Chen Yuanshu had no mind-reading skills, and in her glorious career, she didn't have many opportunities to come into contact with small-time characters like Chen Ergou. So, no matter what, she couldn't guess Chen Ergou's sinister intentions. Wei Duan Gong looked up to people that Chen Yuanshu might not necessarily look up to. This was the confidence of the eldest Miss Chen. She had nothing in common with Chen Ergou, so she went to the second floor of the villa, which had a rich collection of books, perhaps to avoid suspicion, and brought Chen Ergou along. Although they had stayed in the villa for many days, it was Chen Ergou's first time entering Wei Duan Gong's study. The room full of books made Chen Ergou's eyes dizzy. Chen Yuanshu wasn't very interested in books, but she went to admire a piece of jade that she hadn't had a chance to carefully examine the last time she followed Wei Duan Gong to the study. It was a crystal-clear and round sheep-fat white jade, carved with two carp, called "Ji Qing You Yu". Chen Yuanshu stretched out a finger and slowly stroked it, sighing softly: "What kind of auspiciousness is this? The ones who should die didn't die, while the ones who shouldn't die died completely. Even an outsider like me can't bear to look at it."

  Chen Ergou perked up his ears, but didn't quite catch Chen Yuanshu's muttering to herself. He shifted his attention to a book on feng shui by Yang Jun-song, "Qing Nang Ao Yu". Although he wasn't unfamiliar with traditional characters, and had spent some time studying classical Chinese in Shanghai, reading it was still a bit of a struggle, but not to the point of being completely baffled. Occasionally, he would sneak a glance at Chen Yuanshu, who looked solemn, and saw that apart from admiring antiques, she didn't have any other suspicious behavior. Chen Ergou gradually felt at ease. As long as the Wei family didn't take the keys away from him for a day, he was responsible for this villa for a day. If Chen Yuanshu wanted to take something away, Chen Ergou didn't necessarily need to intervene, but he had to keep track of it in his mind. After Chen Yuanshu examined each and every one of her antique collections, she stood beside the desk, lightly tapping her fingers on the surface, gazing at the young man whose attention was divided between the book and herself, and smiled: "Have you ever thought about sitting in this position one day?"

  Chen Ergou raised his head, with a bewildered expression on his face.

  Chen Yuanshu seemed to have just been a momentary whim, Chen Ergou pretended to be stupid, and she didn't delve deeper into the discussion. Moreover, this grand shake-up that had affected almost every circle was still unfolding, and there were too many aspects of this young man that needed to be refined. Chen Yuanshu withdrew her gaze from Chen Ergou's body and looked at the "吉庆有余" ( Auspicious Surplus) again, saying: "Three days later, I'll come to Shuishan Huamen to pick you up. You go to the city to buy some clothes for the next two days. They don't have to be branded, that would be counterproductive. They can be cheap, but they must be clean and tidy. And shave your beard. As a Northeasterner, you may love eating scallions, but don't eat them that day. What I said before were just basic details. You'll need to pay more attention to the details yourself at that time. When I was studying in the US, an old professor told me on his last lesson that he had been repeating the same thing over and over again, emphasizing that details are the devil. This simple five-word sentence cost me $200,000 to learn, but today I'm giving it to you for free."

  Chen Ergou nodded and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Sister Chen."

  "Let's not mention the verbal gratitude, it's enough to put it in your heart." Chen Yuanshu gently shook her slender index finger that tapped on the table. This kind of woman who had heard too many flattering words and sweet nothings actually disliked promises and expressions of gratitude from the mouth. Only young girls liked sweet talk and boundless vows. Chen Yuanshu, at this age when she could be called Auntie Chen Er Gou, had settled down and was no longer frivolous or arrogant. This kind of woman, even if she wanted to find a young lover, would not be a embroidered pillow.

  Chen Ergou wisely shut his mouth, not wanting to give Chen Yuanshu a frivolous and arrogant impression. His image didn't have to be majestic or powerful, it could even be a bit dull, but he had to have the concept of being down-to-earth and practical, otherwise he wouldn't have any capital to socialize and fight in her high-end circle.

  "Let's go." Chen Yuanshu walked out of the study with a somewhat melancholic expression, her heart filled with a sense of regret and helplessness. Although she hadn't been able to pull Wei Duan'gong back at the last moment, she had always felt a twinge of guilt in her heart during this time. But if she were given another chance to choose, she would still unhesitatingly choose to remain aloof and detached, for she was never part of that circle to begin with. There was no need for her to sacrifice herself and her family's reputation for the sake of a fleeting sentiment. Yet, what Wei Duan'gong had done in the past was almost exactly what Chen Yuanshu was doing now, and this couldn't help but fill her with a sense of desolation and despair about her own future.

