Chapter 152: Still Alive
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that the way this woman looked at her wasn’t quite right. Her gaze lingered on her body for at least five seconds.
Lu Wanggui said calmly, “Director Zhong.”
Only then did Xiang Xiaoyuan realize that this woman was the Zhong Qiyu who allegedly killed her younger brother and became the chairman of the Zhong family. No wonder she had such an imposing manner.
Zhong Qiyu walked over and shook hands with Lu Wanggui. After they parted ways, she looked at Xiang Xiaoyuan. Lu Wanggui reached out and wrapped his arm around Xiang Xiaoyuan’s waist. His action was intimate, and there was even a hint of affection in his tone. “Xiaoyuan, this is Director Zhong.”
Zhong Qiyu paused slightly, and a hint of doubt and surprise flashed in her eyes. However, she was, after all, a terrifying figure in the business world. Her shrewdness was not inferior to Lu Wanggui’s. Almost no one could capture the change in her expression, except for Lu Wanggui.
“Hello, Director Zhong.” Xiang Xiaoyuan’s tone was elegant, neither servile nor overbearing.
“Director Zhong, this is my wife.” Lu Wanggui looked at Zhong Qiyu with a gentle and reserved smile in his eyes.
Zhong Qiyu understood and stretched out her hand as if it was the first time she saw Xiang Xiaoyuan. “Hello, Mrs. Lu.”
The two shook hands. Zhong Qiyu looked calm. “Director Lu, thank you for coming with your wife. Please forgive us if we have neglected you.”
“Director Zhong, you’re too kind.” Lu Wanggui’s tone was as gentle as ever. “I hope the charity banquet will be a success.”
A staff member came over to deliver the wine. Both Xiang Xiaoyuan and Lu Wanggui clinked glasses with Zhong Qiyu. Zhong Qiyu smiled and said, “CEO Lu, Mrs. Lu, I still have guests. Please excuse me.”
“Of course.”
After Zhong Qiyu left with her assistant, Xiang Xiaoyuan was still staring at her back. When Lu Wanggui took the wine glass from her hand, she finally reacted and said in a low voice, “She was staring at me for a long time.”
Lu Bei, who had been in the background for a long time, could not help but say, “She just took one look.”
Xiang Xiaoyuan turned to look at him. “Why do you keep going against me?”
Lu Bei, “Who told you to call me that?”
Lu Wanggui held Xiang Xiaoyuan and sighed helplessly. He explained, “It’s probably the first time she saw you. She’s a little curious.”
“Is that so…”
Xiang Xiaoyuan thought about it for a moment. Zhong Qiyu had indeed not looked at her for a long time. Any random person at the banquet would have looked at her longer than Zhong Qiyu had. The main reason was that Lu Wanggui was too low-key. Back then, their wedding was relatively simple and many people had never seen her before.
Thinking of this, Xiang Xiaoyuan said, “It’s your fault.”
Lu Wang returned to his senses and nodded with a smile. “You’re right.”
The auction began. Xiang Xiaoyuan sat in the middle. Lu Wanggui was on her left and Lu Bei was on her right. This made her feel very at ease.
The items auctioned were similar to what Lu Wanggui had guessed. Most of them were jewelry, calligraphy, and paintings. Those who came were not stingy. Xiang Xiaoyuan watched helplessly as a calligraphy painting was auctioned at a starting price of four million yuan. After a round of bidding, it reached eight million yuan. There were even people who kept bidding.
Xiang Xiaoyuan: “…”
Was this the world of the affluent?
She took out her phone and sent Lu Wanggui a Wechat message: [ Is this calligraphy painting worth collecting? ]
She had checked just now. The creator of this calligraphy painting was not very famous. Lu Wanggui lowered his eyes, and his slender fingers tapped lightly on the phone screen: [ Fortunately, this creator is still alive. ]
Xiang Xiaoyuan: [ ? ]
Lu Wanggui: [ Just a fact. ]
So it’s a gamble. Was eight million yuan a loss? If one liked it, then it was not a loss.
Xiang Xiaoyuan was glad that she did not like these things. The two of them chatted on Wechat. Xiang Xiaoyuan had raised her cards twice since she was already there, but seeing that the price was getting higher and higher, she did not want to raise it again.
This charity banquet might be very meaningful to others, but to Lu Wanggui, it was just an ordinary dinner party. So, it was better to let those who wanted to build a good relationship with Shengkong Group do the bidding. They would just be in the background.
When the two of them were chatting, the auctioneer suddenly said, “Next…” The auctioneer paused, as if something unexpected had happened. This small episode made the auction hall quiet for a moment, it also made Xiang Xiaoyuan look up at the stage.
The auctioneer was good at building suspense, and he quickly continued. “This is a painting by Mr. Zhong Huai. If I remember correctly, this painting has won many famous awards….”