SIATOWITF Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Provocation Comes at a Price. A Gathering Within the Circle…

“Oltri is here, be mindful.”

“Ah? That Frenchman again…” Special Assistant Bai’s hand, which was holding the car door, trembled, revealing a bitter face.

“I don’t like him.” Xuan Bai started to pout again.

“I don’t like him either.” Ji Mo An rarely echoed.

“I don’t like him either.” Special Assistant Bai looked gloomy.

“What’s his background?” Seeing Ji Mo An and Special Assistant Bai worried, Xuan Bai was no longer worried.

“I was injured and hospitalized abroad before, and happened to be next door to him,” Ji Mo An said, somewhat depressed. “I was just barely able to walk at the time, and helped him pick up a crutch. Then he went crazy and said something about love at first sight.”

“Hmph, hmph.” Xuan Bai uttered two puffs of air to express his dissatisfaction.

“I’ve seen him a few times since I started following An-zong, the most impressive time was when he sent roses to the company for ninety-nine consecutive days, hanging on the hot searches for several days.” Special Assistant Bai sighed along, “In the end, Brother Lin took unconventional measures to calm it down.”

“Unconventional measures?”

“Yes, the Oltri family has been in politics for three generations, and that year was the key moment for his father’s election. Brother Lin somehow contacted his father, and a group of French people personally ran to China to grab him back.”

“It hasn’t been quiet for that long, how did he come again.” Special Assistant Bai looked pained.

“It’s not easy to deal with.” Ji Mo An rubbed his brow. “His biggest problem is that he’s shameless, but he has money and power.”

“Change the business class seats before going to Xuan An tomorrow.”

“Okay, An-zong.” Special Assistant Bai added a line to his memo.

Oltri has a criminal record, he once stole information from somewhere, and was always able to appear in the seat next to Ji Mo An after he got in the car.

There are fewer people in business class, which is extremely detrimental to them.

–

It was already 3:30 in the afternoon when they returned to the hotel. The hottest time of the day had passed, and it was a good time to enjoy some leisure.

It wasn’t until dusk that Ji Mo An answered the phone and changed into a set of more casual clothes.

Unlike the morning, the afternoon session was purely a small gathering of their close friends in the circle, a dinner party to welcome Meng Qingyan.

“I’ll be back a little later tonight, if you want to go out, let Bai Yan take you.” He said it, but he knew in his heart that when he was not around, the most likely thing for Xuan Bai to do was to stay in the hotel and not move.

“Okay, oh.” Xuan Bai obediently picked up his room card.

“Stop.” Ji Mo An grabbed his collar and snatched the room card. “You can’t use your mouth to hold it when there’s no one around. If you use your mouth again, I’ll beat you.”

“……”

This can’t be blamed on the snake, the snake wasn’t born with hands.

Xuan Bai escaped with his room card.

After taking the elevator to the lobby, Special Assistant Bai immediately approached with a bitter face.

“An-zong, Oltri sent flowers over, and they were cleared away by the hotel.”

“Yeah, don’t accept anything he sends, return the valuable ones, and clear away the rest directly.”

“Okay.”

“You don’t have to pick me up tonight…”

Ji Mo An made a few more calls to confirm the location of the others. Special Assistant Bai weaved around Shan Lan and picked up two more people.

“Finally arrived, heavens, I flew back for eleven hours, and the guy sitting next to me was yelling in the cabin about a business deal that wasn’t even worth five million… Move over, I want to sit on the right.”

A young master with bright red hair climbed into the car with a grunt and collapsed on the spot.

“Why didn’t Brother Ji come?” Compared to him, the other person seemed a little more serious.

“Isn’t he choosing scripts for the little stars? Brother Ji was still showing off his order for roses flown in by air freight in his WeChat Moments at three in the morning yesterday. Old Lin, your surfing isn’t up to par.” The red-haired young master winked.

“An-ge, I heard that Sister Yan-yan has changed to a gentle persona, is the information accurate?”

“Not as real as Wildfire, it’s easy to ruin the persona.” Ji Mo An gave a truthful evaluation.

“Tsk, well, it’s better than before. You don’t know, Ling-ling was on vacation from school, and ran to Sister Yan-yan for a week, and then took the initiative to run back to Germany. Oh, right, she didn’t come this time either.”

