Chapter 712 -713: Miss Xia is Mr. Li’s Lover
Xia Yangyang instinctively glanced at Gu Qichen next to her.
Gu Qichen’s face was cold, as if the temperature around him had dropped abruptly.
Xia Yangyang quickly averted her gaze.
Count Alexander and his wife greeted Xia Yangyang with a handshake, speaking to her in Chinese: “We always hear Mr. Li mention Miss Xia. Today, upon meeting you, you are indeed beautiful and charming. To use a Chinese saying, you can ‘captivate fish and make birds fall, shut the moon and outshine flowers’.”
The people around enthusiastically complimented the Count’s proficiency in Chinese idioms.
Xia Yangyang confidently exchanged greetings with them.
The Countess, evidently, was very close to Xi Zijun and also introduced Li Zhiqian to her.
Xi Zijun wasn’t familiar with Li Zhiqian, had heard before that there were eight wine merchants competing for the wine agency rights.
The other seven wine merchants were basically industry leaders in China, all with a long history.
But there was one that Xi Zijun hadn’t heard of.
It seemed to have recently risen to prominence and she couldn’t find much information about it.
However, it was precisely this one that was highly favored by Count Alexander and it had always been a powerful competitor to her.
Xi Zijun always had this feeling that this competitor was operating in the shadows while she was in the spotlight; she couldn’t see through their tactics at all.
Although she was secured as the wine agency’s representative, she had expended considerable effort behind the scenes before this. She was very curious about this mysterious Mr. Li and was eager to meet him in person.
Today, upon seeing him, he was a bit different from what she had imagined. Those who could compete for the wine agency rights of Count Alexander’s company were typically industry leaders, most of whom were older than fifty. Among the nine representatives, the youngest were her, Xi Zijun, and this Mr. Li.
Mr. Li was not in a suit, but in a black trench coat. Wearing glasses, looking refined and harmless, yet possessing a detached and regal aura which suggested he was a formidable character.
Xi Zijun shook hands with Li Zhiqian.
“Mr. Li, I’ve long admired your reputation.”
“Miss Xi’s name is well-known, meeting you today is an honor.”
Xia Yangyang stood silently by the side.
They were business people, pretentious and two-faced on the surface; their courteous words concealed sharp knives, like old friends who had a deep friendship and were reuniting after a long time apart.
But behind the scenes, they didn’t know how many times they had stabbed each other for their interests.
This is why Xia Yangyang didn’t like the business world.
She liked journalism, because it’s real. Truth is truth, fact is fact. There’s no need to wear a hypocritical mask and feign a smile.
Just as Xia Yangyang was lost in thought, Xi Zijun had already set her gaze on Xia Yangyang.
Xi Zijun seemed to smile: “Seeing Miss Xia here is really a pleasant surprise. Miss Xia is truly… irresistible, every time we see you, you always give us a big surprise.”
Xia Yangyang could hear the sarcasm in Xi Zijun’s words.
It’s no wonder she said that. It hadn’t been many days since she returned to China. She was tangled up with Gu Qichen, and previously at the Xi family home, Gu Zhaohan publicly declared that she was his fiancée.
Now, she became the lover of Li Zhiqian. Anybody in her place would probably be seen as flighty, shuttling between different men.
The Countess was a bit surprised: “Zijun, it seems you know Miss Xia.”
Xi Zijun laughed cheerfully: “We are old acquaintances. But I never knew that Miss Xia was Mr. Li’s lover.”
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