For Your Happiness - Chapter 36 - Hidden Agendas

Shao Han helped Wu Di into the private room. As they entered, Wu Di noticed Wang Chufan staring at Shao Han, deliberately wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders. Shao Han shifted her gaze from Wu Di’s leg to the dining table where Wang Chufan, already seated at the head of the table, nodded and smiled at her. Shao Han returned an awkward smile as she took a seat beside him, next to Yu Chen, Wang Chufan’s secretary, military strategist, and friend. Yu Chen’s eyes held a deeper meaning as he watched Shao Han enter.

Wu Di, with a smile, said, “Mr. Wang is too kind. I needed my wife’s assistance to walk in.”

“Haha, haha, not at all, taking care of your injury is what’s important,” Wang Chufan replied, his gaze shifting back to Shao Han. “Mrs. Wu, we meet again.”

“Yes,” Shao Han said with a smile.

Wu Di sat down next to Wang Chufan, with Shao Han on the other side.

“Mr. Wang, please try our hotel’s dishes and give us your feedback,” Wu Di humbly suggested.

“Sorry I’m late,” Xu Zhuo entered, having just finished a lengthy important call.

“No problem, just in time,” everyone responded politely.

The table of six casually chatted over their meal about trivial matters.

“Oh, by the way, I have a favor to ask Mrs. Wu,” Wang Chufan said.

“Oh? What is it?” Shao Han, surprised, looked up at him and then glanced at Wu Di from the corner of her eye.

“I’m heading back to Beijing tomorrow. I promised to bring back some gifts for my wife, but I’ve been too busy to shop. And you know, I’m not good at picking out women’s items… Could you perhaps help me choose something after dinner? Otherwise, I’ll return empty-handed and get scolded,” Wang Chufan explained with a charming smile.

“This…” Shao Han hesitated on how to respond.

“That’s something Mengmeng should handle; she’s the best at it,” Xu Zhuo chimed in.

“Oh?” Wang Chufan turned his head toward Lv Mengmeng, his eyes flashing with slight anger, though his facial expression was well-masked, clearly displeased with the suggestion.

“Ah? Me? I can shop for women’s items, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to buy something for someone of Mr. Wang’s wife’s status.” Lv Mengmeng spoke without any ulterior motive, sharing her honest opinion.

“Heh,” Wang Chufan laughed, finding that Lv Mengmeng had inadvertently solved a dilemma for him.

“It’s not about status, really. It’s just that Mrs. Wu always dresses so appropriately, I trust her choice will undoubtedly be flawless, which is why I dared to make this request. I hope Mr. Wu doesn’t mind,” Wang Chufan continued.

“Yes, yes, our Manager Shao has great taste,” Lv Mengmeng said with a smile.

This irritated Xu Zhuo, who was standing nearby. Lv Mengmeng was exasperating; how could she not see the underlying implications? And she even joined in the teasing. Xu Zhuo really wanted to kick her under the table.

Wang Chufan, meanwhile, thought that Lv Mengmeng and Wu Di might have a clandestine relationship and was pleased to push Shao Han towards his side, feeling secretly triumphant.

Wu Di kept his head down, eating without showing any expression, his thoughts unreadable. Shao Han, listening to the back-and-forth between Lv Mengmeng and Wang Chufan, quickly grasped the situation without Lv Mengmeng realizing the true intent, understanding Xu Zhuo’s implications. Some things are understood without being stated, but Wu Di remained silent. What was she supposed to do now?

“Me? Heh, actually, I’m not particularly good at choosing either,” Shao Han said awkwardly.

“Mrs. Wu is being too modest.”

Wu Di was furious inside. Hearing Xu Zhuo’s words and seeing Wang Chufan’s suggestive expressions, he understood Wang Chufan’s intentions, but he couldn’t just lash out. He couldn’t think of a better response, and here was this man making arrangements with my wife right in front of me, infuriating Wu Di immensely.

“What? Mr. Wu, can’t bear to see your wife put to trouble?” Wang Chufan joked insincerely.

“Oh, no, not at all, then…” Wu Di turned his head towards Shao Han “you… go with Mr. Wang to choose the gift.” These words from Wu Di felt as heavy as a thousand pounds and were difficult to utter.

“Oh.” Shao Han looked at Wu Di, her eyes trying to communicate, telling him, I don’t want to go. Wu Di stared back at Shao Han for a few seconds, remaining silent.

“Hehe, then I’ll have to trouble Mrs. Wu,” Wang Chufan felt quite pleased with himself, having achieved his goal.

Wu Di, as if a gun were held to his head, agreed to the request reluctantly, his heart in turmoil. He sensed that Shao Han wanted to say something from the look she gave earlier.

Xu Zhuo cursed “Old Fox” in his mind hundreds of times. Watching Wu Di agree to Wang Chufan’s request, he was puzzled by Wu Di’s thinking, giving him a questioning glance before quickly pretending to sip his soup.

