All eyes in the hall focused on Su Qianmo as she entered. Her appearance left everyone stunned.
Su Qianmo walked in with Gu Chenan, and the servers outside closed the banquet hall doors. This usually unremarkable sound of closing doors acted like a morning alarm, waking everyone from their trance.
People finally came to their senses and began greeting Su Qianmo.
"Hello, CEO Su."
"CEO Su is so stunningly beautiful. I never imagined our city would have such a gorgeous female CEO."
"We deeply admire CEO Su's abilities. Please, CEO Su, don't hesitate to give us some guidance."
Flattering words surrounded Su Qianmo. Perhaps because she was too dazzling, no one noticed Gu Chenan beside her.
"You're too kind, everyone," Su Qianmo smiled. Under everyone's gaze, she suddenly grabbed Gu Chenan's arm and held it close.
The crowd was startled, finally noticing Gu Chenan beside Su Qianmo.
"Wasn't CEO Su supposed to come alone today? Who is this man?" someone whispered.
The previous speaker explained from within the crowd, "Damn, no way, this guy is the driver I mentioned earlier - CEO Su's driver!"
"D-driver?" someone stammered in disbelief.
CEO Su was holding his arm! How could he be just her driver?
Had anyone ever seen a female CEO publicly holding her driver's arm like that?
"CEO Su, who might this gentleman be?" someone finally asked aloud.
Su Qianmo had been waiting for this question. She insisted on bringing Gu Chenan today precisely to announce to the world that she was Gu Chenan's girlfriend before any other woman could claim him!
She looked up at Gu Chenan, smiled sweetly, and said, "He's my fiancé, Gu Chenan."
"F-fiancé?!"
The crowd was shocked. They lamented inwardly, "Such an outstanding CEO already has a fiancé. What a pity!"
However, one person in the crowd had the most exaggerated reaction. Upon seeing Gu Chenan and hearing Su Qianmo's words, her jaw dropped to the floor, her eyes seeming to have an epileptic fit as her pupils shook violently.
"Gu-Gu Chenan is CEO Su's fiancé?!"
This person was Liu Wan.
She stumbled backward in disbelief until she grabbed a pillar in the banquet hall to steady herself.
Shock, surprise, confusion, and disbelief cycled rapidly across her face, as if she had suddenly mastered the art of face-changing.
"Something's not right here," she thought. "How could someone as capable as CEO Su be interested in a useless homebody like Gu Chenan?"
"Moreover, Gu Chenan and CEO Su aren't even from the same world. How on earth did he meet her?"
"I admit Gu Chenan's looks are impressive, but CEO Su doesn't seem like the type to date a pretty boy, does she?"
Liu Wan wasn't the only one confused; everyone else was puzzled too.
Hadn't they said earlier that CEO Su came with her driver? How did he suddenly become her fiancé?
How could someone who could buy a company as big as Caiying not have a dedicated driver?
Or... could this man be both CEO Su's fiancé and her driver?
Uncertain, they decided to observe further.
"CEO Su, with your impressive abilities, your fiancé must be quite capable as well?" someone asked politely, then turned to Gu Chenan. "Mr. Gu, may I ask what you do for a living?"
What do I do?
Seeing the expectant look, Gu Chenan pondered for a moment before replying, "I usually stay at the company, helping Qianmo with various tasks. Nothing worth mentioning."
Hearing this, the crowd's expressions immediately turned strange.
Obviously, the "company" Gu Chenan referred to was Caiying, and his statement about staying there suggested he had no real job.
As for his claim of helping CEO Su with various tasks, everyone naturally assumed he meant trivial matters.
Hiss~
So, CEO Su's fiancé really was her driver?
Damn, a kept man!
Having reached this conclusion, the crowd's gaze towards Gu Chenan immediately dimmed, with some even shifting their attention back to Su Qianmo.
This misunderstanding wasn't entirely the crowd's fault.
Gu Chenan hadn't disclosed his identity to the public, and what's more misleading was that he had driven Su Qianmo here today. In these people's eyes, it was natural to assume Gu Chenan was Su Qianmo's driver.
And then Su Qianmo had introduced him as her fiancé.
So in everyone's eyes, Gu Chenan's identity became driver-cum-fiancé = kept man.
In the crowd, Liu Wan gazed languidly at Gu Chenan.
She still couldn't believe that Su Qianmo, such a capable female CEO, had fallen for Gu Chenan, this useless homebody, and even become engaged to him.
The man she herself had deemed unworthy had suddenly become the fiancé of Caiying's CEO?!
This was too ridiculous!
If she hadn't witnessed Caiying's recent moves, she might have thought Su Qianmo was a fool.
It was precisely because of what she was seeing now that Liu Wan felt her assumptions about Gu Chenan during their blind date were confirmed.
This Gu Chenan was essentially just a pretty boy trying to live off a rich woman!
......
"CEO Su, please come this way. We'd be honored if you could share some insights."
"Yes, CEO Su, I have many questions I'd like to ask you."
The representatives from other cosmetics companies gathered around Su Qianmo, making her the center of attention.
Hearing their flattering words, Su Qianmo knew it was mere small talk and shouldn't be taken seriously. She smiled and said, "There's no need for me to give any insights. You're all veterans in the beauty industry, I'm just here to pay my respects."
"CEO Su, how can you say that? We should be the ones..."
Seeing Su Qianmo engage in conversation with the crowd, Gu Chenan grabbed a cocktail for her, gave her a knowing look indicating he'd be nearby if needed, and then sat down in a corner of the banquet hall.
Before coming today, Gu Chenan knew Su Qianmo would become the focal point once she appeared, not just because of her looks, but also due to Caiying's current reputation.
If other companies could establish a good relationship with Caiying, they might be able to benefit from its influence.
"I never thought we'd meet here," Liu Wan said, holding a glass of red wine as she approached Gu Chenan.
Surprised to see Liu Wan, Gu Chenan shrugged, "Yeah, what a coincidence."
Liu Wan glanced at Su Qianmo, who was chatting animatedly with the other CEOs and executives, then turned back to Gu Chenan. "How does it feel to have climbed the social ladder?" she asked.
"That's the CEO of Caiying, you know. You must be grinning in your sleep, right?"
Gu Chenan frowned, "What's it to you?"
"Nothing, really," Liu Wan shook her head and smiled. "I just despise men who live off women, that's all."
"Hah," Gu Chenan scoffed. "Well, excuse me, but I despise presumptuous women. Please don't talk to me, I have an allergy to stupidity."