The Battle of Love

Song Xi sat in the largest private room of Guangde Tower, the only woman among a table of men, who were drinking and smoking, creating a hazy atmosphere. For a moment, she felt as if she had gone back several months, when she had also sat in this private room. However, at that time, she was the host, surrounded by admirers, while now she was not even a guest, merely an accompanying presence, forced to smile constantly.

Life seemed to be playing a huge joke on her.

“Song Xi, what are you daydreaming about? Toast to General Manager Chen,” the deputy director beside her said, bringing Song Xi’s thoughts back to reality. Following the deputy’s gaze, she saw Chen Hao, the young master of Yida Medical Company, sitting to her right. The hospital needed to purchase a batch of imported medical equipment, and Yida was not the only option. However, because Chen Hao liked her, he had repeatedly come to the hospital to express his affection, making his feelings for her known to everyone. This was why the hospital had targeted her, hoping that her presence would help to lower the price in front of Chen Hao.

After a moment of hesitation, Song Xi picked up her glass and smiled at Chen Hao, “General Manager Chen, I toast to you.”

Chen Hao looked at Song Xi, who had just come from work and was barely wearing any makeup. Yet, she was still far more beautiful than those vulgar women outside. He liked her innocent charm.

With a smile, he replied, “What kind of relationship do we have? Do we still need to be so formal? Call me ‘brother,’ and I’ll call you ‘Xiao Xi.’”

Song Xi smiled slightly and did not address him by any name, simply moving her glass forward and saying, “Our hospital is in urgent need of this batch of medical equipment. Please help me out, and I’ll drink this glass, but you can drink at your leisure.”

With that, she tilted her head back and drank half of the Baijiu in her glass.

Chen Hao’s smile grew wider, “If Xiao Xi has drunk it, how can I not accompany her? I’ll drink mine too.”

As the others cheered, he also drank half a glass of Baijiu.

This was the fourth and a half glass that Song Xi had drunk. She had a decent alcohol tolerance, but she was not immune to getting drunk. Not knowing when the dinner would end, she dared not show any signs of being tipsy.

Less than ten seconds after putting down her glass, someone at the table suggested, “Why don’t we have Dr. Song and General Manager Chen drink a cup of wine together?”

There was a chorus of approvals.

Song Xi could not refuse in such a situation. She secretly looked at the deputy director next to her, who signaled for her to help. In that moment, Song Xi felt both disgusted and disappointed. Before coming, the deputy had specifically told her that this was just a social dinner, and he would protect her. But now?

A bunch of sycophants were only trying to please Chen Hao, who was naturally delighted. Someone got up and poured a small amount of wine for Chen Hao and a full glass for Song Xi, laughing as they said, “Dr. Song, our General Manager Chen has always been vulnerable to beautiful women. If you say something nice to him, he might not only lower the price but even give it to you for free.”

The room burst into laughter.

Chen Hao’s eyes were full of joy as he greedily stared at Song Xi’s face, saying, “Xiao Xi, I’ll put it out there now. If you drink a cup of wine with me, I’ll lower the price by one percentage point. How about it?”

Before Song Xi could respond, the deputy director sitting on her other side couldn’t stay seated. He wanted to help her hold the glass, afraid that she would mess up. He smiled widely and said, “Thank you, General Manager Chen. We appreciate it.”

Chen Hao picked up his glass, and all eyes turned to Song Xi. In that moment, she thought of many things, with the loudest question being: Can I leave? Can I quit this job?

The answer was immediate: No.

Taking a deep breath and stomping her foot, she decided to drink. What was her face worth? Over the past few months, hadn’t she lost enough face already?

But…

Without looking up, her gaze couldn’t help but glance at the man sitting at the head of the table. He wore a pure black shirt, leaning back in his chair, smoking. Through the white smoke, his handsome face was faintly visible, causing people to take a second look. He had been silent, but Song Xi couldn’t ignore his presence.

George Sheng.

Song Xi had no idea that George Sheng would also be there before she came to the dinner. Tonight, she and the deputy director were there to ask Chen Hao for a favor, but as soon as George Sheng sat down, it was clear that Chen Hao had something to ask of him. He had watched her drink so much with Chen Hao without saying a word, making it obvious that he didn’t want to get involved. In other words, he was waiting for her to make a fool of herself.

Chen Hao’s glass was raised for a few seconds, and everyone could see that something was off with Song Xi. The deputy director also secretly gave her signals to help her. Sometimes, making a decision really comes down to a split-second thought. At that moment, Song Xi had only one thought in her mind: there was no one who could help her now except herself. Who wouldn’t bow their head in front of someone?

So, as Chen Hao was about to lose his temper, Song Xi reached out, picked up her glass, and turned sideways towards Chen Hao, forcing a smile, “We agreed on one glass of wine, one percentage point.”

Chen Hao smiled, “I’ll keep my word.”

As he spoke, he stretched out his arm, making a gesture to wrap it around Song Xi’s arm to drink the cup of wine together. Song Xi’s entire body was stiff, and she briefly heard a buzzing sound in her ear. It was as if she heard her dignity falling and shattering into pieces.

If she drank this glass of wine, she might not be able to hold her head up in front of George Sheng for the rest of her life. "Wait."

When Chen Hao leaned towards Song Xi, a cold male voice came from the room. This voice was not loud, but it easily penetrated the noise of some people and successfully silenced the scene.

Song Xi's heart skipped a beat, and Chen Hao hesitated for a moment before looking towards the voice.

George Sheng crushed the cigarette he had smoked halfway into the crystal ashtray next to him, and his thin lips exhaled a mouthful of smoke. His beautiful fox eyes, blurred between male and female, contained five parts cold and five parts mocking as he calmly said, "Am I ignorant? Are modern female doctors also part-time female public relations?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Xi felt her blood rush to her face, a feeling of blood boiling. She couldn't say a word, and she didn't even dare to look at h