237: Famous paintings stolen

Lan Zijun, as the female President of Yuantu Investment Company, became a key focus for prominent families since breaking off her engagement with her fiancé Qian Boda. Everyone wanted to forge a connection with the Lan family.

Many people, both openly and secretly, wanted to introduce someone to Lan Zijun, but without exception, she refused them all.

Everyone thought Lan Zijun was hurt by what Qian Boda had done previously, and seeing her refusal, they were too embarrassed to recommend anyone else to her.

This was the first time Lan Zijun had appeared in public with a male companion since breaking off her engagement with Qian Boda, and even Li Kangsheng couldn't help but become curious.

Lan Zijun didn't show much expression on her face, calmly explaining, "This is my male companion, Su Yue."

Su Yue spoke up to greet Li Kangsheng, "Hello, Li Zong."

Li Kangsheng's gaze casually swept over Su Yue, not recognizing which family's young master he was from within their circle, and he didn't show too much surprise on his face.

Previously, when Lan Zijun and Qian Boda were engaged, on the surface, Yuantu Investment was still managed by Lan Zijun, but who didn't know that at the time Qian Boda was already arrogantly trying to seize sole control of Yuantu Investment, even attempting to hire a killer to murder Lan Zijun?

If Lan Zijun hadn't exposed Qian Boda's scheme in time, Yuantu Investment would probably belong to Qian Boda by now.

After such an incident, it was normal for Lan Zijun not to want to find another ambitious young master from a wealthy family, and choosing a commoner to marry into the Lan family was also a normal thing.

"Hello."

He didn't focus his attention on Su Yue anymore; after leading them into the banquet, he returned to the entrance to continue waiting for others to arrive.

As soon as Li Kangsheng left, Lan Zijun quietly said to Su Yue, "This is the host of the banquet, Li Kangsheng. He is the President of Shengshi Iron and Steel."

Hearing Lan Zijun's introduction, Su Yue was startled to realize that the kind person who had just been in front of him was actually Li Kangsheng, the nationally renowned President of Shengshi Iron and Steel.

It was rumored that his wealth was comparable to a nation's treasury, so it was no wonder he could own such a large villa in the prime location of the city center.

"I didn't expect him to be Li Kangsheng. The internet says he's kind, and seeing him today, it really is true."

After Lan Zijun's explanation, Su Yue's nervousness disappeared, and he became curious about who else was at this banquet.

The host of the banquet is so wealthy, the people he could invite must not be ordinary either.

Seeing Su Yue curiously observing others, Lan Zijun's face involuntarily broke into a smile.

She could tell that Su Yue wanted to meet more people.

Su Yue currently possessed Abyss; if he could meet more people, he could also earn more money by selling information, and now was the perfect opportunity, so she would naturally help him.

"The banquet hasn't started yet. I'll take you around to meet some people."

Su Yue nodded, "Okay."

Lan Zijun took two glasses of wine from a passing waiter, handed one to Su Yue, and then led him towards the banquet hall.

"Madam Sun, Madam Li, long time no see." Lan Zijun greeted the two elegantly dressed ladies who were talking.

The two turned their heads to look at Lan Zijun simultaneously, and when they saw that she was actually holding Su Yue's arm, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.

Because he was attending the dinner banquet, Su Yue had used hairspray beforehand to fix his bangs that usually covered his eyes, revealing a clean forehead. His face lacked its usual laziness and gained a touch of sharpness.

Coupled with a well-fitting blue suit, standing in front of Lan Zijun, who was wearing a similar color, it inexplicably made people feel that the two were actually a good match.

Madam Sun looked at Su Yue, "President Lan, long time no see. And this is?"

Madam Li also spoke up to greet Lan Zijun. Although she didn't directly ask about Su Yue, her occasional glances at him indicated that she was also very curious about his identity.

Lan Zijun had a gentle smile on her face as she introduced Su Yue to the two, "This is my male companion, Su Yue."

Su Yue nodded in cooperation to greet the two.

"Hello, Madam Sun, Madam Li."

The two had a good relationship with Lan Zijun, so they spoke without reservation.

Madam Sun frowned and tentatively asked, "President Lan, are you planning to choose him?"

The originally calm Lan Zijun instantly froze upon hearing what Madam Sun said.

Su Yue, who was beside her, also heard Madam Sun's words. He immediately understood what Madam Sun meant and was also a bit stunned.

