My Peninsula 2007

Chapter 455 Banquet
An Rusong eventually called Min Xianxiu. After hearing that he had arrived at his home, Min Xianxiu rushed back in less than twenty minutes.

When Min Hyun-soo entered, An Ru-song was sitting face-to-face with Cai Yan in the middle of the second-floor living room, chatting happily. Cai Yan was still wearing her white bathrobe, while An Ru-song was dressed neatly. Neither of them showed any unusual expression.

After all, he was her husband, and Min Xianxiu knew An Rusong well enough. She knew that this man was a lecherous scoundrel who wanted to sleep with any pretty woman he saw. At the same time, she also knew what kind of woman her best friend was. If a young, promising, and successful man like An Rusong showed interest in her best friend, given her personality, her best friend would definitely throw herself at him without hesitation.

However, the way the two of them were behaving at this moment did not seem like anything had happened. Of course, even if something had happened, Min Hyun-soo could do nothing about it, since An Ru-song could only be considered her lover, but far from being her man.

"What brings you here today?" Having just rushed back from outside, Min Hyun-soo still had a few beads of sweat on her forehead. She first went to the bathroom to wash her face and then changed her clothes before returning to the living room. As she poured herself some water, she asked.

“I have a banquet to attend tonight,” An Rusong said without any hesitation. “I just received the invitation.”

"A very formal banquet?" Min Hyun-soo thought he was going to put on makeup and match an evening suit or something.

“It shouldn’t be a formal banquet,” An Rusong said, crossing his legs and leaning back in his sofa chair. “However, the organizer is an elder, so I thought it wouldn’t be appropriate to go empty-handed. I should prepare a gift, which is why I came to ask you for your advice.”

“I’m a designer, not a housekeeper,” Min Hyun-soo said, walking over with a glass of water. She rolled her eyes at An Rusong and said, “He’s just an old man. You could have just asked anyone. Why did you have to come all the way to me?”

“It’s different,” An Rusong patted the seat next to him, gesturing for her to sit down, and said, “This old man is extraordinary. He used to be of very high status, and even now, he is still very influential in our country’s political circles.”

"How important is he? The president?" Min Hyun-soo sat down next to him, placing his water glass on the coffee table in front of him as he joked.

An Rusong didn't speak, but just looked at her with a strange expression.

Min Hyun-soo sensed something was wrong, turned to look at him, and after meeting his gaze, seemed to understand something. She asked in surprise, "It can't really be the president, can it? President Roh?"

Hearing him say that, Cai Yan, who was sitting opposite him, also looked at An Rusong. To her, the president was a very distant figure.

“It’s not President Lu,” An Rusong said, shaking his head. “It’s President Quan.”

“Jeon,” Min Hyun-soo blinked, stared at him for a long time, and then asked, “How come you also have dealings with him?”

An Rusong shrugged, meaning he didn't know what was going on either.

Min Hyun-soo clearly didn't expect him to answer the question, and her focus quickly shifted as she excitedly asked, "Can you take me with you? I'll be your date!"

An Rusong was speechless. He had no idea what the banquet was all about tonight, so of course he couldn't just bring his female companion there rashly.

"Never mind, never mind," fortunately Min Hyun-soo was just saying it casually. She then waved her hand and said, "It's not really appropriate for me to go. Hmm, wait for me a moment, I know what to bring you."

After saying that, she got up and walked towards the living room door, her steps so fast they were almost jogging.

Watching her figure disappear outside the living room door, An Rusong shook his head and smiled. He turned to look at Cai Yan across from him, only to see that the other woman's big eyes were staring straight at him.

He gestured towards her with his lip, then glanced at her legs exposed under the hem of her bathrobe. He then met her gaze again, put down his crossed legs, and made a split motion.

Cai Yan clearly understood his meaning. The woman first blushed and looked away, then glanced towards the door again after a moment. Seeing that Min Xianxiu hadn't returned, she bit her lower lip and slowly parted her legs that had been pressed together.
When footsteps faintly sounded outside the living room, the two people inside resumed their serious demeanor. A moment later, Min Hyun-soo hurriedly entered from outside, carrying a palm-sized hardcover notebook in one hand and two identical exquisite gift boxes in the other.

“Although I don’t know why he invited you to the banquet, considering his status, it wouldn’t be appropriate to give him something too expensive,” Min Hyun-soo said, placing the gift box on the coffee table as he walked to the sofa. “Take this with you; it’s the perfect gift for an elder.”

