Chapter 108: Giving away diamonds and gold
Jiang Mingyue was caught off guard by Sun Aimei's counterattack and was speechless.
However, she quickly realized her mistake and said with a smile, "Why do you have to ask me who I like more? They are both excellent in their own way."
"Of course it's because they like you. As a potential wife for my cousin, I approve of their character."
Sun Aimei watched the first eight episodes of the reality show several times during her vacation, and she could sense that the movie star had feelings for his cousin.
On the other hand, because of his fondness for his brother, Yan Zong also sent his two older brothers to participate in the film and television city project.
Sun Aimei is young, but she is quite intelligent. At this stage, the most competitive candidates are President Yan and the movie star. Wei Lai and Qi Sheng are just friends with her cousin.
Of course, my older brother mentioned that a criminal police captain named Meng Huai had visited our home. He was also the grandson of my cousin's traditional Chinese painting teacher, and he had a good job and was quite good-looking.
Sun Aimei has never met Meng Huai, so she will refrain from commenting for the time being.
Who will be my cousin's future wife?
Jiang Mingyue was both amused and exasperated. She glanced at Sun Aimei in the rearview mirror; the little girl's eyes were gleaming.
“Aimei, you haven’t even met them in person, so how can you tell if they like me? Have you ever seriously considered that they might not like me as a person, but rather my abilities?”
Jiang Mingyue could see the care that Tang Huang and Yan Qian took for her.
They have always kept to their duties and have not overstepped any boundaries. Also, because they are all very busy, no one has taken the initiative to break the ice.
"Huh?" Sun Aimei was struck dumb, clutching her head and crying out in pain. "No way? That can't be right? My sixth sense is usually very accurate."
Jiang Mingyue stopped the topic, "Alright, these things are none of your concern. Your cousin doesn't plan to date or get married for the time being."
Sun Aimei gave a regretful "oh" and muttered under her breath, "Then President Yan and the movie star still need to work harder."
Jiang Mingyue smiled wryly; she had her own reasons.
Things are going well for now. She's not in the mood for romance until the Shark organization is dealt with.
As for whether she will get married and have children in the future, she hasn't thought about that yet. Perhaps her mindset will change as she gets older in a few years.
Let time tell.
Jiang Mingyue had just parked her car when she received a call from overseas. At first, she thought it was a scam call and was prepared to ignore it.
The next second she noticed the number was from Italy. Her eyes paused, and she gestured for Sun Aimei to get out of the car first. She then pressed the answer button.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Jiang, I'm Renato."
On the other end of the phone was Renato Wilder, the current heir to the Wilder family.
Jiang Mingyue was surprised that Renato would call her, since he hadn't contacted her for nearly four months since the variety show ended.
"Long time no see, Renato. What brings you here today to call me?"
Renato said he arrived in China this morning and is currently in Haicheng. He wants to ask her where her hometown is so he can meet her.
"How many days will you stay in Haicheng?"
"The meeting ended this afternoon. I'm going to Beijing next, and I'm scheduled to return to China in ten days. I can spare two days to see you."
"Okay, you should have a translator with you, right? I'll give you the address. Haicheng is not far from Huai County, about three hours by high-speed rail."
Renato was a man of action. He made an appointment with Jiang Mingyue and took a private car to Huai County that very night, arriving at the Huai County Grand Hotel.
Jiang Mingyue received his call the next morning and learned that he had already checked into the Huai County Hotel, which made her chuckle.
"Okay, I'm coming over now."
She specially took out the pink diamond bracelet that Renato had given her, put it on, and greeted Cao Hualan.
"Auntie, I have a friend coming over, so I won't be home for dinner tonight."
Cao Hualan quickly came out of the kitchen and saw Jiang Mingyue grab her bag and leave. "Yueyue, aren't you going to eat breakfast?"
Jiang Mingyue smiled and waved her hand, "I'll take that foreigner to try our local delicacies!"
foreigner?
Cao Hualan shook her head and smiled. Yueyue has friends all over the world, including foreign friends.
Huai County Grand Hotel.
Renato sat on a sofa in the hotel lobby, with two bodyguards standing behind each of the sofas. He was accompanied by two managers from the Haicheng Hotel branch.
The lobby manager of Huai County Hotel was busy working behind the counter, his eyes occasionally glancing at the distinguished guests on the sofa, ready to serve them at any time.
