The gathering party was held in a large private room. According to the Youth League Branch Secretary, there expected to be thirty people who would come, some of whom were family members.

Qin Shu came a little early, she didn’t see many people, and she didn’t like the smell in the private room, so she used the excuse of making a call to go outside and get some air.

After waiting for more than half an hour, she estimated it was about the time and pushed the door open again. She found that the Youth League Branch Secretary’s prediction was correct. As expected, a large group of people had come.

Qin Shu swept her gaze over and found that most of them were in pairs with their boyfriends or girlfriends, who were the so-called family members. On the contrary, it seemed like she was alone.

Everyone was having fun in the big private room.

Some were singing, some were drinking, some were playing billiards and cards, and some were gathering together and chatting. In short, few people noticed that Qin Shu came in.

Most importantly, most of the people’s attention was focused on Qi Mingran and Tang Anru.

As the president of the Qi Group, Qi Mingran had a successful career. He was handsome and rich. He wore a high-grade and silver-gray suit that made him look mature and elegant like a noble young master. His every move revealed the noble aura of a young master from a wealthy family.

Tang Anru had been the goddess in the university. She wore a cherry pink dress this time. Her makeup was exquisite, impeccable, and made her look even more charming.

The two of them sat in the middle of the sofa, looking like a perfect and model couple. They looked perfect for each other.

Even Qin Shu felt that Qi Mingran was right to break up with her. A noble young master like him from a wealthy family needed an elegant lady to match him. Tang Anru was always great at the art of dealing with people, so she was naturally the most suitable woman for him.

Mr. Qi had connections and money. From the moment he entered the private room until now, there were many people who surrounded him and Tang Anru. Tang Anru had also become the envy of many female classmates. They were envious that she had such a good boyfriend from a wealthy family.

Qin Shu was so happy that everyone didn’t notice her. She thought that she could go back early after chatting with some familiar classmates, so that Ling Mohan couldn’t say anything like that she went home late again.

After this fellow knew that she was going to the party and couldn’t go back to have dinner with him, he immediately ordered her on the phone fiercely, “Come back early and don’t be later than ten o’clock!”

“What if I’ll be later than ten o’clock?” Qin Shu asked expectantly, wishing Ling Mohan could sweep her out of the house.

Unexpectedly, Ling Mohan coldly spat out the following words, “You’ll be put on confinement!”

Qin Shu said gloomily, “I know, I will go back early.”

It was so tough to live with a ruthless and tyrannical man that she couldn’t even have fun heartily at the classmate party.

Bah, no, Ling Mohan was not her man. The two of them only registered for marriage to show to Grandpa Ling.

She shouldn’t have had any other thoughts.

As her thoughts were traveling in her mind, Qin Shu had already pushed open the door and walked two steps inside. Suddenly, she heard someone shouting, “Qin Shu, you’re here!”

The one who spoke was unexpectedly Little Su!

Not only was Qin Shu surprised, even Tang Anru who was in the crowd had a trace of surprise flash across her eyes. She probably didn’t expect Little Su, who had previously regarded Qin Shu as a thorn in her flesh, to call Qin Shu so enthusiastically this time.

Little Su put down her grudge against Qin Shu that she held against her at the military industry group, and she walked over to warmly hold Qin Shu by the arm. “When we were interning together, I did something wrong. I always wanted to find an opportunity to apologize to you, but I didn’t expect that we would meet at this gathering party. I hope you can forgive my childish behavior.”

Little Su became so generous. Qin Shu was very surprised in her heart. On the surface, however, she was very calm. She smiled faintly and said, “It was inevitable that we had some disputes at work. Let’s forget about what happened in the past.”

“Thank you for forgiving me. Only now do I know the saying that, it’s easy to know people’s faces, but not their hearts.” As she said this, Little Su deliberately glanced at Tang Anru.

Tang Anru’s expression did not change, and her smile was gentle, as if she had never had an unpleasant conflict with Little Su.

There were dozens of people who were sitting in the private room. Just now, when Little Su shouted, everyone’s gaze shifted from Tang Anru to Qin Shu. In an instant, astonishment flashed across their faces.

Qin Shu came to the party directly after work. She wore a new summer Chanel professional dress and had a pendant bow knot on her chest. Her soft hair naturally fell over her shoulders. She looked like a bright red rose.

The class monitor was a straightforward person and the first to shout out everyone’s thinking, “Qin Shu, I haven’t seen you for half a year. Why have you changed so much? Oh my god, you’re more beautiful than you were in college!”