An Rusong glanced at the two gift boxes and discovered that they contained Korean ginseng from Cheong Kwan Jang. Cheong Kwan Jang is a long-established Korean brand that specializes in six-year-old Korean ginseng products. It has become very popular in the last two years and is opening chain stores everywhere.

Think about it, this would be a perfect souvenir. Someone like Jeon Doo-hwan certainly lacks nothing, at least materially.

Don't be fooled by his claim of having only 29 won in assets; anyone who believes that nonsense is a fool. This old man may not have any assets under his own name, but his wife and children are all billionaires. Take his second son, for example; he buys mansions in America every now and then, costing millions of dollars. How could he be poor? Therefore, when preparing a gift for this kind of old man, it's not about the price, but the sentiment. Ginseng is not only practical but also carries a beautiful meaning—wishing the old man a long life.

"Also, ask President Jeon for my autograph," Min Hyun-soo said, sitting back down next to An Ru-song and handing him the hardcover notebook. "I'm not afraid to tell you, President Jeon is my idol, my idol since I was a child."

An Rusong chuckled. It was hard to refuse such a request, especially since it wasn't really a big deal. He was attending a banquet tonight, and if he had the chance to meet Quan Douhuan, he could simply say that Quan was his idol and ask for an autograph. Quan would never refuse.

He took the notebook and placed it next to the two gift boxes. An Rusong calmly reached out and placed his hand on Min Xianxiu's thigh, gently squeezed it, and said, "Look at you, all sweaty. Do you want to take a shower?"

Min Hyun-soo rolled her eyes at him and retorted, "Do you have time?"

An Rusong glanced at his watch and smiled, "The banquet won't start until tonight, so I have plenty of time now."

Min Hyun-soo didn't speak. Her gaze shifted, and a flirtatious glint in her eyes swept across Cai Yan's face across from her. The latter immediately jumped up from the sofa and said, "Hyun-soo, you two talk. I'm going downstairs."

After saying that, she ran out of the living room as if she had been chased by a dog.

Without the third wheel, the adulterous couple no longer bothered to hide their behavior, but their bath took a rather long time.

When An Rusong finished showering and left the Qingyuan Rich Residence, it was already close to six o'clock in the afternoon, and the sky was getting dark.

Carrying two ginseng gift boxes prepared with the help of Min Hyun-soo, as well as the hardcover book that required the signature of President Jeon, Ahn Yeo-song drove straight to President Jeon's private residence in Yeonhui-dong.

President Jeon's private residence is a mansion with a courtyard. It is said that his wife purchased the property long before he took office as president, which is why the mansion was not seized by the South Korean government.

When An Rusong's car arrived at the gate of the private residence, the retractable orange-red gate was slowly opening. Two young men wearing the same black shirts stood guard on either side of the gate, guiding the Chevrolet into the courtyard.

Both young men were bodyguards for President Jeon. There were more than fifty bodyguards like them around President Jeon, and they were all paid by the South Korean government as part of the basic welfare benefits of a retired president.

There was a small parking lot in the courtyard. As Luo Minzhi drove into the parking lot, a tall, middle-aged man walked briskly towards them from the entrance of the villa in the courtyard. Sitting in the back seat of the car, An Rusong recognized the man at a glance; it was Song Shiyong, the lawyer he had spoken to on the phone earlier.

Seeing that the other person was walking straight towards the parking lot, An Rusong got out of the car as soon as it stopped and went to greet the other person.

"President An," Song Shiyong said first as he entered, extending his hand to An Rusong with a smile, "Welcome, welcome."

“Attorney Song,” An Rusong switched the gift box he was carrying to his left hand, then shook hands with the other party and said with a smile, “I’m not late, am I?”

"No, no," Song Shiyong said with a smile, then looked at the gift box in his hand and said, "This is..."

“A simple gift,” An Rusong replied.

"President An, you're too kind," Song Shiyong gestured towards the villa and said, "Let's go inside. Mr. Quan is in the living room. He apologizes for not being able to come out to greet President An because there are other guests present."

“Mr. Quan is an elder; it’s not proper for him to go out to greet a junior,” An Rusong said with a smile, then tentatively asked, “Um, is the guest also a guest at tonight’s banquet?”

“Ah, yes,” Song Shiyong replied, “President An, please don’t worry. The guest is no stranger; he is Minister Zhang, Minister Zhang Shidong.”

An Rusong knew the name Zhang Shidong. He was a close confidant of Chun Doo-hwan when he was president and served as the Minister of the National Security Planning Department. In 2002, he also participated in the presidential election as an independent candidate.

(End of this chapter)