Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 580 Wife, your name will resound throughout Europe!

London time, May 31st, 5:5 pm.

A white Bombardier Global 6000 private jet painted with the word "Liiiu" landed smoothly on the runway of London Farnborough Airport, like a giant migratory bird soaring over the Thames estuary.

London, as one of the centers of Europe, is home to many of the world's wealthiest people, and countless private jets come and go. However, the appearance of this particular aircraft is relatively "family-style" and "cute," with a simple and clear paint job that is smooth and artistic.

Ground staff, accustomed to seeing the cars of celebrities, couldn't help but glance at the plane a few more times as it taxied. Their eyes showed no surprise, but rather a professional scrutiny and curiosity.

The aircraft came to a smooth stop in the designated position, and the gangway vehicle slowly connected with it.

The cabin door opened, and two crew members in standard uniforms emerged first. They stood on either side, their posture respectful, and their eyes turned to the cabin.

A cool, damp breeze swept in, carrying the unique scent of a London morning in May, a mixture of the fresh grass and the faint fishy smell of distant rain, a stark contrast to the dry, dusty climate of Beijing.

"Thanks, see you later~" Liu Yifei smiled sweetly at the crew and stepped out of the cabin with light steps.

This was her first time in London, and the scene before her was not the thick fog she had imagined, which was more like the old London described by Dickens, but rather a vast sky covered by low-hanging clouds.

Through the gaps in the clouds, sunlight strained to pierce through a few soft beams. The airport was surrounded by neatly trimmed green lawns, and further away, one could see typical English red-brick buildings and dense woodlands.

The alienation of the environment and her outfit today actually complemented each other quite well.
She wore a well-fitting pair of classic blue straight-leg jeans, paired with a plain white T-shirt, her hair casually pulled back, her face bare of makeup, and only wearing sunglasses that covered half of her face.

She seemed as casual as if she were going out for a walk or to a corner café, showing no signs of fatigue from a long flight or a grand entrance.

This is so Liu Yifei.

The gazes of several ground crew members in the distance were naturally drawn to the beautiful woman. However, Xiao Liu is now only somewhat well-known in North America and outside of mainland China. With sunglasses on, her Asian face is even less likely to be recognized.

After all, it's been quite a while since her novels "Alien Land" and "The Sky of History," which were published in Europe only six years ago.

The young ground crew member, Jack, squinted and looked at the delicate Eastern face, finding it somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place the name.

He nudged his old colleague Tony beside him, his tone mocking: "Look, she's out. Seems to be some Chinese or Korean celebrity, or one of the many mistresses of some Eastern tycoon, right?"

"But he's dressed way too casually, just jeans and a t-shirt? This Asian sugar daddy is so stingy, he won't even buy his mistress a decent outfit?"

The people of London in the post-financial crisis era are not having an easy time either. The proletariat is full of complaints about the excessive gap between the rich and the poor in society. It's one thing for the local bourgeois tycoons to be happy, but why do Asians, especially Chinese, seem to be getting richer and richer?

Tony was a veteran ground crew member who had worked at Farnborough Airport for nearly twenty years. His hair was gray, and his face was etched with the marks of time and experience.

He glanced at the elegant "Liiiu" livery on the tail of the plane, then at the woman standing at the top of the gangway and the expressions of the crew behind her, slowly shook his head, and let out a soft chuckle.

"A mistress? Jack, you've been watching planes in Farnborough for years, and your eyesight hasn't improved at all." Tony's husky voice carried a certain London snobbery and sarcasm.

"What do you mean?" Jack pressed, unconvinced.

“Come on, old man, let me teach you a lesson, it’s free.” Tony brought the coffee cup to his lips, took a sip, and began to analyze slowly.

"First of all, just look at their outfits. Which of those girls who are 'bought' doesn't look like they're about to walk the red carpet as soon as they get off the plane? They wish they could wear the entire latest Harrods window display, and you could smell their perfume and the fresh scent of pounds from half a mile away."

