“I cannot do that.”

Xia Xiaolan decisively extinguished Zhenzhu’s reckless idea.

Bai Zhenzhu felt quite disappointed but ultimately failed to persuade Xia Xiaolan to break the law to win an award.

It wasn’t worth it – Xiaolan wouldn’t starve without that award, and the risks were too high, including bribing the AIA judges.

She had the ability and qualifications to win the award on her merit, so why spend money?

If discovered, it would be a lifelong stain on her reputation!

Lisa and Heidi were similar – they took risks to gain fame because they lacked talent. Xia Xiaolan had that talent, so she shouldn’t take risks like them…

“I’ll figure something out. There’s still time to handle this matter.”

It was still late April, and Xia Xiaolan wasn’t particularly anxious. Learning early about what the Dawson father and daughter intended to do gave her time to devise countermeasures, such as consulting Frank, an AIA member, to see if they could find forces opposing Mond Dawson within AIA. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

“Director Xia.”

“Come in!”

It was Xia Xiaolan’s driver Zheng Feng, who handed her a document envelope.

Xia Xiaolan passed it directly to Bai Zhenzhu without looking at it.

Bai Zhenzhu was puzzled, “What’s this?”

“Take a look and you’ll know.”

Xia Xiaolan was being mysterious. When Bai Zhenzhu opened it, she found Gao Huabin’s personal information.

“This—”

“Nothing special, just letting you learn about your potential match.”

After leaving the hospital, Xia Xiaolan sent Zheng Feng to gather information. She didn’t consider Gao Huabin a threat, but it was important for Bai Zhenzhu to make her own decisions and reject having her grandmother and sister-in-law plan her life.

Xia Xiaolan’s “serious” approach was partly to create tension. If Pan Third Brother showed no movement, she couldn’t force anything—

So why not let Comrade Zhenzhu practice with Gao Huabin first?

Being unmarried didn’t conflict with dating.

But one should know whether their date is genuine or not.

Currently, Bai Zhenzhu could keep her multi-million fortune a secret, but what about later when the money increased?

A wealthy single woman would always attract various types of men, and Bai Zhenzhu needed experience in discerning their motives.

Those who pursued her for money weren’t necessarily bad – if they were honest about their intentions, it could be a fair exchange and everyone could be happy.

If rich men could find pretty young ladies, why couldn’t women find handsome young men?

As long as everyone was single and no one got hurt, what was the problem?

The most troublesome type was different.

Those who sought money but packaged themselves as “true love” – whether dealing with male or female bosses, one needed to be cautious with such people.

Xia Xiaolan suspected Gao Huabin was the second type.

Only this could explain Gao Huabin’s inexplicable enthusiasm… Not that Bai Zhenzhu wasn’t good – on the contrary, Comrade Zhenzhu was too good. Her goodness was internal, something that could only be appreciated through long-term interaction.

Did it matter what style of clothes a woman wore or whether she wore makeup?

Maybe it mattered to men.

Xia Xiaolan thought the character was more precious.

She felt that Gao Huabin was like a “minor boss” lurking outside the newbie village – perfect for Bai Zhenzhu to practice on.

After reviewing the information, Bai Zhenzhu couldn’t find any obvious flaws.

“It’s the same as what my sister-in-law said, just that his family background isn’t as good, but they’re not from the countryside either. With his conditions, finding someone in Yangcheng wouldn’t be difficult. I’ve made myself clear enough, hopefully, he understands and doesn’t waste time on me!”

Indeed, Young Gao’s conditions were quite good.

Apart from his modest family background, he had no obvious shortcomings, and his personality was good too. Most women would be satisfied with such a match through arranged introductions.

No wonder Chang Ying thought Bai Zhenzhu was being unreasonable.

But Comrade Bai Zhenzhu was indeed slow to catch on.

Xia Xiaolan took back the documents and reviewed them, becoming more convinced of her suspicion:

“You’re celebrating too early. Young Gao won’t give up so easily.”

Zheng Feng, with his reconnaissance background, knew how to focus on key points when gathering information. Though his physical skills might not match Ge Jian’s, his abilities were more comprehensive!

Young Gao wasn’t casual about dating. With his seemingly flawless conditions, many people wanted to introduce him to potential matches, but he had declined them all. Bai Zhenzhu was the first matchmaking prospect he agreed to meet… And he immediately launched an intense pursuit. Why?

Bai Zhenzhu thought of the tall and slim Gao Huabin, asking herself: if she didn’t like someone like him, what type did she like?

…Perhaps she just didn’t like men!

As Xiaolan said, staying single was a personal choice, and more people would make this choice in the future.

She wasn’t abnormal.

Sigh, if grandmother hadn’t suddenly fallen, she’d still be on Qiong Island, sparring with Pan Third Brother whenever she wanted – what a flavorful life that would have been!

But the grandmother didn’t choose to fall, and she blamed herself for not insisting on hiring a caretaker earlier.

True to her word, Bai Zhenzhu stayed away from the hospital while Gao Huabin was there.

Her grandmother’s condition was being reported to her by two caretakers anyway. After several peaceful days, her sister-in-law Chang Ying came to find her in Pengcheng.

Bai Zhenzhu still lived in the single-story house she had arranged for her grandmother.

Though she had a rough personality and didn’t care much for luxury, she wanted Grandmother Bai to live comfortably. The house had been extensively renovated, specifically designed by ‘Yuan Hui’, decorated with quality materials, and equipped with all new appliances.

Put simply, any household appliance available on the market could be found in Bai Zhenzhu’s house.

Although Grandmother Bai would occasionally unplug the refrigerator to save electricity, she couldn’t deny that living in this modern single-story house with its courtyard was truly comfortable!

Chang Ying sat on the large leather sofa, thinking her sister-in-law was indeed extravagant with money.

Bai Zhenzhu poured her tea, then remembered something and dragged out a box from the room:

“Sister-in-law, I had some clothes brought for Xiaobao. Since you’re here, you can take them back.”

What Bai Zhenzhu called “some clothes” was an entire box.

Chang Ying’s son Xiaobao was just learning to speak, and could say “Mama” but not yet “Auntie.” Though Bai Zhenzhu was busy with business and didn’t often have time to see her nephew, she never came empty-handed when she did visit. All the food, clothes, and supplies were bought from Hong Kong – high-end baby products.

Including this box of clothes, all were premium items from Hong Kong shopping centers.

Chang Ying had come to give money to Bai Zhenzhu, but before she could do so, she received a box of clothes. How could she feel comfortable about this?

“Zhenzhu, you’re always buying things for Xiaobao. It shows your love as an aunt, but you work hard for your money too, so you should save more. I know compared to what you earn, spending on Xiaobao might not be much, but Xiaobao has me and your brother to provide for him. You should save your money for your own future family.”

Here we go again.

This was why she couldn’t get angry with her sister-in-law Chang Ying.

Chang Ying wasn’t a bad person and had no intention of taking advantage of her money.

They were just on different wavelengths, making communication extremely difficult!