Wei Shaoqin knew as soon as Fu Shinian also bid on that piece of land, indeed a hassle but also unexpected — he hadn’t thought that Su Mu was more important in Fu Shinian’s eyes than he had imagined. Originally, he thought it was just about money and physical relations, but now it seed that might not be the case.
Fu Shinian generally didn’t attend the business evening events in Shen City, as his status and position didn’t require him to curry favor or use such occasions to consolidate his standing. On the contrary, his presence was often seen as a business opportunity by others, and he couldn’t be bothered to deal with such things, so he declined every year.
But this ti, he went, and he brought a female companion — Qin Nianwan.
When Qin Nianwan was ready and ca downstairs, Fu Shinian’s car had already been waiting downstairs for almost half an hour. Song Yi, seeing Qin Nianwan’s figure, notified the sowhat impatient Fu Shinian in the back seat:
"Miss Qin has arrived."
After saying that, he got out from the passenger seat and opened the rear door for Qin Nianwan.
She was wearing a bright red strapless evening gown today. The rmaid design of the dress left no doubt about her excellent figure. Her long hair was loosely tied up in a bun, lazy yet tinged with sensuality. She sat down next to Fu Shinian, boldly awaiting his complint:
"Do I look good?"
Fu Shinian appraised her from top to bottom:
"Very beautiful."
Qin Nianwan smiled slightly, took out a pocket square from her handbag that matched the color of her gown, spread it on her lap, and deftly folded it into the shape of a crown before reaching over to replace the white one originally in Fu Shinian’s suit pocket with the red one she held.
Fu Shinian didn’t stop her, watching her movents until she was done, then he said with a smile:
"Couple’s accessory?"
"You could also say it’s my little trick."
Fu Shinian smiled faintly and ordered Song Yi, "Drive."
Qin Nianwan’s "Star Creation 100" competition would enter the finals this week, and she had no doubts about clinching the championship, especially with the backing of Fu Shinian. However, she had a small wish of her own:
"Shinian, the final is this weekend. Will you co to the event?"
Fu Shinian looked at her with a smile:
"You want to go?"
"Of course. Shiyue also said he would co. If you co too, we can all go celebrate together after it’s over."
"Alright, I’ll definitely go."
Qin Nianwan hadn’t expected him to agree, so she felt a bit surprised, "Really?"
"Why? don’t you believe ?"
"I thought you would refuse."
Fu Shinian looked away at Song Yi, "Cancel or postpone this weekend’s schedule."
"Yes, Mr. Fu."
When they arrived at the hotel, the banquet had already started. Everyone thought that Fu Shinian would not attend as in previous years, but to their surprise, half an hour after the start, Fu Shinian appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall with the popular Qin Nianwan. In an instant, all eyes were focused on the two of them.
Wei Shaoqin was talking with so friends from the business community when the sudden commotion made him look up. Truth be told, he was surprised, not because Fu Shinian didn’t have Su Mu by his side but that Fu Shinian showed up at all.
Qin Nianwan greatly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, especially standing next to the most esteed man of Shen City—undeniably satisfying her vanity. The smile on her face deepened, genuine and proud.
Out of courtesy, Fu Shinian took Qin Nianwan to greet a few seniors from the business world. After exchanging a few pleasantries, soone steered the conversation towards Qin Nianwan. An old man in his sixties looked at her with a cheerful smile then toward Fu Shinian:
"Ah Nian, it’s rare to see a woman by your side, even rarer to see you with a female companion at an event. Could this be an indication of good news?"
Fu Shinian smiled subtly, skillfully deflecting:
"Uncle Chen is joking. She’s a newly signed artist under my company, brought along to expand her network."
"Such modest words, but across the whole of Shen City, who else has a network that can rival yours? You’ve outdone us old folks at such a young age. It seems this young lady might beco wildly successful."
Qin Nianwan knew that in such a setting, it wasn’t her place to speak. Although people were polite to her, none really saw her as important, especially since Fu Shinian hadn’t recognized her status and had only introduced her as an artist under his brand. Although slightly disappointed, she didn’t show it, as she was the first woman Fu Shinian had brought to a dinner event. As for how to make the people present truly respect her, that would be a matter for the future.
Fu Shinian took Qin Nianwan to sit on a small balcony, glanced at her 10-centiter high heels:
"Tired?"
"Not really." Qin Nianwan glanced at the crowd occasionally looking over, "It seems they’re all watching this spot. Are they seeking you out for sothing?"
"Yes, most are investnt projects, but I don’t like discussing business at non-work events, and they all know it."
Qin Nianwan nodded:
"I heard you haven’t attended this banquet for several years. Why did you decide to co today?"
Fu Shinian sipped a glass of red wine, his gaze distantly fixed on soone who was walking toward them, and let out a soft chuckle:
"Because there are always so people who don’t see things clearly."
Qin Nianwan did not quite understand Fu Shinian’s remark, and before she could voice her question, a bewitchingly handso man appeared at the balcony doorway, his feminine features rendered even more devilishly attractive by the purple-red suit he wore.
