Chapter 67

Ultimately, Xu Feng drove, and Chen Xi sat in the front passenger seat to accompany him.

Not daring to strike up a conversation with Xu Feng, Chen Xi clutched the documents in her lap along the way, continuously flipping through the materials she would need later.

Xu Feng glanced over at the passenger seat from time to time. Seeing Chen Xi with her head bowed, staring silently at the documents without any expression, he looked away indifferently.

Inwardly, however, he cursed her for being a fool. Since he was right next to her, she didn't even know enough to ask.

The address was in an office building near Zhongguancun. Upon arriving at the agreed location, Xu Feng finished communicating with someone over the phone and led Chen Xi into the elevator to go upstairs.

Perhaps harbouring doubts about Chen Xi's professional competence, Xu Feng reminded her before stepping out of the elevator to watch more and speak less later on.

Chen Xi nodded submissively.

Clutching a stack of documents, she followed behind Xu Feng, looking less like an intern and more like a odd-job assistant.

If Zhou Yanzhou were to see this, he would undoubtedly criticize her with exasperation: "Are you an idiot?"

The buyer was Chinese, and the seller was French. Arriving at the buyer's company, the receptionist was already waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing Xu Feng, a false yet polite smile appeared on the man's face as he stepped forward to shake Xu Feng's hand, expressing his welcome.

After a brief exchange of polite pleasantries, the person in charge shifted his gaze to Chen Xi, who was holding the documents behind Xu Feng, and asked with ambiguous intent, "And this is?"

Xu Feng replied indifferently, "A new intern."

Chen Xi glanced at the man's lapel badge and gave a respectful nod in his direction.

The man's assessing gaze lingered on Chen Xi's face before finally remarking, "The young lady is quite pretty."

Xu Feng had no intention of keeping the focus on Chen Xi. Hearing this, he frowned and tactfully steered the conversation elsewhere: "President Zhong, shall we go over the details we need to discuss shortly first?"

At the mention of official business, the man's expression abruptly turned serious. He smiled, made an inviting gesture, and ushered the two of them into the conference room.

That gaze carried such a heavily male-gaze overtone that Chen Xi felt goosebumps rise on the back of her hand, making her feel thoroughly uncomfortable all over.

Once inside the conference room, under Xu Feng's cue, Chen Xi distributed the compiled materials to the people present.

After finishing, she took a seat at the far end, opened her notebook, and prepared to enter work mode.

The buyer company's shareholders and executives were all present, currently looking through the materials Chen Xi had just handed out. Xu Feng took charge of explaining the points he had already reached a consensus on with the seller's lawyer during online communications to the shareholders.

Unexpectedly, Xu Feng had barely spoken two sentences when several shareholders let their faces fall in disagreement.

The atmosphere became awkward for a moment. Sitting at the very end, watching the group arguing until their faces were red, Chen Xi felt somewhat concerned about whether Xu Feng would be able to soothe the shareholders' emotions.

Throughout this, Chen Xi kept observing Xu Feng's reaction. Seeing that he remained unhurried and was not intimidated by the shareholders, but rather calmly analyzed the current situation and the issues the shareholders were worried about, she was impressed.

When tangible interests were discussed, the shareholders all quieted down. It had to be said that Xu Feng was deeply versed in negotiation techniques.

Seeing the shareholders calm down, Xu Feng struck while the iron was hot and finished explaining the rest.

The buyer-side discussion concluded, and they began an online meeting to discuss the next steps.

The first round of negotiations was conducted via online video. As the buyer's lawyer, Xu Feng had previously communicated the general direction with the seller's lawyer online, and today required both parties' principals to reach a consensus.

The entire meeting was conducted in English. The people on the seller's side were French, and they spoke English with a very heavy accent. Coupled with the many professional terminology used, Chen Xi found it rather difficult to follow.

After taking notes on about half of it, Chen Xi picked up her phone and started recording, deciding to listen through it again after the meeting ended.

The meeting lasted for nearly three hours, with intense discussions between both parties. On several occasions, they almost started cursing, and if not for the screen separating them, Chen Xi would have suspected fists would fly into faces.

When the dust finally settled, that President Zhong smiled all over his face and invited Xu Feng to dinner, not forgetting to cast a glance at Chen Xi and saying that he must treat Lawyer Xu and the pretty intern to a meal.

Hearing the words "pretty intern," Chen Xi felt a physiological wave of nausea.

Acting as if he hadn't heard, Xu Feng smiled and shook hands with President Zhong, expressing that this cooperation had been very pleasant.

