Now Lao Wan was telling her that she could set the price. If it weren't for Lao Wan's serious expression, she would have thought he was deliberately making fun of her.
However, Gu Jia also knew that Lao Wan's uncharacteristically easygoing nature gave her a bad feeling.
Seeing Gu Jia remain silent, Lao Wan continued, "Of course, there are conditions. You just need to do me a favor, and everything I just said will stand."
"What favor?" Gu Jia asked.
"It's very simple. You just need to have dinner with one person," Lao Wan said tactfully.
Gu Jia was stunned. Just that simple? "With whom?"
"My boss."
"Your boss?" Gu Jia was surprised, then remembered that Lao Wan's parent company was the Haotian Group, which had recently become a hot topic.
Recently, it had acquired major groups in Shanghai, becoming the third largest group in the country.
How could such a big shot know about someone as insignificant as him?
"Are you serious?" Gu Jia asked again.
"I'm quite serious. You have half an hour to consider. If you agree, I'll tell you the address. If you don't agree, pretend I didn't say anything, you can leave," Old Wan said, looking at Gu Jia nervously.
The beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his composure, which wasn't as calm as he appeared.
After all, his life was practically in Gu Jia's hands, but he didn't dare pressure her.
Gu Jia had no time to pay attention to such details; her mind was completely occupied with the fact that the big boss of Haotian Group wanted to have dinner with her.
Gu Jia was a shrewd woman, capable of humbling herself. Seeing that the elevator was broken, she knew Madam Wang was going downstairs for a social gathering of wives.
She climbed to the 21st floor in slippers, gave them to Madam Wang who was wearing high heels, worried about her safety.
Then, she didn't wear Madam Wang's high heels herself, and barefoot, carried them with Madam Wang from the 21st floor to the first floor. Such boldness was not something an ordinary woman possessed.
It was simply because there was an orange on her husband Xu Huanshan's desk. She carefully checked at the supermarket and saw it cost 25 yuan. She immediately sensed that a young woman in the company had ulterior motives.
An ordinary employee, how much does she earn a month? Buying a 25-yuan orange for the boss.
Therefore, she realized this meal wasn't simple; it wasn't just about the meal itself, but about her.
Thinking this, Gu Jia felt a surge of anger. This was too humiliating. She got up to leave.
Hearing a "thud" behind her, Gu Jia turned around and saw President Wan kneeling on the ground.
This was something she never dared to imagine. But who could blame her? He was the client.
"Mr. Wan, what are you doing?"
"Gu Jia, I admit I made things difficult for your company before. It's all my fault. You can hit me, you can scold me, but now the lives of my entire family depend on your decision. I'm not trying to force you; I'm just stating a fact. Even if you avoid it today, and try again tomorrow, what about the day after? What about the future? For someone as powerful as him, killing me is just a matter of words. You're a smart woman; you know I'm not exaggerating. And I've already gone this far. I'm not forcing you; I hope you'll have pity on me for the sake of my family. I beg you." With that, Mr. Wan kowtowed to Gu Jia.
Mr. Wan said he wasn't forcing her, but he was actually putting pressure on Gu Jia, forcing her to make a decision. Of course, whatever methods Mr. Wan used, the ultimate goal was to get Gu Jia to attend the banquet.
"Please, don't do this, Mr. Wan, I..." Gu Jia tried to help Mr. Wan up.
"Don't come any closer, I won't get up," Mr. Wan said earnestly, still kneeling on the ground.
Gu Jia closed her eyes in anguish, remaining so for a long time.
Gu Jia opened her eyes and looked at Lao Wan. "Get up. Tell me the address."
"Thank you, thank you, Gu Jia. The driver is waiting outside. He'll take you there."
"You don't need to thank me. I didn't decide because of you. You're not that important." Gu Jia certainly didn't decide because of Lao Wan.
Call her cold-blooded, call her heartless.
Anyway, her relationship with Lao Wan was purely business-related.
She wasn't selfless enough to sacrifice herself for someone else.
What truly made Gu Jia decide was Lao Wan's words—that kind of important person. Could she really avoid him?
