The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

As dusk settled over the eaves of Wangjing Tower, the private rooms became lively.

Lu Linchuan and Xu Mingxuan were playing billiards, while Fang Shuning sat on the sofa playing on her phone.

Meng Jiangyu led Shen Qingyao in, hand in hand, as they were led in by a waiter.

Xu Mingxuan saw Meng Jiangyu leading Shen Qingyao in and came over to greet them: "Fifth Brother, you've finally arrived!"

Meng Jiangyu handed their coats to the waiter, saying, "Thank you!"

His gaze fell on Shen Qingyao. "Miss Shen, it's been a long time!"

Shen Qingyao smiled, "Hello, Mr. Xu!"

"You're too kind, just call me Mingxuan!"

"Okay, Mingxuan!"

Lu Linchuan put down his billiard cue, nodded in acknowledgment, and sat down next to Fang Shuning.

Xu Mingxuan asked curiously, "It's amazing that a workaholic like you goes on vacation."

Meng Jiangyu knew he was teasing him.

Meng Jiangyu didn't reply to him, but led Shen Qingyao straight to the sofa and sat down.

Xu Mingxuan then sat down as well.

"Qingyao, long time no see." Fang Shuning greeted her with a smile, her tone naturally familiar.

The last time they met was at the hot spring resort, where they got along very well.

"Sister Fang!" Shen Qingyao responded politely.

"Qingyao, do you know how to play billiards?" Fang Shuning put down her teacup.

"I know a little, but scoring goals depends on fate!" Meng Jiangyu poured Shen Qingyao a cup of hot water.

"Perfect match, me too! Let's play a game!"

"Okay!" The two held hands and went to the side to play billiards.

Zhou Yanqiu came in after finishing her phone call on the balcony. She happened to pass the pool table and raised an eyebrow when she saw Shen Qingyao: "Good evening, Miss Shen!"

"Good evening, Mr. Zhou!"

Zhou Yanqiu came to the sofa area, looked at Meng Jiangyu, and asked, "Cousin, is the South of France fun?"

"not bad!"

A workaholic suddenly changes his ways and starts enjoying life, which naturally piques everyone's curiosity.

Lu Linchuan spoke up, "People who only care about work can enjoy life now?"

"I've met someone I want to live with." Meng Jiangyu picked up his teacup, brought it to his lips, and realized that "life is a verb!"

"Oh my, how fresh!" Zhou Yanqiu said, sipping his tea.

"It's over, Fifth Brother is done for!" Xu Mingxuan laughed.

"This is called 'iron tree blossoming'," Lu Linchuan said, brewing tea.

Meng Jiangyu looked at Shen Qingyao, who was choosing her golf clubs, his eyes filled with love. "This is love!"

On the billiards side, Shen Qingyao teed off and, luckily, potted a single-color ball.

Fang Shuning clapped, "Amazing! You scored right at the start!"

"It's my newbie protection period!" Shen Qingyao said modestly as she scored another goal.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"Luck, luck!" Shen Qingyao said with a smile, and the next ball directly gave Fang Shuning a free ball.

Fang Shuning took a free kick and scored two goals in quick succession.

"Wow, Sister Fang, that's amazing!"

After more than ten rounds, neither of them scored a single goal, but they still played with great interest.

Over in the sofa area, the four of them were discussing the initial plans for a new supply chain project.

When the group had finished chatting, Zhou Yanqiu asked his assistant Zhao Yu to write up a report on the project plan, and Xu Mingxuan arranged for the dishes to be served.

Meng Jiangyu and Lu Linchuan saw the little girls in the billiards area still struggling with their respective five balls.

The two exchanged a helpless smile and walked towards the billiards area.

Shen Qingyao was utterly speechless. "Why can't this number 3 ball go in?!"

"My number 10 ball is the same! It's so annoying!"

Shen Qingyao rolled up her sleeves. "I refuse to believe it!"

Meng Jiangyu and Lu Linchuan watched Shen Qingyao and Fang Shuning play ball. Their posture was very standard, but their ball control was lacking.

"I'll teach you!" Meng Jiangyu stood behind Shen Qingyao, and the two served together, "thud!"

Ball number three goes into the pocket, followed by balls number one, four, five, and seven in that order.

Shen Qingyao was overjoyed, experiencing the feeling of being a master for the first time.

All we need to do is pot the black eight ball and we win. "I'll take the last one myself!"

"Okay!" Meng Jiangyu loosened his tee shot.

As expected, Shen Qingyao missed again.

Fang Shuning looked at Lu Linchuan and said coquettishly, "Brother, come help me!"

Lu Linchuan smiled and walked behind Fang Shuning, clearing the table with a single shot, leaving only the black eight on the table.

