After work that evening, Su Tang got up and began gathering the documents on her desk.
Her face was full of worry.
That morning, she had ridden to work in Lu Zheng’s car, and fortunately, she had not run into any of her coworkers when she got out.
But there was another matter giving her a headache.
Lu Zheng had told her that there would be a top-tier private banquet this Saturday.
She had to attend as his female companion.
He had already instructed a luxury haute couture dress boutique to reserve a new couture gown for her and had asked her to go try it on tomorrow.
He had even casually handed her an exclusive spending card.
In the past, she would definitely have been delighted. She would have another chance to meet wealthy people.
But now, all she wanted was to keep a low profile, stay alive, and save money.
Just as she was feeling frustrated and conflicted, an idea suddenly struck her.
A luxury custom-made gown!
That was haute couture from a major brand!
Any random gown could easily cost hundreds of thousands or even millions!
Su Tang’s eyes lit up, and all her worries instantly vanished.
She had almost forgotten that she was planning to save thirty million and run away!
If she obediently worked and saved money, who knew how many years it would take to reach that amount?
Wasn’t the fastest way to coax Lu Zheng into giving her valuable things that she could sell for cash?
A single gown could easily be worth several years of an ordinary person’s income.
With that thought, everything suddenly became clear to Su Tang.
She should not refuse to go. Instead, she needed to coax him into giving the gown to her.
Wasn’t it just attending a banquet?
She would go!
She absolutely had to go to this banquet.
As long as she could get him to give her the haute couture gown afterward, she could sell it as soon as the banquet was over and have a huge sum of money in her account!
She would be one step closer to her goal of saving thirty million and leaving.
A shrewd light gleamed in Su Tang’s eyes as her little financial calculations went into overdrive.
The moment she walked out of the company building, she spotted a highly recognizable Maybach parked by the roadside.
She took a deep breath and walked toward it.
Inside the car, however, the atmosphere was completely different.
The driver in the front seat gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, cold sweat covering his forehead as he did not even dare breathe too heavily.
During the more than ten minutes they had spent waiting for Su Tang to finish work, Lu Zheng had received a work report from the company’s senior management.
A major data error had occurred in an important overseas project, and there had also been a mistake in the coordination process, resulting in considerable losses.
The senior executive on the other end of the phone was nervous and terrified, repeatedly apologizing.
Yet the man in the back seat listened in silence the entire time.
There was no scolding and no shouting.
But that deathly silence was even more frightening than an angry tirade.
Lu Zheng leaned against the seat, his long fingers gripping his phone, a layer of frost covering his eyes as a fierce, oppressive aura surged around him.
“Hold everyone accountable. Investigate every level thoroughly. Anyone responsible for the mistake is to be dismissed.”
His voice was not loud, but it was cold and decisive.
With a single sentence, he had determined the fate of dozens of people.
The person on the other end immediately agreed repeatedly.
After the call ended, the silence inside the car became terrifying.
Sitting in the front, the driver could only complain inwardly.
President Lu had always been decisive and ruthless, with a cold and severe temperament.
He normally kept his emotions hidden, but whenever he became angry, it meant a storm was coming, and the entire group would be shaken along with him.
Because of what had happened today, everyone in the company would probably spend the next week walking on eggshells.
Just then, a slender figure approached outside the car window.
Su Tang bent down and opened the rear door.
Unlike her awkward reluctance that morning, she smoothly climbed into the car and sweetly called out, “Brother Lu Zheng~”
Just that one call.
Miraculously, the tense and icy atmosphere inside the car suddenly loosened.
The man’s eyes had originally been dark and cold with suppressed anger, but they visibly softened.
Lu Zheng turned his head to look at her. The young woman sat obediently in her seat, her slender back straight, her brows and eyes gentle, and she seemed to be in a rather good mood.
Somehow, his own mood improved along with hers.
“Tomorrow I’ll have my assistant take you to try on the gowns. Pick whichever one you like.”
