After I Was Gone, Mr. Song Said He Loved Me - Chapter 68 - The Mysterious Man at the Dinner, He Made Me...

I ignored Song Yu’s dangerously sharp gaze, flipping down the sun visor to meticulously check the area around my neck in the built-in makeup mirror.

Fortunately, there were no ambiguous marks.

Today was the day I was scheduled to have dinner with Mr. Sun from the electric company, a rare opportunity that I couldn’t afford to mess up.

Song Yu watched me intently for quite some time before suddenly saying, “You really go to great lengths for Fan Lu.”

I paused, then closed the makeup mirror and responded indifferently, “I owe him that.”

Even though I wasn’t looking directly at Song Yu, I could still feel his burning eyes intensely fixed on me, as if his gaze were flames that could set me alight.

The silence in the car was unnerving, the enclosed space magnifying any sense of fear.

Perhaps it was an innate fear of Song Yu. Although I didn’t think I had done anything wrong, my heart still raced, my hands on my lap slightly sweaty, but my expression remained as calm as usual.

The silent standoff ended when Song Yu started the car and drove out of the residential complex, not uttering another word or sparing me another glance.

During the half-hour drive, we sat next to each other like two strangers, with no communication or interaction, just the tacit beating of our hearts.

Having spent so much time together, I guessed that Song Yu must be angry now, because he always becomes more silent when he’s upset.

Especially when it came to Lu, Song Yu’s hostility was undisguised, not even bothering to hide it.

I think it might be because Lu once hurt him with a knife, so he remains wary of Lu.

When we reached the Huanya Building, I asked Song Yu to drop me off across the street.

Song Yu asked why, and I said I was afraid of being seen.

His expression instantly turned cold, his aura darkening as if to drown me. I breathed a bit heavier, yet showed no signs of backing down, my eyes firmly on him.

After a few seconds of eye contact, Song Yu deftly raised his hand to unlock the door, allowing me to get out.

I thanked him, quickly unbuckled my seatbelt, and jumped out of the car without hesitation. I had barely steadied myself to wave at him when the Rolls-Royce sped off like an arrow released from its bow.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, I suddenly realized that rejecting Song Yu was not as difficult as I had imagined.

It was my own fear and admiration for Song Yu that made me timid and insecure every time I faced him.

But now, I think, what does Song Yu’s excellence have to do with me?

He is him, and I am me.

The only tie between us is money.

Once I no longer desire money, there is no sense of superiority between me and Song Yu.

I no longer have to cower before him; I can boldly express my own thoughts, or even say no to him.

I just wish I had realized this sooner.

…

To avoid the rush hour traffic and not delay the lunch meeting, I left work half an hour early with Lisa’s permission.

I thought I would be the first to arrive at the hotel, but the hostess informed me that the guests in the Ethereal Hall had already arrived, with only one person missing.

And that person was me.

I was a bit surprised. Usually, in such meetings, the client waits respectfully for the host to arrive leisurely, showcasing their status and importance.

Why was Sun Shengju giving me such respect by arriving early?

I asked the hostess how many guests were in the private room, and she said there were only two.

Two people?

One was Sun Shengju, and the other might be the person he consulted on the phone.

Clearly, this person must be of higher status and importance than Sun Shengju.

The hostess led me to the door of the private room and left. With a mix of anxiety and curiosity, I pushed open the door.

Just as the hostess said, there were only two men seated across from each other at the square dining table.

One was Sun Shengju, and the other was someone I didn’t recognize, not even from the celebrity interviews in the magazine Catherine had given me.

“Mr. Sun,” I greeted Sun Shengju with a smile.

Seeing me, Sun Shengju quickly beckoned me to sit down.

It was a four-person table, with Sun Shengju and the other man each occupying a side, leaving me unsure of where to sit.

Based on familiarity, I should sit next to Sun Shengju, but considering status, the man opposite clearly held a higher position.

After some thought, I decided to walk towards Sun Shengju.

However, as soon as I stood at the table, Sun Shengju stood up and guided me to sit beside the man opposite, pressing me down into the chair.

I instantly understood the theme of this meeting. The man beside me was the one I was meant to accompany today.

“Mr. Bai, let me introduce you to my superior, the chairman of the electric company, Mr. Ren.”

Hearing the surname Ren, my eyes lit up instantly.

If my guess was correct, this chairman was Ren Hechuan, the current head of the electric company.

In the state-owned enterprise hierarchy, his position was equivalent to a provincial minister, a person with significant authority.