“She plans to hitch a ride back with Brother Mu. Brother Mu went this time to help her take the damage.” Ji Mo An interjected.

“Ling-ling can graduate?”

“At most, let her take less flak, wasn’t she still howling in the group a few days ago that the three years in Germany would be the most unforgettable seven years of her five-year life? She’s only been there for four years, it’s still early.”

“She’s really thinking too much, running to Germany to do scientific research.”

“Better than your watered-down Master’s.”

“Hey, Lin Xun, you…”

With two more people in the car, the level of noise rose sharply until the car slowly stopped in front of a refined restaurant before they stopped chattering.

“Brother Bai, we’re leaving, we’ll take An-ge back to the hotel tonight. Old Lin and I are staying there too.” The red-haired young master smiled and jumped out of the car. He handed Ji Mo An a big red envelope, which Ji Mo An then handed to Special Assistant Bai.

“Brother Bai, you’ve worked hard.” The other passenger was also very polite.

“No, no, it’s not hard.” Special Assistant Bai squeezed the red envelope, a thick stack.

As expected, it’s more comfortable to get along with the boss’s childhood friends.

–

“Yo, the boss is here.” As soon as he entered the private room, he saw Meng Xiao secretly eating fruit.

“Wow, lychees! Give me a few to eat!” The red-haired young master howled and pounced over to grab the lychees in Meng Xiao’s hand.

“This taste isn’t right, what kind of variety is it?” After one bite, the young master narrowed his eyes.

“Gua lü, a nouveau riche sent them this morning.” Meng Xiao smacked her lips.

“Hmm, I like them a little sour.”

“Then don’t eat them.”

“So noisy.” Meng Qingyan sat on the sofa to the side, still shaking her crescent fan.

“Want to drink? I collected these abroad.” She beckoned, and someone immediately brought over a plate of various foreign wines.

“No, no, don’t drink.” The red-haired young master held the lychees he grabbed and plopped down next to Lin Xun.

“I’m not drinking either.” Ji Mo An made an X with his hand.

“Same here.”

“You guys are abnormal.” Meng Qingyan crossed her legs again. “Hurry up and confess leniently, resist strictly.”

“Here.” Lin Xun took out a red box and handed it to Meng Qingyan, “I wish Sister Yan-yan a happy return to the embrace of the motherland.”

Meng Qingyan opened the red box, inside was an even smaller red box.

Opening the small red box, was a red bag.

Obviously, there was still a hard box inside the bag.

Meng Qingyan unwrapped four or five layers, and even unwrapped a layer of plastic wrap.

“Su Zi Yang.” She kicked the red-haired young master, who was laughing and lying on the sofa.

In the painful sound of Su Ziyang, a white object finally slipped out of the bag.

“Aiyo, car keys?” Meng Qingyan hung the car keys on her finger and twirled them. “So thoughtful.”

“Of course.” Su Ziyang let out a chuckle, “Brother Lin paid for it, I chose the car. My little brother’s card was frozen by my mom, so I can only contribute my manpower.”

“Not bad, not bad, given a verbal compliment.”

“The car has been sent to the 4S store, I’ll push you the contact information.”

“Okay, okay.” Meng Qingyan was very happy.

“Welcome back home.” Ji Mo An also took out a black velvet box.

“Wow, I seem to know what it is.” Meng Qingyan opened the box and exclaimed in admiration.

“Don’t be too flamboyant before the new product launch.”

“Understood, understood.”

“Wow, boss. How come I don’t know, when did you guys design this?” Meng Xiao clung to her sister’s shoulder and looked at the pair of blue ornaments, her eyes sparkling.

“If I tell you, you won’t be able to keep it a secret for three days…”

“Ling-ling’s ordered cake has arrived.” Meng Xiao jumped up in a start, and a smiling waiter pushed in a cake that was more than one person tall.

“Cheng Yu’s time hasn’t arrived yet.” Ji Mo An looked at the time and made way for Meng Qingyan.

“Hey, the way you guys are doing this is making me a little touched. Xiao-xiao, come over and take a photo of your sister.”

“Um, I have something to say.” The red-haired young master raised his hand.

“Speak.” Meng Qingyan handed him a piece of decorated cake and gracefully smoothed her hair.

“Cough… It is said that a handsome guy appeared at Sister Yan-yan’s anniversary exhibition?”

