Chapter 502: Darling, Have Some Tea!

Chapter 502: Darling, Have Some Tea!

Behind the gate lay a broad, straight driveway. They had to travel nearly a hundred and fifty meters and go around an enormous fountain surrounded by flowerbeds before reaching the main entrance to the manor house.

The convoy, led by the Lamborghini, stopped at the foot of the steps.

Wu Chen unfastened his seat belt, pushed open the door, and got out. As he closed the Lamborghini’s door, he glanced around.

Senlan Manor covered an enormous area, though most of it consisted of landscaped gardens and lawns. In fact, the estate was technically a commercial property. The land had originally been acquired in the name of building a resort, but a private manor had been constructed on it instead.

Wu Weidong’s understanding and use of wealth were clearly more “traditional.” Compared with Su Ruiwen, who was richer than he was, Wu Weidong could be said to know how to enjoy his money better.

Of course, that was also because he was nearly twenty years older than Su Ruiwen and had been “retired” for many years.

Wu Chen had visited Senlan Manor more than once during his thousand years in the time loop. He knew that the only “masters” normally living here were Wu Weidong and his wife. There were also six bodyguards and more than twenty domestic staff, including housekeepers, gardeners, and others.

Ordinarily, Senlan Manor was fairly quiet.

The bodyguards and staff didn’t wander around at will. Each attended to their own duties. But on holidays and festivals, the manor became extraordinarily lively. Wu Yurong and Song Xuan would come to visit the old man, as would Wu Weidong’s two sons, his daughter-in-law, his grandsons and granddaughters, his brothers, and relatives from Madam Wu’s side of the family.

Compared with the Wu family, Su Ruiwen’s family could be described as thin on the ground.

The Wu family was a large clan.

That was also connected to how early Wu Weidong had made his fortune, bringing his relatives and friends along with him into prosperity.

While Wu Chen was casually looking around, Wu Yurong got out of the other side of the Lamborghini. She wore a burgundy qipao, different from yesterday’s, and carried her handbag in one hand. As she walked around the front of the car to Wu Chen, she unconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then slipped her arm through his.

Ordinarily, Wu Chen should have been the nervous one.

But Wu Yurong was clearly much more nervous than he was.

“You’re feeling a lot of pressure,” Wu Chen said softly with a smile, turning toward her.

“Not at all, darling,” Wu Yurong replied gently, giving him a sweet smile. She appeared to have returned to normal.

“Let’s go,” Wu Chen said.

As they went up the steps, Wu Chen glanced around again, as casually as before. He seemed to be taking in the grounds, but in fact he was looking at the people on the estate.

In the distance, a servant was pushing a lawn mower across the grass.

On the other side, near a grove of trees, a bodyguard could be seen wandering about.

Although Senlan Manor was enormous, the sightlines were very open, so there was no need for many bodyguards.

Wu Chen and Wu Yurong went inside.

The first-floor hall immediately conveyed an impression of magnificence. The decor was luxurious in an old-fashioned way, with solid-wood furniture everywhere. It had a distinctly last-century feel.

“Eldest Miss.” A middle-aged housekeeper hurriedly crossing the hall spotted Wu Yurong and lowered her head in greeting. Something about her manner was clearly off.

She seemed to want to raise her head and look, but didn’t dare.

That was because she had already noticed Wu Chen as she approached—and had noticed Wu Yurong holding his arm.

“Where’s my father?” Wu Yurong asked.

“In the garden,” the housekeeper answered.

Before long, Wu Chen and Wu Yurong had crossed the main building and gone out through the door at the rear, entering an even more beautiful landscaped garden.

Artificial hills and green trees, little bridges and flowing water.

It looked lavish, but compared with Wu Weidong’s wealth, it was a mere drop in the bucket.

Two bodyguards were patrolling the garden path. When they saw Wu Yurong and Wu Chen, they greeted her as well, both calling her “Eldest Miss.”

“Ms. Wu” was what people outside the family called Wu Yurong. At home, of course, she was addressed as “Miss.” There was even a “Master” of the household.

The two bodyguards also looked at Wu Chen strangely—almost in shock.

Yet neither dared say or ask a thing.

Within the household, Wu Yurong’s authority was second only to her father Wu Weidong’s. Even her elder brother couldn’t compare with her.

In the rear garden stood a pavilion.

An old man in a white shirt, his hair completely white, was playing Chinese chess with a suited man in his fifties.

The old man in the white shirt was Wu Weidong. He was nearly seventy, yet full of energy, and his silver hair gave him an imposing air. His hair had actually turned white overnight twenty years earlier. He hadn’t even been fifty then, but the bankruptcy crisis that had threatened Senlan Group had turned his hair white in a single night.

Sitting opposite Wu Weidong was Xu Shisong, his driver. Xu had been with him for thirty years and had once been the bodyguard he trusted most. Now past fifty himself, he also served, for all practical purposes, as the steward of Senlan Manor.

Wu Yurong hadn’t allowed her own bodyguards to follow. It was just her and Wu Chen.

They crossed the little bridge and walked toward the pavilion.

The two men inside were absorbed in their game and didn’t notice anyone approaching. It wasn’t that they hadn’t heard the footsteps; people came by all the time. Servants would bring fruit, and Madam Wu sometimes came to urge Wu Weidong to have his meal.

Wu Chen and Wu Yurong entered the pavilion.

Holding a Chinese chess piece, Wu Weidong unconsciously rolled it back and forth in his palm. He frowned at the board, completely focused.

Judging by the position, he was about to lose.

Not many people in the Wu family dared beat Wu Weidong at chess. Xu Shisong was one of them.

