As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since Xue Chen insisted on treating, the responsibility of booking the restaurant fell to WE GO. Zheng Yu'an, after touring the two buildings, excused himself to visit Zhang Jin's office.
Zhang Jin was brewing tea, looking surprised to see him. "What brings you here?"
Zheng Yu'an's attitude was ambiguous. "It's not good to always be with the boss."
Zhang Jin laughed. "We're a private company, not like your bank. The bosses aren't that formal."
Zheng Yu'an remained noncommittal. He took out his cigarette case, tapped out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth, but didn't light it. His mind wandered until Zhang Jin "clicked" his lighter, and the spark ignited the cigarette.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Zhang Jin, holding his teacup, sat on the edge of his desk. "How was your chat with our CFO, Yan?"
Zheng Yu'an glanced at him and smiled. "Pretty good. Just a bit of pressure."
"What pressure could you have?" Zhang Jin chuckled. "CFO Yan is very amiable toward you."
Zheng Yu'an: "What? Is he a fierce ogre to you all?"
Zhang Jin: "Hey, it's a different job. Plus, with CFO Yan's face, who wouldn't feel pressure all the time?"
Zheng Yu'an chuckled. "You have quite a bit of faith in me, huh?"
Zhang Jin raised an eyebrow. "You're different. You're handsome enough to handle it."
Zheng Yu'an jokingly kicked him in the shin, smoking his cigarette without saying anything.
Luo Yan booked the restaurant for the evening. Zheng Yu'an, too lazy to return to the bank to clock out, called Qin Hanguan. The latter casually asked, "Are you sure you can handle drinking two days in a row?"
Zheng Yu'an: "It's a double weekend tomorrow. I can recover."
Qin Hanguan clicked his tongue. "Don't overdo it."
Zheng Yu'an smiled, hung up, and saw that Luo Yan had sent the restaurant address on WeChat, followed by a "cheers" emoji. Thinking about the gauntlet of drinks that evening, Zheng Yu'an felt a slight twinge of apprehension about the bold statement he had just made.
Xue Chen's wife had just given birth, and he had to take care of her during her confinement, so he disappeared after work. The people eating together were still the same few. Because Qin Hanguan was missing, Zhang Jin simply pulled in WE GO's HRD, Lin Wanwan, to make up the numbers.
Lin Wanwan was a young woman who took the initiative to pour the wine. Zheng Yu'an, as usual, prepared to pour half a glass for the lady, but she refused.
"I can drink a lot," Lin Wanwan said with a smile. "Mr. Zheng doesn't need to be so polite."
Zheng Yu'an had only met two girls who dared to say they could drink. The last one was An Dai, the only woman who had ever drunk him under the table.
Luo Yan smoothed things over. "The best drinkers among us aren't in a hurry. What are you rushing for?"
Zheng Yu'an subconsciously looked at Yan Shuwang. He was indeed looking at him. Their eyes met, and Yan Shuwang suddenly curled his lips into a smile.
Zheng Yu'an: "..."
He used the act of drinking to block his gaze, finished his drink, and then said with a smile, "I'll drink this first as a toast to warm up the atmosphere for everyone."
When it came to being likeable, if Zheng Yu'an said he was second, no one would dare to say they were first. Serving soup and dishes, lighting cigarettes, pouring wine, he did everything impeccably. When the dinner broke up, Luo Yan and Zhang Jin had both drunk a lot. Zheng Yu'an arranged for designated drivers for both of them, and then turned around to find Lin Wanwan standing at the restaurant entrance, trying to air out the alcohol.
"Manager Lin, are you calling a designated driver?" Zheng Yu'an asked.
Lin Wanwan glanced at him, smiling. "Not in a hurry. Mr. Zheng, can I bum a cigarette?"
Zheng Yu'an took out a cigarette and handed it to her. Lin Wanwan exclaimed in surprise, "Ah, you and CFO Yan smoke the same brand?"
Zheng Yu'an smiled. "Coincidence."
Lin Wanwan nodded. "That's quite a coincidence."
The two of them puffed away for a while before Yan Shuwang finally came out of the private room. He was followed by the restaurant owner, as if they had discussed something. Yan Shuwang's gaze fell directly on Zheng Yu'an's face.
Lin Wanwan seemed a little nervous seeing her superior. She no longer stood as casually as before, put out her cigarette, and called out, "CFO Yan."
This made Zheng Yu'an a little awkward. He held the cigarette, unsure whether to smoke it or not. After thinking for a long time, he could only ask, unnecessarily, "CFO Yan, would you like one?"
Only after he said it did he realize that Yan Shuwang had asked him the same question that afternoon. Thinking about his answer at that time, Zheng Yu'an felt like he was such an idiot to even ask the exact same question.
"..." Yan Shuwang paused for a second or two, and then took out a cigarette himself.
This was such a smooth way to break the ice. If Zheng Yu'an didn't have this much awareness, he wouldn't be able to survive in his circles. He took out his lighter and proactively lit Yan Shuwang's cigarette.
Because they were very close, when Yan Shuwang lowered his head, a few strands of hair beside his cheek fell onto Zheng Yu'an's fingers.
"Sorry," Yan Shuwang tucked his hair behind his ear naturally. He took a puff of his cigarette and then lazily exhaled.
Lin Wanwan stood to the side, her face flushed. She tried to find something to say. "How is CFO Yan getting home?"
Yan Shuwang didn't say anything while smoking his cigarette. The restaurant owner was very enthusiastic. "I'll take Mr. Shuwang home. Don't worry."
Zheng Yu'an glanced over. The other person happened to be sizing him up as well, and proactively extended his hand. "You must be Mr. Zheng? Director Qin has been here a few times. I always see you." After saying that, he handed over a business card. The name field read: Jiao Tang.
Zheng Yu'an also gave him his business card. The two of them had officially met.
Jiao Tang lived up to his name. He acted overly familiar with people he met for the first time, sickeningly sweet. He was probably very familiar with Yan Shuwang, and afterward, most of his attention was on Zheng Yu'an.
"Mr. Zheng looks like he exercises regularly?"
Zheng Yu'an said politely, "I only have some time on double weekends."
Jiao Tang was very interested. "Swimming? Basketball? Or the gym?"
Zheng Yu'an smiled. "I do a little of everything. Nothing special."
"Oh, who's special? We're not athletes." Jiao Tang said to Yan Shuwang, "How about we add another person to our basketball game the day after tomorrow?"
Yan Shuwang, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked at Zheng Yu'an, his expression unusually playful. He said, "That depends on whether Little Zheng has time."
Zheng Yu'an didn't show it on his face, but in his heart, he couldn't help but curse Yan Shuwang as a sly old fox. Everyone knew that the bank's high-net-worth clients were their bread and butter. When Zheng Yu'an was still a client manager, he had accompanied bosses of all ages on the golf course. Not to mention playing basketball, even if a client asked him to help take care of their children on the weekend, he could agree without batting an eye.
"CFO Yan, you're too kind," Zheng Yu'an turned his face. His gaze was focused as he smiled at Yan Shuwang. "My time is all yours. Whether we make an appointment or how we make an appointment, it's all up to you."
Author's Note: CFO Yan tried to flirt but ended up being "flirted" with instead.