Zhou Luming rubbed his forehead. "You mean you want me to use my femininity on him?"
Xu Yan glanced at the ice cream cone in Zhou Luming's hand and said, "Mmm." Xu Yi seemed like a good shield; using him to get close to Xu Lang and gain his favor was a shortcut.
Zhou Luming shoved the remaining ice cream cone into Xu Yan's hand, "Yes, sir."
Xu Yan looked at her back, then glanced at the ice cream cone in her hand, feeling a mix of emotions.
Watching from afar, Zhou Luming deliberately walked past Xu Yi, intentionally spilling the wine glass he was holding. Then the two apologized to each other and chatted with smiles. Everything went smoothly.
Xu Yi wasn't exactly handsome; his features were rather ordinary, and he possessed a scholarly air about him, quite unlike the纨绔 (wán kù, spoiled brat) Sun Ren. He seemed a little surprised by Zhou Luming's initiative to approach him, but he was still very honored and happy. Especially seeing the envious looks from others, Xu Yi naturally felt like a winner in life.
However, after a moment, Zhou Luming, with a stiff face, led Xu Yi to Xu Yan and Sun Ren.
Zhou Luming introduced, "Xu Yan, this is Xu Yi. He wants to see you." Xu Yan sent her to use her beauty to seduce Xu Yi, but unexpectedly, he wasn't interested in her at all and instead wanted to see Xu Yan. This hurt Zhou Luming deeply.
Xu Yan was also a little surprised.
Xu Yi glanced at Sun Ren, who was in the way, and thought he was getting in the way. Sun Ren wasn't so oblivious; he got up and left, giving up his seat.
Xu Yi sat down and greeted Xu Yan, saying, "I heard you're an estate administrator?"
Xu Yan nodded.
Xu Yi hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhou Luming, who was listening in.
Xu Yan said, "Ms. Zhou is now my assistant, but many people don't know that yet. Please keep it a secret, Mr. Xu." The implication was that Zhou Luming could continue to listen in.
Xu Yi finally spoke up, "I have a family matter involving inheritance, and I hope Ms. Xu can give me some advice."
It turns out that Xu Yi's father, Xu Lang, recently wanted to marry a young woman and give her a portion of his assets. Xu Yi's mother passed away ten years ago, and if this woman marries Xu Lang, she will become Xu Yi's stepmother.
Xu Yi was rather weak-willed and obeyed Xu Lang's arrangements in everything. He had no objection to Xu Lang marrying a stepmother, but Xu Lang made another request to him—he would only inherit the property if he married a satisfactory wife.
The so-called satisfactory wife is nothing more than someone who is a good match for him, like Zhou Luming. But Xu Yi met an ordinary girl with an ordinary family background, but Xu Yi liked her very much and wanted to marry her.
When Xu Lang heard about this, he was furious and demanded that Xu Yi break up with the girl. However, Xu Yi refused, so Xu Lang threatened to write a will to disinherit Xu Yi if they didn't break up.
Xu Yan listened patiently for a while, then interrupted Xu Yi before he could continue rambling on about the topic, asking, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Xu Yi was taken aback, then came to his senses and said, "If my father really wrote a will that prevents me from inheriting his property, will I really not get a single penny?"
Xu Yan said, "It's not absolute. You can request to have your mother's estate divided first."
Xu Yi's eyes lit up. "Then I won't become a pauper?"
Xu Yan said, "Not for the time being." She glanced at Zhou Luming, who was listening attentively with his ears perked up, "But Mr. Xu, I advise you not to make an enemy of your father, especially when you are unable to survive and cut off your own escape route by breaking with him. This is not a wise choice."
Xu Yi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Thank you for your answer, and thank you for the introduction, Miss Zhou. I'll take my leave now."
Zhou Luming asked Xu Yan, "Are you really going to help him?"
Xu Yan shook his head, "I was just analyzing objectively based on facts and the law, without favoring anyone."
“Xu Yi has someone else he loves. He won’t accept Xu Lang’s arrangement to pursue me. Our attempt to get close to Xu Lang through him is futile. So how can we get close to Xu Lang?”
