The sweetest in the entertainment industry

Chapter 25 Exposing One's Weakness

The two walked side by side with the waiter towards the reserved courtyard.

It was a beautiful summer day with flowers in full bloom, and the scenery along the way was wonderful.

Gu Lanxi admired the scenery, while Lu Nanting observed the people.

She knew he was watching her, but she just wouldn't turn around and meet his gaze.

The two, radiating a pink glow, were led to their destination by a waiter with a doting smile, where they found that Li Jingxiu and his wife had already arrived.

After checking everything, and seeing that the appointed time was approaching, Li Jingzheng was about to bring his wife out to pick them up when he saw Gu Lanxi linking arms with Lu Nanting and following the waiter into the courtyard.

"Mr. Lu, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Miss Gu, it's been a long time!"

The couple rushed over and shook hands with them.

Li Jingxiu's wife is named Su Ying. She has a dignified appearance and a cheerful personality. Upon meeting her, she praised the two of them as a perfect match.

Gu Lanxi nodded reservedly, thanked her for the compliment, but didn't say anything more.

Su Ying dressed up very carefully today and looked radiant and in excellent condition.

However, Gu Lanxi is observant and sensitive to emotions. She can tell from the couple's body language that there are indeed problems in their relationship, so she can't bring herself to praise them against her will.

Compared to the weariness that Su Ying exuded, Li Jingxiu seemed quite pleased with himself.

In the struggle between the two brothers, he has already gained the upper hand. With Gu Lanxi's support, he will be able to kill his brother and completely control the discourse of Su Cha.

That's definitely something to be happy about.

The four washed their hands, sat down, exchanged a few pleasantries, and the food was served one after another.

The food was delicious, but nobody came here specifically for this meal.

The two couples sat facing each other politely, eating and chatting about trivial matters.

Because Gu Lanxi never drinks outside, she never prepares wine when others invite her to banquets for fear that she will not like it.

Therefore, there was only one pot of winter melon and old duck soup on the table to relieve summer heat and remove dampness.

The soup contains lotus leaves, giving it a unique and refreshing fragrance.

Southerners who have lived in the north for a long time often feel uncomfortable due to the dry climate.

Gu Lanxi already loved drinking soup, and after coming to the north, she loved it even more.

After she finished half a bowl, before she could even touch the spoon, Lu Nanting took it from her and added another half bowl for her.

Gu Lanxi naturally accepted it and continued drinking.

The two did not exchange a single word, yet their every move was perfectly in sync.

Su Ying was in the throes of her husband's betrayal when she ate this cloyingly sweet candy, and even the smoked quail in her mouth didn't taste good anymore.

"You two are so low-key!"

After they had eaten almost all, they started looking for an angle to get to the point, with Su Ying joking with a smile.

Anyone who saw them would assume they were wearing matching outfits on purpose, rather than having come from different places.

Gu Lanxi smiled slightly: "Neither of us really likes to be high-profile."

Su Ying always felt that there was something hidden in her words, but she couldn't quite understand them.

Li Jingxiu slightly tilted his knee and gently touched her leg.

"Due to work commitments, Ms. Gu and Mr. Lu do not currently plan to go public; keeping a low profile is the right thing to do."

After that, he didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point:
"Miss Gu mentioned shares last night. I wonder how many you plan to sell?"

When Gu Lanxi talks to people, she never lets them lead her by the nose.

She still wore her signature faint smile, but when she opened her mouth, she avoided answering directly. Instead, she spoke gently about the reasons why she sold her shares:

“My mother passed away early, so I have to prepare my own dowry. I recently found a property I like, but I'm a little short on funds…”

Gu Lanxi's tone was particularly sincere.

The reasons are also impeccable.

Her words left one unsure whether to pity her or envy her.

Upon hearing her words, Li Jingxiu's heart sank slightly.

"May I ask which house Miss Gu has taken a fancy to?" Gu Lanxi seemed oblivious to his wariness.
"The lakeside villa at Oriental No. 1 has a beautiful view, and we plan to move there as our marital home soon. We would be honored if you both could attend our housewarming party."

The tea business hasn't been around for many years. If the couple wants to buy back the shares and achieve absolute control, they will not only have to empty their savings but also need to take out loans.

Li Jingxiu didn't even dare to dream of owning a house in Oriental No. 1.

