Plunder-Chapter 163: Setting a Trap for Her

An Jinrong didn’t speak, his smile not reaching his eyes as he picked up his water cup.

Otherwise, what would happen?

He didn’t specify, but everyone present could tell it wouldn’t be anything good.

Government and business cooperation is the norm.

If things are handled well, it benefits both sides; if not, it indeed looks bad.

The room suddenly fell silent, even more oppressive than before.

Everyone’s eyelids drooped, and no one spoke.

After a moment of silence, An Jinrong was the first to pick up his chopsticks.

"Everyone must be hungry, let’s eat, let’s eat."

The waiters had sequentially brought all the dishes, among which a plate of steamed pig brain was placed right in front of Xu Mei, a smell of rawness pervading the air.

It was a dish Qiao En had specifically added for her.

It was evident that she was disgusted, yet she was helpless.

As for what was in front of An Jinhua, Qiao En had specifically ordered a plate of pig snout for him.

"The dishes ordered today are excellent!"

An Jinrong commented meaningfully.

The table was covered with dishes, incorporating every part of a pig.

Each dish carried its own deep meaning.

An Jinrong, a man of the world, saw right through the little tricks Qiao En was playing.

"This is Secretary Xu’s achievement."

Xu Mei was also clever; she saw through Qiao En’s intentions.

So, she inappropriately added a comment.

An Jinrong’s gaze turned toward Qiao En, "So you are Secretary Xu?"

He squinted his eyes, his deep, pond-like gaze landed on Qiao En.

Other than Xu Mei in the room, only Qiao En was a female, which made her easy to identify.

Qiao En stood up, holding a cup filled with wine.

"Director An, I also heard that you love pork, but I wasn’t sure which part you prefer, so I boldly ordered a little of each, hoping they suit your taste."

An Jinrong’s mouth twitched, his smile silent.

Qiao En had offered that cup of wine, and he drank it.

"Secretary Xu is attentive; it seems Director Zhou has trained you well!"

Though he spoke thus, he did not reach out for the dishes with his chopsticks.

"Jinhua, don’t you love pig hearts? Eat more today."

An Jinrong’s voice was not too light nor too heavy, yet it struck everyone’s heart.

The situation at the table was bewildering, a confrontation between masters.

An Jinhua’s eyes darkened deeply, "Big brother’s kindness is taken to heart, but my uric acid is high, and the doctor advised against eating offal."

"Then you two eat, this pig brain is highly nourishing; you are young, split it between yourselves."

An Jinrong’s gaze shifted to Xu Mei and the sales director.

The two of them wore troubled expressions, yet dared not defy.

"Yes, thank you, Director An, for your consideration."

Xu Mei followed An Jinrong’s instruction and served half of the pig brain into her own bowl.

At the table, everyone’s eyes were on them.

Xu Mei picked up a piece and put it into her mouth, but the food furiously surged back to her throat.

"Manager Xu doesn’t like it?"

An Jinrong’s eyes narrowed as Xu Mei hurriedly waved her hands, her face turning red but she forced a smile.

"Like it, love it."

She forced herself to swallow mouthful after mouthful, while An Jinrong’s profound gaze unintentionally glanced at Qiao En.

He only glanced once, then a subtle, hardly noticeable smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Since Manager Xu likes it so much, let’s serve her another portion."

Qiao En, sitting directly opposite Xu Mei, secretly cheered in her heart.

Xu Mei’s face turned shades of green and red, wanting to refuse, but she dared not.

The server was quick and immediately brought another portion of the same pig brain.

Xu Mei was in a difficult position - she couldn’t stomach it, but she had to appear as if she enjoyed it.

Little did anyone know, just when she was halfway through, she couldn’t hold back any longer. The food surged out, and she quickly covered her mouth and ran towards the restroom.

"Manager Xu must be pregnant, right?"

An Jinrong said with a light laugh.

He laughed, but no one else at the table did.

Everyone held their breath and kept silent.

Xu Mei was brought by An Jinhua; An Jinrong using Xu Mei to make a point was indeed a slap in An Jinhua’s face.

Throughout the meal, An Jinhua’s expression was unsightly.

An Jinrong disliked him and only discussed project matters with Zhou Jin’an the whole time.

