Upon suddenly seeing these few burly men, Nalan Suqin couldn't help but furrow her brows, a trace of suspicion appearing in her eyes. The room number and reservation name were correct, but she didn't recognize these people at all.
The burly man with a dragon tattoo hesitated upon seeing Nalan Suqin. His eyes narrowed into slits, and a green light flashed in them as he stared at her graceful figure.
He thought to himself, what a pretty chick, Li Shiming really wasn't lying!
"You must be Manager Nalan Suqin," the dragon-tattooed man suddenly stood up and said with a smile.
"That's correct, and you are?" Nalan Suqin asked, puzzled.
"We are friends of Li Shiming. He had an urgent matter today and sent us to sign the contract with Manager Nalan on his behalf. I'm Gao Jian," the dragon-tattooed man said with a grin, clasping his fists.
Nalan Suqin furrowed her brows. She didn't expect Li Shiming to be so brazen as to send a few thugs to dismiss her.
Moreover, looking at the attire of these individuals, Nalan Suqin felt intense dislike and said, "Since Mr. Li has an urgent matter, we can sign another time when he is available. I'll excuse myself for now."
As she spoke, Nalan Suqin was about to turn around and leave!
Bang~
Suddenly, there was a dull sound!
A henchman next to Gao Jian suddenly slapped the table and angrily said, "Damn woman, our Hall Master hasn't spoken yet, who allowed you to leave!"
Upon hearing this, Nalan Suqin's delicate brows immediately knotted together!
When Lin Fan heard the word "Hall Master," his eyes also narrowed tightly!
"Damn it! Who told you to slam the table? Manager Nalan is noble and delicate; what if she's frightened?" Gao Jian suddenly rose, slapping the henchman on the back of his head with a mocking laugh.
"Right, right! The boss is right. Manager Nalan wasn't scared, was she? Should we go to the hospital to check?"
"Hahaha~"
The henchmen around burst into laughter.
Immediately, a chill appeared on Nalan Suqin's face. Being a manager at Yanyu Group, she was above thousands of people, beneath only a few, how could she tolerate being insulted by a few thugs!
Just as Nalan Suqin was about to turn to leave, a hand suddenly landed at her waist, rhythmically tapping three times.
Curiously, Nalan Suqin turned her head and saw Lin Fan, grinning at her. She cast a questioning look at Lin Fan, but he didn't respond and instead squinted at Gao Jian and the others.
From Su Funong, Lin Fan had learned that Zheng Group secretly controlled an underground force, and the company that Nalan Suqin was about to sign with was a subsidiary under Zheng Group. The most crucial point was that Lin Fan overheard the henchman calling Gao Jian "Hall Master"!
Hall Master, in a gang, is a position lower only than the Gang Leader and elders, overseeing one territory and numerous henchmen. If Lin Fan's guess was right, this Gao Jian was definitely related to the underground force under Zheng Group!
"Manager, since Brother Gao is here to sign the contract on behalf of Mr. Li, wouldn't it be impolite for us to just walk away?" Lin Fan said with a strange smile.
With Lin Fan speaking, Gao Jian and the others just then noticed Lin Fan. However, seeing Lin Fan was ordinary, neither carrying the arrogance of a superior nor the swagger of a big brother on the streets, only a hint of nonchalance.
But this nonchalance posed no threat in Gao Jian's eyes, and he didn't pay any attention to Lin Fan.
"Who are you?" Gao Jian asked arrogantly.
"I'm just an ordinary employee at Yanyu Group. Someone as handsome as you, Brother Gao, surely wouldn't know me," Lin Fan smiled, flattering Gao Jian.
Gao Jian was taken aback, then burst into laughter. Everyone knew that Gao Jian was genuinely ugly, but because of his high status, few dared to call him ugly. Hearing Lin Fan call him handsome made him very excited!
Yet as Lin Fan watched Gao Jian's trembling fat face, he felt nauseous, almost vomiting his last night's meal. Damn, being ugly isn't your fault, but scaring people in broad daylight sure deserves a beating!
"Haha! I like honest brothers like you. Call me handsome, let me hear that again," Gao Jian laughed like he was playing with a clown.
"Yes, yes! Handsome brother," Lin Fan said with a silly grin, pretending to be dumb.
Gao Jian laughed heartily, enjoying it immensely. But his gaze towards Lin Fan became even more disdainful, thinking his kingly aura had overwhelmed Lin Fan.