Although Huai County is a small, third-tier city, since the beginning of the first lunar month, the county's cultural and tourism sector has been vigorously promoting folk activities. Coupled with the appeal of a retired female celebrity, the number of tourists coming to visit has been increasing day by day.
Among them are many foreign tourists, but tourists with such financial means as those in front of us are truly rare.
The other party booked all the hotel rooms for two nights!
The lobby manager was shocked to discover that the distinguished guest was actually the heir to a century-old wealthy family abroad, who owned several century-old luxury hotels.
The heirs of the Lao Qian family are truly remarkable; their skill is evident from the first move.
The receptionist on duty whispered gossip, "Manager, who do you think the guest is waiting for?"
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask." Actually, the lobby manager didn't know either, but he could only reprimand his subordinates with a stern face to avoid being seen as unprofessional by others.
Five minutes later, Renato was greeted by the person he was waiting for.
The lobby manager looked in the direction of the voice, his eyes slowly widening. It turned out that the distinguished guest was waiting for Jiang Mingyue!
No wonder the distinguished guest looked familiar to him; it turned out that the distinguished guest was the wealthy man who hosted the group of movie stars on an Italian island on the variety show.
In mid-April, as the weather warmed up, Jiang Mingyue, wearing a pink cardigan and jeans, strode into the hotel's revolving doors.
Jiang Mingyue immediately spotted the handsome man sitting on the sofa. He was wearing a casual plaid shirt, long legs encased in black trousers, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine.
When Renato saw the long-lost Eastern girl, his gloomy and indifferent handsome face finally broke into a smile, and he stood up to greet her.
"Bright Moon, it's been a long time."
Jiang Mingyue smiled and stepped forward to hug Renato, then patted Renato on the shoulder, looked him over carefully, and said that he had lost weight.
Renato's eyes were filled with joy as he explained, "I had minor surgery a while ago, so I haven't been eating much."
Jiang Mingyue quickly asked, "I'm so sorry, have you recovered yet? Are you alright?"
"It's alright, everything's fine now, thank you for your concern." Renato handed her the gift he had brought.
A square, book-sized red cardboard box.
The words stopped abruptly, and there came another bracelet, but this time it wasn't diamonds, but gold.
Jiang Mingyue picked up the bracelet. It was quite heavy and was custom-made for her. The bracelet was engraved with the words "Mingyue" and was inlaid with twenty-four moon-shaped diamonds.
Renato carefully explained from the side, "It seems you prefer gold to diamonds, so I specially had this gold bracelet made for you. I hope you like it."
"I love it, I love it." Jiang Mingyue picked up the bracelet, put it on her left wrist, and shook her wrist. "You have good taste, and I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Renato noticed the pink diamond bracelet on her left wrist and immediately realized she rarely wore it, as it looked brand new.
He wisely refrained from pointing it out; since the gift was given, whether or not the recipient wore it was their right.
Renato took another gift prepared from his bodyguard: a khaki wool scarf.
Jiang Mingyue first stuffed the packaging box into her backpack, then took the scarf and put it on. "Your hotel gave me one last time on Kalimantan Island."
Renato took the scarf's packaging bag from her. "Gifts come in pairs. This one is custom-made and has your name on it."
The two managers of the Haicheng Hotel exchanged a glance when they saw that Renato was waiting for a pretty young woman.
The two immediately stepped forward to greet him and said they would come to pick him up in two days to go to Beijing.
Renato reminded them to drive slowly and carefully on their way back.
The two managers smiled and nodded, then left with their luggage.
Jiang Mingyue glanced at the bodyguards behind Renato. "I'll take you to breakfast. Do you want your people to come with us? My car can't fit so many people."
Renato turned and beckoned to one of them, giving him a few instructions.
"I told them to stay at the hotel and rest. You're my bodyguard today."
"My pleasure."
Jiang Mingyue first took Renato to a long-established breakfast shop in the county town.
The shop is small, with eight tables inside. It's already 8:30, and there are still quite a few people having breakfast.
There was an empty seat in the corner. Jiang Mingyue led Renato over to sit down. She ordered a basket of vegetable dumplings, a basket of soup dumplings, a basket of chicken shumai, two bowls of soy milk porridge, four tea eggs, and two small bowls of vegetarian dishes.
"This place is famous for its vegetable dumplings and chicken shumai. Try one first. If you don't like it, that's okay. I can pack it up and take it with me. Then I'll take you to the next place."