He gestured towards Liu Yifei with his lip, "Look at this one too, jeans and a white T-shirt, as clean as a female student from King's College who just finished her final exams, you can't find a single eye-catching logo on her. This casualness isn't faked. It can only mean one thing, she doesn't care at all what we or anyone else thinks of her."

Old Tony paused, as if searching for the most fitting metaphor, then gestured vaguely towards the distance with his coffee cup, as if indicating the center of London. "It's like, imagine if Princess Diana were still alive, would she dress up elaborately before daring to walk into Kensington Palace's backyard for afternoon tea? Only guests would be so cautious and fully armed on someone else's turf."

Jack glanced at the polite crew and had to admit that the old man had a point, but he still couldn't stand the wealth and aura of these Chinese people that surpassed that of the white people.

"Their own backyard? Hmph, London is not a place for these people to talk like that."

As a Rolls-Royce approached, the two knew it was the car of the wealthy man who had come to pick them up. Jack's tone grew increasingly bitter:
"Tony, tell me, what's the world like? We pay the highest taxes, wait in line for months on this damn NHS (National Health Service), and can't even get a dental appointment. And look at them?"

"Obama proposed universal healthcare in the United States last year, which sounded great, but our universal healthcare is almost a matter of everyone queuing up."

Old Tony slowly screwed the lid on the thermos, already used to the young man's complaints, a mixture of jealousy and confusion.

He had witnessed the upheavals of the Thatcher era and weathered the financial crisis, and understood that this kind of mood was like the weather in London—after a period of gloom, life had to go on as usual.

“Kid, the way you talk is exactly the same as those old guys who watched Japanese buyers sweep up London properties back in the day.” He smiled with a hint of sarcasm. “It’s their ability to have money. No matter how jealous you are, the NHS won’t give you priority access to a psychologist.”

"Road! Waterfa! This is the road!" Old Tony paused, looked at the Asian face getting out of the car, and suddenly exclaimed!

"Who?"

Jack followed Tony's gaze and saw a tall Asian man in a dark casual jacket get out of the Rolls-Royce and walk quickly toward the gangway, greeting the Asian beauty with a gentle smile on his face.

Outsiders naturally couldn't tell that there was a hint of unease in his steps.

As for the gift for my wife and kids, I hope... I hope they'll like it.

If you don't like someone, you can only say "I loved them".

“Oh, it’s him!” Jack raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a sense of relief after discovering the “truth,” but with an even stronger sarcasm. “Lu…right? That Chinese director.”

“My girlfriend is obsessed with his sci-fi movies. We have several Blu-ray discs of his movies at home, and she keeps saying she wants to go to the cinema to support 'Ball Lightning' next month.”

The production team's global marketing seems to be doing well, especially with Twitter, a popular Western platform for disseminating public opinion.

"A director? He's a director?" Old Tony's mind didn't quite catch on for a moment; he was still stuck in the old impression of an "Oriental tycoon."

“Hey old man, you’re not as well-informed as us young folks when it comes to this, are you?” Jack finally found his sense of superiority and explained with a hint of mockery, “He’s not just a director, he’s a ruthless capitalist. Remember that ridiculously expensive limited edition Iron Man figurine your grandson kept pestering you for last Christmas, the one that cost you almost a week’s salary?”

Jack, whose face was still covered in acne, gloated: "That's a product from his company. How about that, do you feel a little more empathetic now?"

Jack perfectly embodies British acerbic sarcasm; what appears to be a joke actually starkly highlights the gap between the rich and the poor.

"No, no, no! You don't understand!" Tony slapped his thigh, his eyes wide with excitement, all traces of his previous calm and worldly-wise demeanor gone.

"Jack! The point isn't the figurines! It's the Crystal Palace! The Crystal Palace in Selhurst Park!"

He grabbed Jack's arm, lowered his voice as if revealing a huge secret: "We old guys are the biggest fan group over at Holmesdale Stand, and we were talking about it yesterday when we were drinking together—"

"Tomorrow, Crystal Palace's bankruptcy administrators will announce the team's ownership and situation through a press conference. It is rumored that a mysterious Asian tycoon will invest, and there are rumors that it is this Lu!"

