Chapter 39: If I Were Angry, Would You Care?
Friday, at the Leidenburg Hotel.
Many notable figures from Yan City and foreign elites gathered here for the triennial industry exchange conference.
By the time the two arrived, it was already late. Some people are naturally born with the ability to attract attention and exude a kingly aura.
So, as soon as they entered the hall, many people came to greet them. Su Banxia felt a bit flustered for a moment.
Noticing her discomfort, Pei Shaoze leaned down close to her and said, "Take my arm!"
Su Banxia knew this etiquette well enough, but as soon as she entered the hall, she had been scanning the room, looking for someone.
Pei Shaoze thought she was nervous, but that wasn’t the case.
After guiding her through greetings with those around them, Pei Shaoze had some personal matters to discuss, so Su Banxia went off on her own to chat with others.
The venue was filled with various fruits. Su Banxia walked over to the fruit table and picked a grape.
Suddenly, someone approached her from the side and handed her a glass of champagne. She looked up and saw Yan Xin.
Su Banxia gave him a faint smile. "Thank you!"
Yan Xin looked at her, his eyes full of admiration, and couldn’t help but compliment her. "You look stunning tonight!"
He praised her so earnestly that Su Banxia didn’t know what to say for a moment.
She lowered her head with a slight smile and said, "Thank you!"
Just then, someone came up to chat with Yan Xin, so he had to leave for the time being.
But Zhang Shanshan walked over to Su Banxia, looked her up and down, and said in an ambiguous tone, "I thought Secretary Su just threw herself together casually, but now it seems you put a lot of effort in!"
The implication was clearly one of anger!
Su Banxia frowned slightly.
She caught the meaning behind the words, but she had never been close to Zhang Shanshan and had no intention of becoming so, so she didn’t bother to explain much.
Instead, she looked at her kindly and said, "Special Assistant Zhang has put in a lot of effort too. You look beautiful!"
People’s hearts are complicated. What was meant as a compliment somehow twisted into something else when it reached Zhang Shanshan.
Su Banxia spotted a familiar figure in the distance and decided not to linger with Zhang Shanshan any longer.
She directly addressed her, "I’ll head over there now. Enjoy yourself, Special Assistant Zhang!"
With that, she turned and left.
Zhang Shanshan felt a bit annoyed, convinced that Su Banxia was deliberately ignoring her, which only soured her mood further.
Su Banxia walked out of the hall and made her way through the garden behind the hotel.
At the back of the garden, by the swimming pool, she spotted the man. It had been a while since she’d seen him. He wore a black suit and white shirt, his dark hair impeccably styled.
When he saw her, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and shallow dimples appeared on his handsome face.
Su Banxia approached him with a light smile. "I knew you were coming back for the conference, but I didn’t get to pick you up at the airport. You’re not mad, are you?"
Lin Tongze chuckled, his demeanor warm and refined. "If I were angry, would you care?"
"Of course!"
Su Banxia laughed. "You’re my boss, after all!"
Lin Tongze let out a soft laugh. "I’m not your boss anymore now."
Su Banxia smiled without arguing the point. She pulled a document from her handbag and handed it to him. "I’ve checked every place Dingsheng could be investigated, but I didn’t find anything. I’m not sure if you can spot something in these materials—I can’t figure it out."
Lin Tongze took the file from her, nodded slightly, and tucked it away. He looked at her and asked, "How are Xiao Hao and Guo Guo doing lately?"
Su Banxia nodded. As she casually looked up, she saw Gu Feifei, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, walking in her direction.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, she said to Lin Tongze, "We might need to keep some distance while we talk."
As she spoke, she glanced toward the approaching Gu Feifei.
Lin Tongze raised an eyebrow, understanding her meaning. He smiled faintly and said, "I’ll go grab some champagne to wet my throat."
With that, he turned and left.
"Oh, Su Banxia, it’s only been a few days, and you’re already seducing another man? What, has Pei Shaoze dumped you?"
No sooner had Lin Tongze walked away than Gu Feifei’s sharp, venomous voice rang out.
Su Banxia had always despised women like Gu Feifei, who coveted what others had and couldn’t stand to see anyone do well.
She looked at Gu Feifei and gave a faint smile. "Whether Pei Shaoze wants me or not—does that concern Miss Gu? Or are you now thinking that Ren Yuan isn’t even worth Pei Shaoze’s dog, so you’re setting your sights on him again?"
"Su Banxia, you—"
Gu Feifei’s face flushed red with rage. She glared at Su Banxia and spat, "Don’t think you’re so special. That man you were just seducing is Lin Tongze, the president of the overseas listed Lin Corporation, isn’t he?
Do you really think he’d be interested in you? Su Banxia, you’re delusional."
If her intel was correct, Lin Tongze was notoriously bad-tempered, unpredictable, and extremely hard to deal with.
A woman like Su Banxia, who couldn’t even hold her own in high society, seducing him? Impossible!
Su Banxia didn’t bother to respond to her words.
She had no desire to engage further, so she coldly tossed out a few words. "Even if I am delusional, it’s none of your business."
Then she turned to leave, but Gu Feifei had no intention of letting her go so easily. She had come to vent her anger on Su Banxia.
She wasn’t about to leave with a belly full of frustration instead.
Grabbing Su Banxia’s skirt, she said, "Su Banxia, don’t act so high and mighty. Aren’t you just a little wretch from the slums? Do you think latching onto Pei Shaoze makes you something special? When it comes down to it, you’re just a woman warming someone’s bed!"
Su Banxia had been holding back her anger, but now she couldn’t take it anymore. She raised her hand, ready to slap the woman.
Honestly, sometimes, if a problem could be solved with your hands, there was no need to waste words.
But just as Su Banxia’s hand was about to land, Gu Feifei suddenly leaned back and fell straight into the swimming pool behind her.
Water splashed everywhere in an instant.
Su Banxia was stunned. What just happened?
Before her mind could catch up, a crowd of onlookers poured out of the hall.
They pointed at her and whispered among themselves. Clearly, they assumed she had pushed Gu Feifei into the water.
She wanted to explain, but her earlier gesture made it impossible.
"Su Banxia, how can you be so cruel?"
Suddenly, a furious male voice came from beside her.
Su Banxia turned and saw Ren Yuan.
He pulled Gu Feifei out of the pool. Su Banxia looked at Gu Feifei but said nothing.
Gu Feifei was drenched, leaning against Ren Yuan as she sobbed, looking at Su Banxia with pitiful eyes. "Miss Su, I know you don’t like me, but did you have to humiliate me like this?"
Su Banxia: "..."
What had she done?
In most people’s eyes, the weak are often seen as the righteous side.
Before Su Banxia could say a word, many in the crowd were already muttering unpleasant remarks about her.