Ineffective verbal threats, how can they compare to effective actions? Faced with Chang Chi’s threats, Su Ziceng chuckled disdainfully, her scoff echoing through the dark corridor.
"You know what, you’ve already lost," Su Ziceng’s fingers brushed Chang Chi’s hair, "The person you are now is just like the previous Su Ziceng, Hang Yishao will never fall in love with such a you."
The bristly texture swiftly grazed her fingertips as Su Ziceng walked away, Chang Chi’s eyes glaring fiercely, watching the figure that seemed to grow larger as it receded into the distance, enveloped within Su Ziceng’s dark shadow. When had Su Ziceng become so terrifying? Chang Chi trembled as she walked woodenly towards her room and shut the door.
Once inside her room, Su Ziceng flung herself onto the bed without turning on the light, gazing at the round gauze canopy above. In the darkness, the colors of her phone’s signal lights twinkled; she picked it up and immediately sat upright. She had turned her phone to silent mode for the duration of the auction and only now remembered to check it.
Pello had called several times; just when he decided to give up after this last call, Su Ziceng’s voice came through from the other end of the line.
Her voice sounded a bit bewildered, slightly joyful, and then turned timid.
"Thank you for tonight," Su Ziceng, who had a million questions to ask, said only this upon hearing Pello’s familiar voice.
"You’re becoming less and less like Su Ziceng," Pello teased, having witnessed the scene of Hang Yishao leaving with Su Ziceng. He knew he needed to wait, that it wasn’t the time yet, and that even this call tonight shouldn’t have been made. The idea of a man and woman talking on the phone in the intimacy of the late evening while curled up in bed was, by itself, suggestive enough.
But Pello obviously didn’t dis feeling, which is why he kept calling Su Ziceng’s phone, again and again.
"That cushion, was it really from that person? Is Mr. Deng actually the same as Mr. Deng? And how did you know?" Pello always brought surprises, surprises that always revolved around her, providing an unexpected sense of comfort.
"It was just a guess, as I happened to be working on a research project recently about the founding hero of Country Z, Ye Lingyun, and Mr. Deng. I’ve seen that cushion in one of their rare joint photos, and together with the description you gave earlier about the old man’s age and appearance, I made a bold guess," Pello explained meticulously, but Su Ziceng still felt something was not quite right.
"Pello, let me consult you on another matter," Su Ziceng, without much thought, shared the current situation of Su Bi Auction House with Pello, "Christie’s Auction House has proposed acquiring shares of Su Bi. If you were in my shoes, what would you decide?"
"Do you remember, when I told you about my Uncle Olson? Your advice, which is also my advice, is to always follow your heart," Pello artfully answered her question using Su Ziceng’s own advice.
Enlightened by Pello’s words, Su Ziceng suddenly felt a clarity wash over her. Although it was deep into the night and she was in a dark room, she felt as if everything was illuminated.
Just as Yang Wuxu had said, a stroke of good luck that you can’t find even with a lantern is unlikely to just fall into Su Bi Auction House’s lap. When Mr. Traus first arrived tonight, he didn’t reveal his identity, and everyone, including Chang Chi, thought he was just a regular guest.
However, at the auction, he took the opportunity to distribute his business card to many guests and dignitaries in the room. Coupled with the ambiguous explanation about the cushion, Su Ziceng could confirm that neither Christie’s Auction House as the industry’s giant nor Mr. Traus as Chief Appraiser for the Asian Region were to be underestimated.
Su Ziceng also remembered that in the following decade, there had been a notorious transnational hostile takeover of a domestic private company. The dispute between Danone and Wahaha over trademarks and shares had also started from a trivial shareholding conflict.
Regarding Su Ziceng’s sometimes shrewd and sometimes obtuse behavior, Pello was also somewhat puzzled. Although there were some "unexpected circumstances" at Su Bi Auction House tonight, Su Ziceng’s performance from beginning to end was impressive, even stunning.