"It is said that because of his generous offer, commitment to future player recruitment, and his global influence which is beneficial to the promotion of British football, the FA and the Premier League finally agreed!"

Tony's voice trembled as his thoughts drifted back to that controversial and astonishing era: "Think about what it was like in the late 80s when those Japanese were waving their money around? They bought Rockefeller Center, Columbia Pictures, and golf courses in Scotland!"

During the height of the bubble economy, Japanese capital made a large-scale acquisition of iconic overseas assets, which once shocked the Western world.

Clearly, it wasn't long after Boss Lu's rampage in North America that the Chinese were next.

This Crystal Palace fan of thirty years looked at the Chinese couple embracing, his eyes filled with complex hope.

All previous analyses and judgments were overshadowed by this sudden news that was closely related to his own passion.

"If this is true... if his financial resources are really as rumored... Jack, do you understand? We could really be making it back to the Premier League next year!"

Jack curled his lip in disdain upon hearing Tony's words.

As an Arsenal fan, he has a natural disdain for the city rivals, a club built on rubles.

"So what?" Jack scoffed, his sarcasm almost overflowing. "You expect this Chinese guy to be the next Abramovich? Old Tony, have you lost your mind from watching so much football?"

He started counting on his fingers, recounting the "role model" that Toni saw as a beacon of hope: "Let me give you, a longtime Crystal Palace fan, a good recollection. Roman Abramovich, that Russian oligarch, bought Chelsea in 2003. And then? What did he do?"

Jack's speech quickened, his familiarity with the fans' words tinged with sarcasm: "He pounded Stamford Bridge with money! He bought Mourinho, brought in Drogba, Cech, Robben, Essien... names that were ridiculously expensive. And then? They did win the Premier League title, breaking the duopoly between Manchester United and us Arsenal."

The young Gunners made a point of emphasizing "we Arsenal," highlighting their pedigree.

“Yes, he succeeded. But it was built on an endless supply of rubles! How shameful! And!” Jack emphasized, pointing in Lu Kuan’s direction, “Abramovich is Russian! At least he can qualify for the European Championship and the World Cup, and occasionally cause some trouble. But this Lu, what country is he from? China?”

He laughed exaggeratedly, his tone sarcastic: "A football desert where the national team can't even make it to the World Cup finals! That says it all."

The young man, who had just been lectured by his former colleague, was determined to crush the former's hopes.

London boasts several top-flight teams, or teams that were once part of the top league but have since declined, such as Crystal Palace.

As fans of different teams, their relationship can't be described as delicate; it's not much different from that of enemies.

Especially in derbies between teams from the same region, ordinary fans might be okay, but seasoned British football hooligans can literally beat each other senseless.

Jack watched as old Tony pulled out his phone, presumably to send a message to the older guys in his fan group, and continued sarcastically:
“Tony, don’t get your hopes up too high. Even if it’s true, he might just want to buy a new toy, or worse, just to please the pretty woman in his arms.”

……

"Hey! Beautiful lady, you look so gorgeous today!" Washing Machine greeted her with a beaming smile and flattery.

"What are you standing there for? Keep reciting your lines! Who are you trying to fool with these few lines?"

As Xiao Liu listened to the whistling sounds of airplanes taking off and landing, she wrapped her slender arms around the man's neck and said with a smile, "Your silly grin is making me a little worried about this so-called gift."

"how you said that?"

"Why are you being so attentive?" Xiao Liu knew his biological habits like the back of his hand. "Aren't you already buying yourself indulgences from this moment on? You're obviously a liar."

Lu Kuan put his arm around his wife's shoulder, and the young couple chatted and laughed as they walked to the car: "You saw through me, but you still came? Are you lusting after me again?"

"Pah!" Liu Yifei spat, her pretty face flushed, and whispered in his ear, "What's so arrogant about that?"

"I recently squatted up to 70KG. If you insist on saying that, then I have to practice on your muscles and bones, you stinky man."

The washing machine, with its aesthetically pleasing gaze, swept over Venus's pert buttocks, and naturally conjured up certain erotic images in its mind, nodding in deep agreement:

"I am willing to give my all, even unto death."

