Chapter 145

She suddenly pinched my inner thigh hard, and the pain almost made me gasp.

　　I was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously turned around to look at her, but she was eating her food calmly, as if she wasn’t the one who had pinched me just now.

　　What is she trying to do?

　　I was suddenly unsure what she was up to.

　　Could it be that she has some grudge against me?

　　Su Yue’e raised her glass again and said, “Manager Chen, Tang Zheng, let’s have another drink.”

　　Chen Hui picked up her glass in response, and I quickly said, “Manager Su, Manager Chen can’t drink alcohol lately, so let’s skip this drink.”

　　”She can’t drink alcohol?” Su Yue’e was taken aback, then smiled and said, “Since she can’t drink, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to drink it for her, right?”

　　Chen Hui paused, then looked up at me. I smiled wryly and said, “If that’s the case, then I’ll have to drink for two people, which seems a bit unfair.”

　　“What’s unfair about it?” Su Yue’e said to Chen Hui with a smile. “Manager Chen, what do you think? I think Tang Zheng should be able to listen to you.”

　　”I’ll drink it…” Chen Hui smiled slightly, said, and then picked up the cup again.

　　When I saw that she was thinking of drinking again, I got a little anxious. I immediately reached out and snatched her glass, then downed it in one gulp. Then I picked up my glass and drank it all down.

　　”Everyone, I’ve finished the portion for two, so please don’t look at me like that,” I said with a smile.

　　However, he couldn’t help but wonder what Chen Hui was thinking, that she was still thinking about drinking.

　　He Dongping broke the silence, laughing heartily and saying, “Tang Zheng, you’re a real man, let’s drink too.”

　　As she spoke, Su Yue’e picked up her cup and took a sip with a smile.

　　Chen Hui glared at me, but didn’t say anything.

　　My heart suddenly skipped a beat. Oh no, does this mean we just had an indirect kiss?

　　Although this isn’t the first time this has happened, it always happened when Chen Hui was drunk. Now she’s only had one drink, so she might still hold a grudge against me.

　　I glanced at her secretly and found that her expression was calm and there was nothing wrong with her, so I was relieved.

　　We finished the meal after about an hour.

　　Su Yue’e had originally suggested going to karaoke, but Chen Hui rejected the idea because she couldn’t drink anything cold right now, and going to karaoke would definitely involve drinking alcohol.

　　Seeing that Chen Hui wasn’t going, Su Yue’e could only say with a regretful look, “Then we’ll just have to sing together another time.”

　　”It’s alright.” Chen Hui smiled slightly. “We’re all colleagues, so there’s no need to be so polite. Besides, we’ll be here for quite a while; it’s not like we’re going back tomorrow.”

　　”That’s true. Xu Qingqing, please bring the car over here,” Su Yue’e instructed.

　　We then got into Xu Qingqing’s car, and Su Yue’e got in too, and headed towards the 7 Days Inn where Chen Hui and I were staying.

　　Upon arrival, they exchanged pleasantries and then left.

　　I looked at Chen Hui and tentatively asked, “Manager Chen, shall we go upstairs?”

　　Chen Hui hesitated for a moment, then said, “Let’s walk around outside first. I saw a small park when I came here. I’m going to go for a walk there. You can go up first by yourself.”

　　As she spoke, she turned to leave, and I hurriedly followed her. “Manager Chen, we’re unfamiliar with this place, so it’s better to travel together, especially for a beautiful girl like you, you shouldn’t go out alone.”

　　”Okay, then you can come along.”

　　We walked for a short while and then we saw a park by the river. It wasn’t very big, but it was brightly lit and filled with various sounds, including children’s laughter and the sounds of playing instruments and singing.

　　Chen Hui looked up for a moment, then stepped inside, and I followed closely behind. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving her inside alone.

　　We walked slowly in silence the whole way, because I didn’t know what to say to her. After all, she wasn’t Chen Yao, nor was she my cousin, and there were some things that wouldn’t be appropriate to say to her.

　　After a while, Chen Hui walked to a bench and sat down. There was enough space, so I sat down as well.

　　”Tang Zheng…” she suddenly called out to me, and I replied, “Manager Chen, I’m here.”

　　Do you know the man from tonight?

　　I shook my head blankly. “Manager Chen, I really don’t know him, and I have no idea who he is, but you two seem to know each other.”

　　“Yes.” Chen Hui nodded slowly, took a deep breath, and then said quietly, “His father and my father were old friends, and we grew up together and went to school together.”

　　”Childhood sweethearts” was the phrase that immediately came to my mind.

　　Chen Hui read “childhood sweetheart” softly, then said, “You could say that, but I’ve always treated him like an older brother since I was little, without any romantic feelings whatsoever. But I never expected…”

　　I understand. How so? It’s called “King Xiang had a dream, but the goddess had no heart.”

　　Not to mention Lin Chen, that guy from who-knows-where, even I was a little stunned when I first saw Chen Hui.

　　”Later, we went to study in two different countries, and our contact was intermittent. I didn’t expect that I would only just come back.”

　　After I started working, he started bothering me again, and he even wanted me to be his girlfriend. I told him I needed to think about it.

