Chapter 355: Maybe Next Time

The next morning, although Yang Chen was reluctant, he had no choice but to accompany Lin Ruoxi to the municipal office building in Zhonghai City for a reception hosted by Prime Minister Ning and the local business community.

As the financial center of Yanxia and an important city for export trade, Zhonghai held significant sway. The Prime Minister's meeting with representatives from the local business community during the year-end period to discuss the year's achievements and future prospects was quite symbolic.

In the past, whenever a leader visited, even if the Chamber of Commerce wanted Lin Ruoxi to attend, she would usually decline and send Mo Qianni instead. But this time, it was the Prime Minister, not just an ordinary minister, so declining wasn't an option.

Mo Qianni drove, and the three of them arrived at the downtown building together. Along the way, the two women chatted and laughed, paying no attention to Yang Chen, who sat like a wooden block.

Yang Chen was puzzled. Shouldn't the two of them be jealous of each other for his sake? Had he overestimated his own charm?

Once they entered work mode, the two women clearly didn't pay much attention to Yang Chen. Upon entering the building, accompanied by an usher, they proceeded to the conference hall to await Ning Guangyao's arrival.

Inside the hall, Yuan Hewei, Fang Zhongping, and other municipal leaders, as well as senior executives from the Chamber of Commerce, had already arrived early and were waiting.

Lin Ruoxi and Mo Qianni were the only two women, both young and exceptionally beautiful, making them the most striking figures in the room.

However, most of these senior executives were in their fifties or sixties. They looked at Lin Ruoxi and Mo Qianni with admiration rather than desire.

Yuan Hewei saw Yang Chen and greeted him kindly with a smile. "I heard you're now the general manager at Yulei Entertainment Company?"

"It's pretty much the same as before, just making a living, doing what the wife says," Yang Chen admitted somewhat embarrassedly, realizing he hadn't done much.

Yuan Hewei didn't mind. "Naturally, you're not as capable in your job as your wife. It's only right to be the one supporting her. By the way, Yuan Ye mentioned last time that you got into a fight with someone. Many things are hard to explain clearly. Don't stress too much or carry too heavy a burden. Everything will get better. You're a mature young man, you know what I mean."

Yang Chen thought these words were more like the point. He smiled faintly, "I understand, everything's fine now."

Yuan Hewei sighed, knowing that he had no authority to intervene in the Yang family's affairs. He then turned to chat gently with Lin Ruoxi before engaging with other senior executives.

Due to Tang Wan's relationship, Fang Zhongping didn't give Yang Chen a warm reception. After exchanging a few perfunctory greetings, he ceased further interaction. Yang Chen felt a bit frustrated. It had been a long time since he had any contact with Tang Wan. That duck, which had been cooked long ago, seemed to have flown away due to Tangtang's matter. Although Yang Chen wasn't desperate to have that fat duck, he couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.

At that moment, a group of spirited black-clad bodyguards entered the venue, wearing earpieces and scanning the surroundings. Following them was a middle-aged man dressed in a casual yet dignified suit. The man was handsome, with a hint of grey at his temples, but he exuded vitality and wore a gentle smile, appearing quite approachable. Accompanying him was a young man who bore a striking resemblance to him, along with several other officials with different appearances.

Yang Chen naturally recognized the man who often appeared in the news—Ning Guangyao.

As Ning Guangyao entered, he reached out proactively to shake hands with the officials from the municipal office and the Chamber of Commerce. Lin Ruoxi and Mo Qianni, accompanied by Yang Chen, stood at the back. When Ning Guangyao extended his hand to shake with Lin Ruoxi, she frowned slightly, but still prepared to shake hands.

However, when Ning Guangyao saw Lin Ruoxi's face, he paused for a moment, his eyes showing a hint of curiosity. This caused Lin Ruoxi's hand to hesitate in mid-air for a moment.

Yang Chen felt perplexed. This man was in his fifties—could it be that he was taking an interest in his wife?

Lin Ruoxi also felt uneasy but being faced with the Prime Minister, she couldn't afford to show any sign of rejecting him outright. She bit her lip and pretended not to notice Ning Guangyao's peculiar expression.

"It's truly impressive to see such outstanding young talents emerging in the Zhonghai Chamber of Commerce," Ning Guangyao chuckled, covering up his momentary lapse, and shook hands with Lin Ruoxi.

The young man behind Ning Guangyao couldn't help but glance at Lin Ruoxi, his gaze difficult to divert. It seemed as though he was magnetically drawn to her. If the situation had been different, he probably would have tried to push the Prime Minister aside to shake Lin Ruoxi's hand himself.

Yang Chen felt a headache coming on. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have let Lin Ruoxi come. Who were all these people?

Seeing Yang Chen's displeased expression, Mo Qianni's heart ached slightly. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, she reached out and pinched Yang Chen's waist.

Yang Chen immediately understood and glanced at Lin Ruoxi, who hadn't noticed him, then leaned closer to Mo Qianni and whispered, "What's there to be jealous of? I'm not happy when others stare at you either."

"Hmph," Mo Qianni rolled her eyes at him, then followed Lin Ruoxi to sit down, ignoring Yang Chen.

