The crystal chandeliers in the Su family manor illuminated the banquet hall as if it were daytime. Yu Jiuyuan walked in arm in arm with Xie Zhecheng, the hem of her champagne-colored dress sweeping across the marble floor, leaving a soft rustling sound.
She could feel the gazes coming from all directions—some probing, some scrutinizing, and some undisguised amazement—most of which fell on Xie Zhecheng beside her.
Xie Zhecheng wore a custom-made black suit, his tie was tied meticulously, and even his cufflinks fit perfectly with the fabric of the suit. He walked through the crowd without looking to either side, and the "keep away" aura he exuded was even more effective than Yu Jiuyuan had expected.
"Relax," Yu Jiuyuan said in a low voice, her fingertips gently pinching his arm. "Your expression right now looks like you're solving a high-probability competition problem."
Xie Zhecheng paused, his glasses reflecting the light of the crystal chandelier as he turned his head: "The champagne temperature here is wrong, and the ice in the ice bucket is melting 0.3 centimeters per hour faster than standard." He paused, then added, "And seven people have their ties tied incorrectly."
Yu Jiuyuan couldn't help but chuckle, drawing curious glances from several socialites around her. She stopped and picked up the juice from the waiter's tray: "Perfectionists, when you're on an occasion like this, don't you just want to grab a ruler and rearrange the venue?"
Xie Zhecheng didn't answer, but his tightly pursed lips seemed to loosen slightly. Yu Jiuyuan watched his gaze sweep across the banquet hall's dome, then suddenly leaned closer: "Do you know why I asked you to come with me?"
Her breath brushed against his ear, carrying a faint scent of gardenias. "Because only you can make the Su family feel that I am completely unprepared for this banquet."
[Hsieh Che-cheng: Emotional fluctuations - Neutral +3 Current 10]
As the system notification sounded in her mind, Su Jingshu walked over with a wine glass in her hand. She was wearing a bright red dress, and her makeup was as exquisite as a doll in a shop window: "Jiuyuan, long time no see. This must be the eldest grandson of the Xie family, right? He is indeed a handsome man."
Xie Zhecheng nodded slightly as a greeting, but his gaze fell on the crystal chandelier behind Su Jingshu, as if he were calculating the chandelier's load-bearing parameters.
Yu Jiuyuan smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "Zhecheng isn't used to this kind of occasion, Miss Su, please don't mind."
Su Jingshu's gaze swept over their clasped arms, then she chuckled softly, "Speaking of which, there's something interesting among tonight's auction items: a letter of intent for the development of a plot of land in the east of the city. The Yu and Xie families have both been eyeing this land lately, so perhaps..."
“I have no interest in commercial real estate,” Xie Zhecheng suddenly said, his tone as calm as if stating a fact. “The Yu family’s decisions are none of my business.”
Su Jingshu's smile froze for a moment. Yu Jiuyuan took Xie Zhecheng's arm at the opportune moment, her smile innocent: "He's too lazy to even attend his own birthday party, Miss Su, please don't make things difficult for him."
She changed the subject, "I heard that Miss Su has recently been investing in biotechnology? Yuan Xu's brother happens to be working on a gene editing project, perhaps you two could have a chat."
Su Jingshu's eyes lit up when Yuan Xu was mentioned.
Yu Jiuyuan knew that the Su family had always wanted to win over the Yuan family's biological laboratory, and this move was a way of catering to their interests.
She watched as Su Jingshu turned to find Yuan Xu before turning to Xie Zhecheng and saying, "See? Sometimes, rejection is more valuable than acceptance."
Xie Zhecheng's gaze fell on the auction stage not far away, and he suddenly said, "The fourth man from the left in the third row has red mud on his cuffs from the construction site in the east of the city." He paused, "He is the Su family's project manager, and he should have been to the site this afternoon."
Yu Jiuyuan followed his gaze and indeed saw a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes, with most of the stains on his cuffs deliberately covered.
A hint of a smile flashed in her eyes: "A perfectionist's eye is more useful than a surveillance camera."
As the auctioneer struck the first gavel, Rong Shenghan appeared out of nowhere, holding two glasses of champagne: "The chairman is quite relaxed, letting Xie Zhecheng be your radar."
He handed one of the cups to Yu Jiuyuan, his fingertips brushing against the back of her hand unintentionally. "The Su family's project manager is practically sweating from Xie Zhecheng's stare."
"Isn't the vice president also watching the show?" Yu Jiuyuan took the champagne but didn't drink it. "Is that gentleman in the gray suit behind you the appraiser for the West City plot? The corner of the document peeking out of his pocket looks a lot like the report Xie Zhecheng gave me."
Rong Shenghan's smile deepened: "The chairman has even noticed such details. It seems you came prepared tonight." He suddenly lowered his voice, "The Su family plans to have Lin Yanran raise the price at the end of the auction to force the Yu family to reveal their trump card."
“Then I’ll show them that my trump card is Yuan Xu.” Yu Jiuyuan raised her chin in Yuan Xu’s direction.
The boy was surrounded by a group of business people, but he was clutching a glass jar tightly in his hand. The fireflies inside the jar were emitting a faint light; he had borrowed them from her that morning.
When the auctioneer began introducing the letter of intent for the plot of land in the east of the city, all eyes were on it. As expected, Lin Yanran was the first to raise her paddle, bidding 20 million more than the reserve price.
“He’s testing the Yu family’s bottom line,” Xie Zhecheng suddenly said. “This price is 15% higher than the appraised value, which is not in line with market rules.”
“But it aligns with the Su family’s ambitions.” Yu Jiuyuan looked at Lin Yanran’s determined expression and suddenly said to Xie Zhecheng, “Help me raise my sign, and I’ll add a dollar.”
Xie Zhecheng frowned: "This is a provocation."
“That’s right.” Yu Jiuyuan’s fingertips lightly traced the back of his hand, like a feather brushing against it. “When a perfectionist breaks the rules once in a while, the effect is amazing.”
[Xie Zhecheng: Emotional fluctuations - Negative -3 (currently 23), Positive +3 (currently 20)]
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