Chapter 119: Chapter 119: In Need of Tidying Up Chapter 119: Chapter 119: In Need of Tidying Up He took control of Nanchen again, and upon his entrance, he immediately became the center of attention.

Men holding their wine glasses, gathered around him one after the other.

Some were hypocritical, some were flattering, all just wanted to establish a relationship with him and gain a slice of the pie.

And the women? They stood in groups of three or five, pretending to be nonchalant, yet all their gazes fell squarely on Zhou Jin’an.

He had canceled his engagement with the An family, held a high position, and was single and wealthy, like a walking piece of Tang monk meat that inevitably caught everyone’s attention.

In the swimming pool, a group of young men and women dressed in cool clothes were frolicking.

“Look at you, drooling all over. What makes you think Zhou Jin’an would be interested in you?”

“If he’s not into me, you think he would be into you? You don’t have the chest I do, nor the butt I have, he definitely wouldn’t go for you.”

“But I’m good in bed, I guarantee you he couldn’t resist it, just don’t know if I would be even more amazing with him!”

…

The young girls were completely unrestrained in their talk, daring to say anything, whether crude or proper.

They laughed and made noise, but failed to catch Zhou Jin’an’s attention.

Yet, he still caught sight of Qiao En at first glance.

In fact, he had seen her as soon as he entered.

She was dressed in a moon-white Chinese-style cheongsam, stunningly beautiful.

In the bustling crowd, she tucked herself away in the most secluded spot, looking perfectly content.

Zhou Jin’an gave her that one look, and afterwards, his gaze never strayed from her again.

The news that Ding Hao was preparing to take over Ding Corporation spread, and he became the second most important figure of the evening after Zhou Jin’an.

He was surrounded by people, wanting to extricate himself but unable to, his neck craning towards Qiao En’s direction, yet there were always people blocking his view.

Zhou Jin’an had been fighting in the business world for many years, and he had attended countless parties of this type.

He was a business tycoon, many rules were set by him.

For instance, at these kinds of parties, he categorically did not discuss business.

After a simple exchange of pleasantries, irrelevant people dared not linger near him for long.

Only a few big shots closely associated with Nanchen remained by his side.

They found a shaded resting area under an umbrella to sit down, and Zhou Jin’an’s seat was directly facing Qiao En.

Separated by a swimming pool, his gaze toward her was both deep and intense.

Just then, the An siblings made their entrance.

Upon arrival, An Jinhua was embraced by several old customers and led to one side.

An Kexin was dressed like a debutante, in an haute couture outfit that looked incredibly expensive, her sharp eyes scanning the room, immediately spotting Zhou Jin’an.

Tall and straight, handsome and dashing, he shone like a bright pearl, making An Kexin’s eyes fixate on him.

“Brother An.”

She approached gracefully with a champagne glass in hand but before she could get close to Zhou Jin’an, Cheng Lu stopped her.

“Miss An, Director Zhou is discussing important matters and does not wish to be disturbed by outsiders.”

“I’m just going over to say hello to Brother An.”

An Kexin was persistent and tried to move forward, but Cheng Lu stood firm like a wall, blocking her path completely.

“Miss An knows Director Zhou’s temperament. If he were to take offense, could Miss An afford it?”

An Kexin hesitated.

But she was not content.

“I’ll come back later.”

She walked away, swinging her hips, and after only a few steps, she ran into the Ding sisters.

“He’s already canceled the engagement with you; what are you still trying to get involved with? It’s not as though all the men in the world are dead, to hang on this one tree.”

An Kexin’s refusal from moments ago had already been witnessed by Ding Ruyi, who began with a twinge of ridicule.

An Kexin’s face soured. The canceled engagement fiasco had made her the laughingstock of the Rong City ladies, and she was still not out of that shadow.

Bringing up exactly what she did not want to hear, she glared at Ding Ruyi fiercely.

“At least I have hung from that tree, what about you?”

She retorted sharply.

