Chapter 9 Ms Lu I Am Xiuran's Date

• The sun was setting down, but the dazzling sunlight still shone outside the French windows. Fu Siye leaned on the railing and held his hand up to shield himself from the sunlight. His handsome features were hidden under the shadow. The man's expression was unclear.
• The person on the other end of the call said something to him. As soon as he turned around, his usual calm and smiling face darkened instantly.
• “How much did she demand?' His lips uttered the words with a hint of anger. But as he did have excellent upbringing, he maintained a calm facade.
• “Ten million.”
• “Ten million?” Fu Siye couldn't help but sneer as if he had just heard the biggest joke of the century. That model from Patek Philippe was worth around ten million, but that particular wristwatch was unique as it was custom-made. The craft-making process was more complicated and the end product was more perfect too. Plus, his name was engraved on the wristwatch. Even if he lost it, he would be able to find it at once.
• “Mr. Fu, do you want to make a police report?”
• “No need.” Fu Siye narrowed his eyes against the light. There was a slight smile on his face, “Give her thirty million and find out who she is.”
• “Yes, sir.”
• “By the way, I want the watch back as soon as possible.” Fu Siye's lips twitched as his eyes which were sparkling just a minute ago went cold. “Room 1208, Ritz-Carlton. Send it to me yourself.”
• “Understood, sir.”
• Inside the suite, Bo Wan was drinking and wandering around the room.
• Fu Siye hung up and came in from the balcony. His lips curled up in a meaningful smile, “Ms. Bo, what are you looking for?”
• “A woman!” Bo Wan looked back and couldn't hold back her laughter, “Everyone said that you're not interested in women. You have a great reputation. But I don't believe it. Ye, you're in your thirties, right? All men would've had sex by now. Even if you don't have a girlfriend, you must at least have a friend with benefits, right?”
• Fu Siye wasn't angry at all and maintained the smile on his face, “So what did you gather after searching my room?”
• “No trace of any woman.” Bo Wan shook her head in disbelief, “Ye, if you don't like women, that means...”
• “Means what?” Fu Siye narrowed his gaze.
• Bo Wan swirled the glass of wine in her hand and a drop of red wine spilt on her shoulder. Her red lips murmured, “You're trying to pursue me.”
• Fu Siye's gaze was clear. He didn't admit nor deny it. Instead, he changed the topic, “Let's go. The charity dinner is about to begin.”
• Bo Wan couldn't understand the man. Fu Siye was never caught with another woman, hence there must be a reason for him to give her flowers.
• Even if he wasn't going to pursue her, at least he had feelings for her, right?
• After all, she was one of the few famous socialites in Jin City.
• All the guests at the charity dinner were either wealthy, powerful or both. The organizer was strict. Guests like Gu Annuan who weren't in the guest list but had an invitation were thoroughly checked through before they were permitted to enter the venue.
• When Gu Annuan finally entered the venue, the event had already begun.
• The rich and powerful were mingling around in the illuminated room. Everyone was searching for someone or something that would be useful to them.
• Gu Annuan had attended many such events with her father. She knew almost all the rich and powerful people in Jin City.
• With a glass of red wine in her left hand and a painting in her right, Gu Annuan walked around before noticing her target standing in the southwest corner of the hall.
• The man had his back to her. He had deliberately worn an old suit. With a glass of red wine in his hand, he chatted to the rich people surrounding him.
• It was rumored that the man was an official from the central government. He was highly favored and would be promoted soon. Since his hometown was in Jin City, he came back to visit and donated his own Chinese calligraphy work to the organizer. His work would be the first artwork to be auctioned today.
• Not many government officials attended charity dinners like this. Gu Annuan used her connections to find out that the man, Mr. Li, was obsessed with Chinese calligraphy and paintings.
• Gu Annuan stared at the man until the music began to play. The rich people around the man dispersed onto the dance floor. She immediately grabbed the chance and went up to him.
• “Mr. Li, I heard that you're a fan of Chinese calligraphy. This is a piece of landscape painting from the late Qing dynasty I bought earlier, but I don't know whether it is authentic. Can you...”
• Before GuAnnuan could finish her words, the man turned. A glint flashed across the man's eyes on his wrinkled face, “Why, isn't this Annuan?”
• “Uncle...Uncle Li?” Gu Annuan's heart jumped. She had never expected to meet someone familiar here.
• Li Yunsuo was once her father's subordinates. He didn't perform well in politics. As he was too eager for success and did terrible things, he was publicly promoted but secretly demoted to the central office.
• After six years, the tables had turned. The man was now a deputy director of the procuratorate after gaining support from an unknown benefactor. If he was the one handling her father's case, this would complicate things.
• “Annuan, when you were young, you weren't fond of me. But you manage to recognize me now that you've grown up. You have a great memory.” Li Yunsuo put down his glass and lit up a cigarette. He swept his gaze over Gu Annuan, “Your father got locked up for what he did. Is your family in a dire state now? Look at your dress. Are you here as an escort?”
• His words were like a big slap to Gu Annuan. It took her a while to regain her composure before she smiled and replied, “Uncle Li, of course not. You have a glass of wine in your hand too. Does that mean that you're here as an escort too?”
• She took a step backwards and gave him the once-over purposefully. Her lips curled up in a sneer, “I don't think so, right?”
• Li Yunsuo was in his fifties. Since he wasn't that good-looking to begin with, Gu Annuan's comment offended him.
• “Nuan, since your family is now ruined, you should exercise humility and stop being so sarcastic.” Li Yunsuo's face clouded over. He pointed at the painting Gu Annuan was holding and sneered, “You brought this for me, right? What a pity. There weren't many famous artists in the late Qing Dynasty. This thing is totally worthless.”
• “Uncle Li, what are you talking about? You're not a corrupted official. Why do you even care about how much this work is worth?” A smile lit up Gu Annuan's face as she unfolded the landscape painting.
• Immediately, Li Yunsuo's eyes lit up in excitement. His eyeballs were almost bulging out. This wasn't an artwork from the late Qing dynasty. It was an authentic work by Gu Kaizhi from the Eastern Jin dynasty!
• Li Yunsuo swallowed hard. He was about to touch it when Gu Annuan moved and quickly hid the painting behind her.
• “Hey, isn't this Mrs. Lu? Are you at the charity dinner to seek connections? If I'm not mistaken, you don't have an invitation card.” Lan Xuanxuan appeared suddenly. She was wearing an outfit from Chanel's latest collection, a sapphire blue A-line evening dress as she sashayed over. “How did you get it? Did you steal the invitation card from someone?”
• “Ms. Lan, I don't think you have an invitation card either. How did you get in then? Through the dog hole?” Gu Annuan frowned. She hadn't finished dealing with Li Yunsuo yet, but now another trouble named Lan Xuanxuan had arrived. How annoying!
• “My dear Xiuran brought me in, of course. Mrs. Lu, I'm Xiuran's date tonight.”