Chapter 264: Invisible Posturing is the Most Fatal(1/2)
Song Ci had put in a lot of effort into making this steak today.
Song Ci’s culinary skills were not bad, especially when she was cooking seriously. The food she made was even more delicious. Han Zhan finished a steak in big bites, wiped his mouth, and said, “It’s delicious, another one.”
Song Ci didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “We’ll eat later. Otherwise, when the guests come and others eat, will you sit aside and eat air?”
Han Zhan could only continue to starve.
After pouring a glass of water, Han Zhan asked Song Ci, “What can I do?”
“You know your own condition. Help yourself.”
“Okay.”
Song Ci wanted to make cream mushroom soup, so Han Zhan stood aside and cut the mushrooms. The two of them worked together to make the mushroom soup, and Song Ci’s stick bread was also done roasting.
Han Zhan put on heat-resistant gloves and took out the staff.
Song Ci’s baguette was very authentic. The surface was pressed and crispy. She cut it open and saw that it was in the shape of a honeycomb. Many bubbles were the color of cream.
Han Zhan cut a slice and couldn’t resist brushing it against Old Godmother [1. Old Godmother is a famous brand of chili sauce in China]. He took a bite.
He loved to brush the baguette with Old Godmother.
Delicious!” Han Zhan considerately cut the staff into small slices and arranged them on a long plate. He felt that Song Ci’s food looked really good and couldn’t resist taking a photo and posting it on his social media.
Having learned his lesson, Han Zhan asked Song Ci before sending the photo. “I want to post it on my social media. Do I need to photoshop it for you?”
Han Zhan planned to send a nine-page photo. Eight of the photos were of Song Ci’s delicacies, and in the middle was a beautiful photo of her. In the photo, Song Ci was only wearing a hazy blue turtleneck sweater. Her long black hair was casually fixed at the back of her head with a white jade hairpin and a few strands of hair hung down.
She was wearing a white apron. Under the warm yellow light, Song Ci exuded beauty and warmth.
Song Ci placed the asparagus on the plate first. She took off her gloves and turned to look at the photo taken by Han Zhan. Song Ci was slightly shocked to see herself in Han Zhan’s photo.
historical
Song Ci said, “Brother Han, don’t you think I look so gentle like this?”
Song Ci already had two children, but she was actually very young and had just turned 24 this summer. Other girls were still in graduate school at the age of 24, still working hard, and still in a heart-stopping relationship.
Meanwhile, she was going further and further down the path of a beautiful young lady.
Song Ci felt slightly melancholic. “I seem to have aged.”
Han Zhan disagreed with Song Ci’s words. He touched Song Ci’s cheek. Her face was smooth and tender, but not at all old.
“What old? Brother Han doesn’t even feel old at 34 years old.” After meeting Song Ci, Han Zhan became younger and younger.
Song Ci smiled.
“That’s all for the photo. It’s beautiful and my wife is naturally beautiful.” The main reason was that Han Zhan liked the original photo and it warmed his heart no matter how he looked at it.
It was rare that Song Ci and Han Zhan had the same taste. She nodded and said, “Alright, send it.”
Han Zhan posted.
“Alright.”
Song Ci had already prepared dinner.
She washed her hands, took out her cell phone from her apron pocket, and entered her social media account. She saw that her Brother Sanpang had posted a new status two minutes ago —
Han Zhan: [Cut the worries into pieces with one knife, stir-fried the friendship with one shovel, stewed the worries with one pot, mixed the familial love with one spoon, served the love with one bowl, and scooped out the happiness with one plate. Additional photo.jpg9.]
After reading it, Song Ci looked embarrassed and helpless.
She had miscalculated. She never expected Brother Han to make a mistake in the caption instead of the photo.
Song Ci supported her forehead and asked Han Zhan with mixed feelings, “Brother Han, look at your social media account. With this exaggerated style of middle-aged and elderly praising others, you still say you are young?”
He was already in his mid-age years, alright?
Han Zhan said, “Is that so? CEO Liu praised his wife like this the last time.”
“That CEO Liu?”
“CEO Liu of Golden Jade.”
