If we swapped lives, I'd be the CEO and you'd take care of the kids.

Zhu Tingyue struggled to control her anger, forcing a smile as she said to the two with a hint of embarrassment, "Regarding the question you raised, I think it's necessary to consult my partner. Please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

Although she hadn't discussed the collaboration, subconsciously she felt it wasn't appropriate for her to leave halfway through, but she couldn't very well say she didn't understand!

It's all Shi Yuan's fault! What kind of lousy cheat sheet did he give us? It's completely useless and only makes people angry.

Shi Yuan was waiting for news of her triumphant return, and when he saw her come out, he found it unbelievable.

"You've reached an agreement? So quickly?"

"Fast? How could it not be fast? With your cheat sheet, won't it be twice as effective?"

In front of everyone, she tried her best to control her tone, but Shi Yuan, who was good at reading people, still noticed her sarcastic tone.

"What's wrong? Didn't you reach an agreement?"

The partners were still waiting, and Zhu Tingyue didn't have time to joke around with him. She glared at him coldly and said, "Come in with me."

"Huh? I go in? I specifically asked you to go in..."

"Hmm?" Zhu Tingyue turned her head and looked at him sideways.

Shi Yuan silently swallowed the words he hadn't finished saying. A wise man knows when to yield and a smart man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him, so he endured it.

The two men came in, and the talks resumed.

Shi Yuan spoke eloquently, and Zhu Tingyue felt that although Shi Yuan was not a very good person, his business ability was definitely not a problem, and Shen Yanqiu had a good eye for choosing partners.

The initial cooperation agreement was reached, and both parties were quite satisfied. Xu Jie slowly packed up the documents, and seeing that Zhu Tingyue was about to stride out, she hesitated to speak.

Li Qingyu looked at her, then at Zhu Tingyue, and spoke up for her: "Mr. Shen, if you don't mind, let's have dinner together later!"

Zhu Tingyue hadn't expected to have to have dinner with Shi Yuan after finishing her work, and looked at him with an inquiring gaze.

Shi Yuan smiled professionally and replied, "Of course, we would like to thank your company for giving us the opportunity to cooperate. Today, on behalf of our company, I would like to invite the two beautiful ladies to dinner. I wonder if you could spare the time to come?"

No wonder he's a social butterfly. Just listen to what he says; even Zhu Tingyue was happy to hear it, let alone others.

Xu Jie and the other person immediately agreed.

Looking at the time, it's almost time to get off work, so I might as well head out now.

Zhu Tingyue booked a table at her family's restaurant while Shi Yuan was driving.

Upon arriving at their destination, Shi Yuan looked at the luxuriously decorated restaurant in front of him and repeatedly asked Zhu Tingyue, "You booked this place?"

Zhu Tingyue confirmed the address and said to him, "Yes, this is the place, that's right!"

"You struck it rich? You suddenly became incredibly wealthy?"

"No way!" Getting rich quick is out of the question; losing money is more likely.

"Then why did you..." Shi Yuan glanced at the arriving partner and shut his mouth. "Never mind, let's get out of the car."

The waiter warmly greeted them and led the four to their seats. Zhu Tingyue handed the menu to Xu Jie and Li Qingyu, and after some polite refusals, they finally ordered.

It's no wonder Zhu Tingyue hates dinner parties. People she doesn't even know well are going back and forth like this, trying to show that she's not very generous. It's all so fake.

Zhu Tingyue remained silent, ignoring Xu Jie's glances several times.

Shi Yuan broke the awkward silence by asking Xu Jie, "Ms. Xu, if I may ask, do you know Yan Qiu?"

Before Xu Jie could speak, she lowered her head, and when she raised it again, her cheeks were flushed. Looking at Zhu Tingyue, a smile spread across her face.

"We know each other, we're...friends."

She hesitated to speak, her eyes filled with affection, which made the others look at Zhu Tingyue with ambiguous expressions.

