The dinner setting that evening was neither in a hotel nor a restaurant, but rather an antique folk bistro.
Shen Weiyi and Chen Rong walked in and found it was a hidden paradise inside, complete with winding corridors, pavilions, and towers, as well as red walls, green tiles, and carved beams and painted rafters—it was truly distinctive.
The president of the company they were dealing with was surnamed Lu, and they were received by President Lu’s secretary, surnamed Huang.
Secretary Huang led the two of them into a private room where two men were seated—they appeared to be the president and the project manager of the partner company.
Secretary Huang pointed to the two men and introduced them to Shen Weiyi and Chen Rong, "These gentlemen are our President Lu and Manager Gao."
"Hello, President Lu, hello, Manager Gao," Chen Rong greeted them promptly.
"The two beauties must be tired, please have a seat," Manager Gao stood up to welcome them.
Shen Weiyi lagged behind, understanding that since Chen Rong was present, the main task of this inspection would definitely be her responsibility; she just needed to quietly stand by and watch.
Yet the man seated in the chief chair momentarily stared at Shen Weiyi’s face with slight astonishment, then called out, "Miss Shen?"
Shen Weiyi was a bit surprised, and so was Chen Rong.
It immediately occurred to them that Shen Weiyi must have mentioned her name when contacting Secretary Huang, so it wasn’t strange that they knew she was a Shen.
They then heard the other party say with a smile, "I had the honor to meet you once before."
Shen Weiyi stared intently at his face, realizing she had no recollection. She thought that she might have met him at some event she had attended with Shen Juanzhi before.
"President Lu has a really good memory."
"It’s Miss Shen who left a strong impression."
Chen Rong watched the two of them, feeling vaguely that something was off; however, before she could figure it out, she heard President Lu cheerfully call, "Please sit, both of you. It must have been hard traveling from afar."
"You are too kind, President Lu," Chen Rong hastily returned to the conversation and responded with a smile.
It wasn’t uncommon for someone from the Secretary Office to be on a business trip, and Chen Rong handled the situation with ease, doing most of the talking while Shen Weiyi quietly sat by.
During the conversation, President Lu mentioned Shen Juanzhi, which Chen Rong subtly steered away from.
Being a shrewd businessman, President Lu sensed something and chose not to bring it up again.
"Weiyi, President Lu has gone out of his way to accommodate us personally, why don’t you have a drink with him?" halfway through the dinner, Chen Rong’s gaze suddenly fell on Shen Weiyi, signaling her.
Shen Weiyi hesitated for a moment; ordinarily, having a drink with a client in such a setting wasn’t a big deal, yet she distinctly saw a hint of malice in Chen Rong’s expression.
It seemed their intentions might not be as simple as just having a drink.
Regardless of their motives, she had no intention of cooperating, so she flatly refused, "I’m sorry, I don’t drink."
Chen Rong’s face twisted slightly, surprised by the public refusal that thwarted her own face, and she lowered her voice to warn, "What are you doing? I’m telling you, Secretary Jiang places great importance on this cooperation—if we screw this up, neither of us will continue working at the company."
Shen Weiyi looked at her with a semblance of a smile, "Is that so?"
Chen Rong felt uneasy under her gaze and assertively said, "Of course, or why do you think I made a special trip here?"
Unfortunately, Shen Weiyi remained unmoved and replied calmly, "Right now, it’s their company that wants to cooperate with us, not us begging them. If you want to drink, I won’t stop you, but I won’t be drinking."