But, it was unfortunate for Sheng Jiaoyang that Ms Zhao had a heavy taste and ordered a table full of spicy dishes. Covered with red and yellow chilli peppers, the dish with the big fish head on top appeared extremely spicy.

She'd just gone to the lavatory to wash her hands, and by the time she came back, Ms Zhao had already placed the order.

The corner of her eyes were twitching as she stared at the dishes being served. She suddenly recalled that last hotpot meal and felt as if that numb and spicy sensation remained on her taste buds. She didn't dare move her chopsticks.

"Xiao Lei, didn't you grow up in Canada? How come you like this kind of spicy food? If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that you were from Hunan or Sichuan," President s.h.i.+ said with a smile as he stared at the table full of dishes.

"My Mother is from Hunan, so I've been eating spicy food since I was just a little kid. Uncle s.h.i.+, as you know, Canada is very cold, and spicy food can keep me warm. It protects me from the cold," Zhao Lei's hand didn't stop as she continued to eat and talk. Her bowl was already half-stuffed with the Red Pepper Steamed Fish Head.

"My daughter has the same taste as her mother. If you're not used to these spicy dishes, we can order a few extra light-flavoured dishes," President Zhao said.

"It's okay, it's getting colder at this hour anyways, and eating spicy food can keep us warm. It's perfect," President Li said with a smile.

Zhao Lei suddenly grabbed the serving chopsticks and added a piece of fish meat into Sheng Jiaoyang's bowl. The two of them happened to be sitting next to each other, so it was very convenient for her to give her food.

"Miss Xu, I saw you staring at this dish several times. Don't worry and just eat your fill. Hurry and give it a try, this restaurant is quite authentic," Zhao Lei said.

As Sheng Jiaoyang stared at that large piece of fish meat with chilli peppers in her bowl, she suddenly felt nauseous.

Why did she suddenly feel a sense of deja vu?

A smile was hidden in the recesses of Zhao Lei's eyes. She'd noticed that Xu Jiaojiao couldn't handle spicy food when the dishes were served. "Come on, this Chilli Chicken is also very delicious. Quickly try it!" She directly scooped a spoonful of chicken with chilli sauce into the other's bowl.

"Xiao Lei, why are you so enthusiastic? Your actions must've given Miss Xu a fright," President Zhao said.

"I haven't had any female friends since I returned home from abroad. Miss Xu seems to be a very amiable person and I want to be friends with her!" Zhao Lei replied, acting slightly spoiled.

"Alright, alright, but you still have to ask Miss Xu if she can handle spicy food," President Zhao responded dotingly, having absolutely no principles in front of his daughter.

"President Shen could eat the pickled peppers without any issue, so I'm sure that Miss Xu, as his girlfriend, can handle spicy food as well. Otherwise, how can they live together if they have different tastes? Isn't that right, Miss Xu?" Zhao Lei's lips slightly curled as she glanced in Sheng Jiaoyang's direction with schadenfreude hidden in her eyes.

Sheng Jiaoyang wanted to roll her eyes at Ms Zhao, and just as she was about to say something in reb.u.t.tal, a hand reached out and took her bowl away. She turned around and saw Shen Zhining pouring all of the spicy food into his own bowl.

At the same time, everyone stared at him in silence.

Shen Zhining calmly washed the bowl clean with tea and placed it back in front of Sheng Jiaoyang. Facing everyone, he said, "She needs to shoot a commercial tomorrow, so it's not suitable for her to eat spicy food today."

I have a commercial to shoot tomorrow? How come I didn't know that? Sheng Jiaoyang opened her mouth to say something, but then she realised that Shen Zhining was trying to help her out of this predicament. At this moment, she was moved and decided that she wouldn't force Demon King Shen to eat carrots anymore.

Huh? She was wondering why Zhao Lei's behaviour felt like deja vu, but that was because she'd done the same thing to Demon King Shen in the past…

"A commercial? Miss Xu is a celebrity?" President s.h.i.+ asked in surprise.

Sheng Jiaoyang pursed her lips and smiled. "I'm just one of those lesser known celebrities."

