Chapter 3
Regarding Jiang Suliu, Amanda placed the dice within his reach, maintaining a proper smile on her face. Clearly well-trained, her demeanor was alluring and s*xy without being vulgar, exuding a refined charm.
"Second Young Master Jiang, still so unromantic. Amanda, bring a die over here."
"All right, Young Master Zhang." Amanda picked up a die nearby and handed it to Zhang Shengjie.
The few people in the private room began playing Liar's Dice.
Jiang Suliu had never lost playing this game before. He shook the dice in his hand, stopped, and without looking, said, "Three 3s."
"Three 5s," Lin Gaodan also didn't check his dice.
Zhou Yanbing glanced at his dice, "Three 6s."
Zhang Shengjie kissed the woman in his arms, fondling her soft chest as he said, "Four 4s."
Liu Wenbo laughed, "Open."
Zhang Shengjie smiled indifferently and let the woman in his arms reveal her dice. After seeing everyone's numbers, he calculated and Liu Wenbo chuckled freely, "I lost." Then he lifted Amanda's chin and kissed her, his voice sultry, "Baby, do you think I should choose Truth or Dare?"
Amanda had faced this kind of situation before. Submissively nestled in Liu Wenbo's arms, she said, "Young Master Liu, don't you already know the answer?"
"Hahaha..." Liu Wenbo laughed heartily and leaned back on the sofa, saying, "Then I'll choose Truth."
After some playful banter, the atmosphere loosened, and everyone began discussing current business news.
Suddenly, the topic shifted to S City, the economic metropolis. Jiang Suofeng paused mid-shake with the dice.
"Young Master Zhang, I heard Chu Mingyu was your university classmate?"
"Yeah," Zhang Shengjie nodded, then frowned, "Not really the same crowd, I don't know him well."
"My uncle cooperates with the Chu family, but he says Chu's a titan in the art world, a failure in business. Luckily, he has a strong fiancée backing him up," Liu Wenbo said with a smirk as he glanced at Jiang Suliu. "Too bad he's so stupid he can't even win over his own fiancée, and has the nerve to cheat."
Zhang Shengjie seemed to recall something and asked, "The fiancée you mentioned—is she the current president of Sheng'an Group?"
"What, Young Master Zhang has met her too?"
"Once. She came to school to pick up Chu Mingyu back to S City. Her face is way prettier than the campus queen's, but she seemed very distant. One glance from her, and forget romantic spring or autumn moon, even having tea feels chilling." Zhang shrugged, hugging the woman in his arms and kissing her. "Women should be gentle and delicate like this, not too strong or it's unbearable. Plus, they need to be kept tightly—otherwise, what's the fun?"
"Haha, that's exactly her," Liu Wenbo laughed and nodded. "My uncle rates her highly. No surprises, if nothing goes wrong, in less than three years she'll be S City's top name."
"Hahaha..." Zhang Shengjie laughed holding the woman, "Whoever marries that woman can take a hundred years off their struggle."
Zhou Yanbing took a sip of his brightly colored cocktail and casually said, "Young Master Zhang speaks the truth, though I don't know who dares marry her."
"I dare," Jiang Suliu said coldly, finally breaking his silence as he scanned the men laughing wildly in the room.
Instantly, the entire private room fell silent.
The ice cubes melting in the glass clinked crisply, sounding especially clear in this tense atmosphere.
"Pfft," Lin Gaodan, legs crossed and chin in hand, teased with a smile, "Didn't expect Brother Jiang to be so straightforward," seemingly trying to break the awkwardness.
"Yeah, Jiang, you didn't come to S City just for her, right?"
Jiang Suliu put down the dice, a smile curling at his lips, but his slightly upturned, deeply captivating peach blossom eyes flickered with coldness under the light: "Leopard, open or not?"
"You're already a leopard, do any of us have a chance to win?" Zhang Shengjie joked, not quite knowing why he had provoked this fierce god. Jiang's family was famous in B City—his ancestors were in politics, but from his father's generation onward, they went into business. That coincided with the reform and opening-up era, the best time to do business. The Jiang family grew bigger and bigger. Plus, Jiang Suliu's protective older brother Jiang Suofeng was ruthless in business, so since they're in the same circle, it was natural they'd run into each other. Best to be cautious.
Liu Wenbo, seeing Jiang Suliu's expression, was even more certain of his suspicions.
The only heir of Sheng'an Group, Feng Jin, was a woman Liu had once seen when he was learning under his uncle. She was at least outstanding in business. If the Jiang family really allied with Feng Jin through marriage, their combined strength would definitely reshape the domestic market landscape. Then the Jiang family's status in B City would rise even more. But Feng Jin… Liu Wenbo's lips curled in anticipation of the drama to come.
Perhaps tomorrow's negotiation with his uncle wouldn't be so boring after all.
That night, Jiang Suliu seemed to return to those absurd days of drunken revelry. But this time, he came with purpose, so he didn't touch a drop of alcohol and stayed sharp. Since Liu Wenbo was in S City, this negotiation opponent must be his uncle Liu Ze'an, a man equally ruthless and decisive in business.
Near midnight, the few men lay sprawled on the sofa. Jiang Suliu gestured to Zhou Yanbing that he was leaving first, and Zhou nodded.
Leaving the Xingyu Club, Jiang Suliu took a taxi back to the hotel.
He felt uneasy—forced contact with others due to work and etiquette made him uncomfortable. Frowning, he grabbed a bathrobe and went to the bathroom. When he came out, his body still damp, the robe slightly open revealing his pale, firm chest, water dripping from his hair onto the floor.
Thinking of the words he'd blurted out tonight, Jiang Suliu knew he'd lost his composure, but if he had the chance, he would say it again.
He wouldn't allow anyone to slander her.
No matter who.
The laptop on the table flickered with blue light as he dried his hair, opened his email, checked the contents carefully, then pressed send. He glanced at the time — still three hours left to rest. Tomorrow's negotiation materials were ready, just waiting for the formal meeting.
By then, he could watch Feng Jin's poise at the negotiation table. She dressed in a meticulously tailored black uniform, every move radiating an unassailable asceticism, secretly controlling the entire situation and becoming the invisible host of the negotiation. Yet such a Feng Jin was extraordinarily seductive, making people involuntarily entertain impure thoughts...
Thinking this, a deep, unfathomable shadow flickered in Jiang Suliu's eyes.
After a long moment, he took a deep breath, "I just… haven't had release for too long."
Then he stood and walked to the bathroom again, taking another cold shower.
...