Lady

While Sheng Qijing was listening to Qin Haoman present the project proposal, Ju Hui, on the other side of Liangma Bridge, was sitting on a single sofa in her Bulgari Hotel suite, ordering a whole bottle of champagne and a fruit and cold dessert platter.

Western food, massage, and other extra services—Ju Hui ordered them all, and even wanted to ask Yun Aonan to book a room for her too.

She didn't care about the money; the more she spent, the better, since Bian Jiaping would pay anyway.

The wooden suite was spacious. Jewelry catalogs lay untouched on the corner of the marble table. On the large bed beside it were sample bottles of soda and toiletries that Jiang Yiying had just rummaged through from the small refrigerator to the walk-in closet, filling the room to the brim, with nothing missing.

Jiang Yiying's small suitcase was spread out in the corner, ready to be filled and taken away at any time.

There are two such rooms; this one belongs to Ju Hui, and Jiang Yiying's is next door.

The champagne arrived, and Jiang Yiying, who had tricked her into checking in, shyly waved her hand, saying that they had enough footage and wouldn't be filming anymore. She tilted her head and asked Ju Hui, "Sister, aren't you afraid of having an allergic reaction?"

"It's better than before. Jia Ping is celebrating that I've landed a lot of jobs, so I need to have a drink."

Ju Hui was alone, so she sipped her drink slowly. The glistening liquid was just right to celebrate her regaining control of the situation, and a tingling sensation, only she could feel, began to appear in her palms.

Jiang Yiying seemed to sense something was amiss, but said nothing and quickly changed the subject.

"Well," Jiang Yiying laughed awkwardly, "it's almost December! We'll be going to Norway soon! You're so generous, sis, I only borrowed your camera for a day and you invited me—"

Suddenly, Ju Hui's phone rang among the pile of bottles and jars on the bed. The ringtone was pleasant, and Jiang Yiying reacted quickly: "I'll get it for you."

"No need." Ju Hui stood on the sofa cushions with her legs apart, leaned forward, and was somewhat disappointed to find that the contact person was not Bian Jiaping.

But she relaxed in an instant, her eyebrows twitching slightly.

The way he said "hello" when he answered the phone was smug.

"Sister, you're amazing!" Ju Hui couldn't see Kan Yu giving a thumbs-up to the air. "Mo Chen did contact me. President Sheng wants to meet with you."

"Want to see?"

"certainly."

Ju Hui finished the last sip of wine in her glass. In the short forty-eight hours that she stopped contacting Sheng Qijing, the Libra arms, which were supposed to be signing a contract, switched positions due to Qin Haoman's involvement.

Ju Hui was above Sheng Qijing, who was below her. The other party politely asked her to decide the time and place of the meeting.

Ju Hui told Kan Yu to give them her full reply, filled with the sorrow of being turned away by Mo Cun, and to meet Vin et Vie tomorrow afternoon.

-

The suitcases slammed against the wooden floor of Vin et Vie.

When Ju Hui visited the restaurant last time, she noticed that it had been renovated.

With Liuli withdrawing its investment and Sheng Qijing joining, the originally ornate wine glass wall was opened up, the red brick partitions and complicated cast iron railings were removed, and the oil painting wall was replaced with large floor-to-ceiling windows. After the aesthetic change, the scene became transparent and spacious, and natural light and tourists were more likely to enter.

The waiter greeted Ju Hui, a guest who had booked the entire venue for the day, and helped her bring in her suitcase. "Put your luggage at the bar downstairs. Mr. Sheng is waiting for you on the second floor."

"This is troublesome."

Ju Hui nodded and smiled back, feeling a pair of eyes looking down from above.

The sound of the small bottles and jars clattering was barely audible. Jiang Yiying had to go to work at 8 a.m., so she had to take the looted items back with her.

When I checked in last night, Ju Hui drove her car, and of course, I could store my luggage in the trunk. But the hotel parking lot cost a whopping nine dollars an hour, which was a great way for Bian Jiaping to make money.

She asked the hotel to call a taxi for her and didn't step into the parking lot.

If she could, she would also like a pair of sunglasses so she could walk over quickly, toss her hair aside, smile at Sheng Qijing, and say, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

But now, Ju Hui's steps are getting heavier and heavier.

At the end of the empty hall, not only Sheng Qijing was seated, but also Kan Yu and Qin Haoman.

Sheng Qijing asked with a smile, "Did Teacher Ju just return from his trip? Why did you bring a suitcase?"

Ju Hui didn't immediately pay attention to Sheng Qijing. Qin Haoman was waving enthusiastically, and she responded with a smile.