Chen Xi had no choice and could only accompany them.

The group headed to a restaurant for dinner. Before getting into the car, President Zhong enthusiastically invited Chen Xi to ride in his car. Having already perceived the man's abnormal attitude, Chen Xi politely declined.

She got into Xu Feng's car once again. Lacking her initial composure, she was now gripped by a bit of restraint.

Xu Feng drove, following closely behind President Zhong's car. While waiting at a red light, Xu Feng stared at the taillights of the car ahead and suddenly said to Chen Xi, "This President Zhong has extensive qualifications. He started from scratch when he was young and can be considered a figure in the business world."

Chen Xi's complexion turned abruptly pale. Clutching the notebook in her lap, she cast an obscure gaze at Xu Feng, who had suddenly brought this up.

Seeing right through Chen Xi's inherent vulnerability, Xu Feng curved his lips into a faint arc and made a pointed remark laden with innuendo: "Having guidance from an influential person on this path can save you several years of detours. Isn't that a good thing?"

"I've seen plenty of things like this. There's nothing shameful about it."

Realizing that Xu Feng was not joking, Chen Xi tightened the skin on her face, closed her eyes, and denied it: "I have never once thought about taking shortcuts."

A meaningful smile appeared on Xu Feng's face. Gripping the steering wheel, he nonchalantly retorted, "Is that so?"

"Don't tell me you actually thought you entered Fanghui Law Firm purely on your own ability?"

Thinking that Xu Feng was referring to the shortcut of using a departmental professor's recommendation, Chen Xi found herself unable to refute and bit her lip tightly without uttering a sound.

After going through this ordeal, she finally understood completely that Amy was quite right: Xu Feng was indeed very harsh on people, especially women.

Only, this harshness transcended the moral level and had reached the point of physiological revulsion.

The second half of the car ride was filled with silence, and Chen Xi sat on pins and needles inside the vehicle.

Even though the car windows were rolled down, she still felt suffocated to the point of being unable to catch her breath.

When they finally arrived at the restaurant entrance, Chen Xi hurriedly bolted out of the car and squatted by the flowerbed to retch. President Zhong arrived a step earlier. Seeing Chen Xi squatting by the flowerbed vomiting, he asked with concern, "What's wrong with the little beauty?"

Xu Feng parked steadily, got out, glanced at Chen Xi's back, and said dismissively, "Motion sickness."

Hearing this, President Zhong immediately instructed his assistant to check on Chen Xi and had the restaurant manager pour her a cup of warm water.

Looking at that cup of warm water and thinking of the conversation in the car, Chen Xi felt an even stronger wave of nausea and the urge to vomit.

Aided by President Zhong's assistant, she walked down the steps with trembling legs.

President Zhong's assistant was a young man in his early twenties, not much older than Chen Xi.

Perhaps seeing Chen Xi's pale and distressed complexion, the assistant thought of the upcoming banquet and sympathetically offered a warning: "It's best not to drink any alcohol after going inside."

Chen Xi blinked slowly, failing to grasp the assistant's meaning for a moment.

Pity that the assistant stopped at a hint and refused to utter another single word.

Before entering the elevator, Chen Xi received a text message.

Recognizing the sender of the message, she sent her location over without a second thought.

After sending it, she said nothing, put away her phone, and walked into the private dining room with a pounding heart.

Having just reached the tail end of his business discussions, Zhou Yanzhou felt somewhat baffled when he saw the location sent by Chen Xi. He tapped on the location to check the map; it was a half-hour drive away from him.

Not knowing what crossed his mind, Zhou Yanzhou stood up, grabbed his jacket, and prepared to leave.

Caught off guard, Jiang Chi hurriedly stood up, walked over to Zhou Yanzhou, and asked in a low voice what was wrong.

Clutching his phone, Zhou Yanzhou glanced at his business partners, flashed an apologetic smile, and the next second turned to instruct Jiang Chi: "You're in charge of the remaining procedures. Once you're done eating, take them to a KTV for a round."

Seeing the sudden surge of urgency in Zhou Yanzhou's eyes and realizing something might have happened, Jiang Chi readily agreed and raised his glass to continue toasting the people at the table.

As soon as he stepped out of the private room, Zhou Yanzhou dialed Chen Xi's phone, only for the ringtone to go all the way to the end without anyone answering.

Glancing at the address twice, Zhou Yanzhou couldn't care about anything else. He strode toward the parking lot, pulled up a navigation app, and rushed toward the destination.

Inside the private dining room, Chen Xi was enthusiastically seated by President Zhong to the right of the host seat, with Xu Feng on the left.

