Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: The Dinner Party

In the general manager’s office, Zhang Cheng suddenly received a phone call.

"Hello, Mr. Zheng?"

Zhang Cheng’s tone was extremely respectful.

He knew that if it weren’t for Zheng Lin, he never would have made it to the general manager position on his own merits.

On the other end of the line, Zheng Lin sounded furious and flustered.

"Has Chen Man Ni arrived? Did she go see that Qin Tuo?"

Zhang Cheng was a little surprised. He hadn’t heard about this yet.

"Mr. Zheng, what’s wrong? What happened?"

Zhang Cheng’s intuition told him something was wrong. Zheng Lin, who was normally so composed, seemed unusually agitated.

Zheng Lin said viciously:

"Don’t ask so many questions. I need you to do something for me. If you do it well, I’ll reward you handsomely!"

Zhang Cheng was delighted and hurriedly replied:

"Of course, Mr. Zheng. Just tell me what to do!"

Zheng Lin’s tone became sinister:

"Here’s what I want you to do. Find an excuse for the entire sales department to have a gathering at Jinghua Garden. And remember, you must make sure that Qin Tuo goes with them."

Zhang Cheng immediately caught the implication in Zheng Lin’s tone. He asked cautiously,

"Mr. Zheng, what are you planning to do?"

Zheng Lin sneered.

"I’m going to kill that bastard Qin Tuo today, no matter what. It’s the only way to stop Chen Man Ni from being so bewitched by him!"

Zhang Cheng’s heart started pounding violently, and his face turned pale.

"Mr... Mr. Zheng, Jinghua Garden is the Cyan Fire Gang’s territory. Killing someone there... won’t that be too conspicuous?"

Zheng Lin had already made up his mind and said nonchalantly:

"Don’t you worry. I’ve already made all the arrangements. That kid is dead for sure today."

Zhang Cheng had no choice but to say:

"Alright, Mr. Zheng. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to get Qin Tuo to Jinghua Garden."

After hanging up, Zhang Cheng couldn’t calm his racing heart.

...

When Qin Tuo returned to the sales department, he immediately felt that something was off.

’Why is everyone looking at me so strangely?’

Just then, Qin Tuo overheard a nearby discussion.

"Weird. When Chairman Chen first got here, she looked like she was ready to kill someone. No one dared to talk to her. But why was she smiling so happily when she left?"

Another person nodded in agreement, equally puzzled.

"Yeah! It’s so weird. Could her mood have improved because she talked with Qin Tuo?"

"No way. Absolutely impossible. Do you know who Chairman Chen is? How could she let some punk like him affect her mood?"

Clearly, no one wanted to believe that Qin Tuo could have such a profound effect on Chen Man Ni.

Suddenly, Wang Lei approached him, looking awkward.

"Qin Tuo, let me ask you, what is your relationship with Chairman Chen?"

Wang Lei’s face was full of suspicion. He clearly had his own doubts.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to rest until he got to the bottom of it.

Qin Tuo retorted:

"What’s my relationship with her got to do with you?"

Wang Lei choked, then pressed on, unwilling to back down:

"Then what did you and Chairman Chen talk about in the office just now?"

Qin Tuo sneered again.

"What we talked about? Do I need to report that to you?"

The crowd of salespeople around them was stunned. They hadn’t expected Qin Tuo to be so confrontational.

Wang Lei gritted his teeth in anger and pointed a finger in Qin Tuo’s face.

"You little bastard! You’ve gotten bold, haven’t you? How dare you speak to me like that!"

Just as he was about to give Qin Tuo a thorough dressing-down, Zhang Cheng suddenly walked into the sales department.

"Ah, President Zhang, you’re here?"

Wang Lei’s expression changed in an instant. He rushed over to greet him with a sycophantic, boot-licking grin.

"President Zhang! What a pleasant surprise!"

Wang Lei said with a grin.

Zhang Cheng, however, ignored him, instead taking a quick, almost imperceptible glance at Qin Tuo.

"To all my colleagues in the sales department: I’m treating everyone to dinner at Jinghua Garden tonight. Attendance is mandatory."

Zhang Cheng coughed twice and said slowly, while carefully observing Qin Tuo’s expression.

Everyone in the sales department was stunned at first, then their faces lit up with excitement and broad smiles.

After all, President Zhang had never treated the sales department to a night out. Had the sun risen in the west?

Someone couldn’t help but ask with a smile:

"President Zhang, did you run into some good news?"

This was the question on everyone’s mind, and they all looked at Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng explained in a relaxed tone:

"Your department performed exceptionally well today, collecting a major, long-overdue debt. You all deserve to be rewarded for it."

When the crowd heard this, they finally understood, and all of them looked at Qin Tuo in unison.

So, they realized, it was all thanks to this kid.

Qin Tuo, however, seemed to pay them no mind. He just kept packing his things, looking ready to head home for the day.

Zhang Cheng couldn’t help but ask.

"Qin Tuo, what do you think you’re doing?"

Qin Tuo casually replied.

"Nothing. Just waiting to get off work and go home!"

Zhang Cheng immediately blurted out:

"That won’t do! I said everyone is going to the dinner. You can’t be the one to skip it."

Qin Tuo waved his hand dismissively.

"Forget it, President Zhang. I’ll skip the dinner. I’m not really interested, and besides, I have to go home and cook for my parents."

Zhang Cheng grew anxious. If Qin Tuo didn’t go, how could he possibly explain it to Zheng Lin?

His eyes darted as he quickly came up with a new tactic. He put on a stern expression.

"Now, Qin Tuo, that’s not right. You’re the guest of honor tonight! Anyone else could be absent, but not you!"

Seeing that President Zhang was displeased, Wang Lei immediately chimed in to back him up.

"Exactly! Qin Tuo, you’re being totally disrespectful. How can you turn down an invitation from President Zhang himself?"

The other salespeople chimed in, criticizing Qin Tuo one after another.

"Qin Tuo, don’t be so ungrateful! It’s so rare for President Zhang to be this considerate of the sales staff. You should drop everything else, no matter how important!"

"Yeah, what a killjoy. He’s as dense as a rock, completely inflexible."

As he listened to them, Zhang Cheng nodded in agreement, his eyes locked on Qin Tuo.

Qin Tuo slowly put down the things in his hand and gave Zhang Cheng a suspicious look.

Seeing Zhang Cheng’s overly eager expression, something suddenly clicked for Qin Tuo...

’Zhang Cheng seems way too eager for me to go to this party,’ he thought. ’Could that bastard Zheng have put him up to this? Is it a trap?’

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Now, he was in no hurry to go home. He decided he wanted to see what these guys were plotting.

"Alright, then I’ll go to the dinner with you all tonight."

Seeing Qin Tuo agree, the expressions of Wang Lei and the others softened slightly.

As for Zhang Cheng, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

But no one noticed the faint, triumphant smile that flashed across his face.