Ling Youmei's body trembled. When she looked over again, he had already retracted his gaze.

Huo Shi'ou took his seat first, and only after he did did the leaders, managers, and managers take their seats.

The dishes were quickly served. There were all kinds of delicious dishes, and it was obvious that they were very appetizing. The wine was also opened, and the fragrance of the wine mixed with the fragrance of the dishes filled the entire private room.

Ling Youmei was sitting at the same table with so many leaders, the pressure was not ordinary.

However, she felt that the main reason why she was almost unable to breathe was because of... Huo Shi'ou.

She didn't know if it was her imagination or not, but from time to time she felt the man's unfathomable gaze on her.

When she looked at him doubtfully, he was chatting with the leader beside him again.

Was she seeing things?

Everyone at this table had great backgrounds, and she was the one with the lowest presence.

He shouldn't have paid attention to her.

Ling Youmei comforted herself in her heart...

She had been hungry for the entire night, and she did not want to treat her stomach unfairly.

Ling Youmei picked up the chopsticks with her slender fingers and started to pick up the food, tasting the delicious food on the table.

The people invited to this celebratory dinner were all big shots. Every dish on the table was very special and especially delicious.

It was just that she was sitting at the same table with so many leaders, so Ling Youmei naturally did not dare to eat too much. She pretended to eat elegantly.

She quietly listened to the conversation at the table and maintained a smile. She did not interrupt and did not speak a word.

Her attention was almost entirely on the table of delicacies, and unlike the others, they were all scrambling to toast, flatter, and ingratiate themselves with the great man who sat beside the mayor.

Although Ling Youmei was paying attention to the food, she couldn't help but listen to what the people at the table were talking about. She more or less understood the true meaning of this celebratory dinner.

The big man who had been invited tonight was called Huo Shi'ou, and he was said to be a very rich investor from abroad. He owned several listed companies and was the president of a well-known tycoon.

The leaders also wanted him to continue to expand his investments, not only for the holiday but for another resort to be built near the old city.

Huo Shi'ou's expression did not change. No matter what his leader said, he only nodded in agreement and then made a slight turn.

There was always a faint smile on his handsome face. He looked noble and mysterious, but everyone knew his smile. There was a distance between them, cold and distant, making it difficult for people to get close to him.

The leaders toasted him for a long time and said all kinds of good things about him. In the end, he didn't give a positive answer.

Instead, he looked at Ling Youmei opposite him with his deep eyes. His handsome face instantly had an indescribable expression, it was unfathomable.

Ling Youmei could feel a terrifying gaze staring at her from a distance.

She held her breath and quickly lowered her head, lowering her presence.

However, she couldn't help but feel anxious in her heart.

What was this man doing?

[All the leaders are waiting for his answer. Why is he looking at me?]

"Boss Ling, have you not toasted Director Huo yet?" Manager Wang, who was sitting beside Ling Youmei, suddenly pushed her.

With his reminder, everyone at the table looked at her in unison.

"I... That..." Ling Youmei's face was filled with embarrassment, she was about to explain.

She didn't mean to drag down the leader of the table. She didn't want to toast to this big investor on purpose and wanted to offend him.

The way this investor looked at her was... too hot. She tried so hard to ignore it just now that she forgot the rules of the toast at the table.

"Boss Ling, Director Huo is an important investor in our city. It wasn't easy for him to find the time to attend this celebration banquet today, and all the leaders have to give him face. You must not offend him, or else your inn won't be able to continue operating in the ancient city." Manager Wang instructed in a deep voice.

When Ling Youmei heard that she had offended this Director Huo and that he did not even open her guesthouse for her, her heart sank, and her expression immediately changed, her eyes widening in shock.

Knowing Director Huo's background and influence, even if she didn't want to, she had to flatter him like everyone else. At least she couldn't be an exception.

Otherwise, if she made Director Huo unhappy and refused to invest in their supermarket, she wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

Gritting her teeth, Ling Youmei hurriedly filled her glass with wine. She forced a smile on her lips and stood up to face Huo Shi'ou.

"Director Huo, let me toast you!"

Huo Shi'ou slowly swept a glance at her. His handsome face was arrogant and deep, and his thin lips curled up slightly. "Why?"

"Huh?" Ling Youmei was stunned for a moment, she did not expect Huo Shi'ou to ask her why she suddenly gave him a toast.

Why else would she toast to him? Of course, it was because she did not want to offend him in front of so many people, so as to prevent her inn from closing in the future.

If it wasn't for the fact that her inn could still continue to operate in S City, she wouldn't have given him face and toasted to him in public.

