Chapter 86: I Saw An Ling

The car stopped at the entrance of the Golden Palace. An Ling unbuckled her seatbelt and got out.

She looked up at the familiar clubhouse in front of her.

It was exactly as Shen Linyan had said; socializing was all about drinking.

Arriving at the door of the private room, Nan Zhechuan saw Lin Ya standing there and walked over. "Sister Lin Ya."

An Ling also called out, "Sister Lin Ya."

Lin Ya nodded, took An Ling's hand, and lowered her voice. "Don't say anything when we go in later. Let me handle it. If they ask you to drink, just listen to me."

An Ling nodded in agreement.

Entering the private room, a middle-aged man sat on the sofa in the center. He was slightly plump, with his suit jacket draped over the sofa. His sleeves were rolled up as he poured wine, and a luxury watch rested on his wrist. He was dressed like a boss, but An Ling couldn't help but feel he looked like a nouveau riche.

Seeing Lin Ya enter, the middle-aged man smiled and waved. "Director Lin is here! Come, come, have a seat."

Lin Ya walked over and politely shook his hand with a smile. "President Song, Mr. Chen had something come up at the last minute and couldn't make it today. I hope you can understand."

"I understand, I understand. Mr. Chen is a busy man," the middle-aged man laughed heartily.

His gaze fell on the two people behind her, pausing slightly as it lingered on An Ling's face.

"And who might these two be?"

Lin Ya turned to introduce them. "These two are producers from our company."

"Ah Leng, Nan Zhechuan, this is President Song."

The smile on the middle-aged man's face deepened. "So they are producers. Director Lin's company is full of hidden talents; even the producers look like celebrities."

His smile seemed amiable, but his gaze unashamedly fixed on An Ling's face.

An Ling stood where she was, feeling that sticky gaze landing on her skin as if it had physical substance. The blatant appraisal gave her a sickening feeling of physiological discomfort.

Her expression remained unchanged as she stood there calmly.

Lin Ya discreetly blocked the man's line of sight, picking up a wine glass and smiling to change the subject. "President Song flatters me. How has business been lately? Thankfully, we had your investment for the previous project. I really must toast you."

President Song took the glass. "Not bad, not bad."

He looked at the two people by the door. "You two producers, come and have a seat as well."

Lin Ya gestured for An Ling to sit next to her, then raised her glass and continued talking to the man about investments.

However, not long after they sat down, President Song's gaze suddenly landed on An Ling's face again.

He poured a glass of wine and proactively placed it in front of An Ling. "Won't this producer have a drink?"

The air in the private room went quiet for a moment.

Lin Ya quickly pulled the glass in front of herself and said with a smile, "Ah Leng is still young and doesn't know how to drink. I'll drink it for her."

President Song's smile faded. He looked at Lin Ya, his tone ambiguous. "What are you saying, Director Lin? If she doesn't know how to drink, she can just learn. What's the point of coming here if you don't drink? Isn't investing all about everyone being happy?"

His words made it clear that he wanted An Ling to drink.

The atmosphere grew slightly stiff. The smile on Lin Ya's face became a bit forced, and her hand tightened slightly around her glass.

This bastard just loved to force people to drink.

Every time she went back from a social event, she had to throw up.

Just as she was about to say something, the glass in her hand was taken away, and a gentle female voice sounded in her ear. "Give it to me, Sister Lin Ya."

An Ling gave her a reassuring look, sighed inwardly, tilted her head back, and downed the wine in one gulp.

No wonder Mr. Chen was worried. So this was the kind of investor they were dealing with.

How realistic.

Seeing this, the smile returned to President Song's face. "Hey! That's more like it!"

Seeing An Ling finish the wine, he poured her another glass, smiling so widely that the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunched up, revealing a shrewd glint. "Director Lin, look at this. She clearly knows how to drink."

After a few glasses, An Ling felt a bit dizzy and put down her glass.

Ever since she came here to drink with Jiang Mai last time, she hadn't touched a drop of alcohol.

She gave President Song a faint smile and stood up. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

Nan Zhechuan, who was beside her, quickly stepped forward and took her place with a smile. "President Song, I'll drink with you."

President Song frowned but still nodded reluctantly. "Fine, fine."

An Ling walked out of the private room, shook her head, and went over to lean against the railing.

She glanced at the dancing crowd in the hall below, then her gaze slowly drifted to the edge of the bar. She propped her chin on her hand, a slight drunken flush on her face, and her eyes looking lazy. She mumbled, "So this is what the angle looks like..."

Was this where Shen Linyan stood when he watched her back then?

Her temples throbbed uncomfortably. An Ling frowned, massaged them, and took out her phone.

An Ling: Bro, are you free later? Come pick me up~

Before deciding to come here, she had let her family know.

An Zhou: Send the address. Why did you insist on going to a social event when you're perfectly fine? You're just asking for trouble.

An Ling: I was just curious. It turns out this investor likes to force people to drink. Is this what all your social events are like?

An Zhou: ?? What, An Ling, you have face blindness and you dare to drink outside?

After replying, An Zhou picked up his jacket and said to Mother An on the sofa, "Mom, I'm going to pick up An Ling. The girl seems to have had a little to drink while out."

Mother An was about to nod when her gaze paused slightly on the jade jewelry box on the table.

The exquisite violet jade shone beautifully under the light, and the matching earrings were equally translucent.

This had been sent over by someone dispatched by Shen Linyan a few hours ago.

In addition to this, the other styles previously shown by the salesperson had also been sent over.

Tens of millions worth of items. The people dropped them off and left, giving her no chance to refuse.

Recalling what the man had said earlier, her expression grew serious. She suddenly stopped An Zhou, who was about to leave. "An Zhou, wait a minute."

An Zhou turned around, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Mother An remained silent for a few seconds, then let out a long sigh and spoke slowly.

"Don't go. Give the address to Wen Yuche and let him go."

An Zhou froze for a moment.

Once he realized what she meant, his expression instantly became complicated. "Mom, are you... deliberately trying to set them up? What about An Ling's face blindness?"

Mother An didn't answer. She reached out to close the jade box and said gently, "It doesn't matter. They are friends, and Xiao Wen isn't a bad person. Ling Ling can recognize him. Remember to make an excuse and tell Ling Ling you can't go."

An Zhou had no choice but to do as he was told.

As he sent the message, he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

"Looks like I'm not the only one being set up..."

Meanwhile, on the other end, An Ling looked surprised when she read the name on the screen.

"Wen Yuche is coming??"

Why was her brother so unreliable? Always bothering other people.

She put away her phone and muttered softly, "If I had known, I would have just asked Shen Linyan."

She had stayed out for a bit too long, so An Ling decided to head back to the private room.

Frowning and uncomfortably rubbing her temples, she turned around. After taking a few steps, she almost bumped into someone. She quickly looked up at the person. "Sorry."

The other person seemed taken aback and replied hesitantly, "Uh... it's okay."

An Ling nodded and continued walking forward.

Watching the woman's retreating back, Wang Yihong stood in place, a strange expression on his face.

"Was that An Ling just now?"

She looked like she had drunk quite a bit. Was she alone?

He thought for a moment, then turned around, pulled out his phone, and texted Shen Linyan.

[I saw An Ling. She's drinking at my bar.]