"real?"
Shen Yuan instantly turned into a screaming chicken on the phone, then quickly covered her mouth.
"You agree?"
So many days have passed, she no longer expects Meng Jiuyi to give her a response and is preparing to find someone else.
Meng Jiuyi hummed in agreement. "Shall we talk about your plans first?"
Shen Yuan said, "You're not planning to eavesdrop on my secrets and then report me to the Tan family, are you?"
Meng Jiuyi didn't expect her to be so vigilant. She smiled and said, "Miss Chen, my cousin always has everything he could want and is surrounded by thousands of people. If I tell him about something that hasn't happened yet, he'll at most reward me with two dog bones."
I prefer offering help in times of need to I add to someone's success; the rewards are much greater then.
Shen Yuan thought this person was quite pragmatic.
She said the drug was painstakingly obtained from abroad, colorless and odorless, and its potency was far superior to any of the entertainment items found in bars. It took effect in about an hour, and there was no cure except for sexual intercourse.
“My grandfather’s birthday banquet is being held on the mSc Glory. I want them all to be witnesses for me and Tan Yuchen. If you do that, your friend’s table will receive an invitation from the orchestra the next day.”
Meng Jiuyi wasn't very optimistic and couldn't help but pour cold water on her hopes.
"Miss Shen, perhaps you underestimate your cousin."
Shen Yuan: ?
Would a man who can control the situation and use others to do his dirty work be unaware of these things?
"You need to prepare two smoke bombs first."
"What's the meaning?"
Meng Jiuyi didn't say that if she told Shen Yuan everything, she would be useless.
"Before that, I'd like to ask you, what exactly is the relationship between Tan Jing and the Tan family?"
Shen Yuan was slightly puzzled. "They are from the same clan, but they separated from each other back to Tan Yuchen's maternal grandfather's generation. They are not related at all. Tan Jing is the second son in the family, and he has a younger brother and an older brother."
Did your grandfather invite them to his birthday celebration this year?
"Of course not!"
Shen Yuan said that Tan Yuchen and they were irreconcilable enemies, so were they invited over to start a fight?
Meng Jiuyi's eyes remained calm as always. "Send them invitations."
"You're crazy—"
Before Shen Yuan could finish speaking, Meng Jiuyi stopped her, "Don't ask why, just do as I say. Also, I'll book tickets to England the day before your grandfather's birthday."
You managed to get someone to disguise themselves and sneak onto the plane as me. The City of Men Daily, the largest media organization in the country, should have that kind of operational capability, right?
Shen Yuan was initially uncomfortable with the arrangement she was given, but after a round of flattery, she felt much better.
After finishing their conversation, Shen Yuan asked a question out of the blue.
"Meng Jiuyi, do you think I'm not charming enough and can only resort to such low-class methods?"
Shen Yuan was so proud; during those years abroad, she was known as a wealthy young lady.
She couldn't tolerate her sister marrying someone better than her, but her deep-seated pride told her that these tactics were despicable.
Meng Jiuyi remained silent.
Shen Yuan: "Forget it, I don't want to hear it—"
"Miss Chen, history is written by the victors. Once you marry into the Tan family, both domestic and international media will praise you as childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven. Your cousin has been secretly in love with you for a long time and his wish has finally come true."
And your child will be the next heir of the Tan family. I wish you success from the bottom of my heart. If you fail, it means that God is not on our side. I can only promise to do my best!
"And please keep this a secret! You must not let anyone know I exist."
Her lukewarm voice, like an unexpected autumn rain, extinguished all of Shen Yuan's restlessness at the end of summer.
Shen Yuan has many friends, and they chat endlessly about everything, from shopping to afternoon tea. But in the end, it was someone she had always looked down on who comforted her.
The call ended, and it was already dark. Meng Jiuyi leaned back against the wall, feeling a cool, refreshing sensation all over his body.
Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.
Tan Yuchen, you taught me that.
If a person doesn't look out for themselves, they will be punished by heaven and earth.
**
On the day of Mr. Shen's 80th birthday, luxury cars lined up one after another like a dragon winding its way to the port.
Thick clouds covered the sea at night, and the sound of the waves was gentle.
The harbor was calm and tranquil. The MSC Glory, one of the world's most luxurious super cruise ships, stood majestically in the distance, its pure white facade illuminated by crystal chandeliers on each deck, resembling an eternal palace on the sea.
Once aboard, one is greeted by a world of extreme extravagance.