Yu Chen watched with a sneaky grin as Wang Chufan boldly invited Shao Han in front of Wu Di, thinking, “Experience comes with age.”

Among the group, only Lv Mengmeng naively thought it was just another administration dinner and was cluelessly simple.

The meal that followed was uncomfortable for everyone, with laughter that couldn’t be more fake. It was indeed the most awkward meal they had ever had. Both Wu Di and Shao Han hoped the dinner would end soon, whereas Wang Chufan’s mind was clearly elsewhere. Finally, when all the dishes were served and fruit was brought to the table, Wang Chufan happily shared amusing stories about Beijing to lighten the mood and to make a better impression on Shao Han.

Unable to bear it any longer, Shao Han pushed her chair back slightly, nodded at Wu Di, and whispered, “I’m going to the restroom.”

“Okay.”

After drinking a little, Wang Chufan, slightly tipsy but not overly so, looked at Shao Han with even more interest. Wu Di, noticing Wang Chufan’s expression, clenched his left fist, which Xu Zhuo saw and realized Wu Di was really holding back his anger.

In the restroom, Shao Han immediately took out her phone and texted Wu Di, “Wu Di, I don’t want to go.”

Seeing his phone vibrating, Wu Di texted back, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

Reassured by Wu Di’s words, Shao Han gave herself a pep talk in the mirror before returning to the table.

“Well, that’s it for today. Later, I’ll need Mrs. Wu’s help to choose a gift, and we shouldn’t keep her out too late; Mr. Wu would be worried,” Wang Chufan said.

“Oh, all right. I wonder if Mr. Wang enjoyed his meal,” Wu Di replied, calming down.

“Quite well, quite well. Both Mr. Wu and your hotel are quite memorable,” he responded.

“Mr. Wang is satisfied, that’s good,” Wu Di said with a smile.

“Satisfied indeed.”

“Oh, Mr. Wang, you all had some drinks. Do you need me to find someone to drive for you?” Wu Di asked.

“No need, the hotel arranged a chauffeur for us when we arrived.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Wu, I will safely take Mrs. Wu home,” Wang Chufan said with a smile, glancing at Wu Di. Wu Di slightly pulled the corners of his mouth but did not genuinely smile.

“Well, Mrs. Wu, shall we go?” Wang Chufan said, appearing like a victor as he led the woman away from a more impressive man.

Feeling utterly powerless and manipulated, especially concerning his beloved woman, Wu Di truly hated how vulnerable he had become, unable to tolerate such actions.

“Ah?” Shao Han was at a loss for words, and simply uttered, “Oh.” She followed Wang Chufan for a few steps, then looked back at Wu Di. He stood still, like a statue, and Shao Han couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Suddenly, she noticed Wu Di waving his phone at her, signaling her to check her phone. Shortly after, she read a text from him: “I will follow behind you.”

Shao Han read the message, her expression unchanged. She then got into the car with Wang Chufan. Yu Chen considerately sat in the front, leaving the back seats for Shao Han and Wang Chufan.

“Where shall we go, Mrs. Wu?” asked Wang Chufan, leaning closer as he spoke, his breath almost palpable to Shao Han, who promptly adjusted her seating position, deliberately leaning towards the door.

“Oh, what are you looking to buy? Or, what type of things are you interested in? Branded luxury? What price range are you considering?”

“Actually, she doesn’t lack anything; something tasteful would suffice, something with a Jiangnan flavor. Every place has its own local characteristics, just like the women of Jiangnan have theirs,” Wang Chufan said ambiguously.

Pretending not to grasp his insinuations, Shao Han looked outside and responded, “If it’s about luxury, then it’s about world-famous brands. If it’s to convey sentiment without excessive opulence, then Ganghui Mall would be the place to go.”

“You decide for me.” Wang Chufan unintentionally leaned slightly toward Shao Han without fully moving closer. Shao Han felt her calf brush against his leg. She wanted to move away but was afraid of being too abrupt, so she straightened her body instead.

Wang Chufan was amused by her subtle movement and chuckled lightly.

After Wang Chufan and Shao Han had left, Wu Di asked Xu Zhuo, “Did you drink?”

“No,” Xu Zhuo was particularly cautious.

“Good,” Wu Di simply responded, and Xu Zhuo knew what he was thinking. They walked side by side toward the parking lot. Lv Mengmeng, puzzled by their odd behavior and wondering why no one had offered to take her home today-as Xu Zhuo usually would with a teasing smile-shrugged and decided she would have to take a taxi herself. She headed toward the main entrance.

Wu Di and Xu Zhuo got into the car. Because Wu Di walked slowly, they couldn’t see Wang Chufan’s car as they drove out, which made them somewhat anxious.

“Damn,” Wu Di muttered. “I’ll send Shao Han a text.”

“Mm.”