Chapter 57 Verbal Probing
Su Wantang stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the turbid yellow river flowing endlessly below.
She waited for almost half an hour.
After the supervisor brought her in, he simply served her a cup of tea and bowed before leaving without offering any further explanation.
This is a show of force.
It was also a test.
To test her confidence and patience.
Su Wantang picked up the teacup but didn't drink. Instead, she gently stroked the warm cup with her fingertips, a faint smile playing on her lips.
A test of patience?
She's been battling death for ten years, and this is the last thing she lacks.
Finally, the heavy wooden door was pushed open, and a well-dressed man walked in.
He was around forty years old, his three-piece suit was pressed perfectly without a single wrinkle, his hair was combed meticulously, and he wore a standard, flawless smile.
"I'm sorry for the neglect, I'm sorry for the neglect." The man's voice was deep and resonant, carrying the shrewdness and soothing manner characteristic of people from Shanghai.
"My name is Du Kangnian. I apologize for keeping you waiting, Miss."
He is Du Kangnian, the general manager of the Peace Hotel.
Su Wantang stood up, a perfectly timed smile appearing on her face—neither overly enthusiastic nor aloof.
"General Manager Du, you're too kind."
Du Kangnian gestured for them to sit down, and the two sat down again.
He didn't sit in the main seat, but instead sat on the sofa diagonally opposite Su Wantang, a distance that allowed him to maintain control without appearing aggressive.
A master.
Su Wantang made a judgment in her mind.
Du Kangnian personally picked up the silver teapot on the table and refilled Su Wantang's tea with smooth, elegant movements.
"The weather this year is a bit unusual; the plum rain season has been delayed. There's also a lot of fog on the river, which has caused significant delays in shipping."
He started talking about the weather, as if he were having a casual chat with an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.
Su Wantang picked up her teacup, gently blew away the steam from the water, hummed in response, and didn't say anything.
Du Kangnian chuckled and pointed out the window: "Look, the Bund has changed a lot in the past few years. Those old foreign firms all have new signs now, but I wonder if the people inside have changed."
His words were loaded with barbs, and his eyes swept across Su Wantang's face subtly, trying to catch the slightest emotional fluctuation.
Su Wantang simply sipped her tea, behaving like a tourist who found everything novel and exciting.
Over the next ten minutes, Du Kangnian talked about the hotel's history, the recently replaced Persian carpet, and the old musician in the lobby who had been playing the piano for thirty years.
When talking about the new chef Guangzhou in the kitchen, they talked about everything under the sun, their words flowing smoothly, but they never mentioned the name card of "an old friend of the Bai family".
This is a game of patience.
He was testing her, observing her closely. He wanted to see if this young woman truly had substance, or if she was just a charlatan waving a tiger's skin as a banner.
The atmosphere in the room, which had been filled with gentle laughter and conversation, became increasingly tense.
It wasn't until Du Kangnian picked up his teacup and savored the aroma of the tea that he finally understood.
"This is our restaurant's unique pre-rain Longjing tea; you can't find it anywhere else. Back then, Miss Bai loved this refreshing aroma the most." He finally revealed his true intentions, casually tossing out the name "Miss Bai."
Su Wantang, who had been listening quietly, finally put down her teacup.
The cup collided with the expensive mahogany tea table, producing a crisp, light sound.
She raised her eyes, and for the first time, her clear eyes looked directly at Du Kangnian.
"The water temperature has risen by one degree."
"Pouring boiling water directly into the tea will ruin its freshness and the delicate aroma of this fine tea," Su Wantang said calmly.
"It's a waste."
For the first time, the impeccable smile on Du Kangnian's face stiffened.
The way he looked at Su Wantang finally changed.
It is no longer an elder judging a younger person, nor a businessman sizing up a client, but an equal and somewhat skeptical scrutiny.
How could a twenty-year-old girl, even if born into wealth, possibly be able to discern a one-degree difference in water temperature with just one sip? This kind of mastery of tea ceremony, this deep-rooted attention to detail, is something that cannot be cultivated in an ordinary family.
This is no rich girl at all, she's clearly an expert!
Su Wantang ignored the change in his expression, and simply took something out of her small, exquisite leather bag and gently pushed it in front of Du Kangnian.
It wasn't gold bars or jewelry, nor was it a token of power.
It was just an old black and white photograph, yellowed and with slightly curled edges.
Du Kangnian's gaze fell on the photograph, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
In the photo, a stunningly beautiful woman stands at the entrance of the Peace Hotel, wearing a well-fitting cheongsam, her smile bright and confident. He will never forget that face, even twenty years from now.
It's Bai Xiuzhu, Miss Bai.
That legendary woman who once stirred up the entire city of Shanghai.
Du Kangnian's breath hitched for a moment. But he was a man who had seen his share of ups and downs, and he almost immediately concealed his loss of composure.
He looked away from the photo and put on his gentle smile again, but this smile now carried a hint of deliberate aloofness.
"So you're an old friend of Miss Bai's," he said casually.
"Miss Bai was indeed a distinguished guest of our hotel back then. May I ask who you are?"
He was still testing the waters, trying to regain control.
Su Wantang smiled, her smile still sweet and pure.
She didn't answer his question. Instead, she slowly put the photo away and gently ran her fingertips across the woman's face in the picture.
“I’m not a tea connoisseur, nor do I know anything about business.” She raised her head, looking at Du Kangnian with clear eyes. “I’m here to ask only one thing.”
She paused, then spoke each word with perfect clarity.
"I heard that General Manager Du's grandfather was just an insignificant bookkeeper in the Bai family's accounting department. It was only through the Bai family's support that he gradually rose to become the second manager of the Peace Hotel, which led to the Du family's later prestige and glory."
The smile on Du Kangnian's face vanished completely.
Su Wantang, seemingly oblivious to his sudden change in expression, continued calmly, "A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude. I wonder if, after all these years, General Manager Du, you still remember this immense favor?"
These words struck Du Kangnian's heart like a heavy hammer.
He originally thought the other party was there to ask for help or to build a relationship, so he could put on airs and act arrogantly.
But now he understands.
They didn't come here to ask for favors.
They've come to collect a debt—a debt of gratitude that spans two generations!
His composure and self-control, which he had always been so proud of, were stripped away layer by layer in front of this excessively young girl, revealing his most essential and unavoidable nature.
Du Kangnian fell silent.
He looked at Su Wantang, whose face resembled Bai Xiuzhu's, but possessed a sharper and more direct edge than Bai Xiuzhu had back then.
Miss Bai is like a lofty mountain cloud, seemingly gentle but actually aloof, inspiring awe.
The girl before him was like a sharpened dagger, its cold light gleaming, aimed straight for a vital spot.
After a long while, Du Kangnian let out a long breath.
He waved.
The head waiter and waiter, who had been standing by with their hands at their sides, immediately understood, bowed, and retreated very quietly, as if afraid of disturbing something.
The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind us with a loud thud.
Only he and Su Wantang remained in the room.
Du Kangnian stood up, his voice no longer carrying the previous smoothness and politeness, but only a solemn sense of relief.
"Young Miss, you've finally arrived."
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