Grandpa Shen was already waiting at the gangway. When he saw Grandma Tan being helped by the others, he immediately went up to her and warmly shook her hands.
"The old lady looks even younger than I have in the past two years."
The old lady laughed and said, "I'm getting old, and I still get to visit my old friends as much as I can. But you're still going strong. The nationwide call to plant trees has only just ended, and you're already busy with operas."
"Xiaoyuan told you, didn't she? This child goes to your place more often than he stays at home. I'm afraid he's been held back by something. I hope you won't blame me, Grandma."
The old woman's eyes flickered.
"How could that be? Xiaoyuan is only a few years older than Ni Ni, so she's naturally Achen's sister too. I can't help but dote on her."
"Speaking of Yu Chen, where is he?"
On the second-floor terrace at the bow of the ship, several people in suits and ties were sitting, and countless eyes were watching them from the banquet hall.
I heard that the third young master of the Tan family is also here. The entertainment newspaper withdrew too quickly last time, and I didn't have a chance to see him. Everyone asked which one it was, and people said it was that one.
After looking for a while, I could only see him sitting on the sofa with his back to me, the cigarette between his fingers being pulled into wisps by the sea breeze. Even without seeing his face, I could imagine that he was a scoundrel.
The men on the sofa were all surrounded by beautiful women; there were quite a few people attending the banquet today. The mixed crowd made it difficult to attract attention, so some of the bolder ones, disregarding their engagements, decided to have their fun first.
Cen Dong leaned closer and asked, "I haven't seen your Lina for over half a month. Why do you suddenly not love her anymore?"
Regardless of whether it's just for show or not, this guy has to be brought along as a mascot to these kinds of occasions, a powerful tool to ward off unwanted romantic advances.
Tan Yuchen glanced at him, a playful look in his eyes: "Isn't it you I love?"
"I'm a straight man!"
"I really enjoy turning straight men gay."
"Get out! Get out! Get out!"
Cen Dong originally wanted to ask more questions, but he was met with a barrage of jokes, which gave him goosebumps.
Someone handed him a glass of wine. Tan Yuchen took it, glanced at it, and gently swirled it in his hand. Ripples appeared in the glass as the lavish wine swirled, and bubbles clung to the glass.
After Cen Dong clinked glasses with him, he noticed that Tan Yuchen didn't move.
"Don't you like this year?"
The wine that Old Master Shen brought out to entertain his guests was naturally good wine, but this fellow was notoriously picky about it.
Tan Yuchen gave a slight, unsmiling smirk.
"I don't like drinks with toppings."
Cen Dong was puzzled when he saw Shen Yuan stride towards them, her face still showing signs of shock, snatch their wine and pour it into the wine barrel next to her.
"You didn't drink, did you?"
Cen Dong was dumbfounded, "What's going on with Miss Shen?"
Even if there wasn't a result with Tan Yuchen, surely they shouldn't be denied even a drink?
Shen Yuan scolded from behind, "Come here."
The other party did not move.
"If you don't come over, I'm calling the police!"
Cen Dong looked around in confusion and saw a woman in a light yellow dress walking around the corner. She seemed to be the second young lady of the Zhou family.
He hung his head as if he had done something wrong.
Shen Yuan: "Are you going to say it yourself or am I going to say it?"
Miss Zhou clutched her bag tightly and remained silent.
"Fine, if you won't tell me, I will."
Shen Yuan looked at Cen Dong and said, “I overheard them talking when I came out of my room. They were saying that they bribed a waiter at the banquet to take a risk. I suspect that she put something in Yu Chen’s wine.”
"Holy crap!"
Cen Dong spat out a mouthful of wine. This woman looks so calm, but is she really going to be this direct?
Miss Zhou was so ashamed that she ran away crying.
After Shen Yuan finished speaking, she looked at Tan Yuchen, who still had the same expressionless face as before.
Upon learning that he had been drugged, his expression did not change in the slightest.
In those few seconds of focused attention, the man looked up at her. The sea was covered by thick clouds, and his clear eyes were like an anchor in the night, silently observing her self-directed performance.
Shen Yuan felt a tightness in her chest; the inexplicable pressure made it hard for her to breathe.
She dared not look at him any longer and asked the waiter to remove all the wine and bring out new bottles.
After leaving, she became increasingly panicked and ran back to her room to send a message to Meng Jiuyi.
Do you think he discovered something? What if he doesn't drink the next glass of wine?
The other party did not reply.
Last night, Meng Jiuyi told her that the drug would be put in the wine that was being served again.
