Chapter 238: The Fool
Xu Youyou didn’t expect to run into Shen Wenxing, who was traveling alone in a foreign country, looking troubled, as if facing some huge dilemma.
She had the car stopped and called out, “Aunt Shen, it’s been a long time.”
At first, Shen Wenxing was startled when a long line of cars suddenly stopped in front of her, but when she saw the car window roll down and Xu Youyou’s radiant face appear, she was overjoyed.
“Miss Xu!” Shen Wenxing exclaimed with a face full of surprise.
“Aunt Shen, have you run into some trouble? Where’s Uncle Shen? Why isn’t he with you?” Xu Youyou asked with a smile.
Shen Wenxing sighed and lowered her voice, saying, “Jiu’an came with me on this secret trip abroad, but as soon as we landed, I turned my back for just a moment, and a few thugs snatched my handbag. Jiu’an went after them, but…”
Shen Wenxing glanced down at her phone and added, “Eight minutes and twenty-four seconds.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but marvel at Shen Wenxing’s precision, especially as a scientist.
“At Jiu’an’s speed, he should be coming back now. I’m just worried that something might have happened,” Shen Wenxing said anxiously.
Xu Youyou immediately understood and sent twelve bodyguards in the direction Shen Wenxing indicated, leaving the remaining four behind to protect them.
“Aunt Shen, the handbag must be very important, right?” Xu Youyou asked.
Shen Wenxing nodded lightly. “The reason we came abroad was because of what’s hidden inside that handbag.”
Xu Youyou reassured her, “Aunt Shen, don’t worry. We’ll get it back.”
Shen Wenxing’s face still showed signs of anxiety. After about half an hour, the bodyguards returned.
Jiu’an also came back, holding a ladies’ leather bag tightly in his hand. His condition wasn’t ideal, with a bruise at the corner of his eye.
Despite his battle wounds, they didn’t diminish his handsome appearance. On the contrary, they added a certain allure.
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but glance at him more than once.
Jiu’an noticed her gaze and, feeling a bit awkward, asked, “Miss Xu, is there something wrong with me?”
Xu Youyou quickly shook her head but then said, “Mr. Shen, do you remember what we said the first time we met? If you retire, our company would be more than happy to welcome you.”
Song Zhibai was indeed good-looking, but Jiu’an had a different kind of appeal. Xu Youyou couldn’t help but feel that someone like him, not being one of her artists, was a huge missed opportunity.
Jiu’an didn’t completely refuse this time. Instead, he said, “Miss Xu, it seems I owe you quite a few favors. If I keep rejecting you, it’ll seem ungrateful.”
Shen Wenxing, after checking her handbag and confirming everything was in place, turned to tease her nephew. “If you had just agreed to Miss Xu on the plane, you might have been the one to announce it to the whole country.”
“Uh… Aunt, what are you talking about?” Jiu’an said seriously. “Miss Xu already has a boyfriend. Joking like that isn’t appropriate.”
Xu Youyou then asked, “Who were the robbers? Did they know the value of the handbag?”
Jiu’an shook his head. “They were just a local gang. They were probably taking advantage of the fact that there were many of them and were robbing people near the airport. I asked them, and they said they thought all Chinese people are rich…”
Jiu’an couldn’t help but feel speechless about the whole situation.
Xu Youyou looked at the bruise on his face and asked, “Many of them? How many were there?”
Jiu’an replied, “About thirty or forty.”
One of the bodyguards quickly added, “Miss Xu, I roughly counted, and there were at least fifty people.”
Xu Youyou thought to herself, Jiu’an fought through fifty thugs and came back with only a bruise on his face. Could he really be some kind of elite fighter?
“If it weren’t for your bodyguards, I might not have made it back,” Jiu’an said seriously, thanking Xu Youyou.
Shen Wenxing also took Xu Youyou’s hand and said, “Miss Xu, we’re truly grateful. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”
Xu Youyou still had no idea what was inside Shen Wenxing’s handbag, but seeing her cautious behavior, she didn’t press the matter.
“Aunt Shen, when we’re abroad, even if we’re not close acquaintances, just being fellow countrymen, I’ll always help. After all, we’re friends,” Xu Youyou said with a smile.
Shen Wenxing couldn’t help but feel regretful. She thought, if only her unfortunate nephew had realized sooner. If he had pursued someone like Xu Youyou, maybe it would’ve been different.
Xu Youyou then asked, “Aunt Shen, have you booked a place to stay?”
Shen Wenxing gave the name of a hotel.
Xu Youyou glanced at the driver, who had a Chinese face and understood Mandarin. “Miss Xu, we’re actually passing by that hotel right now.”
Xu Youyou immediately invited them into the car.
She wasn’t staying in a hotel this time, but in one of Lu Jingyao’s properties in Paris.
Lu Jingyao had properties in nearly every major city around the world. Coincidentally, the previous time in the U.S., if it hadn’t been for an incident with his New York property, Xu Youyou would not have ended up staying at the same hotel as him.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been all those subsequent connections.
“Aunt Shen, I attended your lecture in Shanghai last time, and I’ve been meaning to ask you—since I’m not knowledgeable about technology, if I come across any related investment opportunities, could I ask you to vet them for me?” Xu Youyou asked.
Shen Wenxing immediately agreed.
Xu Youyou said, “Don’t worry, Aunt Shen. I’ll hire you at market rate, so you won’t be at a disadvantage.”
Shen Wenxing waved her hand and said, “Miss Xu, don’t mention the times you’ve helped me. As you said, we’re friends. Helping friends is what we should do. How can we talk about money?”
Shen Wenxing’s words made Xu Youyou feel a bit embarrassed.
On the side, Jiu’an said, “Miss Xu, you don’t need to worry about my aunt losing out. In our industry, those technical things are nothing more than a glance for her. It’s hardly any trouble.”
Shen Wenxing gave a subtle nod, “Although this boy speaks roughly, he’s not wrong.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but laugh. No matter how many times she dealt with Shen Wenxing, she still found her to be a particularly interesting person.
Soon, they arrived at the hotel.
After seeing Xu Youyou’s car leave, Shen Wenxing sighed and said, “I really think, last year in Shanghai, you had a real chance with her.”
Jiu’an was embarrassed, his face darkening, and replied, “I only had a little bit of a crush on her, not some deep feelings. Don’t make it sound like I missed my only chance to marry her.”
Shen Wenxing poked her nephew on the forehead and said, “You fool, I really don’t know when you’ll get a clue.”
