Beijing-Hong Kong Rosemary

Chapter 44 Did you drink a lot of alcohol?

"Awoo..." Ruby protested in Shen Guining's arms.

The little guy was almost crushed into a sandwich.

Shen Guining suddenly snapped out of her daze, opened her eyes, and nudged the man in front of her.

Qu Yanci frowned unhappily.

This dog is in the way.

Ruby looked completely innocent, unaware of what had just happened.

Not suitable for children, Shen Guining silently covered its eyes.
-
After resting for four days, Shen Guining's back had fully recovered, and she returned to the dance troupe.

There's been some gossip going around the theater lately. I heard the company's vice president was demoted and sent to another post, the specific reasons are unclear, and two male members of the neighboring vocal ensemble also resigned at the same time.

Everyone is speculating whether it's because of the trending topic a few days ago.

At noon, Shen Guining and Jin Yuhan ate lunch together in the cafeteria.

When talking about this, Jin Yuhan said, "Those two men submitted articles to marketing accounts, bought trending searches to spread rumors about you, and our vice president wanted to gain traffic, so he simply did nothing."

"Why did you choose me to play the lead role?" Shen Guining couldn't understand. She hadn't offended that vice president; she had only met him twice, and those were during meetings.

"How many people would be willing to participate in a program that was added at the last minute? Of course, they were just taking advantage of you, an intern, but who knew they'd run into a brick wall." Jin Yuhan's lips curled into a mocking smile.

Dingsheng Group is a formidable opponent, and also a sponsor of the theater; who would dare offend them?

"Don't underestimate some men. They are petty and malicious, holding grudges over trivial matters and enjoying stabbing each other in the back."

Jin Yuhan was falsely accused at her high school because she rejected a boy, who became furious and started smearing her everywhere.

That's why she hates this kind of person the most in her life.

This is indeed the case.

Shen Guining also deeply understood that if it weren't for Mr. Qu's protection, Zhou Shilin would have used every means to force her to submit.

Mr. Qu gave her an absolute sense of security. No matter what happened, as long as he was by her side, it was as if the sky would never fall.

But she is becoming increasingly afraid that one day Mr. Qu will find out the truth and despise her.

She hoped he would never know.

Last night she had a nightmare in which Mr. Qu knew she was lying to him. She kept crying and apologizing, but it was no use. Mr. Qu just ignored her and looked at her with eyes that were cold to the bone, filled with only disappointment, indifference and hatred.

Finally, she was startled awake, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes.

Jin Yuhan's voice pulled her back to reality, "Let's not talk about that. It's my birthday in a couple of days, do you want to come over?"

Shen Guining nodded. "Okay, where is it?"

Jin Yuhan picked up her phone. "I'll send you my location."
-
There have been no dance performances at the theater recently, probably because they wanted to take a break after the trending topic incident.

Shen Guining had been getting off work early these past few days, so she took some time to go shopping at the mall and pick out a birthday gift for Jin Yuhan.

The young lady loves luxury goods. She spent a long time choosing and finally bought a Tiffany necklace for 11,000 yuan. She still felt a little heartache when she swiped her card, after all, her internship salary was so low.

Luckily, I sold Shen Yue's emerald necklace back then, otherwise I wouldn't have had enough money to spend.

The sales assistant packed the necklace for her and handed it over.

Shen Guining thanked him and left with her things.

With a new puppy at home, she's happy every day when she comes home, finally no longer facing the huge, quiet apartment alone after get off work.

As soon as she entered the house, Ruby wagged her tail and came over to rub against her.

Shen Guining changed into slippers, picked it up, and asked, "Ruby, did you miss me?"

The little one snuggled closer to her.

Knowing that Mr. Qu was a clean freak, Shen Guining specially bought a lint roller to keep the house as clean as possible and to prevent Ruby from sitting on the sofa. Mr. Qu hasn't been to the apartment these past two days; he must be busy with work.

He has to manage such a large group with hundreds of subsidiaries, so he doesn't have much free time.

Even on his days off, his phone kept ringing, and he had to hold video conferences in the evenings.

To others, Qu Yanci seems to have everything easily, but in reality, he bears a heavy responsibility.

Without sufficient ability, even if one holds power, one cannot retain it, let alone expand one's territory.

Shen Guining discovered that she actually had a tendency to admire strength. She admired a strong and invincible man like Qu Yanci, which was why she took the risk of getting close to him in the first place.
-
Jin Yuhan's birthday party was held at a private club, and an entire floor was reserved for the event.

Pink and purple flowers and balloons filled every corner, crystal tassel lamps hung from the ceiling like scattered stars, and a five-tiered cake sat in the center of the long table.

The young lady's entourage was as grand as ever.

However, she didn't invite as many friends as expected, only a dozen or so in total. It was clear that they had a good relationship and the atmosphere was great.

Jin Yuhan wore a champagne-colored long dress today, with her curly hair up and a crown on her head. Two photographers surrounded her, taking pictures and videos.

Su Yuchen helped lift her skirt and hand her props, doing odd jobs for her since it was her birthday.

After dinner, the group moved to another large private room and automatically split into two groups: some sang, and some played games.

Shen Guining, who was into listening to music, sat quietly in a corner of the sofa with a glass of juice.

Suddenly, a man sat down next to her. They had chatted briefly before and knew each other. He asked her, "Does Miss Shen have a boyfriend?"

Before Shen Guining could answer, Jin Yuhan interrupted, "Don't even think about it, she doesn't like you."

The boy feigned hurt, saying, "Do you have to be so hurtful?"

Jin Yuhan smiled and said, "It's the truth."

With a man like Mr. Qu, who else could possibly catch Shen Guining's eye?

"alright."

Shen Guining said "sorry," her attitude being both tactful and clear.

"It's nothing." The boy had a very good personality, was very generous, and didn't seem upset.

Around nine o'clock, Shen Guining said goodbye to Jin Yuhan and wanted to go back first.

Su Yuchen said, "Why don't you play a little longer? Ci-ge is eating upstairs. You can wait for him to leave together. I told him you'd be here too."

Shen Guining nodded, took out her phone, and sent a WeChat message to Qu Yanci: [Mr. Qu, are you going back to your apartment tonight?]

He replied with a single word: 【Mm.】

Shen Guining: [When are you going to finish?]

Qu Yanci: [Soon, just wait.]

Shen Guining: [Okay.]

She waited for twenty minutes and then received a call from Mr. Qu, asking her to come downstairs.

Shen Guining said goodbye to Jin Yuhan and then left.

As I stepped off the elevator and passed through the lobby, I caught a glimpse of the figure standing tall and slender by the entrance. His back was broad and flat, and his left hand was tucked into his pocket. His long legs, encased in trousers, were strong and powerful.

He was holding his phone, having just finished a call.

Shen Guining walked over and smelled the strong scent of alcohol on him. "Mr. Qu, have you been drinking a lot?"

"Not much."

But I drank quite a bit, and it wouldn't be polite to refuse several elders I was having dinner with.

(End of this chapter)