66 A Cordial Dinner

"Master, I prepared the suit for your dinner," Wu Dishi felt pleased with himself since he didn't make a mistake and had actually brought a black suit. He didn't want to be scolded like the last time.

But as per her nature, Ru didn't praise him at all. She just took the suit from his hand and went to get dressed. Oddly, she didn't even fuss over wearing a suit in the first place. What Wu Dishi didn't know was that Ru had never been fastidious about clothes, she could even wear rags without lamenting. But last time, she was too amused by his expressions and that's why she chose to tease him on purpose.

Seeing her fixing her hair with her fingers, Wu Dishi shook his head. 'This chairman really has no care for his image.' He could silently mither at the side since he didn't have the guts to speak out.

Ru felt someone tugging at her arm and tilted her face to see Lilith's big black eyes gazing back at her. "Is there something you need?" Ru asked with her attention on her.

"I want to fix your hair," Ru's brows raised up a bit as she understood Lilith's meaning through her hand signs.

She looked at the hair gel in Lilith's hand and said, "I don't use anything on my hair that had chemicals in it."

Lilith furrowed her brows and asked, "Why?"

"Because there is only one thing I like about myself and that is my hair," she even pointed at her own head full of thick and fluffy but unruly hair. "I definitely don't want to lose my hair... Not again." She muttered the last words to herself as she shuddered inwardly at the reminder.

Her reaction might be exaggerating for the onlookers but she herself knew why she was traumatized.

Lilith wasn't convinced by her answer as she insisted, "This is natural. It won't have any side effects." Looking at her earnest eyes, Ru had to relent. She knew refusing Lilith would have a bad effect on her mind since her real self was still like an innocent baby.

Ru sighed out heavily and lowered her head to give access to Lilith. The young girl happily dabbed her hand with gel and fixed Ru's hair. While she was busy with styling Ru's hair, Ru was basking in the scent of grapefruit and ginger that was now becoming a part of her hair. She secretly heaved a sigh of relief to know that the ingredients were indeed natural.

Satisfied with her work, Lilith gave a toothy grin to Ru. Suspiciously eyeing her expressions, Ru looked at her own reflection in the mirror. Her chocolate brown hair was styled elegantly with her fringes brushed backward giving a perfect view of her forehead.

Ru couldn't help ruffling Lilith's hair before turning to leave.

She had only Wu Dishi to accompany her and left the others to whatever they wanted to do.

The dinner was organized at a flourishing restaurant. Just to make it clear, the hotel's name was 'Flourishing' for some odd reason and reading the name even Ru's lips curled up in a faint smile which wasn't noticeable.

Although the restaurant wasn't extravagantly decorated, it still had its charms. The calm and serene ambiance was soothing and it made Ru relax a bit. Secretary Liu's assistant welcomed them at the door and directed them towards the private room on the second floor.

Honestly speaking, Ru had no interest in meeting this Secretary Liu. She had a biased nature whenever it came to government officials and Secretary Liu wasn't any different.

Secretary Liu was a woman in her sixties with a steadfast personality. She had maintained her looks even to this age. When she saw the door opening of the room, she immediately put on an amiable smile. "Welcome Chairman Xie!" She greeted but as her eyes fell on Ru's figure, she was stuck for a moment.

According to Secretary Liu, Chairman Xie Rong would be a middle-aged man with a balding head and a nasty personality. And she assumed all of that because of the rumors that circulated around in the circle. She was literally astounded to see that Chairman Xie before her was such a young and handsome man.

One had to know that Ru might not be called cordial because of her indifferent personality but she was charming and there was no doubt about that. One look could charm people in a way that they couldn't help but like her.

"There is no need to be this polite Sectratary Liu, it's my pleasure to have made your acquaintance." And when Ru spoke in her low, deep and yet husky voice, Secretary Liu was left awestruck.

She never expected such an authoritative and formidable person like Chairman Xie to be humble, polite and soft-spoken. Ru might not be one of those gregarious people but she knew how to become the 'likable' ones.

Her reasons for being this patient, efficient and organized was that she always had one thought in mind: 'I can't let my grandfather down by being a nasty person.' And that's why no matter what, she'd always be at her best behavior in front of people.

