Chapter 26 The Blacklist

"Shelley, Shelley?"
Mia looked at her stunned appearance and couldn't help but wave her hand in front of her.
Shelley came to her senses and smiled at her. "Any new ideas from Mr. Attlee about the project in Cindie?"
"Oh, right." Hearing this, Mia suddenly remembered there was another purpose for coming here. "Mr. Attlee asked me to ask you if you have any ideas for Cindie's design. He heard that Universe Inc.'s CEO would be having a dinner party at Fantasia Resort tonight. If you can go with him, you might have a chance to chat with the CEO."
For Forest Inc., Universe Inc. was too high up, so Wayne wanted to try every possible way to ensure that they could secure the project.
Shelley thought for a while and nodded in agreement.
"Are you really going?" Mia stared at her.
Shelley said, "Yes, the company attaches great importance to this project, and it would be nice to have a chance to try it out."
She wasn't the type of person to say no before even trying.
Mia seemed like she wanted to say something, but her mouth moved slightly and she chose not to speak.
She only mentioned the time when she was leaving.
For the whole afternoon, Shelley wondered how she should tell Adrian that she would be going out tonight. She maintained a stable temperature throughout the afternoon, but it suddenly rose after five o'clock.
Shelley swallowed a fever-reducing pill and called Adrian.
The call couldn't get through and kept prompting "the other party is on the phone."
Shelley's delicate eyebrows slowly furrowed.
Why was Adrian always on the phone whenever she called him?
Was he really just on the phone or was she on his blacklist?
Shelley lowered her eyes and tentatively sent Adrian a WhatsApp message.
[Are you busy?]
After a while, the other party replied with a question mark.
Shelley wasn't sure if he used a computer to reply, so she sent another sentence.
[If it's convenient, could you call me? I have something to talk to you about.]
This time the other party didn't hesitate and called her directly.
"What's up?" The man's voice was cold, deep, and particularly pleasant to the ear.
"Will you come to the hospital to have dinner with me tonight?" Shelley casually lied, twisting the bed sheet with her fingers and using an excuse to inquire about his whereabouts. "If you're coming, I'll ask the nurse assistant to prepare two meals."
"I have a dinner appointment tonight, so it may be a bit late for me to come."
Shelley's eyes lit up, restraining her tone. "It's okay, you're busy with more important things." She paused. "By the way..."
She wanted to bring up the blacklist issue but didn't know how to approach it.
After a few seconds of waiting for a response, Adrian asked, "What is it?"
"Forget it, it's nothing."
Maybe she was overthinking it. If he really wanted to blacklist her, there was no reason to keep her WhatsApp message.
After hanging up the phone, Shelley checked the time, changed into regular clothes, and quietly left the hospital while the nurses weren't paying attention.
Fantasia Resort was the largest entertainment club in Sea City, membership-only, and a gold mine for wealthy people.
Shelley took a taxi there and sent a message to Wayne. Coincidentally, he would arrive soon. So he had Shelley wait for him outside the entrance.
She sat down on the stone steps beside the fountain at the entrance of the club and outlined her thoughts on her tablet computer.
When her phone rang, Shelley instinctively thought it was Wayne, stood up and looked around.
At this moment, a black Tesla broke into her sight.
She took a look and was about to retract her gaze.
That was not Wayne's car.
At this moment, the doorman ran over and opened the back door. A pair of black leather shoes appeared first, followed by a man in an all-black suit, his demeanor cold and elegant.
From Shelley's angle, she could only see the side of his face.
His face was chiseled like a sculpture, exuding familiar passionless indifference.
Shelley's eyes flickered and she was about to sit down on the steps again.
Another limousine slowly approached from a distance.
A black Maybach, a limited edition, was more eye-catching than the Tesla just now.
Shelley frowned. Was there a big event at Fantasia Resort tonight?
Before she could think deeply, her thoughts were interrupted by the ringtone of her mobile phone.
Wayne called and asked, "Shelley, where are you?"
"Mr. Attlee, I'm over here by the fountain."
"Okay, stand there and don't move. I'll go find you."
After hanging up, Shelley squatted down to pack up her iPad and pencil.
At that moment, Adrian got out of his Maybach.
Seeing the young man standing beside the Tesla, his eyebrows furrowed in slight displeasure. Adrian withdrew his gaze when the other party looked excited and wanted to come over to say hello. He then lifted his foot and walked towards the club.
Five minutes later, Wayne came and took Shelley into the club.
While they walked, he advised her, "Major figures will be attending this banquet tonight. Mr. Hudson specially brought us this opportunity. Do your best to make a good impression and try to strike up a conversation with Universe Inc.'s CEO if you get the chance. If you can't, build connections with others as much as possible. Polishing your networking skills will be crucial for your career in the future."
Shelley thought that on this kind of occasion, people like them, who were nobodies, would not be taken seriously at all. Even if someone chatted with you enthusiastically during the banquet, they might turn around and forget all about you.
She was a little concerned about the person she had seen before, so she frowned and asked, "Mr. Attlee, may I ask who the major figures attending tonight are?"
Wayne thought it would be helpful for her to know in advance, so he briefly introduced them to her while emphasizing, "These figures are not important, but you must pay extra attention to the third young master of the Grove family."
Shelley lowered her eyelashes, so Wayne didn't see the pain and reluctance that flickered briefly in her eyes. Her expression was too faint to show any embarrassment.
After he finished, she nodded in agreement and said obediently, "Okay, I understand."
The two walked into a private room one after the other. Although there were several men and women sitting at the table, Shelley couldn't name any of them.
However, the looks they gave her made her very uncomfortable.
Wayne had met many people in the room, so he approached and greeted them with a smiling face and a respectful attitude.
Shelley was beside him, with a gentle and faint smile on her face.
The beautiful and well-behaved young girl made many men here active at a glance, and their attitude towards Wayne became warmer.
After some meaningless conversation, the two of them took a seat.
Wayne led Shelley to toast.
In fact, Shelley did not like this kind of dinner party where men wanted to take advantage of women and discussed business. It made her feel disgusted.
She originally agreed to come because of the chance to catch up with Universe Inc., but after looking around, it seemed that no one in the room had something to do with Universe Inc.
It was her intuition.
After a round of drinking, Shelley was a little drunk. She excused herself to go to the bathroom and got away from the room full of malicious gazes.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out of the private room and took a breath...