The Chinese food arrived, filling the entire table. Qiao Shiyue was still thinking about putting on a show of a CEO peeling shrimp for a girl, but she never expected Tang Yu to just focus on eating his own meal without any intention of peeling shrimp for her. She casually picked up a couple of vegetables and tried to start a conversation with Tang Yu. Tang Yu was completely absorbed in eating, responding half-heartedly, but it wasn't too awkward. The more they talked, the more Tang Yu felt that this Qiao Shiyue really knew how to handle people. It was as if she had studied it professionally—every word she said was perfectly measured, satisfying a man's vanity without going overboard or becoming annoying. She had a great sense of balance in this. Luckily, his aunt had warned him, or he might have fallen for her tricks.
"Yeah, I'll take you skiing sometime; you can see the Northern Lights there too," Tang Yu was saying when his phone suddenly rang. He apologized to Qiao Shiyue, "Sorry, I need to step out and take this call." "Sure," Qiao Shiyue replied with a smile. Tang Yu went out to take the call and never came back. Qiao Shiyue waited in the restaurant for a long time, but he didn't return. She called Tang Yu, but the line was busy. She thought he might still be outside on the phone. After ten minutes, he still hadn't come back, so she called again, and it was still busy. She wondered to herself, doesn't Tang Yu just run a chain of pharmacies? Does he have that much business? Could it be that Shen Yunyun knew they were dining together and deliberately called to sabotage her plan? At that thought, she couldn't control herself and immediately dialed Shen Yunyun's number. The call connected instantly, and she quickly hung up, then tried Tang Yu again—still busy. Time ticked by, and Qiao Shiyue sat there on pins and needles. If he didn't come back, wouldn't she have to foot the bill? This was 300,000 yuan. In that nightmare, she never had to worry about money. Her three brothers gave her 150,000 a month, her dad 100,000, and her mom 100,000. But in reality, she only got 50,000 a month. She had barely saved up some money and spent it on buying information, so how could she have that much on her now? She started to panic, calling Tang Yu over and over, but it was always busy. By the time most of the hotel's guests had left, a waiter approached politely and asked, "Miss, do you need any further service?" "What are you rushing for? Do you think I can't pay?" Qiao Shiyue snapped angrily. The waiter maintained a professional smile, saying, "We're about to close." Qiao Shiyue shot him a glare and continued calling Tang Yu. This time, the call finally went through. Qiao Shiyue breathed a sigh of relief and asked urgently, "Mr. Tang, where did you go? I've been waiting here for so long." Tang Yu quickly slapped his forehead and said apologetically, "Sorry, there was a sudden emergency at my company. I rushed back in a hurry. My apologies. I have things to do now, so I'll hang up. Let's catch up later." Before Qiao Shiyue could say anything, the call ended. When she tried again, it was busy once more. She was almost furious again. Hadn't he said he was treating? Now she had to pay? 300,000 yuan—that was no small amount. After thinking it over, she swiped Qiao Pengjian's credit card. Qiao Pengjian had been struggling with several songs that flopped without a trace, already stressed out, when he suddenly saw the notification on his phone. His face darkened instantly. What was Shiyue thinking? Didn't she know the family's situation? How could she go to the Echeng Grand Hotel and spend 300,000 yuan in one go?