197: Chapter 197 The famous scene of intercepting Zhang Chaoyang

A girl in her early twenties stood up from her seat, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. She seemed frozen in place, and it took several seconds for her to react.

"Me... It's me?" Her voice trembled. Those beside her were already nudging her. "Go on! It's you!"

Zhang Qian's colleagues slapped the tables, applauded, and whistled, even more excited than she was.

Chen Fan had some impression of this girl; she was an artist from Zhang Tao's team. She was usually quiet, didn't talk much, and was very good at drawing.

She hadn't been picked in the previous rounds of the lucky draw, and she had smiled and clapped every time. She never expected the grand prize to land on her head.

"Congratulations to Zhang Qian for winning this Grand Prize!" Qiao Linlin said with a face full of smiles, her voice several pitches higher than usual. "Please come up to the stage to receive your prize!"

Su Yao walked onto the stage carrying a tray. On the tray, several stacks of hundred-yuan bills and some loose bills of other colors were neatly arranged, totaling 58,888 yuan.

The bright red color was particularly eye-catching under the lights. The visual impact of cash piled together was countless times stronger than numbers on a bank card.

When Zhang Qian walked onto the stage, her steps felt a bit floaty.

Chen Fan took the cash from the tray and handed it to her. "That's quite a lot of cash. You should probably call your boyfriend or family to have them pick you up."

Zhang Qian took the thick stack of money, her hands shaking and her eyes red. Her voice was somewhat choked up as she said, "Okay, thank you, President Chen."

She walked off the stage clutching the stack of cash, even looking back halfway as if afraid she was dreaming.

The people below cast envious glances. Some took photos with their phones, while others craned their necks to peek at the stack of cash.

Chen Fan was just about to turn and leave the stage when someone in the audience suddenly shouted, "President Chen, give us a song!"

His footsteps paused.

Following that, others joined in the clamor: "Give us a song! Give us a song!" The voices grew louder and more synchronized. Some even started tapping on their bowls and plates, creating a rhythmic beat.

Qiao Linlin stood to the side, her eyes darting around as her lips curled into a sly arc. "President Chen, look how enthusiastic everyone is. Why not fulfill their wish?"

Chen Fan turned and glared at her. The look in his eyes was clear—did you do this on purpose?

Qiao Linlin blinked, the smile on her face as innocent as a cat that had just stolen a fish.

Chen Fan felt a bit helpless but didn't want to be a spoilsport. These employees had been working with him for over half a year. If he just walked away with a cold face during the annual meeting when they were cheering, it would indeed be inappropriate.

"Alright, since everyone is so enthusiastic, I'll sing a song," he said, his tone as casual as if he were saying, "Alright, let's add another dish."

Qiao Linlin immediately followed up, "What will you sing, President Chen? I'll have them play the accompaniment."

"Honey, That's Not Love."

In his past life, the CEO of Sohu, Zhang Chaoyang, had sung this on a show, and he'd sung it with great passion.

The accompaniment soon began to play.

The reason he chose this song was primarily because it was the first one that popped into his head.

If it were to spread online in the future, maybe he could even intercept Zhang Chaoyang's iconic moment ahead of time.

Chen Fan picked up the microphone, looked at the lyrics scrolling on the screen, and sang the first line.

How should he put it—

It was about on par with Zhang Chaoyang's singing.

After the song finished, everyone broke into applause, and it was quite enthusiastic. Some shouted "Encore," while others whistled. The atmosphere was even livelier than during the lucky draw earlier.

Chen Fan didn't hesitate and went straight off the stage.

His singing had never been very good; he was somewhat tone-deaf. Singing one song was enough; he didn't want to keep making a fool of himself.

Returning to the main table and sitting down, he had just picked up his chopsticks to take a bite when someone approached with a wine glass.

"President Chen, I'd like to propose a toast to you."

Then came a second person, and a third.

Chen Fan clinked glasses with each one and drank.

He actually didn't like drinking, whether in his past life or this one.

But at an event like an annual meeting, it would be truly inappropriate for the boss to clink glasses with employees while holding a teacup.

Fortunately, his body had been strengthened by the system in this life. After a series of drinks, he didn't feel drunk at all.

...

By the time the annual meeting ended, it was already past eleven o'clock.

Having consumed alcohol, even though Chen Fan didn't feel drunk, he couldn't drive.

He leaned back in the rear seat of the car to rest with his eyes closed.

Not long after, the passenger door was pulled open, and Qiao Linlin sat inside, bringing in a gust of cold wind and a faint scent of perfume.

Chen Fan opened his eyes and looked at her. "All finished?"

Qiao Linlin nodded, saying as she buckled her seatbelt, "Everything's coordinated with the hotel, and the bill is settled."

"That's good." Chen Fan leaned against the seat and glanced at her. "Can you drive?"

"Boss, I have a driver's license," Qiao Linlin replied matter-of-factly.

Chen Fan was silent for a moment, his gaze falling on her ten-centimeter high heels.

"Forget it, let's call a designated driver."

"You actually don't trust my driving skills?" Qiao Linlin turned her head, pretending to be angry.

"I'm afraid I won't see tomorrow's sun."

Qiao Linlin rolled her eyes at him, but there was a smile in them.

She took out her phone and began to contact a designated driver.

In 2010, finding a designated driver wasn't as convenient as it would be later.

There was no Didi, no apps, and smartphones weren't even widespread yet.

However, Qiao Linlin was quick-witted and called the hotel directly.

The front desk answered quickly. Qiao Linlin explained the situation in a few words, and the other party said they would help contact a familiar designated driver and asked them to wait a moment.

After hanging up, the car became quiet.

After waiting for about ten minutes, a folding bicycle was pushed through the night toward them.

A middle-aged man in a dark jacket trotted to the car and bent down to tap on the driver's side window.

Chen Fan pushed open the door and got out, handing the keys to the middle-aged man.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"It's my pleasure, my pleasure." The driver took the keys, smiled politely, turned to open the trunk, and skillfully tucked the folding bicycle inside.

Chen Fan opened the rear door and sat inside. Seeing this, Qiao Linlin also got out of the passenger seat and moved to the back, sitting next to him.

The sound of the car door closing echoed briefly in the empty garage.

The driver opened the door and entered the driver's seat. He adjusted the seat and rearview mirror, buckled his seatbelt, and turned to look at the back seat. "Boss, where to?"

Chen Fan was about to speak when Qiao Linlin beat him to it and gave an address—it was the residential community where she lived.

Chen Fan glanced at her. Qiao Linlin blinked, a sly smile on her lips, as if saying, "It's not appropriate for me to send you home first; let's go to my place first."

Chen Fan didn't say anything and withdrew his gaze.

"Alright." The driver nodded, started the car, and slowly drove out of the parking space.

The half-hour drive was neither long nor short. The car stopped steadily in the community's underground garage. The engine cut out, and the surroundings became quiet.

"Boss, we've arrived." The driver shifted into park and spoke politely over his shoulder.

Chen Fan opened his eyes and sat up straight.

"How much?"

"Eighty yuan will be fine." The driver gave the price in a straightforward tone, without beating around the bush.

Chen Fan pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his wallet and handed it over.

"Keep the change."

The driver was stunned for a moment, then took the money, his face lighting up with a smile. "Ah, thank you, boss! Then please take care and stay safe."

He briskly got out of the car, opened the trunk to take out his folding bicycle, and then pushed it toward the garage exit.