"Our company's household goods department is planning to change their spokesperson this year. Miss Xu, can you consider it?" President s.h.i.+ suggested. Of course, he'd only suggested this out of respect for Shen Zhining. In his opinion, celebrities that he couldn't recognise could only be considered small fries.

"Thank you, but at present, studying is still my priority," Sheng Jiaoyang indirectly refused.

"That's understandable, don't worry." President s.h.i.+ glanced at Shen Zhining and thought: With someone as rich and powerful as him backing her behind the scenes, does she even need to take on any commercials to earn money? This girl is young, but quite clever.

"Come on, since fate has brought us together, let's have a toast!" President Zhao stood up with a wine gla.s.s in hand.

Zhao Lei pushed a wine gla.s.s in front of Sheng Jiaoyang and said, "Miss Xu, let's have a toast!"

Sheng Jiaoyang couldn't keep refusing her, and since she was a wine lover to begin with, she wouldn't refuse a drink. She graciously picked up her gla.s.s and stood up, clinking gla.s.ses with everyone.

After one drink, Zhao Lei poured her another one.

"Miss Xu, I'd like to propose a toast to you alone. Let's exchange numbers later and we can hang out more often in the future!" Zhao Lei raised her gla.s.s and said with a smile. She was very curious to know how Sheng Jiaoyang had managed to win President Shen over.

"It's my pleasure to meet the beautiful and generous Ms Zhao today, cheers!" Sheng Jiaoyang clinked gla.s.ses with Zhao Lei.

Seeing her being so straightforward, Zhao Lei saw her in a new light. "It sounds quite awkward when you call me Ms Zhao, just call me Xiao Lei and I'll call you Jiaojiao."

"Alright." When Sheng Jiaoyang saw that Zhao Lei was about to pour her another gla.s.s of wine, she hurriedly covered the top of her gla.s.s and said, "My alcohol tolerance isn't so good, and I'm already feeling a bit dizzy. If I drink any more, I'll really get drunk." As she spoke, to show that she was slightly tipsy, she half-squinted and shook her head like someone who was a little drunk.

"What's there to worry about? Isn't Boss Shen here? Besides, you're now part of the entertainment industry and might have to attend many gatherings in the future. Thus, you have to practice more and increase your alcohol tolerance from this moment on." Zhao Lei didn't leave her any leeway. She directly moved her hand away and filled Sheng Jiaoyang's gla.s.s.

People who'd been to a drinking banquet knew that some people were so good at persuading that there was no room for refusal. After all, people had to take into account the other party's reputation and couldn't let them lose too much face in front of a crowd. So, when one persuaded another to drink, the other had no choice but to accept it out of respect.

Sheng Jiaoyang knew this very well, so she slowly drank half a gla.s.s and then supported her forehead, appearing as if she was no longer clear-headed.

"She's already drunk?" Zhao Lei still couldn't believe that Sheng Jiaoyang had gotten drunk so quickly. Since she was drinking to her heart's content earlier, she'd thought that her tolerance was great!

"It seems that Miss Xu normally doesn't drink much. I think she was drinking too fast earlier, so the alcohol has gone to her head," President s.h.i.+ said.

Shen Zhining put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a tissue. "I'm afraid that she'll catch a cold if she stays like this. I'll take her back to rest first. Enjoy the rest of your meal."

"Alright, let's get together next time."

Shen Zhining nodded. He then helped Sheng Jiaoyang up and walked out of the private room. On their way, he took out his cell phone and asked the driver to pick them up at the door.

"Stop!" A man suddenly caught up from behind and stopped in front of them. "Where are you taking her?"

Shen Zhining's expression remained indifferent as he sized up the young man in front of him. "How's that any of your business?"

"She's my girlfriend, so tell me, how is this none of my business?!" the young man arrogantly said with his arms folded across his chest.

Shen Zhining had yet to reply, but the 'drunk' Sheng Jiaoyang couldn't stand it any longer.

Sheng Jiaoyang opened her eyes and kicked Yuan Neng on the knee. "Go away, you rascal!"

She then pulled Shen Zhining around Yuan Neng and walked away.

Yuan Neng hugged his knee and leaned against the wall, baring his teeth at the two departing figures.