Song Ci reminded Han Zhan. “CEO Liu is 53 years old, Brother Han.”
Han Zhan also felt slightly awkward. “Should I change?”
Song Ci thought for a moment and shook her head. “Forget it, Brother Han, just leave it.” Although he looked silly, she loved Han Zhan’s silly humor.
As the two of them were talking, they heard the doorbell ring.
“They are here.”
Han Zhan saw that Song Ci hurriedly took off her apron and even took out a lipstick magically from her pocket. Han Zhan couldn’t help smiling. “Pack up. I’ll go open the door.” With that, Han Zhan shouted towards the door. “I’m coming.”
He slowly opened the door, giving Song Ci enough time to tidy herself up.
Song Ci took off the jade hairpin on her head and put on red lipstick, making her look gentle and alluring. She sized up the glass, adjusted her expression, and walked into the living room.
Seeing that it was Song Fei and Yan Jiang, Song Ci instantly dropped her image as an idol. “Song Fei, Brother Jiang, take a seat first.” He allowed her to return to her room to fix her brows and put on some mascara with her lashes.
Song Ci went upstairs, leaving Han Zhan and the other two speechless.
Song Fei glanced upstairs and asked Han Zhan, “Why did she go upstairs?”
Han Zhan smiled but didn’t say anything.
Yan Jiang knew Song Ci’s character very well. He said, “She is going to meet Han Zhan’s sister. Song Ci is going to dress up.” Women were so troublesome and liked to compare.
Song Fei glanced down at her own outfit.
She was wearing a black sweater and black pants today. Coupled with a black striped top, she looked just like an ordinary person.
Song Fei suspected that she was a fake woman.
Yan Jiang could tell what Song Fei was thinking. He said, “What are you thinking about? Song Ci is a rose and you are a daffodil. They all have their own beauty. There’s nothing to compare.”
“No.” Song Fei said in a low voice, “I just feel that I should be more womanly.”
Yan Jiang thought of Song Fei’s performance in bed and blushed. He leaned close to Song Fei’s ear and said, “You are already very womanly. Really, very beautiful.”
Song Fei looked at Yan Jiang suspiciously.
Although Han Zhan couldn’t hear what the two of them were muttering, he could guess from Yan Jiang’s reddened face that they were talking dirty again.
Han Zhan entered the kitchen to bring out the cut fruits. Just as he put down the plate, he heard the second doorbell ring.
Han Zhan opened the door and saw Orianna and Su Wen standing outside.
Seeing Orianna in a purple windbreaker and 12cm high heels, her lips were as red as if she had drunk cow blood. Seeing Orianna in such a gorgeous outfit, Han Zhan thought of his Baby Ci and suddenly smiled.
Han Zhan’s smile stunned Orianna.
“What are you laughing at, Hoff?” Orianna instinctively looked at her own outfit. It was perfect and not at all ridiculous.
Han Zhan smiled. “Anna, you’re very beautiful today.”
Being praised for being beautiful, Orianna instantly forgot Han Zhan’s strange smile. She leaned close to Han Zhan and said, “I used sin love perfume.”
Han Zhan instinctively took a step back.
“Please come in.”
Orianna brought Su Wen into the house and saw Song Ci coincidentally coming down the stairs.
In just a short while, not only did Song Ci draw her brows and lengthen her lashes, she also changed into a black hooded skirt and high heels.
Song Fei looked at Song Ci in shock. She then saw that Orianna had taken off her windbreaker to reveal a light purple heavy embroidery dress. She instantly doubted her own gender.
Are all women so exaggerated when they gather for a meal in private?
Song Ci hugged Orianna with a smile and praised each other for being beautiful today. Song Fei felt awkward for them when she heard their mutual compliments.
Han Zhanyan, Jiang, and Su Wen looked at each other with obvious smiles.
During the meal, the six of them chatted about some interesting international matters. Gradually, the topic was controlled by Orianna and Song Fei. Although Orianna was in the field of biological research, Song Fei was in the field of medical viruses. The two of them seemed to have different professions, but they were both medical specialists.