"Get lost!" Xiao Liu could only manage a couple of rounds with the washing machine when telling dirty jokes before stopping. She pinched her husband's ear, a little embarrassed and angry: "Now everyone on Weibo is asking what gifts you're going to give us, the three of us?"

"I don't really care," Liu Yifei said nonchalantly. "But you've already said it yourself, you can't let me embarrass myself, can you? There are so many netizens watching the show!"

She said smugly, "And also, now that your WeChat startup screen has been all over the place, your whole thing has fallen apart, and your new image as a loving wife is going to collapse." (Chapter 572)
"Impossible!" the washing machine said confidently, with a mysterious look on its face. "Don't worry, this gift... well, your name will resound throughout Europe in the future!"

Yes, it's at least making its way through London now.

"What the heck? Did you buy another yacht or something, like a private jet?" Xiao Liu felt he had guessed pretty accurately.

"How vulgar!" Boss Lu retorted. "That's the behavior of nouveau riche, I wouldn't stoop to it."

"Look at you, all they wanted was to buy a movie theater chain, and you've ruined it for them," Liu Yifei said with a coquettish laugh. "It's like you're the one who's enjoying the benefits of buying a private jet."

She was making fun of the increasingly exaggerated publicity surrounding Wanda's "plan to acquire a North American cinema chain" incident.

Therefore, Mr. Lu had previously declared that he was not optimistic about the business, but now there has been a constant stream of discussion about it online.

Recent rumors have circulated that this real estate tycoon intends to follow the example of the richest man by buying a plane and a yacht for leisure, which has once again sparked public discussion.

In his previous life, Old Wang was indeed one of the earliest wealthy people in China to buy a yacht. This was mainly because he leveraged his wealth so much that he couldn't spend it all. However, in his next life, around 2024, he suffered a huge loss and had to sell the yacht to pay off his debts.

The washing machine wasn't annoyed by his wife's teasing; when Wanda was mentioned, he just looked helpless: "I told them all the lies, and they believed them all."

"It's simple, don't buy theater chains, but they just don't believe it."

"Hahaha! Are you singing 'Elimination'?" Liu Yifei found living with the washing machine quite amusing and covered her mouth to laugh.

Boss Lu smiled and said, "If Wanda hopes to take this path to counter the boundaries that have just surpassed theirs, how difficult it will be. I can only give them four words: good luck."

"If things go wrong, they might really be eliminated once they've exhausted their real estate and policy benefits."

"Let them be then. Actually, I wanted to come here for a vacation. It's been almost a year since I've had a break." Xiao Liu glanced at the British driver in the front row. "The year before last I went to Sicily, last year to Ushuaia, and this year?"

The washing machine, using whatever was available, said: "London, didn't you say you'd never been here? Let's go check it out these next couple of days."

Xiao Liu gave him a charmingly disdainful look, then leaned against the window with a touch of self-pity: "Sigh, our feelings have faded. We've only been married for two years, and he's already becoming more and more perfunctory towards me."

She looked at her husband pitifully, hoping to hear some gentle words from him to refute her unfounded speculations.

"You took two years to discover this fact? You're so gullible!"

"I'll bite you to death!"

Liu Yifei grabbed the man's arm and bit him hard.

Private jet passengers do not use regular commercial airport terminals and security checkpoints. Instead, they typically use facilities operated by fixed-base operators, which are "terminals" specifically designed for general aviation and private aircraft.

Liu Yifei was still waiting for the operator to assist with the entry procedures. Her luggage had already gone through security and was being pushed over. She plopped down on her suitcase and looked at her husband:

"So when will my mystery gift be revealed?"

Thinking about the preparations for the press conference the following day, Boss Lu thought, "Announcing this news on Children's Day, June 1st, would be very memorable, wouldn't it? Youyou and Tiedan will definitely be very happy to watch the video later!"

He lewdly pinched his wife's smooth chin, as if he were harassing a respectable woman: "You'll find out the details after dinner. We still have some preparations to make tonight!"