The private room wasn't spacious but it was minimalistic and meticulously designed. There was a low table in the middle of the room with cushions. Without further ado, Ru took her seat right opposite of Secretary Liu and Wu Dishi sat beside her.

Even after they had exchanged the pleasantries, Secretary Liu kept her eyes on Ru. The more she looked at Ru's green eyes, the more she found the young man admirable. In her personal opinion, Ru's glistening and bright eyes gave away the fact that she was dependable, reliable, trustworthy, and loyal person. And oddly, her observation wasn't far fetched at all!

"If you don't mind, Chairman Xie, I'm expecting another person." Secretary Liu spoke with a pleasant smile on her face.

"I don't mind at all," Ru thought she was waiting uselessly for Abbot Wang Xiu Ying but she didn't want to spoil the lady's mood. Therefore, she stayed quiet.

"Let me offer you a drink as an apology for making you wait," Secretary Liu humbly lifted the wine urn but Ru raised her hand to stop her.

"I should be the one offering you a drink instead," Ru answered and took the wine from her to pour her a cup. Secretary gazed at her movements with fascination. Ru's 'gentlemanly' actions could win anyone's hearts much less Secretary Liu.

Ru had just poured her a drink in courtesy when the door was pushed open and a tall figure emerged. "I'm sorry for being late." At this familiar voice, Ru tilted her head and her brows raised up indecisively. Her green eyes clashed with those black ones as she heard, "Rong? What are you doing here?"

Before Ru could open her mouth to say anything, Secretary Liu interrupted her, "Zhi Ren, you know Chairman Xie?"

Xiao Zhi Ren turned to Secretary Liu and nodded his head. "Chairman Xie is my neighbor." Xiao Zhi Ren replied in a pleasant tone as he smiled meaningfully at Ru. "Also, he's Yuan's study partner." Secretary Liu gave Ru a surprised look.

"If we keep meeting like this, I would get the wrong idea that Chairman Xie is actually following me." At Xiao Zhi Ren's teasing words, Wu Dishi choked on air and coughed profusely as he observed his master's expressions.

Wu Dishi saw Ru's laid-back look but he could feel a chilly aura shrouded around Ru as well. Soon, the chill in the air dissipated as Ru took a sip of the wine in her cup and said, "I can say the same about you." Recalling something, Ru turned to Secretary Liu and asked, "Were you waiting for him?"

"Yes... He made a request but apparently, I can't be of much help." Secretary Liu sighed heavily before she signaled her assistant to call for the food to be served.

"There is no need to sigh so loudly, I'll look for another way to meet him." Xiao Zhi Ren was talking to Secretary Liu, trying to lift her spirits while Ru was in deep thought. From what she could see, she reckoned that the person who wanted to meet Abbot Wang Xiu Ying was actually Xiao Zhi Ren and Secretary Liu was merely acting as the middle-man.

After that Ru only focused on discussing the land that her company was planning to bid on in

Jingshen. She even didn't probe about the relation between Xiao Zhi Ren and Secretary Liu. As always, in her opinion, it didn't concern her at all.

It was her personal wishful thinking that perhaps, she'd come across her grandmaster at this dinner but her grandmaster didn't disappoint her at all. He really didn't come as she predicted...

After their discussion, Ru politely bade them goodbye but on her way, she could hear Secretary Liu's voice from behind telling Xiao Zhi Ren, "I tried to call him for dinner but the invitation was rejected since Abbott Wang is in seclusion and won't be receiving anyone for a while. You have wasted your trip here."

Ru didn't stick around to eavesdrop any further and left.

"It's alright, Madam Ji. I can just look around this beautiful place. Don't worry about it." Xiao Zhi Ren reassured Secretary Liu politely.

"You brat! Can't you just call me Auntie? Even though I'm adopted, I still am your father's elder sister." Secretary Liu scolded Xiao Zhi Ren with a slight sulky look. "Anyways, forget it! I'm already glad that you at least tried to look for me when you needed my help. Otherwise, who knows when I'd have gotten a chance to see this nephew of mine..." She shook her head in exasperation.

Xiao Zhi Ren chuckled at her and didn't continue bothering her. If he had another way, he wouldn't have looked for her.