961-970
961 I"m still Waiting for You
If the police saw Gu Ning in the cloak, they would be confused because normal people wouldn't dress like that.
When she was finally finished, Gu Ning called Leng Shaoting.
Leng Shaoting picked up her call within a second, which meant that he was waiting for her call. In fact, Leng Shaoting ached to call Gu Ning, but he was unwilling to interrupt her if she was busy.
"Ningning, is it done?" Leng Shaoting asked.
"Yeah, almost, but I still need to stay here for a while longer. I'll tell you everything when I get back," Gu Ning said. "Where are you right now?"
"I'm in the same room of the Shengshi Hotel," Leng Shaoting replied.
"Great, I'll come to you later. Oh, have you eaten?" Gu Ning asked.
"Not yet," Leng Shaoting said, and sounded slightly aggrieved.
Gu Ning felt a little guilty, because she had promised Leng Shaoting and her friends that they would dine together, but she dumped them at the airport. "Well, go eat something if you're hungry now. I should be back at the hotel in an hour at least."
She was in a suburb now, and it would take at least 20 minutes for the police to arrive here. City B was a big city, so she had to spend most of her time on the road.
"Nope, I'll wait for you so that we can have night snacks together!" Leng Shaoting said and sounded like a happy little boy. He was willing to wait for her.
"Fine," Gu Ning said. She chatted with Leng Shaoting for a short while longer, then hung up. Afterwards, she called Qiao Ya.
Qiao Ya and the others were still enjoying night snacks at this moment.
Gu Ning told Qiao Ya that she would be back at the hotel an hour later, and that she would meet Chu Peihan and the others there.
…
"Is it our boss? Is she free now?"
Chu Peihan and the others all turned to look at Qiao Ya while she spoke with Gu Ning on the phone. Once she hung up the call, Hao Ran asked her that question.
"Yeah, she'll be at the hotel after an hour, and you can meet her there," Qiao Ya said.
"Great!"
Since Gu Ning was still busy dealing with something, they agreed to listen to her.
…
Gu Ning called Gu Man next, and told her that she would come back late.
Gu Man was a very considerate mother, and she never forced Gu Ning to do anything, but because of Gu Man's wedding, the Tang family would come to pick her up at 8 am tomorrow morning, so Gu Ning couldn't stay outside tonight.
After making those calls, Gu Ning waited for five minutes before she heard the police sirens in the distance. She walked out at once, and took out a flashlight from the telepathic eye space.
Several police cars stopped in front of the villa, and a team of policemen got out of them.
"Miss Gu, nice to meet you. I'm the vice director of the Public Security Bureau, Ke Mingze," Ke Mingze said to Gu Ning politely. Given Gu Ning's previous achievements, there was no reason for him not to be respectful.
"Nice to meet you too, Director Ke," Gu Ning said with respect and confidence.
Ke Mingze admired Gu Ning's attitude. He believed that this young girl was meant to be outstanding among her peers.
The policemen who stood behind Ke Mingze all looked at Gu Ning with admiration. They finally got the chance to see this unbelievable girl with their own eyes.
"Miss Gu, where is the abducted girl?" A couple who followed Ke Mingze asked Gu Ning anxiously. They were too anxious to greet Gu Ning now, because their missing daughter occupied their mind.
Although they hadn't seen the abducted girl yet, they were almost sure that it must be their daughter.
"She's in the living room. Let's go inside," Gu Ning said, then walked into the villa, followed by the others.
When the couple saw the girl sitting on the chair, they ran towards her calling, "Nuannuan? Nuannuan?"
However, no matter how they called the girl's name, the girl wouldn't wake up. Gu Ning explained at once, "Don't worry, she's fine, but was drugged, so she's still unconscious now. She should wake up in a few hours."
Gu Ning was afraid that the girl might be scared if she woke her up right now, so she didn't help her with her power. If she could see her parents when she opened her eyes again, she might stay calm.
Hearing that, the girl's parents were relieved. Her father carried her in his arms at once, then thanked Gu Ning, "Miss Gu, thank you so much for saving our daughter's life."
"My pleasure. It's just a coincidence. You should send her to the hospital now though," Gu Ning said.
Even though the girl was fine now, they wouldn't stop worrying until the doctors said that to them.
Gu Ning had encountered the crime by accident, but it was still true that she had saved the girl's life, so the girl's parents repeatedly thanked Gu Ning before they left.
The girl's father said to Ke Mingze on his way out, "Director Ke, please conduct a thorough investigation on this case."
"Division Chief Zhang, it's my duty to do so, and I promise to find the truth!" Ke Mingze said.
After the couple left, Ke Mingze asked Gu Ning, "Miss Gu, would you please tell us what happened?"
They trusted Gu Ning, and believed that she was a life-saver, not a criminal.
962 The Knockout, Yao Feier?
"Well, the thing is that I went to pick my friends up at the airport when it was almost 9 pm, but I saw a middle-aged man who hurt one of my friends previously. I followed him planning to teach him a lesson for my injured friend."
"However, I found the girl here by accident. She was tied to the chair with her mouth gagged. I didn't know that she's Division Chief Zhang's daughter, but I did know that he wanted to do something bad, so I stopped him. Unfortunately, he still escaped. You should probably check the surveillance cameras along the way from the airport to here," Gu Ning said.
Hearing that, Ke Mingze wore a serious face.
If the middle-aged man was a human trafficker, he might give up after this failure. However, if he was Division Chief Zhang's enemy, he might do something harmful again.
Ke Mingze had a feeling that it wasn't an easy case.
"Thank you so much, Miss Gu," Ke Mingze said.
