E-Ladies: Navigating the Wired World
Chapter 180: Episode 180: Old Clients Meeting, No One Has Changed

Chapter 180: Episode 180: Old Clients Meeting, No One Has Changed

Normally, Li Jiniang came to work dressed in exquisite fashion and wore appropriate clothes.

However, on Thursday, she deliberately didn’t make a special effort to dress up, applying only eyeliner and a layer of primer, without any other makeup, and she even wore outdated clothes that severely clashed with her usual style.

"How do I look, am I completely different from before?" Li Jiniang stood in front of the dressing mirror, examining herself from left to right.

"Not really, I think you look the same as usual," Yao Shanshan looked puzzled, glancing from side to side, "You have a good aura, everything suits you well. It’s just this outfit is a bit too mature..."

"Good Lord, Jixiang, are you going to meet Old Li’s parents or something? Why are you dressed so conservatively? It’s so dowdy..." Zhou Xueyin, who had just finished breakfast in the kitchen, saw Li Jiniang’s outfit and was startled.

"Dowdy, is it? Then that’s perfect!" Li Jiniang nodded with satisfaction.

"The eyeliner is still too noticeable. Wipe some off..." Kang Siyin directly handed her a makeup remover pad.

"I’m thinking, should I draw some fake wrinkles on my face, just to frighten that fatso..." Saying this, Li Jiniang deliberately deepened her nasolabial folds, making herself look much older.

"Enough, enough, you’re going to be late!" Zhou Xueyin glanced at her watch and hurried the group gathered in front of the mirror.

Upon arriving at the company, everyone looked at Li Jiniang in surprise; she was quite different from her usual self.

"Sister Jixiang... what’s gotten into you?" Zhao Caiyun asked with concern.

"Isn’t this because I’m meeting Pang Xin tonight..." Li Jiniang winked at her.

"I see... good luck then..." Zhao Caiyun understood and said no more.

After Zhang Yongzhong arrived and saw Li Jiniang’s appearance, he was genuinely startled: "Jiniang? What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Shall we reschedule the client meeting? You really look..."

"It’s nothing, it’s nothing. I stayed up too late watching TV last night, slept in this morning, and didn’t have time to put on makeup... it’s no big deal!" Li Jiniang smiled at Zhang Yongzhong.

"Oh... then borrow some makeup and put it on at noon, you should look presentable when meeting a client, you know?" Zhang Yongzhong also knew that appearances needed to be decent for client meetings.

But Zhang Yongzhong himself was still scruffy, so why should he demand that Li Jiniang appear polished?

"That’s fine, but I’m afraid makeup might cause an allergy, and I might develop a rash..." In fact, Li Jiniang was not allergic, but she lied to keep up her no-makeup stance.

"Whatever you want, but don’t blame me if you can’t seal the deal." Zhang Yongzhong, annoyed, went back to his office.

Although he was dissatisfied only with Li Jiniang’s makeup, it took him until the end of the day to realize that her outfit was too conservative and reserved.

But it was too late by then, and there was no time for her to go home and change clothes.

The dinner was scheduled close to Pang Xin’s company, and though Zhongguancun wasn’t far from Xizhimen — a 20-minute drive without traffic — an accident had occurred on the road today, causing an hour’s delay...

By the time they met with Pang Xin, it was already 7:30 PM.

"Sorry, sorry, the road by the National Library was so congested..." Zhang Yongzhong hurriedly explained when he saw Pang Xin.

"It’s okay, it’s okay, I understand. It wouldn’t be Beijing if there weren’t any traffic jams, right?" Pang Xin agreed, "And this is?"

It wasn’t clear whether he was doing it on purpose or he truly didn’t recognize her. At the moment, Pang Xin looked at Li Jiniang as if she was a stranger, waiting for Zhang Yongzhong’s introduction.

"Eh? Weren’t you two acquainted before? Mr. Pang, people with high status sure are forgetful, huh? She’s the very Li Jiniang you specifically asked to meet!" Zhang Yongzhong looked at Pang Xin in surprise, having not expected him to genuinely fail to recognize her.

"Oh! Li Jiniang, Miss Li, oh! It’s been such a long time! Long time no see!" As soon as he heard it was Li Jiniang, Pang Xin’s sycophantic smile immediately appeared on his face as he eagerly approached like a fawning dog and reached out his right hand.

"Mr. Pang really has the forgetfulness of the influential, it’s only been a few years, and you’ve already forgotten me?" Li Jiniang had no intention to shake his hand but didn’t want to embarrass him too much, so she symbolically extended her hand.

Pang Xin hastily grabbed Li Jiniang’s hand, almost putting his face close enough to sniff it.

But as soon as Li Jiniang touched his hand, she quickly withdrew hers, then put on a professionally polite smile, "Shall we chat while eating?"

"Of course! I’ve already reserved a private room!" Overjoyed, Pang Xin led the way, taking Li Jiniang and Zhang Yongzhong to the private room.

The room held two other people, one of whom was the all-too-familiar Wan Hua, unexpectedly still working with Pang Xin. He really had some persistence.

The other was a bespectacled girl, looking like a fresh university graduate, quiet and demure, making one wonder why Pang Xin had brought her along.

"Brother Yong, today the two of us should have a good drink! I brought everything you like!" Pang Xin walked arm in arm with Zhang Yongzhong, grinning mischievously at the bespectacled girl.

"Mr. Pang, you do know how to please, how did you know this was my type?" Zhang Yongzhong looked at the girl, his gaze filled with desire, like a wolf spotting its prey.

"Who are we brothers, huh..... Hua, open the wine!" Pang Xin ordered Wan Hua around like a lackey.

Then he sat next to Li Jiniang, while Zhang Yongzhong sat next to the bespectacled girl. Both men exchanged knowing smiles.

"Oh right, let me introduce, this is the Vice General Manager of 51buy, Zhang Yongzhong, you can just call him Brother Yong." Pang Xin stood up, went over to the bespectacled girl, and patted her shoulder.

The girl jumped when her shoulder was patted, like a frightened little animal.

"Don’t be scared, we’re not going to eat you. Since you’ve chosen to be in sales, you’ve got to get out and see the world. Don’t be so jumpy!" Pang Xin said darkly into the girl’s ear.

"My apologies, she’s a recent college graduate new to our company, doesn’t know anything yet. Her name is Hu Ting." Pang Xin casually introduced her, then pushed her towards Zhang Yongzhong.

"Come, sit here with Brother Yong, order whatever you want. Don’t be shy, Brother Yong is paying today!" Zhang Yongzhong was surprisingly generous.

Li Jiniang was shocked. Usually, making him pay was like pulling teeth; prizes given out at the company’s summary meetings could make people vomit them back up, and today he was spontaneously offering to treat? It was truly eye-opening.

"Brother Yong, you haven’t even drunk yet, and you’re already so generous? Then I won’t be polite! Let’s order one of each of this restaurant’s signature dishes!" Li Jiniang joked.

"Order away! Today we have to take good care of Mr. Pang! No going home sober!" Without another word, Zhang Yongzhong gulped down a cup of wine for himself.

Then, he proceeded to take off Hu Ting’s glasses, saying, "Such a beautiful face, utterly ruined by glasses..."

Li Jiniang was stunned to see Hu Ting without her glasses. There actually were such lookalikes in the world; this girl’s appearance and figure were so similar to Zhang Jingwan’s?

No wonder Zhang Yongzhong was so happy!

"Miss Li, let’s not wait anymore, why not catch up with me?" Pang Xin earnestly handed her a cup filled with liquor.