The night was desolate, as if a giant net had been cast over the entire city.
Neon lights flickered wildly, heralding the arrival of a world where money reigned supreme, dimming even the brilliance of the stars.
In a private box at a top-tier club in Z City, Gu Yaoqing, his face grim, raised his wine glass to the man opposite him. "I don't want any unexpected incidents to occur afterward."
"Naturally," replied the man opposite Gu Yaoqing. He was in his early thirties, his cheeks flushed from drinking, his protruding belly giving him a somewhat greasy, comical appearance. The custom-made Rolex peeking out from under his cuff was a clear display of luxury. "I also hope everything goes smoothly. After all, that old man only knows how to make things difficult for us brothers day by day."
"Exactly," chimed in the slightly older man beside him. "If you ask me, Hua Heng should have belonged to us brothers long ago."
"I'll toast to the Second Young Master and the Third Young Master," Gu Yaoqing offered with a smile. "May your wishes come true. All your expenses tonight are on me, a small token of my appreciation."
Gu Yaoqing clapped his hands, and immediately, four beautiful women pushed open the door, settling themselves beside the two brothers. They struck seductive poses and uttered sweet, alluring sounds, captivating their attention.
"President Gu is indeed a man of his word!" The brothers burst into laughter, with a woman on each arm.
Gu Yaoqing merely chuckled at the sight, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.
If only the eldest young master of Hua Heng wasn't as rigid and uninteresting as the CEO, unyielding to any influence.
He wouldn't have had to schmooze and curry favor with the dissolute Second and Third Young Masters.
It was truly beneath him!
But this was all for the future of the Gu family. Great men do not quibble over trifles!
Once he secured the cooperation with Hua Heng, he could find an opportunity to annex Hua Heng later, and these two good-for-nothings could be kicked to the curb.
For now, he had to endure, everything required careful planning.
Only by throwing Hua Heng into internal chaos could he reap the benefits later.
As long as the next two days went smoothly, it would easily alleviate his urgent financial strain.
Not only would he gain the opportunity for cooperation in new energy, but he could also use Hua Heng's capital to mitigate the adverse effects of his broken capital chain.
How much longer could that discarded son of the Gu family remain arrogant?
No matter how arrogant Gu Yaoyang became, the Gu family would always be his, Gu Yaoqing's, to claim!
Suddenly, a memory surfaced of Xia Qingtian serving tea to Gu Yaoyang at Gu's Entertainment earlier that day, her docile demeanor as she stood by his side.
Just as he could snatch Yu Linwan away from Gu Yaoyang, he could snatch Xia Qingtian too!
Thinking this, Gu Yaoqing's smile grew more unbridled.
Any woman he desired would not escape his grasp!
...
A sudden wave of nausea washed over Xia Qingtian, causing her to break out in goosebumps. Her expression turned peculiar. "Ew..."
"What's wrong? Are you feeling stressed?" Xia Qingyu looked up at Xia Qingtian. "If you don't want to go, just feign illness."
"That wouldn't be good. There's filming tomorrow, and if I lie now, it will delay the entire recording schedule." Xia Qingtian was very serious about her work. She rubbed her arms. "I don't know why, but it feels like I've been licked by a toad. I feel all uncomfortable. I'm going to take another shower. You should get some sleep."
With that, Xia Qingtian waved and returned to her room.
After bathing again, Xia Qingtian felt warm all over, and drowsiness crept in. She snuggled into the covers and soon fell fast asleep.
The next morning, Xia Qingtian wore a more professional outfit and also prepared an additional evening gown for unforeseen circumstances.
Upon arriving at the company, Xia Qingtian first confirmed that Li Xiaoxiao was already on duty, then she quickly headed to the assistant department to seek guidance from Assistant Lin.
Assistant Lin was also very concerned, but the intricacies of the job couldn't be explained in a few words.
For instance, it was crucial to be familiar with the identities of the various executives and experts. When they approached Mr. Gu for pleasantries, as an assistant, she needed to provide timely and appropriate reminders.
She also needed to be familiar with the layout of the entire venue, guiding them efficiently through each specific location.
Furthermore, she had to make the most reasonable judgments and implement timely countermeasures to handle any unforeseen situations.
All contact numbers needed to be memorized, as well as various etiquette protocols...
In short, an assistant had many detailed and meticulous tasks, and numerous points where one could be criticized.
If Assistant Lin were to explain everything, he could give Xia Qingtian a year-long training course.
After careful consideration, Assistant Lin could only place his hope on the omnipotent Mr. Gu.
As for Xia Qingtian...
Assistant Lin took a deep breath and looked at Xia Qingtian. "No matter what situation you face, no matter what happens, you must remain composed. Confident eyes and expressions are extremely important. You absolutely cannot panic, at least, you must not show any signs of panic in front of others."
"That sounds very serious..." Although Xia Qingtian had learned about the importance of this conference from Xia Qingyu the night before, hearing Assistant Lin say it today made her feel even more pressured.
"And one more crucial thing," Assistant Lin's tone was very serious.
"The most important thing?" Xia Qingtian blinked and looked at Assistant Lin.
"Trust Mr. Gu," Assistant Lin looked directly into Xia Qingtian's eyes and said with certainty. "Trust Mr. Gu unconditionally."
"..." Xia Qingtian froze.
This was precisely the one thing she could not do.
Trust Mr. Gu.
Xia Qingtian's mind conjured Mr. Gu's face.
Once, she had wholeheartedly trusted her best friend, Mobius.
But that trust had collapsed rapidly after the first crack appeared.
Now, even if she used the world's strongest superglue, she could not mend her trust again.
This was something she absolutely could not do.
Sitting in the car, watching the scenery whiz by outside the window, Xia Qingtian felt her mind was even more chaotic than the passing landscape.
"What are you thinking about?" Mr. Gu glanced at his watch. "We've moved up the departure time by 15 minutes. Even with traffic, we'll have plenty of time, so don't be nervous."
This wasn't what Xia Qingtian was worried about.
"I'll review the venue's floor plan again," Xia Qingtian took out her tablet.
Putting other thoughts aside, she didn't want to make a mistake right at the beginning.
After all, as soon as Mr. Gu stepped out of the car, her job as his assistant would officially begin.
For someone with a poor sense of direction, leading the way was the first hurdle.
Seeing Xia Qingtian intently staring at the topographical map on her tablet, a hint of fondness flickered in Mr. Gu's eyes.
Even if Xia Qingtian made a mistake today, it wouldn't matter; he would find a way to cover it up.
He was perfectly aware of everything about this conference and would absolutely not make any errors—
Although Mr. Gu thought this, when he stepped out of the car, Xia Qingtian confidently led him in the opposite direction of the venue entrance, towards the public restrooms, instead of the registration desk at the entrance. Mr. Gu was a bit speechless.
"Well then..." Xia Qingtian, having led them astray, was panicking inwardly but maintained a confident facade. "Let's use the restroom before entering the meeting!"
Mr. Gu's mouth twitched. "That's quite unnecessary..."