Then, Gao Jian's gaze shifted back to Nalan Suqin, once again greedily sizing up her graceful figure, with his lascivious gaze completely unabashed!
"Manager Nalan, since your colleague has stayed, surely you wouldn't dishonor me, Gao Jian, right?" Gao Jian said with a threat implied in his cold laughter.
"Since Mr. Gao is so hospitable, then I, as a humble woman, shall accept it," Nalan Suqin said with a forced smile.
Though Nalan Suqin didn't know what Lin Fan was up to, she didn't want to disrupt his plan. Rather, she was somewhat curious, and sat down expectantly.
"Haha! Manager Nalan is truly a person of character. I, Gao Jian, like to be friends with people of character," Gao Jian said, laughing heartily.
"Mr. Gao, let's not waste words, let's sign the contract first," Nalan Suqin said solemnly.
"Manager Nalan, I, Gao Jian, have a habit of never discussing business at the table. However, I can make an exception for Manager Nalan; if you have a drink with me, I'll sign the contract. How about it?" Gao Jian's eyes narrowed, his smile strange.
Nalan Suqin frowned, seeing Gao Jian's lustful eyes focusing on her, she felt goosebumps. If it were not for Lin Fan, she would have left already!
"Sorry, I'm allergic to alcohol, I don't drink!" Nalan Suqin said with a forced smile.
"Oh? Really? But I heard that Manager Nalan is quite gallant at the drinking table. Is it that Manager Nalan thinks I'm not up to par, not giving me face?" Gao Jian's expression immediately chilled by three degrees.
"How could it be possible? I think you've misunderstood, Brother Gao. My manager has been unwell recently, still taking medication, so she can't drink. If you don't mind, let me toast you instead," Lin Fan quickly stood up to smooth things over, smiling.
"Damn it! What are you? You think you're qualified to drink with our Hall Master?" a henchman pointed at Lin Fan, cursing angrily.
Lin Fan's brows immediately furrowed tightly, but soon relaxed, with his smile growing even more pronounced.
Seeing Lin Fan was insulted yet unexpectedly didn't explode, Nalan Suqin's heart was filled with curiosity. From what she knew of Lin Fan, he was not someone who tolerated insults easily. What was he planning?
Nalan Suqin, unimpressed by Lin Fan's mistreatment, said, "How about I drink some red wine?"
"Manager Nalan is indeed straightforward. Quick! Get the red wine!" Gao Jian quickly shouted, seeming eager.
Soon, a henchman brought a bottle of red wine, personally filling a glass for Nalan Suqin.
Seeing the wine glass gradually fill, Gao Jian's smile grew even more peculiar, his eyes quickly flashing with a triumphant gleam.
However, this didn't escape Lin Fan's notice. He glanced at the red wine glass, and the corner of his mouth twitched into an imperceptible sneer.
"Come! I toast Nalan Suqin, bottoms up!" Gao Jian said, laughing excitedly.
Gulp gulp~
As soon as he spoke, Gao Jian tipped back his head, drinking down the glass of white wine in one go.
Now, Nalan Suqin was caught between a rock and a hard place; she had no choice but to drink a glass of red wine with him.
"Manager Nalan really can drink. First meeting three glasses, lifelong friends! Come! Fill up Manager Nalan's glass again," Gao Jian quickly ordered his henchman.
Soon, the henchman filled Nalan Suqin's glass with red wine again.
"Bottoms up again!"
Gao Jian laughed again, his eyes darting back to Nalan Suqin, his greedy look even more flagrant, wishing he could strip her bare right away for eye candy.
However, Nalan Suqin didn't notice Gao Jian's strangeness. With her drinking capacity, handling three glasses of red wine was no problem, and she readily downed them.
Nalan Suqin wiped her mouth with a tissue and said, "Thank you, President Gao, for your hospitality."
"Haha! Truly as rumor says, Manager Nalan is a heroine among women. I, Gao, commend you!" Gao Jian clasped his fists again, though his laughter was rather odd.
Yet just as Nalan Suqin was about to sit, she felt her head hit as if struck by something heavy, her mind going blank, nearly stumbling to the ground.
Soon, Nalan Suqin felt the scene before her becoming increasingly blurry, she opened her mouth to speak but couldn't utter a word. Her view went black, and she collapsed into Lin Fan's arms!