It’s said that Ren Hechuan is a low-key individual who rarely participates in interviews, so there is very little information about him.

It was indeed a huge surprise to meet him in person.

But why did he suddenly invite me to dinner? We had no prior interactions, not even a meeting…

I was utterly puzzled.

However, Ren Hechuan was different from the high-ranking officials I had imagined.

Take Wang Li’an, for example. He exuded cunning and lust, and indeed, he turned out to be a corrupt official.

Ren Hechuan, on the other hand, had a neat crew cut, stern eyebrows, but his eyes conveyed warmth and kindness. His nose was straight, lips thin, and his face was smooth. Though he appeared to be over fifty, age had not taken away much of his handsomeness; instead, it added a unique charm of a mature man.

But why did Ren Hechuan seek me out?

Just then, the waiter began serving dishes one after another, filling the table with high-end ingredients, each dish exorbitantly priced.

Ren Hechuan scooped a spoonful of black caviar into my bowl and said gently, “Try it.”

I nodded politely and smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Ren.”

The caviar tasted slightly salty and fishy at first, but then it turned sweet and fresh, with a delightful crunch in the mouth. It was truly delicious.

Sun Shengju chuckled from the side, “Mr. Bai, that bite you just took is worth a whole apartment.”

I was momentarily stunned.

I’ve had caviar at banquets before, and while it’s expensive, it’s never been as outrageous as an apartment’s worth. Was he trying to fool me into thinking I hadn’t eaten it before?

Seeing my disbelief, Sun Shengju continued, “This caviar is from 20-year-old sturgeon eggs flown in specially. See those little yellow bits in there?”

I nodded, noticing the tiny yellow specks mixed in.

“That’s micronized gold. Just that spoonful you had starts at 300,000. And these aged sturgeon eggs aren’t something you can just buy with money; they’re reserved for foreign royalty.”

“Mr. Ren has really opened our eyes today.”

I was dumbfounded. This small dish of caviar was actually that expensive!?

“And there’s Italian white truffle, Frankfurt beef, Austrian lobster, bluefin tuna…”

Sun Shengju introduced each dish and its origin, each name exuding a sense of opulence.

I thought Song Yu was extravagant enough, but compared to Ren Hechuan, there’s always a bigger fish.

Ren Hechuan smiled, “Gourmet food is meant to bring joy to the body and soul. It’s all about the taste. If you measure it by money, you lose the essence of enjoying it.”

After hearing Ren Hechuan’s words, Sun Shengju immediately stopped his boasting and nodded in agreement, “Yes, yes, Mr. Ren is right. My thinking was too narrow.”

Ren Hechuan waved it off with a smile, “It’s fine, no need to be so formal. You’ve scared Mr. Bai into not daring to eat.”

I quickly chimed in, “No, no, not at all. Mr. Sun is just broadening my horizons. I’m not afraid to eat.” With that, I unceremoniously picked up a piece of white truffle and popped it into my mouth.

Indeed, there’s a reason why good things are expensive; the taste was worlds apart from the so-called delicacies I usually had.

Throughout the meal, Ren Hechuan was very considerate, constantly serving me dishes. Our conversation was measured, and I could drink whatever and however much I liked. The whole meal was gentlemanly and polite.

This actually made me a bit uncomfortable, to the point where I couldn’t even bring up the business matters.

As the meal was nearing its end, I couldn’t hold back any longer and subtly asked, “Mr. Ren, are you heading back to the company after this?”

Ren Hechuan glanced at his watch and asked, “Are you in a hurry?”

I quickly shook my head, “Oh, no rush. I’m not in a hurry. I actually got permission from my boss to come out and discuss business, so my schedule is quite flexible. I’m just worried about delaying your work.”

Ren Hechuan teased with a smile, “Out to discuss business? If you don’t succeed, will your boss dock your pay?”

I lowered my eyes, feigning difficulty, and sighed lightly, “Of course, they’ll dock my pay. And I’m so unlucky, I never land big projects and always get teased by my colleagues.”

Ren Hechuan laughed even louder, “Big projects? How big is big?”

I pondered for a moment and said, “For a company like Huanya, anything over a billion would be considered a big project.”

Ren Hechuan nodded in agreement, “That’s indeed a big project. But some things are more valuable than what you call ‘big projects.'”

Sun Shengju added meaningfully from the side, “Mr. Bai, knowing Mr. Ren is the real big project.”

I smiled foolishly on the outside, but inside I knew better than anyone that what’s more valuable than money is power, and the most valuable aspect of the electric company is its state-owned enterprise policies and rights.