Wei Shaoqin looked at Qin Nianwan:
"What is your relationship with Mr. Fu?"
In Wei Shaoqin’s eyes, Qin Nianwan saw not a trace of goodwill, so she did not reply but turned instead toward Fu Shinian. Fu Shinian gave her a reassuring smile and turned to Wei Shaoqin:
"Junior President Wei ca looking for , sothing you want to say?"
Wei Shaoqin stepped forward and then sat down beside Qin Nianwan. As Qin Nianwan rose to leave, Wei Shaoqin pressed his hand on her shoulder:
"I do love playing with won, but with so many people around, I’m not going to eat you, what are you afraid of?"
Fu Shinian looked at Wei Shaoqin but did not speak, and Qin Nianwan also sat back down, feeling sowhat reassured.
"I’ve heard that Mr. Fu is interested in that piece of land in Lin Hai? If my information is correct, Fu Corporation’s main operations are still finance and investnt banking. So why would you suddenly spend so much money on a piece of real estate that you’ve never been fond of?"
"Junior President Wei’s information might not be quite precise. What I’m not fond of is the real estate in third and fourth-tier cities, but when it cos to cities like Shen City, my investnt is second only to investnt banking. I think that piece of land in Lin Hai looks pretty good. Why, does Junior President Wei also take an interest?"
Wei Shaoqin was too impatient to keep beating around the bush with Fu Shinian and bluntly asked:
"Are you doing it for Su Mu?"
Qin Nianwan was slightly startled and instinctively looked at Fu Shinian, not expecting his expression to remain unchanged as he asked without even blinking:
"The starting price for that piece of land in Lin Hai is 15 billion, does Junior President Wei think I would spend such a large sum for a woman? Or in your eyes, does Su Mu worth that price?"
"So, is Mr. Fu buying that land to develop properties?"
"No." Mr. Fu leaned back in his chair, smiling slightly: "Got a whim to build a manor to live in myself."
Wei Shaoqin: "..."
"Has Mr. Fu decided to hold on to it at any cost?"
"Whether I get it or not remains to be seen, but the na on that land won’t be Wei Shaoqin, that’s for certain."
Wei Shaoqin was willing to believe what Fu Shinian said at the beginning, since it’s an investnt of a solid 15 billion, but even a fool could tell from his later remarks that he was venting personal animosity. But was it really worth it to spend 15 billion for such a grievance?
After Wei Shaoqin left, the joy and excitent Qin Nianwan had when she first arrived were gone. If Wei Shaoqin could feel it, so could she. At this mont, she looked at Fu Shinian differently, causing him to involuntarily curve his lips:
"Why are you looking at like that?"
"Even though I don’t know what has happened, I can tell that you really care about Su Mu."
"Is that so?" Fu Shinian said lightly, "But I think my face might be worth a bit more than 15 billion."
Qin Nianwan was just about to say sothing, but Fu Shinian cut her off, clearly not wanting to continue the topic:
"Didn’t you say a few days ago that you wanted to transfer soone from H country to be your assistant? Has that person arrived?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Nianwan looked at Fu Shinian:
"They’ll arrive in Shen City by tomorrow’s flight."
...
When Fu Shinian returned to Bishui Yuntian, it was already ten o’clock. Su Mu hadn’t yet rested. She felt a bit of a cold coming on and had no appetite for dinner, so she went to bed early. Now feeling hungry, she ca down to make so late-night snacks, thinking he wouldn’t return as he hadn’t in the previous few days, only to be unexpectedly interrupted by his unannounced arrival just as she set the finished noodles on the table without starting to eat.
Seeing Su Mu, Fu Shinian raised an eyebrow slightly and loosened his tie, changed his shoes at the entrance, and walked in:
"How co? Didn’t you go to do your designated driver job today?"
Su Mu looked at him and felt inexplicably nervous. "I’ve already quit the designated driver job."
"Quit?" Fu Shinian chuckled lightly: "And after quitting, do you have the money to pay for your mother’s nursing ho fees? Do you have enough to ensure your own living expenses?"
"You’ve been giving living expenses every month, and I don’t spend much, it’s enough."
"Is that so?" Fu Shinian looked at her coldly: "And here I thought you found my money filthy and wouldn’t spend a cent of it!"
Based on what Su Mu knew about Fu Shinian, such a statent indicated that he must have learned sothing:
"Did you check my account?"
"Is it not allowed? Had I not had so free ti to reassess whether I’ve been giving you too little pocket money, I wouldn’t have discovered that my Mrs. Fu is an uprightly independent new woman who astonishes even ! You’d rather borrow money from friends than spend a di of mine. May I interview the virtuous Mrs. Fu on what prompted this?"
Su Mu sat at the dining table, in front of her a bowl of steaming soup with noodles. The creamy white broth had toppings like ham, broccoli, and a few strands of tender greens, all of which looked quite appetizing, enough to whet anyone’s appetite. Yet at that mont, Su Mu completely lost her appetite.
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