An Jinrong had been in the official circles for many years. He appeared gentle and refined, but he carried with him a formidable deterrent force that terrified people.

Just as they were finishing their meal, An Jinrong received a phone call and was the first to leave the table.

Once he left, An Jinhua could no longer sit still.

"Hmph."

He snorted coldly and rose to leave.

Xu Mei hurriedly followed him out.

"What do you all think about the meal today?"

On the way back, Zhou Jin’an started the conversation.

Cheng Lu was driving, being like an invisible man throughout the journey, possibly seeing everything most clearly.

"Director An seems to really despise President An. He did not show any friendliness towards President An throughout the evening, but I don’t understand. If he despises him, why would he still pull him into the project?"

Cheng Lu was puzzled, but Qiao En saw it clearly.

"He’s acting."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

Zhou Jin’an was intrigued.

"If the An brothers were truly at odds, they would never let outsiders realize it. Everyone knows that they are not from the same mother, but they share the same father. In front of family interests, An Jinrong would not lose his judgment. His inclusion of An Jinhua in the scheme is likely to counterbalance Nanchen."

After hearing this, Cheng Lu became even more confused.

"He has no grudge against Director Zhou, so why counterbalance Nanchen?"

"Because he wants to support An Corporation."

Qiao En hit the nail on the head.

Zhou Jin’an looked at her approvingly and nodded.

"You see it clearly, so we have a tough battle ahead of us."

This kind of tough battle was something Qiao En had experienced countless times in the three years she had followed Zhou Jin’an.

But this time, it was different. An Corporation and Nanchen had always been competitors, but now they were trying to cooperate.

Thus, every step hereafter needed to be tread very carefully.

Downstairs at Chengnan Apartment.

Zhou Jin’an grabbed Qiao En’s hand.

His eyes, bright as stars, intensely gazed at Qiao En, "Impatience messes up great plans; never flaunt your capability carelessly in the future."

Qiao En understood, he was talking about the incident with the pig brain.

"Sometimes showing off your capability does blow off some steam."

Seeing Xu Mei forced to eat so much pig brain, she indeed felt quite happy about it.

"I’m worried An Jinrong might target you."

"How could he? You’re overthinking it."

At that time, Qiao En was still too naive, she underestimated An Jinrong’s predatory nature.

A week later, the Jinghuan renovation project officially began.

Zhou Jin’an deliberately handed over the external negotiation tasks to Cheng Lu to avoid Qiao En having to deal directly with the An Corporation.

However, someone secretly set a trap for her.

That day, Cheng Lu accompanied Zhou Jin’an to the project site for an inspection.

Qiao En unexpectedly received a call from An Jinrong’s secretary, stating there was an error in a document and someone needed to confirm it.

The document had been handled by Qiao En.

The caller was pressing hard. Qiao En didn’t think too much about it and took the initiative to go.

Only upon arriving did she realize that the matter was particularly thorny.

Qiao En followed Secretary Qiao to An Jinrong’s office.

"Manager Xu has arrived."

He leaned back in his chair, squinting his eyes and scrutinizing Qiao En.

"Director An, Secretary Qiao just informed us there was a problem with the document. May I ask what the issue is?"

Qiao En maintained her composure, sticking to the matter at hand.

An Jinrong smiled and stood up to pour himself some tea, then personally poured a cup for Qiao En.

"I’m not sure about the specifics. Since Manager Xu was the one who handled the document, could you please go over it carefully with Secretary Qiao?"

Qiao En left with the document and headed to the reception room.

Secretary Qiao highlighted the problem. Qiao En made the changes as required, but when the document was delivered to An Jinrong, it was still not satisfactory.

One revision, two revisions, three revisions...

Qiao En patiently revised it again and again.

An Jinrong was busy the whole time. She had no chance to speak with him directly.

By the time she completed the final draft, it was already dark outside.

An Jinrong emerged from the meeting room and, seeing Qiao En still waiting, said apologetically, "Manager Xu, I am so sorry—I was really busy today. I apologize for making you wait so long."

Qiao En handed over the revised document. He took it, flipped through it but did not examine it closely.

"Secretary Qiao, I have another engagement tonight. If it’s not too troublesome, ride in my car. You can explain the details to me in the car."

Qiao En had no choice but to agree.

However, once she got into the car, An Jinrong changed his mind again.