Chapter 14, Section 14: Time Occupied
He Peiru tried her best to raise the price according to her own ideas.
The estimated value of the jewelry pieces she had her eye on wasn't high, and even with the added price, it wasn't nearly as extravagant as the collectibles she had previously bid on for her family.
Naturally, that feeling of urgency dissipated.
Finally, He Peiru spent over eight million to bid on a sapphire and diamond necklace and earrings, and then spent over two million to bid on a diamond bracelet.
Throughout the process, Gu Zhaoqian remained silent until he noticed that she was no longer planning to bid, at which point he asked, "Aren't you planning to bid on another ring? That would complete a set of jewelry."
He Peiru shook her head and replied, "Let's forget about the ring. We'll talk about it later."
She felt that the ring was not just jewelry, but also a symbol of her hopes for the future and her expectations for the unknown.
There are many accessories that can be used as jewelry, so she hoped that her first ring could have a deeper meaning.
Gu Zhaoqian didn't ask any more questions and took pictures of some of the collectibles he had his eye on.
He Peiru didn't understand, but she could tell that the items he acquired weren't necessarily expensive, but they all had unique stories behind them.
But later on, she lost count of how many items Gu Zhaoqian had bought, and couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you buy too many...?"
He shook his head and replied, "No, it will come in handy sooner or later."
Perhaps these are all evidence of reciprocity in the business world.
The auction went very smoothly and ended earlier than He Peiru had expected.
But gradually, the people around her stood up, and acquaintances gathered together to talk about what had happened at the auction. Not knowing what to do next, she turned to look at Gu Zhaoqian again.
“It’s an unavoidable social occasion.” She practically had the question written all over her face. Before she could even speak, Gu Zhaoqian answered directly, “Simply put, it’s about congratulating each other on winning the auction for the collectibles you wanted. If you couldn’t win, you can take this opportunity to argue a bit. Just give a few perfunctory replies.”
As soon as the man finished speaking, a shadow suddenly fell on He Peiru's other side. Turning her head, she saw a man who looked to be about fifty or sixty years old.
The middle-aged man looked at her with a smile and said as if they were old friends, "The Jiang family is indeed a force to be reckoned with. Aru, you have guts too."
The other person was not only friendly, but also clearly knew her name.
But she had no recollection of this man.
The other party was completely unpretentious. Seeing her stunned expression, he laughed and said, "It's my fault. I was abroad when the Jiang family held the banquet for you, so it's normal that you didn't recognize me."
“I call your father-in-law Uncle, he’s older than your maternal uncle. You can just call me Uncle. I was the one who was fighting you for that bowl just now.”
The moment Li Jiale noticed He Peiru's bewildered expression, he immediately stepped forward, leaned close to her ear, and quickly said, "This is Mr. Wu, the person in charge of Wu. Miss, you can call him Uncle Wu directly."
These words undoubtedly saved He Peiru, but she hadn't expected the other person to be her competitor. Somewhat embarrassed, she said, "Uncle Wu, hello, I don't know anything about that bowl..."
"That's not important." The bidding had been tense, but Mr. Wu seemed completely unconcerned, maintaining his smile. "What's important is that I saw your courage, so I came over to say hello, not because of that bowl."
He Peiru was already a little embarrassed, and now she was so flustered that all she could say was thank you.
Gu Zhaoqian seemed to have chosen the right moment to speak, saying, "Uncle Wu, it's been a long time."
Mr. Wu raised his glass and clinked it with his, laughing, "I thought I was seeing things because I'm old, but it really is you, the young master."
“I’ve been talking about you with other people these past few days. It’s almost the end of the year, and you still dare to take on so many projects. I almost couldn’t believe the information I’ve seen in the public announcements lately.”
Their conversation suddenly veered to business. He Peiru didn't know much about this, but because of what Mr. Wu said to Gu Zhaoqian, she secretly glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
I'm curious how he'll answer.
Gu Zhaoqian smiled broadly, accepting the other party's heartfelt praise and puzzled doubts, and replied, "Every project has both risks and rewards. Some opportunities may be gone once they're gone. If you don't seize the opportunity to try, how will you know what the outcome will be?"
"You truly are worthy of your reputation." Mr. Wu took a sip of red wine and remarked with emotion, "I dare not expect too much from my younger generation. If they could have even a tenth of your abilities, I would be completely satisfied."
"Saying all this?" He raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing the other person's words. "Just take it as you being modest."
Gu Zhaoqian's behavior left He Peiru, who was standing to the side, stunned. His unrestrained personality made her increasingly aware that everyone, whether to his face or behind his back, directly addressed him as "Crown Prince."
She realized once again that one should not judge a person from only one perspective.
Over this period of time, she has seen different sides of Gu Zhaoqian, and tonight she felt more than just his ease and confidence.
There's also the confidence hidden beneath this ability.
He Peiru didn't know how long it would take her, or even if it was possible for her to reach his level.
Mr. Wu hadn't forgotten that she was still there. His gaze lingered between her and Gu Zhaoqian, and as if by chance, he brought the topic back to the present, asking, "I also heard that Aci asked you to help look after his niece? Now it seems that it's not as simple as just a child who can be taught."
They had indeed mentioned similar things before, but that was no longer relevant to this auction.
He Peiru was afraid of upsetting Gu Zhaoqian, and was about to deny it when she saw him nod calmly and reply, "It's not really taking care of her, just teaching her a little how to deal with things."
“That’s good too. It’s better than someone running around recklessly.” Mr. Wu nodded in agreement, then looked at He Peiru again and said, “Don’t worry about what happened tonight. What’s yours will always be yours. There’s no need to feel sorry about it.”
