Chapter 58: Secret Crush
With business on the agenda, a deeply grateful Li Jianwen invited An Zhengping and his entourage to the reception hall to begin negotiations.
An Zhengping's at-cost pricing for the materials was indeed much lower than Liu Qi's, but the transportation fees were considerably higher.
They began to negotiate transportation fees and the specific materials required for each project. Li Jianwen was so touched by their gesture that he refused to let the An Clan make no profit. In the end, the final material price was close to what they had been paying Liu Qi.
After settling some of the details, Li Jianwen insisted on hosting a banquet for An Zhengping and his group. His enthusiasm was so overwhelming that they couldn't possibly refuse.
To spare An Ruoling the exhausting journey, An Zhengyi suggested the banquet be held right there at the Jiangzhou Hotel. Li Jianwen happily agreed, bringing along all his company's executives of manager level and above to attend.
Chen Dong's position, of course, wasn't at the manager level; he was still just a deputy team leader. However, he had to go along to treat An Ruoling.
Most of the manager-level employees had their own cars, and the An Clan had also arranged a convoy to transport their own people.
Chen Dong didn't have a car of his own, so he waited by Li Huiran's Ferrari.
Just as everyone was preparing to leave, Li Huiran spotted Chen Dong by her car. She nearly had a fit. There were a lot of people in the parking lot, and it would look terrible if they were seen together. She shot a pointed look at Chen Dong and hissed under her breath, "What are you doing here?"
Chen Dong shrugged. "I'm going to the banquet, of course."
Seeing that he was completely ignoring her hints and shamelessly planning to freeload at the banquet, she grew even more frantic. "Eat, eat, eat! Is that all you can think about? There are too many people around. I'm not giving you a ride. Get lost!"
The corner of Chen Dong's mouth twitched in helpless frustration. 'Even heroes have to put up with some grievances, I suppose.' He huffed indignantly. "Hah! If you won't take me, I'll just go hitch a ride with An Zhengping and his crew."
Li Huiran was so furious she could feel her scalp tingle. "Don't you dare! Fine, you win! I can't deal with you!" She hurriedly unlocked the door and shoved Chen Dong inside. If this oaf managed to upset the An Clan and jeopardize the materials deal, they'd be in serious trouble.
Trying to avoid being seen by her colleagues, Li Huiran sped off ahead of everyone else, even using one hand to try and push Chen Dong down in his seat. But in a low-slung sports car like hers, it was a futile effort. He was completely visible, and plenty of colleagues saw Chen Dong sitting in her passenger seat.
Even An Zhengping's group saw the spectacle. An Ruoling gently tugged on her father's arm and whispered, "That's Divine Doctor Chen!"
An Zhengping nodded thoughtfully. 'It seems what Old Tang said was true,' he thought. 'The relationship between Divine Doctor Chen and General Manager Li is indeed remarkable.'
For a six-star establishment like the Jiangzhou Hotel, sudden, high-profile banquets were routine. Everything was prepared in short order. By the time the guests arrived, there was no need to wait; they were shown directly to their seats to enjoy the fine food and wine.
At the banquet, Li Jianwen and An Zhengping were getting along splendidly, exchanging pleasantries and praise. Li Huiran, however, couldn't find Chen Dong anywhere. She had wanted to give him a little warning to behave himself and not cause any trouble with the An Clan.
Meanwhile, while everyone else was occupied with the banquet, Chen Dong had already begun An Ruoling's treatment session.
After two previous treatments, An Ruoling had already regained some feeling in her legs. Perhaps because of the day's earlier events, a slight rift had formed between Chen Dong and the An Clan. He remained expressionless throughout the entire treatment, barely speaking a word.
The treatment went smoothly, and An Qiu lifted An Ruoling back into her wheelchair. She could now wiggle her big toe—a sensation she hadn't experienced since the day she was first confined to the chair.
This left her even more astonished by Chen Dong's medical prowess. To achieve such a staggering result after only three treatments and a course of herbal medicine was unbelievable.
An Ruoling was very concerned with Chen Dong's thoughts and attitude, not just because of his medical skill, but also due to her budding romantic feelings. She had been unable to walk since she was a child. And though she was an heiress of the An Clan, her withdrawn heart was filled with insecurity and loneliness. Meeting Chen Dong had not only given her hope, but his mysterious, profound aura and uniquely handsome features left her utterly captivated.
Even knowing that Chen Dong and Li Huiran shared a deep connection, and keenly aware of the vast difference between her own appearance and Li Huiran's, she still wanted to get closer to him. She wanted to eliminate the distance between them, even if she could only be his friend.
Choosing her words with care, she said, "Divine Doctor Chen, at the beginning, the An Family wasn't aware of your relationship with the Li Group. Please don't hold it against us."
Chen Dong smiled. "I have no intention of blaming the An Family. It's just that I found that An Junxian fellow truly repulsive. The only reason I didn't deal with him myself was out of respect for your family."
An Qiu stood to the side, his expression as impassive as a stone-cold bodyguard. "That man has been taken care of," he stated calmly. "I broke all five of his limbs."
Chen Dong nodded upon hearing this. "Then let's consider the matter closed."
An Ruoling's heart leaped with joy. It seemed the incident with An Junxian was finally behind them. She smiled and suggested, "Why don't we get a private room and have a meal together?"
Chen Dong politely declined and took his leave from her room.
He then remembered something he had forgotten to do.
'That's right, Wang Hao has been waiting for my call.'
So, Chen Dong stood in the corridor and called Wang Hao. Figuring he could hitch a ride with Li Huiran again later, he told Wang Hao not to wait up for him.
Just as he hung up, a woman came staggering down the hall directly toward him.
Chen Dong frowned slightly. 'This woman is absolutely gorgeous!'