Who let you drink?

Wen Jin closed her eyes, a stifled ache gripping her chest.

This was not the first time Sheng Yang had blocked her.

Once, Wen Jin had won an award in a national competition. She had happily sent several photos to Sheng Yang to share the news. But before she even had a chance to express her joy, she found herself blocked by him.

The suffocating sensation of words stuck midway in her throat—neither able to be swallowed nor spoken—was something Wen Jin remembered to this day.

It was especially true after Zhao Yimo let it slip later on. That was when Wen Jin learned that, on that particular occasion, Sheng Yang had been hanging out with his friends. Finding Wen Jin's messages too annoying, he had simply blocked her outright.

How laughable it was that Wen Jin had actually blamed herself back then, wondering if she had been too clingy.

Seeing that red exclamation mark once again only served to confirm the truth: Sheng Yang truly had never cared about her.

Well, it didn't matter anymore.

Right now, the most important thing was the matter concerning Fanying.

She had no idea what Sheng Yang meant, nor whether she could still reach him, but she had no choice but to swallow her emotions and send him a separate text message.

Noticing that Wen Jin's complexion didn't look too good, Zhu Xiaoqi asked with concern, "Wenwen, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Wen Jin shook her head. "No, I'm just a bit tired."

Sympathizing, Zhu Xiaoqi said, "Well, you have every right to be. Ever since you joined the company, you've been targeted by that bloodsucker, Yao Runhao."

Wen Jin managed a weak smile as a response.

Seeing that Wen Jin genuinely lacked the energy to talk, Zhu Xiaoqi quickly shut her mouth.

Meanwhile, as Sheng Yang walked out of Fanying's offices, his phone chimed with a notification. He let out a soft click of his tongue, a dark shadow flitting across his light-colored pupils.

He asked Chen Jin, "I remember there's a dinner banquet tonight, right? With the people from Hongrui?"

Chen Jin replied, "The dinner with Hongrui is scheduled for tomorrow night, not tonight."

"Got it."

With that, Sheng Yang strode away.

Chen Jin followed closely behind, seizing the moment to contact Hongrui's project manager.

***

Since Sheng Yang hadn't replied, Manager Yao kept pressuring Wen Jin.

"If he hasn't replied to your messages, you can just call him!"

"It's not like your relationship with President Sheng is ordinary!" Manager Yao blurted out.

Wen Jin raised her eyes.

Realizing a second too late that he had spoken out of turn, Manager Yao sighed. "What I mean is, since you have this resource, naturally you should make the most of it."

"Connections like President Sheng or Jiang Yuan are people many can only hope to meet once in a lifetime."

"Don't be so stubborn, Wen Jin. Sometimes, connections are far more important than capability."

It was precisely these words from Manager Yao that finally made Wen Jin understand why Zhu Xiaoqi and the others called him a glory-hound and a snob, yet treated her so well.

As it turned out, it was because he believed her relationship with Sheng Yang was extraordinary.

Wen Jin took a deep breath and walked out of the office.

She didn't bother explaining anything to Manager Yao. Besides, even if she did, he would probably just pressure her even harder to go and apologize to Sheng Yang.

Fortunately, close to the end of the workday, Chen Jin called. He politely informed her that Sheng Yang had agreed to her arrangement.

Only then did Wen Jin breathe a sigh of relief.

Upon reaching the entrance of the private dining room, Manager Yao patted her arm.

"See? Didn't I tell you? Connections matter more than anything else." He gave Wen Jin a meaningful look. "Be smart tonight."

When she pushed open the door and saw Sheng Yang again, Wen Jin's mindset was already completely calm.

After all, he was just a client of Fanying.

Lowering her eyelashes, she followed behind Manager Yao, obeying his instructions and leaving no room for any criticism.

Raising his wine glass, Manager Yao noticed Sheng Yang's lukewarm, lingering gaze fixed on Wen Jin. He gave a couple of soft coughs and looked at Wen Jin.

"Wen Jin, why are you being so clueless? Have a drink with President Sheng."

Wen Jin looked at Sheng Yang's expressionless face.

Without any objections, she raised her hand and poured herself a glass of wine.

Yet before she even had a chance to speak, she heard Sheng Yang say, "Who told you to drink?"

He sat there, his innate arrogance on full display. The dark, formal suit he wore only served to accentuate his coldly handsome features.

An oppressive aura washed over them.

Sheng Yang's scrutinizing gaze landed on Wen Jin, laden with chill.

Wen Jin's expression remained unchanged as she simply looked back at him. "Does President Sheng police whether other people drink as well?"

Sheng Yang glanced at her, his tone casual and indifferent.

"If you want to drink, I certainly have no objections. I just don't want a repeat of last time."

"Fainting in my office last time, and now you want to faint in front of me again?"

He tapped his fingers against the tabletop, the curve of his lips edged with mockery. "The bitter-pity trick gets old when you use it too often."

The atmosphere in the private room dropped to freezing point instantly.

Even Manager Yao was momentarily struck speechless.

Sheng Yang, however, remained entirely oblivious to how harsh his words had been. After giving Wen Jin one final look, he instructed Chen Jin, "Get her a glass of milk."

Manager Yao let out a dry, forced laugh, attempting to smooth things over.

"President Sheng is just showing concern for our Wen Jin. Indeed, it's better for young women to drink less."

Sheng Yang raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Manager Yao.

"O-u-r W-e-n J-i-n."

He raised a hand and tapped his fingers rhythmically against the table, repeating those four words.

Manager Yao hurriedly corrected himself, "My mistake, my mistake. I meant Wen Jin from our company."

Light and shadow shifted in Sheng Yang's eyes, his voice devoid of emotion.

"I already said, I simply don't want anyone trying to latch onto me for clout again."

"Yes, absolutely." Manager Yao nodded repeatedly.

Standing off to the side, Wen Jin watched Sheng Yang and Manager Yao with a deadpan expression.

She felt like nothing more than an object, reduced to a talking point for their superficial pleasantries.

In truth, she found it all rather irritating.

However, Sheng Yang and Chen Jin had genuinely come for business this time.

Aside from the small interlude at the beginning, the meeting quickly got down to business.

Although Wen Jin's background was in civil engineering, she was naturally no match for Manager Yao, who had years of experience in the industry. Listening to their negotiations, however, she still managed to pick up quite a bit.

Barring the expected back-and-forth bargaining, the dinner banquet proceeded quite pleasantly.

Yet by the time it concluded, they discovered it had started raining outside.

The weather in Yangcheng was notorious for dramatic temperature swings between day and night. Wen Jin had already messaged Cheng Yao earlier to let him know she would be working late.

Just as she was preparing to hail a cab, however, Chen Jin approached her.

He said in a low voice, "Miss Wen, President Sheng is waiting for you."

Wen Jin looked at the Bentley parked nearby and took a step back. "There's no need."

Chen Jin didn't budge. "It's about the project proposal. President Sheng would like to clarify a few details."

Because it concerned work, Wen Jin had no grounds for refusal.

She had no choice but to walk over.

Inside the dimly lit car interior, only a sliver of light filtered in from the streetlamps outside.

Sheng Yang sat upright inside, watching as Wen Jin got into the vehicle.

Abruptly, he spoke up, "It seems you've been living quite well in Yangcheng."

Wen Jin paused, looking at him.

She answered with complete candor, "Yangcheng is indeed much better than Beijing. I like it here a lot."

"Especially because there is no Sheng Yang here."

Yet for some reason, these words seemed to provoke him.

Sheng Yang looked down at her from his position of superiority, letting out a cold, low scoff.