As the two of them chatted, the other four couldn’t interrupt.
Song Ci couldn’t understand their words at all. She also wanted to find someone to chat about the violin with.
After dinner, Orianna and Song Fei were still talking non-stop. Yan Jiang saw that Song Ci was bored and pulled her to the French window to sit down. He told her about what had happened in the entertainment circles recently.
Only after hearing Yan Jiang’s description did Song Ci know that Liang Bo and Zhu Wen were in a relationship. Of course, they were in a secret relationship and didn’t expose it, but Yan Jiang and the rest of the industry knew.
Yan Jiang also told Song Ci that Du Junfei’s ex-wife, Xian Le, had committed suicide in prison some time ago and was rescued by the prison guards in time. She had to continue serving her sentence.
This was something Song Ci didn’t know and she listened with relish.
As the host, Han Zhan naturally had to entertain Su Wen. Su Wen was a reserved and taciturn man. Afraid that Su Wen would be bored, Han Zhan turned on the television and showed his favorite military documentary to Su Wen.
As a killer, Su Wen was very interested in such documentaries and watched them seriously. Halfway through, Su Wen suddenly heard Han Zhan say, “Mr. Su is very famous. I’ve heard of you before.”
Su Wen felt slightly awkward.
He was a killer and did shameful deeds, but Han Zhan was a soldier and did things to protect his country.
Su Wen braced himself and asked, “Is that so? At that time, did Mr. Han really want to kill me?”
Han Zhan shook his head. “Mr. Su’s activities are in Europe and America. We mind our own business. Why would I want to kill you? I’ve heard of you because you’ve done a few things that shook the world.”
Su Wen was famous internationally.
Su Wen felt even more awkward and didn’t know how to reply.
Han Zhan suddenly asked, “I heard from Song Ci that you came back this time to find your family, Mr. Su?”
“Mmm.” Very few people knew about Su Wen’s background. Su Wen took the initiative to tell Han Zhan, “I am Chinese and got separated from my family when I was young. Recently, I intend to look for my family and see if I can find them.”
“Do you still remember how your family looked like?”
Su Wen shook his head. “I was too young when I got lost. I can’t remember.”
Han Zhan didn’t say anything further.
After watching the military documentary, Song Fei and Orianna still looked like they were chatting happily. Han Zhan suddenly turned to look at Song Ci and shouted, “Baby Ci, I have a huge photo album upstairs. It’s a photo album that records my military career. Can you help me get it?”
“Okay!”
Song Ci ran upstairs and found the photo album that Han Zhan had mentioned on the bookshelf in the study.
The photo album was rather heavy and contained all of Han Zhan’s memories during his military service.
This was also Song Ci’s first time looking at this photo album. When Han Zhan was looking at it, Song Ci was sitting beside him. Yan Jiang was also rather curious about the lives of the soldiers, so he also walked behind the sofa to look at it with Song Ci and the rest.
Han Zhan flipped open the photo. As he looked at it, he explained the background of each photo to Song Ci. “This is Long Yu. We are from an independent battalion. He is the company commander of the Artillery Squad Three Company. As for me, I am a sniper. I will go wherever you need me.”
At that time, Han Aoyu wanted to sharpen Han Zhan and didn’t intend to let him walk down the official path too early. As a result, Han Zhan had a military rank but no military position.
In the photo, Long Yu was only 27 or 28 years old and looked very young.
Han Zhan flipped back again.
He pointed at a tall, dark-skinned man. “You know him too.”
Song Ci glanced at that person carefully.
That person had very fierce features and looked very serious, cold, and meticulous. But it was precisely such a frightening person who lost his life to save Song Ci.
How could Song Ci not recognize Ah Lun when he was young?
“Is it Ah Lun?”
“Mmm.”
Han Zhan glanced at Su Wen, who was staring intently at the television but listening intently to his explanation. He narrowed his blue eyes and said slowly, “Ah Lun is from Liaoning, Northeastern China. I heard that his hometown is in East Phoenix City.”
Hearing the words “East Phoenix City”, Su Wen’s gaze shifted slightly and landed on the photo album in Han Zhan’s hand.
