Paper Lover At Old Town Bookstore Chapter 45

confused

At seven o’clock sharp, the wooden door of the private box was pushed open by the waiter.

Xing Qingru was leaning on the mahogany chair, holding an unlit cigarette between her fingertips. Her 172cm tall body was wrapped in a long burgundy velvet skirt. The hem of the skirt fell to the ground, making the line of her neck even more stunning.She wore no jewelry, only a diamond stud earring on the tip of her ear. The tiny light reflected under the light complemented the sharpness of her eyes.

Two cold dishes have been placed on the table, and a pot of warm rice wine is steaming.Seeing Song Zhili pushing open the door and entering, she raised her eyes and glanced at her watch, and the corner of her lips curled up into a half-smile: “Mr. Song is on time.”

Song Zhili sat down opposite her, his suit jacket casually draped on the back of the chair, with a lingering anger in his eyes, and his tone was cold: “Xing Qingru, say what you have to say, don’t beat around the bush.”

“What’s the rush?” She placed the cigarette next to the crystal ashtray, raised her hand and poured herself a glass of wine. The wine swayed in an amber arc in the glass. “It’s rare to have a meal alone, so we can’t talk about such disappointing things as marriage.”

She raised her glass and said in a playful tone: “Try the drunken crab here first. It is said to be the boss’s signature. It is brewed with ten years of aging wine. It matches your Mr. Song’s taste very well.”

Song Zhili didn’t touch the glass and stared at her sharply: “What deal do you want to make?” He knew very well Xing Qingru’s temperament. It seemed casual, but in fact there was a calculation hidden in every step. The mention of Song Qiusheng was no accident.

Xing Qingru chuckled lightly, put down his wine glass, and tapped his fingertips on the table: “The deal is simple – I will help you reject the marriage, and you will help me get the development rights to the land in the west of the city.”

She raised her eyes to look at Song Zhili, with a hint of shrewdness in her eyes: “Mr. Song values the family’s reputation most. As long as I take the initiative to object and find an excuse for ‘incompatible personalities’, the marriage will naturally fall through. As for the land in the west of the city, your Song family has always been determined to win it. If you give it to me, it will cost you nothing.”

Song Zhili frowned even more tightly: “If you want that piece of land, just fight for it yourself. Why go around in such a big circle?”

“Fight for yourself?” Xing Qingru raised his eyebrows, with a hint of self-deprecation in his tone, “Mr. Song, have you forgotten that your grandfather has secretly told several developers, and no one can get it except the Song family.” She paused, then changed the subject, “Besides, I will help you keep the person you care about, so it’s fair that you give me the land.”

“What exactly do you want to do?” Song Zhili’s voice turned cold, “Don’t think that I don’t know about your relationship with He Pingan. You don’t want to get married at all.”

“I don’t want to.” Xing Qingru admitted frankly, a trace of softness flashed in his eyes, which was soon replaced by coldness, “But I don’t want to be manipulated by the family, and I don’t want He Pingan to live in the dark forever because of me. The land in the west of the city is my first step to escape the control of the family.”

She looked at Song Zhili and said with unquestionable certainty: “Mr. Song, you have no choice. Either agree to my deal, save Song Qiusheng, and save the face of the Xing and Song families; or we are forced to marry by the old men. By then, not only will you not be able to marry the one you love, but you will also have to be tied to me and torture each other.”

The air in the box suddenly became stagnant, and the mellow aroma of rice wine could not suppress the tension between the two.Xing Qingru’s eyes were as sharp as a knife, staring at Song Zhili, waiting for his answer.And how many unknown calculations are hidden behind this transaction?Will Song Zhili agree?As soon as I entered the company the next day, whispers in the corridor came like a flood.

“Have you heard? President Song and President Xing are getting married!”

“Oh my God! With the two giants joining forces, who else can compete with them in the business world?”

“No wonder the two of them had dinner alone yesterday. It turned out that they were talking about marriage!”

The comments came and went, mixed with envy and curiosity, pricking my heart like needles.I clutched my briefcase tightly and walked through the crowd expressionlessly, but those words still reached my ears word for word, making the tightness in my chest so heavy that I couldn’t breathe.

When I walked into the office, Lin Zhiqing was already waiting at the door with a face full of gossip. When he saw me coming in, he immediately came up to me: “Brother Song! Have you heard? President Song and President Xing are getting married! This news is too exciting!”

I ignored him and went straight to the desk and sat down. My hand when I opened the computer was trembling.The news of the marriage still spread. Could it be that Song Zhili’s promise and the urgent news he sent were all fake?Did he finally compromise with his family?

Just when I was upset, the intercom phone on my desk rang. It was a call from the front desk: “Director Song, Mr. He, Mr. Xing’s assistant, is waiting for you in the lobby. He said that there are cooperation documents that need your signature and confirmation.”

I was stunned for a moment, and then said in a deep voice: “Let him come up.”

Not long after, He Pingan appeared at the door of the office.He was still wearing a crisp suit, standing at the door with a height of 188cm, with a calm aura, but there was an imperceptible haze hidden in his eyes.Seeing me, he nodded politely: “Director Song, this is the supplementary agreement negotiated yesterday and needs your signature.”

On the document he handed over, the seal of “Xing Group” was bright red and eye-catching.I took the pen and ran my fingertips across the signature line, but it didn’t come down.I looked up at him and found that he was also looking at me, with complicated eyes, as if he had something to say.

“You don’t know either?” I asked subconsciously.

He Pingan’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly, then he lowered his head and said in a low voice, “I only heard about it this morning.”

There was a hint of forbearance in his tone, and I understood instantly – like me, he was kept in the dark and didn’t know about the deal between Xing Qingru and Song Zhili.We all thought that this marriage was a definite fact, but we didn’t know that there was such a conspiracy behind it.

After signing, He Pingan took the document and turned to leave.When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back at me, with a hint of meaning in his tone: “Director Song, some things may not be as simple as they seem.”

After saying that, he turned and left.The office became quiet again, but the doubts in my heart became deeper and deeper.What do He Ping’an’s words mean?How many secrets are hidden behind this marriage?Since Song Zhili agreed to Xing Qingru’s deal, why didn’t he tell me?And how should I face this increasingly confusing situation?