The heavy door of the private room was pushed open by the waiter. Jiang Li nodded and smiled to express her gratitude.
The door was made of colored glass, reflecting Jiang Li's figure and face.
To look more formal, she was wearing a tight-fitting hip-length dress today, which accentuated her charming figure. Her makeup was also extremely dignified and elegant.
The room was spacious and bright. Jiang Li didn't wait for too long. Soon, the door of the room was opened again, and a man walked in, dressed in a well-tailored suit.
At first glance, Jiang Li could tell that the man had a habit of working out. The suit wrapped around his muscular frame. Although he was an Asian, his whole demeanor exuded the unique grandeur of a European.
"Hello, Miss Jiang," the man's voice rang out. The moment she heard it, Jiang Li had already adjusted her emotions and greeted him politely with a smile, "Hello, Mr. Shang."
In the car, she had briefly looked up the man's general background, and in her mind, she had formed an image of a wealthy businessman.
Public information showed that Shang Zewen was a Chinese-British, 33 years old. He had lived overseas for a long time. He came from a wealthy family and got married at a young age. There were no publicly known bad habits.
"Sorry, my Chinese may not be very good," Shang Zewen sat down, picked up the wine glass on the table, looked up at Jiang Li, and said with a smile, "I hope there won't be any 'mistakes' in our communication."
Jiang Li was slightly taken aback. She realized that he meant to say "I hope there won't be any problems in our communication." She couldn't help but smile understandingly.
His Chinese was a bit weak, but she could still understand what he was trying to express.
His voice was very low, with a mellow British accent. His words and deeds were very gentlemanly, and he exuded a unique nobility that was only found among people of his kind.
Jiang Li's smile on her face was bright. "I will try my best to understand your way of expression. If there are any problems during the process, we can patiently negotiate and explain."
She carried herself gracefully without any sign of nervousness. She talked with him generously and skillfully, with her shoulders and back straight, and her elegance undiminished.
Shang Zewen was a wealthy businessman in the UK and had his own theater. This time, he came here entirely because of the reputation of Bai Jiao.
"I want to see what kind of beauty and inspiration will be sparked by an Asian performing a European and American drama. I hope Miss Jiang won't disappoint me."
Jiang Li toasted him. "Thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Shang. Our whole team will definitely work hard to make the performance perfect and live up to your expectations."
After a few rounds of drinks.
Jiang Li was keeping an eye on the time in her mind. With a smile on her face, she was thinking about the right moment to end this dinner.
Although Shang Zewen's Chinese was not very good, he was obviously very talkative. From time to time, he would raise his glass to propose a toast, and Jiang Li responded with a smile each time. Before she knew it, she had drunk several glasses.
"Miss Jiang, I'm very glad to meet you today," Shang Zewen said cheerfully. "You're very beautiful, like a carefully carved work of art."
It was not something rare for Jiang Li to be praised for her beauty, but it was the first time she had heard someone use such a metaphor to describe herself. She was a bit surprised and said with a laugh, "I've never heard such a metaphor before."
"Maybe it means very beautiful but a bit lifeless," seeing the change in Jiang Li's expression, he explained further, "Like artificial beauty."
Jiang Li felt that the more he explained, the more confused it became. She helplessly rubbed her forehead. "Mr. Shang, I've never had plastic surgery."
"I don't mean you've had plastic surgery... Or maybe it's because you're too delicate, so it seems unreal? How should I express this in Chinese..."
Shang Zewen seemed to be a bit drunk. His speech became slurred, which made his already limited Chinese even more difficult to understand. "Anyway, you're like an impeccable treasure that one would want to hide away."
... It was getting harder and harder to listen.
Jiang Li pressed the space between her eyebrows, lowered her eyes, and called Shang Zewen's secretary who was waiting at the door, asking her to take her boss back.
Since the cooperation had been settled, Jiang Li also left the restaurant with them directly.
When being supported by the secretary on his shoulder and leaving, Shang Zewen suddenly spoke up on his own. "You're more beautiful than my wife, but I still love her more."
Jiang Li found his frankness and sincerity funny and heartwarming at the same time. After all, such men were not common.
Being dedicated to one's relationship, loyal to one's marriage, and responsible for one's family should have been a matter of course, but it had become the most expensive luxury in this era.
Autumn in Huacheng was the rainy season. After dinner, it started to drizzle again outside, and the rain kept falling.
Shang Zewen lifted his foot. Just as half of his body got into the car, he seemed to remember something and turned back to look at Jiang Li. He mumbled in his drunken state, "If there's a chance in the future, I'll introduce my wife to you."
"It would be my great honor," Jiang Li bowed slightly. "Please be careful on the way, and go back and rest early."
She glanced at the secretary and nodded at her. The secretary understood what she meant. "Mr. Shang, I'm driving. Please fasten your seatbelt."
Just as the car door was closing, Shang Zewen suddenly stuck his head out of the window. Half-drunk and half-awake, he asked her, "Do you know my wife's contact information? I've been looking for her recently. She's gone."
Jiang Li instinctively thought that there must be something wrong with his language system again, or maybe he was just drunk. She coaxed him, "Your wife must be waiting for you in the hotel. You can see her when you go back now."
"I can't see her," Shang Zewen shook his head. "She ran away, right out of my palm."
"She can't run away. I won't let her go. I'll hide her away properly."
Suddenly, he laughed to himself. But that laugh was very sinister. It flashed across his eyes and quickly disappeared. "Good night in advance, Miss Jiang."
After the car carrying Shang Zewen drove away, Jiang Li stood under the bus stop sign by the roadside, waiting for a taxi boredly.
The rain was not heavy, and she didn't bring an umbrella, so she could only use her hand to shield herself from the rain reluctantly.
She hadn't drunk for a long time, and her alcohol tolerance had declined a bit. After standing there for a while, she felt her head getting a bit heavy, and her temples throbbing.
Being able to see Shang Zewen off with a smiling face was already her limit.
She didn't wait for a taxi, but the rain on top of her head stopped.
Jiang Li looked up blankly. An umbrella was covering her head, shielding her from most of the rain.
Xiao Yanzhi looked down at her hazy eyes with a natural and calm tone. "Why did you drink so much?"
He could smell the strong alcohol on her body.
The moment Jiang Li saw his face, the chaos in her mind cleared up a lot. She immediately wanted to walk away, but the man grabbed her arm.
He wouldn't let her go.
"The rain will get heavier. You've drunk so much. Do you still plan to go back by yourself?" His tone was cold, as if he was blaming her for being hasty and casual.
"Can't I?"
Jiang Li was too lazy to ask him why he was here. "Excuse me. You're blocking me from hailing a taxi."
Xiao Yanzhi's tone was also calm, without much warmth. "Don't you have any awareness of your own attractiveness? Do you know how many people would want to approach a woman like you appearing late at night?"