Gu Yuan instructed the servants to bring out Hennessy, a foreign liquor, instead of domestic wine. Upon seeing this, Shangguan Mingyue couldn't help but smile, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She had known Zhou Xuan for so long and had gotten to know him quite well. Back then, she had thought the same thing as Gu Ailin: that Zhou Xuan was just putting on an act, and that his only purpose was to get her attention.
But in the end, she realized that she had overestimated herself, and Zhou Xuan really didn't take her seriously! For the first time, Shangguan Mingyue doubted her own appearance and confidence. She was no longer as proud as before, and seemed to have become a different person.
This also made Gu Ailin, Shangguan Mingyue's childhood friend, begin to doubt. Was this still the proud Shangguan Mingyue she knew? Gu Yuan took the Hennessy from the maid, opened the lid and poured several glasses in turn. He gave one to his grandfather Gu Jiangang, the second to Zhou Xuan, then to his second uncle Gu Zhonghuai, then to Shangguan Mingyue, his sister Gu Ailin, and finally to himself.
After pouring the wine, Gu Yuan first picked up his small wine glass and said to Zhou Xuan with a grin, "Brother Zhou, let's celebrate our acquaintance with a toast!" Zhou Xuan didn't say much, picked up his glass and clinked it with Gu Yuan's, then said to Gu Jiangang, "Old Gu, I got drunk yesterday, so let's make up for it today. I wish you a long and healthy life, boundless happiness and prosperity!" Zhou Xuan's purely mainland-style toast made Gu Jiangang chuckle. He also picked up his glass and clinked it with Zhou Xuan's, then said, "Little Zhou, let's skip the formalities and have a drink!" The moment they clashed glasses, Shangguan Mingyue's pretty eyes were fixed on Zhou Xuan. She watched as Zhou Xuan poured the wine into his mouth, his throat bobbed, and he clearly swallowed it.
In fact, Zhou Xuan used his icy energy to transform and swallow it the instant it entered his throat.
After finishing one cup, the servants brought out a series of exquisite dishes. Zhou Xuan had no idea that Gu Zhonghuai had paid a high price to have the most famous star chef in Hong Kong prepare this meal.
While they ate and drank, Gu Yuan urged them to have a few more drinks. He preferred foreign liquor, while Gu Jiangang preferred Chinese liquor. The bottle was empty in no time, even though the six of them shared it. Gu Ailin and Shangguan Mingyue didn't refuse or decline, drinking each glass in one gulp. They were at home, so what was there to worry about? Gu Jiangang didn't like foreign liquor, so he turned to the servants and ordered, "Bring me my 31-year-old Moutai and 30-year-old Wuliangye!" After drinking a bottle of foreign liquor, everyone except Zhou Xuan had a flushed face, though not drunk, the alcohol was definitely on their skin.
Shangguan Mingyue was still wondering if Zhou Xuan could really drink foreign liquor but not domestic baijiu? Or did he really know magic? Gu Jiangang was also somewhat surprised. Last night, when Zhou Xuan had only drunk the first two small glasses, he was clearly quite drunk. How come he had drunk several glasses now, and the total amount was no less than last night's, yet he didn't seem drunk at all? Was Zhou Xuan faking it last night? Gu Jiangang had his doubts, but he didn't think so. Although he had only known Zhou Xuan for less than a day and hadn't spoken much, he knew that Zhou Xuan would never be such a pretentious person. He was straightforward, and there was absolutely no conflict of interest between them. From any perspective, Zhou Xuan would not be a greedy person. He had more confidence in saying that than anyone else present.
Gu Yuan was still pouring his foreign liquor. Shangguan Mingyue secretly estimated that Gu Yuan's two bottles of foreign liquor were probably not enough. Last time, Zhou Xuan had drunk a full twenty bottles for her! However, Shangguan Mingyue still did not believe that Zhou Xuan had actually drunk all that foreign liquor. She just couldn't find any flaws, so she was keeping a close eye on Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan didn't pay attention to these things. Aside from suspicion, it was impossible for others to find his methods and flaws. His ice energy was invisible, and only someone with the same ice energy ability could detect it. Although Zhou Xuan couldn't be sure that there was no one else in the world with the same ability, he hadn't seen anyone with the same ability until now.