President Zhong sat in the middle, giving off the clear impression of wanting to attend to both sides.

Although unwilling in her heart, Chen Xi was powerless against President Zhong's arrangement. During this time, she attempted to awaken Xu Feng's conscience, but the latter simply ignored her signals, treating her desperate glances like flirting eyes and carelessly tossing them aside.

The assistant was busy arranging the food, and the waitstaff were serving dishes. President Zhong loudly shouted for the waiter to fetch the bottle of Moutai he had stored here.

Hearing this setup, Chen Xi knew the night boded ill. In her heart, she prayed that Zhou Yanzhou could decipher her hint while also worrying that she wouldn't be able to escape the tiger's den.

The waiter brought the Moutai. With his potbelly, President Zhong stood up, unscrewed the cap, accepted the glass handed to him by the waiter, and poured it eight-tenths full in one go.

With a rich smile, as he handed it to Chen Xi, he didn't forget to stroke the back of her hand, causing Chen Xi's wrist to tremble and a couple of drops of liquor to spill from the glass.

There were still several rounds of cooperation ahead, and the final payment had not yet been made. Coldly watching from the sidelines, Xu Feng had no intention of saving Chen Xi from the fire and water. Instead, when her face was filled with difficulty, he said with polished grace, "President Zhong is just being hospitable, don't be ungrateful."

President Zhong immediately wore a nauseating smile, patted his beer belly, raised his glass to toast Chen Xi: "The young lady is new to the workplace, it's all normal. Lawyer Xu, don't be so serious. This is just a private gathering, relax."

If not for perceiving that something was amiss, Chen Xi might have truly thought President Zhong was showing consideration for the younger generation.

Four pairs of eyes landed on her, forcing her to comply.

She desperately wanted to smash the wine glass, stand up, and walk out—at worst, she would just quit this internship.

Yet at the thought of Xu Feng's influence and power, she was certain that if she walked out this door, she probably wouldn't be able to find a satisfactory job anywhere in Beijing afterward.

Suppressing her nausea, Chen Xi clinked glasses with President Zhong and lifted her head to take a small sip of the liquor.

Seeing this, President Zhong looked thoroughly displeased: "The young lady is taking me lightly with this. Is this tiny sip appropriate?"

Was this setup intended to be a forced imposition?

Chen Xi pressed her lips together, her complexion gradually turning unsightly.

Standing slightly behind and to the side, the assistant couldn't help frowning upon seeing this. He had been by President Zhong's side for two years and had seen him make moves on quite a few pretty girls at the dining table.

Every time, wearing the mask of "doing it for your own good," the boss would start finding all sorts of reasons to urge them to drink. Once the other party was drunk, he would thoughtfully suggest that a hotel room had already been booked, and since going back was too troublesome, she might as well sleep upstairs.

When the girls completely lost consciousness, the boss would use a spare room key to go in and commit atrocities.

By the time the girls woke up, their innocence was lost, and they didn't dare to make a big fuss. The boss would first express regret, claiming he had also been drunk, and then offer generous compensation. Under coercion and temptation, the girls could only consider themselves unlucky.

Chen Xi was neither the first nor the last.

If not for making a living, who would willingly follow such a leader?

Seeing that Chen Xi was unwilling, Xu Feng put on the act of a "good guy": "President Zhong, shall we review the targets for the next round?"

How could a brain washed by wine and food be willing to talk about work at a time like this? President Zhong waved his hand, refusing with breath smelling of alcohol: "Let's talk about this another day."

With that, President Zhong turned his bulky body around, raised his glass, and continued urging them to drink: "We're happy today, let's have another drink."

Chen Xi pressed her lips tightly, not knowing how to react.

Before entering the private room, Chen Xi had specifically set her phone to vibrate. At that moment, the phone pressed against her thigh vibrated incessantly, causing the muscles in her thigh to tense up.

Not daring to openly look at her phone, Chen Xi had no choice but to pick up her wine glass and steel herself to toast President Zhong.

Just as the glass touched her lips, Chen Xi still only intended to take a tiny sip, but the bottom of the glass was propped up by President Zhong, who forcefully poured several large mouthfuls of high-proof liquor down her throat.

Chen Xi had rarely ever consumed alcohol to begin with, and this maneuver caused her blood to rush to her head, with a wave of heat surging directly to her face.

When the back of her hand brushed against a sticky palm, Chen Xi sprang to her feet, pushed her chair back, and retreated several steps.

