Chapter 36 of 100

Chapter 36

14 min read3,559 words

At the Chen family villa, the guests and hosts were seated. To avoid an awkward atmosphere, Chen Hui did not engage in much small talk and directly instructed the kitchen to serve the dishes. He specifically said to Li Mang and Wu Long, who were seated below, "You young people should chat more and get closer."

Wu Long's face had been green all evening, and when he heard this, his smile was somewhat forced. Get closer? You must be joking! It was already a relief that they hadn't come to blows.

"Chairman, you're right. Let's get closer. Cheers." Li Mang, who seemed to be on a high tonight, raised his glass of red wine and toasted with the Chen sisters and even Wu Long.

"Li Mang, right? A few days ago, you said you were here on a trip to Chengdu. How did you suddenly end up working at my sister's company?" Chen Zining asked curiously, her face innocent, but Chen Zishan, who was beside her, looked slightly wary. She had every reason to believe that Li Mang was deliberately getting close to them.

"About that..." Li Mang had a plan in mind but still thought for a moment before saying, "When I first saw Miss Chen Zining, I was struck by her beauty. I deliberately investigated your background and found that Miss Chen, the elder sister, is equally beautiful and charming. I fell in love at first sight, so I applied for a job at Coral Culture. I hope you can forgive my rashness."

"..." The group was speechless at Li Mang's straightforwardness.

Labels like fickle and womanizer instantly stuck to Li Mang. However, surprisingly, the Chen sisters did not feel angry. After all, Li Mang had honestly expressed his thoughts, which made him seem sincere. This was the importance of being frank and transparent.

Of course, not everyone could pull this off. First, one needed a thick skin. Even so, Li Mang felt his face burning as he spoke, deeply feeling his own shamelessness.

With these words, Li Mang silenced the Chen sisters' doubts, but Chen Zishan did not fully believe Li Mang's lies. Although Li Mang's eyes showed admiration and the usual spark when a man saw a beautiful woman, she did not feel any love from him and saw no signs of him pursuing her.

Playing hard to get? Probably not; there was no chemistry between them.

"Love should be steadfast. Being fickle is a vice. Can I interpret it as, when you see a more beautiful girl, you will immediately abandon your thoughts of Miss Zishan?" Wu Long, who had been waiting for a chance to speak, curiously asked.

This guy was full of mischief.

Li Mang glanced at him with a half-smile and said, "Being fickle is human nature, just like corruption. Ask your father; which official doesn't love money? Having such thoughts isn't the problem; the key is whether you can control yourself. I have my doubts about Mr. Wu's steadfastness."

The two women across from him looked at Li Mang with newfound respect. Men like beautiful women, and beautiful women like handsome men; this is human nature, like a cat's instinct to catch mice.

"You're just being sophistical!" Wu Long's face was not pleasant.

"Alright, I am being sophistical," Li Mang readily accepted the criticism but then suddenly changed his tone, looking intently at Wu Long and asking, "But have you never had any improper thoughts about Chen Zishan?"

Faced with Li Mang's and the Chen sisters' strange gazes, Wu Long opened his mouth several times but could not speak, his face turning red. The answer was already clear in the silence, which made the Chen sisters' faces slightly unpleasant.

Li Mang laughed, reached out, and patted his shoulder, saying, "Brother, there's no need to be embarrassed. The Chen sisters are all beautiful. Which man wouldn't like them? Right?"

"Right..." Wu Long instinctively replied, being led by the nose.

Unexpectedly, Wu Rui, who had been advocating for human nature, suddenly became serious and said, "Wu Long, being fickle is a vice, and it needs to be treated!"

"..." Wu Long's expression hardened, and he could only laugh awkwardly, unable to say anything more. He was a second-generation official, but he had grown up in a sheltered environment and had not been exposed to harsh realities. He was no match for Li Mang and was inevitably toyed with.