The dining table was long and narrow, and the seats were cramped. Renato, with his tall stature and long legs, looked out of place sitting there, but he didn't show any dissatisfaction on his face. On the contrary, he was full of curiosity.
“I’ve eaten it in Haicheng, so I can eat it.”
Renato ate elegantly and even used chopsticks. He took a bite of the vegetable dumpling, chewed it carefully, and then nodded in praise.
"Delicious, really good."
"If you like it, that's fine."
Jiang Mingyue had brought Meng Qinzhou, Wei Lai, and Qi Sheng to eat here before, and they all praised the food.
Renato ate a bowl of soy milk porridge, four vegetable dumplings, four chicken shumai, and two tea eggs.
The breakfast shop was frequented by local residents, who couldn't help but stare at the young woman with a tall, handsome foreigner with a high nose.
It's not that I dislike local girls dating foreigners, but the handsome man and beautiful woman combination is really pleasing to the eye.
The breakfast shop owner even came up to her and asked, "Young lady, is your boyfriend American?"
Jiang Mingyue smiled and shook her head, "He is my friend, from Italy."
The breakfast shop owner gave an awkward smile, gestured for them to eat slowly, and then turned to get back to work.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Jiang Mingyue led Renato to stroll through the old street of Huai County.
The old street has a local flavor, making it easier for Renato to experience her hometown firsthand.
They encountered many tourists during their trip, who looked at them curiously. Some of them recognized Renato and even called out to him.
Renato was very polite and nodded to the other person.
The young female tourist stomped her feet excitedly and quickly snapped a photo of them, which she then uploaded to her WeChat Moments and other social media platforms.
"Ahhh! I came to Huai County for tourism and ran into Sister Jiang and Renato in the old street! They were speaking Italian! Sister Jiang's Italian is amazing!"
The Weibo post by the female tourist was quickly discovered by netizens and Jiang fans. Netizens were only vaguely aware of the situation, while Jiang fans were excited.
[That old Qian has come to Huai County?!]
[Ahhh, Sister Jiang and Renato are shopping!]
[Sister Jiang looks so pretty in pink today! Her scarf is so beautiful, has anyone found out if she has the same one?]
[There isn't a matching style available; it seems to be a custom-made one. If you zoom in, you can see Sister Jiang's name on the scarf.]
[Holy crap! Sister Jiang is wearing a pink diamond bracelet and a gold bracelet on her left wrist. When did Sister Jiang become so high-profile?! Did Renato give them to her?!]
[Sister Jiang wore this pink diamond bracelet the day she returned to China after filming the reality show. It was the first time she had worn a gold bracelet, so I can't tell the style. I'm sure it's not from any major domestic brand.]
[Looking for a cheaper alternative! Begging for a link from a helpful netizen!]
[Ginger and Sugar CP fans are going to cry again, Renato is too rich, he loves to give Sister Jiang diamonds and gold all the time]
Our CEO Yan is not short of money either, I support CEO Yan.
So Sister Jiang really does know Italian; she's been playing dumb on West Island all along to outsmart everyone.
[Don't worry, sisters, Sister Jiang is entertaining international friends who have come from afar. CP fans, please don't interfere.]
After leaving the old street, the two went to the former residence of Liu Gong, a garden built specifically for the traditional Chinese medicine practitioner Liu Gong.
Renato ate a lot of local snacks in the old town and is not hungry at all now, so he is full of energy to stroll through the gardens.
Jiang Mingyue got down to business with him and asked if he had heard of the Shark Organization.
Renato paused, his smile gradually fading, and looked at Jiang Mingyue with considerable worry.
"Were you threatened by them?"
Jiang Mingyue raised an eyebrow. "It seems you know about them."
Renato nodded slightly. "I have a hotel in Fia. I was extorted by them before. The Fia police did nothing and even colluded with them. I had no choice but to shut down the hotel for security reasons."
I see.
What a coincidence! Perhaps we can get some useful clues from Renato.
Renato knew that Jiang Mingyue had a chivalrous heart and was always willing to help others, so he wanted to learn more about her to see if he could be of any help.
"Mingyue, how did you deal with them?"
Jiang Mingyue briefly explained the ins and outs of her confrontation with the Shark Organization.
Renato immediately understood, "You suspect that the Shark organization is colluding with that group of ruthless thugs."
