Chapter 53: Birthday Party

Wu Ziyu chuckled, “Then you’ll be shocked when you see her.”

 He was almost shocked when he saw Ling Yao. The change was like a complete transformation.

“I’m not like you, always jumping to conclusions. Even if she really changes a lot, it has nothing to do with me.

Why would I be shocked?” Jiang Jianfei winked at Lu Qingyun with a mischievous smile, “Brother Lu, right?”

He only met Ling Yao once. He only went to see her because of Brother Lu. To him, Ling Yao was just a stranger.

Lu Qingyun ignored Jiang Jianfei. He came to Yuncheng to attend Wu Ziyu’s birthday party, but he also had another important purpose: to see Ling Yao.

Since he parted ways with Ling Yao, her figure had always been in his mind. He had called the village where Ling Yao lived many times, but the people who answered told him that there was no one named Ling Yao in their village.

At the time, he thought he had dialed the wrong number and re-dialed, but the answer was still the same.

 He had no choice but to call his cousin and ask him to help find Ling Yao. Only then did he learn that Ling Yao had moved.

He knew he had fallen for Ling Yao. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be thinking about her all the time.

“Cousin, what are you thinking about?”

Lu Qingyun came to his senses and shook his head. He picked up his glass and took a large gulp. Ling Yao probably didn’t like him.

Otherwise, why hadn’t she called him once in all this time? So this is what unrequited love feels like.

Wu Ziyu and Jiang Jianfei exchanged glances, both with puzzled expressions.

The three of them left the private room, slightly tipsy, just as the restaurant was about to close.

As they walked to the door, Jiang Jianfei saw Zhao Kun coming out of the private room opposite, “Director Zhao, long time no see!”

Zhao Kun recognized Jiang Jianfei too. He walked forward and shook hands with him, “Director Jiang, what a coincidence. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

He had made an appointment with Jiang Jianfei to sign a contract last time.

 But Jiang Jianfei had something to do that day, so he sent another person from his factory to sign the contract with him.

Now, their two factories were cooperating very happily.

Jiang Jianfei thought about how he had stood him up that time and apologized, “I’m sorry about that. I had something urgent to take care of.”

Zhao Kun smiled and waved his hand, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Director Jiang doesn’t need to worry about it.”

The two chatted for a while before parting ways.

In the car, Wu Ziyu turned to ask Jiang Jianfei, “Was that Zhao Kun from Longteng Pharmaceutical?”

Zhao Kun was a famous figure in Yuncheng now. Their factory’s Golden Wine was known to everyone. Even his grandfather drank it.

But he had to admit that the wine really worked. His grandfather’s health had improved a lot since he started drinking it.

Jiang Jianfei nodded, “Zhao Kun is a capable person. His factory was on the verge of bankruptcy before.

 But in just a few months, he turned things around. He brought Longteng Pharmaceutical back from the brink of collapse.

Now, it’s become the leading company in Yuncheng.” He admired Zhao Kun very much.

Lu Qingyun also remembered where he had seen Zhao Kun. When he passed by a bridge in Yuncheng, the person who was standing on the bridge trying to commit suicide was Zhao Kun.

 At the time, it was Ling Yao who saved him. He couldn’t believe that in just a few months, Zhao Kun had changed so much.

“I also invited Zhao Kun to my birthday party this time.” Wu Ziyu said.

Actually, his birthday party was just a pretense. His real goal was to use this opportunity to establish connections with bigwigs from all walks of life, to increase mutual understanding and trust.

 In today’s society, relationships and connections are one of the most important resources.

After school, Ling Yao went to the cultural market. After much deliberation, she decided to give Wu Ziyu a painting.

She walked into the cultural market, and the stalls were filled with a dazzling array of goods.

There were stalls selling antiques, paintings, strange rocks, and root carvings…

Ling Yao strolled through the market, her eyes scanning the stalls on both sides.

A peony painting, the flowers blooming vividly, as if she could smell their fragrance.

Then, she saw a landscape painting. The mountains were rolling and majestic, as if she could hear the sound of flowing water. But this wasn’t what she wanted.

She walked for a long time, and finally, a painting caught her attention.

Ling Yao walked forward and carefully examined the painting. A bamboo plant grew beside a rock, with orchids growing in the crevices of the rock.

 Three bamboo stalks grew in the front right.

The old bamboo was strong and sturdy, while the young bamboo was delicate and graceful.

 Each had its own unique charm. The painting was full of life and spirit, even though it was just a few strokes of freehand brushwork.

The spirit, form, and rhythm of the bamboo were expressed perfectly.

The characters beside it were dignified and grand, with flowing and natural strokes.

She thought this painting would be a perfect birthday present for Wu Ziyu, so she decided to buy it.

“How much is this painting?” Ling Yao asked the vendor.

The vendor looked at her, “One thousand yuan. No bargaining.”

“Can I take a closer look?”

“No. This painting is very precious. What if you break it and don’t buy it? You can either look at it like this, or you can pay for it and then look at it.”

Ling Yao didn’t want to argue with the vendor. She leaned in for a closer look, then took out one thousand yuan and handed it to the vendor, “I’ll take this painting.”

The vendor was stunned. He wasn’t sure if he heard correctly. He took the money, “Are you sure you want to buy it?” This was a whole thousand yuan.

“I gave you the money.” Ling Yao reached out to take the painting and rolled it up.

This painting was a genuine work. Its price was far more than one thousand yuan.

Soon, it was the day of the birthday party. Ling Yao changed into the blue dress and small leather shoes she had bought at the department store and went out.

The birthday party Wu’s family was holding was very grand. The banquet hall was filled with elegant clothes and beautiful people, clinking glasses and chatting merrily.

Lu Qingyun didn’t like crowds. He sat in a corner, talking quietly with Jiang Jianfei.

Wu Ziyu, as the protagonist of the day, naturally followed Old Master Wu and greeted people everywhere.

Wu Xin stood at the door, stretching her neck and looking around, waiting for Ling Yao to arrive.

When she saw Ling Yao walking towards them from afar, a bright smile bloomed on Wu Xin’s face. She waved enthusiastically to Ling Yao, “Ling Yao.”

Ling Yao smiled back and quickened her pace, walking to Wu Xin, “Sorry! I’m late.” When she got to the bus stop, she just missed a bus.

“It’s okay. Let’s go in.”

Wu Xin took Ling Yao’s arm and walked with her towards the banquet hall, “My cousin invited many big shots this time.

Also, a few of my cousin’s friends. They’re so handsome.

Especially my cousin’s cousin. His face is even better-looking than those movie stars.”

Thinking of Lu Qingyun’s sharp-angled face, Wu Xin couldn’t help but be smitten.