Chapter 132: Retreating Three Miles

Chapter 132: Retreating Three Miles

"Hey, buddy, do us a favor and turn around."

"Handsome, turn around and let everyone get a look."

Wang Kai and his companions spoke with smiles, though their tone was somewhat unfriendly. Jiang Chuxue was a close friend of theirs and the girl Sheng Yang was fond of. Over the years, they had helped Sheng Yang chase away many competitors, and this time was no exception.

"Wang Kai, Shanshan..."

Jiang Chuxue had just started to speak when she was interrupted by a girl who sat down next to her with a radiant smile, wrapping an arm around her and chatting away about nothing in particular, clearly trying to divert her attention.

The handsome Sheng Yang continued to gaze at the goddess of his heart. He ignored Li Xin because he already knew exactly who this man was.

As wealthy socialites, Wang Kai and his friends were used to living carefree and indulgent lives and rarely concerned themselves with the gaming industry. Even though Jiang Chuxue was the Vice President of Pepsi, they only cared about it in passing. Sheng Yang, however, was different; everything regarding the Pepsi Club was well within his knowledge and control.

Li Xin was an outside talent hired by Pepsi at a high salary, and he had even brought tens of millions in capital to the club, connecting them with figures like Ma Long from Jinhua.

Such a person was naturally a lucky star for the Pepsi Club and was deeply favored by the top management. It was normal for Jiang Chuxue to have a meal with a subordinate, but the key was the location.

As superiors and subordinates, they should have chosen a more formal setting, like Furui Ju or a three-star Michelin restaurant. Instead, they chose Wanda.

What kind of place was this? In people's minds, it was a place for leisure and entertainment. In Sheng Yang's eyes, the meaning of this meal between Li Xin and Jiang Chuxue naturally shifted.

Furthermore, intelligence from his informants indicated that Jiang Chuxue was very kind and attentive toward Li Xin.

With these factors combined, Sheng Yang was naturally displeased. With his status and position, he could never receive such gentle treatment from Jiang Chuxue despite his constant attentiveness; why should this kid deserve it? Wasn't he just a lowly professional gamer?

Sheng Yang tacitly approved of the actions taken by Wang Kai and his friends.

Li Xin had figured all of this out early on. He sighed inwardly, truly not wanting to be dragged into this. However, since they had asked, he figured it would be better to provide an explanation.

He turned around and offered a faint, amicable smile.

"Hello everyone. I am an outside talent for the Pepsi Club and a subordinate of President Jiang. Being new to HZ, I'm not familiar with the area, so President Jiang kindly took some time out of her schedule to show me around and help me relax."

Faced with such an attitude and response, Wang Kai and the others, despite being fully prepared to stir up trouble, felt helpless and waved him off sheepishly.

Sheng Yang was also somewhat surprised, thinking to himself that this kid at least knew how to be tactful. Jiang Chuxue frowned slightly as she looked at Li Xin, lost in thought.

"You guys keep chatting; I'm going to the restroom."

Li Xin smiled faintly, stood up, and walked toward the corner of the restaurant. The atmosphere in the booth softened and relaxed significantly.

However, after just a moment, it became even more awkward.

Shanshan rolled her eyes and quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Hey, we booked a top-tier private room, and there's a time limit. If we don't go now, we'll be wasting a lot of money!"

The group burst into laughter, teasing Shanshan for being a money-grubber, and the atmosphere eased up once more.

Sheng Yang looked at Jiang Chuxue with burning intensity and asked with a smile, "Chuxue, are you coming?"

"No, I have work to discuss with Li Xin in a bit." Jiang Chuxue remained as calm and gentle as ever. "You know, the day after tomorrow is the provincial CF final. As the team lead, I naturally need to discuss tactics with him, the team captain."

"..." Sheng Yang was speechless, stuttering a few times without saying anything.

"Alright, then you go ahead and get busy. Remember to contact me when you're finished. We still have to see Kai-Kai off later."

"Okay, I understand."

"Then we'll be going."

Sheng Yang forced a smile and led his group away. About five minutes later, Li Xin returned. Jiang Chuxue had already paid the bill and was holding a steaming cup of coffee, watching the bustle of the floor below.

"President Jiang, you're quite leisurely."

"Life always requires finding a little joy for oneself. For me, a cup of coffee is a pleasure." Jiang Chuxue looked back with a smile, truly breathtaking.

"President Jiang is easily satisfied," Li Xin said with a faint smile, not giving it much thought.

"Heh..." Jiang Chuxue chuckled, a flicker of disappointment crossing her phoenix-like eyes.

After finishing their drinks, the two headed for the elevator to the third floor. The dining and leisure area was on the fifth floor, while shopping was on the third. In a corner near the elevator, a young man stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, watching them leave before pulling out his phone to make a call.

Coming to HZ this time had been a last-minute decision made by Jiang Ke'er at dusk, so Li Xin had packed in a hurry and didn't bring many clothes. He hadn't expected the temperature to drop drastically the very next day. While it wasn't cold inside the house, his clothes were insufficient for the outdoors. Strictly speaking, this started from his retirement from Dongjia.

His retirement had been rushed, and he hadn't brought his clothes or daily necessities back to Wujiang. Li Xin was a homebody, and he rarely went to malls, so he didn't have many heavy clothes at home.

Jiang Chuxue was very attentive and had keenly noticed this. As his superior, it was necessary for her to take care of her subordinate's life so that Li Xin could focus all his attention on the competition.

And so, Li Xin became a fitting model, mechanically following Jiang Chuxue's directions as he tried on outfit after outfit. This boss was quite generous; this bit of expense was nothing to her, and he wouldn't be polite about it. He would just ask Jiang Ke'er for her WeChat ID later and transfer the money to avoid any disputes on the spot that would ruin the mood.

Not far away, the young man from upstairs was still leisurely leaning against a pillar, observing their every move. He made phone calls from time to time, seemingly reporting or making arrangements.

Soon, Jiang Chuxue decided on her own and bought five sets of clothes for Li Xin. She swiped her card to pay, and they prepared to leave with bags in hand.

Suddenly, a bald man walked into the boutique, holding a charming young woman in his arms. The man was burly with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and his attire was quite flashy; one look at him and you could tell he was a successful man. As he walked, his right hand was restless, wandering over the woman's body, making the beauty giggle and act flirtatiously, drawing much attention.

"Third Master, you're here." Several sales assistants immediately crowded around him, fawning and respectful.

This Third Master was a famous bigwig in HZ, a frequent customer of their store, and not someone to be slighted.

"Hmm." The bald man grunted and scanned the store. "Are there any new styles?"

"Yes, yes. Third Master, please come this way, I'll have the staff prepare them immediately." The store manager smiled warmly, fawning over him as much as possible.

"Good." The bald man smiled and walked toward the lounge area with his companion, acting as if they were the only two people in the world.

Jiang Chuxue frowned slightly. She recognized this man; he used to be a street tough, but over the years, he had used his own methods to "clean up" his act. He was now a tycoon worth over a billion, with quite a reputation in HZ. She had no fondness for such people and certainly wouldn't associate with them.

"Let's go," she said with a smile to Li Xin.

"Right."

The two picked up their things to leave. In the process of passing by, trouble inevitably arose.