PB - Chapter 58
Chapter 58
The invitations for Qiao Qi’s birthday party were sent out in Old Master Jin’s name, but they did not specify the relationship between the two. The venue was the Jin family’s main residence. Due to limited space, the banquet wouldn’t be grand, but holding it at the Jin residence spoke to its significance. Since it wasn’t a weekend, Qiao Qi went to work at the company as usual.
But the matter of the birthday party had already stirred up massive waves within the group, and these waves quickly crashed beyond the group’s shores, reaching other major companies. It was said that only the Chairman’s own birthday banquet was ever held at the main residence. How could the Chairman, they wondered, put so much effort into a mistress?
Soon, they connected it to the previous U.E. incident. With the passage of time, many had come to understand that President Jin had intended to use that event to oust President Qiao, which was why the Chairman, who hadn’t appeared at the group for a long time, had suddenly made a surprise appearance. Moreover, the long-standing rumor that President Qiao had been fired was debunked on its own after a year. All these things added together made it clear that this Qiao Qi was no ordinary person.
Aside from the speculation within the group, many of the banquet guests were also pondering the various implications. Jin Zhihuan’s family of four, in particular, had looked increasingly grim ever since they learned of the banquet. In the past, the old master had been intent on keeping Qiao Qi’s identity tightly under wraps. Who would have thought he would be willing to host such a high-profile birthday party for her so soon? He had calculated everything, but he had miscalculated the old master’s favoritism. Jin Zhihuan felt like his lungs were about to explode with rage.
At noon, Yao Qiu entered the president’s office to deliver the lunch sent by the Second Madam of the Jin family, and she was also holding a small piece of cake. Qiao Qi looked up, a smile at the corners of her eyes. Yao Qiu said, “President Qiao, happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
“Yangpu and I bought the cake together.” She had another bag in her hand, from which she took out two small square boxes. “One is from Yangpu, and one is from me. I hope you like them, President Qiao.”
“Thank you and Yangpu.” Qiao Qi opened the gift boxes. Xu Yangpu had given her a fan-shaped brooch with a tassel pendant, and Yao Qiu had given her perfume. She opened the perfume, sprayed it into the air, and sniffed. It was a scent she liked. “How thoughtful.”
“I’m glad you like it, President Qiao.” Yao Qiu could read Qiao Qi’s expression and smiled. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out. Oh, and remember to eat the cake.”
The weather today was exceptionally fine, the sky a brilliant blue. From the thirty-fourth floor, Qiao Qi gazed at the sky and the distant scenery. The sunlight at just after four in the afternoon was still abundant, even giving her the illusion that the day had just begun. The car sent by the old master was already waiting downstairs. She would leave the company an hour before closing time to change her clothes and play another role.
The guest list for the banquet was personally vetted by the old master; it valued quality over quantity. The Gu family was naturally among those invited. Normally, Mrs. Gu wouldn’t attend such a junior’s birthday party, but ever since learning about Gu Jianchu and Qiao Qi’s relationship, she had to come to this banquet tonight. She wanted to use this evening to re-evaluate Qiao Qi as a person.
That evening, Qiao Qi wore a long black dress with an asymmetrical hemline. The cinched waist design made her waist look slender enough to be encircled by a single hand. The strapless design of the bodice offered a half-hidden, half-visible glimpse of the fair skin of her chest. She chose a shawl of a matching color to drape over the crook of her arm, which in turn made the antique necklace she wore around her neck even more eye-catching. This was the first birthday gift Old Master Jin had given her.
Su Jiayin, having nothing better to do, arrived rather early, reaching the residence at almost the same time as Qiao Qi. While Qiao Qi changed, she stood by and offered styling advice. As Qiao Qi was putting on her earrings in front of the mirror, Su Jiayin leaned against the doorframe and presented her own gift. “Happy birthday.”
Qiao Qi finished putting on both earrings, took the gift from her, and opened it. It was a ring in the shape of a golden floral branch, with a black cat stretching out languidly upon it. It was exquisite and unique, looking just like her cat, Ping An, when it was sleeping lazily. She said, “It looks like Ping An.”
