Chapter 297 A Small Favor
Although Xu Youyou didn’t hear clearly, she could tell it wasn’t anything good. She wasn’t someone who would swallow an insult either, so she raised her voice and said, “Miss Fang, what did you just say? Could you repeat it?”
Fang Qianqian hadn’t expected Xu Youyou to react so strongly, so she gave her a second look but had no intention of repeating her insulting words. She simply said, “Miss Xu, it wasn’t anything important.”
“If it wasn’t important, why are you unwilling to repeat it? Could it be that you were insulting me?” Xu Youyou asked bluntly.
Fang Qianqian was momentarily at a loss for words at Xu Youyou’s straightforwardness. She could only helplessly reply, “Miss Xu, don’t think so badly of people. I really wasn’t insulting you.”
“It’s normal for a few bad people to mix in among a crowd of good ones. Miss Fang, don’t worry, I’m not naïve. So, what exactly did you just say?” Xu Youyou pressed.
Fang Qianqian wanted to curse. She couldn’t understand why Xu Youyou wouldn’t let the matter go and insisted on making things clear, completely ignoring the norms of upper-class social etiquette.
“I said Miss Xu’s dress is very beautiful,” Fang Qianqian said with a forced smile.
Xu Youyou also smiled, but her smile was particularly dazzling. “Miss Fang, if you want to compliment someone, you should say it openly. Whispering like that makes it easy for people to think you’re badmouthing them.”
Because their conversation had gotten louder than typical social banter, quite a few people had started to notice them. Fang Qianqian immediately put on a pitiful look and said, “I didn’t expect Miss Xu to be so petty. She didn’t even hear clearly but still chased after me about it. It’s really quite frightening.”
In the past, Fang Qianqian’s act often worked on people.
But tonight was her grandfather’s grand birthday banquet, not a party filled only with young people. Here, nearly everyone was shrewd and experienced.
A middle-aged man, recognizing Xu Youyou, raised his glass and said with a smile, “Fang girl, Miss Xu is a businesswoman. Businesspeople have to be meticulous and clear about everything to succeed.”
Fang Qianqian hadn’t expected someone to speak up for Xu Youyou. After all, Xu Youyou had never officially attended any upper-class social event in Hong Kong before. How could she have supporters here?
The middle-aged man immediately seized the opportunity to hand his business card to Xu Youyou. “Miss Xu, my surname is Ma. I’m the head of Huanzhen Entertainment. I’ve been hoping to collaborate with Miss Xu’s Yoyo Entertainment and Director Ouyang.”
Xu Youyou paused slightly. Huanzhen Entertainment wasn’t a small company—it was one of the top two entertainment companies in Hong Kong. Over the years, they had collaborated a lot with mainland film companies.
However, most of those collaborations had ended in failure, affecting the company’s stock price. Recently, Mr. Ma had been actively seeking breakthroughs.
Though Xu Youyou was young, Yoyo Entertainment’s track record was simply too good—almost no flops. Everyone wanted to hitch a ride on her success.
Xu Youyou accepted the business card with both hands. She didn’t completely reject the olive branch. Although Hong Kong actors had a different way of speaking, they were famously skilled at acting.
“Miss Xu, I heard that Director Ouyang is currently in Hong Kong. Everyone’s free tomorrow. Why not meet up and discuss collaboration details?” Mr. Ma said.
Hearing this, Xu Youyou gave him a serious look. She couldn’t help but think: she thought she was sitting at the poker table, but it seemed these people still thought she was young and easy to manipulate.
It was Mr. Ma seeking cooperation; by rights, he should be waiting for her to set the time, not dictating the time and place himself.
“Mr. Ma, you’re being too hasty. Whether he’s available to meet or not, even I, as the boss, can’t decide for Director Ouyang. That’s up to him,” Xu Youyou said.
Mr. Ma forced a smile and even seemed to shrink a little, losing his earlier overbearing attitude. “Yes, yes, Miss Xu is right. You respect talents. I was being presumptuous.”
Watching their exchange, Fang Qianqian suddenly realized that Xu Youyou wasn’t like those young girls who tagged along with rich heirs to parties.
Xu Youyou was someone sitting at the poker table—someone who might be playing alongside her father, or even her grandfather.
Mr. Ma was a member of the Ma family, and the most valuable asset he controlled was Huanzhen Entertainment, worth over ten billion.
Meanwhile, Fang Qianqian was merely one of her grandfather’s fifteen grandchildren. When she married, she might not even get assets worth one billion.
After hesitating, she quickly searched for “Yoyo Entertainment” online and found a flood of articles, including estimates of Xu Youyou’s net worth.
A billionaire heiress.
Fang Qianqian’s eyes widened. If she were facing another heiress, she might still struggle, but Xu Youyou’s wealth was massive, she was young, and her prospects were only growing.
More importantly, Xu Youyou’s fiancé was Lu Jingyao. A marriage between two powerhouses like them…
No, Fang Qianqian shook her head. She felt that even without Lu Jingyao, Xu Youyou alone could shake the foundations of the Fang family.
Thinking of the recent scandal involving the Chen family—how bad luck and a clash with an antisocial personality could cost lives—Fang Qianqian realized that Xu Youyou clearly had a temper. If she really decided to go against the Fang family…
At that thought, Fang Qianqian acted immediately.
“Miss Xu, I apologize. I was rude just now. I won’t behave like that again. Please forgive me.”
Fang Qianqian apologized so quickly that Xu Youyou almost thought she misheard her. She looked at Fang Qianqian strangely.
Fang Qianqian, under Xu Youyou’s scrutiny, nearly burst into tears. She said, “Miss Xu, I know my behavior was inappropriate. Please give me a chance to make amends.”
Hearing this, Xu Youyou perked up and said, “Actually, there’s something I hope you can help me with.”
Fang Qianqian immediately straightened up. “Miss Xu, as long as you ask, if it’s not too excessive, I’ll make it happen right away.”
Xu Youyou shook her head. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing difficult.”
Fang Qianqian breathed a sigh of relief.
But as she followed behind Xu Youyou, watching the woman in high-heeled sandals and a long black dress walk as if she were at home—taking almost no wrong turns as she navigated straight to her family’s garage—Fang Qianqian still felt like she was dreaming.
“I’d like to buy this car. Miss Fang, would you be willing to do me a favor?” Xu Youyou asked, pointing at a vintage car in the Fang family’s garage.
