几双眼睛都转向了她.
沈明在这强烈的目光下感到有些不舒服.
苏宁开口了."爷爷,这是我的女儿,沈明.明,向他们问好.
这是老爷子第一次见到她,但沈明对他并不陌生.他是一个有着强烈控制欲的人,与她自己家族的那个宽容的老人完全不同.
"像她妈妈一样的女儿,我看她是个好姑娘."
沈明亲切地笑了笑."谢谢你,爷爷,谢谢你的客气话."
老人的笑容更灿烂了,不知为何,他似乎真的对她感到满意.
介绍完后,老爷子下达了命令."不要打扰年轻人.走,把天齐叫过来.带苏家的这位小姐出去散散步.
房间里嗡嗡作响.包括杜青,他给了沈明更审视的眼神.
沈明也吃了一惊.为什么老爷子要当着众人的面把她介绍给荣天琪呢?他不是很喜欢顾风吗?他为什么改变主意呢?
众人都震惊了,除了苏宁.
容天齐很快就被叫了过来.他走到老者身边,打招呼道:"爷爷,苏夫人.
苏宁转向沈明."走吧,和荣公子一起散散步.他脾气很好,别跟他争论.
老爷子笑了起来."争论?这个是安静的类型.
荣天齐暖心一笑."爷爷,你夸大其词了,"他说着,向沈明伸出了手."来,我带你四处看看.外面有烧烤设施.
当着众人的面,沈明把手搭在荣天齐的手臂上,优雅地笑着一起走出去.
沈明还在处理刚刚发生的事情.她赶紧给麻烦的哥哥发了一条信息."怎么回事?"
远处,苏玉燕正在和朋友们聊天喝酒,轻松自在.他终于花了一点时间回答她."苏夫人一直在急着处理这件事.看来老爷子还挺喜欢你的.
沈明眯起了眼睛."你在开玩笑吗?"
老爷子果然改变了主意,为了她抛弃了顾风.这既有好处也有坏处.
好在,她成功地破坏了荣天齐和顾风之间的计划.
糟糕的是...很明显,顾枫进入荣家大门的机会已经几乎不存在了.
"在想什么?"荣天齐递给她一块烤食."试试这个,看看味道如何."
沈明笑着接过."谢谢你."
在里面,巨大的落地窗照亮了草地上闪烁的灯光.从大厅里可以看到热闹的场景.
站在荣兆南身边,顾风轻声说道."兆南,看来荣爷爷真的很喜欢沈明,容公子似乎很适合她.你觉得怎么样?
Rong Zhaonan raised his champagne glass, looking down at the scene below."Yes, they really are a good match."
As the birthday banquet neared its end, most of the guests had already left. The Su family, being close to the Rong household, stayed till the very end.
Before leaving, Su Ning made sure to give Shen Ming a word of advice."Don't rush off, stay and watch the fireworks."
Given what happened at the welcome banquet last time, Su Ning assumed Shen Ming truly enjoyed fireworks.
"Alright, I'll just take a call first."
Recently, Ning Zhiqian seemed to be following her around like a shadow. Even on days like these, he still called her."I'm abroad for the next few days, I'll be back on Tuesday. Your time is running out—have you thought about it?"
Shen Ming couldn't help but admire Ning Zhiqian's relentless pursuit."Ning Zhiqian, are you really this desperate for me? Do you expect me to beg you for a file? What do you think? You want me to come work for you, yet you still want to ruin me?"
Ning Zhiqian believed everything he did was justified."Your little company's going under. This is a wake-up call for you. Don't forget who brought you into the financial world. Come work under me, and I'll give you a whole new business plan. I'll even invest in you to start a brand-new perfume company. The opportunity's right in front of you, what are you waiting for?"
Shen Ming scoffed at this so-called opportunity."Such an opportunity? For someone like me now? Not a chance."
If it had been before, she might have swallowed her pride and endured the hardship.
"Am I a fool? Why would I stick with you? Ning Zhiqian, you've forgotten—I'm now the eldest daughter of the Su family. I'm no longer that ignorant little employee of yours. If I don't take the Hua Yi case, so be it. Call me again, and I'll have no choice but to take legal action. Don't push me to the point of calling the police."
Shen Ming was becoming increasingly hard to control. Ning Zhiqian was starting to realize this."Shen Ming, I know you. You're not the type to back down easily. I'm the only one who can help you with the Hua Yi case. I'll say it one last time: I'll be back on Tuesday. Don't test my patience."
With that, Ning Zhiqian hung up the phone.
Shen Ming narrowed her eyes and immediately added him to her blacklist again.
After the call, she was about to leave the bathroom when she saw a tall figure standing in front of the door.
Rong Zhaonan.
He was leaning against the wall, giving her that signature, intense stare.
She took her phone out, and a new message popped up."Come to my room."
She cursed under her breath and then looked up to find he had already walked off.
She observed the people around her and then, like a thief, cautiously followed his steps out of the hall and into his building, trailing behind him until she entered his room.
The whole time, she felt nervous, hoping no one would see her.
Once inside, the room was pitch dark, and before she could react, a large hand pressed against her, pinning her against the door.
The familiar scent of pine filled her senses, and her heart finally calmed down.
"What are you doing? Turn on the lights."
Rong Zhaonan's breath, cold and steady, brushed against her neck. She immediately realized his intentions.
Her neck itched from his closeness, and she pushed his head away with a soft laugh."Stop messing around. How much have you had to drink tonight? Move."
Her hand found the light switch by the closet, and the room instantly lit up.
She could finally see the man pinning her down—his face dark, as if someone owed him something.
His eyes were deep, and there seemed to be an unspoken grievance there.
With a gentle push, she managed to move him off."Rong Zhaonan, I don't have time for your tantrums. The birthday banquet's almost over, and Su Madam's waiting for me to go down and watch the fireworks. Go find your sister, Gu Feng."
She wrenched herself free and turned to leave.
But his strong grip yanked her back, pulling her away from the entryway. In a swift move, he pinned her down again.
She took a deep breath, realizing he wasn't as drunk as she thought. There was only a faint scent of alcohol.
He leaned close, his voice thick and low."Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Going to see Young Master Rong?"