C14 Red Wine

The sharp crack of a wine bottle shattering echoed through the room, and it was only then that Chen Jing and the waiter behind her realized something had gone terribly wrong.

Chen Jing acted swiftly, spinning around to deliver a stinging slap to the waiter.

"Smack!"

The slap resounded even louder than the breaking glass.

"What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how much that wine cost? You couldn't cover it even if I sold you!"

The waitress, struck and feeling deeply wronged, didn't dare utter a word in front of the manager. She simply bowed her head in silence.

It wasn't her intention to break the bottle, a Hennessy so exorbitantly priced she knew she couldn't possibly make amends.

Her distraction had been caused by the sight of an old acquaintance, Qi Xiao, someone she couldn't believe she was seeing.

Moreover, Chen Jing had come to an abrupt halt, causing the waitress to collide with her and the bottle to break.

Chen Jing didn't hesitate to shift the blame onto the waiter behind her. She had brought the waiter along, after all, and could dismiss her on a whim.

Yet, she was clever enough to recognize Xue Rensheng's displeasure and quickly turned to offer an apology.

"Director Xue! My sincerest apologies, the fault is mine for not properly supervising the staff."

With those words, the blame for the broken bottle shifted away from her, leaving her with only a minor lapse in oversight.

Xue Rensheng saw right through the ploy, but as a man of his stature, he hardly cared to deal with such minor underlings. He was about to speak when Qi Xiao cut in.

"Are you... Shen Shishuang?"

Hearing this, Chen Jing broke out in a cold sweat.

If Qi Xiao was indeed a VIP to Director Xue and connected to Shen Shishuang, she was in deep trouble.

She had just been mocking Qi Xiao in the lobby below, never expecting karma to catch up so swiftly.

The timid waitress behind her lifted her head slightly to look at Qi Xiao.

Qi Xiao smiled; it was indeed her.

Shen Shishuang, like Chen Jing, was an old high school classmate, but the two were clearly worlds apart.

Back in high school, she had the luxury of leaning on her family's wealth, which gave her a bit of a playboy reputation. However, Shen Shishuang never minced words with her back then. She consistently pushed him to excel academically, even going so far as to bluntly call Qi Xiao's brain as dense as a wooden fish.

Shen Shishuang's background was one of severe poverty. Her mother passed away early, her father was given to drinking and gambling, and he frequently abused her. Later on, when Qi Xiao came into power, he returned to West River City to inquire about her, only to find that she had already succumbed to her sorrows.

"Mr. Qi is acquainted with her?" Xue Rensheng asked, picking up on Qi Xiao's implications.

Qi Xiao nodded, confirming, "An old friend."

He then turned to Shen Shishuang and invited, "Come, have something to eat."

Chen Jing and Shen Shishuang exchanged incredulous glances at Qi Xiao's gesture. When Chen Jing saw that Director Xue made no move to intervene, and considering how he had just addressed Qi Xiao as 'Mr. Qi,' she realized just how esteemed Qi Xiao was in Director Xue's eyes. Chen Jing's complexion grew noticeably paler.

Shen Shishuang, understandably hesitant, cast a shy glance at Qi Xiao and then at Chen Jing.

Qi Xiao's brow furrowed slightly in response.

"There's nothing to fear. Today's banquet is in honor of Mr. Qi, and since you're his friend, you should join us. My word is final," Xue Rensheng declared, encouraging her to sit, though his mind was spinning with thoughts.

Shen Shishuang was just a humble waitress; she had never even met the restaurant's owner, let alone Xue Rensheng. Despite his invitation, she remained rooted to the spot.

Chen Jing, sensing her hesitation, quickly interjected, "What are you waiting for? This is our restaurant's owner, Director Xue, the CEO of A Group!"

With a shy blush, Shen Shishuang finally chose a seat at a respectful distance.

"Why are you here?" Qi Xiao asked her, a smile in his voice.

He wasn't overthinking the situation. He was simply reminded of the fervor of his youth and, with the opportunity to make amends in this life, he couldn't help but feel elated.

When had Shen Shishuang ever had the opportunity to sit at the same table with a corporate CEO? Flushed with embarrassment, she murmured softly:

"Sister Jing got me the job here."

