Gu Xiangyi and Xu Xiangbei left Zijin Real Estate’s office together and went to a small restaurant not far away. They sat at a two-person dining table by the street window.

Although the restaurant wasn’t big, it was nicely decorated, clean, and tidy. The pictures of dishes on the menu looked exquisite and tempting, with vibrant colors.

Handing the menu to Gu Xiangyi, Xu Xiangbei smiled and said, "It’s been a long time since we had dinner together. How about we order a few dishes and have a couple of drinks?"

"Sure, one of the best things in life is to meet an old friend in a foreign place. If we’re drinking, let’s drink some baijiu."

Women are easily influenced by their surroundings, especially in romantic settings.

Gu Xiangyi’s slender, fair fingers flipped through the menu. Her beautiful face carried a happy smile as she casually ordered several home-style dishes and asked the waiter for a bottle of Wuliangye.

It was only then that Gu Xiangyi remembered to ask Xu Xiangbei, "Why were you in Zijin Real Estate’s office? That Director Wu seemed very close to you. Is he a good friend of yours? It’s so strange; you seem to have good friends wherever you go."

Xu Xiangbei, grinning cheekily, held Gu Xiangyi’s soft, warm hand: "Hehe, let me tell you a big secret. I’m no longer who I was. I’ve become the new president of Thunderbird Group. From now on, you can call me Dr. Xu or President Xu. I’ve got several identities."

Gu Xiangyi looked incredulous, almost dropping her chin in surprise: "President of Thunderbird Group? You mean the Thunderbird Group that makes high-end chips? That’s a massive corporation worth billions, even bigger than Xiangyi Group."

Xu Xiangbei wore a smug expression: "Once upon a time, maybe. Now, Thunderbird Group’s assets have shrunk by at least half. Fifty billion would be good."

Gu Xiangyi, still full of curiosity, asked Xu Xiangbei with a curious look: "A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Fifty billion is still a big company to us. How did you become the president of Thunderbird Group? There must be quite a story behind it."

"You’ve guessed right. Becoming the president of Thunderbird Company was a journey of overcoming 81 challenges, tougher than fetching scriptures from Western Heaven..."

Xu Xiangbei recounted to Gu Xiangyi the entire process of becoming the president of Thunderbird Group, naturally exaggerating to show how impressive he was.

Gu Xiangyi listened with great interest, completely captivated by Xu Xiangbei’s story, until Xu Xiangbei mentioned that he was at Zijin Real Estate’s office for a bid.

When she heard it was for a bid, a faint melancholy appeared on Gu Xiangyi’s beautiful face: "You’ve become the president of Thunderbird Group, making you a competitor to our Xiangyi Group. What should I do about that?"

Gently holding Gu Xiangyi’s hand, Xu Xiangbei grinned: "Silly girl, you don’t need to worry about this. No matter who wins the smart home chip contract, we’ll always be good friends, and you’ll always be my future wife."

Gu Xiangyi blushed at Xu Xiangbei’s words, pouting slightly: "Nonsense, I’m not your future wife, at most your girlfriend."

Xu Xiangbei smirked: "My future wife, isn’t your Xiangyi Group known for making toys? How did you start producing smart home chips?"

Gu Xiangyi rolled her eyes at Xu Xiangbei: "This bid isn’t for us. It’s for your Brother Ouyang’s Dragon Tiger Group. Dragon Tiger Group is partnering with our Xiangyi Group to produce smart home chips. It’s a new business venture for our company. Had I known it meant competing with you, I would’ve preferred giving up the bid."

Upon hearing Gu Xiangyi say this, a warm feeling surged in Xu Xiangbei’s heart: "I feel the same. If I’d known I’d meet you in the bidding, I would’ve been willing to give up too."

After they were full from food and drink, Xu Xiangbei smiled and asked, "Did you just fly in today?"

Having drunk a bottle of Wuliangye, Gu Xiangyi’s face had turned rosy due to the alcohol, resembling a ripe red apple, tempting anyone to take a bite.

Gu Xiangyi complained: "There were no tickets left from Jiangcheng to Yanjing last night, so I bought a plane ticket for this morning. I took a taxi here right after landing. Luckily, I submitted the bid on time, so it wasn’t a wasted trip to Yanjing."

Xu Xiangbei, grinning cheekily, said: "With me around, of course, your trip to Yanjing wasn’t wasted. When are you going back to Jiangcheng? Do you need a ride to the airport?"

Feeling extremely happy to see Xu Xiangbei, Gu Xiangyi unconsciously drank more, appearing charmingly intoxicated: "My return ticket is for tomorrow. I plan to spend a day exploring Yanjing. I was hoping I’d run into you, and I actually did. It’s a rare opportunity, so why don’t we spend a day in Yanjing together?"

Xu Xiangbei also wanted to spend the day with Gu Xiangyi in Yanjing, but remembering that Ah Rong was still alone in the hospital bed, he was anxious: "Sorry, I can only accompany you until the afternoon. I have some matters to return and handle."

Gu Xiangyi’s speech was slightly slurred: "I think I’ve drunk too much. I’m feeling dizzy. I booked a hotel before coming. Can you take me there?"

"No problem, get in the car. I’ll take you to the hotel to rest."

Touching the silver Porsche body, Gu Xiangyi felt a sense of familiarity: "My Lightning is still at Spring Villa. Your car looks just like Lightning."

Xu Xiangbei teased: "They are a pair of couple cars."

Gu Xiangyi laughed so hard she couldn’t close her mouth: "I’ve heard of couple outfits and couple watches, but this is the first time I’ve heard of couple cars."

Xu Xiangbei drove the Porsche and took Gu Xiangyi to the hotel she had booked. It took Gu Xiangyi several tries to say the correct room number before Xu Xiangbei used her ID to handle the paperwork and helped her to the room.

As soon as they entered the room, Gu Xiangyi drunkenly collapsed onto the bed, her Prada professional suit skirt rolled up to her thighs, revealing her fair and slender legs.

Xu Xiangbei looked affectionately at Gu Xiangyi. He had taken care of a drunken Gu Xiangyi more than once already.

He gently removed the expensive professional coat from Gu Xiangyi and her crystal-clear five-inch heels, revealing her tender little feet with scallion-like white toes painted with bright red nail polish.

Xu Xiangbei pulled the blanket over to cover Gu Xiangyi’s graceful body, neatly folded her clothes, and placed them at the bedside. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Before tucking her in, Xu Xiangbei couldn’t resist taking another look at her alluring figure.

Xu Xiangbei called Ah Rong, who had recovered well, and the caretaker aunt was quite responsible, ensuring Ah Rong was fed and that she took her medicine.

"I’ll leave Yanjing tonight and head to the hospital to pick you up and return to Earth Sea."

"Don’t worry about me. I’m used to being alone."

Ah Rong, like a solitary swordsman, was accustomed to wandering alone, feeling slightly uneasy about Xu Xiangbei’s care.

"Would you like to try some Yanjing specialties? I can get some for you."

"Sure, I’ve heard Yanjing roast duck is good. Bring one back to try."