Chapter 53: Misunderstanding

After the attendants on both sides of the door pushed it open, Liu Dong only had time to see a magnificent, elaborately decorated hall of about a thousand square meters before him. Before he could take in more, he was interrupted by various scrutinizing, surprised, and disbelieving gazes from all directions.

As they entered, the previously lively and bustling hall suddenly fell silent, as if a quacking duck had been abruptly choked, unable to make a sound. This sudden shift from noise to silence made Liu Dong clearly feel the charm of Wang Qiang for the first time.

To be honest, it was the first time Liu Dong had been the center of attention for over a hundred people. Even with his usual composure, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? You usually seem so steady," Wang Qiang asked with a light laugh after they found a seat in a corner and saw Liu Dong loosen his tie, looking relieved.

Hearing this, Liu Dong couldn't help but roll his eyes and retort, "Who wouldn't feel uncomfortable being stared at like a circus monkey by so many people?"

"Oh, I'm often stared at by many people. According to what you said, I must be a circus monkey too?" Wang Qiang gave him a playful glare.

"Ha, how could that be? Sister Wang is a great beauty!"

"You know your place!"

As they chatted, a girl in a blue dress, wearing high heels, with a round face and big eyes, and a ponytail, walked over holding a wine glass. "Sister Wang, aren't you going to introduce this handsome guy to me?" She placed the glass on a low table and hugged Wang Qiang's delicate neck from the side.

"Hey, you naughty thing, let go of me. Can't you see so many people around?" Wang Qiang lightly tapped the girl's smooth forehead and whispered.

"Let them look. They're all acquaintances anyway. Besides, they're looking at you, the super beauty, not me!" The girl released Wang Qiang's neck and sat down on the sofa next to her.

"You naughty girl, always talking nonsense!" Wang Qiang gave her a playful glare and introduced her to Liu Dong, who was sitting to her left: "Xiao Dong, this is my colleague at the company, Jiang Tingting. Tingting, this is...!" Here, Wang Qiang's eyes showed a moment of hesitation, but it quickly disappeared. "This is my boyfriend, Liu Dong!"

As soon as Wang Qiang finished speaking, Jiang Tingting's eyes widened, and her small mouth opened so wide that her tongue was clearly visible. "Sister Wang, you can't be serious?" Her voice was so loud that it immediately drew everyone's attention back to them.

Sitting next to her, Wang Qiang was startled by her high-pitched exclamation and lightly tapped her smooth forehead. "Tingting, why are you shouting so loudly? Do you want everyone to know?"

"He, you, is he really your boyfriend?" Jiang Tingting, holding her forehead, ignored the pain and pointed back and forth between Liu Dong and Wang Qiang, asking in disbelief, "You're serious?"

Wang Qiang's expression showed a moment of hesitation, but thinking of the persistent suitors at the company, she nodded firmly.

She had intended to tell her good friend that her relationship with Liu Dong was just a temporary pretense. But considering Jiang Tingting's straightforward and blunt nature, she ultimately didn't say it.

Seeing Wang Qiang nod, Jiang Tingting was stunned for a moment before suddenly standing up. She leaned over the table, her hands on it, and her big eyes fixed on Liu Dong.

Liu Dong, who had never experienced such close attention from a beauty second only to Wang Qiang, felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Tingting, what are you doing?" Wang Qiang, noticing her strange behavior and Liu Dong's awkward expression, asked urgently.

After a moment, Jiang Tingting stroked her smooth, white chin and said critically, "Hmm, his demeanor is decent, and his clothes are designer, so he seems to have money, but he's not very handsome!" She then turned around, grabbed Wang Qiang's right arm, and asked with a gossipy look, "Sister Wang, did your parents arrange this, or did someone drug you one day, and this guy saved you, and then you ended up together? Is that it?"

Hearing this, Liu Dong felt an urge to bang his head against the wall. He had never met a girl with such a blunt and gossipy nature.

"Tingting, have you been reading too many romance novels? It's not like that," Wang Qiang said, blushing.

"Then why did you choose him? Wang Haitao and Zhong Zhen are much better looking, and that rich guy from Han's Jewelry who's been pursuing you is also better than this guy!"

"Miss, am I really that bad?" Liu Dong touched his nose, feeling annoyed. He could tell that Wang Qiang's good friend was just being blunt, so he wasn't really angry.

Wang Qiang glared at Jiang Tingting and turned to Liu Dong with an apologetic look. "Xiao Dong, she's just straightforward and speaks her mind. Don't take it to heart!"

"What? Sister Wang...!" Jiang Tingting, who was about to say more, was silenced by Wang Qiang's stern look and pouted, sulking.

However, just as Wang Qiang had calmed Jiang Tingting down, new trouble arrived.

"Look, Zhong Zhen is coming over!"

"Right, this will be interesting. Zhong Zhen is the most aggressive suitor for Wang Qiang in the company. Now that someone so close to Wang Qiang has appeared, they won't rest until they get to the bottom of it!"

"I thought Wang Qiang never showed interest in any of her suitors. So, she has a boyfriend?"

"But that guy doesn't look very good. What a pity, such a beautiful woman like Wang Qiang, and that guy is so lucky!"

"Good cabbage is always taken by pigs..."

"Wang Qiang's taste is really bad, to choose such a person!"

Hearing the comments around him, Liu Dong felt a surge of frustration. Although he wasn't particularly handsome, he didn't think he was as bad as they said.

"Qiangqiang, I don't know who this friend is, but he looks unfamiliar," said a young man in a silver-gray suit, with a handsome face but thin lips that gave him a sharp look, as he approached with a wine glass in hand.

"From the comments, I guess he must be one of Sister Wang's suitors, Zhong Zhen," Liu Dong thought.

"Zhong Zhen, our relationship isn't that close, so please call me by my name in the future to avoid misunderstandings," Wang Qiang said, frowning.

Zhong Zhen's smile faltered, and a flash of anger crossed his eyes, though it quickly disappeared. Liu Dong, who was paying close attention, noticed the change in his expression.

"Qiangqiang..."

Before he could finish, Liu Dong, who was sitting next to him, interrupted sharply, "Sir, didn't you hear what my girlfriend just said? Qiangqiang isn't someone you can call so casually!" Liu Dong, feeling frustrated, had no patience for this man who was trying to win the affection of the woman he liked.