Chapter 116: Right in This Room
Xu Youyou watched as the price kept going higher and higher, and she finally said helplessly, “Sixteen million, no more than that. If you keep raising the price, I’ll sell it to someone else.”
Lu Jingyao saw that there was no room for argument and could only agree reluctantly. However, he turned around and instructed Assistant Liu, “I bought a birdcage from Miss Xu. Transfer sixteen million to her, after tax. And handle the tax payment for her as well.”
Assistant Liu quickly smiled and said, “Don’t worry, sir. Every time you buy an antique from Miss Xu, we’ve always handled the taxes for her. We won’t forget.”
Lu Jingyao nodded.
Assistant Liu mentally calculated the actual cost of the transaction, wondering what kind of birdcage could possibly be worth so much.
For a moment, he recalled an old saying: A man’s money follows his heart. Lu Jingyao had spent such an outrageous sum purely based on trust, without even seeing the item in person. Assistant Liu could only hope that Xu Youyou was running a legitimate business and not a scam—otherwise, Lu Jingyao would be swindled into bankruptcy one day.
“Boss, did Miss Xu suggest this price herself?” Assistant Liu asked curiously.
To his surprise, this question made Lu Jingyao even happier. “I think this birdcage is worth a hundred million, but she wouldn’t accept it. She only wanted sixteen million. She’s just too honest—she never wants me to suffer a loss.”
Assistant Liu’s eyes widened slightly. He looked at his boss, who had “She really cares about me” written all over his face, and thought about the absurd price Lu Jingyao had offered. He really wanted to grab him and shake some sense into him: You have so much money, but are you planning to throw it all away?
But he couldn’t. He was just an ordinary employee hoping for a raise. Instead of trying to dissuade him, he said with a straight face, “She doesn’t want you to spend too much money—that means she’s starting to care about you.”
Lu Jingyao’s gaze remained fixed on the presentation slide, but he couldn’t suppress the smile creeping onto his face.
On stage, a young man was presenting his PowerPoint slides. He had been nervous about presenting in front of the richest man in the country. But when he saw Lu Jingyao smile, he immediately relaxed.
Earlier, Lu Jingyao’s furrowed brow had put immense pressure on him. Now that Lu Jingyao’s expression was light and relaxed, the young man suddenly felt reassured. Maybe I’m not doing so badly after all?
With this thought, his voice grew stronger, his posture straightened, and his confidence soared.
Initially, Lu Jingyao had been unimpressed with the young man. But now, seeing his growing confidence, he gave him a second look and said in a low voice to Assistant Liu, “This kid isn’t bad. He thrives under pressure.”
Assistant Liu whispered back, “Should we acquire this company?”
Lu Jingyao shook his head. “The company’s a mess—poor management, chaotic structure. It won’t last.”
Assistant Liu chuckled. He had just turned his head and coincidentally witnessed the company’s deputy general manager groping a young female assistant. If they couldn’t even keep their hands to themselves during an important presentation, the company’s internal situation must be a disaster.
“Later, recruit that young man. He has the right mindset—he’ll go far.” Lu Jingyao instructed.
Assistant Liu immediately agreed. They had thoroughly investigated this company beforehand. While their technology was something Lu Jingyao was interested in, they weren’t the only ones developing it.
And this young presenter? He was their most valuable asset.
Lu Jingyao always valued a person’s core character above all else. If someone was unstable at their core, no matter how talented they were, they could explode at any moment. If this young man had remained timid and hesitant, Lu Jingyao wouldn’t have considered recruiting him at all.
Meanwhile, Xu Youyou had no idea that she had inadvertently changed someone’s life. She simply took another look at the now-pristine cloisonné enamel birdcage.
It was beautiful, but she had no use for it. Turning it into money gave her more peace of mind.
She had been so busy all morning that she had completely missed lunch. Seeing that she was finally done with business, Xu Fang immediately asked, “Boss, would you like to have lunch now?”
Xu Youyou nodded lightly.
Three minutes later, a full meal was delivered to her hotel suite.
She had never explicitly mentioned her dietary preferences, yet there was nothing on the table that she disliked. In fact, Xu Fang probably knew her tastes better than she did herself.
She didn’t eat ginger, yet back at the Gu family’s house, almost every dish had finely minced ginger mixed in.
Now, as she looked at the table in front of her, there wasn’t a single trace of ginger.
Xu Fang even said, “Boss, I told them in advance to use other ingredients for removing any fishy taste. No ginger allowed. And they used your favorite peony oil for cooking.”
Xu Youyou nodded approvingly. I may not have parents or family, but my employees treat me better than some people treat their own relatives.
As she finished her late lunch, the dishes hadn’t even been cleared away when she suddenly heard an excited barking from outside.
“Woof woof! Is this really for me? A special gift just for me?”
It was Guai Guai’s excited yelping.
Aunt Liu didn’t understand dog talk. She chuckled and said, “Guai Guai, are you this happy to see me back? I missed you so much while I was out! Did you have fun with Miss Xu today?”
“Woof woof! So fun! Poop-scooper is so obedient! Grandma, you’re the best! Your friend is great too!” Guai Guai barked in excitement.
Aunt Liu petted his head. “Don’t worry, Guai Guai, I won’t take your treat away. It’s all yours.”
Xu Youyou guessed that Aunt Liu must have brought back some dog treats, which was why Guai Guai was so excited. The thought of Guai Guai getting so worked up over food made her laugh.
Just then, a familiar ding sounded in her mind.
[Ding! A treasure-hunting mission has been triggered. Please reach the target location as soon as possible.]
Xu Youyou was surprised. That was fast!
She hadn’t even received her reward from the last mission, and a new one was already here.
She turned to Xu Fang and ordered, “Prepare the car.”
Xu Fang immediately sprang into action.
But just as Xu Youyou got up and was about to leave her presidential suite, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. She held up a hand to stop Xu Fang and said, “Wait… I don’t need to go out anymore.”
Xu Fang was used to Xu Youyou’s unpredictability and responded with a smile, “Boss, rest first. If you change your mind, let me know—I’m always ready.”
Xu Youyou nodded.
Her gaze, however, was fixed on Aunt Liu and Guai Guai.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hunt for treasure.
It was that this time, the treasure was already right here in this room.