"Xu Yi has just given us a way to get close to Xu Lang. If we help Xu Lang solve this problem, I believe Xu Lang will change his opinion of you."
Chapter 51
===================
The girl Xu Yi had his eye on was named Lin Shuwan. She was a recent college graduate, 21 years old, and had a cute and charming appearance. She had sweet dimples on both sides of her cheeks when she smiled, liked to wear floral dresses, had an oval face, and was not tall, giving her a petite and charming look.
Xu Yi met her at a company party, but she didn't seem to recognize this young master. Just as Xu Yi was about to get some fresh air from the suffocating atmosphere, she came out for some reason and offered him a cigarette.
Xu Yi and she sat on a bench in the garden of the garden restaurant, and he was surprised that such a well-behaved girl would smoke.
Lin Shuwan has deep dimples. She told Xu Yi that she didn't want to get involved in these social interactions, but as a new employee, she had to pretend to fit in. Who wouldn't want to go home and relax on a Friday night? For her, team-building dinners at night were a burden rather than a perk.
The girl probably mistook him for a new employee, and Xu Yi didn't reveal his identity. Although he came from a wealthy family, he had always been well-behaved and followed the path his father had laid out for him. After barely finishing his university studies, his father arranged for him to work at this subsidiary company.
This was the first time a girl had offered him a cigarette, and also the first time he had ever smoked.
After taking a drag, Xu Yi coughed violently, choking on his breath. Lin Shuwan laughed, patted his back to help him catch his breath, and then asked him if this was his first time smoking.
Xu Yi felt the tender care from the girl and clearly felt the warmth of the palm patting his back.
What a wonderful girl, what a warm feeling.
Xu Yi still reminisces about the long-lost tenderness that the gentle girl gave him that night.
So when his father, Xu Lang, asked him to attend the banquet at the Zhou family's old mansion so he could get closer to Zhou Luming, he felt extremely resistant. He had been obedient his whole life, and this was the first time he wanted to disobey his father's arrangements for a girl. However, Lin Shuwan, who had become his girlfriend, told him that his parents had raised him for over twenty years, and he shouldn't have a direct conflict with them. Their relationship could take time; she could wait for Xu Yi's parents to accept her, and she would strive to become a better person so that Xu Yi's parents would agree to her becoming Xu Yi's daughter-in-law.
Lin Shuwan is indeed very outstanding. She has excellent academic performance and, after graduating, passed through layers of examinations to enter the subsidiary company that Xu Yi was in charge of. In fact, with her talent, she could have joined a larger and better group company, but she ultimately chose the one where Xu Yi worked. It is probably all an arrangement of fate.
Xu Yi felt that Lin Shuwan was an angel sent to him by God.
When he arrived at the Zhou family mansion with his own thoughts, he was somewhat surprised and amazed to see Zhou Luming surrounded by a group of men. Zhou Luming was different from the wealthy girls he had met before. Those girls always had an arrogant attitude, looking down on men who were poorer or weaker than them. Even those with good tempers, due to long-term pampering, would still have a bit of a spoiled princess's temper.
Although it was only a glance, Xu Yi had already categorized Zhou Luming into a different kind of "woman" in his mind. He had heard that Zhou Luming had lived abroad for many years and had only recently returned to China to inherit a huge fortune. He thought that perhaps because she hadn't grown up in such a luxurious environment, she didn't have that spoiled air about her.
He also heard that Zhou Luming had good grades, was a graduate of a prestigious foreign university, and was skilled in extreme sports, which was completely different from the rich girls in his circle.
He was truly amazed by Zhou Luming when he saw her in the Zhou family garden, but he wouldn't betray his girlfriend Lin Shuwan. After struggling with himself for a moment, he still took the initiative to walk towards Zhou Luming. Under the pretext of wanting to consult Xu Yan about inheritance, he hinted to Zhou Luming that he had no intention of pursuing her and that he had another girlfriend.
He hoped that Zhou Luming would give way to him so that he could explain things to his father smoothly.