Next comes the tedious moralistic sermons and rigid work reports. Yang Chen couldn't care less about these economic frameworks; they didn't concern him as an ordinary commoner. Rules were set by others, and he played along by abiding them.

The only thing that irked Yang Chen was Ning Guangyao. He couldn't believe Ning Guangyao kept glancing at Lin Ruoxi from time to time! Though pretending to be unaware, Yang Chen, sharp as he was, noticed Ning Guangyao's gaze, which seemed to be fixed on Lin Ruoxi's face most of the time.

That young man sitting on the edge, he didn't even seem to glance at the documents in his hand, instead staring intently at Lin Ruoxi the entire time. Yang Chen couldn't help asking Mo Qianni beside him, "Qianni darling, who is that guy? Why are his eyeballs about to pop out?"

"Are you jealous?" Mo Qianni whispered, giving Yang Chen a sidelong glance.

Yang Chen chuckled, "Just trying not to let you guys get stared at by others."

"No need to say 'you guys,' he's indeed been staring at Ruoxi the whole time," Mo Qianni hmphed. "That's Ning Guangyao's son, Ning Guodong. He's said to be part of the entourage and already holds the rank of vice-minister. This meeting isn't particularly important, which is why Prime Minister Ning brought him along. They say he's likely to succeed his father in the future."

"Just like father, like son," Yang Chen pondered with mixed feelings. If this father and son duo dared to have any improper thoughts, regardless of whether he was a prime minister or not, they could be taken care of and replaced!

Towards the end of the meeting, Ning Guangyao proposed a plan for joint development of a real estate project in Yan Capital by several major conglomerates in Zhonghai. It aimed to leverage capital from both cities and was considered a bilateral cooperation initiative led by him.

Many CEOs immediately voiced their support. For them, throwing around billions was as casual as eating beans and it also gave face to the Prime Minister—what's not to like?

But when it came to Lin Ruoxi, after giving it some thought, she declined Ning Guangyao's proposal. Ning Guangyao had been looking at Lin Ruoxi with a benevolent expression, but was suddenly taken aback by her refusal. He quickly followed up, "Ms. Lin, do you find something inappropriate about it?"

Ning Guangyao had known her identity from the list of company and personnel names laid out in front of her.

"It's not that there's anything inappropriate. I simply feel I can use that money myself and generate greater profits," Lin Ruoxi replied bluntly.

The others couldn't help but inhale sharply. This young lady spoke too boldly. Even though she was the deputy head of the court, a mere flick of his finger could render her half-dead, regardless of how powerful she was.

But Ning Guangyao didn't seem to be angry at all. Instead, his brows furrowed slightly, and he looked at Lin Ruoxi with a deeper gaze. He nodded faintly and said, "Since that's the case, General Lin doesn't need to participate. After all, this is a voluntary project."

"Thank you, Prime Minister," Lin Ruoxi said. She knew it might come off as impolite, but in business, it was business. Besides, she was used to making her own decisions.

The meeting concluded, and Ning Guangyao and his entourage began bidding farewell to the Chamber of Commerce and the Municipal Committee of Zhonghai. This was just a midway stop; he had other places to deliver speeches and reports.

Towards the end of the year, leaders always had countless welfare visits to make.

However, before leaving, Ning Guodong finally couldn't resist and approached Lin Ruoxi with a handsome smile. "Ms. Lin, I'm Ning Guodong. I know it might be a bit presumptuous to greet you like this, but I would like to invite you to dinner sometime. Would you be willing to consider it?"

As the son of the Prime Minister, and with his outstanding looks and elevated status, Ning Guodong was naturally admired by countless women. Yet he wasn't a frivolous man. Under the shadow of his father, Ning Guangyao, every move he made was scrutinized.

His invitation to Lin Ruoxi at this moment stemmed from genuine infatuation.

Lin Ruoxi didn't pay much attention to Ning Guodong's request. Instead, she casually glanced at Yang Chen beside her. Seeing Yang Chen's gaze could almost kill Ning Guodong, she felt a slight satisfaction.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ning. Maybe another time," Lin Ruoxi replied, aware of Ning Guodong's status, speaking without harshness.

Ning Guodong hadn't expected Lin Ruoxi to decline. He looked slightly disappointed but didn't dwell on it. He nodded with a smile, "Alright, though it's regretful, I hope Ms. Lin can grace me with her company next time."

Once Ning Guangyao and his group departed, Yang Chen couldn't hold back his annoyance. "How could you leave the door open for 'next time'? You should have just refused outright! Absolutely not!"

Lin Ruoxi glanced at him smugly. "I just wanted to show you that there's more than one man in this world. Whether I decide to dine with other men or not depends on your behavior. The decision is in your hands." With that, she turned and walked away gracefully.

Yang Chen was left bewildered, then bitter and unable to decide whether to laugh or cry. Why was he suddenly in such a passive position?

"Are you laughing at me, little Qianni? Are you enjoying seeing your man being bullied?" Yang Chen asked.

Mo Qianni pursed her lips and chuckled. "I was just thinking, if you're mean to me in the future, maybe I'll be like Ruoxi and entertain those who invite me out to dinner. After all, there are plenty who would like to."

"You..." Yang Chen was almost struck dumb, feeling as if he could spout blood even if stabbed with a knife.