Chapter 151: Respect for the Future
The Peninsula Hotel, Haicheng's premier hotel, sits beside its ocean-facing infinity pool. A massive crystal chandelier illuminates the night sky like day, while the melodious sounds of violins drift in the salty sea breeze. The air is filled with the aroma of premium champagne, expensive perfume, and meticulously baked desserts.
Tonight was the annual "charity" dinner for Haicheng's socialites. Elegantly dressed, elegant ladies were present, and the air was filled with clinking glasses. Gu Qianqian stood at the center of the crowd, like a queen surrounded by stars.
She wore a nude fishtail dress from Valentino's latest season's haute couture collection, which showed off her perfect figure.
The legendary Cartier antique diamond necklace, "Tears of the Sea," shone in the light, creating a dazzling brilliance that instantly eclipsed the jewelry of all the other celebrities around her. Her meticulously applied makeup was impeccable, and a hint of satisfaction curled the corners of her lips.
She held a glass of golden Dom Perignon champagne in her hand, swaying it gracefully. The socialites surrounding her were filled with undisguised envy, jealousy, and a hint of cautious flattery.
"Sister Qianqian, your 'Tears of the Sea'... Oh my God! It's so beautiful! Was it... a gift from Mr. Zhao, right?" A socialite A in a pink dress covered her mouth and exclaimed exaggeratedly.
"Of course not," another socialite, B, wearing a silver sequined dress, immediately chimed in, her tone flattering. "Apart from Mr. Zhao, who else has such talent and vision? And only you, Sister Qianqian, are worthy of such a treasure!"
Gu Qianqian enjoyed the flattery, her smile growing even brighter. She lifted her chin slightly, revealing her swan-like neck, and swept her gaze across the room with a condescending air of superiority.
Her eyes, intentionally or unintentionally, swept towards the entrance of the banquet, as if to confirm that a certain figure had not appeared.
very good.
Yu Ling, that stray dog, really has no face to show up in such an occasion.
She took a sip of champagne, the cool liquid sliding down her throat, igniting a fiery fire in her eyes. It was time. It was time to let everyone know who the true winner was! Who was worthy of standing by Zhao Chen's side!
She cleared her throat, her voice quiet but strangely penetrating, instantly drawing the attention of the entire audience. Everyone's conversations stopped, their gazes fixed on her.
Gu Qianqian looked around, her smile carrying just the right hint of "tiredness" and "sweet worry." Her voice was deliberately soft, yet it reached every corner clearly:
"Thank you all for your hospitality tonight. I didn't want to say this at first." She sighed slightly, her eyes revealing a helpless expression. "But recently, some rumors about Brother Chen... have been making a lot of noise, causing everyone to worry. I feel really bad."
She paused, her eyes sweeping across the curious and expectant faces of the crowd. A smug smile appeared at the corner of her lips, and her voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable declaration:
"Actually...Brother Chen deliberately left for a while."
She tilted her head slightly, as if recalling something sweet, and her cheeks flushed just the right amount:
"On the one hand, it's to deal with some legacy business issues. After all, it takes time to clean up such a big business."
She cleverly avoided the sensitive word "bankruptcy" and replaced it with "legacy issues" and "cleaning up", implying Zhao Chen's "responsibility" and "helplessness".
"On the other hand..." She dragged out her words, a shy yet happy smile on her face, her eyes casting affectionately towards the inky sea in the distance, as if there was someone she missed.
"It's also to avoid some unnecessary entanglements and troubles." Her voice was a little colder, with undisguised contempt.
"Some people... are like leeches, impossible to shake off. A little sunshine and they bloom, a little color and they want to start a dyeing factory... Brother Chen is fed up with it."
Her words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing suppressed exclamations and whispers in the crowd!
"Unnecessary entanglement"? "Leech"?
Isn't this referring to Yu Ling by name?!
Did Zhao Chen "leave" to avoid Yu Ling?!
Gu Qianqian was very satisfied with the crowd's reaction. She raised her chin slightly, like a queen about to be crowned, and her voice was filled with pity for all living beings and a subtle hint of boasting:
"So, for the sake of complete peace, and for our better future..." She paused again, her eyes sweeping across the room, making sure everyone heard every word she said.
"...Brother Chen has already settled down with me in the Cayman Islands!"
“Buzz!”
The crowd exploded instantly!
“Settled in Cayman?!”
"Oh my god! Is this true?!"
"Ms. Gu and Mr. Zhao...are they going to get married?!"
"I told you! How could Mr. Zhao possibly be interested in Yu Ling?"
"Ms. Gu and Mr. Zhao are a perfect match!"
Envy, jealousy, shock, and flattery were all focused on Gu Qianqian like a spotlight! She relished this moment of attention, as if she were on top of the world!
She even gracefully raised her champagne glass, facing the audience, and as if facing the camera (she knew that there would definitely be media in such an event), her voice clear and high-pitched, full of the declaration of a winner:
"From now on, Brother Chen and I will start our new life in Cayman! Let's put all the unpleasantness of the past... completely behind us! And please... take care of yourselves! Stop those meaningless, annoying entanglements! This glass of wine..."
She raised her glass higher, with an undisguised, victorious smile on her face:
“…Here’s to the future! Here’s to my new life with Brother Chen!”
The golden champagne liquid rippled in the glass, reflecting her face which was slightly distorted with pride.
At this moment when the atmosphere in the venue reached its climax and everyone thought that Gu Qianqian was about to become the biggest winner of the night——
“Sizzle——!!!”
An extremely piercing electrical noise, like nails scratching on a blackboard, suddenly exploded in the venue's top-notch surround sound system!
It instantly drowned out all the music, all the conversations, all the exclamations!
The huge noise made everyone cover their ears in pain!
Right after!
The huge main screen, which was originally playing the elegant banquet background image and Gu Qianqian's close-up, suddenly blurred!
It’s like the signal was hijacked!
The entire screen went black instantly!
Next second!
An extremely high-definition, immersive real-time monitoring picture suddenly and domineeringly occupied the entire huge LED screen without any warning!
Picture perspective: Corner of the living room ceiling.
Surveillance target: Room 1601, Building 1, Yundingshan Villa, open kitchen area.
The time is now.
The huge open kitchen is brightly lit.
A tall and straight figure in dark gray home clothes stands with his back to the camera in front of a huge German Miller stove.
He lowered his head slightly, completely focused. On the stove, a frying pan sizzled. He held a small silver spray bottle—aged balsamic vinegar! He sparingly sprayed it twice on the edges of the barely formed, perfectly browned, scrambled egg in the pan.
laugh--
The slightly sour vinegar aroma seems to penetrate the screen!
Then, he reached out his hand very naturally, picked up a glass jar with a cartoon Shiba Inu logo printed on it from the spice rack next to him, unscrewed the lid, and used a delicate little silver spoon to scoop up a full spoonful of top-quality Manuka honey that was as thick as liquid gold, and generously poured it on the fried eggs in circles!
After doing all this, he seemed to be relieved. Then, he turned slightly sideways very naturally, stretched out his finger, and with great precision... dipped it into the warm honey that splashed from the edge of the pan.
He raised his fingers and brought the crystal sweetness to his lips.
The cold light from the screen clearly illuminated his fingertips dipped in honey.
It also illuminated his slightly tilted, clean-cut jaw.
And that pair of…gold-rimmed glasses that slid slightly down to the middle of my nose, reflecting the warm light from the stove!
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