Wu Chen and Wu Yurong stopped without saying anything. Wu Yurong instinctively glanced at Wu Chen. Seeing his familiar smile as he studied the position on the board, seemingly without a trace of pressure, she relaxed a good deal herself.

Xu Shisong raised his head, glanced over, and immediately smiled. “Oh! Miss, you’re back.”

“Brother Xu, how many games have you won today?” Wu Yurong asked with a smile.

“No… I’ve lost several in a row…” Xu Shisong suddenly began to stammer. It certainly wasn’t because he was nervous speaking to Wu Yurong. She’d still been in elementary school when he first began working for Wu Weidong.

They knew each other extremely well!

It was because he’d seen Wu Chen—or, more precisely, because he’d seen Wu Yurong with her arm linked through Wu Chen’s. He was so stunned that he could barely get his words out.

“Rongrong, what brings you here all of a sudden…” Wu Weidong spoke absently, still holding a piece and looking at the board. He was nearly finished speaking when he finally raised his head to glance at his daughter, only for his voice to stop abruptly.

He saw Wu Chen beside her. And he saw the way Wu Yurong was holding his arm.

Compared with Xu Shisong, however, Wu Weidong was far more composed. He froze only for a moment before asking hesitantly, “Rongrong, who is this…?”

“Wu Chen. Dad, you should have heard of him,” Wu Yurong said with a gentle smile.

“Wu… ah…” Wu Weidong immediately looked as though he understood. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “The young man with Miss Li?”

“That’s right.” Wu Yurong nodded.

“So you’re Mr. Wu! Hahaha! Of course I’ve heard of you, of course I have! Mr. Wu!” Wu Weidong laughed heartily as he rose and extended his hand toward Wu Chen.

In Donghai today, the name “Wu Chen” carried a great deal of significance. And Donghai’s business families generally paid particular attention to core members of prominent families operating in the city.

Although Wu Weidong had long since “retired,” his social circle remained intact. He simply no longer conducted business himself. He still attended many gatherings, met up with old friends, and talked about everything happening in Donghai, big and small.

Of course he’d heard of Wu Chen!

“Old Master Wu.” Wu Chen smiled and shook his hand.

“Hahaha! I’ve heard so much about you, Mr. Wu,” Wu Weidong said with a laugh. Then he added, “Oh, by the way! If I remember correctly, aren’t you and our Xuanxuan schoolmates?”

He looked at Wu Yurong, then at Wu Chen.

“I’m two years ahead of Song Xuan,” Wu Chen said with a smile.

“Ah! Rongrong, why didn’t you call ahead? Mr. Wu’s come to visit without any warning, and the household hasn’t prepared a thing. What poor hospitality…” Wu Weidong made a show of reproaching his daughter. It was merely a courtesy, delivered in his thoroughly old-fashioned manner.

“Mm…” Wu Yurong murmured thoughtfully, smiling but saying nothing.

“Oh? Didn’t Miss Li come along?” Wu Weidong asked with another smile.

“No. She’s busy with work at her company,” Wu Chen replied, smiling.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Wu Weidong invited Wu Chen to sit. The tables, chairs, and stools in the pavilion were all made of expensive solid wood. Such furniture was obviously difficult to maintain outdoors, but Wu Weidong had the money for it.

Though he had seen Wu Yurong holding Wu Chen’s arm, after his daughter’s introduction Wu Weidong acted as though there was nothing strange about it at all.

He had even brought up Li Ruobing.

Clearly, he had misunderstood Wu Chen’s relationship with Wu Yurong. Wu Chen was so young and was a schoolmate of Wu Weidong’s granddaughter Song Xuan. Wu Yurong was practically an elder to him.

Seen that way, an older woman holding a young man’s arm took on a completely different meaning.

Were they close?

Was he close to Miss Li?

In a society that placed such importance on connections, either possibility was something Wu Weidong could be pleased about.

“That’s enough chess, enough. Xiao Xu, go take care of things and have someone bring us a pot of tea,” Wu Weidong told Xu Shisong, gesturing as he spoke.

Xu Shisong, the steward, was already on his feet. He nodded, turned, and hurried away.

“Mr. Wu, sit, please, sit… My goodness, I’ve heard so much about you lately. And now that I’ve met you, I can see you’re every bit as impressive as they say…” Wu Weidong was exceedingly warm.

Businessmen like him often treated people with connections to powerful families that way, especially those who already had a reputation.

Su Ruiwen would have done much the same.

But in terms of both influence and ability, Wu Weidong fell far short of Su Ruiwen. The status he had attained in the latter half of his life owed much to having an exceptionally talented daughter like Wu Yurong!

His seniority also worked in his favor!

“You’re too kind, Old Master,” Wu Chen said, sitting down beside Wu Weidong and smiling at him.

The atmosphere was excellent.

Wu Chen listened while Wu Weidong talked about this and that, mostly offering flattering pleasantries. Wu Weidong didn’t seem in any hurry to ask why Wu Chen had suddenly come to visit. He wanted to establish a friendly rapport first.

But the atmosphere didn’t last long.

After a servant brought the tea, Wu Yurong waved the servant away and stood to pour it herself. Wu Weidong found that slightly odd, but it was still perfectly reasonable.

After all, one man was her father, and the other was a guest.

“Dad, have some tea.” Wu Yurong first handed a cup to Wu Weidong.

“Darling, have some tea.” She then placed another cup in front of Wu Chen.

The hand Wu Weidong had just extended toward his teacup suddenly trembled, and the sentence he’d been saying to Wu Chen broke off in the middle.