78: I will be bolder

The dinner table is an incredibly easy place to bridge the gap between people.

It's not that alcohol is particularly good.

Rather, after drinking, most people's will and thinking become dull and blurred!

In this state, many people actually let down their guard and do things that are quite unexpected.

For those in power, they get to see the awkwardness of others who, despite their clouded minds, still try to please them; this is a manifestation of power, also known as dinner table culture!

For collaborators, when the other party lets down their guard and starts acting chummy, there's hope of signing a more beneficial contract; this is the game played at the dinner table.

But for those in lower positions, it's nothing but pure dross!

Of course, for those who can handle their liquor, it's a path for promotion.

Chen Qiu's tolerance was decent, but it was purely built up during his 'beast of burden' days in Shenzhen, running around for business deals.

Regarding alcohol, he held a neutral stance.

A few small glasses were enough.

That's why when Shao Shushuang looked like she was going to chug drinks to apologize earlier, he stepped in to stop her.

However, halfway through the meal, Chen Qiu was surprised to find that Shao Shushuang was still drinking like crazy.

'Is she really a little glutton?'

Moreover, Chen Qiu noticed that as Shao Shushuang toasted glass after glass, she was getting closer and closer to him.

The faint, mellow aroma of the liquor combined with the elegant fragrance on her body, drifting into Chen Qiu's nose to form a uniquely seductive scent.

By now, Shao Shushuang was almost pressed against him.

Her eyes behind her thin-framed glasses were slightly blurred, and her pretty face and ears were flushed red.

It was at this moment that Chen Qiu noticed a hint of allure beneath Shao Shushuang's straight-leg trousers.

'Is this... Stockings under pants?'

Chen Qiu's heart jolted slightly.

A flash of surprise appeared in his eyes, but on second thought, he understood instantly.

No wonder he felt that the more Shao Shushuang drank, the more frustrated she seemed.

It turned out her carefully prepared little scheme had gone to waste.

Seeing the stockings under Shao Shushuang's pants, Chen Qiu felt a bit of a stir in his heart.

An intellectual lady wearing seductive black silk beneath an elegant exterior... In Chen Qiu's eyes, this was the sophisticated version of wearing a trench coat with nothing but lingerie underneath!

At that moment.

Shao Shushuang didn't seem to notice that her little secret had been exposed; she only felt extremely frustrated right now.

She had made such thorough preparations; if it didn't work in the end, wouldn't all that effort be for nothing?

Under the influence of alcohol, her consciousness already somewhat hazy, she secretly gritted her teeth.

She recalled the moves Zhang Mantong had taught her earlier.

The next moment, her long, beautiful leg subconsciously reached out to the side, landing directly on Chen Qiu's ankle.

Then, her toes, wrapped in black silk, hooked Chen Qiu's pant leg and pressed directly against his calf.

She slowly slid her foot upward.

Chen Qiu immediately looked at her in shock.

But Shao Shushuang seemed completely immersed in her own world at this point.

As her leg lifted higher, her straight-leg trousers smoothly slid down, revealing a section of her slender calf in black silk.

Seeing her foot reaching higher and higher, Chen Qiu quickly pressed down on that small silk-clad foot.

He gave Shao Shushuang an annoyed glare. Although he knew she was eager to 'advance,' didn't she see there was a third person here?

Did I not need to worry about the optics?

Chen Qiu wasn't exactly a saint, but he didn't want to get a reputation for being a bully who used his power to coerce others.

He had just ignored Shao Shushuang for a few days, and now that she was hosting a meal to apologize, if he started getting handsy with her, wouldn't Song Xiangtong think he was forcing her!

She was his full-time secretary, after all, and had just started; he couldn't go scaring her away.

Shao Shushuang finally realized she had gone too far and retracted her leg like a startled rabbit.

Her heart thudded violently, loud enough to ring in her ears, and the dullness from the alcohol cleared up significantly.

'What am I doing?'

Some things are best not overdone, and her actions just now had clearly crossed a line.

Deep in Shao Shushuang's eyes was a look of utter regret.

She cautiously looked up at Chen Qiu, unable to tell from his expressionless face whether he was angry.

She then looked at Song Xiangtong on the other side, whose expression didn't seem to show anything unusual.

'She probably didn't notice, right?'

The meal ended in a somewhat subdued atmosphere.

At the restaurant entrance, Chen Qiu looked at Shao Shushuang and asked,

"Do you need a ride back?"

Shao Shushuang waved her hands repeatedly.

"No need to trouble you, President Chen. I'll just have my best friend pick me up; she lives not far from here."

"Alright then, we'll be heading out first."

"Okay, goodbye President Chen."

After watching Song Xiangtong drive Chen Qiu away, Shao Shushuang finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.

The cold night wind blew against her face, clearing her mind even more.

She waited for a while, and soon Zhang Mantong appeared before her in a Didi ride.

"How did it go?"

Zhang Mantong seemed even more nervous and concerned than she was.

Shao Shushuang looked like she wanted to cry but had no tears.

"Alcohol ruins everything..."

Seeing this, Zhang Mantong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good!"

"Huh?"

"I mean, what are you going to do then?"

Shao Shushuang bit her lip.

"It's all your fault, for teaching me that 'beautiful leg seduction' thing last time. I did it subconsciously in a moment of impulse..."

"How could that..."

Before Zhang Mantong could finish, her beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed.

Wait a minute, so that's what you meant by 'alcohol ruins everything'?

...On the way home.

Chen Qiu looked at Song Xiangtong in the driver's seat and suddenly spoke up.

"You read Shao Shushuang's summary report earlier; what's your evaluation of her?"

Song Xiangtong clearly hadn't expected Chen Qiu to ask her suddenly. After a moment of thought, she answered softly.

"She has good ability, strong execution, and is very ambitious!"

Song Xiangtong's words carried a hint of deeper meaning.

She wasn't blind; Shao Shushuang's movements were so obvious, how could she not have seen them?

However, she wasn't a young girl anymore; as a mature professional, she knew very well what should be seen and what should be ignored.

Chen Qiu caught the subtext in Song Xiangtong's words and raised an eyebrow.

"You're not surprised?"

Song Xiangtong pursed her red lips slightly and glanced at Chen Qiu through the rearview mirror.

"Does President Chen want to hear the lie or the truth?"

"Let's hear both."

"The lie is: I've seen this kind of situation many times."

Chen Qiu was a bit surprised; shouldn't that be the truth?

Then, Song Xiangtong continued.

"The truth is: President Chen is handsome, young, and the Group President. Landing you is a win; if I were her, I might be even bolder!"

Chen Qiu laughed.

Such flattery was indeed pleasant to hear.

As expected of a divorced woman; she really wasn't afraid to speak her mind!

The next moment, he spoke with a half-smile.

"Then let's not go back. Let's go to a hotel and get a room."

"Mhm... Ah?"

The bold secretary suddenly panicked.