In the airport, Dong Enyu was definitely the most eye-catching woman.
She wore a bright blue suit she bought last time, standing out in the crowd.
She was used to being the center of attention and was naturally unafraid of others’ scrutinizing gazes.
However, Huo Ai, standing next to her, clearly wanted to keep some distance from her.
As for the reason, Dong Enyu didn’t care to know; she probably thought this outfit was embarrassing, right? Dong Enyu crossed her arms and noticed Huo Ai glancing at her watch.
At that moment, a returning flight had just arrived at the airport.
After the announcement, many passengers began to walk from the arrivals area.
Dong Enyu had never seen the Chairman, and Huo Ai had never shown her any photos or anything like that.
They had a small argument about it, but the woman only told Dong Enyu that when the time came, she would naturally recognize the Chairman.
Initially, Dong Enyu thought this was just Huo Ai’s way of brushing her off, but now she finally understood what Huo Ai meant…
A senior lady was walking from the arrivals area, looking at least in her sixties.
She was dressed in colorful, flamboyant clothes, with a mix of bright reds and purples, a fashionable fur draped over her shoulders, and bright yellow high heels.
She swaggered over, dragging a light suitcase.
Dong Enyu was immediately drawn to the lady’s outfit, and at the same time, Huo Ai took a step forward.
Just as she was about to ask Huo Ai something, the lady suddenly waved her hands, and Huo Ai nodded in acknowledgment.
The lady was the person they were waiting for, the Chairman of Coral Reef Group—He Xuan.
“Mrs. He, long time no see.
How was your trip?” Huo Ai stepped forward to greet He Xuan.
He Xuan dropped her luggage and warmly embraced Huo Ai.
Her short stature made Huo Ai bend down, and they exchanged a friendly French greeting, kissing each other’s cheeks loudly.
He Xuan seemed to have lived abroad for a long time, speaking Mandarin with a foreign accent, but it didn’t hinder communication.
“Dear, look at you, you’ve lost weight again since we last met.” He Xuan said while pinching Huo Ai’s cheeks, like a grandmother doting on her granddaughter.
This made Dong Enyu, watching from the side, raise her eyebrows, thinking that their relationship was quite good.
At least she had never seen anyone dare to treat Huo Ai like this.
“Mrs. He, let me introduce you to my new assistant I mentioned on the phone, Dong Enyu.” Huo Ai suddenly turned and nodded, prompting Dong Enyu to step forward.
“Hello, Madam, I’m Dong Enyu.” She smiled at He Xuan, trying to appear particularly friendly.
He Xuan looked Dong Enyu up and down, then patted her on the butt, laughing, “Not bad, I’ve heard a lot about you from Huo Ai.
With you assisting Huo Ai, I’m very reassured.
You’re a smart kid.” Her height didn’t even reach Dong Enyu’s shoulder, yet it didn’t affect her strong presence as the Chairman.
“Not at all, Manager Huo praises me too much.” Dong Enyu responded with a smile.
As they walked to the parking lot, they exchanged a few more pleasantries.
This time, the car sent to pick up the Chairman was a luxury sedan, making Dong Enyu feel a bit constrained when she got in, showing how much Huo Ai valued Mrs. He’s status.
The car was spacious enough for face-to-face conversation in the back seat, with Dong Enyu and Huo Ai on one side and Mrs. He on the other.
“Huo Ai, it seems like you’ve grown taller since we last met?” He Xuan took out her glasses from her bag, along with a foreign newspaper to pass the time, but her gaze stopped on Huo Ai, examining her while touching her chin.
“Mrs. He, I’ve passed the stage of growing taller.” Huo Ai responded calmly.
She noticed He Xuan holding a newspaper, then took out a document from her briefcase and handed it to He Xuan, before taking the newspaper and placing it on her lap.
He Xuan chuckled, knowing Huo Ai’s workaholic nature, so she wasn’t surprised.
“How’s business lately?” The report was filled with numbers and text, and He Xuan, sitting in the car, was dizzy from the shaking.
She only glanced at it before putting the document down.
“Very smooth.” Huo Ai succinctly stated that they had recently negotiated with Wutang, and the process was developing as expected.
“Let’s hope those bandits don’t do anything rash and go back on their word.
It’s hard to trust what those people say.” He Xuan was referring to the recent incident where Wutang hijacked goods.
She didn’t have a good impression of Wutang, but she wasn’t extremely averse either.
Since there was now a business relationship, she wouldn’t stop Huo Ai from negotiating with them.
“The contract is signed.
I don’t think they’d be foolish enough to breach it.” Huo Ai was confident, and her words were always convincing.
“Don’t relax until the goods are delivered.
If this cooperation fails, I suggest arming the receivers under Haijiao with firearms in the future.
If those bandits come to rob, just shoot them.
They’re like stinking rats in the gutter, running around and causing trouble.” He Xuan spoke casually, but her tone was serious, as if she had already planned to do so.
“That’s not appropriate.
The police in the North District are becoming more stringent.
If we arm our people and get caught, it will be trouble for Haijiao.
It’s best to resolve things peacefully to avoid unnecessary losses.” She always opposed using force to solve these matters, especially with goods that skirt the edge of the law; the lower the profile, the better.
“You’re really timid, Huo Ai.” He Xuan teased Huo Ai, like a grandmother teasing her granddaughter for being cowardly.
Huo Ai raised her eyebrows, her ink-black eyes showing a faint smile.
