Chapter 225: The Most Ideal Candidate
Although table 28 was right next to table 27, the auctioneer’s voice echoed throughout the venue, and the staff deliberately kept their voices low when speaking. As a result, Wei Yan didn’t hear what the staff had said to Zhu Qinglan and the others.
However, he did notice that the staff had been facing Gu Qinghuan the whole time—and that Zhu Qinglan hadn’t reacted at all.
So they were actually here for Gu Qinghuan? Wei Yan was a little surprised, and his evaluation of her rose another notch.
He originally wanted to ask Wei Xiao if he knew anything about the situation, but when he turned his head and saw Wei Xiao idly flipping through the catalog with little interest, he stopped himself.
Forget it. The two staff members had already left, and there didn’t seem to be any follow-up. It probably wasn’t anything important.
Only after she was sure that the gaze fixed on her had shifted away did Gu Qinghuan finally let out a breath, subtly rolling her shoulders to relax.
Jiang Chuchu tilted her head. “They’re not looking at you anymore?”
“Probably not,” Gu Qinghuan said. “Wei Yan is pretty sharp.”
“He really is capable. My dad once analyzed him for me—his decisiveness and sense of the bigger picture back then were genuinely impressive,” Jiang Chuchu nodded slightly. “If not for his character issues, my dad would actually be willing to keep cooperating with him.”
The auction continued in an orderly manner, but Gu Qinghuan’s mind was no longer on it.
Now that she knew the shocking truth about Wei Xiao’s background, she finally had a point of leverage—a way to deal with him.
When the time came, she could free herself from Wei Xiao’s harassment, and Yu Yuan could break off the engagement. Two birds with one stone.
But… Gu Qinghuan soon fell into deeper thought. What about Lin Zhulu’s fate?
She couldn’t figure it out, so she set it aside for now and took out her phone to message Xia He.
Gu Qinghuan: [You came to the auction too?]
Xia He: [No. I sent Bai Hanshan as my proxy. He saw you and told me.]
Gu Qinghuan paused. Looks like Bai Hanshan had a busy day as well.
Xia He: [What made you come to the auction?]
After thinking for a moment, Gu Qinghuan replied honestly: [I came to take a look at Xu Zhishu.]
Xia He clearly remembered who Xu Zhishu was: [And what did you see?]
Gu Qinghuan thought of Xu Zhishu’s series of extreme actions: [A very crazy person.]
Seeing the word “crazy,” Xia He raised an eyebrow slightly. That was quite an unusual evaluation.
Thinking back to the few times he had met Xu Zhishu, his impression was that she was someone very self-aware.
In their social circle, people who rose in status through looks or pregnancy weren’t exactly rare.
Of course, most of them were only temporary—once the novelty wore off, someone else would take their place.
For Xu Zhishu to make it all the way to marriage, and not be cast aside even after so many years, it was clear she had real capability.
At the very least, the fact that she hadn’t grown arrogant because of it showed just how cautious she was.
So why would Gu Qinghuan describe her as “crazy”? She must have done something truly extreme.
After a moment’s thought, Xia He replied: [Do you need any help?]
Gu Qinghuan: [Not for now. If I do, I’ll contact you immediately.]
Xia He answered readily: [Alright. Reach out anytime.]
“Not for now” meant that the current situation was still under Gu Qinghuan’s control—but she judged that it might evolve into something more complex and dangerous.
In any case, he just needed to stay on standby. When the time came, Gu Qinghuan would definitely not hesitate to ask for help.
After ending the conversation, Gu Qinghuan felt a little more at ease. Having someone of Xia He’s level backing her up really gave her confidence.
That said, what she needed more right now was Han Yun’s help—to attend the wine tasting event in a few days.
According to Yu Xin, Yu Yuan would also be attending. It would be a good opportunity to learn more about the engagement between the Wei and Yu families.
Though she was sitting in the venue, her thoughts had already drifted far away. By the end of the auction, she hadn’t really paid attention to much.
In contrast, Jiang Chuchu was far more focused.
Following Jiang Youwei’s guidance, she observed how each family participated while cross-referencing what she already knew, occasionally joining in the bidding.
Those were items contributed by families with ties to the Jiang family. Participating in the bidding also signaled the Jiang family’s stance.
At the same time, she could gauge relationships between families through the competition. Even if her judgments weren’t always accurate, it still helped train her analytical thinking.
Incidentally, she also bid on a few items she genuinely liked, planning to keep them or give them as gifts.
After the auction ended, Gu Qinghuan roughly calculated how much Jiang Chuchu had spent and casually remarked, “Aside from that plaque, you still spent quite a bit on the other items.”
“It’s fine. I basically just used up the pocket money I had left from last year until now,” Jiang Chuchu said indifferently.
Gu Qinghuan froze, slowly turning to look at her. “Pocket money? You used your own money for the auction?”
Jiang Chuchu nodded, puzzled. “These are things I wanted to bid on, so of course I paid for them. The plaque doesn’t count, though.”
Even excluding the plaque, the rest added up to over a million yuan!
Gu Qinghuan covered her face. One year and three months of pocket money—no, leftover pocket money—was actually that much?!
Lowering her hand, she said in a weary tone, “I think I’ve developed a bit of class resentment. I need to recover.”
Jiang Chuchu burst out laughing. The way Gu Qinghuan said it so frankly and confidently, it didn’t sound resentful at all.
Smiling, she said, “Alright, the auction’s over. Didn’t you say you’re going to meet Madam Han? My treat—how about it?”
“Sounds good. I was just wondering where to meet Aunt Han,” Gu Qinghuan nodded. “I’ll leave it to your recommendation, then.”
“No need to be polite.” Jiang Chuchu patted her shoulder. “I’ll come along too, just to join the fun—and to get a preview of your plan. After all, I can only watch the wine tasting via livestream.”
With Jiang Chuchu’s recommendation, the three of them soon arrived at a nearby café with a pleasant atmosphere.
The café had semi-private seating separated by partitions, offering a degree of privacy.
Gu Qinghuan got straight to the point. “As far as I know, Aunt Han, you’ll also be attending the wine tasting in a few days. I hope to attend as your invited guest.”
Han Yun thought for a moment. Gu Qinghuan had phrased it in a rather specific way—not simply “I hope you can invite me,” which suggested that her real focus wasn’t just attending the event.
“Alright,” Han Yun agreed without hesitation.
This caught both Gu Qinghuan and Jiang Chuchu off guard. Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you going to ask me for my reason first?”
“I am curious,” Han Yun said, “but we can talk about the reason later. As for inviting you to the wine tasting, I’m more than willing to help.”
Based on her understanding of Gu Qinghuan, no matter what she asked for, it wouldn’t be for anything improper.
In that case, giving a clear answer first and offering trust would likely put her at ease—and she would naturally explain more afterward.
Gu Qinghuan indeed felt relieved. After all, Han Yun was the most ideal candidate she could think of.
She said seriously, “I plan to approach the Wei family at the wine tasting. Last time at the billiards hall, Wei Xiao saw you and knows I’m connected to you. If you’re the one inviting me, it will reduce their suspicion.”
“Why do you want to approach the Wei family?” Han Yun asked. She remembered that Gu Qinghuan had wanted to avoid getting too involved with Wei Xiao.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Qinghuan replied, “Success depends on secrecy. It’s not convenient for me to reveal too much right now. I can only say—I’m doing this to protect my friends.”
Han Yun looked at her for a moment. Gu Qinghuan met her gaze earnestly.
“Alright,” Han Yun nodded slightly. “Leave it to me that day.”