Fang Shuning pushed Lu Linchuan away, "I'll do the last ball myself!"

"Alright!" Lu Linchuan laughed as he released his club. "You little ingrate!"

Xu Mingxuan called Meng Jiangyu and Lu Linchuan to the wine cellar to select wine, leaving only the two of them in the private room.

Waiters came in one after another to serve the dishes.

"Call me Invincible East!" Shen Qingyao picked up the cue stick with great ambition, but missed the target.

"Hahahaha!" Fang Shuning laughed until her stomach hurt.

Shen Qingyao sighed helplessly, "This ball must be cursed!"

Fang Shuning picked up the cue stick. "Please call me... Dongfang Bubai (Invincible East)."

As expected, it missed.

When the group returned from the wine cellar, Shen Qingyao and Fang Shuning were still fighting with Hei Ba.

Meng Jiangyu and Lu Linchuan were both amused and exasperated by the dejected two.

Meng Jiangyu walked over and said, "Yaoyao, I think there's something wrong with this pool table."

Shen Qingyao handed the cue stick to Meng Jiangyu, saying, "I knew my luck was terrible today!"

Lu Linchuan also complained, "I think there's something wrong with this cue stick. How could my darling not be able to sink the ball!"

Fang Shuning put down the club. "No wonder!"

Xu Mingxuan was speechless. What does this have to do with me? The pool table at my Wangjinglou is top-notch, okay?

These two King Zhous dared not object, saying, "Replace it tomorrow!"

Zhou Yanqiu laughed uncontrollably from the side.

Meng Jiangyu led Shen Qingyao to the dining table, and Fang Shuning sat down next to her: "I went to Nice to shoot some films a while ago. The sunsets there are absolutely stunning, especially the rooftops in the old town. The setting sun makes them look like they've been sprinkled with gold dust."

"Yes, yes," Shen Qingyao's eyes lit up, "We even took some Polaroid photos at a coffee shop, and the owner said we'd put them on our couples' wall."

"How did you two manage to run into each other? I think the boss thinks you two are eye-catching and wants to use you for publicity!"

"I guessed so. The South of France is truly beautiful, except for the incredibly strong sun!"

"Yeah, I got a whole shade darker tan last time I went there."

The two hit it off, sharing topics that girls enjoy, such as travel and photography.

The waiters poured wine and served food to everyone.

"Did you manage to close that deal that'd been stuck for six months in Switzerland? I heard from my subordinates that the other party's boss was incredibly difficult to deal with," Lu Linchuan said.

Meng Jiangyu peeled shrimp for Shen Qingyao, his tone indifferent: "She's not difficult to deal with, just found the right approach."

The guys had never seen Meng Jiangyu serve people before, so tonight was quite an eye-opener.

The warmth of the private room mingled with the aroma of food, the clinking of glasses, laughter, and the occasional business conversation.

Shen Qingyao held her juice glass, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the inside of the glass, listening to the others discuss the supply chain challenges in the project.

Xu Mingxuan frowned and said, "The approval process for that plot of land in the west of the city has stalled again. The other party is insisting on the floor area ratio, and if it drags on any longer, the construction period will be exceeded."

Zhou Yanqiu tapped his fingertips on the table: "I asked around, and the new person in charge there is an 'old-fashioned' guy who only cares about the policy terms and is completely unyielding."

Meng Jiangyu leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly resting on the edge of the table: "Doesn't he adhere to the written rules? There's a flexible clause in the new regulations that will be released tomorrow, which will allow him to fit in."

He looked up at Lu Linchuan and said, "Have the legal department prepare the documents. I'll have Jason go there tomorrow."

Xu Mingxuan nodded: "Okay, I'll have Ah Xing work overtime tonight to get it done."

"Regarding that new energy cooperation we discussed last time, the CEO is going to Shenzhen next week. Would you like to meet him there?"

Meng Jiangyu pondered for a moment, then said, "Okay."

The two girls showed absolutely no interest in the topics the men were discussing.

Fang Shuning whispered in Shen Qingyao's ear, "This bird's nest and shredded chicken soup is delicious, you should try it."

Shen Qingyao smiled and said, "Okay!"

Shen Qingyao took a small sip; it was refreshing and not greasy at all. "Delicious!"

She glanced at Meng Jiangyu, who was listening to Zhou Yanqiu speak. The light fell on his well-defined profile, making him appear more composed.

Just as Shen Qingyao was about to speak to Fang Shuning, she saw Meng Jiangyu looking over with a questioning look in his eyes.

She shook her head and smiled at him.

The laughter and conversation inside the private room continued, and the deepening twilight outside the window seemed to envelop the lively atmosphere in an even warmer glow.