Su Wen craned his neck and stared at the dark-skinned man in Han Zhan’s photo album.
Song Ci noticed Su Wen’s action and thought of Han Zhan’s sudden request to look at the photo album. She vaguely understood his intentions.
He was testing Su Wen!
Could it be...
Song Ci stared at Su Wen in shock as her heartbeat quickened.
Noticing that the fish had taken the bait, Han Zhan added, “Ah Lun was born good at shooting and was famous for being the king of shooting. At that time, my superior, Old Zheng, couldn’t bear to see Ah Lun go astray, so he made an exception and recruited him.”
Han Zhan smiled and told Song Ci and the rest, “I am known as the king of snipers because I have been under Grandpa’s training since I was young. I have been practicing shooting under the weather. But Ah Lun is really talented in shooting. We have competed several times and I have lost to him several times.”
“Ah Lun is my true opponent.”
“Then why did Ah Lun retire from the military?” Han Zhan was injured, but what about Ah Lun?
Ah Lun looked very healthy and didn’t look like he had been seriously injured.
Han Zhan leaned back against the sofa and said regretfully, “Because he killed someone.”
Everyone was shocked.
Even Yan Jiang couldn’t resist. He said, “Ah Lun doesn’t look like that kind of person.” Yan Jiang had seen Ah Lun several times. He was a man who didn’t speak much but looked reliable and dependable. He didn’t look like someone who would kill the innocent.
“It’s a long story.”
Han Zhan turned slightly and faced the direction where Su Wen was sitting. He recalled and explained. “The person who was killed by Ah Lun was a local boss. That person was very vicious and heartless.”
“One time, we were ordered to assist the navy in fighting at the southern sea. The mission requirement was to capture the other party’s leader alive, but Ah Lun recognized that the other party’s leader was the culprit who harmed him when he was young and caused him to lose his family. With hatred in his heart, Ah Lun, who had always been under military orders, suddenly lost control.”
Ah Lun had killed someone. Moreover, he was a minor leader with an extremely important status. He was very evil. As a result, Ah Lun was discharged from the military and Elder Zheng was implicated.
After Han Zhan finished narrating Ah Lun’s deeds, a non-standard Chinese accent suddenly sounded. “Mr. Han, can you show me the photo?”
Han Zhan pretended to be surprised and looked up at Su Wen.
“What’s the matter?” Han Zhan asked as he handed the photo album to Su Wen.
Su Wen remained silent.
He took the photo album and stared at Ah Lun’s face in the photo, his expression conflicted and confused.
Ah Lun...
East Phoenix City...
“Mr. Han, this Ah Lun you mentioned, did he lose his family when he was young?” Only after asking this did Su Wen realize that his heartbeat was unbelievably fast and uncontrollable.
Han Zhan replied, “Mmm.”
“Who did he lose?”
Orianna and Song Fei had been sitting in the dining room chatting. Sensing the subtle atmosphere in the living room, Orianna excused herself and went to the living room.
As she walked into the living room, she happened to hear Su Wen and Han Zhan’s question.
Orianna stared at the photo album in Su Wen’s hand in confusion. Looking at the tall, dark, and serious young man in the photo, Orianna guessed something and a hint of joy appeared on her face.
Han Zhan told Su Wen, “It’s a little boy. He’s Ah Lun’s younger brother. When he got lost, his younger brother was not even 6 years old.”
Hearing this, Su Wen was stunned.
Taking in Su Wen’s reaction, Orianna knew that this matter was very likely to be reliable. But she couldn’t be sure. Worried that it was a false joy, Orianna asked Han Zhan, “Where is this person in the photo now?”
Orianna wanted to find this man immediately and drag him to the hospital to verify their blood ties!
Su Wen also stared at Han Zhan, looking at him expectantly and nervously.
Han Zhan didn’t answer.
Song Ci instinctively clenched her fists and said very softly, “Ah Lun has already passed away.”
Su Wen’s chest heaved.
He sat on the sofa in a daze and murmured in a daze, “Dead?” He clearly wasn’t sure if that person was his elder brother, but Su Wen still felt his heart ache.