During this trip to Hong Kong, thanks to Gu Yuanhua and Jianxing, I met Ma Shu, a man with supernatural abilities. Although he was far inferior to me, he was still a remarkable person. However, since he was associating with a scoundrel like Zhuang Zhixian, he was destined to meet a bad end.
The servants brought over two bottles of 30-year-old Wuliangye and Moutai. They opened the Wuliangye first and then poured a glass for everyone.
Gu Jiangang raised his glass to Zhou Xuan and said, "Little Zhou, come on, bottoms up! I still think our liquor is strong and flavorful enough, and it's very enjoyable to drink!" With Zhou Xuan present, Gu Jiangang didn't directly call the foreign liquor "horse piss" this time. Back home, whenever Gu Yuan brought out foreign liquor, Gu Jiangang would call it "horse piss!" Zhou Xuan still picked up his glass and drank it down. At this moment, Gu Jiangang was really puzzled. Mixing Chinese and foreign liquor like this would make it even easier to get drunk. Judging from Zhou Xuan's drinking capacity last night, he had probably drunk even more today than last night. But Zhou Xuan was not only not drunk, but he didn't even feel the effects of alcohol. Apart from him, everyone else was sweating and their faces were flushed. Although they weren't drunk, their faces were flushed.
Shangguan Mingyue was now certain that Zhou Xuan wasn't incapable of drinking foreign liquor but rather of domestic baijiu; he had simply used his magic trick again! Zhou Xuan was secretly regretting the loss of these expensive treasures. Transforming and devouring them himself would bring him no benefit whatsoever; it would be no different than simply swallowing the money.
After drinking the wine, Gu Jiangang, his face flushed, said to Gu Yuan, "You brat, confess! What good deeds have you been up to these past few days?" Gu Yuan was taken aback, and after a moment of hesitation, he replied, "Grandpa, what did I do? I've been behaving myself and haven't done anything wrong!" "Hmph, with Brother Zhou here today, I won't punish you!" Gu Jiangang snorted. "Zhuang Zhixian had Vice President Liu of the Business Association come and talk to your second uncle, saying that you conspired with others to embezzle one billion Hong Kong dollars from him. What do you have to say about this?" Gu Yuan's face turned bright red, and after a moment of panic, he managed to stammer, "That dog Zhuang Zhixian... dog..." He managed to swallow the curse word.
"This bastard can even turn the tables on me! I...I..." Gu Yuan blushed, still afraid that her grandfather would find out the truth, and began to stammer.
Gu Jiangang's face darkened, and he shouted, "Tell me the truth! Do you think I'm an old man who's blind? You embezzled four hundred million yuan of the company's cash! You're incredibly audacious!" Gu Yuan's face turned pale instantly. Although she hadn't lost the money, she had still secretly embezzled it behind her family's back. Moreover, it was gambling; if she had really lost, she would have committed a huge disaster! But Gu Jiangang, with a dark face, continued, "Gu Yuan, tell me everything honestly. There are no outsiders here today, so I won't blame you if you tell me!" Gu Jiangang's words truly showed that he didn't consider Zhou Xuan an outsider. Besides him, the only outsider present was Shangguan Mingyue, but she was from a prominent family with the Gu family, so it was plausible that she wasn't an outsider.
Gu Yuan knew that the situation could not be concealed any longer. The old man had said so, so he must know everything clearly. It was better to be honest, so he stammered out the whole story.
"You bastard!" Gu Jiangang cursed, but the murderous expression on his face was gone. "I think if it weren't for Brother Zhou, you would have gotten into a lot of trouble!" Gu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his grandfather's expression.
