095 Glory

The moment that voice rang out, the entire private room fell silent, and every eye turned in disbelief toward the doorway.

How could the famed female CEO of Haitong City possibly come here? The Luo family was far too small and insignificant to climb into the good graces of someone like her. Even Old Master Luo himself looked utterly bewildered.

It was not just them. Lin Qi also thought it impossible and assumed someone outside was shouting nonsense.

His uncle blurted out at once, “What Song Qingzhu? It’s just this brat Lin Qi making a fuss for no reason again...”

Before he could finish, footsteps sounded, and a crowd of people entered, surrounding a young woman of noble bearing and striking beauty.

It was none other than Song Qingzhu, the CEO of Golden Sun Group.

Everyone in the room was dumbstruck. Though most had never met Song Qingzhu in person, they had seen enough of her elegance in newspapers and magazines.

She had really come.

“President Song, why are you here...” Lin Qi stood at the doorway, bewildered.

“Didn’t you ask me to come?” Song Qingzhu said with a radiant smile.

“When did I—”

Before he could finish, Song Qingzhu had already walked past him and headed straight for Old Master Luo, who was seated at the eastern side of the room.

A group followed behind her.

“Old Master, you look hale and hearty. May you live as long as the Southern Mountain and be blessed as the Eastern Sea!” Song Qingzhu said with a cheerful smile as she approached.

“Ah, thank you...” Old Master Luo was flattered beyond measure and hurriedly rose to return the greeting.

At the same time, two men in suits behind her unrolled two scrolls.

One bore the words: May you live as long as the Southern Mountain. The other read: May your blessings flow like the Eastern Sea.

The brushwork was grand and commanding, and the ink had clearly only just dried. It had obviously been written very recently.

Song Qingzhu said with a smile, “Lin Qi told me too late, so I had to go find Zhang Qianyuan, the chairman of our city’s calligraphy association. Chairman Zhang was still at the dinner table, so he quickly had someone bring paper and brush to write these. It was a bit rushed, so I hope you won’t mind, Old Master Luo.”

Zhang Qianyuan, the chairman of Haitong City’s Calligraphy Association, was a figure of great standing; a single piece of his calligraphy could fetch well into six figures.

Moreover, he was usually sparing with his ink and treated wealth as little more than dust. Ordinary people could never have persuaded him to do this.

Song Qingzhu was indeed extraordinarily thoughtful.

“No mind at all... none at all... To receive Chairman Zhang’s calligraphy is an honor for everyone in my Luo family of more than forty members...” Old Master Luo was so moved that his eyes even reddened.

“This is Chairman Zhang’s gift, and this is mine,” Song Qingzhu said, waving a hand.

Another suited man stepped forward, bowed slightly with hands together, and presented a long, slender brown carved gift box.

Just the box itself looked elegant, imposing, and luxurious, surely worth a small fortune.

“What is this...?”

Old Master Luo was still confused when the suited man opened the box. Inside lay a golden wooden cane, gleaming brilliantly, with a handle carved into a lifelike dragon’s head. In the dragon’s eyes were set two dazzling, crystalline rubies.

“I heard that Old Master Luo has trouble with his legs, so I specially bought this Golden Dragon Cane from Prosperity Studio. I hope you will accept it,” Song Qingzhu said with a smile.

Prosperity Studio!

That was the oldest jade shop on Haitong City’s antique street. Everything that came out of that store was not only genuine but also held its value, and every item was absurdly expensive. It was not a place ordinary people could ever hope to visit.

Song Qingzhu had not said how much the Golden Dragon Cane cost, but the words “Prosperity Studio” alone were enough to hint at its value.

“Thank you... thank you...” Old Master Luo was so excited he hardly knew what to say. “President Song, you are truly too kind. What have I, Luo, ever done to deserve this? For someone as important as you to personally come and celebrate my birthday...”

Song Qingzhu smiled. “Lin Qi has worked diligently for me all this time and helped me tremendously. I’ve always been very grateful to him. Since he happened to come to your birthday banquet, I thought I’d come along and join in the festivities as well, to thank him for the contributions he’s made to the company.”

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Now it was plain as day: Lin Qi really was Song Qingzhu’s personal bodyguard.

And Song Qingzhu clearly liked him very much, or she would never have come in person to celebrate Old Master Luo’s birthday. What incredible prestige that took.

Everyone who had doubted Lin Qi earlier was now filled with regret, especially his uncle, who was so anxious he could have burst into flames. If the atmosphere had been a little different, he would have rushed straight over to apologize to Lin Qi on the spot.

Old Master Luo also felt deeply ashamed, after all, he had just told Lin Qi to get lost.

“So that’s how it is...” Old Master Luo said with emotion. “That boy Lin Qi, I always knew he was capable! To be of service to you and to Golden Sun Group is the pride of our entire Luo family! President Song, please, have a seat. This old man has prepared a modest spread, so let us celebrate properly today. Lin Qi, come over here too!”

Lin Qi nearly blurted out an obscene retort, but considering this was Luo Feifei’s grandfather, he forced the words back down.

Song Qingzhu said with a smile, “Old Master Luo, I won’t sit. The company still has many matters to attend to, so please let Lin Qi keep you company.”