As soon as he said that, the others couldn’t help but echo, “That’s right. They say that a girl changes eighteen times before reaching womanhood. Qin Shu, you’ve changed eighteen times after graduation!”

“Qin Shu, you are a great beauty, and now you’ve become even more beautiful. You’re making us ordinary female classmates even more ordinary!”

For a moment, the atmosphere in the private room was very lively.

Tang Anru, who was sitting on the sofa, had a complicated expression. She subconsciously looked at Qi Mingran and found that he was also staring at Qin Shu. His handsome face did not show any emotions. However, Tang Anru noticed that his lips were tightly clamped.

What did this mean?

This meant that Qi Mingran still cared about Qin Shu in his heart.

Tang Anru couldn’t help but tighten her grip on the glass in her hand. She leaned against Qi Mingran’s shoulder lightly and whispered, “Mingran, isn’t Qin Shu very beautiful? She always looks better than me. No matter how I dress, I can’t compare with her…”

Her voice was mild and gentle, but it also contained a bit of bitterness, which made people want to care about her when they heard her.

Qi Mingran regained his senses and hugged Tang Anru’s shoulder tightly. His gaze swept across Qin Shu’s beautiful face once again. Then, he lowered his head and said to Tang Anru, “You two are different. How can she compare with you? A swanky woman like her… Forget it, forget about her, you are the best in my heart anyway.”

“You’re just saying it to make me happy.” Tang Anru’s beautiful and watery eyes were filled with gentle affection, and her cheeks flushed with shyness.

Qi Mingran’s heart skipped a beat and he gently had a kiss on her forehead.

At this time, he heard Qin Shu tease, “Don’t just talk about me. We haven’t seen each other for more than half a year. Everyone has changed a lot. You are all handsome guys and beauties. If you walk on the streets, I would definitely not recognize you.”

Someone laughed loudly and said, “It should be that we wouldn’t recognize you. Look at her, guys, she is beautiful and fashionable. She is simply a fashionable white-collar woman from a TV show. When Qin Shu came in, I couldn’t believe it was her. I thought that someone else had come to the wrong place.”

The Youth League Branch Secretary stepped forward and said with a hearty laugh, “Haha, you guys don’t know, do you?” He deliberately pretended to be mysterious and continued, “Qin Shu also works in the military industry group, like Tang Anru, and Qin Shu is the secretary of the head of the military industry group.”

Everyone revealed astonishment on their faces, and then they couldn’t hide their envy. Someone couldn’t help but say, “Qin Shu, you’re really capable. You have a better job than us all. If there’s a chance in the future, please remember to give us a hand!”

Without waiting for Qin Shu to speak, everyone began to say praising words to her one by one, and their words were filled with envy towards Qin Shu.

Meanwhile, the people who were surrounding Tang Anru also went forward one after another and pulled Qin Shu to take her seat. For a moment, Qin Shu became another lively center.

As for Tang Anru, although it wasn’t empty by her side, there weren’t many people who flattered her and said praising words to her.

Little Su glanced over and had her eyes filled with ridicule.

Qin Shu complained endlessly in her heart.

She just wanted to drink a few glasses of wine and chat with some of her familiar classmates before leaving. She didn’t want to make the gathering party like a social engagement at work because that would be too boring.

However, everyone didn’t let her go and kept asking her about her situation after graduation. During the process, the most thing they asked about was her job, such as how she became a secretary.

They knew that Qin Shu had not passed the internship exam of the military industry group at that time, and Tang Anru was the only one who was employed among so many interns. Yang Bin spread the news in the class group enormously, causing everyone to know about it.

Now, why did Qin Shu suddenly become the secretary of the head of the military industry group?

Just as Qin Shu was about to speak, someone beside her reacted fast and said in a deliberately strange tone, “You guys have been working for more than half a year, yet you don’t even understand this kind of principle. If a person wants to find a good job, but the person doesn’t have a powerful background, connections, or good working ability, he or she would naturally have to turn to a new way.”

The one who spoke was Yang Bin. He slightly raised his chin and leaned against the sofa, looking a little arrogant and dissatisfied.

Of course, his family was rich, so even if he was a bit arrogant, the others wouldn’t say anything.

“What new way?” someone asked curiously.

Yang Bin had waited for this question.

He held back his anger all along tonight. First, he was mocked when he talked to Qin Shu, then he was deeply stimulated by the affection between Qi Mingran and Tang Anru. He kept drinking alone.

As he was getting drunk, he was somewhat reckless, and he just wanted to vent this grievance all at once!