But what if Tan Yuchen finds out?
Did she just give herself away?
When the others on the terrace heard about the bizarre incident, they laughed and joked, "Is our Third Young Master some kind of reincarnation of Pan An? Why does everyone have their eyes on him?"
Who remembers the last time on the yacht, that girl somehow got her hands on a room key, ran naked to his bed in the middle of the night, and was thrown out, blanket and all.
Tan Yuchen wasn't listening at all, idly spinning a lighter in his hand, the orange flame like a blazing light, wrapping around his fingers.
He glanced casually at the banquet hall, then slowly looked away.
"What Pan An? He's clearly a reincarnation of Tang Sanzang, his daily life is comparable to the journey to the West, constantly battling demons."
"What kind of magic are we fighting?"
Suddenly, Xu Yanzhi's question, accompanied by laughter, came from behind.
Someone saw him arrive and made room in the middle, offering him a cigarette. He was wearing a silver-gray suit today, which showed a deep, layered look under the lights. It was as if he had arrived wearily through the night.
It was indeed a long and tiring journey, because of some unpleasant things that had happened to his father—he had just traveled to Germany.
Cen Dong clicked his tongue and said, "Busy man, I asked you the other night if you were still in Munich. I thought I probably wouldn't see you. Could it be that you have some secret affair with Old Master Shen?"
Xu Yanzhi shook his head and chuckled, the weariness in his eyes fading into the smoke.
"I'm going to play snooker with Deputy Engineer Liu from the Construction Group tomorrow."
The ice sank to the bottom of the glass, and the liquor surged up instantly. Tan Yuchen had no intention of drinking it. He looked up at Xu Yanzhi across from him and said with a smirk.
"Even with his busy work schedule, Chairman Xu always remembers to practice table tennis. No wonder he can teach others."
Xu Yanzhi exhaled a puff of smoke, squinted, and smiled, "Are you sure you're praising me?"
"certainly."
He raised his eyebrows. "I sincerely wish to learn from you."
"Speaking of asking for advice, I should be asking you."
Xu Yanzhi looked at him with an ambiguous expression, "I saw some news before returning to China. It turns out that the Third Young Master's real intention was not what it seemed."
The incident of Tan Jing crashing into the oil tanker caused quite a stir. Xu Yanzhi's deep eyes held a faint scrutiny; it turned out that this was his real purpose in vying for control of the camp.
Tan Yuchen remained noncommittal, saying, "More than half a month has passed, and Chairman Xu's news is lagging behind."
The last time I saw her was about half a month ago.
Many more people arrived at the banquet hall. Tan Yuchen casually glanced around and saw Meng Xincheng socializing with someone, while Meng Yintong and Tan Ni stayed together, not having had a chance to chat with her cousin for long.
Tan Ni saw her brother beckon to her from a distance, like beckoning a puppy.
Tan Ni ran over excitedly, stuck behind his sofa, and peeked at Xu Yanzhi across from him.
"What's wrong with my brother?"
Tan Yuchen flicked his cigarette ash, his tone casual, "You've made new friends and forgotten your old ones?"
Tan Ni took a moment to react.
"Oh, you mean Xiao Jiu? She didn't come. She went to England to visit her brother a couple of days ago. I miss her too."
U.K.
The wind was strong at sea, and the bright moon was obscured by thick clouds.
There's not much scenery to see.
His bangs were ruffled by the sea breeze as he lowered his eyes and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
Someone next to him raised their glass to toast, but Tan Yuchen did not touch the glass of wine on the table.
Instead, he would grab a glass of water, casually clink it against the other person's glass, and swallow the icy water, leaving his body feeling cool.
What should we do? He didn't drink that glass of wine!
Are we going to fail tonight?
[Meng Jiuyi, say something!]
Shen Yuan's messages kept popping up incessantly in her pocket.
Meng Jiuyi was dressed as a waiter, with a human skin mask on his face that had been made half a month ago. It had a five-centimeter height increase, six layers of clothing, and deliberately short hair.
These things completely transformed her into a different person.
She gripped the wine tray tightly, watching the glass of water in the man's hand dwindle, while his prominent Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
You guessed right!
Shen Yuan's clumsy acting was just a second layer of smokescreen; Tan Yuchen only needed to glance at her halfway to see right through her.
He will never touch alcohol again.
But the medicine was never actually in the wine; it was in the ice water that had been placed on the table from the beginning, unnoticed by anyone, and merely used as a decoration.
He drank it!
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