Unexpectedly, the other party even comforted her, and He Peiru once thought that she was not the one who bought that collectible.
She nodded gently and replied obediently, "Thank you, Uncle Wu."
"You're too kind." Mr. Wu called his assistant and prepared to leave. "I'll be going now. See you next time."
After seeing the other person walk away, He Peiru turned around and asked Gu Zhaoqian, "Do I have too many people I don't know?"
Gu Zhaoqian felt this question was unimportant and replied, "You don't need to worry about not knowing who the other person is on the first meeting. Truly capable people are more tolerant of your awkwardness. Just respond normally and politely."
She breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but sigh, "I was still too nervous..."
Gu Zhaoqian didn't say anything more, but simply replied, "You'll get used to it."
At this moment, Li Jiale, who had left earlier to handle the formalities, came out of an office on the side and walked to He Peiru's side to say, "Miss, we need to go through the procedures and reconfirm the auctioned items. It may not be over so quickly. Do you want the driver to take you home first, or what?"
Logically speaking, she could have waited until the next day when the collection had circulated and been delivered to her at home.
It was her first time attending an auction, and even if she wasn't in a hurry to prove anything, she still wanted to bring these collectibles home as soon as possible.
She decided to wait here for Li Jiale to resolve these matters; it seemed that only in this way could she feel at ease.
"It's okay, you go and handle it, I'll just wander around."
Instead of just standing there waiting, she had the idea of going outside to see the night view of Victoria Harbour again.
Having spent the entire night in the auction hall, I was looking for an open space to get some fresh air.
"Okay, I'll come find you after it's over."
After saying that, Li Jiale hurriedly went back into the office.
He Peiru turned around and found that Gu Zhaoqian had disappeared without a trace, and she couldn't find him in the room either.
Their relationship doesn't seem very close yet, and even if he plans to leave, there's really no need for him to tell her.
He Peiru suppressed her disappointment and followed the crowd out of the auction venue. By this time, most of the crowd, both inside and outside the venue, had dispersed, leaving only a few scattered people waiting to complete the formalities.
She looked around, hoping to find a great vantage point, but then she spotted a familiar figure in front of the panoramic glass not far away.
Gu Zhaoqian had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, his left hand in his suit trouser pocket, gazing at the view of Victoria Harbour. At that moment, he exuded an aura of...
It was arrogant and distant.
It was somewhat similar to what she had experienced before.
Although they were some distance apart, He Peiru wanted to know what he was thinking. She was still considering what excuse to use to approach him, but her steps were already moving toward him uncontrollably.
She noticed the no-smoking signs posted everywhere when she came in. Since Gu Zhaoqian was used to going to such places, the chances that he didn't see or know that smoking was prohibited were almost zero.
But there is no better excuse right now.
She stood a body length away from Gu Zhaoqian, bit her lip, and mustered her courage to say, "Smoking is prohibited here."
At the same time, He Peiru noticed that his other hand was fiddling with a lighter.
The familiar design startled her.
Her intuition told her that it looked very similar to the one she had given away when she was working.
However, due to the passage of time, she did not record the details, and the specific memories have become blurred.
Moreover, she couldn't believe such a coincidence could exist.
She wanted to ask about the origin of the lighter, but then assumed it wouldn't be the answer she wanted.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhaoqian took the cigarette out of his pocket, turned around, and smiled, saying, "I know, just having a little fun."
“…It seems like before.” Since she had already come over, she decided to go all out. “I’ve never seen you smoke before.”
He grunted in response and said, "I've quit smoking, but sometimes it's unavoidable, so I haven't completely given up."
However, this answer piqued He Peiru's curiosity. If he was determined to refuse, probably no one would dare to make things difficult for him. So she blurted out, "Why did you start smoking?"
Looking up, she saw her reflection in the glass, and immediately turned back, feeling embarrassed, muttering, "I think I overstepped my bounds."
"It's okay, it's not something that can't be talked about." Gu Zhaoqian was happy to satisfy He Peiru's curiosity, smiled nonchalantly, and then began to observe her expression through the glass. "In the past, when I was under a lot of pressure, I could only relieve it by smoking and drinking."
"So that's how it is."
She didn't know when Gu Zhaoqian was referring to "before," but she felt it would be impolite to ask further, so she kept quiet.
He Peiru couldn't help but recall the pressures she had endured in the past, and she imagined that the situations they faced must be completely different.
But her approach was completely different.
At first...
She almost chose the most extreme path.
Gu Zhaoqian had no idea what she was thinking, and not wanting to fall into silence after they started chatting, he casually asked, "Haven't you sorted things out with Assistant Li yet?"
She replied, "Yes, he said it wouldn't be that fast."
“That’s normal,” he said. “After all, it seems like a lot of people are waiting.”
Are you one too?
He Peiru was somewhat puzzled.
"I'm not in a hurry."
Gu Zhaoqian put the lighter back in his suit pocket. He Peiru glanced at it again and found that it was too similar.
It could even be concluded that they are the same model.
"Then why are you here..." The number of lighters of this style produced each year is countless, so she dismissed it as overthinking and continued, "I thought you went straight back."
Gu Zhaoqian bent the cigarette again and threw it into the trash can: "Since I've already told others to keep an eye on you, I'll just wait until you guys are done here."
"Huh?" His casual words made He Peiru's face flush, but thankfully she had foundation to cover it up.
Taken aback, she immediately refused, saying, "Wouldn't that take up your time? Why don't you go back first?"
A note from the author:
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