“That’s why I bought it for you, because it looks like him.” Su Jiayin reached out to tidy a stray strand of hair on her shoulder, then glanced at the necklace. “This ruby is worth a fortune. I think I’ve seen it in some auction house’s catalog.”
Qiao Qi calmly uttered two words: “Rongjia.”
In recent months, the record holder for the highest sale price at Rongjia Auction House was this very ruby necklace. No wonder Su Jiayin remembered it.
“It really is. Grandpa Jin must have started preparing your gift a long time ago,” Su Jiayin said. “My dad has heard all about how grand tonight’s banquet is, and he keeps asking me what’s really going on at Ruifeng. After tonight, I guess there’ll be no need for further explanation. But are you prepared?”
Qiao Qi smiled faintly. “What is there to be prepared for? I’ll just take it one step at a time.”
There was a knock at the door, followed by a voice. “Young Miss, the Master is asking if you are ready.”
“I’ll be right down.”
“Very well, Young Miss.”
Qiao Qi took one last look at herself in the mirror. Su Jiayin was also observing her from behind. Qiao Qi’s beauty was like a gentle ripple stirred by a light breeze—unaggressive, yet captivating enough to make one linger. Qiao Qi pulled her gaze from the mirror, turned to Su Jiayin, and said, “Let’s go.”
Guests had already arrived downstairs. After coming down, Qiao Qi linked arms with Old Master Jin. Her movements were unfamiliar, but her demeanor was poised and natural. Su Jiayin retreated to a corner, watching with a smile as she accompanied the old master in socializing. Qiao Qi’s dignified manner was very popular with the elders, who praised her endlessly, to the point that Qiao Qi showed a bashful expression.
Around seven o’clock, the Gu family arrived fashionably late. The moment Gu Feng, his wife, and the two Gu siblings appeared, they drew the attention of everyone present. The old master, with Qiao Qi, went over to greet them with a smile. One didn’t need to guess the contents of the polite pleasantries exchanged. What was interesting was that Gu Jianchu’s gaze was fixed entirely on Qiao Qi, not missing a single detail.
Qiao Qi couldn’t get away for the moment, so Gu Jianchu could only go to the corner to chat with Su Jiayin first. Seeing her approach, Su Jiayin furrowed her brow. Gu Jianchu was wearing a wine-red, deep-V, high-slit long dress. With every step, her well-proportioned, beautiful calves were visible. Her hair was styled in medium curls that flowed like waves, set to rest on her shoulders, and all her jewelry was diamond, making for a glamorous and high-profile look.
As soon as she got close, Su Jiayin teased her, “I almost thought you were the star of the evening.”
Gu Jianchu lifted her chin slightly in a proud posture. “How else could I be a match for her?”
Su Jiayin rolled her eyes dramatically and threw cold water on her. “Directly behind you, there are three men whispering to each other while looking at you. I bet one of them will come over to hit on you within two minutes.”
Su Jiayin was proven right. But Gu Jianchu was terrifyingly cold, and the man who approached was sensible enough to leave on his own after a few sentences. Su Jiayin said with a mischievous smile, “A Qi just looked over here.”
Gu Jianchu followed her gaze. Qiao Qi was still busy socializing. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar figure. “Didn’t Shen Shoucheng go back to Shenzhen?”
“She came back, just like me.” Su Jiayin smiled again. “After all, there’s someone here she can’t let go of.”
A moment later, Gu Fanchu and Shen Shoucheng came over together. Shen Shoucheng said, “President Su, President Gu, long time no see.”
“President Shen, long time no see.”
“What a surprise, so you all know each other.” Gu Fanchu was a bit surprised. “I met Miss Shen a few times when I was in Shenzhen. I didn’t expect to run into her here again so soon. What a coincidence.”
“I came back not long after Mr. Gu left Shenzhen. I was working here before.” Shen Shoucheng didn’t want to spend much time with Gu Jianchu, so she said, “I have something to attend to. Please excuse me.”
With only the three of them left, Gu Fanchu said, “Gu Mingyi is here too. Did you see him?”
