Chapter Ninety-Seven: Flirting and Teasing?

“That’s true enough.”

Chen Jianguo nodded. Then, brightening as if he had just remembered something, he said, “How about this? I’ll call Chenghao and ask him to look into it. See whether he has any connections at the Qingyang Chamber of Commerce and if he can smooth things over for you.”

“That won’t be necessary, will it? The chamber didn’t say they wouldn’t approve it. They just asked for a few more documents,” Chen Muxue said, shaking her head lightly.

“Oh, Muxue, why be shy with Chenghao? He’s been busy lately, yes, but he’s called me several times too. He said he kept calling you and no one ever answered!” Chen Jianguo said urgently to Chen Muxue. Then he cast a cold glance at Su Zheng and snorted, “Don’t let certain people blind you. He can’t even clean up his own mess; who knows when trouble will come knocking on his door!”

Seeing Su Zheng and Chen Muxue drawing somewhat closer over the past few days, he deliberately praised Wu Chenghao while putting Su Zheng down.

Chen Muxue bristled at that. She wanted to defend Su Zheng, and even more, she wanted to tell her father that if Su Zheng ever did want to pull strings, then even the people of the Qingyang Li family would have to curry favor with him.

But the words reached her lips and then she swallowed them back, because Su Zheng had once said that he did not want his connection to the Qingyang Li family made known to everyone.

Just by that calm and restrained temperament alone, her husband was not something men like Wu Chenghao could compare with.

“Su Zheng, go run me a bath!”

Chen Muxue gave him a teasing look, a little proud smile on her face, and rose to her feet in her high heels, heading into the bedroom.

Run... run a bath?

Chen Jianguo jolted hard, staring at his daughter’s retreating figure in stunned disbelief.

Had their relationship really, in just a few days, become that good? Had his daughter actually gotten to the point of asking that useless man to run her bathwater?

Though running a bath was, in essence, only a mundane chore like laundry, it felt different somehow.

At the very least, it showed that his daughter’s attitude toward Su Zheng had changed.

“Understood... Big Sis!”

Su Zheng said lazily, dragging his tired body up with some reluctance before heading to the bathroom to run her bath.

He did not think much of it. It was only running a bath, not bathing together...

“I’m not your big sister!”

Chen Muxue’s embarrassed, annoyed voice floated out from the room. Being called big sister made her sound ancient.

“Yes, Miss Chen Beauty,” Su Zheng replied helplessly with a smile before walking into the bathroom.

To think... to think they were even flirting right in front of him?

Seeing this, Chen Jianguo shuddered again, his mouth falling open in utter disbelief.

These past few days, he had been worried that Chen Muxue and Su Zheng’s feelings for each other would gradually deepen, and so everything he saw had become magnified in his mind.

This was intolerable.

Absolutely intolerable!

Chen Jianguo was so furious his hands trembled. He hurried to the side and called Wu Chenghao, but the call would not go through. In exasperation, he muttered under his breath, “What’s wrong with that Chenghao? Fine if I haven’t seen him these past few days, but even his phone doesn’t work at a time like this!”

When Su Zheng came out of the bathroom, he heard that and nearly laughed out loud. Wu Chenghao’s face, swollen like a pig’s head, still had not recovered. Even if he were invited in a sedan chair, he would be too ashamed to show his face.

The next morning, Su Zheng did not go to driving lessons. Instead, he went with Chen Muxue to the chamber of commerce again.

Even after the paperwork, which had already been revised countless times, was resubmitted, they still found flaws and sent it back for more materials.

Chen Muxue could no longer hold back and said coldly, “Can’t you point out everything wrong with it all at once?!”

“Sorry, we do sometimes overlook things. Please forgive us,” the staff member replied with impeccable politeness.

Chen Muxue was about to say more when her phone suddenly rang. It was Chen Jianguo.

On the other end of the call, Chen Jianguo was brimming with excitement. Chairman Jiang had come to their home that morning to pay a visit of thanks, and at noon they were to have lunch together. He told Chen Muxue and Su Zheng to hurry back at once.

“Dad, why don’t we just eat out?” Chen Muxue glanced at the time, feeling somewhat irritable. “I still have to keep working on the paperwork this afternoon!”

Chen Jianguo asked Chairman Jiang a question, then readily agreed. Since it was more convenient, Chen Muxue informed him of a specialty restaurant near the chamber of commerce and told him to bring Chairman Jiang there.

“This Chairman Jiang is actually quite true to his word,” Su Zheng said with a faint smile. He had thought that the promise to visit them after the banquet was nothing more than polite talk.

With that in mind, he made a suggestion. “Why not ask Chairman Jiang to say a word about this matter? It might move things along faster.”

Chen Muxue hesitated, then nodded. “All right...”

Of course she knew how much authority Chairman Jiang held. The only problem was that she did not know how to bring it up, since she had never had direct contact with him, let alone any real acquaintance.

“I’ll talk to him when the time comes. It’ll sound more natural coming from me,” Su Zheng said with a smile, apparently seeing her difficulty. Strictly speaking, he had saved Chairman Jiang’s life.

Chen Muxue nodded, her gaze softening as she looked at Su Zheng. Suddenly she realized that he could be quite considerate at times.

After that, the two of them headed to the agreed-upon restaurant ahead of time.

It was a Chinese-style establishment, with both the interior and exterior decorated in rosewood. The carvings were openwork and exquisite, giving the place a refined, antique charm.

Just as they were about to enter the main lobby, they heard the roar of an engine from the road. A Porsche sports car came racing up the street.

With a screech of brakes, it stopped at the entrance. A young man in a red suit and sunglasses jumped out. Upon seeing Chen Muxue, he immediately strode over with a faint smile. “You must be President Chen?”

“And you are...?” Chen Muxue studied him. Clearly, she did not know him.

“My name is Qian Liang. I’m the person in charge of Qingyang Hefeng Investment. I came to discuss cooperation with you,” the young man said with a smile, confidence overflowing from his face.

“Discuss cooperation?”

“That’s right. I heard you’re planning to register a cosmetics company, and I was worried you might not be able to handle the operations on your own, so I thought I’d help lighten the load,” Qian Liang said with a slight smile, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

Chen Muxue’s face darkened, and her voice turned cold. “That won’t be necessary. We can run it ourselves.”

With that, she no longer paid him any attention and turned to walk into the hotel.

She had the skills and the money. Why should she hand the business to someone else and let them take a slice of the profits?

“Don’t be hasty.”

Qian Liang took off his sunglasses and blew dust from the lenses, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. “As far as I know, your chamber of commerce license still hasn’t been approved, has it?”

At his words, Chen Muxue stopped immediately and turned back to stare at him, her face icy.

“Did you interfere with this?”

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

Qian Liang dusted his sunglasses once more with an air of superiority, neither confirming nor denying it. He strode straight into the hotel, called for a pot of good tea, and then went directly into a private room near the stairway.