“It’s caution.” She was cautious, the same with everything.
“Besides, negotiating with Wutang could bring considerable profits in the future.” But she was reserved, with the premise of getting into the inner circle.
Thinking of this, Huo Ai’s gaze shifted to Dong Enyu sitting beside her.
“I heard from Huo Ai that you switched from Wutang.
Was the treatment there not good?” He Xuan spoke as if Dong Enyu had left Wutang and then joined Coral Reef Group.
Dong Enyu knew that Huo Ai had concealed the fact that she was being hunted by Wutang, only saying she joined Coral Reef Group without revealing any other details.
Dong Enyu pursed her lips, her gaze drifting to Huo Ai.
The two exchanged a brief glance before Dong Enyu smiled and said, “Different paths, different goals.”
“Good, decisive!” He Xuan clapped her hands, approving of Dong Enyu’s spirit.
At the same time, she saw Huo Ai also smiling, but that smile made Dong Enyu feel a bit uncomfortable.
…Was it mockery?
“Thank you, Mrs. He.” Dong Enyu nodded politely, feeling no joy at all.
The subsequent conversation was entirely between He Xuan and Huo Ai, discussing life abroad.
That evening, Huo Ai had Shirley book a high-end Chinese restaurant, knowing that Mrs. He, having lived abroad for many years, would miss the taste of home.
So she spared no expense to book the entire restaurant.
The large parking lot had only their black sedan.
It was said to be a private meeting, but it was only slightly less formal than an official one…
The restaurant specialized in mountain delicacies, with every dish laden with oil and meat, making Dong Enyu feel a bit nauseous.
But Mrs. He seemed to be in a food paradise, excitedly turning the table to bring a large piece of Dongpo pork in front of her, admiring the perfect marbling and brown meat.
“Oh my, this is authentic Dongpo pork! The dishes in our Chinatown have all lost their flavor, even the top restaurants don’t taste this good!” Mrs. He watched as the waiter brought more dishes, her eyes widening like cowbells, prompting Huo Ai to pat her arm to calm her down.
“Madam, just looking won’t fill you up,” Dong Enyu picked up her chopsticks and placed the fattiest, largest piece of meat into He Xuan’s bowl, smiling, “These are all dishes Manager Huo ordered for you.
She knows what you like, so you must eat more tonight.” After saying this, she also served Huo Ai, watching the greasy sauce slide over the chopsticks, suddenly feeling very pleased.
A small act of revenge for the earlier mockery in the car.
“Are you adapting well here?” After tasting all the dishes, Mrs. He asked Dong Enyu to serve her a bowl of soup, casually asking, “Suddenly coming from the underworld, do you feel constrained? Haijiao has many rules, unlike the freedom of the underworld, where it’s not about who has the biggest fist.”
“Mrs. He, you’re overthinking.
Manager Huo takes good care of me, and I haven’t felt the slightest discomfort.” Dong Enyu spoke sincerely, glancing at Huo Ai a few times.
Unfortunately, Huo Ai was focused on eating and didn’t meet her gaze, but she noticed a faint smile on Huo Ai’s lips.
“Really? This is the first time I’ve heard someone say that about Huo Ai,” He Xuan finished her soup, squinting as if sharing a secret with Dong Enyu, “I used to hear from Shirley that Huo Ai’s partners always complained about her being too strict and inflexible, quite difficult to deal with.
Don’t you think so?”
“I would interpret it as Manager Huo being diligent and handling affairs methodically.
Being serious is also right, as the goods handled by Coral Reef Group cannot afford any carelessness.” She spoke as if singing praises, but Dong Enyu knew that Mrs. He was very fond of Huo Ai, and who would be foolish enough to criticize the Chairman’s confidant in front of her?
“Thank you for the compliment.” This sentence came from Huo Ai’s mouth.
She picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, her movements elegant like a noble who had just finished a Western meal, yet she exuded a classic Chinese grace.
Huo Ai raised her eyes, her ink-black starry eyes unwaveringly meeting Dong Enyu’s gaze, their eyes clashing in mid-air, neither backing down.
However, He Xuan, sitting there, didn’t know that Dong Enyu was actually “picked up” by Huo Ai, nor did she know that Huo Ai kept Dong Enyu by her side just to use her to infiltrate Wutang.
Only mutual benefit, no emotional harm.
Perhaps because of this clear boundary, Dong Enyu and Huo Ai developed a kind of tacit understanding.
You don’t say, I don’t say, no one knows…
The dinner atmosphere was very pleasant.
Huo Ai had booked a five-star hotel for He Xuan, and after sending the Chairman back to rest, Huo Ai drove the car in the opposite direction.
Dong Enyu leaned against the car door, watching the road signs flash past the window, understanding that Huo Ai wasn’t heading back to Haijiao Headquarters, nor planning to take her home.
“Are you and Mrs. He close?” Dong Enyu yawned, asking casually.
Huo Ai held the steering wheel with one hand, her hair gently swaying with the air conditioning, “I started from the grassroots.”
Dong Enyu glanced at her, implying that Huo Ai was He Xuan’s chosen successor?
“Where are you taking me?” She noticed Huo Ai driving further into the mountains and couldn’t help but ask.
At this point, Huo Ai suddenly turned on the radio, the music flowing out drowning Dong Enyu’s question.
That face, with absolute classical beauty, reflected in the windshield, her delicate lips moved slightly.
“Inspecting the goods.” Her naturally husky voice was more melodious than any symphony.