The atmosphere inside the private room abruptly turned glacial. Watching Chen Xi attempting to resist, Xu Feng's face was written all over with disapproval.

Seeing her react so strongly, President Zhong stood up as well, pulled Chen Xi's chair back, and said with a beaming smile, "No need to be so restrained, sit down, little Chen."

How could Chen Xi possibly sit back down?

She drew a deep breath, wondering whether she should shatter all caution and fight this man to the death.

Yet the moment the thought arose, reason surfaced and choked out all reckless impulses.

Chen Xi felt freezing cold all over, a sense of despair spreading from the soles of her feet through every bone and marrow.

Never could she have imagined that her very first client outing would lead to such a wretched, disgusting affair.

Noticing Chen Xi experiencing a stress reaction, President Zhong hurriedly soothed her emotions, claiming that just now was merely a little joke and telling her not to take it seriously.

He even added that his daughter was about the same age as her, and seeing Chen Xi reminded him of his daughter studying abroad.

How could Chen Xi possibly believe President Zhong's words? Hearing them only made her feel even more nauseous.

Even though his own daughter was the exact same age as her, how could he still be so vile?

Seeing this, Xu Feng stood up as well. He bypassed President Zhong, walked up to Chen Xi, lowered his volume, and threatened, "Don't ruin my good things. If this case has no follow-up, your internship days won't be easy to get through either."

Chen Xi's spine stiffened, and the look she cast at Xu Feng was filled with incredulity.

Previously, she had merely thought Xu Feng was difficult to get along with, but she never expected him to be so vile.

Drawing a breath, Chen Xi couldn't help questioning, "Aren't you afraid of the law firm finding out that you—"

Xu Feng sneered, completely uncaring: "Who would care about an intern?"

Chen Xi felt as though a basin of ice-cold water had been poured over her head, chilling her limbs until they trembled.

Seeing President Zhong walking over, Chen Xi instinctively stepped back two paces, preparing to run.

Before she had a chance, her wrist was seized by President Zhong. The disparity in physical strength between a man and a woman meant that despite her desperate struggling, she couldn't break free.

She was dragged back to her seat and forcibly plied with alcohol.

Dropping all pretense, President Zhong raised his glass and said, "Little Chen, the moment I saw you, I felt we had an affinity and found you quite interesting. Let's just drink this through, don't make it look like I'm forcing you."

Chen Xi felt utterly revolted.

With a cold expression and tightly sealed lips, she refused to drink another single drop.

President Zhong was patient at first, but his expression soured later on, and he grabbed Chen Xi's wrist to force her to drink.

The phone in her pants pocket kept vibrating. Taking advantage of President Zhong's inattention, Chen Xi pulled out her phone to glance at the screen. Seeing that it was a call from Zhou Yanzhou, Chen Xi violently shoved President Zhong away and bolted toward the door.

The moment she pressed answer, Chen Xi blurted out, "Zhou Yanzhou, save me!"

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Zhou Yanzhou didn't know the specific private room, and his calls to Chen Xi went unanswered.

He searched room by room with no clue in sight.

At first, Zhou Yanzhou maintained his reason, but as time wore on, only anxiety remained.

When his call finally went through, hearing Chen Xi's cry for help made the blood rush to Zhou Yanzhou's head, leaving him dizzy and barely able to stand.

He had just taken a few steps forward when he heard a commotion behind him. Turning around, he saw Chen Xi looking disheveled as she pulled the door open and fled out, with two large men hot on her heels.

Running out and spotting Zhou Yanzhou appearing out of nowhere in the corridor, Chen Xi waved her hands excitedly, feeling as though she had met her savior.

Before she could take another step, President Zhong chased after her, grabbed her wrist, pulled her into his arms, and recklessly kissed her neck.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Yanzhou felt a searing pain in his brain.

The next second, he strode forward, yanked Chen Xi out of President Zhong's embrace, lashed out with a kick straight to President Zhong's protruding belly, and cursed furiously: "I'll fuck your mother!"

That still wasn't enough to vent his fury.

Filled with towering rage and having cast all reason entirely to the winds, Zhou Yanzhou grabbed President Zhong by the collar and swung his fists with force, completely disregarding any pretense of decorum.

Weighing over one hundred and eighty pounds, President Zhong was caught completely off guard by Zhou Yanzhou's kick, staggering back two paces before he could recover, only to be grabbed by the collar and battered with several punches.

Barely getting a chance to draw a breath, and before he could speak, he was kicked a few more times by Zhou Yanzhou.