He glanced at Kan Yu again, and the other man indicated with his eyes that Qin Haoman had sent him.

She deliberately arrived ten minutes late, wanting only Sheng Qijing to wait for her.

When I talked to her about signing the contract, it was clear that so many people weren't needed.

“My brother invited me to the Bulgari Hotel last night to try out the hotel and do market research for him…” Ju Hui pulled out a chair and sat down, a momentary feeling of unease flashing through her eyes. “President Sheng, I thought you invited me alone.”

Sheng Qijing frankly admitted, "Yes, but then I thought about it again. After all, it was Miss Qin who took the lead. After signing the contract, we, as the second party, will still sit down and talk about the modern exhibition together. Is that not allowed?"

Qin Haoman lowered his head slightly, shocked, after being called out by name.

As expected of an ex, Sheng Qijing acted arrogantly despite it being a collaboration, even displaying the haughtiness of Boss Ju Hui beforehand.

However, Qin Haoman had some concerns. After all, things were still far from settled, and Ju Hui's impulsive appearance as an international sculptor was indeed disrespectful, so a second explanation was necessary.

Just as Qin Haoman was about to speak, he met Ju Hui's determined gaze.

She was more generous than Sheng Qijing: "Of course, Miss Qin has helped me a lot. You don't know, signing with Tera has helped me solve a lot of troubles."

Ju Hui emphasized the word "solution," and Qin Hao hurriedly waved his hands, as if he had been given a shot of adrenaline, "No, no, no..."

The waiter quickly came over and handed her a drinks menu. Ju Hui ordered the most basic Americano without even looking at it.

Once the coffee was served, Ju Hui also got into work mode, listening attentively to Qin Haoman's modern exhibition ideas to demonstrate her "loyalty".

The general requirements are the same as those mentioned in Qin Haoman's email. He hopes that Ju Hui can provide two more exhibits in addition to the new works to facilitate understanding of the entire series. She will arrange the flow and position of them reasonably.

Ju Hui thought what she said made sense, but due to practical considerations, she still refused: "Of the two pieces you mentioned, 'Ten' is already in the museum and cannot be loaned out, and 'Rolling Up the Sleeves' will soon be handed over to the buyer. Are there any other works you are interested in?"

Qin Hao thought for a moment, "I see. When is 'soon'? If it's the end of next year, then there's no problem."

Ju Hui said, "Next month."

There was nothing Qin Haoman could do, so he gave up and casually said, "Professor Ju Hui flew to Norway for this, right?"

"Flying to Norway?" Sheng Qijing suddenly interrupted, questioning, "Normally, this month is very busy after just signing a contract."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Qin Haoman noticed that Ju Hui was staring at Sheng Qijing.

Ju Hui said, "Yes, I didn't expect President Sheng to be willing to sign me when I booked the plane ticket. Man proposes, God disposes."

Qin Haoman glanced sideways. What kind of "protesting too much" acting was this? Didn't she say that yesterday?

Kan Yu, who had been leaning back without saying a word, had his phone ring. He sat up straight, apologized, and reached out to press and hold the mute button. Suddenly, his face unlock unlocked the screen.

"It's a message from Jia Ping." Ju Hui glanced at it, then stared at Kan Yu and said, "I'd better reply."

Kan Yu nodded blankly, confirming that it was just a push notification from the iMuseum app. He then typed a few words on his phone with a serious expression.

Sheng Qijing asked, "Will we be able to contact each other via WeChat then?"

Ju Hui smiled and said, "I'm actually worried that President Sheng won't contact me."

Qin Haoman also knew that "Ten" and "Rolling Up Sleeves" were famous and difficult to borrow, so she only mentioned them to try her luck. She then brought up two more works from Ju Hui's series that had not yet entered the auction house.

Ju Hui quickly agreed, and then asked her second partner, Sheng Qijing, "Does the transportation and insurance cover the return trip? I'm thinking that if we can't sell them, we can at least slink back to Norway in disgrace."

“How could that be?” Sheng Qijing smiled and became polite. “I was just considering buying them in advance for my collection.”

Ju Hui covered her lips in surprise and exchanged a few more polite words.

Kan Yu's breathing was like a locomotive, hissing repeatedly. Ju Hui pushed a glass of water towards him.

After discussing the details, Qin Haoman handed over the formal contract. The modern exhibition was scheduled for December 2025, and he promised to create an independent exhibition area for Ju Hui's works. The venue was confirmed as Mo Cun Ruo Bei.

"Hold the exhibition in the country?"

Kan Yu frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed. "Tera isn't in Paris. Teacher Ju's series of works are more suitable for the overseas market. We thought the exhibition would be held in Tera."

