Chapter 12

◎Wealthy Family◎

That evening, at the bar, Liao Yazhe held a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other while discussing the events of the afternoon with Feng Xueming. “If I had the guts, I wouldn’t even dare to think it. At her age, with that high school diploma from Mainland China, how could she have this kind of ability? I had my dad take a look, and he agrees with Fan Qi’s perspective—large funds are buying at the bottom.”

“Is she really that impressive?” Feng Xueming asked incredulously. “Then why did she make movies before?”

“Who knows? If I hadn’t seen her movies and confirmed she’s from the Mainland, I would’ve almost suspected she was the daughter of a prominent family from Southeast Asia,” Liao Yazhe took a sip of his drink. “This morning, I saw her reading an English magazine. When I talked to her about the article, she not only explained its content but also analyzed the South American debt crisis from her own perspective. She even asked for English versions of the materials on the stockbroker exam.”

“Very few people from the Mainland are good at English,” Feng Xueming leaned back on the sofa, sipping his drink. “Listening to you, do you think when she came to sign the contract with me, she wasn’t trying to catch my attention on purpose?”

Liao Yazhe gazed up at the colorful lights. “I guess she just didn’t want any money beyond a reasonable fee. In just a few days, she passed all three subjects. I still think she’s being too ambitious.”

“Now you’re making her sound even more mysterious, and I’m getting more interested,” Feng Xueming remembered the first time he met Fan Qi, and she had left an impression on him—simple, pure, natural, yet charming, exactly the kind of vibe he imagined from the brand “WO.”

“How should I know? But there’s one thing I’m sure of—my dad isn’t interested in her that way. He probably just wants to use her to generate some buzz, and she seems willing to cooperate. After today’s analysis, he seems to be impressed by her talent for stock trading.” Liao Yazhe then asked Feng Xueming, “Are you still going to continue with the three-week bet you made originally?”

Feng Xueming laughed. “Do you think I’m the type to back out of a bet?”

Liao Yazhe stretched and yawned. “It looks pretty difficult.”

“I told you, it’s not that hard. What’s the point of making a bet otherwise?”

Liao Yazhe turned his neck, looked in a certain direction, quickly sat down, and said to Feng Xueming, “Your fiancée and your cousin are here. By the way, I forgot to tell you, I upset your fiancée today.”

Feng Xueming turned to look and saw Xu Miao’er, dressed impeccably but with a sharp demeanor, and his pretty cousin, Liu Xueyi, looking around the bar.

Liao Yazhe imitated the conversation between Fan Qi and Xu Miao’er that morning. “She said Xu Miao’er is just a flashy Halloween pumpkin, so I helped her out a little.”

Feng Xueming laughed aloud as he listened, “She’s really humorous. But, Xu Miao’er’s blatant hostility towards someone she’s meeting for the first time is truly unbelievable. Not only did she make things awkward on the spot, but afterward, she used her connections with Changxing and the press to slander Fan Qi. I really can’t wrap my head around it. Looks like I’ll need to reconsider my engagement with her.”

“Would your grandfather approve?” Liao Yazhe asked.

“My uncle had a car accident and left only Xueyi. He kept me by his side and raised me, always wanting me to follow his path. But no one can outrun death. He got sick, and although the surgery went well, he’s not what he used to be.”

“True,” Liao Yazhe said, extinguishing his cigarette and sighing, “Heroes and beauties can’t escape growing old!”

“Cousin,” Liu Xueyi’s playful voice called out. Feng Xueming turned to see Xu Miao’er standing next to Liu Xueyi with a stern expression.

“Xueyi,” Liao Yazhe waved at them.

“Yazhe, you’re here too?” Liu Xueyi greeted him.

Liao Yazhe paused for a moment and smiled, “I’m just discussing your cousin’s plans for WO’s listing.”

This hit a sore spot with Xu Miao’er. Changxing and Yaohua were both stockbroker firms with new stock underwriting businesses. Since Feng Xueming and Xu Miao’er had an engagement, the business should logically go to Changxing, but Feng Xueming and Liao Yazhe had always been together. Now, Liao Yazhe was casually mentioning it?

Xu Miao’er looked at Feng Xueming, who was originally reclining on the sofa but now sat up, lowered his head, reached for the cigarette box on the table, took out a cigarette, placed it in his mouth, and lit it with a silver lighter. He took a drag and looked up, asking, “Xueyi, are you here to have fun too? Have you told Grandma?”

“I’m not here to have fun! Grandma asked me to bring Miao’er to find you,” Liu Xueyi replied, her voice still sweet.

“Find me for what?” Feng Xueming puffed out smoke, clearly asking just for the sake of asking.

Xu Miao’er’s face hardened, “I heard you’re asking that woman to film an advertisement?”

“What woman?” Feng Xueming raised an eyebrow, realizing this wasn’t just about questioning him about not dating.

“The one who starred in those adult films,” Xu Miao’er pressed. “Why would you want her to shoot an ad for WO?”

Feng Xueming let out a chuckle, “WO is my brand, and it’s nobody else’s business. Do I need to report to anyone if I hire someone for an advertisement?”

Xu Miao’er’s eyes turned red as she held back tears, “Feng Xueming, don’t go too far.”

“You should be the one saying that,” Feng Xueming shot back. “Don’t even talk about being my fiancée. Even if you were my wife, you shouldn’t interfere with my business decisions.”

Stung by his words, Xu Miao’er clenched her teeth and fell silent.

Liu Xueyi walked up beside Feng Xueming, “Cousin, what are you doing? There are so many actresses in Hong Kong; it’s easy to switch to another one.”

“Today you switch the actress, tomorrow the designer, and the day after you’ll be stuffing the company with acquaintances.”