Gu Jianchu didn’t reply, her peripheral vision tracking Qiao Qi’s every move. Her mind was elsewhere, and she showed little interest in the conversation, responding intermittently. It wasn’t until Qiao Qi broke away and started walking toward them that the sudden light in her eyes betrayed her current mood. The other two didn’t need to look to know that the guest of honor was approaching.
“Mr. Gu,” Qiao Qi greeted politely.
“I haven’t had a chance to wish you a happy birthday, Miss Qiao.”
“Thank you.” Qiao Qi seemed to be in a good mood and high spirits. Her eyes were full of smiles as she asked Gu Jianchu, “Where’s my present?”
The subtle, coquettish threads in her tone made Gu Jianchu’s heart itch unbearably. Miss Qiao had no idea how alluring she was like this. Gu Jianchu smiled and took a velvet square box from her handbag. Qiao Qi opened it to find a watch. She raised an eyebrow, not quite satisfied; it seemed a bit perfunctory. Gu Jianchu read her expression and raised her own wrist. She was wearing a watch of the exact same model. They were a pair. Only then did Miss Qiao’s expression soften.
“Let me put it on for you.”
“Okay.”
Gu Fanchu was quite surprised by their boldness. Wearing matching couple’s watches under everyone’s watchful eyes—were they worried people wouldn’t guess there was something going on between them? In contrast, Su Jiayin, standing to the side, was already used to it. Besides, why should one hide a relationship? Furthermore, the two of them looked so pleasing to the eye and so well-matched together. Why should they care about others’ opinions and miss out on sweet moments.
After his initial shock, Gu Fanchu also found himself thinking that the two of them were exceptionally easy on the eyes and truly a good match. Once his heartache had subsided, he was in the mood to tease. He said to Qiao Qi, “My younger sister has a stubborn personality, so I hope Miss Qiao will be patient with her in the future. If she does anything wrong, as her older brother, I’ll side with reason, not with family.”
Su Jiayin was amused by his earnest act, while Gu Jianchu’s rather cold expression gave Gu Fanchu a start. Qiao Qi smiled. “Thank you for your kind sentiment, Mr. Gu. Jianchu is wonderful, you don’t need to worry.”
The atmosphere among the four of them was getting better and better when the old master sent someone to call Qiao Qi over. The banquet speech was about to begin, and as the guest of honor, she had to be by his side. Qiao Qi squeezed Gu Jianchu’s hand and said, “Wait for me for a bit.” After speaking, she headed toward the center of the venue, where the old master was already waiting for her.
Speeches at this kind of banquet were always formulaic. The old master had given them countless times since taking charge, and now he was just rearranging the old words and saying them again. “Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend Qiao Qi’s birthday banquet. Please forgive us if our hospitality has been lacking in any way.”
Qiao Qi was surrounded by people, and her ears were filled with words of praise, though they were all variations on the same themes. “Miss Qiao is exceptionally capable, a formidable talent of the younger generation. No wonder Old Master Jin values her so highly.”
But the old master was even happier than she was. “A Qi is still young. She still needs to learn and work hard.”
Seeing the time was right, Jin Zhiyu approached from the crowd and called out, “Sister Qiqi.” He enunciated the words very clearly, intentionally for others to hear. “I haven’t had a chance to give you your gift. Happy birthday.” He had chosen a gift to her liking—a wristwatch, which Qiao Qi was rather fond of. “I spent my entire salary picking this out for Sister Qiqi. I hope you like it.”
Qiao Qi understood his intention and smiled. “Thank you.”
The old master only glanced at Jin Zhiyu but showed no intention of reprimanding him. With Jin Zhiyu setting an example, Qi Sitian also knew what to do. She handed over her gift and, like Jin Zhiyu, enunciated clearly, “Aunt, happy birthday.” Qiao Qi looked at her with a meaningful expression. Qi Sitian affectionately linked arms with her and whispered, “Aunt, don’t worry.”
Gu Jianchu and Su Jiayin had been watching Qiao Qi the whole time, so naturally, they didn’t miss this scene. But the angriest people in the entire venue were still the eldest uncle’s family of four. Just when you thought Qiao Qi was treading on thin ice in this family, she had already pulled allies to her left and right and firmly established her roots.
Comments
Post a Comment