　　Chen Hui laughed self-deprecatingly, “If I hadn’t accidentally seen him having sex with some young model one day, I might have actually agreed to be with him.”

　　”Manager Chen, didn’t you say you treated him like an older brother? How come?” I asked in confusion.

　　Chen Hui took a deep breath. “Back then, my family was pressuring me. They always wanted me to be with Lin Chen, and then…”

　　She didn’t finish her sentence, but I knew what she meant—it was simply due to pressure.

　　“Actually, I’m quite envious of Yao Yao,” Chen Hui suddenly said. “At least she can pursue the life she wants, and she even fell in love with you, you bastard.”

　　I said, somewhat amused and exasperated, “Manager Chen, you can say what you want, but could you please refrain from personal attacks?”

　　Chen Hui rolled her eyes at me and continued, “Later, he kept apologizing to me, saying that he was bewitched and seduced by that young model or something. But I also took this opportunity to get rid of him. Then, at a party, I met Qin Xiao. Maybe because of face, I had dinner with him once or twice, but I didn’t know that he also thought I was interested in him.”

　　”Are all men this disgusting? Even if it’s just a crush, without any other feelings, he insists on treating me like his woman, as if we’re already married. So that night…”

　　Oh, I see. Otherwise, I would have thought I had stolen someone else’s girlfriend.

　　I smiled wryly and said, “Manager Chen, but this is not a long-term solution. After all, the fact that you are using me as a shield will be exposed sooner or later. If your family comes to find us, I’m afraid our relationship will be exposed immediately, not to mention Yao Yao.”

　　”We’ll talk about this later.”

　　Chen Hui rubbed her temples, staring intently at me, and said with a hidden meaning, “Tang Zheng, it was wrong of me to use you as a shield, but you seem to have taken advantage of me quite a bit during this time, haven’t you? Have you forgotten all of that?”

　　I inwardly cried out that I was innocent, as this didn’t seem to be my business at all; she had been the one initiating everything.

　　But I couldn’t say it out loud, so I could only laugh and cry and say, “So, Manager Chen, do you have any plans? We almost got into a fight tonight. If they come after me, I won’t be able to handle it. Right now, I’m just using their power to bully others.”

　　This is something I’ve been thinking about. I’m mainly worried that if these two groups can’t find me, and they find out about the relationship between my cousin and me, and then use my cousin against me, I really don’t know what to do.

　　”It’s alright. If they dare to do anything reckless, I’ll make them regret it,” Chen Hui said confidently. “Don’t worry so much. You’re one of my people, I have to protect you, right?”

　　”Then just don’t forget,” I said with a smile. “I just wonder how things are going with that thing you told me about going out on your own last time.”

　　I’ve been thinking about this a lot. If Chen Hui really goes out to start her own business, I’ll definitely go with her. After all, it will be more tiring then, but it’ll be better than just holding on like this now. If Chen Hui leaves and I stay, I might get shuffled out of the business.

　　After all, I’ve seen far too many instances of a new emperor bringing in a new court.

　　Chen Hui nodded. “I think I’ll be going to go out and work on my own. By the way, I have some bad news for you.”

　　I was taken aback, and asked somewhat nervously, “What unfortunate news?”

　　”It’s that 24-hour concept you brought up last time. The strategy department already thought it was feasible, but for some reason it was blocked. Apparently, some bigwig thought the plan was a waste of money. What company can deliver goods 24 hours a day? And he even mocked the plan as a joke.”

　　Chen Hui said coldly, “I really don’t know if this person’s eyes are for drinking porridge. They can’t even see such a big piece of cake, but instead they are still burning money on promotion. If we don’t develop this market now, we won’t even have a chance to drink the soup when others develop it.”

　　I never expected that someone would call my plan a joke. I could only give a wry smile. If I had money, I probably would have done it myself long ago. The problem is that I don’t have money, I only have ideas.

　　As the saying goes, my wallet can’t support my ambitions.

　　I couldn’t resist taking out a cigarette and smoking it, and Chen Hui didn’t stop me.

　　After a while, he said, “So I’m going to develop this market and see if it’s just a joke, and also show those people who sit in the office all day thinking with their butts whether this plan works or not.”

　　“If you really have this idea, I will definitely follow you. You know what I’m thinking.”

　　I smiled and said, “However, I estimate that the initial funding for this plan will be at least 100,000. We not only need our own transportation fleet, but we also need to have enough service points.”

　　”We will use the South as our base for now, and gradually expand outwards once it has developed. If we take too big a step at once, it will be very disadvantageous for us. If we are to do it, we can only explore a suitable path based on our current experience.”

　　Chen Hui analyzed the situation logically, then turned to look at me and said, “Tang Zheng, regardless of whether you were just giving me a perfunctory answer, I really want you to help me. I also know that Zhao Qian is extending an olive branch to you. Are you willing to help me?”

　　”Manager Chen, is there any doubt about our relationship?” I said with a smile. “If you have this idea, then I will definitely support you. After all, I’m still waiting for you to help me get promoted and make money. Besides, you’re Yao Yao’s sister. I can’t turn my own family away, can I?”

　　”Yaoyao’s older sister,” Chen Hui said softly, then looked up at me and asked, “Is there nothing else between us besides this relationship?”