Gu Lanxi did not answer, but the answer was hidden in her words.

For a moment, a bitter expression appeared on Li Jingxiu's face.

Although he wanted to buy back the shares held by Gu Lanxi, he did not want her to sell them all.

Because this would send the wrong signal to some people with a keen sense of smell, that is, Gu Lanxi is not optimistic about the future of plain tea.

Li Jingxiu gently touched his wife's leg, signaling her to cooperate.

Su Ying knew her man well and knew that he didn't want to talk to her, but he didn't want to offend Gu Lanxi, so he pushed her out to buy time, intending to test her mentality before talking again.

Then he laughed heartily and spoke:

“My son is growing up day by day, and my wife and I need to prepare a wedding house for him in the next few years. We haven’t looked into how much the house price is per square meter over there?”

While urging her husband not to forget their son no matter what he was doing, Su Ying tried to take the initiative and lead the conversation.

She wanted to know how much money Gu Lanxi needed to buy a house in order to guess her expectations.

Clearly, she was not as shrewd as her husband.

Li Jingxiu had already guessed the answer, but she was still trying to get the answer from Gu Lanxi.

Gu Lanxi seemed oblivious to everything, her face utterly innocent: "It's my cousin's house. She's going to settle abroad, so she's reselling it to me for much less than the market price, around 200 million!"

After saying that, he stopped laughing and glanced at the couple opposite him.

No wonder he's in the entertainment industry; his eyes seem to speak volumes—[These kinds of luxury homes don't come in priced per square meter.]

On the surface, they were discussing houses, but in reality, they were relentlessly criticizing Li Jingxiu—[It's one thing to lack sincerity, but what's with bringing your wife out to joke around?]

She came to discuss business, not to talk about house prices or their son with his wife while playing riddles.

No matter how poor Gu Lanxi was when she was a child, she was still the daughter of the Gu family.

There are countless wealthy people in the family. Whenever there is an ancestral worship ceremony, the helipad outside the old house is always packed with cars and mansions. We have seen countless luxury cars and mansions.

When other girls were thirteen, they would be so excited to have a thousand dollars in their hands that they would go crazy. But when she went out to collect rent, the rent was too much to carry, so her uncle had to send a bag carrier over.

No matter how much money it is, she only needs to hold it in her hand and quickly scan it to know how much counterfeit money is mixed in. She is even more accurate at counting money than a money detector.

Su Ying was just an ordinary person who gradually became rich through hard work. Her words revealed her weakness, proving that the two were not on the same level at all.

Neither publicly nor privately are they qualified to lead this negotiation.

In Gu Lanxi's view, Li Jingxiu pushing her out was a sign of disrespect.

Su Ying and she had met a few times, but only at various business banquets. This was the first time they had interacted in private.

So Su Ying had no idea that this seemingly gentle and harmless girl, who was not much older than her son and spoke sweetly, was actually so fierce. With just a few words and a glance, she made Su Ying dare not open her mouth again.

In business, showing weakness will make you feel psychologically vulnerable.

She was a stubborn person and didn't feel ashamed at all, but Li Jingxiu almost stomped on her instep until it was swollen.

If you let your temper get the better of you and things go wrong, you'll inevitably end up having another huge argument.

Seeing that she was being honest, Gu Lanxi smiled with satisfaction, turned her head to pick up a piece of grilled beef tongue for Lu Nanting, and it seemed that she did not intend to say anything.

She didn't necessarily want to embarrass Su Ying; after all, the two had no grudges against each other, so why should a woman make things difficult for another woman?

This person is just used to being domineering at home and wants to meddle in everything.

Although the shares under Li Jingxiu's name are all joint property of the couple, the parties to this transaction are her and Li Jingxiu.

Originally, the two had not planned to bring their partners when they met, but she insisted on coming along, so Gu Lanxi politely brought Lu Nanting along as well, which was already giving her plenty of face.

But she didn't give him any face.

Didn't you see Lu Nanting just quietly standing by, like a wallflower?

If she could make the decision, that would be fine, but the one who actually makes the final decision is her husband.

The small talk went well, but now that they were getting down to business, Li Jingxiu wanted to stay in the back and let his wife come out and pester him until she got impatient before they could come out for a two-on-one talk. Gu Lanxi, of course, was unwilling to do so.

(End of this chapter)