Orianna was also stunned by this news. “How did he die? When did he die?”
Han Zhan held the back of Song Ci’s hand and shook his head, indicating that she shouldn’t say anything.
Song Ci listened to Han Zhan and immediately shut up.
Han Zhan’s gaze was very deep. He stared at Orianna and said, “At the celebration party of ‘Le Chi’, Ah Lun was blown up on the spot to protect Song Ci...”
Orianna’s eyes darted around as many thoughts flashed across her mind!
At Le Chi’s celebration party...
Wasn’t that accident planned by Edward?
It was not easy for him to finally have news that he suspected his elder brother. Before he could be happy, he already knew that the person who might be his elder brother was already dead. This was something that Su Wen could not accept!
Orianna looked down worriedly. Indeed, Su Wen’s expression was very ugly.
Su Wen calmed down very quickly. He said, “Perhaps there was a mistake.” There were so many people in the world. How could he be so lucky to find his elder brother so easily?
Moreover, his brother was like him. He had a cheap life and wouldn’t die easily.
“Anna, it’s getting late. Let’s go back first. It’s time for Mr. Han and Song to rest.” Su Wen refused to believe that Ah Lun was his elder brother. This fearless man chose to avoid reality for the first time.
Orianna could understand Su Wen’s feelings. She held his hand and waited for him to stand up before saying goodbye to Han Zhan and the rest.
After Su Wen and Orianna left, Song Fei walked over and pointed out. “Su Wen is escaping.”
Yan Jiang agreed with Song Fei’s opinion. He didn’t think Su Wen was a coward. He just said, “Compared to knowing that my elder brother is dead, it’s better to never find him and treat him as if he is still alive in this world.”
It was also a form of comfort to deceive oneself.
Han Zhan took the photo album from the sofa and closed it. He said, “I bet he will come and look for me again.” Su Wen was not the kind of person to avoid the truth. He just temporarily refused to accept the truth. When he recovered, he would still come back to verify it.
Moreover, curiosity killed the cat. Since Su Wen already suspected Ah Lun and his relationship, he would definitely look for him.
“Alright, go to bed.” Han Zhan looked at the time. It was already 10.20pm. He asked Yan Jiang, “Are you sleeping here?”
Yan Jiang asked him, “Where are you sleeping?”
Han Zhan said, “Sleep on the floor.”
Yan Jiang was so angry that he laughed. “No way.” He pulled Song Fei and was about to leave. Before he left, he asked Han Zhan and Song Ci, “When are you moving? You must leave us a big room at your new house.”
Song Ci said, “We haven’t decided yet.” Looking at Han Zhan, Song Ci asked, “Brother Han, have you found anyone to see when’s an auspicious date?”
The more wealthy one was, the more superstitious one would be, let alone something as major as moving house.
Han Zhan said, “Grandpa got someone to calculate it. Let’s wait two days.”
“Alright then.”
Yan Jiang left with Song Fei.
The house suddenly became very quiet. Song Ci laid on the sofa and opened the photo album again. She found Ah Lun’s photo and stared at the person in the photo. Song Ci asked Han Zhan, “You think Su Wen is Ah Lun’s younger brother?”
“It’s also a guess. As for whether it’s true or not, we still have to wait for Su Wen to come looking for us.” Han Zhan told Song Ci, “Previously in the kitchen, you said that you met Su Wen and the rest in Feng City. Su Wen is from Feng City. I already felt that it was suspicious then.”
“You know that Feng City is actually a small place. Su Wen is the same age as Brother Ah Lun. Regardless of whether it’s true or not, I have to give it a try.”
Yes, that would be great. No, there was nothing to lose.
“But judging from Su Wen’s reaction earlier, this matter is most likely settled.”
“We still have to wait for Su Wen to come and look for us.”
“Mmm.”
–
Meanwhile, Su Wen and Orianna returned to the hotel.
After entering the room, Su Wen took off his clothes and said, “Do you also think that Ah Lun is my elder brother?”
Orianna nodded. “You all look alike.”
