Rebirth: The Ascent of a Socialite-Chapter 562 - 227: Charity Delivered to the Door
Seeing Su Ziceng return with a look of gritted teeth, Sister Mu couldn’t figure out whether her trip to Bianjing City was a cause for joy or sorrow.
"How did things go?" Sister Mu asked.
"No progress. How about Lin Ying?" Su Ziceng responded, recalling that Lin Ying had participated in several shows in the country recently and should have returned by now.
"Ziceng," Sister Mu, who was tidying up some glasses, made them clink, drawing Su Ziceng’s attention to another set of guest glasses on the coffee table.
Some residual red wine was left on the transparent glass walls. Sister Mu didn’t have many drinking companions, "Pello dropped by for a while," she said, with a tone of loneliness that made Su Ziceng reluctant to reproach her.
In Mo City, besides Su Ziceng herself, there was only that man she didn’t want to mention anymore who could keep Sister Mu company with wine and conversation.
After hearing what Hang Yishao had spouted today, Su Ziceng wasn’t completely indifferent; his "I love you, what’s it to you?" unravelled her memories deeply. Pello’s betrayal was devastating, a more lethal pain than what she used to feel for Hang Yishao. Perhaps her love for Hang Yishao had been a habit, good or bad, whereas Pello’s appearance was a tempting vice.
"Ziceng, I’m sorry, I know I should have sent him away, not listened to his sweet talk," Sister Mu said, looking at Su Ziceng’s face that was tinged with a blush of shame, and the unresolved sorrow in her eyes was heart-wrenching.
"Sister Mu, he is a person worth associating with. His friendship with you is separate from our friendship, like a fine wine that can be tasted from different glasses," Su Ziceng said, taking a glass from Sister Mu’s hand, but her fingers spasmed when they touched the glass Pello had used.
"It’s not like that, I haven’t reconciled with him. If it weren’t for his offer to give up the Asian franchise rights for ZARA, I wouldn’t have let him sit, let alone drink the wine he brought," Sister Mu blurted out, with her face turning a mix of wine-red and embarrassed blush.
Su Ziceng couldn’t help but smirk; Pello was a frightening yet meticulous man, knowing Sister Mu couldn’t resist the temptation of fine wine, and the franchise rights for ZARA were something Su Ziceng couldn’t easily refuse.
"Rather than taking on another brand on the brink of bankruptcy, I’d prefer you take over an emerging brand," Sister Mu said uneasily, not wanting Su Ziceng to feel too distressed, but sensing this decision would be wiser. Nowadays, Su Ziceng had taken on too much; Sister Mu wanted her to live more comfortably, to return to being the carefree Su Ziceng of the past.
"Sister Mu, do you think I can see him again?" Su Ziceng said with a bitter smile, cleaning the two glasses with fresh water. The leftover wine could be washed away, but the memories left in people’s hearts, whether bitter or sweet, could never fade.
"He said it was a form of compensation," Sister Mu remarked and then fell silent.
"Compensation? Sister Mu, can I still trust him?" Su Ziceng said as she dried the glasses, "In Bianjing City, he has already set a threshold for me. What is this, a slap and then a candy?" It was indeed Pello’s style of doing things, but having tasted it once, Su Ziceng no longer wanted to experience it a second time.
"Listen to me, go talk to him," Sister Mu persuaded.
Although Pello knew the influence Sister Mu had on Su Ziceng, he was still thrilled when he received her call.
Hearing her soft voice on the other end of the line, Pello, who was attending a meeting at the Parliament Building, finally let his expression soften. The government officials gave him a city council seat in light of his generous investment, a distinguished honor for Pello, who was not a local. Mr. Fei noticed no joy on Pello’s face when he first received the council appointment, but after the meeting, when he got a phone call, his face lit up with happiness.
"Such an enigmatic young man," Mr. Fei watched the youngest European Earl with envy, having heard of his connections with the central government. Under thirty, his wealth, status, and even his wife were exceptional. What irked Mr. Fei the most, who was eager to court him, was that the Earl of Wizi seemed indifferent to almost everything. The fine wines he sent were returned, and even the new real estate developments by the Fei Family failed to pique his interest.
