Chapter 322: Chapter 322 – Who Exactly is Her Husband?
Lin Qi said, “My husband is very busy; he might not have time.”
As soon as Maeve sat down, she heard Lin Qi’s remark and rolled her eyes as if she wanted to roll them skyward.
Being the host at Emperor Palace and having reserved a private room to apologize to her, she still had the audacity to pull an attitude in front of so many people!
The manager said, “It’s a rare occasion!”
She approached Lin Qi and flattered, “Lin Qi, you see, you really do have clout! Regarding today’s incident, Ms. Mia also feels quite remorseful toward you, so don’t take it to heart! Leave work early tonight. Let Ms. Mia toast to you, and we can turn over a new leaf. How does that sound?”
Lin Qi was somewhat surprised, “She’s willing to apologize to me?”
The manager smiled and said, “Yes! After all, we are all colleagues, seeing each other day in and day out. There’s no need to make things so stiff! Fortunately, the situation didn’t escalate. You weren’t hurt, were you?”
Lin Qi replied, “No.”
Though there was some redness near her collarbone, it improved a lot after applying ice from the ice machine.
The manager gently placed her hand on her shoulder: “Ms. Mia recognizes her issues! She wants to offer you her apologies. At least grace her with your presence.”
Lin Qi noticed the manager’s careful choice of words.
“Issue,” not “mistake.”
It seemed that Ihandling her image was of utmost importance.
Lin Qi said, “Alright then! But, you guys head over first tonight. I’ll join you with my husband after he gets off work, is that okay?”
The manager nodded and then asked seemingly concerned, “Aren’t you eating dinner tonight?”
Emperor Palace is a business club.
The private rooms there offer dining, accommodation, KTV, everything for recreation, and it’s a high-end venue, so expenses are quite high.
Lin Qi said, “I’ll have dinner with my husband.”
“Oh!”
The manager smiled, “Fair enough!”
The other colleagues also started to figure some things out.
They could tell that Maeve had arranged the banquet at Emperor Palace to apologize to Lin Qi.
It looked like Lin Qi truly had some strong backing.
Who exactly is her husband?
Could he be a senior executive at Huace?
Maeve couldn’t help but picture a fat old man, and she felt a chill run down her spine.
She could hardly imagine what kind of good man a divorced woman like Lin Qi, who also has a child, could marry.
Her husband might have some background or money, but the senior executives at Huace are old men, some balding and even have grandsons.
As a member of the appearance association, she couldn’t imagine marrying a bloated, greasy old man just for money.
The manager went to Qi Lichuan’s office and knocked on the door, “President Qi, Ms. Mia has booked a private room at Emperor Palace tonight, are you going too?”
Upon hearing this, Qi Lichuan asked, “What’s the private room for at Emperor Palace?”
The manager explained, “Didn’t you ask Maeve to apologize to Lin Qi? … She’s willing to apologize. She’s been a leader in the project team for many years and can’t lower her head easily in the workplace before so many people. Therefore, she booked a private room at Emperor Palace to host a banquet as an apology. Later, she can toast Lin Qi and make amends. Can we then consider the matter resolved?”
President Qi asked, “Did Lin Qi agree?”
The manager nodded and said, “Lin Qi agreed. She said she’d go after her husband gets off work.”
Hearing this, Qi Lichuan’s eyelid twitched fiercely, “You go. I’m not going.”
The manager was a bit baffled by his reaction but still reluctantly nodded, “President Qi, as you say … as long as Maeve is willing to apologize and Lin Qi agrees to forgive her, can we then consider this matter settled?”
Qi Lichuan said, “Unless she earns her forgiveness, otherwise, I will fire her on the spot, and you as well.”
His words were unequivocally stern.
The manager nodded immediately: “I understand, President Qi, don’t worry!”
Evening.
All members of the project team clocked out on time.
Han Na originally wanted to stay and accompany Lin Qi, but seeing that she was hungry, Lin Qi said, “Nana, you go with them! I might be late.”
Huo Tingdong has another meeting tonight, so she had to wait for him to finish work before they could go together.
Han Na said, “Okay, then I’ll wait for you to come!”
“Mm.”
Lin Qi also clocked out and went to the president’s office to wait for Huo Tingdong to finish work.
The spacious president’s office was eerily quiet.
Lin Qi lay down on the sofa, and half an hour later, Huo Tingdong finished the meeting and returned to the office to see her resting on the sofa covered with a thin blanket.
Hearing his footsteps, Lin Qi opened her eyes: “Are you off work?”
“Have you been waiting long?”
Huo Tingdong walked to the sofa, tenderly embraced her, and gently coaxed, “Are you hungry? Should we eat at home or go out to eat?”
Since the summer vacation began, Windsor High School had introduced hobby classes.
The two little ones attended classes during the day, and after school, they came home. Han took care of homework while Momo was responsible for cooking. Sometimes, if Huo Tingdong and Lin Qi returned late, Momo would be lazy and take Han out to eat.
When Huo Tingdong had just finished the meeting, he saw the message from Momo that he had taken Han to eat small wontons, so they did not prepare dinner.
Lin Qi said, “I don’t have much appetite; I ate a little in the afternoon, I’m not that hungry now. How about you?”
Huo Tingdong said, “I had a bit to eat in the afternoon too. Are you sure you’re not hungry?”
Lin Qi said, “Mm, when I get hungry, I’ll tell you. I won’t let myself suffer, don’t worry!”
Huo Tingdong “Mm”ed, and said: “Let’s go home then.”
He embraced Lin Qi and lifted her from the sofa, but noticed she had changed clothes: “Why did you change your clothes?”
Lin Qi casually explained: “This afternoon, I had an argument with a colleague, and there was a bit of a conflict. She spilled coffee on me, so I changed out of my dirty clothes.”
Huo Tingdong’s expression changed: “Did she spill it accidentally, or did she do it on purpose?”
Lin Qi said, “On purpose…”
Huo Tingdong anxiously asked, “Did it burn you?”
Lin Qi shook her head: “It’s no big deal.”
Huo Tingdong, still concerned, leaned down and lifted her collar to check.
There was still some redness on her collarbone area.
A hint of distress appeared in his eyes, and his gaze darkened with a hint of sternness: “Is she seeking death?”
Lin Qi said, “It’s nothing, it will fade by tomorrow. I retaliated, don’t worry, I definitely didn’t let myself be bullied!”
Suddenly, Lin Qi thought of something and quickly changed the subject: “My colleague has booked a private room in Emperor Palace, inviting me to hang out. Are you coming along?”
Huo Tingdong slightly raised an eyebrow: “Emperor Palace?”
Isn’t that a business club, usually a place for business talks?
Huo Tingdong was not very keen on going, as he disliked noisy, crowded environments: “What are you doing there?”
Lin Qi patiently explained: “Didn’t I have a fight with my colleague? We almost came to blows.”
Huo Tingdong somewhat angrily said, “You are pregnant, and you got into a fight?”
Lin Qi said somewhat aggrievedly, “She bullied me, I had to fight back! I couldn’t just let myself be bullied!”