"You lecherous bastard! Get out of here!" Xiao Liu slapped away her husband's An Lushan-like hand, clearly misled by his deliberate manipulation.

As the vehicle exited the airport and merged into the M4 expressway leading to the city, Xiao Liu was already looking forward to this "annual trip." She was there because the first season of "The Book of Peace" had just finished filming and was awaiting post-production completion for its summer release.

Lu Kuan had just finished filming "Ball Lightning" in Europe, England, France, and Germany. The crew had already returned to China after their appearance in Cannes, and the next wave of promotional tours would be the North American premiere and the world premiere.

However, the later chapters of "The Book of Peace" are quite long, and the crew is only taking a temporary break. Xiao Liu also needs to return to China to resume work at any time, so this period has brought a long-awaited break.

The couple chatted idly in the car. Just like in Italy, Mr. Lu, who was very much like an old cadre, still had the habit of looking at paper maps and local tourist guides wherever he went.

He leisurely asked his wife for her opinion: "What do you want to eat and do these next few days?"

“There are so many!” Liu Yifei, who was known for “picking her toes at home” in her previous life, has never been able to resist holidays, let alone “abandoning her children” to spend time with her husband.

She's someone who never says "whatever"; she plans everything out on the plane, one thing at a time.

"We have to go to the London Eye!" The young woman's eyes sparkled with girlish enthusiasm. "It may sound like a tourist attraction, but just imagine, on such a tall Ferris wheel, just the two of us in a small cabin, looking at the entire Thames and the Houses of Parliament—how romantic! We absolutely have to go in the evening to see the sunset and the city lights coming on!"

Her focus was clearly on private spaces and romantic views exclusively for couples.

“We’re going to Covent Garden too,” she planned. “We don’t want to shop, we just want to see some street performances. I heard they have amazing opera flash mobs and slapstick mime. We can just find a step to sit on, drink coffee, and happily watch for half a day to kill time.”

"As for that blue door in Notting Hill that's famous because of the movie, I marked it too." She raised an eyebrow proudly. "Even though it might just be a door, it still has a lot of ceremonial feel to it!"

The washing machine, already looking exasperated, knew that this was referring to the blue door of the apartment building where Hugh Grant lived in the classic romantic film "Notting Hill".

In the film, it serves as a symbolic passageway for Hollywood star Julia Roberts to cross the gap between reality and the ordinary world and embark on a romantic love affair with William. Because of the romantic narrative it carries, this originally ordinary door transcends its physical attributes and becomes a romantic landmark in the hearts of movie fans around the world, attracting countless tourists to visit and relive the dreamlike moments created by the film.

She went on and on about wanting to take a walk in Hyde Park like a local, and to experience the modern trends beneath the classical architecture of Regent Street.

Clearly, in the next few days of their time together, Liu, who had transformed into an ordinary young girl, had already begun to indulge in beautiful fantasies.

The washing machine is naturally a favorite; my wife can do whatever she wants with it.

In other words, these are all indulgences in her mind... just don't be "too surprised" by the Crystal Palace Club gift later.

“By the way, how about we go to the British Museum before we leave?” Liu Yifei suddenly remembered a matter that was both convenient for both public and private purposes.

"Huh?" Boss Lu asked in surprise, "When did you become interested in cultural relics?"

“Because of the Taiping Book,” Liu Yifei explained, her expression becoming more serious.

"The character Gu Nan is supposed to span several dynasties and witness so many historical events. Just reading the script and materials always feels a bit distant. Last time I talked to Professor Wang, the history consultant in the group, he said that if I want to get a feel for it, especially the 'spirit' of the Han Dynasty and earlier, I should go and see the 'Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies' in the British Museum."

The main plot of the second season of "The Book of Peace: The Great Wind" will focus on the historical events from the end of the Qin Dynasty and the Chu-Han Contention to the middle and late period of Emperor Wu of Han. Xiao Liu is doing his homework in advance.

Unfortunately, the original of this masterpiece by Gu Kaizhi, a painter from the Eastern Jin Dynasty of China, which contains stories such as "Feng Yuan of the Han Dynasty shielding Emperor Yuan of Han from a bear with her own body" and "Ban Jieyu refusing to ride in the same carriage as Emperor Cheng of Han to prevent him from being tempted by women," is now in the British Museum.

