A Beijing socialite stole my boyfriend; she went crazy after I got married.

As dusk settled, the snow in the outskirts of Beijing continued unabated.

Jiang Chu sat in front of the dressing table, wearing an exquisite dark green velvet dress.

The skirt draped to the ankles, with an elegant off-the-shoulder neckline, and a necklace around the neck with a sapphire pendant the size of a pigeon's egg, as clear as the deep sea.

Xie Jing walked out from the changing area behind him.

He had changed into a formal black bespoke suit, without a tie, and the top button of his shirt was undone, exuding a sense of composure and confidence.

The man approached, placed his hands on the edge of the dressing table, and looked at his bright-eyed, white-toothed fiancée in the mirror.

He lowered his head and gently touched her ear with his thin lips.

"nervous?"

"A little." Jiang Chu took a breath. "So, what kind of important guest is it?"

"Do you remember that banquet before? What I said to Mr. Zhong?"

"Hmm... You said if they don't change their technology, you'll cut off their rare earth resources."

Xie Jing straightened up. "International politics is never black and white. If we really push those century-old European families to the brink, they will likely have no choice but to completely break ties with Tianyu due to pressure from North America. This will not benefit our overseas operations in the slightest. Therefore, after the official strong statement, there will definitely be private communication."

"Did they send someone to test your limits?"

Jiang Chu grasped the key point.

"That's right." Xie Jing sneered. "The loudest clamor comes from North America, but those old-money families in Europe, whose foundation is in industry, are more afraid than anyone else of Tianyu really cutting off their industrial lifeline. When the stock market drops by several percentage points a day, they are taking a loss. But due to political constraints, they cannot openly compromise with China."

Jiang Chu understood. "So, they need a way out."

Xie Jing looked at Jiang Chu and said, "The people who came tonight are Viscount and Viscount Weber, one of the actual controllers behind the German consortium. Old Weber is a typical old-fashioned European capitalist. His mission tonight is to bypass their officials and get the most core high-precision lithography machine light source technology in exchange for our green light for new energy projects in Southeast Asia."

Jiang Chu took a deep breath. "What do I need to do?"

"You don't need to understand those mechanical and electrical engineering issues and carbon tariffs." Xie Jing placed a large hand on her shoulder. "Leave old Weber to me. And his wife, Mrs. Helena, to you. This is the first diplomatic experience you need to adapt to as the wife of the chairman of Tianyu."

He paused. "Helena comes from a top Austrian aristocratic family. She's extremely arrogant and values ​​lineage and artistic cultivation highly. She might test you with obscure topics because you're young. You don't need to flatter her, and you certainly don't need to show weakness. Remember your place—"

Xie Jing leaned down slightly, his dark eyes fixed on her: "You are the matriarch of the Tianyu Group. On our turf, you don't need to bow your head to anyone."

Looking into his supportive and trusting eyes, Jiang Chu's previously anxious heart slowly calmed down.

"I understand. However, although I've been cramming on English lately, especially for the competition article I've researched a lot..."

She blinked. "The conversation shouldn't be a problem, but my accent might not be that good."

"Relax," Xie Jing chuckled, "They won't care about that. There are plenty of people worse than you."

-

It was exactly 7 p.m.

Two seemingly unassuming black bulletproof Maybachs broke through the wind and snow and came to a smooth stop in front of the porch of the manor's main building.

Xie Jing stood with Jiang Chu under the warm light of the porch.

The car door opened, and an elderly gentleman with a full head of silver hair, dressed in an elegant double-breasted suit, stepped out leaning on a cane.

Following closely behind was an elderly woman wrapped in an expensive pure white mink fur coat and wearing a vintage pearl necklace.

"Mr. Xie, I hope my visit late at night in the snow has not disturbed your peace."

Old Weber, speaking fluent but accented English, smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with Xie Jing.

"You're too kind."

Xie Jing shook hands with him politely, her aura in no way inferior, and then very naturally turned to the side and put her arm around Jiang Chu's waist.

"Let me introduce you to my fiancée, Jiang Chu."

A glint of light flashed in old Weber's eyes, then he nodded gently.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Helena, standing to the side, scrutinized Jiang Chu from head to toe with an extremely critical and subtle gaze.

In her opinion, the wife of this Eastern tycoon was far too young.

It's like a beautiful porcelain doll displayed in a shop window.

In Europe's elite circles, there are many young girls who rise to power through their beauty, but not all of them are capable of achieving success in public.

—This so-called "face" doesn't refer to the magazine cover.

"Miss Jiang, you are so young it's enviable."

Helena reached out her hand.

"You flatter me, Madam. You are also very elegant."

Jiang Chu shook hands with her.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xie Jing and Old Weber headed towards the cigar room at the end of the first floor.

Jiang Chu also began to fulfill her duties as the hostess, leading Mrs. Helena to the glass-enclosed, temperature-controlled greenhouse and art tea room located on the other side of the building.

The tea room was warm and cozy, with top-quality Da Hong Pao tea boiling in a purple clay teapot, releasing a rich aroma.

Outside the bulletproof glass, snow was falling heavily, while inside, various rare orchids of excellent quality were in full bloom.

Lady Helena removed her fur coat, picked up the tea that Jiang Chu had personally poured for her, and took a small sip.

"A very unique fragrance."

Helena put down her teacup, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the paintings hanging on the wall before finally settling on an extremely abstract modern bronze sculpture of a dancer.

"Miss Jiang, Mr. Xie's manor exudes an aura of Eastern power, but this sculpture is quite interesting. It looks somewhat like a French modernist piece, but its form is too distorted. Don't you think it disrupts the balance here?"

This is an extremely well-hidden trap.

Jiang Chu turned her head and looked in the direction Helena was looking.

Her gaze swept over the sculpture's pose and the clearly defined muscle lines on its body.

Okay.

If it were anything else, she might not be able to respond, but this is different.

"...Madam, I don't think it disrupts the balance; on the contrary, it's an extreme form of confrontation and harmony."

Jiang Chu put down his teacup. "This isn't French modernism. If I'm not mistaken, its inspiration should come from German Neo-Expressionism. The reason this sculpture's form is distorted is because it captures the extreme compensation a dancer makes in weightlessness, as their core muscle groups try to resist gravity."

Mrs. Helena was taken aback.

Jiang Chu did not pause.

"Look at the angle of her shoulder blades and pelvis twisting; this is an absolutely forbidden 'wrong posture' in classical ballet. Classical ballet emphasizes an upward lightness, an illusion of overcoming gravity and flying into the sky; but this sculpture is expressing a downward 'sinking.' It is embracing gravity, using twisting to express inner tearing and reconstruction. This reminds me of Pina Bausch's modern dance theater, such as 'Café Müller.' There, the dancers stumble between tables and chairs with their eyes closed, presenting this undisguised, primal pain and vitality."

Jiang Chu turned her head to look at Helena, whose eyes were slightly wide open, and smiled as she made her summary.

"In a well-ordered manor, place an expressionist sculpture that breaks the rules and unleashes primal vitality. This is exactly my fiancé's aesthetic—allowing the most extreme wildness to exist within absolute control. So, it's very balanced."

The tea room became quiet.