“I’m going to grab a drink over there.”

Ding Ruxin smiled faintly, nodded at An Kexin, and turned to leave.

She was astute, knowing which people to engage with and which to avoid.

As soon as she left, Ding Ruyi leaned in and said, “Look, who is that?”

She nudged An Kexin with her lips, signaling her to look in Qiao En’s direction.

An Kexin followed her gaze and saw Qiao En leaning uncomfortable on a sunlounger.

Having been ill at ease herself for some time, An Kexin felt annoyed seeing Qiao En so at ease.

“How come she’s here?”

Ding Ruyi sneered, “This kind of place, of course she can’t come on her own. Have you forgotten? Her greatest skill is relying on men. My brother is truly blind to treat such a whore like a treasure.”

“Ding Hao is here too?” An Kexin’s gaze swept around, quickly locating Ding Hao’s figure.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, he was laughing and talking with a group of people, completely oblivious to this area.

“She’s about to become a member of the Ding family, and here you are, calling her a ‘whore’ left and right; that’s not very proper, is it?”

An Kexin probed insincerely.

Ding Ruyi remembered the three slaps Qiao En gave her last time, still feeling the ache in her molars.

“What’s improper about it? She was born cheap, seducing Zhou Jin’an first and then moving on to seduce my brother. I think she’s asking for it.”

Ding Ruyi said resentfully.

Unintentionally, she struck a nerve in An Kexin. If there were no Qiao En, An Kexin felt that she and Zhou Jin’an would probably be married by now.

Now that Zhou Jin’an had unilaterally called off their engagement, she’d lost all face and had no chance of becoming Mrs. Zhou anymore.

“What do you plan to do about her?”

An Kexin’s fingers tightened on her champagne glass.

Ding Ruyi narrowed her eyes as she stared at Qiao En and sized her up again.

She despised people like Qiao En, who, despite their poor background, seemed to succeed wherever they went and took advantage of fate.

Born into a wealthy family, she herself lived a constrained life. Why should Qiao En lead a more triumphant life than hers?

What she couldn’t have, she would naturally destroy.

So…

“Watch me.”

Ding Ruyi tipped her head back and downed the champagne in her glass.

A waiter passed by her, and she whispered a few words into his ear in a low voice.

The waiter, carrying a tray, quickly left and soon walked with it toward Qiao En.

However, there was a black cloth covering the tray.

“Miss, here is a gift for you.”

The waiter approached Qiao En and said with a bow.

Qiao En slowly turned her head to look at the unfamiliar waiter.

“Who sent it?”

She frowned, asking warily.

“The gentleman wearing the same color as you.”

The waiter, following Ding Ruyi’s instructions, gestured for Qiao En to look towards Zhou Jin’an.

Today, by coincidence, they both had matched colors, both wearing crescent white.

The man was handsome and dashing, the woman demure and elegant; they looked very well-matched.

Qiao En had her doubts.

Zhou Jin’an was understated by nature; even if he were to give something to Qiao En, he would never do it in such a public place.

Moreover, they were no longer involved, and now that she had come with Ding Hao, Zhou Jin’an would not recklessly do something that would earn derision.

“Thank you, you can hold onto it for me; I’ll pick it up when I leave.”

Qiao En found a compromise that was both safe and middle-of-the-road.

But the waiter was persistent, “I’m sorry, we can’t hold onto it for you. The gentleman insisted you open it now, he said it’s a surprise for you.”

The more words one uses, the greater the chance of a slip.

As the waiter spoke, Qiao En became even more certain that this so-called gift was definitely not from Zhou Jin’an.

“I’ll give this gift to you right now.”

Qiao En stood up, wanting to leave.

But the waiter suddenly stepped forward, pushing the tray into Qiao En’s hands and at the same time yanking away the black cloth that covered the tray.

“Ah—”

Someone by the pool caught sight of the thing on the plate and let out a cry.

And Qiao En’s face turned deathly pale.