His voice was gentle, without the slightest trace of anger.
That was exactly what she had been waiting to hear!
Su Tang immediately seized the opportunity. She lifted her little face, blinking her doe-like eyes as she tentatively asked in a soft voice, “Then… Brother Lu Zheng.”
“This gown is specifically for me to wear to the banquet, right?”
Lu Zheng nodded. “Yes.”
Su Tang’s heart beat a little faster as she followed up, “Then can I keep the gown after the banquet?”
Lu Zheng looked at her bright, sparkling eyes and could not help curling his lips upward. “If you like it, I’ll give it to you.”
Su Tang’s eyes instantly curved into a smile. “Okay. I’ll definitely try the gowns properly tomorrow. I absolutely won’t embarrass you!”
The driver in the front was completely stunned.
Just a few minutes ago, President Lu had been gloomy and brimming with murderous hostility.
Yet after Miss Su called him “Brother,” he actually… stopped being angry?
How miraculous.
Just as he was marveling at this, he heard his boss say, “Drive. Let’s go home.”
The black Maybach smoothly pulled away from beneath the Lu Group building and headed toward the villa.
……
The days passed in a blur, and before long, Saturday arrived.
The assistant arrived on time to take Su Tang to the most upscale private luxury haute couture dress boutique in the city center.
The boutique only served wealthy and powerful families and was not open to the general public. Every gown inside was an exclusive haute couture creation, and each one was worth an astonishing amount of money.
“Hello, are you Miss Su?”
The moment the shop assistant saw Su Tang arrive, she immediately stepped forward and asked respectfully.
“Yes.”
“May I ask what style you prefer, Miss Su?”
“I’ll look around first.”
“Of course.”
Although she had moved into the Lu family home when she was twelve, she had barely attended any banquets over the years.
After all, Lu family’s Old Madam had withdrawn from the public eye many years ago and had long since stopped caring about the world of fame and fortune.
As for Lu Zheng, he did not seem particularly interested in such occasions either. Even when he had to attend formal events, he would never bring her along.
In fact, this was her first proper banquet.
Su Tang walked into the boutique, her gaze sweeping over the exquisite and gorgeous gowns.
She absolutely had to choose the prettiest, most expensive, easiest-to-resell, and highest-quality gown!
After all, Lu Zheng had promised to give it to her.
She would wear it once to the banquet, then sell it afterward and secure a substantial amount of money.
However, with the assistant accompanying her, she could hardly say outright, “Give me the most expensive one.”
That would be far too obvious.
So she could only stroll leisurely around the showroom, her almond-shaped eyes sweeping over each evening gown.
After walking around more than half the showroom, the ordinary haute couture gowns could no longer catch her eye.
The gowns worth hundreds of thousands looked gorgeous enough, but among all the luxury pieces in the boutique, they were merely ordinary.
It was not until she reached the innermost part of the showroom, where a central display area was illuminated by its own spotlight, that her footsteps suddenly stopped.
Hanging in the very center was the boutique’s showpiece haute couture gown.
It was an extremely pale, misty moonlight white from top to bottom, with layers upon layers of skirt flowing like a vast galaxy of shattered stars woven together.
The gown was adorned with impossibly fine hand-sewn crystals. It was not flashy, yet under the lights, it shimmered with a delicate and gentle radiance.
The shoulder straps were made of restrained French-style sheer gauze, the neckline elegant and graceful, while the waist was cinched exquisitely before falling into a light yet magnificent skirt.
Noble, cool, gentle, breathtaking.
Every beautiful word imaginable seemed perfectly suited to it.
Compared with this gown, the haute couture pieces worth hundreds of thousands that she had just seen suddenly looked plain, gaudy, and dull.
Su Tang’s eyes lit up, and she instinctively took two steps forward.
She raised her fingertips, wanting to touch the delicate fabric.
Just as she was about to touch the hem of the gown…
“Miss Su! Wait!”
A hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Su Tang winced in pain and immediately turned to look.