Liao Yazhe noticed that Feng Xueming was subtly shifting the subject. Liu Xueyi, still young, thought her cousin’s words made sense, so she turned to Xu Miao’er, “Miao’er, cousin does have a point.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Miao’er quickly turned and ran out. Liu Xueyi chased after her, calling, “Miao’er!”

Xu Miao’er ignored her and drove off in a sports car without a second glance.

Liu Xueyi stamped her foot in frustration before storming back into the bar.

Inside, Liao Yazhe asked Feng Xueming, “Aren’t you going to chase after her?”

“Why bother? Should I just fuel her arrogance?” Feng Xueming took a drag from his cigarette. “I hope she’ll give up. Of course, if she doesn’t, then I hope she’ll at least be sensible.”

“Brother!” Liu Xueyi returned angrily, standing next to Feng Xueming. “Miao’er left because of you. You’d better think about how to explain this to Grandpa!”

Feng Xueming put out his cigarette and stood up. “Did you come here with her?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, I’ll take you home,” Feng Xueming said, casting a slight reproachful look at Liu Xueyi.

He turned to Liao Yazhe and said helplessly, “Well, that’s that. We’ll go out again in a couple of days?”

“Okay.”

Upon hearing her cousin’s words, Liu Xueyi felt a bit guilty. She lowered her head and followed Feng Xueming out.

Liao Yazhe watched the them leave. He couldn’t help but admit that Feng Xueming was indeed a charmer among women. He knew exactly what strategy to use on every type of woman, and which ones were easy for him to control.

But wait—there’s also Fan Qi. Liao Yazhe grinned, wondering if Feng Xueming would be able to win over Fan Qi as well.

Feng Xueming and his cousin got into the car. The 18-year-old girl pouted, “Cousin, Grandpa was really mad today. Didn’t I tell you to ask Miao’er out? You forgot again.”

Feng Xueming smiled softly as he drove, “Do you think I have such bad memory?”

“Did you do it on purpose?”

“What’s your point in staying around Xu Miao’er?” Feng Xueming laughed. “I’m not marrying her, so she has nothing to do with you. If I marry her, you’ll just be her sister-in-law, and there’s no reason for you to follow her around. She brought you here to find me but ended up ditching you. You’re not mad at her, but now you’re blaming me?”

“But..” Liu Xueyi was caught off guard by Feng Xueming’s reasoning, feeling that her cousin made a lot of sense.

The car climbed the mountain, and the contrast between the bustling city below and the sparse, luxurious villas above was stark. As they neared the entrance, the gate opened, and the car parked in the driveway.

Feng Xueming looked up at the building—a Scandinavian-style design from the 1930s or 40s. It was simple and natural yet meticulously crafted, with both the exterior architecture and garden design standing out. It was the inspiration behind his creation of WO.

As Feng Xueming and Liu Xueyi entered the house, they were greeted by dark wooden floors, intricate decorations, and a massive crystal chandelier—completely mimicking the grandeur of the Louvre. It left him feeling indifferent, much like how Xu Miao’er, with her delicate beauty, seemed to have been forcibly adorned with Chanel.

An elderly couple sat on the sofa. The old man was thin with sharp eyes, holding a pipe and smoking, while the old lady was plump and round.

“Grandfather, grandmother!”

The elderly lady stood up, “Where’s Miao’er?”

“She…” Liu Xueyi hesitated, “Sister found her brother and got angry, running off. I chased after her, but she wouldn’t listen to a word I said.”

“Tch…” The elderly lady frowned, turning to the old man, “This young lady from the Xu family has such a bad temper, getting angry over the smallest things.”

Feng Xueming shrugged helplessly, “She’s always like this.”

The old man looked at him seriously, “Come upstairs with me.”

“Alright.”

The grandfather and grandson went up to the second floor and into the study. Feng Xueming closed the door behind them and sat on the sofa, watching his grandfather. Since the old man had undergone surgery for kidney cancer, he still maintained his usual appearance, but his pale face was an obvious sign of his condition.

The old man looked at him, “You don’t like Xu Miao’er?”

“In our family, what’s there to like or dislike? It’s just that Xu Miao’er is too petty. She offends people with the slightest words. Do you think it’s a good idea to marry a woman like that, Grandfather?” Feng Xueming asked, looking directly at the old man.

“Being a little foolish isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If she’s too clever, can you control her?” The old man stood up, puffed on his pipe, and walked to the window. Pulling back the curtains, he gazed at the garden, the lights casting their glow over each stone, each plant. He sighed, “When you’re young, you’ll be attracted to women with charm, those who are on the same intellectual level as you, even your equal. But after living half your life, you’ll realize that a little dullness isn’t a bad thing.”

Feng Xueming looked out the window, sometimes feeling like his grandfather was disconnected from reality. The house had lost all its original design, with no trace of its former self, yet the exterior remained perfectly preserved, every brick and tile unchanged, except for the trees growing taller and the flowers blooming more densely.

This all stemmed from his first wife, the eldest daughter of the Chen family from Shanghai, who had designed this house herself when she moved to Hong Kong. Eventually, she left for Shanghai.

“Grandfather, I agree with you, but being dull is one thing, but being clueless is another, and that can be quite troublesome. Maybe we should cool her off for a while? At least she should learn to be obedient, don’t you think?” Feng Xueming said, using a Shanghai dialect for the word “clueless.”

Upon hearing his grandson’s dialect, the old man paused. Back when they first arrived in Hong Kong, nearly everyone among the local Chinese elite spoke fluent Shanghai dialect. Now, however, most people spoke Cantonese, and the old Shanghai accent was rarely heard.

He liked this grandson most of all, especially because he could speak such authentic Shanghai dialect in private.

“Grandfather, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. You should rest early.”

The old man nodded and gestured for him to leave.