CCTV News: In Beijing, Chen Shuting brings a woman to her door.

Realizing this, Zhong Xiaoai nodded to Gao Qilin.

"Sure, but have you chosen a location yet?"

"Of course, the best choice is Cape No. 7. It's my restaurant, and I've already hired the best chef. As soon as we arrive, we'll be able to enjoy delicious food!"

"Hmm! It seems you've made quite a few arrangements!"

"What are you saying, beautiful lady? It's no trouble at all to invite you to dinner!"

Zhong Xiaoai and Gao Qilin got into the luxury car while talking. When they arrived at the Cape No. 7 restaurant...

Everything was ready, and the restaurant waiters, dressed in suits, carried silver and gold plates and served one delicious dish after another to the table.

At the dinner table, Gao Qilin introduced the delicious dishes to Zhong Xiaoai one by one, just as if they were his own son and daughter.

Gao Qilin was eloquent and persuasive, and he made Zhong Xiaoai laugh heartily.

However, what Zhong Xiaoai didn't know was that at the same time, another table of guests in the private room of Cape No. 7 were also enjoying the same treatment.

The guests at this table are no ordinary people; the hostess at the head of the table is named Gao Xiaoqin.

This woman is also a powerful figure in Jinghai City, and she controls several high-end residential development projects.

Gao Qilin had always wanted to get involved, but he was always blocked by Gao Xiaoqin and the forces behind her.

It seemed as if Gao Xiaoqin's projects were impenetrable.

Gao Qilin had no choice but to find another way. Now, he brought Zhong Xiaoai to Cape No. 7 for dinner to tell Gao Xiaoqin that he also had a powerful backer.

Moreover, his backer is even more reliable than Gao Xiaoqin's!

"I never imagined that the daughter of a high-ranking official would be having dinner with this fishmonger's equipment!"

After Gao Xiaoqin saw this scene in the private room, she muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, Zhao's secretaries and advisors, upon hearing this, also peered out of the private room window and saw Gao Qilin and Zhong Xiaoai chatting and laughing.

Gao Xiaoqin's secretary and advisors all felt that this matter was not simple. In their opinion, Gao Qilin deliberately let Gao Xiaoqin see this banquet.

"Mr. Gao, I think Gao Qilin deliberately let you see this banquet; his purpose is to show you what he's capable of!"

"Mr. Gao, we need to be more cautious this time. After all, Zhong Xiaoai's parents are both extraordinary people."

Gao Xiaoqin was not someone who wouldn't listen to advice, and she understood the meaning behind Gao Qilin's actions.

However, Gao Xiaoqin was unsure exactly how much benefit Gao Qilin wanted to gain from her.

Chapter 218 Drinking and Singing

"I understand. Don't panic. Gao Qilin deliberately let me see him having dinner with Zhong Xiaoai. I think he only has one purpose."

"So they're using Zhong Xiaoai's connection to pressure me into giving him some of the projects I have!"

Gao Xiaoqin truly lives up to her reputation as a strong woman. When her subordinates were all frantic with worry because of Gao Qilin's questionable actions, she managed to calm them down.

Her expression remained unchanged; she continued doing what she was doing with the same calm demeanor as before.

As the saying goes, a bad soldier is just one bad soldier, but a bad general makes a bad army.

Seeing that Gao Xiaoqin could remain calm, the people around her naturally stopped panicking.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Gao Xiaoqin's most trusted strategist came up with a plan.

"President Gao, I think Gao Qilin arranged for us to have dinner with Zhong Xiaoai, and his only purpose is to use Zhong Xiaoai's network of connections to pressure us!"

“I think this is easy to handle. Since Gao Qilin is doing this for personal gain, let’s play to his interests and figure out his true intentions.”

"Let's see how much profit he wants to extract from us. But it's only fair to reciprocate, so we should also find a way to extract some profits from Gao Qilin!"

Gao Xiaoqin was very satisfied with the strategist's method; she felt that things had already come to this point.

This is the best way, and besides, Gao Qilin isn't a madman.

He's smarter than anyone else, and his mind is clearer than anyone else's.

Back then, Gao Xiaoqin rejected Gao Qilin's offer to invest.

Instead of flying into a rage, Gao Qilin invited Gao Xiaoqin and her think tank to dinner at his restaurant.

Based on this alone, Gao Xiaoqin concluded that Gao Qilin was a particularly ruthless character who could endure a lot.

Such people are adept at handling interpersonal relationships and will never be blinded by immediate gains.

They won't make everyone unhappy because of a momentary temper. In short, you can only cooperate with such a person, not make an enemy of them.