  Chen Yuanshu got into the beautiful sports car with a trident sea god emblem, didn't drive away immediately, but instead waved at Chen Ergou through the window before slowly driving out of the neighborhood.

  Chen Ergou's face was filled with envy, his silver-gray Maserati Granturismo exuding an aura of wealth and grandeur. Chen Ergou could not only recite the car's name but also accurately recount its historical origins, all models, and their respective performance indicators. This was where Chen Ergou's obsessive nature came into play - he would pour his heart and soul into understanding and exploring unfamiliar fields until he had a thorough grasp of them. Perhaps this was what Chen Yuanshu meant by the five words "details are the devil" which cost $200,000. Completing this detail wasn't difficult; all Chen Ergou did was have Wang Hu go to the city to buy two magazines - "Car Guide" and "China Auto Pictorial" - for a total of 30 yuan. As a result, Chen Ergou was no longer just a car novice; he might even know more about the Maserati GT4 than Chen Yuanshu did.

  Keeping one's eyes open does not necessarily mean seeing reality clearly.

  Chen Ergou didn't want to be a blind man who had already lost too much to the city folks, that's all. He would rather grope for an elephant than sit in a well and watch the sky or guard a tree stump waiting for rabbits.

  Three days later, at 12 noon, Chen Yuanshu arrived at Shanshui Huamen. This was her third time seeing Wang Jiefang standing guard at the entrance, and also her third time accepting his nearly stereotypical questioning. Chen Yuanshu wasn't like Jiang Liwen, a canary locked in a cage all day, doing nothing but staring at a pile of fashion magazines. So when she saw Wang Jiefang, who didn't look like a security guard, she just gave him a fleeting glance, without any ripples in her heart. After letting the sports car pass, Wang Jiefang followed the rules and gave it a salute, then quickly took out his phone and dialed a number to call Wang Huren.

  Chen Ergou had sat in Shanghai boss Liu Qingfu's car, and then sat in Wei Duan Gong's Q7 for a while at Shanshui Huamen. Today was Chen Ergou's third time sitting in a good car, and it was a Maserati GT, which was praised by a magazine as "a terrifying beast inside and an absolute beauty outside". After getting into the car, Chen Ergou began to explore every nook and cranny like Liu Lao Lao from Daguanyuan, touching this and that, roughly studying all the interior features introduced in the magazine. He didn't care if Chen Yuanshu laughed at him or looked down on him. This kind of car was something you could only sit in once, just like having a one-night stand with a beautiful woman at a nightclub - if you didn't seize the opportunity, it would be wasted. Chen Ergou was someone who understood that wasting this chance would be shameful. He asked Chen Yuanshu some questions, but not stupid ones, rather those that fell between amateur and professional, so as not to make people think he was childish or too difficult for Chen Yuanshu to answer. The atmosphere on the way was pretty good, with Chen Yuanshu answering all his questions and occasionally sharing some interesting stories about cars. When they entered the city, Chen Ergou stopped asking questions and began to breathe in and out according to the method taught by the crazy old man. In his experience, this method was more practical than reciting the "Heart Sutra" or the "Tao Te Ching". By the time Chen Ergou's heart had calmed down from its previous turmoil, Chen Yuanshu's car stopped at a place and he turned around to say: "We're here. This is called Ershiyi Huisuo, and next door is the famous Gan Xidian."

  No. 44 Da Ban Alley, Nanjing

  After getting off the car, Chen Ergou specially took note of the address of this club and the four ancient red characters "Hidden World Fuxi" in the lower right corner of the sign. With some trepidation, he followed Chen Yuanshu into the club. The Twenty-One Club was a typical Jiangnan garden house, with very delicate white walls and dark tiles, which opened Chen Ergou's eyes wide, who had come from the northeastern mountains. The welcoming beauty smiled elegantly, looking so refreshing that Chen Ergou couldn't help but feel delighted. A man, almost like a deputy manager, dressed neatly, was already waiting at the door. As soon as he saw Chen Yuanshu, he put on a smile that could be considered fawning. Seeing Chen Ergou walking two steps behind Chen Yuanshu, he roughly guessed Chen Ergou's identity and status. However, this young man couldn't compare to Chen Yuanshu's deep roots in Nanjing, but even a thin camel is bigger than a horse, so he didn't dare neglect Chen Ergou, who was dressed casually. He led Chen Yuanshu and Chen Ergou, who had a somewhat pretentious air about him, to the ancient opera stage located on the central axis of the club. The stage was performing a tune that was still unfamiliar to Chen Ergou. Chen Yuanshu slightly tilted her head and introduced it to him in a low voice: "This is Kunqu Opera. Those people on stage are all backbone members specially called from Jiangsu Province's Kunqu Opera House. Today, the Twenty-One Club doesn't receive outsiders. These opera performers are performing just for us few people."

