Boss Liang
On Friday, Li Fuqiang, who rarely had a moment of leisure, took Zhiwei to a private club. Zhiwei asked if formal attire was necessary, to which he waved his hand and said, "No need, they have all kinds of clothes there."
Upon arrival, it was just as he had described. The club, converted from an old royal palace, was quaint and elegant. Guests included elderly men in cloth shirts and old-fashioned shoes, ladies in Western dresses, elites in suits and sneakers, and even men in old-fashioned shirts. What was remarkable was that the waiters were all extremely respectful and showed no sign of unease.
The staff at the shop greeted Li Fuqiang as soon as they saw him: "A rare guest indeed! Mr. Li, it's been a long time since you've been here. Everyone says you've been studying abroad."
Li Fuqiang laughed and scolded, "You old thing, no foreign ink can compare to the sophistication of your antique ink."
"Look at what you're saying. Don't be fooled by all the furnishings in my room. They don't actually know me, and I don't know them either. I'm just using them to make a good impression."
Upon hearing this, Zhiwei smiled slightly. The place was decorated in an antique style, but the host spoke in a way that was anything but pretentious.
Li Fuqiang said to her, "Zhiwei, this is Boss Liang."
Seeing that Li Fuqiang had made a special introduction, Liang Tian understood that this young lady was someone of high status. Their circle had its own rules: if a female companion wasn't introduced, there was no need for special treatment. Since this woman received such treatment on her first appearance, Boss Liang immediately abandoned his casual manner and treated her with seriousness.
Observing the situation, Zhiwei politely extended her hand: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Liang. I am Shen Zhiwei."
"Miss Shen, welcome." Liang Tian shook her hand gently, his demeanor composed and graceful.
Dinner was simple yet elaborate, consisting of four dishes and a soup. Most of the dishes were served by waiters, but one dish was personally brought by Boss Liang. Upon seeing this, Li Fuqiang stood up and asked, "What good fortune do you have today that Boss Liang would personally cook for you?"
Boss Liang gently placed the celadon bowl on the table: "This has nothing to do with you. This is 'Cherry Hibiscus' specially made for Miss Shen. I should thank Miss Shen for giving me this inspiration. Please enjoy your meal."
Zhiwei looked at the dishes; the lotus blossoms were as white as snow, and the cherries were a delicate red—they were already a feast for the eyes even before tasting them. She took a spoonful and found them fresh, fragrant, and smooth, yet she couldn't identify the ingredients. Because it was summer, the ingredients were slightly chilled, making them even more refreshing.
"The presentation alone is exquisite. The texture is smooth and refreshing, and the flavor is both delicious and light. It is a newly created dish. Boss Liang is indeed very clever."
"Like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without artifice. This is all thanks to Miss Shen's inspiration." In the eyes of Boss Liang, a seasoned man who had seen countless beauties, Zhiwei wasn't the most alluring, but she possessed a unique blend of delicate beauty and scholarly air that was truly captivating and worthy of this dish. Old Li's judgment this time was indeed astute.
After the meal, Li Fuqiang and several men in their fifties and sixties went to the teahouse, where Lao Liang brought out his private stash of Da Hong Pao tea to serve them. Worried that Zhiwei might be bored, he said gently, "Let's have some tea, don't let yourself be bored. Boss Liang has some good stuff here; he's an expert. Ask him to show you around and broaden your horizons."
Zhiwei understood that they had other important matters to discuss, so she bowed slightly and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Liang."
Boss Liang led her slowly through the various exhibition rooms. There were many paintings and calligraphy works, mostly in the style of ancient paintings, quite different from the Western painting style that Zhiwei was familiar with. In addition, the colors were mostly dark and dull, so she couldn't tell the difference between the real and fake ones and only glanced at them.
As for the porcelain, although Zhiwei also couldn't distinguish the genuine from the fake, many of them had elegant shapes and colors, so she stopped to admire them closely. Naturally, she also saw many pieces that were lavish and opulent, but she just smiled slightly and walked past them. It was clear that Boss Liang wasn't fixated on any particular style; all the various items were displayed in a curio cabinet, making it seem more like a unique gathering.
"Miss Shen is interested in porcelain?" Boss Liang asked when he noticed her lingering for a while in front of a Ru kiln brush washer that looked like the sky after rain.
"I can't say I understand it, I just think it looks beautiful. The color is as still as the water in a deep pool."
A hint of surprise flashed in Boss Liang's eyes, then he smiled and said, "Miss Chen has a good eye. This glaze is designed to capture the charm of 'after the rain and the clouds breaking,' emphasizing a natural and serene beauty."
He didn't cite classical texts like a scholar, but spoke in a calm tone as if chatting casually: "Ultimately, these things are meant to serve people. If you like them and feel comfortable, then it's worth it. If you treat them as academic subjects, you lose sight of your original purpose and they become a burden."
Zhiwei nodded, finding this Mr. Liang quite interesting. Despite being surrounded by treasures, he possessed a detached and aloof air, as if these priceless objects were merely "trinkets" to him.
On the way back, Li Fuqiang asked her, "I saw you watching it with great interest before we left, and I thought you might find it boring."
"There are quite a few items. I've never handled these before, and since I had nothing else to do, I looked at them one by one. Some of the porcelain pieces are indeed quite beautiful."
“We were talking about porcelain today. Old Xu got a Ge kiln incense burner and bragged about it for a long time, showing us pictures and saying that we definitely had never seen one before.”
"Is your tea party just a display of wealth?"
"Silly girl," Li Fuqiang chuckled. "At our level, we don't need to do the daily chores ourselves, but keeping up with the news is the most important thing. We get together from time to time to exchange information. Old Xu loves to show off; he always has to brag about some treasure he gets. We don't understand it anyway, so let him say what he wants."
"By the way, what have you been busy with lately?"
"I was still in that custom furniture studio, learning how to make sandalwood hairpins."
"You sure know how to have fun. Next time, when you've made something nice, try it on and see."
“I’ve never worn any of these. They said that piece of sandalwood was rare and gave it to me to practice on. I remember my mother used to have a few hairpins, so I made them and gave them to her.”
"By the way, the other day you asked about that glass workshop, Lin told me that they are a Shanghai store, and they also have a branch in 798, a place called something like Liuli Ji. You can go and have a look when you have time."
Even just chatting idly, Li Fuqiang felt that having such a beautiful woman by his side made life more vibrant and fulfilling. After dropping Zhiwei off, he had his driver take him back to Rong Mansion. On the way, Old Wu said, "I heard from Miss Shen's driver, Old Zhang, that Miss Shen is the most worry-free person. Usually, he takes her either to those art studios in 798 or to Zijun's studio. She's even more diligent than people going to work."
"She said she overheard Jingnan talking on the phone one day, muttering about whether she should just open a workshop herself."
Li Fuqiang, with his eyes closed, was pondering the words of the old men at the tea party. After hearing Lao Wu's words, he replied, "That Lao Zhang is a bit of a chatterbox. How can he just casually talk about the host's affairs?"
Old Wu glanced at his boss in the rearview mirror and saw him resting with his eyes closed, his expression unchanged. "Old Zhang only told me because he was grateful that I found him an easy job, which suited him perfectly. He wouldn't tell anyone else."
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