Gu Jiangang continued, "After the old man of the Zhuang family passed away, the father and son are ruthless, but they are both ruthless guys who will do anything for profit. People like them may be powerful for a while, but in the end they will be isolated and helpless because they have offended too many people. Hmph, the Zhuang family may be powerful, but our Gu family is not afraid!"
Volume 1, Chapter 301: Shangguan Mingyue's Tears
Gu Yuan was scolded by his father, but at the end the topic changed, seemingly indicating that his father didn't intend to punish him. However, he had ultimately made a serious mistake and felt uneasy. ()
Gu Jiangang knew perfectly well what was going on. He glared at Gu Yuan. As elders, they all felt disappointed in their children and grandchildren. If a child steals a needle, he will steal gold when he grows up. Besides, Gu Yuan was no longer a child. And what he stole was not just ten or eight yuan. Last month, he embezzled more than 100 million yuan in cash, and the day before yesterday, he was even more serious. He actually embezzled 400 million yuan in cash!
If something goes wrong with this cash, it will cause some trouble. What angered Gu Jiangang was that, based on what he knew, all the cash that Gu Yuan embezzled was gambled away, and it was no exaggeration to say that all of this money would be lost. The first hundred million or so had already been lost, and if it weren't for the extraordinary person Zhou Xuan's help, the large sums that followed would have been lost as well.
"Grandpa, I won't dare to do it again, I promise I won't!" Gu Yuan blushed and quickly admitted her mistake to Gu Jiangang. "I was wrong the first time, but the second time, with the help of Young Master Wei and Mr. Zhou, I made up my mind. It was also because of Zhuang Zhixian. Grandpa, if he had won against me by sheer luck, I would have accepted it. But he didn't. This has been confirmed by Mr. Zhou!"
Gu Jiangang laughed and scolded, "If you do it again, I'll revoke your inheritance rights and give you five thousand yuan a month for living expenses, so you can gamble as much as you want!"
Gu Yuan was startled. This was not a good thing. If he ran out of money, what use would five thousand yuan a month be? It wouldn't even cover the utilities for the house, the management fees would be tens of thousands, not to mention the car fuel costs and food expenses. Even if he were to behave himself and not spend money recklessly, he would need at least two hundred thousand yuan a month to barely make ends meet. Five thousand was like begging for him. He might as well be dead!
"Grandpa, Grandpa, I promise, I promise, I will never make the same mistake again!" Gu Yuan raised his hand to swear, disregarding the presence of Shangguan Mingyue and Zhou Xuan, two outsiders, present.
In fact, Shangguan Mingyue comes from a prestigious family, so it doesn't matter to her; she's seen these kinds of things before. But Zhou Xuan is different. However, Gu Yuan has thought it through very clearly. The reason why Gu Jiangang wasn't too strict with him was because of Zhou Xuan. It was Zhou Xuan who completely resolved this matter. Now, the Gu family, with Gu Jiangang at the helm, is focused on winning Zhou Xuan over. Naturally, Gu Jiangang will not punish Gu Yuan out of respect for Zhou Xuan.
Gu Ailin, however, was unconcerned and chuckled, "Brother, you only promised not to make the same mistake again, so you mean you'll find another kind of mistake to make?"
"Get out of the way, what nonsense are you spouting?" Gu Yuan raised her hand, threateningly, though of course she didn't dare to actually hit her. Gu Ailin was right, but how could she pick a fight at this time? Wasn't that just adding fuel to the fire?
How could a rich young master like Gu Yuan not make mistakes? It would be abnormal if he didn't. It's enough if he didn't make such a serious mistake as this time. For people like them, eating, drinking, gambling and whoring are life. Without these things, life would be meaningless.
Gu Ailin screamed immediately when Gu Yuanyang slapped her: "Grandpa, Second Uncle, my brother hit me! He hit me!"
"You..." Gu Yuan's face turned red. This Gu Ailin was already lying on the ground howling before the stick even hit her. Besides, how could she dare to actually slap her?
Gu Jiangang laughed and scolded, "You're really shameless and have no manners. Luckily, Xiao Zhou doesn't treat us like outsiders!"