Yang Bin held the wine glass and glanced at Qin Shu with contempt. He said, “Of course it’s to sacrifice the beautiful looks. Humph, some people don’t love themselves and seduce men everywhere. Not only do they seduce other people’s boyfriends, they also seduce their superiors. To put it nicely, they’re secretaries; but to put it bluntly, they’re just mistresses kept by men. Getting promoted relying on this kind of relationship, isn’t that called a new way?”

As he spoke, the private room suddenly became incomparably quiet. Many people looked at Yang Bin in disbelief and then looked at Qin Shu with strange expressions.

Qi Mingran frowned slightly and his gaze landed on Qin Shu again. Only then did he realize that her dressing and make-up were much more exquisite than when she was with him at the beginning.

He wasn’t a woman, so he wouldn’t spend his mind on clothing brands, but he could definitely tell that Qin Shu’s outfit was expensive and not something she could afford normally.

A handsome and cold face flashed through Qi Mingran’s mind.

Could it be that Qin Shu was just like what Yang Bin said, she and the man from the Ling family weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend, but in fact, Qin Shu was being kept by him?

This wasn’t impossible…

Thinking of this possibility, Qi Mingran’s expression was a little gloomy, but he did not say a word, nor did he say anything to help Qin Shu out of the trouble.

Because he really wanted to hear Qin Shu personally talk about what kind of relationship she had with Ling Mohan.

At this moment, the atmosphere was very awkward. Everyone looked at each other and then looked at Qin Shu and Yang Bin, thinking about how to pass this embarrassing scene.

But Yang Bin kept saying aggressively in the state of being intoxicated, “Qin Shu, I heard that you failed the internship exam in the military industry group. How did you become a secretary then? You should know that there were a dozen of classmates who interned there, and some of them were still screened out even if they had passed the exam.”

Qin Shu sneered and slowly said, “Why should I tell you? Who are you?”

Yang Bin couldn’t stand being ridiculed the most and was so angry that he scolded, “You’re shameless!”

“Yang Bin, you’re drunk…” The Youth League Branch Secretary hurriedly came out to mediate the dispute.

“I’m not drunk!” Yang Bin shook off the Youth League Branch Secretary’s hand and his face turned red. Suddenly, he looked at Tang Anru and said, “Anru, you know these things best, don’t you think I’m right?”

Everyone’s eyes fell on Tang Anru.

Hearing this, Qin Shu instead laughed.

Yang Bin was worthy of being the stupidest teammate. He could always stab his teammates at critical moments.

She felt that Tang Anru wanted to strangle Yang Bin to death!

The reason was very simple. Qin Shu had those unpresentable photos of Tang Anru. How could Tang Anru dare to provoke her? Therefore, Tang Anru would definitely not echo with Yang Bin’s words.

However, Yang Bin didn’t think too much about it since he was drunk. He stared fixedly at Tang Anru, hoping that his goddess and secret lover in his heart could stand on his side and confirm what he had just said.

Otherwise, he would be humiliated!

When everyone was staring at Tang Anru with expectant eyes, Qin Shu did not have the slightest bit of self-awareness that she was also the involved party. Not only did she not panic, she also showed a very interested expression. It was as if those what Yang Bin said about her being kept by men, seducing men, and getting promoted through dirty means had nothing to do with her at all.

But, it did have nothing to do with her.

Qin Shu was very calm. She watched Tang Anru slowly stand up. Tang Anru’s face was gentle and beautiful, and her eyebrows knitted slightly. She looked at Qin Shu with a complicated expression and said angrily, “Yang Bin, you’re drunk. Don’t talk nonsense. Qin Shu isn’t such a person!”

Qin Shu raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly smiling but not smiling. This kind of words were too familiar.

Sure enough, Tang Anru continued, “Qin Shu is my best friend. Although there are some conflicts between us, I know what kind of person she is. I will not allow you to talk about her at will, even if you are my friend!”

Once these words were spoken, whether everyone believed Qin Shu or not was put aside first, at least they all felt that Tang Anru was too nice and kind.

After all, the current relationship between Qin Shu and Tang Anru was no news to everyone present, and the rumors had already spread throughout their classmate chatting group. However, Tang Anru was still able to stand up for Qin Shu and unconditionally trust her. How many people could do what she did under such situation?

If Qin Shu hadn’t known about Tang Anru’s calculation, even she would have thought that Tang Anru had good intentions.

What a wonderful play!

She stared coldly at Tang Anru who pretended to be generous in front of everyone, but Yang Bin couldn’t be as calm as she was. He always felt that everyone’s gazes at him were full of ridicule, and they were mocking him for talking nonsense when he was drunk. No one believed his words.