However, what he never expected was that Xu Yan and Zhou Luming saw this as a completely different plan—to break up Xu Yi and Lin Shuwan, solve Xu Lang's biggest problem, and gain Xu Lang's support on the Zhou Group's board of directors.
Compared to their son, who has nothing, the father, who holds the key to wealth, is the target of both women.
After making eye contact with Xu Yan and understanding what he was thinking, Zhou Luming hesitated for a moment, "Xu Yan, isn't it going too far for us to scheme against such an innocent young couple?"
Xu Yan calmly said, "If they are determined to be together and understand each other's personalities and backgrounds, they won't break up because of a little setback. On the contrary, if either of them is not determined enough, they may break up at any time. We are just creating these external conditions, giving them a test, and also giving them a chance to choose again. I don't think we are going too far. After all, the choice is still in their own hands. When it comes to feelings, only the people involved can confirm it."
Zhou Luming seemed to be deep in thought. She had just met Xu Lang. Xu Lang was indeed a veteran in the business world who had worked hard for many years. Although he was getting on in years, his words revealed the shrewdness of a businessman.
After Zhou Luming revealed his idea to Xu Lang, Xu Lang simply told him to give it a try, but made no promises.
Zhou Luming had no choice but to return dejectedly and discuss with Xu Yan whether to continue the matter. Xu Yan said confidently, "How will we know if we don't try? I'm a man of action; I won't turn back until I hit a wall."
Zhou Luming rested his chin on his hand and looked at her meaningfully, "Why aren't you a man of action when you're with me?"
Xu Yan choked; Zhou Luming's provocative behavior was becoming increasingly blatant.
At this open-air party specifically held for Zhou Luming, many people were watching his every move, both openly and secretly. Seeing that the men who had been surrounding Zhou Luming had dispersed, his aunt, Zhou Jiayi, became a little anxious. She called her son, Sun Ren, over and asked Zhou Luming if he already had a boyfriend.
Sun Ren's mind was entirely focused on Xu Yan, and he paid no attention to Zhou Luming. However, he still managed a few stammering replies. From his observation, Zhou Luming was always by Xu Yan's side, interacting mostly with him, and no other men were seen with her. But today, she seemed to have chatted more with Xu Lang's son, Xu Yi, and the group seemed to have quite a bit to talk about.
Zhou Jiayi thought for a moment and asked her son to find a way to get close to Xu Yan. Getting close to Xu Yan would be the same as getting close to Zhou Luming, allowing him to keep track of his movements.
Sun Ren complained, "Mom, I was there when you attacked Zhou Luming. Do you think they're fools? They already consider me an enemy, and now you're sending me to get close to them. How am I supposed to do that?"
Zhou Jiayi said, "I was indeed a bit impulsive and thoughtless at the time, and I regret it very much now. But you know, your mom isn't the kind of person who goes to extremes. I didn't expect my subordinates to be so reckless. I was just thinking that if Zhou Luming got hurt a little, I could be nice to her and take care of her. I would feel very touched that she would trust and rely on me, and it would be easier to get some benefits from her in the future. I never expected things to turn out like this... But they didn't really believe it was you. You should perform well and change their opinion of you. You and they are the same age. Show them all the skills you usually have when you're out in nightclubs. I think you can do it."
Sun Ren raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying you sent me to infiltrate them?"
"Yes."
Sun Ren then said, "Then you need to be responsible for providing financial support." It was obvious he wanted money.
Zhou Jiayi complained irritably, "Money, money, money, always asking for money. How did I give birth to such a spendthrift? All you know is how to spend money like water. I don't know when you'll be able to earn some money so your old mother can have a break."
"So, are you going to give it to me or not? If not, I'm leaving—"
Zhou Jiayi had no choice but to give Sun Ren a credit card. "Spend it sparingly."
"Okay, thanks, Mom." Sun Ren gave Zhou Jiayi a quick, satisfying kiss on the cheek. Having secured the start-up capital, he could now openly pursue Xu Yan.
But as he turned around, he unexpectedly bumped into his aunt, Zhou Jiasang. Zhou Jiasang's face was cold. She glanced at Sun Ren, then brushed past him expressionlessly. The "Auntie" that Sun Ren was about to say was swallowed back down. To be honest, he was a little afraid of this aunt who was a doctor. He always felt that she exuded a chilling aura, as if she had walked out of a hospital morgue, making him feel cold all over.
