He was the big shot from a neighboring province, with substantial shares in the club.

He had been trying to secure an investment project in Linjiang, but had yet to close the deal.

Thus, he was specially invited here to discuss business.

Upon hearing this, the squash nodded eagerly, called over a nearby waiter to take care of the details, and smiled at Shen Qiming, saying, “I didn’t realize Mr. Shen cared so much about his friends.”

Shen Qiming didn’t respond.

However, Jiang Sen, who was beside him, couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

The squash looked at him, puzzled. “Mr. Jiang?”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” Jiang Sen waved his hand, glancing at Shen Qiming, who didn’t acknowledge him.

The squash guided them to the private room.

The squash was here to ask for something, so he was being especially polite.

As soon as they entered, he called out to a girl in a qipao, “Wanwan.”

The girl froze for a moment, glanced at Shen Qiming, then blushed and lowered her head.

She leaned over and said, “Mr. Shen, let me help you take off your coat.”

Shen Qiming avoided her hand, took off his own coat, and handed it to the nearby waiter.

He coldly replied, “No need, I don’t like anyone touching me.”

The girl withdrew her hand and stood there, unsure of what to do, looking at the squash for help.

u0The squash quickly gestured with his eyes and smiled, “Mr. Shen, let me introduce you to Wanwan. She’s really clever and considerate, it’s hard to find someone like her these days.”

Shen Qiming gave a brief “hm” and remained silent.

Wanwan hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, “Mr. Shen, may I pour you a drink?”

Shen Qiming replied, “No need, I don’t drink.”

Wanwan stood to the side, unsure how to respond.

Jiang Sen, suppressing a laugh, waved his hand. “Come sit by me, Wanwan. Your name is nice. Since Mr. Shen doesn’t like anyone close to him, don’t worry about it.”

Wanwan bit her lip, glanced at Shen Qiming, who hadn’t even looked at her, and after a while, she reluctantly sat next to Jiang Sen.

---

At the Club

Thanks to the club’s shareholders’ instructions, the team from the Hidden Feast project was thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Although the club’s restaurant was no match for Jin Yaotiao’s culinary skills, the opulence of the VIP room alone was enough to open their eyes.

Originally, everyone had planned to drink, but the club had sent over many juices for free, making them feel like it would be a waste not to try them.

In the end, “drunkenness” turned into “a belly full of vitamins.”

After the meal, they were about to leave when a waiter, who had been instructed to take good care of them, enthusiastically invited them, “Would you like to visit our entertainment area? Our club has a spa center, a golf course, a bowling alley, and the largest live-fire shooting range in Linjiang, a project organized by our boss with many connections. Only VIP guests of our club can enter.”

At this, everyone immediately became interested.

Who wouldn’t want to experience something new?

Jin Yaotiao put down her juice, which had a poor taste, and said, “Let’s go.”

After the meal, the atmosphere among the project team was noticeably more harmonious than before.

It was a rare opportunity to have some fun together.

---

The Shooting Range

The shooting range was located on the club’s lower floor.

Even through the door, the sounds of gunshots could be heard.

Inside the range, Cheng Chen took off his ear protection, rotated his arm, which was still sore from the recoil, and turned to a woman beside him in a red dress with curly hair.

Only then did he smile. “So, how did I do, Teacher Lei?”

Lei Qiu graciously clapped her hands. “Two shots in the seven-ring, two in the six-ring, and one in the eight-ring. Pretty good.”

The people nearby also smiled and complimented both Cheng Chen and Lei Qiu.

Cheng Chen, who had been holding back his emotions for days, finally found a way to release them.

The gunshots seemed to have helped lift his mood.

Lei Qiu was a senior executive at Linjiang TV, managing several programs.

It was rumored that one of her shows was preparing to interview famous local companies and young entrepreneurs from Linjiang.

Cheng Chen wanted to get in on this opportunity, as it would help promote his restaurant and the title of young entrepreneur would benefit the Cheng family’s business image on an official level.

Recently, he had encountered many problems, so if he could secure this opportunity, it would also help repair his position in the Cheng family.

That’s why he had specifically invited Teacher Lei to the club today.