“Let’s wait a little longer. Let’s wait for the DNA search results to come out.” Su Wen hoped that the DNA search results would come out. He hoped that he could find his elder brother. He hoped that his elder brother was not Ah Lun.
Orianna agreed with Su Wen. “Let’s wait another two days then.”
“Mmm.”
Su Wen took a shower and laid down. His heart felt stuffy.
e didn’t tell Orianna that when he saw Ah Lun’s photo, he remembered something related to his elder brother. His elder brother had a pair of big ears that looked like they were inherited from their father.
Meanwhile, Ah Lun also had a pair of big ears.
Su Wen turned over and hugged Orianna. He tried his best to hypnotize himself before finally falling asleep.
The next day, Han Aoyu received a call from the old swindler. He said that the moving day had been calculated and it would be a moving day next Tuesday.
After Han Zhan received the message, he posted on his social media account that he was moving to a new house on Tuesday.
After seeing CEO Han’s social media account, a group of business big shots who were on good terms with him left messages saying that they were going to visit him to celebrate his new residence.
Seeing this, Han Zhan got his secretary to make a WeChat invitation and sent it to dozens of good friends and business partners to invite them to attend the housewarming party.
After receiving the electronic invitation, everyone signed up to sign up.
The Imperial Dragon Villa was not like the small houses in the city.
The house was too big. Cleanliness, greenery, swimming pool maintenance... All sorts of things required professionals. As a result, when Han Zhan was still recuperating in Italy, he called Long Yu in advance and got him to hire a batch of helpers.
Including the steward who did odd jobs, people who groomed horses, and those that cooked, there were a total of 20 people.
The salary that Han Zhan offered was very high. The chief butler’s monthly salary was 90,000 yuan and the nanny in charge of the two daughters’ salary was 60,000 yuan. The rest of the helpers’ salary was at least 15,000 yuan.
A high salary corresponded to high education and quality. Apart from the children’s butler and housekeeper, the other helpers had to speak standard Mandarin and English and had to pass the quality assessment.
Not only that, he also had many ulterior motives. For example, he didn’t want people with family members that emigrated, he didn’t want those who committed major moral crimes, he didn’t want those who despised the poor and loved the rich, and he didn’t want those who had humiliated their country...
In the end, the people selected by Han Zhan were all professional elites.
Song Ci didn’t know about this at first. It was Su Beibei who posted a link to her. Song Ci read it and realized that those low-key but easygoing helpers in the manor were all very capable.
After the assistant returned home from work and Han Zhan’s work was over, Song Ci came to his office to complain about this. “They said that Brother Han has a higher requirement for choosing a helper than a boss choosing a lover.”
Han Zhan glanced at Song Ci and asked, “Do you agree with my way of doing things?”
Song Ci nodded. “Of course I agree.”
As Han Zhan was Han Aoyu’s grandson, he didn’t need an immigrant helper because he was worried that the helper would be a spy. He didn’t need an immigrant helper because he was worried that such a helper would also have a moral defect...
In the end, he also wanted to give his family a safe and reliable living environment.
Song Ci hugged Han Zhan’s waist from behind. “You are going to attend the award ceremony for the top 10 entrepreneurs in the country tomorrow. Do you want to bring me along?”
“Of course.”
Han Zhan pinched Song Ci’s nose and said, “The award ceremony is tomorrow afternoon. We will go after lunch.”
“Okay!”
The National Top Ten Most Outstanding Entrepreneurs Awards was a grand occasion. Song Ci was wearing a red sleeveless dress and a white feather shawl.
Not only was it not overly-revealing, it was also very suitable for such an occasion.
Song Ci gave Han Zhan a dark blue suit paired with a pin-neck shirt from the pure white mountains. A ruby pin was chosen to embellish the collar.
It was low-key and luxurious and not overlooked by others.
Han Zhan was very satisfied with Song Ci’s taste. He changed into a suit and walked downstairs. The two little guys obviously loved it when he dressed like this. Han Miao climbed up to Han Zhan’s side and hugged her father’s long legs. She looked up at her father, who was so handsome today, and asked for a hug!
Han Zhan grabbed-->>