Ridiculous how Cao Meijuan and Wang Yaolong didn’t even notice this.
The remaining guests were all mutual friends of the three. They were still in a state of perplexity, with some hesitating whether to come over and ask what exactly had happened.
The restaurant that had just been renovated half a month ago still bore traces of newness everywhere. But at this moment, in Liao Jianli’s eyes, it seemed as if signs of decay had already appeared.
Amid the chaos, Liao Jianli casually hummed a tune with a Peking opera melody, "Watching him set up a high building, watching him feast his guests, watching him... the building collapses."
...
"Mr. Jin, I don’t quite get it."
In the moving Bentley, Qi Lingtong, the vice president of Douyin’s e-commerce operations department, who was personally driving, glanced at board member Jin Lu, silent in the rearview mirror. Unable to hold it in, he spoke up.
"What don’t you get?"
Jin Lu, who had been frowning in thought, was startled upon hearing this.
"How did that Mr. Zhou connect with Mr. Wang? If it’s as you said, is that Mr. Wang really that mysterious..."
It was Qi Lingtong who had just been dragged out of the scene by Jin Lu, now puzzled.
"Whether he’s mysterious or not, just keep an eye on Mr. Liao, and you’ll know."
Jin Lu chuckled and didn’t elaborate, but instead asked, "About that Zhou Wang, do you know him well?"
"We met in Hang City a while ago. He’s a new shareholder of Wuyou, from Yunan Province. He’s somewhat well-off..."
With Qi Lingtong’s connections, he had encountered countless financial moguls. In the young generation, Zhou Wang was undoubtedly outstanding, but comparatively, he still fell short a bit, so Qi Lingtong gave a "neutral" assessment.
Jin Lu nodded, still furrowing her brow, "Strange, I don’t think I’ve met him before. So why does his name sound familiar?"
"Could it be, Mr. Jin, that you’ve seen him on short videos? He runs an account himself..."
Qi Lingtong quipped half-jokingly.
"You know I only browse TikTok... So, Zhou Wang is a big influencer on our Douyin, huh?"
Jin Lu was smiling, but because of the "keyword," a thread suddenly connected in her mind.
Amid Qi Lingtong’s surprised gaze, she hurriedly pulled out her phone, opened her email, and quickly found an encrypted email circulating only among the company’s board about "share transfer."
"...Transferee: Zhou Wang."
Upon seeing the key words, Jin Lu’s pupils shrank dramatically.
"Mr. Jin, are you alright?" Qi Lingtong noticed Jin Lu’s strange reaction and asked, puzzled.
Jin Lu didn’t speak, only giving Qi Lingtong a peculiar look.
A personal shareholder with 0.1% of Douyin’s equity...
You call this "somewhat well-off"?
Qi Lingtong felt uncomfortable under her gaze and couldn’t help asking, "Mr. Jin, what exactly is going on?"
"Nothing, if you stay at the company headquarters without traveling soon, you’ll find out in no time."
Jin Lu only responded with a thoughtful smile.
...
At 8 PM, Wang Ying, Brother Jie, Cindy, and the last one, Yueyue, walked out of the mall together.
The square was brightly lit. Children were playing happily under the guidance of their parents not far away. A few peers passing by were discussing which bar in the Workers Stadium to hit for fun that night. The mundane atmosphere came rushing, creating a sense of surrealism among the group.
Cindy couldn’t help but look back, her gaze seemingly wanting to pierce through the building barriers to see the western restaurant on the top terrace.
The past hour was surreal for them. They witnessed a dispute... a scuffle that might occur countless times around the world every day.
Yet this minor squabble seemed to trigger a significant earthquake.
It was beyond their comprehension range, but undoubtedly, even after many years, today would remain vivid in their memories.
Especially those so-called "successful people" of obvious wealth, who ended up lost and then turned hysterical.
The seemingly elegant lady, in the end, fell into madness, entangled with Liao Jianli.
Trembling in fear, Wang Ying gathered the courage to approach the restaurant manager to ask for their performance fee. Fortunately, the manager was too distressed to haggle and directly let Wang Ying provide a payment code to settle the fee.
Unbeknownst to Wang Ying, her timely request for money was crucial. Had she waited ten more minutes, she would have found out the restaurant’s account could no longer disburse funds...
"Hey, do you guys think..."
At this moment, Yueyue, who had been walking last with her arms folded, couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up.
Her face was still slightly panicked. When the others looked over, she stammered, "This... this restaurant isn’t really going to go bankrupt, right? Brother Yu and that Qu family are so wealthy, they... they should be able to pull through, right?"
Cindy and Brother Jie exchanged glances, while Wang Ying remained silent for a moment before sighing.
She approached Yueyue, and as Yueyue instinctively looked up, Wang Ying said seriously, "Yueyue, I know you mean well at heart. Take my advice and find an opportunity to sincerely apologize to Momo. Maybe... you can continue to stay in the band."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Yueyue seemed to be jolted by something, suddenly took a few steps back, and said, somewhat agitated, "Wasn’t the band formed by all of us together? Since when did Jiang Mo get to decide if I stay or go?"