Yang Bin felt that he was being disrespected and stubbornly said, “Anru, you are just too kind, that’s why you were deceived by her!”

As he spoke, he suddenly pointed at Qin Shu. The others didn’t know if it was because Yang Bin had drunk wine or because he was angry, but his eyes turned scarlet and he said angrily, “Qin Shu, stop putting on an act here! You have fooled Anru, now you want to fool everyone? Humph! The entire Literature Department knows that you are shameless and you don’t cherish your good name. When you were interning in the military industry group, you hooked up with men and had an affair with that Secretary General of your department. Otherwise, why would he recommend you to be the leader’s secretary?”

These words were too unpleasant to hear!

Qin Shu finally frowned. No matter how calm she was, she would not allow others to slander her like this!

Without saying another word, Qin Shu picked up a glass of wine in front of her and fiercely splashed it on Yang Bin’s face. She sneered and said, “I advise you’d better sober up!”

Yang Bin was so furious that he rolled up his sleeves and wanted to take action.

The class monitor hurriedly pressed down on Yang Bin and whispered in his ears, “Yang Bin, shut up quickly. Don’t talk the groundless nonsense and ruin Qin Shu’s reputation!”

Qin Shu crossed her arms around her chest and said coldly, “Monitor, let him make it clear in front of all the classmates, so that he won’t slander me in the chatting group.”

Yang Bin was about to shout something again, but the class monitor quickly covered his mouth, and Yang Bin could only utter muffled noises.

“Qin Shu, Yang Bin is drunk. Don’t argue with him,” Tang Anru suddenly said and smiled apologetically at Qin Shu.

Qin Shu sneered in her heart.

She knew what Tang Anru meant. Tang Anru was afraid that Yang Bin would make a scene and cause trouble that might even get her involved, which would make her doomed. That was why she kept being friendly to Qin Shu.

Like now, Tang Anru didn’t have the energy to care about how Qi Mingran felt in his heart, she just persuaded Yang Bin softly, “You must have misunderstood Qin Shu. She is very capable. Our Secretary Department’s Secretary General appreciated her and recommended her to the chief to be his secretary. There is nothing wrong with that.”

Little Su, who had been silent all this while, suddenly sneered loudly at this moment, “Yang Bin, it’s not like you’ve interned at the military industry group. How did you know about those things? Did someone deliberately say something in front of you to make you slander Qin Shu?”

As she spoke, she intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Tang Anru.

Tang Anru frowned imperceptibly.

As expected, Yang Bin couldn’t bear to be provoked. He pushed aside the Youth League Branch Secretary all of a sudden and shouted with face reddened, “Even if I was not an intern in the military industry group, who doesn’t know what Qin Shu did! Humph, she hooks up with men, she loves vanity, she bullies Anru because Anru is innocent and kind, and she just wants to seduce Anru’s boyfriend…”

Qin Shu seduced Tang Anru’s boyfriend? Wasn’t that Mr. Qi?

Many people cast their gazes at Qi Mingran again.

Qi Mingran’s expression immediately turned cloudy. He probably didn’t expect that Yang Bin would suddenly drag him into this and make him be watched as if he were a monkey.

“Idiot!” Qin Shu scolded in disdain.

Yang Bin was really a stupid teammate. He wanted to drag everyone into the trouble whomever he saw. At first, he was like a mad dog and accused Qin Shu of seducing her Secretary General and being kept by Ling Mohan as a mistress. And now, he said that Qin Shu seduced Tang Anru’s boyfriend.

Heh, he probably didn’t know about the immoral things between Qi Mingran and Tang Anru, right?

Qin Shu still did not act like she was an involved party at all. She was frank and unafraid of being slandered by others. She was watching the liveliness in front of her like enjoying a joke when she suddenly felt the phone in her bag vibrate crazily.

She ignored Yang Bin’s curses and took out her phone. There were a total of five missed calls, all from Ling Mohan.

Of course, there was also a threatening text message: Little Qin Shu, if you don’t answer the phone again, don’t blame me for forcing you tonight!

This bastard was always domineering and unreasonable, and he had been eyeing her covetously for a long time, so he would definitely do what he said.

Qin Shu gritted her teeth in secret and did not think too much, directly picking up the phone.

The man’s cold, low and deep threat immediately came from the other end, “Little Qin Shu, you’re doomed!”

“Hey, be reasonable. It’s not even ten o’clock yet,” Qin Shu protested.

