow-white shoulders, and a more snow-white, towering part seemed like it might break free at any moment, revealing its true form from the darkness...
"Nice shot!"
Basement level, billiard room.
Watching as Zhang Shihao made an incredibly difficult edge shot, Zhou Wang couldn’t help but clap and laugh.
"Hahaha, I think it was a nice shot too. Old Tan, what do you say?"
"I’ll admit defeat, what else can I say... I’m done, I’m done, not in the mood today. Mr. Zhang, let’s leave it here, I owe you ninety thousand in total."
The company’s vice president, Tan Yongfang, shrugged helplessly and put his cue aside.
"Damn, you old rascal want to dodge the bill again, no way, you have to settle it today..."
"Cough, cough, let’s talk next time, the wife is urging me to go home... Um, Mr. Zhou, I’ll be off now!"
Tan Yongfang picked up his jacket and, after greeting Zhou Wang, was ready to make his escape.
Zhang Shihao wouldn’t let him get away that easily and chased after him persistently.
"Come on, if you really have no cash, I also accept card payments. See, my phone can even swipe cards, don’t believe me? Pull out your Gold Card and give it a try..."
Watching the two of them leave, entangled with each other, disappearing at the door of the billiard room, Zhou Wang turned his head, with a wry smile, to Mr. Qi beside him and said, "Mr. Qi, you’ve been watching for a while, any interest in a game?"
Qi Lingtong, the vice president from the e-commerce live broadcast department of Douyin, hesitated slightly and glanced at the time on his watch, "Mr. Zhou, it’s getting late, I think I should also..."
"Come on, Mr. Qi, for some reason, I feel like we really hit it off at first sight. Let’s play some billiards and chat a bit, just one game, how about that?"
Zhou Wang said earnestly.
Qi Lingtong could only smile and agree, mostly because he believed that the young and mysterious Mr. Zhou was being genuine about their "connection."
It had been almost an hour since they first met, and most of the other executives had left after making their courtesy appearances. At this point, it was just him being pulled into conversation by Zhou Wang in the billiard room.
Zhou Wang seemed very interested in Douyin’s internal affairs, constantly asking him questions, so much so that Qi Lingtong had the illusion that Zhou Wang wanted to invest.
Of course, that was impossible...
With Douyin’s sheer size and its complex connections, it’s not really about how much money you have; not everyone has the "qualifications" to get in.
But in any case, since Zhou Wang showed such warm hospitality, Qi Lingtong couldn’t just leave him hanging and so he played another round of billiards with him.
Neither of them played particularly well, they were more or less evenly matched in their poor skills and trading blows...
But just how skilled they truly were, no one really knew.
Zhou Wang knew for sure he was going easy.
Partway through, to Zhou Wang’s slight surprise, wearing a light blue dress showing off her long legs, Hua Suisui entered the billiard room with a slightly shy smile.
She simply stood there demurely, watching them play, and whenever Zhou Wang needed something, she quickly brought over chilled drinks or used a wet towel to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
For all her movements, Qi Lingtong gave Zhou Wang a knowing wink. Zhou Wang didn’t say much, just smiled at Hua Suisui, allowing her company.
Seeing that Zhou Wang wasn’t showing signs of annoyance, Hua Suisui relaxed a bit.
About twenty minutes later, with deliberate dawdling by Zhou Wang, the long-drawn-out game of Chinese 8-ball finally ended...
Interestingly enough, both Qi Lingtong and Zhou Wang breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
Qi Lingtong thought, finally, it’s over. Mr. Zhou was nice and all, but playing a game with him felt as ponderous as playing poker. Every move required a long pause to think, and it was getting a bit tedious.
And Zhou Wang thought, man, this hour and a half felt endless, he was nearly out of things to say. After all, it was their first meeting, and he was mostly making awkward small talk with Qi Lingtong...
Fortunately, he finally heard the system prompt.
Ding!
[Ezreal’s excavation completed, "treasure" has been stored in the warehouse]
"Mr. Zhou, I really must be going now; if I’m any later, the tigress at home will flip..."
Qi Lingtong said with a wry smile.
"Shall I walk you out, Mr. Qi?"
Zhou Wang, naturally feigning reluctance, escorted Qi Lingtong all the way to the grand entrance, watching as Qi Lingtong settled into the back seat of the Benz.
After seeing off Qi Lingtong, the mansion was solely occupied by Wuyou Media folk. Zhou Wang first inquired of Xiao An, who had been silently following him:
"What are Mr. Zhang and the others up to?"
"Mr. Zhang pulled Mr. Dong, Mr. Ming, and Mr. Ma from Daxia Film and Television Company to the lawn for drinks and chatter."
Xiao An quickly replied, "He told me to relay that you needn’t worry about them; they’ll say their goodbyes to you when they leave..."
Nodding at this, Zhou Wang pondered and asked, "Have the guest rooms been prepared?"
"They’re ready, seven in total... the nanny’s room and bodyguard’s room can be used if needed."
"That’ll do."
Zhou Wang acknowledged.
Although theoretically, no one would be staying over, it’s always best to be prepared.
"Were you about to tell me something?"
After finishing with Xiao An, Zhou Wang turned toward Hua Suisui, who had also been staying close to him, looking demure and intent.
"No, I just wanted to keep you company... umm, but if you have time, do you remember Shi Yi and Sister Ran? They want to see you, and Xixi brought her boyfriend as well and seems like they want to meet you too."
Hua Suisui asked cautiously.
"Oh?"
Zhou Wang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "Of course. Let’s go; ever since leaving Ming City, it has been a while since I’ve seen them."
With a look of relief, Hua Suisui beamed and led Zhou Wang through several turns to a side lounge in the main building.
As the party carried on, most people had let loose, and with the company executives gradually disappearing, though guests inevitably split into smaller groups spread throughout the mansion, the overall atmosphere had actually improved.
In this side lounge, filled with redwood furniture, the phonograph played gentle music in the corner while four or five young men and women shared drinks and laughter. When Hua Suisui walked in, holding Zhou Wang’s arm, everyone stood up quickly.
Apart from Hua Suisui’s agent, Lin Ran, and photographer, Shi Yi, there were only Endme and Chen He, whom Zhou Wang had met once before.
Endme was no longer in formal wear, just a simple red long dress. Though it was a tacky color, she wore it with an unexpectedly refined look, still as captivating as ever.
"Mr. Zhou!"
"Mr. Zhou..."
Compared to before, Lin Ran and Shi Yi seemed noticeably more reserved. Endme, initially intending to address Zhou Wang by name, also altered her address right after she opened her mouth.
What Zhou Wang found most unexpected, however, was Endme’s boyfriend, Chen He. The model who had previously shown the urge to pick a fight with him, now hurriedly approached and gave a deep bow without a word.
"Mr. Zhou, I acted too impulsively last time, disrupting your meal. This probably left a bad impression on you, and I sincerely apologize, asking for your forgiveness..."
Zhou Wang, who had instinctively been a bit guarded, was taken aback by Chen He’s earnest demeanor and didn’t speak for a moment.
After a few seconds of silence, Zhou Wang finally chuckled, "It’s alright, if it was a misunderstanding, let bygones be bygones."
Relieved, Chen He quickly picked up the tea from the table, offering it as he would wine, to toast Zhou Wang again.
Watching her boyfriend’s deferential behavior, Endme felt somewhat strange inside.
In her mind, Chen He was the impulsive, emotionally driven type, and his model persona sometimes contributed to a cool demeanor. In fact, this was the very reason Endme found herself drawn to him.
Yet she had never seen Chen He act like this before...