Thinking of all this, Gao Xiaoqin couldn't help but laugh.

"Interesting. I haven't encountered such a capable and competent opponent in a long time!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Xiaoqin's strategist asked in a low voice.

"Mr. Gao, shall I go to Gao Qilin's company tomorrow? Don't worry, I'll have a good talk with him!"

"No need. Since Gao Qilin has treated me with such courtesy, I naturally can't neglect him. I'll go there myself tomorrow. I want to see what this guy Gao Qilin is really up to!"

Seeing that Gao Xiaoqin had made up her mind, her think tank naturally didn't say anything more.

At this point, Gao Qilin and Zhong Xiaoai both drank a few glasses of foreign liquor.

Both of them were a little tipsy under the influence of alcohol, but Gao Qilin was a seasoned drinker.

The phrase "can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk" was used to describe him, but Zhong Xiaoai is different.

She likes to drink, but she can't say she's a good drinker; after just a few glasses of foreign liquor, her tongue gets a little tied up.

"Old Gao, to be honest, you can be quite likable at times, but you should probably correct some of your bad habits!"

"I don't want to be with you in the future and have to put up with all your bad habits!"

Zhong Xiaoai was unaware that this was exactly what Gao Qilin was waiting for. Before this, his relationship with Zhong Xiaoai had always been ambiguous.

In Gao Qilin's opinion, Zhong Xiaoai might just be tired of dating high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

She'd had too many good things to eat, so she wanted to try her "street stall" food.

But now Gao Qilin knows that Zhong Xiaoai has truly fallen for him.

"No, I need to keep this in check. It's not easy to win over Zhong Xiaoai's heart. I can't get carried away. I need to leave her with some more profound memories!"

"I know that women like Zhong Xiaoai admire people who can accomplish great things!"

"Her idol is her father, so I must achieve something great so that Zhong Xiaoai will respect me and be unable to leave me!"

Realizing this, Gao Qilin smiled and said to Zhong Xiaoai.

"Xiao Ai, do you know about the Shanshui Group?"

Upon hearing the words "Shanshui Group," Zhong Xiaoai immediately sobered up by half!

She knew this group all too well; it was a well-known large enterprise in Jinghai City!

In the entire city of Jinghai, directly or indirectly, more than 100,000 people rely on this company for their livelihood!

Some well-known local enterprises hope to have some connection with Shanshui Group, even if they can't make a profit, they can still benefit from Shanshui Group's reputation!

"What? You're not trying to tell me that you want your company to be as big as the Shanshui Group in the future, are you? That's a well-known company throughout the province and the country!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Qilin smiled slightly at Zhong Xiaoai.

"My ambitions go beyond this. There's already a Shanshui Group in the world, so there's no point in me creating another one!"

"I want to do it! I want to build a bigger company than Shanshui Group, and I want General Manager Gao from Shanshui Group to work for me instead of me having to cater to her!"

Chapter 219 The Former's Meeting

"Bragging...bragging!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiaoai couldn't help but laugh out loud. She had just sobered up halfway and was now feeling drowsy again!

Zhong Xiaoai believes that having ambition is a good thing, but one should not be too arrogant.

If you don't understand your own place in the world, it's easy to get lost in this dazzling world.

Zhong Xiaoai thought that Gao Qilin was indeed capable, but it would be a blessing if he could run a company smaller than Shanshui Group in the future.

His desire to surpass the Shanshui Group is, of course, impossible.

However, Zhong Xiaoai was not a venomous woman, so she naturally wouldn't go all the way to ruin Gao Qilin's reputation.

At this moment, Zhong Xiaoai just smiled and said that Gao Qilin was bragging, then she lay down on the table and fell fast asleep.

Gao Qilin knew that Zhong Xiaoai came from a prestigious family and that she usually paid great attention to her image.

But today, Zhong Xiaoai revealed her most authentic self to Gao Qilin without any reservations.

If Zhong Xiaoai didn't truly love Gao Qilin, how could she have done that?

"Xiao Ai, don't worry, I know how much you like me, and I will never let you down!"

After Gao Qilin took the drunk Zhong Xiaoai back to the hotel, he went home alone.

Gao Qilin was able to remain unmoved by the beautiful woman who offered herself to him.

That's because he understood that he had to remain calm in the face of a woman from such a prestigious family.

Zhong Xiaoai is different from those girls who frequent bars and nightclubs; she is not a woman he can easily play with.

"Mr. Gao, the people from Shanshui Group finally called us. It sounds like they want to negotiate with us tomorrow!"