“Obviously.” Jiang Mingyue finished the last sip of her fruit tea and threw the empty cup into the trash can.
It's so much easier to talk to smart people; Yan Qian, Renato, Don Juan, and Meng Huai are all examples of this.
Renato frowned, his brow furrowed enough to trap a fly. A man of action, he immediately pulled out his phone and made an overseas call.
Jiang Mingyue waited patiently to the side. Renato was not speaking Italian, but Fia Mandarin. She was not fluent in the language of the small country and could only understand a few words.
Lists, phone numbers, and the like.
A moment later, Renato hung up the phone and looked at Jiang Mingyue, "I asked Fia's friend for help. He has a list of the Shark organization, but I'm not sure if it's true. I'll send it to you when I receive it."
Jiang Mingyue looked worried. "Won't this implicate your friend?"
Renato reassured Jiang Mingyue not to worry. The Shark organization is rampant in Fia. They recruit civilians to join the organization. The list circulating outside is not a secret. Almost everyone has a copy, but its authenticity remains to be seen.
An hour later, Jiang Mingyue received the list. She was completely baffled; the names were so difficult to pronounce and she couldn't remember them at all.
The list contains thirty names, five of whom have photos. Judging from their appearances, all five are suspected of murder.
Jiang Mingyue searched carefully but did not find the names of Eric, Mammoth, Bald Cymbal, and Sniper on the list.
Regardless, she first sent the list to Meng Huai and Yan Qian, asking them to investigate separately.
Meng Huai was in a team meeting when he received the list from Jiang Mingyue. He immediately asked her where she got it from.
Jiang Mingyue replied to him immediately, "My friend got it through a friend in Fia. You can have someone verify its authenticity, and remember to let me know if you find out anything."
Could it be her, a friend of a friend?
Meng Huai doubted the truthfulness of her words, after all, she had often fooled her before.
"Mingyue, you wouldn't be hiding the fact that I'm a hacker, would you?"
"You're overthinking it. I'm not good with computers."
Meng Huai immediately smiled. Finally, there was something she wasn't good at. If Qin Xue complained again that he wasn't as good as Mingyue, he could use it to give her a little retort.
"Captain Meng?"
The vice-captain, who was speaking on stage, thought he had said something wrong. Meng Huai gave a sarcastic smile and quickly asked him.
Meng Huai immediately snapped out of his daze and projected the list onto the projector. "Put the summary report on hold for now. We have something to do. Everyone, take a look at this list..."
Yan Qian was in Beijing signing documents in his office when he received the message from Jiang Mingyue.
He saw her trending on Weibo during his lunch break, so this list might have been provided by Renato.
Yan Qian had read the Weld family's financial statements and knew that they had previously invested in hotels in Fia. Given Renato's connections, it was not surprising that he had obtained this list.
Given her personality, she must have sent the list to Meng Huai as well.
He replied to her, "Give me some time, I'll let you know when I find out."
In the evening, Yan Qian left the company and received an invitation from He Qi to go to the Beijing Gymnasium.
The two made plans to play badminton together that evening; they usually play badminton first and then go out for dinner.
During the warm-up activities, He Qi teased Yan Qian, "I saw the trending topics today. Renato was so generous, giving pink diamonds, gold, and a custom-made scarf. Why haven't you given anything yet?"
"You can't pursue girls like that. The 'boiling frog' tactic won't work on Miss Jiang. If you keep dragging your feet, you'll have no chance sooner or later."
"Miss Jiang's fans are all shipping her with Don Juan, and now there's Renato too, tsk tsk."
Faced with his childhood friend's teasing, Yan Qian was not in a hurry at all; he had his own rhythm.
"You don't understand her; she's not love-obsessed."
The emperor wasn't worried, but the eunuch was. Hearing him say that, He Qi became even more anxious.
"Didn't you see the video Professor Wu posted on WeChat Moments? Her duet with Ms. Jiang was so harmonious. Don Juan has Professor Wu's help."
“My second uncle showed me the video. Professor Wu’s expression was one of affection from an elder for a younger generation. How could you so easily elevate it to the selection of a daughter-in-law? You’re underestimating Professor Wu.”
He Qi was speechless, so she tried to provoke him, "If you're not in a hurry, I'll let He Yan go after Miss Jiang. He's making a fuss about going to Huai County."
Author's Note: [Evil grin][Evil grin]
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