Sheng Qijing didn't deny it, and gave a soft "hmm": "But Miss Ju will ultimately want to develop her career in China, and Mo Chen is the best choice. Also, Mr. Kan Yu, please take a look at the other party's name first."

The second party to the contract is Ju Hui, an individual. President Sheng doesn't include him, a nobody in the studio, so Kan Yu quickly closed the paper.

Kan Yu did not object to Ju Hui's decision to apply for Tera visa, nor did she ask for the reason.

The domestic market is a new landscape, and neither Ju Hui nor Kan Yu is sure if they can help each other regain their former glory. Their relatively independent status allows them to choose a better place to settle down.

Ju Hui also expressed dissatisfaction with holding exhibitions in the country, but this was the closest she had ever come to signing a contract.

She wanted to look at Tera's contract together; the weather outside the floor-to-ceiling window was a bit gloomy.

"Let's also include 'Rolling Up Sleeves' and 'Six O'Clock Companion' in the list. I'll try to get the seller to lend them to Tera."

Ju Hui then pointed to the profit-sharing ratio column in another contract and asked Sheng Qijing, "Does it mean that it says 60/40 here, that's four for you and six for me?"

The contract was a Tera internal secret, and Qin Haoman shouldn't have listened to the salary split details.

She lowered her head and repeatedly checked her phone for new messages with little reaction. The screen was empty. She was explaining to President Sheng that she hadn't recorded the conversation and wouldn't tell Mo Chen's hardworking workers how biased he was in giving his ex-girlfriend a share of the profits.

"Yes, Miss Ju's desire for 73% is also negotiable."

"No need." Ju Hui accepted the fact that the time was short and the task was heavy. "Let's do 28, I'll do 28 and you do 88."

Kan Yu stretched and yawned.

Ju Hui reassured Qin Haoman to sign the existing contract first, and that the additional exhibits would be included in a supplementary contract to be signed later.

Qin Haoman took the contract and pushed another signed contract and pen to Sheng Qijing.

Sheng Qijing twirled the pen in his hand. It was jet black with a dark print of BVLGARI. This was the only pen Ju Hui had taken from the hotel.

Seeing that Sheng Qijing was hesitant to sign, Qin Haoman asked, "Is there a problem?"

This contract was rushed out last night, with all terms confirmed and revised in person. The old father was practically beaming with apologies, so Sheng Qijing had no choice but to sign it.

Sheng Qijing gripped the pen with both hands and asked, "Miss Ju is flying to Norway in December. When do you plan to return to China?"

Ju Hui shifted her gaze from the tip of the pen back to Sheng Qijing's face: "Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing, I was just thinking I should treat you to a meal. Do you have time?"

“No need to be so polite, Mr. Sheng.” Ju Hui declined. “I’m meeting with buyers by borrowing exhibits. I have a lot of work to do and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to return to China.”

Sheng Qijing gripped the pen tightly, slowly lowered his eyes, and said, "Okay."

Qin Hao swallowed hard, watching as the golden pen tip did indeed fall, but only made a black dot!

Sheng Qijing seemed to remember something, put down his pen completely, and asked Ju Hui seriously, "Ms. Ju's new series of works were all completed abroad. Norway should be more suitable for you to stay and create for a long time, right?"

Ju Hui frowned slightly. "It is more convenient."

"That's a pity, since the exhibition is being held in China this time. But I heard from Ms. Qin that you often return to China when you're having creative setbacks. Is there something special about China—"

“It’s all the same to me,” Ju Hui said with a smile. “Please sign first, I’m afraid Miss Qin will get impatient.”

"Is there?"

Sheng Qijing turned his head to look at Qin Haoman.

The other person immediately forced a natural smile and shook their head.

Sheng Qijing chuckled, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Actually, I'd like to ask more questions: Is Norway really that beautiful? Is it just stubbornness on the part of people who take a dozen-hour flight to endure the cold, or is it truly worth it? Is the city where Miss Ju lives also beautiful?"

"It's beautiful and worth it."

Kan Yu put her phone back on the table, took the pen that Sheng Qijing had put down and the pen cap that Qin Haoman was holding diagonally opposite her, closed them, and pushed them back to Sheng Qijing.

"We actually brought someone with us to Norway this time. I can ask her what she thinks and then tell President Sheng. What do you think? — Hmm!"

Kan Yu bit his little tongue as Ju Hui was prying his little finger off his hand under the table.

Sheng Qijing remained silent, his expression blank.

The atmosphere is becoming tense.

