Chapter 301: The Gu Family of Hong Kong City
Xu Youyou slept soundly through the night.
Over the past year, Lu Jingyao had arranged most of the company’s affairs. Now he only needed to handle major issues remotely and didn’t have to personally manage minor matters. He had the leisure to accompany Xu Youyou in a slow-paced, relaxed life.
Instead of having breakfast at the Lu family villa, the two of them, along with a large group of bodyguards, went to a well-known local Hong Kong City tea restaurant for dim sum.
“I’ve seen so much hype online, but honestly, it’s not any better than the food your family’s chefs make,” Xu Youyou said in disappointment.
The restaurant was expensive, but the taste didn’t meet her expectations.
Lu Jingyao said, “You’re used to homemade flavors. Trying something different once in a while is just for the experience.”
Xu Youyou didn’t realize that her reaction was because she was now living at the highest standards of food, clothing, and living conditions.
In other words, she had already tasted the best of everything, and had become so used to it that the so-called “good things” ordinary people admired seemed unimpressive to her.
The chefs hired by Xu Youyou’s family in Shanghai and those at the Lu family villa were practically of state banquet caliber. How could food from outside, even Michelin-starred restaurants, compete with that?
They had booked the entire restaurant. Although Xu Youyou and Lu Jingyao found the food average, the bodyguards were thoroughly satisfied, still praising the delicious dim sum even after getting back into the car.
“Freshly made dim sum really is better than pre-made food,” one of the bodyguards remarked.
“One good thing about eating out is that at least everyone following us is happy,” Xu Youyou said to Lu Jingyao with a smile.
Xu Youyou went on a two-day shopping spree, and while shopping, she bought many gifts for Liu Xiangyi.
Liu Xiangyi, though single, felt as if she were dating — receiving surprise gifts from her boss every day.
When the day of the antique exchange event finally arrived, Liu Xiangyi tallied up the gifts she had received from Xu Youyou over the past few days and realized they were worth around seven to eight hundred thousand yuan — enough to dazzle any adult.
If it weren’t for seeing that Xu Fang also received gifts from the boss, Liu Xiangyi might have thought Xu Youyou had secret feelings for her.
“Boss, aren’t you letting Sister Xu come with you today? It’s just me?” Liu Xiangyi asked.
Each invitation to the antique exchange allowed only one accompanying person. Xu Youyou had hesitated briefly between Liu Xiangyi and Xu Fang before choosing Liu Xiangyi.
As for Xu Fang, she was sent by Xu Youyou to arrange for the Lamborghini to be shipped back to Shanghai, which involved quite a bit of paperwork. Xu Fang, being experienced in logistics, was a natural fit for the task.
“You just need to follow me. You don’t have to do anything else,” Xu Youyou said softly.
Even after hearing this, Liu Xiangyi didn’t fully relax. After all, after working alongside Xu Fang for a while, she had seen firsthand how meticulous she was — like having three hundred sets of eyes.
She had thought Xu Fang was impressive, but after seeing Assistant Liu, she realized what a true all-rounder looked like.
Compared to either of them, Liu Xiangyi felt she was far less capable.
“I’m afraid I’ll drag you down…” Liu Xiangyi said.
Xu Youyou immediately encouraged her, “Your humble attitude is already very rare. I won’t say you’ll do better than Xu Fang, but as long as you keep this mindset, you won’t mess anything up.”
Liu Xiangyi said, “Boss, you’re surrounded by so many capable people. I’m really scared that I’ll screw things up and cause trouble for everyone.”
Xu Youyou patted her shoulder. She couldn’t help but think that this little lucky charm must have had too many bizarre experiences over the years, leaving her lacking confidence.
“You should remember — take on as much responsibility as you’re assigned. Your tasks are simple. Even if you wanted to mess up, how badly could you really do?” Xu Youyou said.
Listening to her words, Liu Xiangyi gradually straightened up. She hadn’t believed she could do anything well when others complimented her, but hearing Xu Youyou speak like this, she finally relaxed.
She even vaguely felt that she wasn’t so much an assistant as a mascot following her boss around.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she shook her head — what kind of mascot almost got scammed and nearly lost her life?
The antique exchange event was hosted by a prominent local family at an estate. Entry was strictly controlled, with invitations meticulously checked. No unrelated persons were allowed in.
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but recall the exchange she had attended in the capital and asked Lu Jingyao, “Are the service staff this time also children of wealthy families?”
Lu Jingyao shook his head. “No, the organizers have a dedicated team for these events. All the staff have been background-checked to ensure nothing goes wrong.”
From his explanation, Xu Youyou understood that although this was called an exchange, it was more like an auction. Unlike the capital event, where items could be registered on the spot, this time all auction items had been registered at least half a month in advance and had undergone at least three rounds of authentication.
The rumor about a genuine Wang Xizhi artifact had been deliberately leaked by the organizers after three rounds of verification.
As soon as they entered, Xu Youyou spotted He Zhilan.
They had already planned to meet at the Hong Kong City exchange. This time, He Zhilan hadn’t brought her younger sister but had instead brought an elderly gentleman.
The old gentleman greeted Xu Youyou with great enthusiasm: “Miss Xu, I’ve heard so much about you!”
Xu Youyou was momentarily confused by his eagerness.
He Zhilan helplessly explained, “This is my grandfather. He didn’t dare disturb you in Shanghai but really wanted to meet you, so he came along.”
Looking at the old man’s excited expression, Xu Youyou felt a bit embarrassed. If it hadn’t been for the system’s prompt, she wouldn’t have bought the He family’s qilin jade pendant. She never thought of herself as particularly capable, so facing the elder’s enthusiasm, she felt like she was taking credit for someone else’s achievements.
Although the old man was excited, he knew he was from a different generation and might not connect easily with young people. After a few more glances at Xu Youyou, he excused himself to chat with some old friends, leaving He Zhilan to accompany Xu Youyou.
“Is there a chance we might buy a fake item at an event like this?” Xu Youyou suddenly asked.
After all, even at top auction houses, fake items sometimes slipped through.
Lu Jingyao said, “It’s possible. Some treasures don’t have clear provenance.”
However, He Zhilan added, “Miss Xu, at other exchange events, if you buy a fake, you just have to swallow the loss. But at a Gu family event in Hong Kong City, if you buy a fake, they’ll fully compensate you.”
Xu Youyou frowned slightly, feeling the name sounded familiar: “The organizers are surnamed Gu? The Gu family of Hong Kong City?”