This painting was looted from the Summer Palace in 1900, and the British Museum purchased it in 1903 for only £25. It is now one of the museum's most prized possessions.

That's why no Chinese person can walk out of this museum of robbers with a smile.

Well then, let's just treat it as accompanying my wife on a field trip and giving her a taste of patriotism.

"Alright, let's go eat!" Xiao Liu looked ahead to this short "every year's tourist season." It was almost five o'clock, and he was already feeling quite hungry.

She proudly showed off her healthy and beautiful figure, with a slender waist that could be encircled by one hand: "Fortunately, there have been a lot of wire work and action scenes lately, so I don't need to exercise deliberately. I can indulge myself a little these few days."

The washing machine casually wrapped its arm around its wife's soft waist: "What do you want to eat?"

"Hmm..." Liu Yifei pondered for two seconds, "How about we go shopping and eat at Boluo Market? Anyway, I'm not going to those Michelin-starred restaurants, they're too restrictive."

She held the man's arm: "We want to be like any other couple, holding hands and walking through the streets and alleys, feeling the warmth of everyday life!"

Boss Lu nodded and smiled, "Then let's go, after we've eaten and drunk our fill, I'll take you somewhere."

Borough Market, one of London’s oldest and most famous food markets, is located under a bridge next to a subway station and has been a paradise for gourmets seeking fresh and authentic food for centuries.

The London sky lingered, shrouded in a hazy gray-blue, and when Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei arrived, the market was bustling with activity during the evening rush hour.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of grilled cheese, the salty freshness of seafood, and the caramel scent wafting from the dessert shop. Laughter in various languages ​​and the clanging of kitchen utensils filled the air, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere.

"Wow! Look at that huge paella pot!" As soon as Xiao Liu entered the room, his eyes lit up when he saw the giant frying pan that could feed an entire platoon.

Mr. Lu smiled and let her pull him over, watching her communicate with the stall owner in deliberately accented London English, and then bring back a paper lunchbox piled high with prawns and mussels.

She casually scooped up a spoonful of rice soaked in broth and seafood, blew on it, and offered it to the man's lips: "Here, honey, eat first!"

Before the washing machine could even marvel at her virtue, Xiao Liu ruthlessly followed up with, "It looks high in calories. If you try it and don't like it, I won't eat it!"

"Don't worry, even if it tastes like poop chocolate, I'd still lie and say it's delicious."

"Haha! Disgusting!" Liu Yifei also ate a few bites herself. The taste was so-so. Soon she was flitting from one stall to another like a butterfly flitting among flowers.

No matter how famous a night market is, it's still just a night market. For this couple with Chinese palates, it's just something to do out of curiosity and try something new.

"A dozen, thanks!" The two strolled over to a Gillardeau oyster stand and simply leaned against the simple wooden stall.

The vendor deftly pried open the oyster shells, leaving the plump oyster meat and juice inside the half-shell, and handed it to them.

"That's great, I'll work on it, and you can get a beauty treatment."

Mr. Lu picked up an oyster, skillfully squeezed lemon juice onto it, leaned closer, and with a "slurp," sucked the cool, fresh oyster meat into his mouth, squinting his eyes in satisfaction.

Xiao Liu gave him a charmingly coquettish look. Compared to her husband, she could only be considered slightly more refined in her eating habits. She had absolutely no idol baggage in a foreign country.

Although there aren't many in China, there are still some. However, this natural and unadorned style has caught the attention of some Asian tourists and international students, and some Reuters photos have been leaked.

Especially due to the recent movie promotion, Boss Lu, who took off his sunglasses, is still quite famous and has already interacted with several movie fans.

Western celebrities are relatively more "down-to-earth," especially in an international metropolis like London, where foreigners see them all the time, so no one is surprised.

As night finally fell over London, the streetlights and neon lights adorned the ancient city like a starry sky. It was nearly 10 p.m., and the hustle and bustle of Borough Market gradually subsided.

