Chapter 43: Zheng Shuting at Forty

Zheng Shuting was dressed in a dark professional suit today.

The fabric was of excellent quality, and with her slightest movements, it subtly revealed the warm sheen of the skin beneath.

The slightly fitted lining skillfully outlined her graceful curves. It preserved the sharp poise of a career woman while displaying the unique allure of a mature woman.

The neckline was wide, exposing her delicate neck and the faint line of her collarbones. A simple yet elegant necklace rested there, adding just the right touch and making her exceptional bearing all the more striking.

Time seemed to have treated her with particular kindness, leaving no obvious marks upon her face.

If anything, it had only added a few more refined touches to her beauty.

Her long hair fell to her shoulders, with a few loose strands casually brushing her cheeks and lending her a gentler air. Paired with black-rimmed glasses, she now possessed the crisp authority of a formidable businesswoman.

“Are you still standing there? Go pour me a cup of coffee!”

Zheng Shuting cast a sidelong glance at her male secretary.

He immediately replied respectfully, “Yes, yes! Please wait a moment, President Zheng!”

With that, he hurried out.

“Ah!” Zheng Shuting looked at the financial statements and sighed helplessly. “At this rate, Imperial may not last another month. So many creditors have been pressing for payment lately. This is obviously Zhang Fuqiang’s doing. What a bastard!”

“Oh my, who could have made my auntie so angry?”

An irreverent voice came from the doorway.

Zheng Shuting looked up and saw that it was Chu Feng.

It turned out that Chu Feng had taken the coffee from the male secretary. He walked over to Zheng Shuting’s desk and placed it in front of her.

Zheng Shuting gave a mocking laugh and leaned slightly forward. “What is it this time? Tired of working hard again, so you came to see your auntie?”

Chu Feng picked up a pack of women’s cigarettes from beside her computer, drew one out, and lit it.

“Take a guess.”

“You wicked boy. You even dare tease me!” Zheng Shuting scolded with a laugh.

But in the next moment, Chu Feng took out a document envelope and tossed it directly in front of her.

Zheng Shuting froze for a moment, then quickly picked up the envelope, opened it, and removed the documents inside.

When she saw their contents, astonishment flashed across her face.

“Is this for real?”

It was a contract. Chu Feng would pay off Imperial Nightclub’s twenty-million debt and acquire the entire establishment for eighteen million.

In truth, without the creditors’ relentless demands, Imperial was not in such poor condition.

Just as with any new business, once the initial capital had been invested, all it needed was steady revenue to recover its costs.

Zhang Fuqiang’s method, however, was to demand repayment of every debt while Imperial was still generating income.

If Imperial were given another six months, it could repay every penny it owed.

But Zhang Fuqiang had given them only one month.

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That was why Imperial’s bankruptcy was inevitable. No one could save it.

Moreover, anyone who wanted to rescue Imperial would have to provoke Zhang Fuqiang and become his enemy.

It was a thoroughly unprofitable bargain.

There were plenty of people in River City who could afford to acquire Imperial, but not a single one was willing to antagonize Zhang Fuqiang.

Perhaps there had once been someone who dared—but by now, that person was probably nothing more than a rotting corpse.

“You really surprised me, brat.” Zheng Shuting gave Chu Feng a coquettish glance.

Chu Feng stretched out his foot and hooked it around her black-stockinged leg beneath the desk.

“How do you like this present?”

“The contract says everyone can keep their positions?”

Zheng Shuting did not pull away. Instead, she pressed down on his foot with her high heel, then draped her long leg across his knee.

“That’s right. From now on, Imperial is my property, and you… will be working for me as well. Of course, your salary will be calculated as a percentage of Imperial Nightclub’s total revenue.”

Chu Feng exhaled a cloud of smoke.

To Zheng Shuting, Chu Feng’s actions were a timely rain after a long drought.

They were a lifesaving injection of courage.

“President Chu, are you free this afternoon? Let me buy you some tea.”

Zheng Shuting tucked the documents away in a drawer.

Chu Feng smiled lightly, a teasing curve at the corner of his lips. “Tea won’t be necessary. I haven’t eaten yet. I want a bowl of dumplings you make yourself.”

“You shameless boy! You’re my son’s classmate. With so many beautiful girls at Yanjing University, why choose this plate of dumplings? Wouldn’t those tender little dumplings suit your taste better?”

“Sorry, but I prefer well-aged marbled beef.”

Chu Feng grinned.

“You wicked boy!” Zheng Shuting scolded coyly.

Chu Feng leaned closer. “I’ve helped you this much. Aren’t you going to show me a little gratitude first?”

Zheng Shuting smiled seductively. She closed the office door, then came before him.

“What sort of gratitude?”

“Before eating steak, shouldn’t there be an appetizer?”

“You really are a shameless boy,” Zheng Shuting murmured.

Slowly, she crouched down.

Chu Feng tilted his head back slightly and drew in a deep breath.

“Wonderful…”

Women were like wine.

If Li Xueli was a red wine with a lingering sweetness, fragrant and mellow from the first taste, then Zheng Shuting was a century-old white spirit—sharp on the way down, bearing the deep imprint of time.

The internet café girl Chu Feng had met before was cheap, loose liquor, harsh and fiery on the tongue.

As for Zhang Yanran, she was a modern cocktail, brimming with youthful energy.

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Every kind of wine had its own distinctive flavor.

When Chu Feng stepped out of the office, Zheng Shuting followed behind him. She held a tissue in her hand and dabbed at the corner of her mouth, her face still flushed.

Everyone else in the office stared at the scene in astonishment.

Zheng Shuting clapped her hands.

“Everyone, put your work aside for a moment.”

The people nearby turned to look as well. Zheng Shuting cleared her throat.

“From this moment onward, President Chu is the new owner of Imperial.”

The moment those words were spoken, the entire place erupted into commotion.

Everyone had something to say.

“He’s so young, and he’s already become the boss?”

“What’s going to happen to our jobs? It’s so hard to find work these days!”

“Are they going to replace everyone from within? Oh no, oh no…”

A rather attractive female employee approached with a cup of lemon tea, eager to ingratiate herself.

“Hello, President Chu. I’m Liu Tingting, the cashier.”

“Hello, President Chu.”

Quite a few veteran employees began trying to curry favor with Chu Feng as well.

Chu Feng accepted the lemon tea and looked around.

“Everyone, there’s no need to worry. All positions and duties will remain unchanged. I hope that in the future, each of you will continue to carry on Imperial’s glory. Tonight, I’ll be hosting a banquet at the Platinum Hotel. Everyone may bring one family member, and there will be red-envelope prizes to draw!”

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere immediately brightened.

“Thank you, President Chu!”

“The boss is generous!”

Zheng Shuting smiled beside him as she watched Chu Feng.

This boy was no simple character, she thought. With only a few words, he had dispelled everyone’s concerns.

And he handled matters with neither haste nor agitation. He was far more mature than her useless son.

Chu Feng came to her side and whispered, “After dinner tonight, I’ll be waiting for you to make me a late-night snack.”

“A late-night snack?”

“Dumplings.” Chu Feng beamed.

Zheng Shuting’s face flushed like jade. In a low voice, she scolded, “Be careful someone hears you.”

“Heh!”

Chu Feng cast a lingering glance over her shapely figure.

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