"Ha!" Chen Zining giggled, covering her mouth, while Chen Zishan rolled her eyes and resumed her cold expression.

Unlike the strange atmosphere below, the heads of the Chen and Wu families were having a pleasant conversation, discussing politics, business, and foreign affairs, with a very cheerful atmosphere.

Of course, Chen Hui did not forget the main purpose of the banquet. After some talk, he suddenly asked, "Your son hasn't settled on a marriage yet, right?"

Wu Hong's eyes narrowed, and he smiled, "Not yet. Since he met your daughter, he has been infatuated. We have tried to introduce him to some girls, but he has always refused."

"Ha, Zining also says your son has great potential!" Chen Hui's face was full of smiles.

After saying this, the two men looked at each other and laughed, finally getting to the point. Wu Hong laughed and said, "Since that's the case, why don't we, as parents, help them? Let them date and see if we can become in-laws!"

"Brother, that's a good idea. Let's set the engagement tonight and find a good day to hold a grand banquet." Chen Hui responded in agreement.

"That's good, but we need to get the children's consent. We can't force a marriage," Wu Hong pretended to deliberate.

"Brother, you're right. This is a matter of their lives, and they must agree," Chen Hui agreed.

Naturally, the man had to take the initiative. Wu Long immediately recovered from his embarrassment, stood up obediently, and said, "Being engaged to Zining is my good fortune in three lifetimes! Zining, I will treat you well in the future."

Chen Zining hesitated slightly but only for a moment. She then stood up gracefully, but just as she was about to speak, something unexpected happened.

"Beep! Beep! Beep..."

A series of urgent alarms interrupted the warm atmosphere of the banquet. The alarms came from the villa's security system, indicating that someone had triggered it.

The faces of the four Chens immediately changed. Ignoring the engagement, they ordered the security guards who had rushed in, "Go and see what's wrong!"

"Boss, it's the study!" a guard reported, running up.

"Go and check it out immediately!" Chen Hui was furious.

Wu Hong's eyes flashed, and he stood up, offering help, "Brother Chen, I have armed guards outside. Do you need any assistance?"

"This... That would be great!" Chen Hui's eyes flickered.

The Chen villa suddenly became on high alert, with security guards rushing in and out. A dozen or so guards were also stationed in the living room to protect the guests, wary of any potential assassins.

Li Mang was also extremely tense, as this was related to his mission. However, seeing the calm expressions of the Chen sisters and Chen Hui, who had regained his composure, he sat back down. Li Mang was certain that the item was safe, and it might not even be in the study; otherwise, the Chens would have been the first to panic.

"Boss, it was the cleaning lady who accidentally touched something." The investigation results came back shortly.

"Oh, I see." Chen Hui's eyes flickered, and he did not comment further, instead apologizing to Wu Hong, "Things have been a bit unstable lately, and some troubles keep coming up. Brother, please forgive me!"

"Better to be cautious." Wu Hong waved it off and then signaled for his guards to leave the villa.

"This cleaning lady is really careless. Didn't I tell her not to go near the study? Take her to the back for some training." Chen Hui instructed the guard beside him.

"Yes, boss!" The guard left with understanding.

Accidentally touching something? Was that possible? The Chen family's servants were well-trained and knew where they could and could not go. The study was a restricted area, and the servants would not wander in there, even a fool could see the oddity.

However, with so many outsiders present, Chen Hui could not speak openly. He hinted for the guards to keep an eye on the offending servant and continued the banquet.

"Since both sides have agreed, let's set the engagement. I'll start preparing the engagement banquet in a few days and invite all the social elites. Brother, what do you think?" Chen Hui asked with a smile, as if nothing had happened.

"That's great. From now on, we are almost in-laws!" Wu Hong laughed heartily, not taking the earlier incident to heart.

The two old foxes were very clever, not showing their true feelings on the surface, but they were clear in their minds. Since their goal was achieved, after giving Chen Zining an emerald bracelet as an engagement gift, the Wu family left.

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