When a major client invites you to dinner, even the firm’s partners have to attend. How could Xia Xiaolan, an intern, refuse?

Matthew had been getting sharp retorts from Xia Xiaolan lately, so he held his tongue. But when looking at her, he would steal glances at Harold, his face screaming “Something is going on.”

What did Xia Xiaolan think?

She wanted to smack Matthew’s head.

“Isn’t it normal that GMP won the bid?”

Xia Xiaolan always thought GMP’s proposal was excellent. How bad could a proposal from a world-class architectural firm be?

After all, she couldn’t afford GMP when working in the Golden Sand Pool District.

She believed Harold wouldn’t lie – if he said it was chosen through fair voting, that was the truth.

But GMP’s people didn’t seem to think so…

Harold invited the entire design team to dinner. Xia Xiaolan, thick-skinned as she was, pretended not to notice others’ suspicious glances.

Why should she feel guilty about something she hadn’t done?

At least when a billionaire treats you to dinner, the venue won’t be poor, and the food will be good. As a junior intern with no social obligations and thick skin, she could simply enjoy a sumptuous dinner.

Harold didn’t particularly engage with Xia Xiaolan either; both maintained mutual ignorance.

Until Xia Xiaolan went to the restroom.

Coming out, she was startled by Harold leaning against the wall:

“What are you doing here?”

“This entire hotel is mine.”

He could appear wherever he wanted.

Standing outside the restaurant’s restroom was rather strange. Harold tried to reduce the awkwardness, but Xia Xiaolan had already lost interest in chatting with the willful wealthy man.

“Wait, I have something important to discuss with you.”

His tone was sincere. Xia Xiaolan was skeptical, “About the Washington project? I’m just a GMP intern, you should talk to Kissinger and others.”

Harold smiled: “Do you see yourself as just an intern? GMP doesn’t know about your situation in China. Don’t look at me like that – I know you’ve developed quite a bit of architectural design business there, including your award-winning C·W competition work, which is now a hot project in Pengcheng, right?”

Though Harold wasn’t in China and Pengcheng’s golf course wasn’t completed, he naturally had people reporting to him.

The Electronic Plaza was making waves in Pengcheng. Others might not know, but people reported to Harold.

Xia Xiaolan was puzzled: “What exactly do you want to say?”

She wasn’t just developing an architectural design business in China – she was planning to establish an architectural firm. Otherwise, she wouldn’t value the GMP internship so much.

Harold didn’t know about Xia Xiaolan’s plans to establish an architectural firm. He wanted to approach the conversation from another angle:

“I remember you’re also involved in the building decoration business?”

Even for a small decoration company, Harold didn’t know who exactly managed it, but it couldn’t be unrelated to Xia Xiaolan.

“It’s my uncle’s decoration company. If that’s what you want to discuss, his business hasn’t expanded to America yet.”

Xia Xiaolan reminded Harold, who couldn’t help but smile: “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a natural businessperson? You’re so clever! I barely started, and you already know what I’m talking about!”

So was it wrong that he enjoyed talking with Xia Xiaolan?

One word and the other person understood the meaning – such conversations were so effortless!

Asking about decoration could only be about Pengcheng’s golf course.

Xia Xiaolan ignored Harold’s praise, “I don’t understand why?”

“Family conflict. I don’t want George making money from me.”

That fool George still thought the golf course’s decoration work was certainly his, but Harold never had such intentions.

Seeing Xia Xiaolan’s silence, Harold couldn’t help explaining further: “Last year, Wilson Hotel had a financial embezzlement scandal. Someone tried to threaten me, and I hate being threatened most.”

Xia Xiaolan pieced it together in her mind.

When Wilson Hotel’s scandal broke out, someone was targeting Harold.

Harold was the Wilson family’s authority figure, but not everyone in the family necessarily submitted to him. To quell disputes, Harold might have allied with some family members against others. In exchange, he had to hand over Pengcheng’s golf course project management to George Wilson.

The allied party must be George’s father’s generation since George was the beneficiary.

Since it was an exchange for alliance, Harold shouldn’t renege—

“You don’t want George profiting from you, but you can’t let others know, so you want me to find someone to snatch the golf course’s decoration work?”

Xia Xiaolan didn’t want to laugh, but she realized Harold might have been forced into a corner.

To others, George’s family should appear as those who helped Harold in crucial moments, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.

Harold must have discovered something else.

He might have known the truth all along but had to swallow it for certain reasons.

Family feuds were indeed complicated!

But how wonderful – Xia Xiaolan loved such complexity!

Without complexity, how would she have opportunities?

George’s Hong Kong decoration company had tried to steal her Uncle Liu Yong’s business at Golden Sand Pool. Now she could immediately get revenge. How could Xia Xiaolan not be happy?

Seeing her happy smile, Harold unconsciously felt infected.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t impossible to please; he just hadn’t found the right approach before. He had waited until today to handle such a mutually beneficial matter – how strategic of him:

“Don’t be polite with my nephew George. I know you won’t be – you seem to have a grudge.”

Xia Xiaolan nodded, “I want to praise you – you’re a good person!”

Her grudge with George wasn’t that deep, but George was Ji Ya’s big wallet.

If George was forced to leave China, Ji Ya couldn’t repay her millions in bank loans. She’d have no choice but to beg on Chang’an Street.

After discussing some specific operations with Harold, Xia Xiaolan happily returned to her seat.

Matthew slyly leaned over:

“I saw you talking in the hallway!”

Xia Xiaolan stepped on his foot, “So what if you saw? What’s strange about it? Isn’t the firm requiring us to socialize with clients?”

Liar, it wasn’t like that at all.

Matthew was in pain but couldn’t cry out loud.

But Xia Xiaolan was unhappy earlier – what did Harold say to make her return all smiles?

Still saying nothing is going on.

Matthew snorted. Xia Xiaolan’s boyfriend had even saved Harold, yet these wealthy tycoons were something – turning around to steal someone else’s girl.

But did GMP get the project through backdoor connections?

Matthew was confused himself.

Winning against Foster and P&W in such a muddled way, Matthew belatedly realized that if coming to GMP with Xia Xiaolan counted as teaming up, he seemed to have been carried to victory by his teammate.

A win is still a win!

Better than teaming up with Jonathan, Heidi, and those people.

If he had to choose a teammate at Cornell, teaming up with Xia Xiaolan didn’t seem bad.

—If only she weren’t so fierce.