After sending away the messenger, Qi Weiran looked at the slender shoulders of the person beside him and moved his fingers.
Just as he was about to take off his own coat and give it to her, Yi Qingju suddenly ran forward and picked up the mask. After putting it on, she turned her head and said, "Sir, I'll go in first to avoid affecting the reputation of the Qi family."
[They're already being criticized. If they find out that I'm Yi Qingju, they'll be laughing even harder.]
When Qi Weiran heard the word "criticized," his expression changed.
When he asked about "Qi Yuan," several women had made some ambiguous laughter.
Carrying her long shawl, she walked outward. When she returned to the hall, the warm temperature immediately dispelled the coldness on Yi Qingju's body.
"Oh, the pig farmer is here."
Someone chuckled, and Yi Qingju glanced in that direction. It was those few people who had been with the woman she had accused of having body odor.
"A leopard can't change its spots," she disdainfully retorted.
Her voice just happened to reach the ears of those people.
"Who knows which remote and backward place this person is from, speaking with such a foul odor."
Onlookers noticed something was amiss.
A person from a remote and backward place speaking with the standard accent of S City?
The accent of a native S City resident was distinctly different from that of an outsider. They could tell with just one listen.
But apparently, this "Qi Yuan" was indeed a local.
"What wind blew President Qi over to my place today?"
Suddenly, a hearty voice rang out, quieting the previously bustling crowd.
Yi Qingju saw a middle-aged man of tall stature walking over from the stairs. It was evident that he took good care of himself. Although he appeared refined, his eyes carried the shrewdness unique to a businessman. It was clear he couldn't be easily fooled.
Following him was a young man who bore some resemblance to him. Judging by his attire, he was the person who had come to her aid in the corner earlier.
And standing next to him, wearing a long gown and exuding an air of arrogance, Yi Qingju felt somewhat familiar.
As Qi Weiran quietly assessed the three individuals without masks, he had already walked in and casually accepted the champagne handed to him by a waiter. He wasn't in a hurry to drink it, just casually swaying it.
He seemed completely at ease, as if he were in his own domain.
"President Zhou, are you not welcoming me?"
Although the person in front of him was nearly a generation older, there was no trace of timidity or weakness on Qi Weiran. His presence even seemed to overshadow the other person.
Some people are just born to be in the spotlight. With a simple gesture, they can instantly capture the attention of everyone present.
Undoubtedly, Qi Weiran was one of those exceptional individuals.
"President Qi is joking. If you want to come, no one can stop you," Zhou Haiyu said with a smile.
But those who understood knew that he was subtly mocking Qi Weiran for entering without an invitation.
However, Qi Weiran casually replied, "Indeed."
He entered, so who would dare to stop him?
He truly didn't regard Zhou Haiyu and the MS behind him.
But Zhou Haiyu, an old fox who had been in the business world for many years and was Qi Weiran's long-time rival, merely smiled and didn't reveal his true emotions.
Yi Qingju silently watched from the side and could sense the subtle tension between these two individuals.
*Sigh* We should leave quickly. This place is not suitable for lingering.
"To hell with networking, our lives are more important."
Just as I was about to turn around and leave, Qi Weiran's gaze suddenly swept over.
It meant: "If you dare to leave, try it."
Yi Qingju, feeling quite helpless, was pinned in place.
With a sense of caution towards Qi Weiran, Zhou Haiyu followed his line of sight and glanced in our direction.
Then Yi Qingju awkwardly realized that the three people who were originally facing Qi Weiran had turned their heads to look at her.
This gaze drew the attention of the entire room to her.
Zhou Yuan, who was standing behind Zhou Haiyu, quickly reacted and introduced to his father, "Dad, this is Second Brother's boss, Miss Qi. You should have heard of her."
Zhou Haiyu understood. If he remembered correctly, she was the one who made a fortune during the pig disease outbreak, right?
It's interesting how even the nouveau riche who run factories can now enter the Zhou family's banquet.
"The threshold of the Zhou family has lowered," sneered the girl standing next to Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Haiyu said, "Zhou Yi, how can you speak like that?"
Although it sounded like a reprimand, there was no real blame in it.
However, Yi Qingju's attention was focused on: "Zhou Yi? Why did they give him such a name?"
"But she does look really familiar. Have I seen her somewhere?"
Qi Weiran thought, can she not be familiar? Isn't she the unlucky person whose dress you stepped on during the red carpet event?
Although he kept complaining in his heart, Yi Qingju still politely nodded on the surface and said, "President Zhou, hello."
So, it seems that the person who invited her to the dinner was not him.
When her gaze met Zhou Yuan, who was behind Zhou Haiyu, he tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Oh, so it's him.
Just as she was thinking that this person was handsome, Qi Weiran suddenly walked over in her direction.
Yi Qingju panicked.
Seeing this, Zhou Haiyu spoke, "By the way, President Qi and Miss Qi have the same surname. Are they related?"
When the people around heard this, they quickly perked up their ears.
Who wouldn't be curious? Who doesn't know that all the branches of the Qi family have died out, and their relationship with Qi Weiran is quite delicate?
Qi Weiran stopped beside the seemingly calm Yi Qingju and glanced at her.
"President Zhou, please don't make random assumptions. How can Mr. Qi be related to those pig farmers?"
The woman who had been mocking Yi Qingju approached and disdainfully looked her up and down with raised eyebrows.
Then she sneered, "I always wondered how a poor family suddenly struck it rich. Now I understand."
Zhou Yi, who had been looking down at her own manicure, raised her eyebrows with a look of disdain and said, "Are you still brazen enough to criticize others? Why don't you take a look at yourself, wandering around with a knockoff handbag, as if afraid that others won't know it's fake."
The woman, who had been full of confidence, instantly turned red-faced and exclaimed, "What did you say!?"
Zhou Yuan shook his head and said, "Miss Wang, you're so fond of sowing discord and spreading rumors. It seems you've chosen the right profession as a journalist."
Zhou Yi quickly added, "Brother, don't you know? She was exposed for buying her graduation thesis and has been put on academic probation."
These two siblings harmonized with each other, making many people around who didn't like Wang Meimei burst into laughter.
Yi Qingju glanced at Zhou Yi, thinking that she would be difficult to get along with, but unexpectedly, she turned out to be a good person.
Sensing Yi Qingju's gaze, Zhou Yi lifted her delicate chin in a very coquettish manner and said with a hostile tone, "What are you looking at?"
Hmm, she seemed like a fox with a lot of presence but not at all intimidating.
As the atmosphere grew tense, Wang Meimei was so angry that her fingertips trembled. Qi Weiran chose this moment to speak up—
"Her surname is Qi. Any problem with that?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole venue fell silent.
Everyone couldn't help but think—could it be true? Is this Qi Yuan really a member of the Qi family?
Without giving anyone time to digest the information, he continued—
"My wife shares my surname. Any problem with that?"
