Du Zhaoqi couldn’t help but look at Ye Xiaoqiong more carefully.

She appeared more striking than when she first joined the company.

Unlike other women who meticulously groomed themselves, when one took time to observe Ye Xiaoqiong quietly, she was quite elegant, matching well with her tranquil scholarly aura – yes, that’s what it was, scholarly aura. Du Zhaoqi had been slightly puzzled before about how Ye Xiaoqiong seemed different from other women in the company, and now he understood – she carried a scholarly air.

What a coincidence, others said the same about him.

His elder brother Du Zhaohui had a bandit’s air, thick with street wisdom.

He, however, had been a well-behaved student since childhood.

Du Zhaoqi didn’t feel he had any scholarly air himself – his female classmates abroad had been quite wild.

Some would act uninhibited abroad, and then pretend to be proper ladies upon returning to Hong Kong.

But Ye Xiaoqiong was like an old scholar who had stepped out of ancient texts, trying hard to adapt to this new world.

Seeing Ye Xiaoqiong’s nervous expression, Du Zhaoqi didn’t probe further.

Soon, the auction began.

Ye Xiaoqiong’s heart was in her throat – each bid increment was 5,000 Hong Kong dollars. The initial snuff bottle only went up to 40,000 Hong Kong dollars, but the atmosphere grew increasingly heated afterward.

The Kangxi imperial vase that Ye Xiaoqiong had initially chosen for Du Zhaoqi was bid up to 290,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Her heart pounded frantically.

Finally, it was time to auction that painting.

Starting at 120,000, several people competed with Du Zhaoqi.

Ye Xiaoqiong watched helplessly as the price soared from 120,000, passing 150,000, then exceeding 200,000… finally surpassing 300,000. Her heart was in her throat when Du Zhaoqi turned to ask:

“Is this painting worth buying?”

Ye Xiaoqiong nervously nodded.

Was Second Young Master thinking it was too expensive and planning to bid on something else?

Unexpectedly, Du Zhaoqi raised his paddle: “400,000!”

The auctioneer perked up: “400,000 once, 400,000 twice, any other bids? Alright, 400,000 third time… sold!”

Du Zhaoqi had won the painting.

Ye Xiaoqiong’s eyes grew moist.

Though she couldn’t reclaim the painting anytime soon, at least she had a goal to work toward. Why did she want to succeed? To avoid being bullied, to make those who had wronged her face karma, to reclaim everything she had lost, piece by piece.

This painting was just one of them!

Du Zhaoqi had planned to bid on two items, but after buying this painting, he didn’t purchase anything else.

As people were leaving, one of Du Zhaoqi’s bidding competitors approached:

“Second Young Master Du, you may know your ABCs, but do you understand how to appreciate such paintings and calligraphy?”

His tone was contemptuous toward Du Zhaoqi and the Du family, implying they were nouveau riche.

The auction staff had just handed over the painting, and Ye Xiaoqiong was holding the wooden box tightly. Seeing Second Young Master’s displeased expression, she felt grateful and knew she couldn’t let her boss lose face, both professionally and personally.

“Master Shizhou began as a craftsman, initially working as a lacquer painter, decorating buildings for others. After years of dedicated study, he mastered figure and landscape painting, with each work being meticulous and detailed…”

No one knew the painting better than Ye Xiaoqiong. She spoke eloquently, her voice measured and steady, making her narration a pleasure to listen to.

After Ye Xiaoqiong finished, the provocateur’s face darkened.

Du Zhaoqi sneered: “Did you understand that? If not, my secretary can explain it again. Understanding appreciation isn’t important – whoever has more money can buy it, wouldn’t you agree?”

Du Zhaoqi left triumphantly.

People said Second Young Master Du was gentle, but that depended on who he was dealing with.

Ye Xiaoqiong followed behind, clutching the box. Once in the car, Du Zhaoqi didn’t withhold praise:

“You performed well today.”

As he spoke, he reached forward and grabbed the price tag peeking out from Ye Xiaoqiong’s collar, pulling it off.

