The assistant from TS Group led Blair into the private room. There were two people already there. One was York Kuang, the general manager of TS Group; the other was a woman who Blair didn't know.
As soon as she stepped into the room, a whiff of strong perfume assaulted her nostrils. Blair frowned. The air was so thick with the odor she felt she was being suffocated.
Seeing Blair come in, York Kuang greeted her enthusiastically, "Hi, Miss Jing. Welcome!"
Holding her breath, Blair maintained a polite smile and shook hands with him. "Good evening, Mr. Kuang."
"And let me introduce you to the daughter of our CEO—Stella Zhuge." York Kuang led Blair over to the woman dressed in a light-green stylish outfit.
She looked just like one of those Instagram models. Her skin was fair, and she wore delicate makeup on her face. It was cleverly applied so that she wouldn't look made up. The look in her eyes was arrogant and condescending.
Blair was confused by the presence of the CEO's daughter. 'Why is she here?' she thought. Nonetheless, she greeted her graciously, "Nice to meet you, Miss Zhuge."
Stella Zhuge nonchalantly shook hands with Blair. She didn't even bother to stand up. After casting a cold glance at Blair, she turned to glare at York Kuang and grumbled impatiently, "She's here. Can we eat now, finally? I'm starving!"
She thought angrily in her mind, 'I don't understand why York invited this woman along. She's hot, but that's all she has going for her. Probably hired because of her "ahem!" assets. Humph!'
Blair knew what she was implying. The CEO's daughter was complaining that she was late.
But Blair wasn't late. She was there at the agreed-upon time—7 p.m. In fact, she was ten minutes early. It was just that York Kuang and the woman had come too early.
York Kuang immediately asked the waiter to bring out the food. Then, he pulled a chair for Blair in a gentlemanly way. "Please sit down, Miss Jing."
"Thanks!"
Blair began to chat with York Kuang since she had no idea why Stella Zhuge was even here.
In Room 888
Damon noticed the gloomy and contemplative look on Wesley's face. He actively sat down next to the officer, clapped him on the arm, and asked in a playful voice, "Hey, Colonel Li, what's up? You look seriously down. What's the matter? Maybe I can help."
Wesley cast him a cold glance. "Get lost!" he barked.
"Wow. Salty! Let me guess. Your girlfriend dumped you? No girlfriend, no prospects..." Damon raised his eyebrows at Wesley, a mischievous look in his eyes.
Ignoring Damon's words, Wesley closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch, lost in his own thoughts. D
amon didn't mind. He tugged at the corner of Wesley's shirt and continued, "Come on. You know me. I'm smooth with the ladies. Let me impart to you my boundless wisdom. One, you're almost never home. Your girl probably is getting lonely. But I'm sure she's a good girl."
Wesley kept his silence.
Niles was snickering next to them. He made eye contact with Damon, signaling for him to go on with his lessons about women.
"So I gotta tell ya..." Damon kept prattling on for a few moments, but Wesley still said nothing, wearing an uninterested face. Frustrated, Damon decided to wrap up his sermon quickly. "Anyway, from now on, whenever you buy a purse for your girlfriend, remember to match it with your own clothes. And please don't wear your uniform every day. More styles, more colors. She'll be more into you if you show a little willingness to experiment."
"Why?"
Finally, a word left Wesley's mouth. But Damon was confused. "Why what?"
"Why do I need to match her handbags with my clothes?" It seemed like the soldier had listened to Damon's lesson carefully despite his stony silence. This was all new to him.
Damon let out a heavy sigh. "Just think about it. When you go out with Blair, as a gentleman, you should hold her handbag for her. Are you going to just let your girlfriend carry her purse herself?"
'Sounds reasonable, ' the soldier thought.
So he decided to tap more of Damon's wisdom. "Every time we have a fight, she's wrong. Yet, somehow I end up being wrong by the end of it. Why?"
Wesley was angry, mostly with himself. He was used to Blair making mountains out of molehills. But she didn't call him or text him, decided simply not to fight anymore. This troubled him too, like he was desperate for a tantrum from Blair.
But he wasn't wrong. Blair lied to him, and he just taught her a lesson. Instead of admitting her mistake, she moved out of the apartment, got a hotel room, and gave him the silent treatment. Was she waiting for him to make the first move?
"Because she's cray," Damon blurted out outright.
Wesley rolled his eyes at him. Damon asked, "Do you want a woman or want a reason?"
Wesley was speechless. He wondered what Damon was even talking about. He wanted her, of course.
"Don't expect logic from your girl. Women will always try their best to blame the guy in a fight," Damon explained further.
Wesley pondered his words. 'God, he hit the nail on the head.'
Damon looked at the soldier with a smug smile and patted his shoulder. "So, the only thing you can do is spoil her. If she's happy, you're happy."
'Damn it! He's right, ' Wesley thought gloomily.
Niles was single as well. So he listened in, hoping to catch an occasional nugget of wisdom. He nodded dramatically, "Damon's right. You know nothing about relationships. Maybe he can give you a crash course. And maybe I'll have a niece or nephew by next year."
Wesley squinted at him. "As if. Not next year, nor the year after that," he said coldly. A child wasn't in the cards right now. Or to be precise, he wasn't going to have sex with her before he could make sure they had a future.
In Room 822
In the middle of dinner, York Kuang asked, "Miss Jing, are you happy at work?"
It seemed like Orion's concerns were on point. The general manager was trying to poach her. Blair wiped her mouth with a napkin and said casually, "Yeah, I think so. Orion was my classmate. He pays me well, and treats me right. I'm happy working there."
They smiled at each other. York Kuang said understandingly, "I see. I'd heard you two knew each other. Classmates, huh?"
"Yes. We were in the same class for three years."
"Well..." York Kuang asked tentatively, "So if there's a job with double your salary and better benefits waiting for you, would you consider changing companies?"
Blair didn't show much interest in the offer. But nothing got past Stella Zhuge. She eyed Blair up and down while thinking, 'She's just a translator. What's so good about her? Why does the general manager of TS Group have to wine and dine her? He even offers to double her salary?!'
Blair took a sip of the red wine. She pretended she didn't know his true intention. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. I'm really happy working with Orion. And being happy every day is much more important than having a high-paid job. I love my job."
"Sure, you have a point." York Kuang thought it was unnecessary to beat around the bush anymore. Tapping the table with his fingers, he looked at Blair and said sincerely, "Miss Jing, what about a salary of a million a year, and a swanky apartment downtown? Come to work for us, and we'll offer you bonuses, dividends, on-site healthcare, a gym and restaurants in the building, travel insurance, and all sorts of other benefits. What do you think?"
Blair felt flattered. She was just a translator. Orion had already offered her a good salary and benefits. She didn't expect the TS Group would be even more generous. However, she didn't want to work for them. Putting down her glass of red wine, she looked at him with gratitude and declined, "Thank you, but..."