"For the sake of the holiday in S City, you have done a great job!" Naturally, Ling Youmei could not say the words in her heart out loud. She had an idea and came up with an excuse.

Huo Shi'ou raised his eyebrows, his cold and deep face was filled with faint ridicule, and his eyes were dark and sharp.

It was obvious that he did not care about this reason.

Ling Youmei was instantly frozen in place, feeling extremely awkward.

Just as everyone was about to laugh at her, Huo Shi'ou suddenly stood up and walked towards her with elegant steps.

"I can't neglect a beauty! It's my honor to have Miss Ling personally propose a toast!"

Huo Shi'ou came up to her and raised his own glass to toast her. His deep, bottomless eyes stared at her, and his lips curved into an evil smile.

His words clearly showed how much he cared for Ling Youmei.

It also made everyone at the table instantly understand his interest in Ling Youmei.

"Director Huo and Miss Ling are really talented and beautiful, they are very compatible!" One of the leaders saw through Huo Shi'ou's intentions and laughed.

"That's right, that's right!" The others echoed.

"Why don't Director Huo and Miss Ling have a drink together?" Another leader agreed with Huo Shi'ou and suggested with a smile.

Ling Youmei was shocked, and her entire body froze.

What was going on?

It was already good enough that she took the initiative to propose a toast? And she even wanted her to drink a toast?

Wasn't this clearly helping Huo Shi'ou to tease her?

Ling Youmei really wanted to refuse, but the people in the private room suddenly started to cajole her, shouting that they wanted to see them drink together.

It was difficult for Ling Youmei to reject everyone in public.

Not to mention that Huo Shi'ou's arm, which was holding the wine cup, was already reaching towards her.

Ling Youmei had no choice but to cooperate against her will.

Because they were drinking together, their bodies unavoidably touched.

The man's noble and faint smell of tobacco entered her nose.

This smell was completely different from Joe's!

A hint of surprise flashed across Ling Youmei's eyes.

She had previously suspected that this man might be Joe. He indeed had many similarities with Joe.

But now, it seemed like she had overthought things.

"Miss Ling, I wonder if we can be friends?" Just as Ling Youmei drank a cup of wine, Huo Shi'ou's deep and magnetic voice rang in her ears.

His voice really sounded like Joe's?

Ling Youmei was a little absent-minded, she couldn't help but choke on her throat, and immediately started coughing.

"Cough!" Ling Youmei's face flushed red, her throat hurt from coughing, and tears were about to fall.

"Are you alright?" Huo Shi'ou took the opportunity to hug her slender waist, his deep eyes carrying a trace of incomprehension as he asked with concern.

"Cough, cough!" Ling Youmei thought that he was taking advantage of her, and immediately frowned and pushed him away, her impression of him greatly reduced.

But after pushing Huo Shi'ou away, Ling Youmei realized how inappropriate her actions were.

If she made him, the rich man, unhappy, those leaders would definitely find her to denounce her.

"I'm sorry!" Ling Youmei forced a smile and apologized to him.

Who would have thought that not only was Huo Shi'ou not angry, he even personally poured a cup of warm water and brought it to her.

"Drink a cup of water to moisten your throat. This wine is too strong for a girl to drink." Huo Shi'ou's long, perfect fingers rested on her shoulder, and his deep eyes were filled with an indescribable gentleness as they fell on her. His voice was low and slightly seductive.

Ling Youmei's body tensed up. She complained in her heart, but forced a smile on her face and said in a low voice, "Thank you!"

She took the cup of water that he handed over and drank a few mouthfuls. Finally, she stopped coughing.

When Huo Shi'ou was sure she was fine, he returned to his seat.

However, his deep and distant gaze never left Ling Youmei.

No matter how blind the leaders present were, they could still see the clues at this moment.

When they heard Huo Shi'ou's words, they immediately changed Ling Youmei's glass of fruit wine.

Ling Youmei wiped the corner of her mouth, sat down again, and continued to eat.

She thought that after completing the task of toasting, she would be able to heave a sigh of relief and concentrate on eating.

She didn't expect that another leader would quickly bring up the topic of her.

"It seems that Director Huo and Miss Ling are connected by fate. Miss Ling is the owner of our Internet celebrity hostel in our ancient city. The Ono Inn that Director Huo invested in in the ancient city just happens to be opposite Miss Ling's hostel."

The one who said this was a person in charge of the ancient city. He had originally seen that Huo Shi'ou seemed to be interested in Ling Youmei and planned to get along with her and take the opportunity to match them.

However, he did not expect that his words would be like a huge rock thrown into Ling Youmei's heart, instantly causing huge waves.

She was completely shocked, her dark eyes wide open. She was so shocked that she did not recover for a long time.