It was Chen Xi's first time witnessing Zhou Yanzhou in a fight. Clad in a impeccably tailored bespoke suit, he usually looked gentle and gentlemanly, yet when fighting, he was fierce and ruthless.

Only after beating President Zhong until he could no longer speak did Zhou Yanzhou stop. Pressing his polished leather shoe onto President Zhong's face, he gave a ferocious warning: "You little bastard, you're fucking done for."

President Zhong had already been drinking, coupled with a lack of exercise and a hollowed-out physique, Zhou Yanzhou's punches knocked him straight out cold, leaving him with no strength to resist.

Seeing that the man was no longer struggling, Zhou Yanzhou coldly unbuttoned a couple of his shirt collars, pulled the hem of his shirt out from his belt, and walked unhurriedly toward Chen Xi.

Catching the scent of alcohol on her, Zhou Yanzhou furrowed his brow tightly and asked, "Did you drink?"

Unwilling to recall her recent experience, Chen Xi looked at President Zhong lying bleeding on the ground and shrank back half a step out of fear.

Not intervening, Xu Feng silently stood to the side recording video footage.

Seeing him holding up his phone and filming the entire process, Zhou Yanzhou wore a cold expression and laughed in anger: "Who the fuck is this now?"

Perhaps realizing that the situation was beyond redemption, Chen Xi closed her eyes and honestly confessed: "My supervising attorney. Today's gathering was brought about by him."

Regaining his rationality, Zhou Yanzhou put his hands on his hips and asked while panting heavily, "What happened inside the private room?"

Not daring to conceal anything from Zhou Yanzhou, Chen Xi recounted the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.

Zhou Yanzhou managed to maintain his facial expression at first, but as the story progressed, the facade on his face slowly cracked, shattering until nothing was left except grim darkness.

Saving the video and transferring it to his cloud drive, Xu Feng looked at Zhou Yanzhou and stated with an air of innocence, "This matter has nothing to do with me."

Was he trying to wash his hands of it?

Zhou Yanzhou let out a cold laugh, tilted his chin upward slightly, and said in an arrogant tone: "Do you fucking take me for an idiot?"

"This isn't over. Get ready to eat prison food."

With that, Zhou Yanzhou gripped Chen Xi's wrist, preparing to pull her away.

Before they had taken two steps, Chen Xi tugged him to a halt. Still fuming, Zhou Yanzhou turned his face and asked, "Something else?"

Licking her lips, Chen Xi whispered, "My bag is still inside."

Calming down for a moment, Zhou Yanzhou instructed, "Give me two minutes."

Not daring to provoke Zhou Yanzhou while he was in a towering rage, Chen Xi nodded obediently.

Passing by President Zhong on his way, Zhou Yanzhou delivered one more kick out of lingering resentment.

President Zhong lay sprawled on the ground like a dead pig. Hearing the commotion and intimidated by Zhou Yanzhou's imposing aura, the assistant squatted down to check for a pulse. Finding that he was still breathing, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief and secretly called an ambulance.

Kicking the door of the private room open, Zhou Yanzhou took in the devastation inside. He walked straight to the seat Chen Xi had occupied, picked up her abandoned bag and notebook, and turned to walk out.

Before leaving, Zhou Yanzhou went back and flipped over the tablecloth. The dishes and wine glasses on the table all crashed down onto the floor, the loud sound reverberating throughout the entire floor and prompting numerous guests to stick their heads out to check the situation.

Chen Xi stood in the corridor waiting for him, feeling uneasy upon hearing the commotion from inside and worrying that Zhou Yanzhou wouldn't be able to handle the aftermath.

Xu Feng had already left before Zhou Yanzhou came out. Brushing past Chen Xi, Xu Feng gave her an appraising look and dropped an enigmatic remark: "You've got quite the capabilities."

Chen Xi's expression froze.

Emerging and spotting Chen Xi standing properly in the corridor like a student punished to stand by the teacher for doing something wrong, Zhou Yanzhou felt his head throbbing with a double headache.

Holding the laptop and bag in one hand, he took Chen Xi's hand with the other and led her away.

Noticing Chen Xi trembling, Zhou Yanzhou's gaze fell on her pale face devoid of any color, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed: "Scared?"

Chen Xi pressed her lips together and nodded.

Once inside the elevator, Zhou Yanzhou pulled her into an embrace and comforted her in a deep voice, "It's fine, I'll handle it."

Crossing his mind with a sudden thought, Zhou Yanzhou closed his eyes and said with lingering fear, "If something had actually happened to you, I would have—"

He left the second half of the sentence unsaid, afraid that voicing it might make it come true.