Although colleagues at the company had been saying these past few days that he had latched onto Lan Zijun's coattails, he always knew it was just gossip; there was nothing between him and Lan Zijun.

However, asking such a question directly at the banquet in front of both him and Lan Zijun, no matter how strong Su Yue's inner self was, he still couldn't quite handle the other person's directness and was stiff, unsure of how to react.

This was Lan Zijun...

Lan Zijun's face was completely red, whether from embarrassment or annoyance. She glanced at Madam Sun with some irritation.

"No! I just happened to ask him to be my male companion."

Madam Sun and Madam Li exchanged a knowing look; both understood what Lan Zijun meant in their hearts.

Before breaking off the engagement with Qian Boda, the number of times Lan Zijun attended banquets with Qian Boda was few and far between, let alone introducing Qian Boda in front of them.

Yet today, she attended the dinner banquet with a man from outside their circle, wearing matching colored formal wear, and even personally introduced him to them. The meaning behind this was already very clear.

However, seeing Lan Zijun's hurried denial, it was clear that she didn't intend to announce it directly yet.

Having been in this circle for a long time, Madam Sun and Madam Li naturally knew how to read the room, so they also smiled and nodded in cooperation with her.

"Oh, so he's just a male companion."

Lan Zijun saw through their teasing and her face immediately turned even redder.

She said somewhat anxiously, "Since you've already met him, I'll take him away for now. We can meet for afternoon tea when you're free."

It was the first time Su Yue had seen such a flustered expression on Lan Zijun's face, and for a moment, he found it somewhat novel.

He hadn't expected that the always aloof and calm Lan Zijun would have a day when she couldn't handle being teased, especially when the teasing was related to him.

Suddenly, an impossible thought surged into his mind.

Because this thought was too incredible, even he himself was startled.

Looking at Lan Zijun, who was pulling him towards the balcony, he thought he must be crazy; otherwise, how could he possibly think Lan Zijun liked him?

Breathing in the fresh air, Lan Zijun finally felt the heat on her body dissipate.

It was only then that she realized she had anxiously grabbed Su Yue's hand in her haste and quickly let go of him in a panic.

With her back to Su Yue, she explained somewhat anxiously, "Please don't misunderstand. I just wanted to introduce you to more people. They are all famous wealthy businessmen and women in the circle, and I think you might need them."

After saying a bit, she seemed to calm down slightly. She looked around and found that there was no one nearby, so she turned around, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered in his ear, "These people all have secrets. They are all your potential clients. You can interact with them more."

Her warm breath brushed against Su Yue's ear, and hearing her soft whisper, Su Yue felt half of his body go numb.

He nodded stiffly, "Okay, President Lan."

Lan Zijun also seemed to feel that their actions were too intimate and quickly moved away to calm her excited emotions.

Su Yue looked at the obviously flustered Lan Zijun, and in his heart, the thought that had just flashed through his mind became even more certain.

Looking at Lan Zijun like this, it seemed she probably had feelings for him.

Thinking of this possibility, the originally calm Su Yue also became restless.

His mind also subconsciously recalled the things that had happened during this time, and only then did he understand why rumors about them had been rampant in the company these past few days. It was probably with Lan Zijun's tacit approval.

If she hadn't stopped them, those people in the company wouldn't have dared to discuss the two of them so brazenly. She also wouldn't have gone directly to his department in front of everyone and specifically said she was looking for him.

Realizing this, Su Yue immediately understood the abnormal reactions in the company over the past few days and was instantly excited.

Before guessing Lan Zijun's thoughts, he never dared to fantasize about her. Now that he knew she might have feelings for him, he couldn't control the thoughts he had always hidden in his heart.

How could he not be tempted by such an excellent Lan Zijun? It was just that he had always stopped himself from thinking wildly before, feeling that he wasn't worthy of her.

A gentle breeze blew, dispersing the heat on both of them.

The two, with their backs to each other and not daring to look, had very complex feelings at this moment, but they both tacitly dared not tell the other what was in their hearts.

As the last ray of sunset disappeared on the horizon, Lan Zijun finally spoke with feigned calmness, "Let's go back. I still haven't introduced you to other people."

"Okay."

Having recognized the thoughts in their hearts, the two were much more in sync afterward, and there was no longer the phenomenon of one of them abruptly fleeing mid-conversation.