Cheng Chen probably looked quite handsome while shooting, as the girls around Lei Qiu were starry-eyed, and Lei Qiu smiled more than usual.

Cheng Chen felt there was a chance, so he waved to a waiter for a drink and sat down to chat.

---

Business Chat

While chatting about business, a girl beside Lei Qiu asked, “Mr. Cheng, there’s a company called Mingde that’s been getting a lot of attention lately. I heard there’s competition between your two companies. Is it true that one of their investors has invested in your business?”

Cheng Chen took a sip of water and nodded deeply. “Yes, that investor is the third brother of Mingde’s boss. He’s now withdrawn from Mingde and invested in the three Yun Ding restaurants we’re opening soon.”

The girl was surprised. “So, he’s actually a relative of Mingde’s boss? Why would he withdraw and invest in your company?”

Cheng Chen shrugged. “People always want to move up. Mingde is a mess now, so it’s no surprise he prefers us.”

“Is Mingde really in a mess?” The girl was even more surprised. “Wasn’t it said that the Mingde boss’s serious illness was fake? And his daughter, Jin Yaotiao, seems pretty capable too. I heard she has already managed to control the shareholders in the company.”

“You mean Jin Yaotiao?” Cheng Chen sneered. “To be honest, the shareholder who withdrew was driven out by her. She took charge, and the company fell apart. How much of those rumors are true?”

He shared this little-known news, and everyone listened intently.

Teacher Lei laughed and said, “Mr. Cheng, your two companies are competitors, so what you say may not be entirely reliable.”

Cheng Chen smiled and said, “Believe it or not, what I’m saying is the truth. However, I admit, she’s quite good at using underhanded tactics.”

Seeing the others’ interest, he went on to tell the story of how he had invited Old Mr. Meng to join, but the man remained silent and unexpectedly blocked him midway.

Of course, the story was slightly embellished, and he even described how Jin Yaotiao’s uncle, Jin Lao San, had angrily withdrawn his shares and sided with Cheng’s family, painting Mingde as a company of despicable people.

What he said was a mix of truth and falsehood, making it very easy to believe.

The girls in the room frowned after hearing it, showing signs of disdain. “How could she be like that? Mr. Cheng, that’s so unfair to you.”

Cheng Chen smiled.

After years of experience in the business world, surrounded by women, he knew well how easily women could develop hostility toward other women.

The same actions might seem less significant when done by men, but if a woman did it, other women’s tolerance would decrease.

Especially if the woman was young and beautiful, it could easily make her the target of everyone’s criticism.

He was skilled at exploiting human flaws.

So, he smiled and said generously, “I’m a man. It’s not appropriate for me to fuss with a delicate young lady. Letting her have her way is nothing.”

The girls at the scene were impressed and admired him for being such a gentleman.

But this harmonious atmosphere was quickly interrupted by a voice from the door, a slightly hoarse but special female voice, tinged with amusement: “Is that so? In that case, I should thank Mr. Cheng?”

Cheng Chen suddenly turned his head, his smile vanishing immediately: “Jin Yaotiao?”

The girls, who had been mesmerized by his words, turned to look, expecting to see a pretentious young lady.

But instead, they saw a tall, neat figure.

She had black hair and was wearing a slightly loose black sweater, the high collar standing up so much that it almost covered her sharp chin.

Her black jeans were tucked into a pair of Doc Martens boots, her legs long and slender.

As she stepped through the door of the shooting range, she exuded an almost indescribable aura of aggressiveness.

When she glanced at them with a half-smile, her eyes narrowed slightly, and the upward curve of her long eye corners gave her a stronger, more imposing presence.

She said, “Mr. Cheng, it’s me. Don’t you think we’re fated to meet? You’ve been losing sleep over me and talking bad about me behind my back.”

The girls, who had been looking at her, were stunned.

Cheng Chen immediately stood up, forcing a smile: “Miss Jin, you may have misunderstood something.”

Jin Yaotiao sneered, walking slowly toward him: “Is that so? Then let’s just say I misunderstood.”

She glanced at the only used target in the room, saw the results, and smiled lightly: “Mr. Cheng, your shooting skills aren’t bad.”

Cheng Chen straightened up, smiling: “Miss Jin, you can understand this?”

