Li Ruixin thought that the little beauty had treated him quite well. She had not hesitated to borrow her father's seal to "decorate" the painting he had bought. Although it was to help him out in an emergency and also to return the favor of waiting for her to paint in the beginning, this benevolence and righteousness were quite profound. Good heavens, without the seal, the painting was only worth a thousand yuan. With the seal, it became forty million yuan. That little beauty couldn't be unaware of this, could she?
After letting his imagination run wild for a while, he suddenly realized that he should give his boss, Song Chaoyang, a call to report what he had gained today. This would put him at ease and make him happy. However, it was not appropriate to call him directly. Instead, he should call Secretary-General Du Minsheng. After all, Du Minsheng was also nervous about this matter. It was more appropriate and in line with the flow of events to report to Song Chaoyang after he found out.
Thus, he dialed Du Minsheng's number. After the call connected, he reported the day's progress to him.
Du Minsheng was very happy to hear this and said, "This is really a joyous occasion. Your group has also made a great contribution! I just didn't expect Ling Shuyao's performance to be so eye-catching. No wonder the Secretary arranged for her to come along. It turns out that he already knew of her outstanding qualities. Tsk tsk, when it comes to judging people, I'm not as good as the Secretary! Previously, Xiao Rui was chosen as the Secretary. Now, Ling Shuyao is being promoted to an important position. The Secretary really has a discerning eye for people! "
Li Rui was secretly amused when he heard this. He thought to himself, If I hadn't given the painting to Chi Guohua first and moved him, he probably wouldn't have been in such a good mood to listen to Ling Shuyao's wonderful explanation. Thus, to be honest, I also have a certain amount of credit. However, he could only say this to himself. If he said it to others, he would be laughed at. He said, "Principal Chi has arranged a banquet for us. We might have to go back tomorrow morning."
Du Minsheng smiled and said, "Okay, then you can stay here and come back tomorrow morning. Don't worry. I'm going to report to the secretary now. He'll be very happy to hear it."
After hanging up the phone, Li Rui thought about Ling Shuyao's performance and couldn't help but admire her. This woman usually kept a low profile and seemed like a mediocre person. However, when it came to critical moments, she stood out and turned the tide. Most people couldn't do this. He had to learn more from her. At least, he had to learn from her meticulousness and seriousness. He couldn't let her surpass him.
The clock soon pointed to six, and it was time for the banquet. The banquet was held in the VIP room in the restaurant on the first floor of the guest house. Chi Guohua, the dean of Agricultural University, personally attended the banquet and invited Li Jing's group. Li Rui and Ling Shuyao sat together.
When the dishes were served, a plate of small black monsters with claws and tails was suddenly served. Ling Shuyao's expression changed drastically when she saw them. She subconsciously sat back, as if she wanted to avoid them.
Chi Guohua noticed her reaction and said with a smile, "Director Ling, don't be nervous. This is a plate of fried scorpions. All the scorpions are dead and won't hurt people anymore. You can eat them without worry. These scorpions are artificially bred in the breeding base of our Agricultural University. They have both medicinal and edible value. They are nutritious and delicious. They also have certain benefits for human health, such as dispelling wind and relieving pain. We usually serve them to entertain distinguished guests. Today, we'll treat our distinguished guests from Qingyang City to something new. "
Of course, Ling Shuyao knew that the plate of small monsters were scorpions. If she didn't know, she wouldn't be so scared. She didn't have any concept of scorpions before. However, on the first night when she and Li Rui went to the Little Dragon King Village in Dragon King Temple Village in Hanshui County to help the poor, they were warmly received by the local scorpions. From that moment on, she developed a deep fear of scorpions. To what extent did she fear them? At night, she would dream of scorpions in her nightmares. Most of the time, she would be stung by scorpions. Sometimes, she would be scared awake from her dreams. However, she had never had such a dream before.
Because of this, Ling Shuyao now knew that the Dao plate was filled with dead scorpions. However, after seeing them, she couldn't help but feel her scalp tingle. She couldn't help but want to avoid them. It seemed that if she didn't do so, those scorpions would come back to life and jump on her body to stab her.
Most of the people at the table had never eaten fried scorpions before. At this moment, when they heard Chi Guohua's introduction, they all looked over and exchanged their opinions. The table became much livelier.
Li Rui was sitting next to Ling Shuyao. He couldn't help but find it funny when he saw that she was tilting her head and trying not to look at the table. When no one was looking, he lowered his head and whispered to her, "I suddenly remembered that time when I bought scorpion wine for you."
When Ling Shuyao heard him mention her embarrassing past, her charming face sank. She was about to reach out and hit him when she suddenly realized that there were people watching. She lifted her leg and kicked him under the table where no one could see.