Ye Xiaoqiong’s face went pale.

It was over – without the tag, she couldn’t return the clothes!

Du Zhaoqi flicked his fingers: “The company will reimburse you for this outfit. Consider it a reward.”

Dressing too shabbily was embarrassing, but so was wearing clothes with tags still attached.

Ye Xiaoqiong lowered her head to thank her boss, her heart bleeding.

If only Second Young Master had given her the reward in cash instead of reimbursing the clothes.

Never mind, she shouldn’t be too greedy – she had already selfishly suggested Second Young Master buy the painting. Ye Xiaoqiong felt both joy and worry. 400,000 Hong Kong dollars – how many years would it take to save that much on her current salary?

So, she was still earning too little!

Ye Xiaoqiong occasionally heard from others in the secretarial office that Du Zhaoqi’s special assistants earned annual salaries.

Unfortunately, she had been with the company too briefly, and her education wasn’t sufficient… Ye Xiaoqiong clenched her fists secretly – she needed to work even harder.

The company’s clothing reimbursement had to go through finance.

Xia Ziyu learned of this but didn’t understand the full story. With her partial knowledge, she interpreted Ye Xiaoqiong and Du Zhaoqi’s relationship in a romantic light, driving herself crazy with speculation – this was true foolishness without self-awareness. If Du Zhaoqi’s relationship with Ye Xiaoqiong extended beyond work, why would he need to spend a mere outfit through the company? Could Second Young Master Du not afford one set of clothes?

Xia Ziyu wasn’t just executing Du Zhaohui’s plan.

If she could truly captivate Second Young Master Du, why would she need to be Du Zhaohui’s pawn?

“Do I have to wait until this year’s Spring Banquet?”

The Spring Banquet required attendance from the entire company, not just Du Zhaoqi, but also Du Chengrong who had rarely appeared lately.

Xia Ziyu grew anxious privately.

She decided to quietly observe why, among so many in the secretarial office, Du Zhaoqi particularly valued Ye Xiaoqiong.

Ye Xiaoqiong also had a mainland accent – she should be able to connect with her.

…

In Shenzhen.

Xia Xiaolan knew nothing of what was happening in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was far from Xia Xiaolan’s daily life. Although she had accepted Tang Yuanyue’s invitation, she wouldn’t go there for another month.

Once in Hong Kong, besides doing interior design for Tang Yuanyue, perhaps she could figure out how to exchange her money for US dollars to take it abroad, or whether she could register a company in Hong Kong.

Saturday noon, Tang Hongen invited Liu Yong to lunch.

At the table, he dropped the bombshell that he and Liu Fen had registered their marriage. Liu Yong was immediately stunned.

Li Fengmei kicked him hard under the table.

This foolish man still dared to show displeasure – was he stupid? Wasn’t it wonderful that Ah Fen and Mayor Tang had come together?

The ultimate goal of dating was marriage; it would have been a shame if they had dated for a while and then separated.

Liu Yong came to his senses and raised his glass to toast Tang Hongen:

“Take good care of Ah Fen from now on!”

At the table, Tang Hongen was very considerate toward Liu Fen, and Liu Yong seemed to accept the reality.

After everyone finished eating, he quietly pulled Xia Xiaolan aside: “Xiaolan, isn’t your mother continuing her clothing business in Beijing?”

“Of course, she’ll continue. Uncle Tang said to maintain the pre-marriage situation for now, my mother doesn’t need to come live in Shenzhen.”

Liu Yong sighed in relief:

“That’s good. Relying on others isn’t as good as relying on yourself. Having money yourself is better than depending on someone with power.”

This was exactly what Liu Yong thought, and he said it to Xia Xiaolan.

Since Liu Fen had kept her business separate, Xia Xiaolan shouldn’t be foolish enough to transfer her business to her in-laws’ name after marriage!

The original small business no longer existed, but Beijing’s ‘Blue Phoenix’ was developing well, and Xia Xiaolan’s Qihang was making money… women were prone to letting emotions guide their decisions – Liu Yong worried endlessly about Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan.