68

As soon as Duan Baiting's plane landed, he immediately accepted an interview.

It was related to domestic finance. I had asked him out several times before, but he always found excuses to decline. But the other party was too persistent, so he could only nod in agreement.

Because I had a meeting to attend, I set aside two hours.

After the interview, he drove directly to the meeting place.

It has been a long time since I last saw my old friend. He settled in China after his marriage. Every time I return to the UK it is only for work.

Dale is of Chinese descent. Her father's generation immigrated to the UK and she was born here, but she occasionally returns to visit her ancestors and relatives.

It's just that I've been tied up with work in recent years and haven't been back for a long time.

The restaurant was booked in advance, and Dale joked with him: "Why didn't you bring your wife with you?"

Duan Baiting and she were not actually friends. It was mainly because of Xi Yang, the middleman, that they had only met a few times.

This time, she was the receptionist of a partner, and in order to get closer to him, she brought up her relationship with Xi Yang. "Yang sent me a photo a few days ago. It was the birthday party you held for your wife."

She smiled and said, "It was grand."

Duan Baiting smiled politely, "Really?"

The corners of his lips twitched slightly, but it was a superficial smile, very perfunctory.

Dale was used to it; this guy was always like this; they first met in college. He was not as mature as he is now, but he had already shown a degree of stability beyond his peers.

He spoke little and had a calm expression.

Very different from Xi Yang.

To be honest, what surprised Dale the most was that these two people could become friends.

But now, what unexpectedly replaced this as the first choice was that the marriage relationship she had always thought of actually occupied such an important position in Duan Baiting's heart.

There were three men and one woman at the dinner today. Dale, who came to host the party on behalf of one of the partners, was accompanied by the other two major shareholders of the UK headquarters.

Dale is more familiar with them than Duan Baiting.

As the wine flowed over the table, Dale asked about his return date. Duan Baiting glanced at his phone and said, "The day after tomorrow."

Dale seemed to be thinking that the day after tomorrow would be enough.

She came here today, in addition to receiving him as a partner, she actually had another mission.

The project she is responsible for developing has reached the financing stage, and she hopes to reach a cooperation with Duan Baiting.

For such a large sum of money, obviously, based on her current connections, only Duan Baiting could meet her needs.

But this man never showed his emotions, and was unfathomable, so she found it difficult to conquer him.

Even if he asked Xi Yang for help, hoping that he could act as a matchmaker, the other party said he was unable to help.

"Instead of asking me for help from a capitalist like Duan Baiting, you should focus all your energy on the project and let him see how much benefit you can bring to him in the future."

Dale naturally understood this truth, but there is no such thing as a guaranteed profit in business, and even she herself cannot guarantee it.

What's more, with Duan Baiting's means and vision, it would be difficult for his project to even catch his eye.

Dale was in a state of anxiety, and Duan Baiting was silent as well. In the middle of the meal, he even stood up with his cigarette box in his hand and said, "I'm going to go smoke a cigarette. Excuse me for a moment."

The meal ended in vain. In the afternoon, she called Xi Yang again, and her words expressed the hope that he could help her.

Yun Wei participated in an acting variety show, and Xi Yang appeared in the audience fully armed and accompanied her as an ordinary audience member.

He spoke in a low voice and chuckled, "You think too highly of me. My words will not have any effect on Duan Baiting."

Dale felt very disappointed after hearing his words.

It seems that this trip was in vain.

After a brief pause, Xi Yang's words gave her confidence again: "There are ways."

Dale also has some friends in the art world, and she herself even runs several galleries.

It's not about making money, but about building connections.

That painting is really not famous, and the painting skills can only be considered average. What is rare is the personal aesthetic and control of colors.

This painting was one of the works exhibited in a domestic art exhibition several years ago. According to the person who collected this painting, the main reason for buying it was also due to interpersonal relationships.

Look at the small signature below the portrait.

——yue.

The method Xi Yang suggested was to let her change her entry point. It's useless to try to please Duan Baiting, he is a pure man.

Excessive flattery will only backfire.

Dale sighed: "If you don't please him, how can you offend him?"

Xi Yang smiled and said, "That's not the case. You should know about his marriage."

According to Xi Yang, Duan Baiting's only weakness and soft spot is his wife who he married not long ago.

Dale was unsure. How could there be any love in a marriage of arrangement, especially when the other party was Duan Baiting.

But for now we can only try our best to save the situation.

After smoothing out various relationships, he finally got to attend the yacht dinner on the second night of his stay in the UK.

Duan Baiting handled this kind of situation with ease, as if he was wearing a mask.

While he was talking to someone else, Dale came over with a glass of wine.

After toasting everyone, he made polite remarks and tried to please everyone.

A waiter came over halfway, holding the beautifully packaged painting: "Mrs. Jones, the painting has arrived. Do you want to send it directly home or keep it here first?"

Dale pretended to ponder, but in fact he was secretly observing Duan Baiting out of the corner of his eye.

Someone nearby asked curiously, "I heard that Mrs. Jones runs several galleries. Is this prepared for the next exhibition?"

Dale shook her head and smiled, "This is my personal collection. It's from a Chinese painter I like very much. She is very young and beautiful. I had the honor of visiting her exhibition many years ago, but due to time constraints, I didn't have time to collect a painting. After that, there was no news about that painter. I heard that it seemed... it seemed that she was too perfectionist and demanded too much of herself. She could never satisfy herself with the paintings she painted afterwards, so she simply stopped painting and retired. I regret this very much. Fortunately, after asking around among my friends a few days ago, I finally got this painting."

She praised her to the skies, saying that she was young, beautiful, a perfectionist, and a retired artist.

Through her description, a gifted, mysterious and beautiful painter comes to life on paper.

Everyone was extremely curious and walked over to the painting to take a look. He looked disappointed again.

This painting is beautiful, but it is far from this level.

If it was created by a student, he might be praised for his talent.

But if it was the work of a painter, it would be too... immature.

Duan Baiting stood in a relaxed posture, following the local customs. Today he was wearing a typical British suit, which gave him a steady and elegant gentlemanly look.

The front buttons of his jacket had long been undone. He had one hand in his trouser pocket and the other hand casually shaking the champagne glass in his hand as he glanced at the signature below the painting.

Noticing his gaze, Dale became a little nervous and waved his hand, asking someone to put the painting away. He said, "Don't let yourself be contaminated by the smell of alcohol here."

It seemed that he was very caring.

From the moment the painting appeared in front of Duan Baiting, he could tell that it was clearly from Song Wanyue's hand.

This flattery is almost hitting him in the face.

She was indeed very young, as she was only in junior high school at that time.

It's true that she is beautiful, and it's even an understatement.

As for quitting the circle because of being too perfectionist.

Duan Baiting raised the corner of his lips, picked up the champagne glass and took a sip. Use the edge of the cup to cover the curve of your lips.

It's just that the novelty wore off for her and she refused to learn anymore.

It seems that her parents found a good excuse for her.

----------

After the dinner, the driver opened the car door, stepped aside respectfully, and waited for him to get in.

The man bent down, lowered his head slightly, and even put one foot into the car. The woman ran over with the project book, panting, with sincere eyes: "Mr. Duan, I hope you can take a look at this project book before you reject me. Our company really... needs this opportunity."

Duan Baiting stopped and retreated to the ground.

His expression was as calm as ever, but this time it was a little different from the last time. There was no outright refusal.

The contract is placed just below the project book, which clearly shows that they are well prepared.

After a few seconds of silence, he took the contract and pen and signed his name in a flamboyant manner: "I hope Miss Dale can put all the calculations today into future work."

This was not a sarcastic remark.

Instead, he was telling her that he knew all her motives today.