  When they saw the three of them, the two men sitting in the empty seats showed completely different attitudes. A middle-aged man wearing glasses immediately stood up, while a young man in a white suit leaned back with his legs crossed, looking at the stage with a cold expression on his face. The middle-aged man had a slightly bald head and was somewhat stout, but he had an official air about him that even Chen Er Gou could sense. After greeting Chen Yuan Shu, he immediately shook hands with Chen Er Gou, beaming with smiles, looking sincere from every angle, almost making people think that Chen Er Gou was his long-lost son. He didn't say much, and after Chen Yuan Shu sat down, the middle-aged man finally took a seat as well. The young man with a stern expression turned his head, but instead of looking at Chen Yuan Shu sitting next to him, he glanced at Chen Er Gou, who looked a bit awkward. This young man, who seemed not to care about the eldest miss of the Chen family, sneered coldly, shrugged, and continued to watch the play.

  "Peony Pavilion", now it's the "Surprise Dream" act. Chen Yuanshu slightly tilted her body towards Chen Ergou and said, glancing at the young man who was still motionless, she sighed inwardly. Since it's "Surprise Dream", it means the performance has been going on for quite a while. This guy is still the same, just like Su Beiwu's kid, they're two extreme typical characters, one is low-key to the point of being abnormal, the other is arrogant to the extreme. Even today when he was supposed to meet Old Man Chen, he let the Kunqu Opera Troupe start performing as soon as he arrived at the club, without even waiting for the main character. His impatient personality really needs to be disciplined in the army.

  Chen Ergou didn't dare to observe the young man beside Chen Yuanshu too much, and patiently listened to the opera. This Kunqu Opera was elegant and charming, with one singing and three narrating, extremely brilliant. Chen Ergou had liked Peking Opera since he was a child and could barely be considered a half-expert in Peking Opera. Listening to the classic Kunqu Opera piece "The Peony Pavilion" didn't pose too much of a barrier for him. During the intervals between acts, he could also appreciate the Southern Ming and Qing dynasty courtyard style of the Twenty-first Club, with beautiful young women serving behind him. What joy!

  "This club in Nanjing is not bad, but several private clubs under the table are definitely more upscale and atmospheric than Twenty-One. The quality is much better, but we can't go to those places today, after all, they are private clubs." Chen Yuanshu stopped there, without elaborating on the details, Chen Ergou could understand a bit, it was his own good fortune, Chen Yuanshu wasn't Wei Duogong, didn't have many ideas to lead him into the core of his own circle, at least not for now, after all, the gap between the two people was too huge.

  The person in charge of the twenty-first club was busy serving tea and water, passing snacks and desserts, unintentionally heard Chen Yuanshu's absolutely not flattering evaluation, didn't dare to show any displeasure on his face, lowered his eyebrows and eyes, and took over the tasks that should have been done by the service staff. Chen Er Gou half-closed his eyes, listening to the unique water-grinding accent, with a look of intoxication, temporarily forgetting the impending turmoil.

  After waiting for half an hour, Chen Yuanshu turned to the middle-aged man sitting on the side and said: "Secretary Meng, make a phone call to ask if there is any deviation in the itinerary arrangement, so that we can have a bottom line."

  "Yes, yes, yes." The middle-aged man who had said three "yes" in a row nodded vigorously and got up to make a phone call.

  "After struggling to climb to this position, he's still a lowly servant, I think even if he becomes the head of the secretariat in the future, he won't be able to change his humble and servile nature." The young man finally spoke up, with a cold smile on his face, his tone carrying a hint of Wu dialect and a slightly high-pitched Shanghai accent.

  Chen Yuanshu furrowed her brow and didn't say a word.

  Chen Er Gou seemed to be fully immersed in the Kunqu Opera, his eyes didn't even flicker once.

  A middle-aged man with a big belly sat down and explained in a low voice: "He said to let me wait again, but didn't specify the time."