"Let's go, after we've eaten and drunk our fill, let's open our presents." Washing Machine got into the car with his wife, still frantically racking his brains for the best way to coax her.

However, Xiao Liu ate quite happily tonight, so her stomach was satisfied first. I guess satisfying her later will be about right, right?
"Where are we going?" Liu Yifei watched as the Rolls-Royce drove towards the suburbs, the scenery outside the car window gradually changing from classical elegance to a more down-to-earth atmosphere.

Then I noticed my husband had pulled out a black... no, a black eye mask.

"Come on, let's make it a little special. Put this on. I wear it when I sleep on the plane."

"...?" Xiao Liu took the blindfold and looked at him suspiciously: "Are you going to go this far? Let me make it clear first, I'm not going to any weird places!"

The young woman complained, but her eyes gleamed with curiosity and eagerness. She was still excited to be with the washing machine!
I heard that this bastard used to go to some strip club on Sunset Boulevard with Harvey and Quentin's gang. Actually, she'd really like to check it out...

Just lock the washing machine and see if there's anything wrong with it.
"What strange place? What are you thinking about!" Boss Lu chuckled, helped her put on the blindfold, and carefully adjusted the tightness to ensure it completely blocked out the light.

"Okay, lean on me and rest for a bit, we'll be there soon."

When a person's vision is plunged into darkness, their other senses seem to become exceptionally sharp.

Xiao Liu could sense that the vehicle had been driving for about twenty minutes before slowly coming to a stop. He heard a slight hum as the electric doors opened, and the vehicle seemed to have entered an indoor space, the engine sound echoing in the enclosed environment.

Lu Kuan got out of the car first, then took her hand: "Let's go, let's enter your territory!"

"Territory?" Liu Yifei was even more confused. The most likely explanation she could think of was that her husband had once again habitually bought property in London.

She felt the smooth, hard ground beneath her feet, like cement or epoxy flooring.

The air smelled peculiar, a mixture of disinfectant, the faint fragrance of perfumes from foreign public places, and something else...

Is this the smell of a grass conditioner?

Xiao Liu shouldn't have had this kind of knowledge in this life. It's all because there are too many things to maintain in her family's large estate, and a lot of strange and wonderful knowledge about rich women has entered her mind.

"What's that smell?" Liu Yifei instinctively pinched her nose, gripping her husband's arm tightly with her other hand. "Wow, you're not going to sell me, are you? My poor child is still at home! Waaah!"

"Selling you would be such a bad deal!" Lu Kuan laughed, putting his arm around his wife's soft shoulders. "The bride price is so high these days, my mother-in-law didn't even ask for any money back then!"

"damn thing!"

The two chatted and laughed as they passed through a door, where the ground beneath their feet felt like a soft, rubber-covered passageway.

There seemed to be people around. Liu Yifei could hear suppressed breathing and light footsteps, as well as the conversation between the man beside her and them, but there was no useful information in the conversation.

Although she never expected the washing machine to bring her any ultimate romance, she was now genuinely curious.

"Lift your foot, there's a small threshold."

"Watch out, you need to turn right here."

"Attention, you're going down the stairs, there are three steps in total."

She felt as if she had walked through a long, echoing tunnel and then into an incredibly open space—the players' tunnel of the stadium.

The air suddenly became fresh and cool, even carrying a hint of night dew moisture, and the previous disinfectant smell faded considerably.

"We're here? Where is this place? The wind is whistling." Liu Yifei stamped her feet, and the sensation that returned to her soles was an indescribable comfort, as if she were stepping on the finest thick plush carpet.

"We're here, I'll untie you!" The man's voice was close to her ear, his warm breath brushing against her.

"Hmm..." Liu Yifei's heart raced inexplicably, anticipating some kind of ultimate romance, such as a starry sky lit up for her, or a heart-shaped sea of ​​flowers...

Lu Kuan reached behind her head and unfastened the blindfold.

Her long eyelashes fluttered a few times as they adjusted to the sudden light. Liu Yifei blinked, looking around in astonishment.