Many people present also learned through Madam Sun and Madam Li that the relationship between the two was likely unusual, and they all tacitly accepted Lan Zijun's favor by greeting Su Yue.

In fact, as early as when Lan Zijun entered the banquet holding Su Yue's arm, everyone present had noticed them and were very curious about their relationship.

However, after Lan Zijun and Su Yue had only exchanged a couple of words with Madam Sun and Madam Li, she hurriedly rushed to the balcony for air. This abnormal reaction made many people realize something.

When Lan Zijun brought Su Yue to greet them, they all tacitly pretended not to know anything, treating Su Yue merely as an ordinary male companion.

But in reality, everyone tacitly assumed that Su Yue was very likely to marry into the Lan family, and therefore they were very polite to him.

In one evening, Su Yue received contact information from dozens of Presidents and Madams, all of whom were leaders in various industries.

As night fell, the sounds of clinking glasses and conversation gradually lessened, and the city television station's star host walked smilingly towards the center of the stage with a microphone.

"Welcome everyone to Mr. Li's birthday banquet today."

The dinner banquet officially began.

While the host was giving the welcome speech, Su Yue finally found an opportunity to express his gratitude to Lan Zijun.

"Thank you, President Lan, for bringing me to meet so many people tonight."

Although Su Yue didn't know why those people were so enthusiastic towards him tonight, he could guess that a large reason was because of Lan Zijun.

He wasn't short on money now, but when he saw the portly so-called Presidents and directors one by one, he knew that it would be wrong for him not to earn this money.

For this reason, he didn't hold back at all. He would first build connections with these people and then use his identity as Abyss to fleece them severely.

Lan Zijun shook her head, "Su Yue, you don't need to be so polite with me. I know that even without me, you would sooner or later get to know these people. I'm just helping you out a bit in advance."

She looked up at Su Yue, "Besides, I didn't do anything. The most important thing is that your information is reliable."

Su Yue felt a bit moved. Just as he was about to say something, his vision suddenly went black, and screams erupted around them.

Although Su Yue was afraid of the dark, he subconsciously pulled Lan Zijun beside him into his arms, just in case anything happened to her.

He asked somewhat anxiously, "President Lan, are you okay?"

Lan Zijun's face, hidden in the darkness, was a little red. "I... I'm fine."

Everyone at the banquet was startled by this sudden change, and many young ladies and madams let out sharp screams due to the power outage.

Li Kangsheng, who was in the center of the stage, remained relatively calm. He snatched the microphone from the host beside him and questioned loudly, "What on earth is going on?! Where is the security?!"

The security guards rushed over as soon as the villa lost power. Upon hearing Li Kangsheng's stern shout, they quickly responded, "Sir, we're here. We are urgently investigating the cause of the power outage and will restore power immediately!"

And the very next second after his voice fell, with a "click," the villa returned to brightness.

"Ah! Wh- Why is it empty!"

Before everyone could react to this sudden change, the host's voice echoed through the banquet hall.

Everyone subconsciously looked at him and saw an empty display case in the center of the stage.

Li Kangsheng's eyes widened in shock, completely unable to believe it. "Where's the painting?!"

It turned out that it was just the time Li Kangsheng had prepared to display the antique. The host hadn't even finished introducing the ancient painting when the villa suddenly lost power the next second.

And in those few seconds of power outage, an ancient painting that was originally in the display case had vanished into thin air.

This matter was too significant, and everyone present was greatly startled.

Su Yue looked at the swarming security guards and was very surprised, "With so many security guards, someone was still able to successfully steal the ancient painting. It seems this ancient painting is indeed very valuable."

Lan Zijun was also a little disbelieving, "Li Kangsheng almost had an accident during a business trip back then, so he always has many bodyguards around him. I didn't expect someone would still dare to steal a famous painting while he was displaying it. This person's background is not simple."

The Anbao Captain's face also turned pale when he saw the empty display case.

Li Kangsheng also didn't expect anyone to be so audacious as to dare to steal something from his home; his face turned red with anger.

He roared loudly at the Anbao Captain, "Quick! Call the police! I want to see who is so arrogant as to dare to steal something from my Li family!"

The Anbao Captain nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Li Zong!"

At this moment, a young man who looked less than 30 years old walked up to Li Kangsheng and comforted him, "Father, don't worry. Nobody is audacious enough to steal something from our home. I will also find out exactly what happened."