Xia Xiaolan looked over and saw an unfamiliar foreign man, a head taller than Tang Hongen, with an equally commanding presence.

Behind Tang Hongen stood Ji Jiangyuan.

This foreign man appeared to be the reinforcement George had invited.

Even if this person wasn’t George’s accomplice, he might not be harmless. As for American billionaires, Xia Xiaolan was too far removed from their circle, and she didn’t have a Special Zone mayor for a father to make her worth scheming over.

Then again, the Du family was wealthy too, ranking quite high among Hong Kong’s elite. Du Zhaohui was dressed in designer brands from head to toe, yet Xia Xiaolan felt no reverence toward him.

It must be because he was both contemptible and short – with Xia Xiaolan in her high heels, she was at eye level with Du Zhaohui.

As many people gathered around Tang Hongen, Xia Xiaolan had no intention of drawing attention and didn’t approach to make conversation. Instead, she turned to Du Zhaohui and said:

“Young Master Du, whether you fire or keep Xia Dajun is none of my business. As the boss, you must have your reasons for hiring someone, and if you fire him, it must be because his work wasn’t satisfactory. You’re using this as a show of sincerity? Let’s be honest with each other – what exactly is it about me that bothers you so much that you can’t simply keep your distance?”

If Du Zhaohui pointed out what bothered him, Xia Xiaolan certainly wouldn’t change – she would just tell him not to look!

This question stumped Du Zhaohui.

What bothered him?

There wasn’t a single thing about her that didn’t bother him.

She looked delicate and gentle, yet her personality had none of a woman’s submissiveness.

Sometimes fiery, sometimes cunning.

Du Zhaohui was attracted to Xia Xiaolan’s beauty, but his survival instincts told him she was extremely dangerous.

Why couldn’t she just be gentle and coy like other women? With her looks, she could easily find a man to keep her, so why harbor such grand ambitions? Other women’s ambitions involved competing with other women for a man’s attention. Xia Xiaolan’s ambition was to compete with men in the business world.

Xia Xiaolan had another unforgivable fault – she consistently ignored him.

Her small company, building materials store, and several small clothing stores – if there were no other partners, all these assets combined could barely buy one of his cars.

So why was he constantly being looked down upon by a woman who had barely escaped poverty?!

Under the ballroom lights, Xia Xiaolan’s lightly powdered face was flawless. As her eyes met him, Du Zhaohui had a belly full of complaints, but looking at her, he opened and closed his mouth without uttering a single word.

Xia Xiaolan frowned.

This Du fellow was impulsive and whimsical – who had such leisure time to waste?

Perhaps in Hong Kong, Du Zhaohui was already assured of winning the family inheritance.

Xia Xiaolan had no time to waste with Du Zhaohui:

“Uncle, let’s head back.”

Tang Hongen’s appearance had just kicked off the reception.

Tang Hongen’s purpose in sending the invitation might have been for Liu Yong to meet some people, and now that the task was complete, Xia Xiaolan should withdraw.

Liu Yong looked around the room, “Alright, I’ll say goodbye to Secretary Peng.”

Xia Xiaolan naturally didn’t object, feeling deeply impressed that her uncle had always managed his social relationships without her worry. There was no need to squeeze through to Mayor Tang’s side; saying goodbye to Secretary Peng would suffice.

“I’ll come with you.”

What was the point of staying put? Xia Xiaolan and Du Zhaohui had nothing in common to discuss.

Once again left behind by the uncle and niece, Du Zhaohui stood holding his wine glass, his face dark.

Tang Yuanyue approached:

“Zhaohui, got pricked by the rose again? It’s strange, isn’t it? Miss Xia is cordial with everyone except you. There must be more between you two than just an acquaintance, right?”

Du Zhaohui sneered: “Don’t get jealous around me. Tonight’s prize catch is that foreigner next to Mayor Tang. Who knows his background? He was on the terrace with Xia Xiaolan for quite a while earlier.”

Xia Xiaolan’s moves were truly quick and precise.

Among all the guests, she had immediately caught the big fish.

Tang Yuanyue’s expression was unclear:

“Seems he’s from America. There wasn’t any news before, but tonight he suddenly appeared and Mayor Tang treated him as an honored guest. Looks like his investment in Pengcheng isn’t small.”

Foreign investors were more welcome than Hong Kong investors.

Hong Kong investors bought Hong Kong dollars, which had been depreciating and nearly collapsed.

Foreign investors brought US dollars, such a strong currency – US dollars were China’s favorite foreign exchange.

“Oh right, I forgot to tell you, Xia Xiaolan is also one of Mayor Tang’s favorite juniors. Her preferences might influence Mayor Tang. Conversely, Tang’s attitude toward foreign investors might also influence Xia Xiaolan. If you’re truly interested in her, perhaps you should investigate that American’s background!”

Who was this American?

Not only were Du Zhaohui and Tang Yuanyue curious, but all the guests were also curious.

Xia Xiaolan knew slightly more than others – he was invited by George and Ji Ya to invest in China. She hoped he wouldn’t be foolish enough to challenge Tang Hongen. Doing honest business in Pengcheng could benefit everyone; smart people wouldn’t become George’s weapon.

“Secretary Peng, is this Mr. Harold truly sincere about investing in Pengcheng?”

Secretary Peng lowered his voice, “How do you know Mr. Harold?”

“I don’t know him, Ji Jiangyuan just told me earlier.”

Secretary Peng felt things weren’t that simple.

The leader was naturally happy to see his son, but Ji Jiangyuan had arrived with the foreign investor, which puzzled Tang Hongen.

Was this showing closeness, or treating his father like a stranger?

Secretary Peng thought Xia Xiaolan might have the answer.

“Ji Jiangyuan is just doing part-time work, being a guide for the foreign investor. You can’t expect college students to find better part-time work, right?”

Nonsense, couldn’t college students do business too?

However, Secretary Peng did feel somewhat relieved. No matter how cunning Xia Xiaolan might be, she wouldn’t harm Tang Hongen’s interests – it wouldn’t benefit her at all:

“Mr. Harold Wilson has shown great investment interest. He’s focused on the undeveloped land around Xiangmi Lake Resort.”

“Wait, what did you say his name was?”

Secretary Peng was puzzled: “Harold Wilson. Foreigners have long strings of names, and I’m not clear about their middle names, but he introduced himself as Harold Wilson!”

Harold.

Wilson.

So they were both wrong, Harold Wilson was correct!

Xia Xiaolan connected all the earlier events, muttering:

“Secretary Peng, I was wrong. I’ve already met this foreign investor.”

Looking over, Harold raised his wine glass to her from afar, and reading his lips, he was clearly saying “Fate” to her.

— To hell with fate, so it was this person. No wonder he had Ji Jiangyuan running in circles!