Jin Yaotiao’s lips curled under the high collar, and she stepped forward, looking at the gun Cheng Chen had put down.

She picked it up, expertly changed the magazine, chambered a round, and aimed.

Without wearing ear protection, she turned her body slightly, extended her long arm, and swiftly pulled the trigger.

The loud bang startled everyone.

Jin Yaotiao fired just one shot, then lowered the gun, looked at the target for a few seconds, and turned to smile at Cheng Chen: “Mr. Cheng, when I was getting my gun license abroad, you were probably still playing basketball somewhere.”

Cheng Chen stood frozen, staring at the target, which had a result just off the center—better than his own performance.

Jin Yaotiao tilted her head, her smile turning more sarcastic: “Mr. Cheng, as long as I’m here, I won’t stay and disturb you, so you don’t get upset. As for my third uncle, although he’s been sneaking around to eat at your place, he’s still my elder. I hope you can put aside your grudge with me and take care of him in his old age.”

With that, she turned and left.

The project team’s employees, who knew the people inside didn’t get along, didn’t try to make things worse.

Her earlier display of marksmanship had stirred their spirits, and they were quite excited.

Jin Yaotiao walked through them casually.

When she looked up, she bumped into Shen Qiming, who had hurried toward her.

Seeing her, he immediately stopped.

Shen Qiming had several people following him, seemingly having chased after her from the dinner table, and one of them kept calling, “Mr. Shen, Mr. Shen.”

She frowned, shifted her gaze, didn’t greet them, and walked away with her people.

Her right hand, tucked inside her sleeve, clenched into a fist.

She squeezed her palm, calmly saying to her subordinate, “We won’t be playing today. We’ll come back next time. You guys head out first, I’ll wash my hands in the bathroom.”

---

In the bathroom, Jin Yaotiao pressed her lips together and rubbed her shoulders.

The recoil had hurt her badly, but thankfully she had endured it without losing face.

And luckily, her score had turned out better than expected, making her look even more impressive than she had hoped.

After all, losing to anyone was better than losing to Cheng Chen, that idiot.

She looked at herself in the mirror, rubbed her arm, and checked her complexion.

After a long while, she was satisfied and left the bathroom.

But as soon as she stepped out, her peripheral vision caught sight of a figure.

Shen Qiming was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom, quietly watching her as she turned to face him.

Jin Yaotiao paused for a moment, then gave him a casual smile: “Mr. Shen, are you just passing by?”

Shen Qiming pursed his lips without answering, instead, he opened his palm toward her: “Give me your hand.”

Jin Yaotiao was silent for two seconds, then ignored him and turned to leave.

But her arm was pulled back by Shen Qiming.

The force was controlled, just enough to prevent her from escaping.

Shen Qiming held her wrist and pried open her hand, revealing an unusual bruise where she had been gripping the gun.

His expression darkened with anger as he gently rubbed the bruise, until Jin Yaotiao snatched her hand away.

---

Back at the shooting range, Cheng Chen watched as Jin Yaotiao disappeared through the door, his face turning pale and his breath quickened.

He tried for several seconds to calm himself, not wanting to appear flustered in front of the others.

When he looked around, none of the girls were paying attention to him.

Instead, they were all whispering and discussing Jin Yaotiao, even Teacher Lei, who had been distant toward him all evening, was staring thoughtfully toward the door.

The girls were excited, lowering their voices, but their enthusiasm was clear:

“Wow, is that Jin Mingde’s daughter?”

“She’s so beautiful! And I can’t believe she knows how to shoot!”

“Did you see how quickly she changed the magazine? It was so smooth, just a few seconds. I pulled out my phone, but she was done before I could even get a shot.”

“How tall do you think she is? I think she’s about 1.7 meters, her legs are so long.” One girl even gestured with her hands.

“That sweater she’s wearing is so nice, can you tell which brand it is?”

“That sweater’s nothing special, she just looks good in it. But I do like her boots, those Doc Martens.”

“Ah, it’s a pity she left so quickly. Otherwise, I should have added her on WeChat.”

Cheng Chen: “…”

Normal women would be filled with jealousy when they see someone like Jin Yaotiao, right?

What’s wrong with these women?