The first thing that catches the eye is the ground beneath one's feet—an incredibly wide lawn, meticulously manicured, and a deep green in the night...?
She instinctively looked up, and froze instantly.

She was standing in the very center of a huge, oval stadium, much like the Roman Colosseum! All around her were layers upon layers of seats, stretching as far as the eye could see, densely packed, standing silently in the night, forming a solemn yet oppressive embrace.

Suddenly, all the stadium lights came on! Intense beams of light, like daylight, poured down from the surrounding towers, completely enveloping the two people and the vast green lawn, revealing every detail.

The sudden light and the vast sense of space made her feel as insignificant as a blade of grass.

The lights illuminated the huge team emblem hanging in the stands, an eagle with outstretched wings, below which were clearly written "CRYSTAL PALACE FC".

"A football stadium?" Even Liu Yifei, who was slow to realize what she was doing, and the club with the same name as her English name.

"It's not just a football field, it's an entire football club." Boss Lu started selling his tricks, quickly getting into performance mode.

His voice echoed deeply in the empty stadium, his arms outstretched as if to embrace the entire magnificent Selhurst Park: "It's an entire football club! A century-old, long-established English club!"

"This club was founded in 1905, which is older than the history of many countries! It has experienced World War I and World War II, promotion and relegation, and ups and downs for more than a century. It is a living history in itself."

He walked over to his wife and said, "You said we should buy some old castle or villa in London, but that's just an inanimate object."

"But the club is our root. From now on, hundreds of thousands of employees and hundreds of thousands, or even hundreds of millions of fans around the world will be closely connected with us. It is our base!"

“But none of that matters.” The washing machine put its arm around its wife’s shoulder and looked affectionately at Xiao Liu, whose expression was “complex.” “In the end, what moved me was its name.”

He pointed to the prominent club logo and letters under the stadium lights, his tone even more mysterious and smug, "Crystal Palace! Don't you think this is simply destiny?"

"Think about it! In the future, this team will conquer the Premier League and sweep across the Europa League under my leadership... no, under your name! Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​and Bayern Munich will all bow down at our feet!"

The Berlin Film Festival Best Actor seemed to want to drown the woman before him in his deep and sincere gaze:
"Wife! Your name will soon strike fear into the hearts of all Europe! Even the Golden Family was nothing special back then! You, Mulan, can do the same!"

A passionate speech echoed in the empty stadium. A group of foreign employees stared blankly at their Chinese boss, whose land rights would not be officially confirmed until tomorrow, as he rambled on in a style that was almost like their prime ministerial election.

Xiao Liu's expression was quite intriguing; he remained stunned for several seconds before letting out a slow sigh.

"You don't think I've been completely fooled by you now, do you?" she said with a sneer. "It's just that your one-shot scene was so brilliant that I couldn't bear to interrupt it!"

"I'm studying your acting frame by frame. If I can learn even 30% to 50% of it, I'm afraid I could win the Best Actress award at one of the three major European film festivals twice!"

The washing machine, with its thick skin, said, "What are you saying? These are just my honest thoughts."

Liu Yifei burst out laughing and punched the scoundrel who had tricked her into coming to London. "You wanted to have fun, but you're blaming us three. You're shameless!"

The vast grassland, shimmering like jade in the sunlight, replaced the slight annoyance of being teased with a tremendous, bittersweet warmth and sense of novelty.

She suppressed a laugh and deliberately put on a serious face. "So, I'm Chairman Liu now?"

"Absolutely! Just looking at your title, you're now a level above Leader Liu!"

Washing Machine, arm in arm with his wife, returned to the players' tunnel. "Come on, Chairman Liu, let me show you around the Crystal Palace club's chairman's office! Most of your employees probably don't know yet that they've got a new Asian goddess as their boss, but they'll find out after tomorrow's press conference!"

Liu Yifei stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, displaying a wildness reminiscent of athletes embracing each other, and whispered viciously, "You bastard, you tricked me into taking a ten-hour flight..."

"Tonight I'm going to be on top the whole time! I'm going to fuck you to death!"

(End of this chapter)