It was better to face him sooner rather than later. What if he didn't have those feelings? Gu Jia had no idea how attractive her perfect wifely charm was to Zhao Tianhao.
Xu Huanshan's driver, Chen Xu, saw Gu Jia come out. "Sister Jia, are you alright?" he said, opening the car door.
Gu Jia interrupted, "You go back first, I have something to do."
"Sister Jia, let me take you."
"Don't you understand?" Seeing Gu Jia's anger, Chen Xu had no choice but to get in the car and leave.
After watching Chen Xu leave, Gu Jia, with a heavy heart, got into a black Maybach not far away. The driver, seeing Gu Jia get in, drove straight to their destination without saying a word.
Gu Jia didn't ask where they were going and closed the small window to the front seat. Gu Jia thought for a moment and called her best friend, Zhong Xiaoqin.
"Hey, Xiaoqin, it's me. If Huanshan calls you tonight and asks where I am, just say I'm with you."
"Okay, I'm fine. I'll tell you later, don't worry, I'm hanging up." After saying that, Gu Jia held her phone, staring blankly at the beautiful scenery rushing past the window.
At this moment, Gu Jia had already prepared for the worst.
After receiving a call from his assistant, Zhao Tianhao was told that Gu Jia was already in the car.
Zhao Tianhao then went to the Four Seasons Hotel on the Bund.
He didn't go to the Grand Hyatt Mansion or the villa; it was just a simple date, a transaction, so going directly to the hotel was fine.
Gu Jia wasn't going to give up on her husband so easily after just one or two encounters.
She hadn't given up on him yet.
After Zhao Tianhao arrived at the hotel's presidential suite, the food and drinks began to arrive. He had ordered them beforehand.
Shortly after the food was served, there was a knock on the door.
Gu Jia had already prepared herself when she saw that the dining location was the Four Seasons Hotel.
But when she realized that the dining location wasn't the restaurant but a room, even though she was prepared, she still felt a pang of regret and wanted to run away.
However, the consequences were beyond her control. If she had refused from the beginning, it wouldn't have been so serious.
Leaving now would be a slap in the face. Gritting her teeth, Gu Jia knocked on the door. The door opened, and Gu Jia was stunned to see Zhao Tianhao dressed smartly in casual clothes.
She hadn't expected the chairman of Haotian Group to be so young. Although she had read in the news that the chairman of Haotian Group was incredibly shrewd and ruthless at a young age, she hadn't expected him to be such a handsome young man.
"Come in," Zhao Tianhao said, his eyes drawn to Gu Jia's beautiful face, her graceful figure, and the mature charm of a married woman.
Gu Jia closed the door and followed Zhao Tianhao to the dining table. Looking at the table laden with delicacies, Gu Jia had absolutely no appetite.
"Have something to drink first," Zhao Tianhao said, breaking the silence with a glass of red wine.
Seeing Gu Jia looking thoughtfully at the wine, Zhao Tianhao smiled.
"What, you think I drugged you? You're already here, which means you're prepared. Your meaning is clear. Do I need to drug you?"
Zhao Tianhao smiled sarcastically and took a sip of red wine.
Gu Jia blushed at Zhao Tianhao's words, whether from embarrassment or anger at having her secret exposed.
Watching Gu Jia defiantly down her glass of red wine, Zhao Tianhao picked up the bottle and poured her a refill.
"You're a smart woman, I don't need to say much. Let me tell you the benefits. Besides the order Lao Wan mentioned, I'll introduce you to orders from two other companies, guaranteeing you a good year."
"Is this a transaction?" Gu Jia asked, staring at Zhao Tianhao.
"Of course, you don't think so."
"I didn't know I was so valuable," Gu Jia smiled sarcastically. "You don't know how charming you are," Zhao Tianhao genuinely complimented.
Seeing Zhao Tianhao's sincerity, Gu Jia felt somewhat at a loss, not expecting him to appreciate her so much. She hastily picked up her wine glass and took a sip, as if to hide her unease.
"You don't seem to be in the mood for food, so just tell me your decision," Zhao Tianhao said, staring at Gu Jia.