As soon as the words fell, four pairs of eyes stared at Ji Mo An at the same time.

“The person involved is here, why are you asking me?” Meng Qingyan couldn’t hold back her persona any longer and began to rub her hands excitedly.

“Aiya, isn’t this Sister Yan-yan’s special event?” Su Ziyang also began to rub his hands, staring at Ji Mo An like he was staring at braised pork.

“Guaranteed to be handsome.” Meng Xiao followed up, “Boss, quickly show them the photos.”

“What’s there to see, there are no photos.” Ji Mo An pressed down on the hands that were grabbing his phone.

“Got it!” Su Ziyang ran out of the crowd with a smirk, holding Ji Mo An’s phone high in his hand.

“It’s okay, An-ge, everyone’s staying at the same hotel, you’ll see them sooner or later.” Ye Xun quickly poured two glasses of juice and occupied Ji Mo An’s hands on the left and right.

“Don’t worry, we brothers will definitely do a good job of keeping it secret for you, and won’t let Uncle and the others know that you’re eating so well in private.”

“I didn’t…” Ji Mo An covered his face, he was tired of saying this sentence.

How did he end up with such a bunch of unreliable people?

……

“How is it almost nine o’clock already.” After eating the meal, Su Ziyang was so sleepy that he couldn’t open his eyes.

“Brother, let’s enter the final round.”

“Mmhmm, I have Ling-er’s.” Meng Qingyan nodded and reached out to Ji Mo An.

“I’ve sent you all the electronic versions.” Ji Mo An rolled his eyes at these friends who were grabbing his phone, but still took out a stack of exquisite cards.

“This charity gala is being held on a cruise ship!” Su Ziyang excitedly flipped through the invitation, “Is it the Xianzhou One?”

“Yeah. Same as before, auction, raffle, and donation.” Ji Mo An nodded and casually took a bottle of small yellow drink.

This is delicious, I’ll bring it back for Xuan Bai to try.

“Are there any big prizes?” Su Ziyang walked out with Ye Xun, hooking his shoulders and back.

“There are, but with your luck.” Ji Mo An looked him up and down, “At most, a ‘thank you for your patronage’.”

“Hey, An-ge, you… Aww!”

The Lanxin Clock in the city center suddenly rang, and the black hour hand returned to the nine o’clock slot.

Along with the melodious chimes, were the gorgeous fireworks that filled the night sky.

“Happy return to the country, Sister Yan-yan!” In the screen raised by Ji Mo An, Ji Cheng Yu greeted them with a grin.

“See where I am?” He shone a flashlight, and suddenly another face appeared in the darkness.

“Old brother! I’m here too! Happy return to the country, Sister Yan-yan!” Ji Mo Xin desperately waved her hand across the iron fence.

“Xin-xin is here too.” Meng Qingyan looked at the girl in the screen with some surprise.

“I’m at school, Brother Yu came in the dark, we’re still separated by iron bars, boo-hoo-hoo.” Ji Mo Xin pitifully held the school’s heightened anti-turnover fence.

“Be careful the mosquitoes eat you.” Ji Mo An said somewhat helplessly, “Hurry back to evening self-study.”

“Got it, got it, don’t listen, don’t listen to brother’s nagging.” Ji Mo Xin covered her ears and disappeared from the screen.

“Take pictures, take pictures! Brother Yu, don’t smile so ugly, I want to send a nine-grid photo!” Meng Xiao started snapping pictures, forcibly pulling everyone into the lens.

“Three, two, one… Aiyo, boss! Why did you turn your head?”

“It’s nothing.” Ji Mo An suddenly frowned.

Just now, a red firework suddenly burst, and under the strong light, he saw a familiar figure on the edge of Meng Xiao’s lens.

Xuan Bai?

He looked back, but there was no one behind him.

Could it be that he saw it wrong… Ji Mo An didn’t have time to think more and was called back to take pictures by Meng Xiao’s voice.

–

“……”

This fireworks display came very timely, almost everyone was looking up at the sky.

No one noticed that a non-human creature brushed past them.

The black-haired, golden-eyed man lowered the brim of his hat and walked into an alley without a single light.

“Oltri.” He softly read out this name, and a mocking and disdainful smile curled up at the corner of his lips.

Provocation comes at a price.