Gu Ailin secretly glanced at Zhou Xuan, but Zhou Xuan didn't even look at her, acting as if she didn't exist. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, but she didn't dare to do anything more. Yesterday, she had been slapped by her grandfather, who never hit her. He had called her over again last night and nagged her for a while. Although he never said who Zhou Xuan was, his words implied that he was someone she absolutely couldn't mess with.
Although Gu Ailin still had doubts, she no longer dared to object to her grandfather's words. She had also heard Shangguan Mingyue say before that she should never provoke Zhou Xuan, otherwise it would bring trouble to the Gu family. Since Shangguan Mingyue's words were vague, she didn't really believe it. Also, because she had been spoiled since childhood, she only knew the pain when she ran into a nail or a thorn.
Zhou Xuan smiled, said nothing, and downed his drink in one gulp.
Gu Ailin glanced at Zhou Xuan, then secretly looked at Shangguan Mingyue. She saw that Shangguan Mingyue's eyes never left Zhou Xuan, and her expression was bitter. This was not the proud Shangguan Mingyue that Gu Ailin knew and was familiar with!
Shangguan Mingyue also drank one cup after another, her pretty face as red as an apple, her eyes glowing with the effects of the alcohol, but her expression became increasingly sorrowful.
Gu Ailin had also drunk quite a bit. Her initial restraint had been emboldened by the alcohol, and she raised her glass to Shangguan Mingyue, saying, "Mingyue, come, let's have a drink alone. I wish you find your Mr. Right soon!"
Who knew that Gu Ailin's mention of it would have been better? The moment she brought it up, Shangguan Mingyue, without a word, picked up her wine glass and downed it in one gulp, her eyes reddening slightly. Ruyi? What Ruyi?! He's getting married! She, a beautiful and proud princess, had finally found someone she liked after all that choosing, but he didn't like her back. Not only did he not like her, he didn't care about her at all. And then there's Yingying…
Thinking of Yingying, Shangguan Mingyue couldn't help but shed tears. Of course, she was also a little drunk; otherwise, she would have been able to control herself in such a situation.
Fu Ying is prettier than Shangguan Mingyue, and Shangguan Mingyue has also found out Fu Ying's identity. Fu Ying is also richer than her. Although Zhou Xuan is definitely not after her identity and family fortune, Fu Ying is worse than her in every aspect. Even the usually proud Shangguan Mingyue can't help but feel ashamed and inferior to Fu Ying. But her heart is now entangled with Zhou Xuan.
That's how girls are, especially outstanding girls. Unless they don't like someone, if they truly fall in love with someone, they will be devoted to them and do anything about it.
What saddened Shangguan Mingyue was that no matter how much she disregarded everything, Zhou Xuan would never like her. What was the use of her one-sided affection? She finally understood how painful unrequited love could be!
When Gu Ailin saw Shangguan Mingyue drinking alone and crying, she panicked and quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears.
When Gu Jiangang saw this scene, he was a little confused. It turned out that he wanted to match Zhou Xuan and Shangguan Mingyue. Now it seemed that his idea was not wrong. Shangguan Mingyue herself seemed to like Zhou Xuan, right? But Zhou Xuan had also clearly answered him.
It seems that Gu Jiangang is too old to understand these matters of love and romance, and he can't help with them. He has always believed that money can accomplish many great things and fulfill many people's dreams, but today, facing Zhou Xuan, Gu Jiangang feels that money has lost its due effect for the first time.
Shangguan Mingyue's relationship problems were obvious. She was drinking alone, her eyes fixed on Zhou Xuan, tears streaming down her face. Her appearance surprised Gu Ailin and her uncle and nephew Gu Yuan and Gu Zhonghuai. In their eyes, Shangguan Mingyue had always been strong and independent, and would never be weak for a man. They couldn't even remember how many truly capable and talented men had fallen for her. They had never seen her treat anyone kindly, let alone shed tears for a man!