"These legs, they were once the most expensive legs in the world," Sister Mu noticed Su Ziceng sizing her up, she lifted the muscles on her legs with her hands, "I’ve been neglecting them lately, they’re starting to slack. There was a time when I’d apply essential oils and perform all kinds of massages on them every day."
"Sister Mu, you used to be a?" Su Ziceng couldn’t help but interject.
"A model, the kind on the T-stage," Sister Mu began to smile, her eyes brimming with fond memories of the past, "Every designer hoped I would interpret their clothing. Even the older generations in my family who were against me had to admit that I was successful."
Sister Mu, also known as New, possessed the perfect figure that all women in the world envied. She rarely smiled, but when moved, she could capture all the attention. Her and the designer’s sketches, they were the perfect partners.
"I left home at sixteen to become a model, and peaked at twenty-six. I was the finale model at every year’s fashion week around the world. Regrettably, all of that has come to an end," Su Ziceng detected a hint of pride in Sister Mu’s tone, but more than that, there was endless sorrow.
"Drinking coffee was for losing weight, and sipping whiskey was for standing on stage without fear of the lights." Sister Mu handed the prepared coffee over to Su Ziceng, "Since then, I’ve been tasting wines, learning about them, but the man who led me into this world didn’t continue the journey with me. Each sip of wine is just to remind myself to stay strong and keep going."
The coffee was neither too hot nor too cold, just warm enough to drink, but Sister Mu’s story had already come to an end.
Su Ziceng never got the chance to ask how Sister Mu lost her right leg, nor did she ask where the man who taught her about coffee as fine wine had gone.
As guests arrived, Su Ziceng sat by the coffee table, sipping her coffee, watching her eyelashes get wet from the rising steam, watching Sister Mu drag her right leg as she greeted the guests.
"Keep going," the bitterness of the coffee danced on her tongue, with the sweet malt flavor of whiskey lurking behind, bitterness and sweetness intertwined at the bottom of her heart.
She understood what Sister Mu meant. In a certain sense, Sister Mu, who lost her right leg, was like her—a person who had died once. Those who have died once shouldn’t be timid any longer.
"If it doesn’t work once, then try again. Shouldn’t I ask Shang Yin for some ideas regarding Zhou Dagen’s matter?" Su Ziceng dialed Zhou Dagen’s number.
On the other end, there was the sound of waves hitting. Shang Yin, a man who clearly lived in Mo City, seemed as if he was out of reach, living above the clouds, elusive.
"Miss Su," Shang Yin’s voice rose a few notes, he was currently standing with a fishing rod, sitting on a yacht fishing. The waves were high and choppy, relentlessly rocking the yacht.
"Mr. Shang," Su Ziceng also heard the sound of the waves. The wind and waves nearby weren’t fierce today. Considering Shang Yin’s personality, he wouldn’t be satisfied with just staying in a river; he probably had gone out to the open sea. It seemed that her plan to meet with him today had to be shelved, "Regarding the wine connoisseur you talked about earlier, could you reconsider? On my side..."
"Miss Su, I don’t like to haggle," Shang Yin’s fishing rod with a white float was swirling in the foam. Shang Yin pulled up the rod a bit, but it was empty at the end.
Another fishing rod was set up nearby, undisturbed by the strong winds and waves. The person sitting on the other side of the yacht stared unwaveringly at the water’s surface as if trying to see through the underlying currents beneath the sea.
"Zhou Dagen?" Hearing that name from the other end, Su Ziceng gave another name, both Shang Yin and the other fishing person showed a reaction.
"I’ve heard of him," Shang Yin’s fishing line was cast far away, seemingly hooking a big fish. He wasn’t in a hurry to reel it in, just flicking the fishing line with his finger.
"If you can persuade Mr. Zhou to become the Wine Shop’s taster, I’ll agree to part with a few bottles from my collection, including the ’Royal Salute’ and a few selections of the Ace of Spades champagne series you mentioned that night."
The sound of waves rose one after another, engulfing the phone signal intermittently. Still, Su Ziceng managed to hear those names that surprised her, "Alright, it’s settled then. Before that, I’ll need your help with something..." she hurriedly ended the call, as if afraid that Shang Yin would change his mind.
"You’re really generous with other people’s generosity," the silent fisherman finally spoke, "without even asking the concerned party if they would agree to lend them out. Especially those three types of champagne, those are Mr. Wen’s favorites. This stunt you pulled is like carving directly into his heart."
"It’s all because of that woman Wen Maixue causing trouble," Shang Yin jerked the fishing line fiercely, a sea fish leaped out of the water, its silvery body glistening a bright light under the clear sky.
The fish "plopped" onto the deck, struggling ceaselessly.
"Can a fish that has landed in hands be thrown back?" Shang Yin firmly pressed down the living fish on the deck, "Wen Maixue, during a Su Family wine event, forced me to three million, and last time, I spent money on car repairs, it’s time to rake in some side money," his hand shined with a knife, and with a swift motion, he created a slit in the fish’s belly, allowing the entrails and blood to spread all over the place.
The pale pink flesh of the fish was sliced off, Shang Yin angled the knife, and the fish flesh slid into his mouth, "Truly fresh fish meat doesn’t need any seasonings."
"Compared to fish, I prefer to eat people," Pello remarked. On the other side, another splash added another fish to the deck.
(To be continued. If you work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)(To be continued. If you work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)