  Chen Yuanshu lightly nodded, but the young man beside her had a clearly impatient expression. The four of them, plus the three beauties standing behind them, seven people in total, listened from "Surprise Dream" to "Pursuing Dreams", then from "Picking Up Paintings" to "Calling Out Paintings". During this time, the middle-aged man made three phone calls, and each time after explaining to Chen Yuanshu, he secretly wiped his sweat with a tissue. Finally, when it was time for the performance of "Returning Soul", the young man who had been scowling suddenly stood up, startling the three beauties standing behind him, who were already tired from standing. Chen Yuanshu lightly raised her head and glanced sideways at the young man, whose face was full of anger, and said coldly: "Aunt Chen, I'm going out for some fresh air. When the old man arrives at the club, you call me and I'll come over immediately."

  "Alright." Chen Yuanshu said calmly, still unruffled.

  "The Soul Returns" ended, and the exquisite snacks were replaced with a second batch. The middle-aged man stood up again to make a phone call, Chen Yuanshu glanced over and saw Chen Ergou in a state of meditation, looking like an old monk who was drunk and confused. She couldn't help but smile, and the little bit of resentment in her heart disappeared. She thought that after sitting for so long, she wouldn't be able to escape the yoga and spa tonight. Looking at Secretary Meng, she felt that he was indeed quite pitiful. She smiled lightly and asked Chen Ergou, "The person hasn't arrived yet, what should we do?"

  "Is that all?" Chen Ergou muttered, seemingly unimpressed.

  "It's easy to listen."

  Chen Yuanshu didn't want to hear Meng Shu's return with the same old official rhetoric, waved his hand and said lightly: "Meng Shu, tell them to come to Changsheng Temple."

  "Alright." Seeing Chen Yuanshu's expression wasn't bad, Meng Shu, who was stuck between two difficult people, let out a huge sigh of relief and immediately ran towards the ancient stage.

  As a result, when "Changsheng Temple" was almost over, it was already approaching 5:30. This means that Chen Yuanshu and Chen Ergou had been sitting here for more than four hours.

  This was not the most infuriating thing for Chen Yuanshu, but rather a bitter melon-faced Secretary Meng finally returned with this phone and told her that the other party's intention was that they couldn't make it today. As a result, Chen Yuanshu, who had always been known for his good reputation in Nanjing circles, also lost his temper, stood up with a smile on his face, but Secretary Meng, who had climbed to his current position step by step after half a lifetime of officialdom, couldn't help but notice the coldness behind it. Chen Yuanshu was even more furious, and if the person on the other end was just dealing with Chen Ergou, it would be normal to make him wait for four or five hours, let alone four or five days. But today, Chen Yuanshu sat here, waiting minute by minute, and she played the role of the biggest bridge-builder between the two parties compared to Secretary Meng. This face was lost by Chen Ergou, which means that Chen Jia Chen Yuanshu also lost it, this is the key.

  Secretary Meng also understood this, so he was at a loss, having been a wallflower who tried to please everyone for twenty or thirty years. He didn't dare to offend Chen Yuanshu, let alone speak ill of the people on the other end of the phone, and could only suffer in silence. Just as the atmosphere had completely cooled down, Chen Erdou slowly stood up, with a naive expression that seemed to still not understand the subtleties, and asked a question that seemed very childish, even making the waiters behind him snicker: "Sister Chen, I'm hungry, can we have a good meal here?"

  This is a big step.

  If you don't take advantage of the momentum to go downstairs, you're an idiot. As soon as Secretary Meng heard this sentence, he was so grateful that he almost knelt down and kowtowed to Chen Ergou, calling him "grandfather". He immediately said: "No problem, no problem, I'll pay for this meal, Sister Chen, today it's all my fault, Meng Donghai. You can hold your temper, don't get angry, after we sit down at the wine table, I'll first punish myself with three cups."

  Chen Yuanshu glanced at Chen Ergou, who seemed to be winking at her intentionally or unintentionally. She was taken aback, thinking that this little guy is quite clever and seems capable of handling even a director's position now. She decided to give Chen Ergou some face and helped Meng Donghai save his dignity by saying: "Secretary Meng, I really took advantage of you this time. Don't say I'm not merciful afterwards."

  Meng Donghai wiped his sweat fiercely and smiled: "The more ruthless, the better."

  Chen Ergou took advantage of the empty space to look up at the gloomy sky, wondering what was going on, so fierce that even Chen Yuanshu had to wait for an entire afternoon. (If you want to know what happens next, please log in, more chapters, support the author, support the genuine version!)