Suddenly, Yang Bin’s shout sounded in her ears, “Qin Shu, you’re feeling guilty. You don’t dare to answer, do you? I told you guys that she didn’t cherish her good name. She lived alone with a strange man and seduced Anru’s boyfriend. When she failed, she then turned to seduce her Secretary General. You all said that she had a boyfriend and would not do such a thing. How did you know that she had a boyfriend? Who knows if her boyfriend is her patron or not…”

Qin Shu frowned and looked at Yang Bin. She found that his face reddened all over with excitement. He was obviously drunk!

Just as she was about to tell Ling Mohan to hang up the phone first, the man’s furious command already came from the other end, “Where are you? I’m going to pick you up now!”

Qin Shu guessed that he had heard Yang Bin’s words.

She didn’t want to involve Ling Mohan in this, so she said casually, “It’s fine, you don’t need to pick me up. I drove here by myself, and I’ll be back in a while.”

“Give me the address,” the sound of the car being started came from the other end of the phone, “don’t make me repeat it again.”

He was too overbearing!

Qin Shu complained in her heart and told him the address and the private room’s number of the party.

After Qin Shu hung up the phone, the private room had already resumed its liveliness. Yang Bin was drunk and lying on the sofa. He didn’t have the strength to shout loudly anymore.

Qin Shu curled her lips in disdain.

Knowing that Yang Bin was dissatisfied with her, and he vented his anger encouraged by the alcohol tonight, Qin Shu didn’t want to care about a lunatic like him. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and drank it.

She did not dare to drink wine, lest she would fall drunk in the private room after two mouthfuls of wine.

Someone sat beside her and carefully asked, “Qin Shu, do you really have any thoughts about Mr. Qi…”

The person didn’t continue, but her eyes filled with tentative intent.

Another person seemed to believe that Qin Shu had seduced Qi Mingran and put on a kind look to persuade her, “Qin Shu, you’re actually so pretty. There must be many outstanding men who like you. Why do you have to compete with Tang Anru? It’s a pity that you two can’t even be friends because of this.”

“That’s right. Tang Anru is gentle and beautiful. Mr. Qi is mature and steady. The two of them are a good match. You, you shouldn’t step in between them. It’s not good for your reputation either if it spreads.”

“Actually, we all know that you blame Tang Anru for not letting Mr. Qi be with you, but even if you and Tang Anru are bosom friends, you can’t share boyfriends.”

In just a short while, these people unexpectedly came to persuade her?

Could it be that when she was on the phone, they talked about anything else?

Qin Shu was puzzled. She heard someone’s envious voice towards Tang Anru from the side, “Anru, you’re so happy.”

“Mr. Qi is so kind to you. You two are a perfect match.”

“Mr. Qi is an influential president, Tang Anru is the campus belle of our National Defense University, and she is also a team leader of the Secretary Department of the military industry group. Aren’t they just a perfect match?”

Tang Anru’s cheeks flushed with shyness and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She said, “Alright, stop teasing me. Everyone just have fun tonight. This is the first time Mingran has joined us at the party. He will pay for the whole party.”

Qi Mingran nodded and said gracefully, “All the expenses are charged to my account.”

Everyone cheered.

Qin Shu looked on the scene coldly.

She was sure that Tang Anru must have said something when she was on the phone a moment ago. Therefore, Tang Anru managed to persuade Yang Bin who was causing trouble, and she made everyone believe that Qin Shu was the mistress.

This was always what Tang Anru was good at!

Very good!

Qin Shu sneered in her heart. She had given Tang Anru a chance. Since the other party didn’t want it and even wanted to slander her instead, then don’t blame her!

Right at this time, the waiter came in with a lot of expensive drinks. The class monitor was puzzled and said, “We didn’t order these wine.”

“It doesn’t matter. Since it’s a rare gathering, everyone should have fun. Mingran will cover these fees,” Tang Anru said like a hostess.

Everyone praised Qi Mingran for his generosity.

The waiter was puzzled and said, “But all the expenses, including these wine, have been paid for.”

What?

Everyone was surprised. Qi Mingran frowned slightly. Tang Anru was stunned for a moment before she smiled and asked, “May I ask who paid the bill?”

“It’s a gentleman surnamed Ling. He said that his girlfriend is attending a party here. Since you’re all classmates, he will cover the expenses,” the waiter replied politely.

As soon as the waiter finished speaking, the door of the private room was pushed open. Ling Mohan strode in, followed by two soldiers whose postures were straight. His domineering and fierce aura shocked everyone present!

The waiter smiled and said, “This is the Mr. Ling.”

After saying that, the waiter went out, leaving behind the astonished and puzzled crowd.

Who was this Mr. Ling’s girlfriend?