Chen Jing had been desperately trying to figure out how to avoid footing the bill for the wine today. Shen Shishuang's comment suddenly enlightened her.

"Exactly, exactly, it was me who referred Shishuang! We're all classmates, after all; it's only right to lend a hand when we can!"

Chen Jing offered a strained smile, striving to seem as cordial as possible.

Yet, the imprint of a palm on Shen Shishuang's face was unmistakable, betraying the insincerity of Chen Jing's forced warmth.

"You've had a rough time working under her, haven't you?"

Shen Shishuang instinctively wanted to defend herself against Qi Xiao's remark, intimidated by past bullying from Chen Jing.

But with her cheek still stinging, she found herself speechless.

Qi Xiao didn't need her to say anything; her silence spoke volumes, and he cast a chilling glance at Chen Jing.

Sensing Qi Xiao's disapproving look, Chen Jing was awash with a cold sweat, filled with regret.

"Director Xue, we can talk about your proposal, but it's unfortunate we're missing out on the red wine."

Xue Rensheng caught the subtext in Qi Xiao's comment and dismissed it with a gesture.

"No worries, I have several more excellent bottles back at my place. I'll have someone bring them over shortly!"

Then, addressing Chen Jing, he said:

"Clean this up."

Chen Jing was momentarily confused. Clean up? Clean up what?

Ah, the shattered wine bottle on the floor!

Without a second thought for the mess, she knelt down and began picking up the fragments with her bare hands.

Xue Rensheng let out a disdainful snort.

"Hmph, leave the cleanup to someone else. When I said 'clean this up,' I meant for you to take your leave—now!"

Chen Jing's heart sank; she knew Director Xue's command left no room for argument. Holding back tears, she stood up and shot a venomous glare at Qi Xiao.

Qi Xiao simply returned her gaze with a smile.

Biting back her fury, Chen Jing had no choice but to exit the private room.

The waiter from outside swiftly entered and cleared away the shattered glass and spilled wine, then returned with a fresh bottle of the same Hennessy.

Xue Rensheng filled Qi Xiao's glass himself and raised a toast, saying, "This one's to honor Mr. Qi for saving my life!" He then drained his glass in one gulp.

"Let's focus on the matter at hand, Director Xue," Qi Xiao said, showing slight impatience with Xue Rensheng's formal business courtesies.

Unfazed, Xue Rensheng cut to the chase: "I'd like to hire you as my bodyguard for tomorrow night's treasure evaluation convention."

Qi Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Does this have to do with an assassination attempt?"

Xue Rensheng gave a confirming nod. "Exactly."

"Who's behind it?"

"Some of my business rivals."

Now Qi Xiao was intrigued. Business competition rarely escalated to assassination—unless the stakes were extraordinarily high, which didn't seem to be the case here. "What's the full story?"

Xue Rensheng let out a weary sigh. "It's nobody's fault, really. 'The innocent must suffer for the sins of the guilty.' By chance, I came into possession of the jade pendant meant for you, unaware that it was intended as a gift for Soong Tiansheng, the Soong family's heir."

"I inadvertently got in the way, and while the Soong family has remained silent, my rivals who intended to present gifts are now without anything suitable. They fear retribution from young master Soong."

"But the jade pendant is with me now," Qi Xiao interjected.

"The issue has escalated beyond the pendant. Even if I were to return it now, do you think they'd simply forgive and forget?"

Qi Xiao nodded in agreement.

"Fair point. But to go as far as assassination?"

"A single jade pendant wouldn't warrant that. But lately, the Xue family has been securing alliances with numerous companies, both large and small, in West River. Leveraging the treasure evaluation convention, we've negotiated several major deals. If these deals go through, the Xue family's assets could double at the very least!"

With this revelation, Qi Xiao realized the gravity of the situation. If the Xue family's business adversaries were involved, the rise of the Xue family would inevitably spell doom for the others—it was only a matter of time.

"So you're asking me to ensure your safety at the treasure evaluation convention?"

Xue Rensheng gazed at Qi Xiao with earnest sincerity.

"Exactly, and I truly hope that Mr. Qi won't turn me down!"