"Oh, is that so? Our Yanqiu is indeed excellent. Not only is he handsome, but his work ability is also outstanding. His future is limitless. Miss Xu, you have excellent taste!"

Zhu Tingyue was initially furious. Shen Yanqiu had actually become friends with Xu Jie? And she hadn't even known!

But when she heard Shi Yuan's words, she blushed. She blushed for Shen Yanqiu. How could Shen Yanqiu be as good as Shi Yuan said? He was just flattering him.

The other party involved, who had been praised, became even more embarrassed. Li Qingyu, with his keen eye, chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Shen is the same. He's friends with Ms. Xu and has a business partner like you. It's truly enviable."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yuan smiled, revealing a row of white teeth. His smile was as bright as the sun, and he seemed to radiate dazzling light.

“You flatter us. It is our honor to work with two such beautiful and capable people as you.” He picked up his water glass. “Come, let’s celebrate the successful completion of our collaboration.”

The four raised their glasses in celebration, enlivening the atmosphere as they ate and chatted.

Xu Jie's topic was still Shen Yanqiu.

"Yanqiu, how have you been lately? Are you busy with work?"

Her overly enthusiastic tone made Zhu Tingyue unhappy. When did Shen Yanqiu become so familiar with her? Could it be that they were secretly plotting something behind her back? She would have to ask Shen Yanqiu about it later.

Zhu Tingyue replied casually, "It's alright."

Despite being met with indifference, Xu Jie did not lose heart. She continued to show her enthusiasm, either by serving food or offering words of concern. She was never idle throughout the entire meal.

The two people beside her were like mere foils, especially Shi Yuan, whose eyes were full of accusation as he looked at Zhu Tingyue, clearly writing: "Ungrateful!"

Li Qingyu ate quietly, trying to minimize his presence.

Zhu Tingyue felt harassed. She thought it would be a quiet meal, but Xu Jie's mouth never seemed to rest. Being her mouth must be tiring; she was always working overtime.

She suddenly understood why her father always sat on the sofa without saying a word after returning from banquets and dinners; he was simply exhausted!

Looking at it this way, the atmosphere at the Shen family's mealtime was quite pleasant. Everyone was quiet, so there were fewer problems, and with peace and quiet, they could enjoy their meal more.

Unlike now, Zhu Tingyue could only eat a couple of bites before she couldn't eat anymore. The other person hadn't even gotten to the main topic yet, and she couldn't just put down her chopsticks and leave.

She sat there obediently, her chopsticks moving slowly and deliberately. If she were to tremble even a little more, she would look even more like an elderly man.

"Yanqiu, is it not to your liking?"

The mention of Shen Yanqiu by Xu Jie sent chills down Zhu Tingyue's spine, and even Xu Jie's concern seemed irritating.

Zhu Tingyue didn't even look at her, only staring at the food in her bowl, and replied, "No, it's fine."

Shi Yuan had already covered for her the whole time, and now he was a little tired. He looked at her with disappointment and thought, "Oh well, we're friends, I'll help her one more time."

"Yan Qiu is just a little tired from work lately, it's nothing, Miss Xu, don't worry."

Xu Jie quickly said with concern, "No matter how important your work is, you still need to take care of your health. It's best to balance work and rest."

Shi Yuan could tell that Zhu Tingyue was unwilling to speak. He cursed "him" countless times in his heart, but smiled and explained to Xu Jie, "Yes, that's just his personality. He works very hard. I've tried to persuade him, but he won't listen! Miss Xu, you're right. I'll have to trouble you to persuade him more."

Xu Jie said without hesitation, "Yes, thank you for your trouble. I'll try to persuade him later."

Well, now I'm an outsider!

When Shi Yuan looked at Zhu Tingyue again, he thought her nose and eyes were neither nose nor eyes.

She went to great lengths to make amends for him, but he remained silent, making it seem as if he were mute.