The man handed the contract back to her, said, "Happy cooperation."

Then he got in the car and left.

It was not until the Maybach drove away and she smelled the faint exhaust fumes in the air that she woke up from her dream.

Looking down at the legally binding contract, she pinched her cheeks in disbelief.

It hurts, it's not a dream.

She called Xi Yang with great joy, and said that she would thank him someday for giving her such a good idea.

Xi Yang smiled, not surprised.

Dale was curious about the woman he had never met before. What kind of person was she that could control a man as dangerous and unpredictable as Duan Baiting?

Intellectually sensitive? Or sexy and charming? Or perhaps, gentle and virtuous.

When Xi Yang thought about it, the first thing that came to his mind was Song Wanyue leaning in Duan Baiting's arms and acting coquettishly.

Her voice is soft and her eyes are charming.

He didn't know how to explain it to her.

He only said: "At least, it's not what you have in mind."

Duan Baiting had time to call Song Wanyue only after he returned to the hotel. At that time, she had just got up.

"Are you done with your work? When are you going to return home?"

Even though he had only been gone for two days, she couldn't wait to ask him when he would be back.

His smile must have been very close. Song Wanyue could even feel the slight vibration from the receiver of the mobile phone when he smiled.

Crisp and numb.

She pursed her lips and said in a wronged and coquettish manner: "I miss you."

Then she chuckled again: "Right away, I'll be back soon."

Aunt Tan cooked porridge for her today, and according to Duan Baiting's instructions, she made scented tea for her every morning and put it in her thermos cup.

Song Wanyue picked up a steamed dumpling and was eating it in small bites.

Duan Baiting talked about the painting he saw today and also mentioned the woman's love for the painting.

Song Wanyue was stunned for a moment at first, then she remembered that she seemed to have held an art exhibition.

When her parents saw that she had achieved some success, they were eager to show off and wanted the whole world to know about their daughter's excellence.

So we specially organized such an art exhibition on a large scale, and the invitations even included those from abroad.

Song Wanyue didn't expect that someone would like her paintings so much.

He also praised her as something miraculous.

Her vanity was inflated again: "Did she really say that? That I am young, beautiful and gifted? Although it is true, have you told her that I am still young and beautiful now? By the way, I seem to have a few paintings at home that I painted when I was in college. If she likes them, I can give them all to her. Or I can paint a few for her now. But I paint very slowly, so it may take a long time."

Once she is happy, she will chatter non-stop.

Duan Baiting was actually a little sleepy. He had been here for two days and had not yet adjusted to the jet lag.

But he still opened a bottle of red wine for himself, leaned on the table with a smile, and listened to her chatter.

He didn't tell her that the man wanted something from him.

As Song Wanyue spoke, she began to sigh and show off: "Why am I so popular? Even when I'm filing a lawsuit, tens of thousands of people call me their wife."

Duan Baiting stopped pouring the wine instantly, and the smile on his face was replaced by hesitation bit by bit: "What...wife?"

Song Wanyue blinked: "Don't you know yet?"

He asked back in a calm voice: "Know what?"

No wonder he was so calm.

What's wrong with this person? Doesn't he check Weibo normally?

She opened the comment section of her Weibo and randomly took a few screenshots and sent them over.

The screen is full of wives, and there are even men who post selfies to recommend themselves.

——The first day of checking in with my wife, today's kiss, mua~

——Wuuuuuu wife, I miss her so much, can you post more selfies?

——This is my wife! Get out of my way!

——I moved to the Civil Affairs Bureau by myself. Wife, should we get the marriage certificate first or hold the wedding first?

——When is my wife's next lawsuit? I want to go see the live version! !

——You are not allowed to covet me, this is my wife! It's my wife!

...

...

Song Wanyue held the phone and waited for a while, but there was no movement from the other party. Just when she thought this person didn't care at all, her cell phone vibrated.

A message comes in.

——?