Chapter 132: You Are Too Despicable

She was covered in grass clippings and debris, so she needed to find a restroom to clean herself up.

Returning to the hotel lobby through the back entrance, she spotted her eldest uncle and her aunt’s husband already out there. They were waiting by the staircase, faces plastered with fawning smiles, necks craned as they looked toward the stairs, eagerly engaging someone in conversation.

"It really is General Manager Gao! It truly is General Manager Gao..."

"Mr. Gao! It’s a pleasure to see you! I caught a glimpse of you from behind earlier and thought I might have been mistaken. It’s been so long, and you look more spirited than ever!"

A group of people descended the stairs. At a glance, they were clearly business elites, all dressed in sharp suits. Leading the way, slightly to one side, was a middle-aged man with a prominent belly—it was indeed Gao Jin.

Gao Jin had no interest in entertaining the two men waiting at the foot of the stairs, but since they had addressed him by name, he couldn't simply ignore them.

"Forgive my poor memory, but who are you?"

"I'm Shi Weifang! Little Shi? Back when my father was still around, the distillery’s sales department once collaborated with you?"

Gao Jin had absolutely no recollection of him.

"Yes, yes, hello. If there’s anything you need, we can talk about it later. For now, could you please step aside?"

At this moment, everyone accompanying him held a status at least equal to his own, and the heir to the company was still following behind. He had to seize every second to earn brownie points! He had no time to waste on these two strangers who were so desperate to cozy up to him. The dismissive tone in his voice was apparent to anyone listening.

Shi Weifang still wanted to speak, but Qin Dedong, possessing a bit more situational awareness, pulled him back from the foot of the stairs.

Seeing this, Shi Qingqing curled her lip. Just a moment ago, the two of them had been bickering over how to squeeze money out of Old Madam Mei. Now, in the blink of an eye, they had teamed up again to suck up to someone. They must have failed to get any money from the old lady and, finding no profit there, had set off to find another way to climb the social ladder.

She pretended not to see them and tried to slip past them toward the restroom.

Meanwhile, Gao Jin, beating his fellow executives to the punch, used his own sleeve to frantically wipe down the stair railing, preparing for the heir who was about to descend. He wiped with such earnestness that his colleagues nearby felt a deep sense of contempt. At the same time, however, they were all regretting it: *Damn it, Gao Jin, you are so shameless! You beat us to the job of cleaning the stairs.* Everyone knew the heir was a germaphobe; why hadn't they thought to wipe the railing sooner?

Although everyone knew the staircase was already spotless, it was about the *gesture*, wasn't it?

Shi Weifang and Qin Dedong stood by, stunned. Who on earth was Gao Jin waiting for? Was the person about to appear someone even higher up in the Hengyuan Consortium? They felt they were already aiming too high just by trying to latch onto Gao Jin; they wouldn't dare approach someone of an even higher status—they simply weren't qualified.

They retreated a few more steps, just in time to see Shi Qingqing sneaking in through the back door behind the stairs.

"Qingqing, where have you been?" Shi Weifang demanded. "It’s Grandma’s birthday banquet, and you snuck off to play?"

Caught red-handed, Shi Qingqing didn't panic. "I was looking for the restroom and got lost."

"You're a high school student, and you can't read signs? You get covered in grass looking for a restroom? Are you stupid, or do you take me for a fool?"

Shi Weifang had been full of hope about climbing the social ladder, only to find that the man didn't even recognize him. He was already feeling depressed, and now that he had caught Shi Qingqing and she was talking back to him, his temper flared even more.