Ju Hui knew that Kan Yu was standing up for her. She had experienced many times when clients and investors made things difficult for her, whether because of interests or because of her appearance. His muscular physique was enough to intimidate people, no matter what.

But now, his opponent in the negotiation is Sheng Qijing.

Ju Hui didn't blame Kan Yu for not understanding the situation; she only asked him to calm down and not to attack Sheng Qijing.

Sheng Qijing was coerced into signing the contract by Ju Hui. If Kan Yu displeases him, he will seize on Ju Hui's weakness and cancel the cooperation!

After a brief pause of a fraction of a second, Ju Hui said, "President Sheng, you'll know once you try it yourself. If you need it, I can send you the itinerary and the guesthouse details..."

"Thank you, but no need."

Sheng Qijing signed the contract in eight minutes.

-

When Mo Chen contacted Ju Hui again to sign the contract, Kan Yu looked at Ju Hui with a conflicted expression and asked, "Didn't President Sheng save your life?"

When Ju Hui arrived at Mo Cun, a lady came to greet her. She felt that the lady looked familiar and secretly took a second look. She remembered that she was the helper who always went to the loft with Cheng Yi to feed the kittens.

The helper identified herself as surnamed Ao, and said to call her Secretary Ao.

The second draft of the contract had only a few minor changes. After Ju Hui raised them, the other party readily agreed to a briefing and report to their boss. Once everything was finalized, they promised to send the electronic version of the contract to Ju Hui's studio email the next day.

Ju Hui nodded, working so efficiently that she didn't even have time to drink water. Before leaving, she picked up her cup and took two big gulps.

Secretary Ao's eyes curved like crescent moons when she smiled, and her eyelashes were curled and thick. After seeing Ju Hui to the door, she put aside her status and exchanged a few pleasantries with her.

"Thanks to Teacher Ju for reminding the owner that the earthen kiln was unsafe, which saved me from the chore of feeding the cats. I don't really like the smell of the kittens."

Ju Hui chuckled: "It does take some courage to refuse President Sheng."

"Well, it wasn't me who said that." Secretary Ao shrank her neck. "It's just that President Sheng likes his subordinates to speak their minds, and I just can't do that. Besides, I don't want Cheng Yi to eat all the subsidies by himself. Kittens smell bad, but buying two bottles of perfume can cure it."

“No wonder,” Ju Hui sniffed twice more, “I thought it was the gallery’s fragrance, it smelled very nice.”

"It's not as good as the high-end brands used for ink strokes. If Teacher Ju likes it, I'll give you the same one."

Ju Hui wanted to imitate her curved eyes, but she couldn't do it so naturally and beautifully. She thanked her and said, "It's okay, I like the smell of kittens."

The electronic contract was delivered the next day, and Ju Hui signed it, officially concluding the long-awaited cooperation.

Kan Yu finally couldn't help but curse and grumble, saying that President Sheng was getting a good deal but acting innocent. He didn't say a word when he heard that the split was 20/80, but when it was time to sign, he suddenly became sarcastic and acted as if he didn't want to sign.

Hearing this, Jiang Yiying became interested. Listening more carefully, she realized how evil Ju Hui's ex-boyfriend was. The three of them took a car to the airport, with Ju Hui sitting in the back seat pretending to doze off while listening to the two vent their anger.

At this point, Lao Run lost her swagger, and the muse was no longer effective. Suddenly, Bian Jiaping appeared, and Kan Yu complained, "I really don't know what kind of spell my sister has been cast on. Tera is such a small platform, yet she's so eager to join. Even Jiaping couldn't get her to sacrifice her career..."

“If it were Brother Jiaping, he would know immediately if Sister Juhui was in trouble. He would organize an exhibition and boost her exposure after just a few words. What’s so great about this ex-boyfriend?” Jiang Yiying nudged Juhui, who was walking ahead. “What’s so great about him, Sister?”

Ju Hui was the first to finish the security check. She mumbled a few "uh-huhs" and looked down to check if her ID card was still in her pocket.

Suddenly, there was a click beside her. Ju Hui turned her head and saw someone's passport fall out, and a boarding pass from the intercom was thrown to her feet.

Ju Hui picked it up and glimpsed the card's owner's name: Ao Jiangxian.

"Oh, I'm so sorry..."

Ao Jiangxian jogged over, took Ju Hui's hand, and stood up at the same time. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she carried a familiar fragrance that was warm and comforting.

Ju Hui was somewhat dazed, and somehow handed her boarding pass to Ao Jiangxian.

She only saw Sheng Qijing with a gloomy face behind Ao Jiangxian, and walked past without even lowering her eyes.