She was afraid of the presence of others, so she didn't dare to move too much. Therefore, the strength of her kick was very light. Li Rui didn't feel any pain at all. He smiled faintly and raised his hand to rub his butt. He lowered his head and said, "Aiya, why do I suddenly feel like I'm being pricked by a needle? It's like being stung by a scorpion."
How could Ling Shuyao not understand his actions? He was alluding to her embarrassing situation when she was stung by a scorpion. She was angry and embarrassed. She reached down and found the bottom of his thigh under the table and gave it a hard pinch.
This time, it was extremely painful. Li Rui almost cried out. He bit his lower lip hard to endure. He thought that this woman was really ruthless. Didn't he just laugh at her once? Was it necessary for her to take revenge on him so viciously? Humph, she better not let him find an opportunity tonight. Otherwise, he would definitely spank her butt for revenge.
After the banquet started, Chi Guohua, as the host, stood up and said a few routine words. He raised his cup and everyone stood up one after another and clinked their cups. With a series of clinking sounds, everyone finished the contents of their cups. Those who could drink drank wine, while those who couldn't drank tea or other beverages. After that, everyone toasted each other, chatted and laughed. The atmosphere was warm and friendly.
Halfway through the banquet, Li Rui stood up and poured tea for Chi Guohua, Li Jing, and other higher-ups. He took the opportunity to take a break and returned to his seat. Seeing that Ling Shuyao's cup was empty, he refilled it for her.
Ling Shuyao lowered her head and ate without looking at him. It was as if she didn't see him refilling her cup, or as if it was natural for him to refill her cup.
Looking at her proud little face, Li Rui couldn't help but recall the past when he went to the countryside to help the poor last year. During that time, this cold and elegant woman was just as proud as she was now. He repeatedly tried to warm up to her, but she always gave him the cold shoulder. It could be said that he was defeated again and again. In the end, he finally won her heart. It could be said that he had gone through a lot of difficulties and dangers. Now that he thought about it, he felt quite accomplished.
Thinking of this, he stretched out his leg and kicked Ling Shuyao's shoe. Ling Shuyao didn't show any reaction on the surface, but under the table, she unrestrainedly retaliated. She kicked him hard twice, but later, she felt that it wasn't enough and simply stepped on his right foot.
Li Rui wasn't in a hurry. He smiled and picked up a fried scorpion. He said to himself, "How should I eat this scorpion? Should I eat the head or the tail first? Miss Ling, can you give me some pointers? "As he spoke, he deliberately picked up the scorpion and moved it closer to her.
Ling Shuyao was so frightened that her eyelids twitched. She didn't care about stepping on his foot. She retracted her foot and pushed him away. "Take it away. Don't show it to me. It's up to you whether you want to eat it or not. Don't ask me."
The people around them couldn't help but laugh when they saw her fearful expression.
After the banquet ended, the principal ordered his assistant to send Li Jing and the others back to their rooms.
Li Rui returned to his room and looked at the time. It was already past 7: 30 p.m. He didn't have time to go out and see Zixuan, Zixiao, Zhang Yixia, and the other girls. However, he didn't want to waste this boring evening. He wondered if he should ask Ling Shuyao to come over and have a chat. Just as he was about to take out his phone to text her, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. He hurriedly went to open the door.
When the door opened, the gentle face of the principal's assistant appeared. There was a pure and kind smile on his face.
"I hope I didn't disturb your rest, Miss Li?"
Li Rui shook his head and smiled apologetically. "No, no, I haven't rested yet." The assistant smiled and said, "Miss Li, I'm here because someone asked me to ask you something." Li Rui was stunned. "Okay, please come in and talk."
The assistant was waiting for him to say this. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He didn't go in but said, "Miss Li, to be honest, the principal's good friend, Professor Liu Shiqi, the dean of Shannan University's School of Art, is very interested in the painting in your hands. When he heard that the principal rejected the painting and you wanted to bring it back to Qingyang City, he asked me to ask you if you're willing to sell this painting to him."
Li Rui was taken aback and asked in return, "Is this Professor Liu you're talking about the one Principal Chi mentioned before, the one who rushed over to appraise this painting for him?"
The assistant nodded. "That's him. Otherwise, he wouldn't know about this matter and wouldn't be so interested in this painting. How about it? Do you consider his proposal? "
Of course, Li Rui wouldn't consider it. This painting was to be brought back to Qingyang City and exchanged with that beautiful artist for another painting. How could he sell it to someone else? Moreover, the reason why Liu Shiqi wanted this painting was because of Wenxing's seal. That seal was specially stamped by that beautiful artist to save him. Although the favor it contained wasn't too heavy, it definitely couldn't be sold for money. He wasn't short of money, so why should he earn this kind of money? If he really earned this kind of money, what kind of person would he be? He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I want to return this painting to the artist and exchange it for another painting, so I can't sell it to anyone else."
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