Chapter 45.3: Shipping the Original Couple

　　God damn it, Huo Rongshen was not a man to be trifled with and she was not capable enough to win Jiang Dai in an argument. Now, even a mere secretary dared to act so arrogantly before her?

　　Just as Sheng Wanwan was about to leave, Qi Yao called out, “Hey, you’re Rongshen’s newly recruited secretary?”

　　From her colleagues’ gossip and stories, Sheng Wanwan had indeed heard of Qi Yao, the daughter of Senior Officer Qi. There, she learned how impressive her family background was and that she was President Huo’s childhood friend.

　　That was why she had to act more courteously. “Yes, Miss Qi. I’m President Huo’s private secretary.” 

　　Getting on her high horse, Qi Yao questioned, “What’s your name?”

　　Sheng Wanwan answered, “My name’s Sheng Wanwan. ‘Sheng’ as in blooming and ‘Wan’ that comprises of the ‘silk’ radical¹ The ‘silk’ radical refers to 纟. .”

　　A sense of discomfort welled up in Qi Yao’s heart at the mention of this name. Why did her name sound like that of female leads from TV series and novels?

　　Whenever she browsed through Weibo, she would come across ads for paid novels from time to time. It just so happened that this secretary’s name coincides with the style of those brainless novels.

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　　……

　　All the significant big shots of the business world had finally arrived at the latter part of the banquet.

　　Of course, Jiang Dai was not there merely to seek connections in high places. After all, she had several targets in mind whom she thought there would be a development possibility and a collaboration opportunity.

　　Hence, that was why she went out of her way to rush over for a chat with them. 

　　Not only was she someone new in the business world and in the limelight recently, but she was also a young and beautiful woman. Due to their curiosity and admiration for her, all the big shots had a great time chatting with her. Before long, Jiang Dai was able to add them on WeChat successfully, expanding her connections.

　　For some unknown reason, Liang Jingche seemed to have impeccable timing as he only came to join the party as soon as Jiang Dai began to have an idle chit-chat with the big shots.

　　Consequently, Liang Jingche was with Jiang Dai throughout the whole latter part of the banquet; he would follow wherever Jiang Dai went.

　　Although Huo Rongshen might attract a circle of admirers around him, his eyes would always search for Jiang Dai every now and then. Whenever Jiang Dai was out of his sight for 3 minutes, he would instantly begin aiming for her with what Sheng Wanwan would believe to be an IR autocollimator.

　　Ever since Feng Qi Bank’s Chairman Liang had joined Jiang Dai, they seemed to be having the time of their lives together, virtually inseparable. In contrast, President Huo’s countenance darkened by the second.

　　Now that she could already sense President Huo’s feelings for the former Mrs. Huo, Sheng Wanwan had no idea why but she somehow began shipping the couple in secret. After all, she was his original wife. Watching how Liang Jingche and Jiang Dai were heading everywhere together, a moment of discomfort pricked her heart.  

　　Coincidentally, she was met with President Huo’s handsome yet sullen countenance.

　　With a slip of her tongue, she blurted out her true feelings before she could consider the wisdom of it. “Don’t you think Mr. Liang is coming on too strong? He’s always following Miss Jiang around as though he’s afraid no one knows he’s trying to play a hero in front of her.”

　　In an instant, Huo Rongshen turned sharply to look at her as if he cracked a whip across her face.

　　“Play a hero, huh?”

　　The question sent shivers up Secretary Sheng’s spine. “N-No, what I meant was…… He’s acting far too chivalrous as though he’s a bodyguard. No, that won’t do. It’s definitely more suitable to make a move at the right time, like President Huo, than to go at it relentlessly.”

　　Even though that might be an over-the-top compliment, Huo Rongshen’s face still took on a ghastly expression.

　　What the h*ll was this? He could not believe that a mere secretary was actually able to read him like a book, and a new secretary at that!

　　Simmering in rage, President Huo was becoming increasingly displeased.

　　With a tray in his hand, a waiter came over and served red wine to Huo Rongshen and several other men, who had taken a seat on the sofa.

　　As soon as he was done, he introduced, “This is the classic French wine that Miss Qi has sponsored for this banquet. So, please enjoy its unique flavor, honored guests.”

　　Without further ado, the waiter handed the last glass of wine over to Huo Rongshen before he whispered, “Mr. Huo, Miss Qi Yao sends you this glass of red wine in atonement for her rudeness earlier. Also, she sends word that she would like to apologize for her poor choice of words. Henceforth, she will be cautious in her words and never do anything Mr. Huo dislikes. So, she hopes that you will forgive her.”

　　Countless friends from the business world seated around Huo Rongshen were chatting away idly.

　　Since everyone had accepted the glass of red wine and was sipping away, it would be pretty strange if he was the only one who declined.

　　As such, he reached out to accept the glass without making any utterance.

　　Once he had completed his task, the waiter took his leave.

　　As for Qi Yao, she had been watching Huo Rongshen in the corner.

　　Pinching the stemmed glass with his long slender fingers, he had even twirled it gently as though he was observing the wine for its color and wine diamonds² Wine diamonds, also known as potassium bitartrate, tartrates, or tartrate crystals, are normal byproducts of wine as it ages. They are tiny crystalline deposits formed when potassium and tartaric acid bind together to form crystals when the wine is exposed to temperatures below 4°C. Even so, they are completely harmless and natural. Actually, many winemakers, sommeliers, and academics view the presence of tartrate crystals as a sign of quality, indicating that the wine was not over-processed. Wine crystals never impart an unpleasant taste. .

　　Just when Qi Yao had a feeling that he was going to consume the wine, Huo Rongshen handed the glass to the secretary, standing at his side. “Here, drink this.”

　　On seeing this, question marks surrounded Secretary Sheng’s head.

　　Although she had a distinct inclination that President Huo was still displeased over her careless gaffe earlier, she was still a secretary, after all. Now that her boss had brought her to the event, it made perfect sense for her to drink the glass of wine on his behalf.

　　Fortunately, it was merely red wine as it should not have a high amount of alcohol content. Since it was not hard liquor, she should be able to handle it.

　　With that in mind, Secretary Sheng drank it all up obediently before stepping back to Huo Rongshen’s side carefully. At the same time, she just hoped that President Huo would cool off, or better yet, forget her oversight as soon as possible.