The banquet hall was abuzz, but Chen Lishu grew restless as she hadn't heard from Gu Xingdong. Her right eyelid twitched incessantly, a growing sense of foreboding gripping her heart.
Xiao Hei watched Chen Lishu pace back and forth, a flicker of concern in his eyes. "Madam, please don't worry. Brother Gu might have important matters to attend to, which is why he hasn't replied to your message. How about I help you check his location? We can go find him."
Chen Lishu's heart pounded harder. Something significant was bound to happen. Eagerly, she urged, "Then please, check his location for me right now."
Xiao Hei nodded, then pulled out his phone to check the GPS. To his surprise, he said, "The GPS shows Brother Gu is still at the hotel, not far from us.
This is strange. Didn't he take her to the hospital for treatment? Why is he still at the hotel? Could something have really happened? Madam, there's no time to delay. Let's go to his location and see what's going on!"
Chen Lishu nodded and followed closely behind Xiao Hei as they hurried in the direction of the GPS signal.
As they passed the backyard, Alice spotted them.
A bodyguard standing behind Alice asked indifferently, "Miss Alice, their direction seems to be towards Miss Zhang's room. Should we stop them?"
Alice shrugged, a relaxed expression on her face. "If you intervene, it will only make things more complicated. I didn't expect them to be so clever as to install a tracking system on him.
Since they're so eager to see what Gu Xingdong is up to, sneak through the back path and push Wan'er's room door open a little. Let Chen Lishu see the situation clearly and give up hope, so she stops coveting what she shouldn't!"
Upon receiving Alice's command, the bodyguard straightened up, bowed respectfully, and then vanished.
----
The two quickly arrived at the indicated location. Seeing the slightly ajar door, Chen Lishu's brows furrowed.
Inside the room, Gu Xingdong was standing under the faucet, trying to calm himself with cold water. Just as he took out his phone to message Xiao Hei, Zhang Wan'er, having broken free from her restraints, arrived in the bathroom.
"Xingdong, you'd rather take a cold shower than be with me because I'm dirty?" Zhang Wan'er's face flushed with a suspicious redness, her eyes brimming with tears. Such a pitiable appearance would surely make any other man lose his self-control!
However, Gu Xingdong was not like other men. Faced with Zhang Wan'er's pitiful act, he felt no pity, only a trace of disgust. He turned off the faucet, regaining some of his composure. Just as he was about to leave, Zhang Wan'er removed her clothes and pressed herself against him.
Gu Xingdong felt a surge of anger ignite within him. He took a deep breath and was about to push her away when a commotion suddenly erupted from the doorway.
Outside the door, Alice hid in a dark corner, watching Chen Lishu enter the room. The corners of her mouth curled upwards slightly, a smug expression gracing her face. "So much time has passed, I'm sure anything that could happen has happened. You going in now, I'd like to see how much you can take!"
Just as she was about to witness Chen Lishu's distress, her phone suddenly rang. Alice irritably pulled out her phone, intending to decline the call. However, a casual glance at the contact name on the screen caused her expression to turn exceptionally serious, and she left the area without a backward glance.
"My dear Alice, how are you finding your time in China?"
Alice, listening to the concerned voice on the other end of the phone, replied with a touch of surprise, "Master, my days in China are going well. You don't need to worry about me. Rather, where have you been running off to lately? I have so many questions I wish to ask you!"
"To be honest, I've also been in China during this period. However, I have some matters to attend to and can't meet up with you. You called today because I wanted to ask if you know who Chen Lishu is?
I want you to invite Chen Lishu to participate in the fashion design competition three weeks from now. If you can win against Chen Lishu in this competition, I am willing to take you as my goddaughter and announce it publicly!"
Alice's eyes lit up at the man's words, her hand trembling as she gripped her phone in excitement. "Master, do you know what you're saying? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
The man on the other end of the line calmly stated, "I think you really need this opportunity."
Tears welling up in her eyes, Alice readily agreed. She truly needed this opportunity. She had come from the slums. Although she was now a chief designer, that identity meant nothing in the eyes of the wealthy. It could even be cruelly put, she wasn't even comparable to the dogs they kept!
It was fine for herself; after all these years, she had heard all sorts of praise and criticism and had grown accustomed to it. However, she also had a younger brother who would soon be of school age, and naturally, she couldn't let him remain in the slums!
Regardless of whether one could make a name for themselves after leaving the slums, the distance between the slums and where she lived now was significant. If her brother couldn't attend the Royal Academy, it would mean they would have to part ways. Her brother was still so young and unable to take care of himself. Either she would have to abandon her career to look after him, or they would live separately! Both choices were rather troublesome for her.
Her master was the most respected designer in Country M. If she could become his goddaughter, she would naturally gain favor from many people. And sending her brother to the Royal Academy would then be a simple and easy matter!
Thinking of this, Alice covered her mouth with her hand, trying her best not to let out any sounds of excessive excitement that might make her master perceive her as immature or unstable.
Just as the person on the other end of the line was about to hang up, Alice suddenly asked, "Master, why do you insist that I compete with Chen Lishu? When did you first meet Chen Lishu? Did she offend you?"
The man on the phone replied sternly, "You don't need to concern yourself with this. You are my most accomplished student. You grew up by my side, learning about sixty to seventy percent of my skills. You must give your all in this competition. If you lose, then you will have failed to live up to my education all these years!"