Zhou Jiasang doesn't usually participate in these kinds of occasions, but this is Zhou Luming's first public appearance after all. Although the guests are limited to people in the entertainment industry, it would be inconsiderate if she didn't show up.
So Zhou Jiasang reluctantly appeared, but she stood quietly in the corner, like a wolf, silently scanning the guests present, drinking her wine without showing any signs of drunkenness.
Despite being one of the main figures in the Zhou family, Zhou Jiasang silently observed this false prosperity as if she were an outsider. Occasionally, when she saw Zhou Luming surrounded by men and treated like a star, she would reveal a mocking smile.
You are just a tool too.
They'll only keep you as a caged bird, and when the right customer comes along, they'll sell you off without hesitation.
For the next while, Zhou Luming and Xu Yan waited, hoping the person hiding behind the scenes would make a move, but to no avail. Xu Yan finally said, "It seems he's realized we're fishing; he won't make a move anymore."
Zhou Luming heard the band playing a melodious dance tune and was about to invite Xu Yan to dance when he heard a man invite him first.
In any situation, there is a proper order of arrival. Zhou Luming had no reason to refuse a man in such a setting, so he got up and glided into the center of the dance floor with him to dance a waltz.
Xu Yan was also invited by Sun Ren, but Xu Yan said, "I can't dance."
Sun Ren had no choice but to give up, and continued to sit with her with an awkward smile.
Xu Yan's gaze kept glancing towards the center of the dance floor. There were a few couples dancing quite well, but she only paid attention to the back of one person in the middle. The man's hand was initially placed politely on Zhou Luming's back as he chatted with Zhou Luming with a smile. The atmosphere between the two was good, but then the man's hand became restless and gradually slid down until it reached Zhou Luming's lower back.
Zhou Luming maintained a faint smile on his face, but suddenly stomped hard on his foot. The man who wanted to take advantage of her screamed and jumped on the spot, clutching his leg. He had been stomped on hard by Zhou Luming. The heel of the woman's high heel was like a wooden stick, heavily poking the man's instep. It must have hurt a lot.
Sun Ren turned around and saw Xu Yan's smile. She smiled very restrainedly, but even her eyes were curved.
She was very happy; her gaze fell upon Zhou Luming.
Chapter 52
===================
Since it was a "matchmaking banquet," Zhou Jiayi, the eldest aunt, wouldn't easily let go of the opportunity to control her niece's marriage. If one didn't work out, she would signal another to come forward. The men were naturally drawn to Zhou Luming, who had a good family background, was good-looking, and had a great figure. Zhou Luming adopted an attitude of "neither refusing nor agreeing." When someone offered a toast, she would take a small sip of wine. When someone invited someone to dance, she would dance with them for a short while. As long as the other party didn't go too far, she would give them face.
She knew Xu Yan's location and always maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far from her. When dancing, she would glance at Xu Yan out of the corner of her eye, and when sitting down for drinks nearby, she would wave to Xu Yan from afar.
The men around her didn't notice, but Xu Yan felt that Zhou Luming was flirting with her in public.
Previously, she had provided information about Zhou Luming's true sexual orientation, so it made sense for her to try and seduce him. But now that her identity has been revealed—she's not the real Zhou Luming, and there's no need for her to pretend to be a woman with a particular sexual orientation in front of him—she hasn't restrained herself at all; instead, she's become even more brazen.
Xu Yan frowned, his mind filled with a multitude of thoughts.
She wondered if she had acted strangely, leading to this misunderstanding. The woman before her was cunning and well-trained; she was a master at understanding people's hearts, speaking to people in one way and to people in another. She claimed to be cooperating with her, but she was blinded by greed and might have other ideas—for example, using her beauty to win her over.
Xu Yan tapped her slender fingers lightly on the transparent glass, lost in thought.
The small favor they had done for each other when they were children did not sway this woman's greed; they were still two people bound together by pure self-interest.
But--