"You're welcome. Um, I'm afraid that I've gotta go now," Gu Ning said and took out her name card. "This is my name card. If you need my help, please feel free to let me know."
"Thanks." Ke Mingze took Gu Ning's name card, and walked out with her. The police were leaving too.
"Miss Gu, why don't you let us take you to the main road. It's a long distance away," Ke Mingze said.
This villa area was very large, so it took a long time for a person to leave here on foot.
"Thanks!" Gu Ning agreed, and got in Ke Mingze's car. Ke Mingze and the other policemen in it were excited that they could share the car with Gu Ning.
"Miss Gu, have you been practicing martial arts ever since you were a kid?"
Once Gu Ning was seated, a policeman asked.
"Yeah," Gu Ning said. "I had a master who was excellent at kung fu, but she passed away."
"Oh, sorry to hear that."
The policeman felt sorry for Gu Ning.
"Miss Gu, I heard that you're also good at stone-gambling. Did you learn that from your master too?" another policeman asked.
"Yes," Gu Ning answered.
A short while later, they reached the main road, and Gu Ning got out of the police car.
Afterwards, she drove her own car, heading towards Shengshi Hotel.
She sped up, and arrived at the hotel in around 20 minutes. It was also very late now, so there wasn't much traffic on the road.
Gu Ning called Leng Shaoting when she was about to arrive there, so Leng Shaoting was waiting for her outside of the hotel now.
Although it was almost 11 pm, many people were still walking in and out of the hotel. Most of them were young men and women who loved having night snacks.
Because of Leng Shaoting's outstanding appearance and sexy body, he attracted many females' attention. Nevertheless, Leng Shaoting had a natural air of power and coldness, so none of them dared to approach him.
At this moment, a drunk woman ignored Leng Shaoting's air of coldness under the effect of alcohol, and leered at him.
"Look at him!"
Two women just got out of a car, and their eyes lit up the second they noticed Leng Shaoting.
"Hey, Mr. Handsome, are you here waiting for me?" the drunk woman said, and walked straight towards Leng Shaoting making eyes at him along the way.
It would be a shame if she couldn't have sex with such an attractive man. The woman thought highly of herself, so she believed that no man could resist her sexual allure.
The other woman wasn't drunk, so she clearly sensed that Leng Shaoting hated others coming close to him.
"Feier!" She stopped the drunk woman at once, in case the drunk woman caused trouble.
Leng Shaoting didn't seem to be an ordinary man.
"Let me go!" The drunk woman got rid of her hands.
Without hesitation, the drunk woman walked to Leng Shaoting. However, Leng Shaoting suddenly walked away, because he saw Gu Ning's car coming.
"Hey!" The drunk woman felt humiliated.
"Feier, stop it!" When the drunk woman's friend saw Leng Shaoting walking to a limited edition Lamborghini, she was shocked and stopped the drunk woman again.
They were hardly comparable to a person who could afford a limited edition Lamborghini.
The drunk woman's friend understood that Leng Shaoting wasn't someone that they could mess with.
Even though the car wasn't his, he must be super rich too.
The limited edition Lamborghini stood for one's social status, and a normal rich person without powerful connections wouldn't be able to buy one.
"Don't stand in my way! No man can resist my allure. I-I don't believe…" The drunk woman was in a bad mood today, so she was even more displeased when Leng Shaoting ignored her.
The drunk woman's friend used all of her strength to pull the drunk woman inside the hotel.
It was true that many men couldn't resist her allure, but it wasn't because of her charm. Although Yao Feier was indeed beautiful, men slept with her mostly because she was easy.
In addition, a woman like Yao Feier, who was used to living a dissolute life, was very skilled in bed, so no man was unwilling to have sex with her.
However, even though she seemed to be very popular among men, not every man would choose her because she always stayed in nightclubs, and the frequent male visitors there were all playboys.
963 Make Yourself a Female
Gu Ning also noticed what Yao Feier had done, but she didn't mind since Yao Feier was drunk.
Leng Shaoting sat in the driver's seat, and let Gu Ning move to the front passenger's seat. He would drive if he was with Gu Ning.
"Where do you want to have food?" Leng Shaoting asked her.
"Let's go to the Huangdeng Hotel. I need to meet Hao Ran and the others first, then we can go to have some delicious food," Gu Ning said.
"Sure." Leng Shaoting started the car and headed to the Huangdeng Hotel.
Both Shengshi Hotel and the Huangdeng Hotel were international five-star hotels, so they had the best locations downtown. Moreover, there was only a short distance of several hundred meters between them. Within two minutes, they arrived at the Huangdeng Hotel.
Gu Ning told Leng Shaoting to wait for her in the car, and that she would be back soon. She was afraid that her friends might feel uneasy if Leng Shaoting showed up with her.
Hao Ran and the boys were scared of Leng Shaoting. If Leng Shaoting was present, they probably wouldn't dare to say a word.
Hao Ran and the others already gathered in a room waiting for Gu Ning. In fact, they had nothing special to tell Gu Ning, but they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
"Hi, boss, been a while! I need a big hug!" Chu Peihan jumped out once Gu Ning appeared in her sight.
"Me too!" Su Anya also ran towards Gu Ning with her arms wide open.
Gu Ning was amused, but enjoyed it.
Yu Mixi felt a little shy, so she stood still until Gu Ning walked to her.
"I'm envious of you girls. You can hug each other as you like," Qin Zixun said.
"Why don't you make yourself a female?" Chu Peihan joked.
"Come on, do it!" the others said with one accord.
"How dare you!" Qin Zixun pretended to be mad.
"Ha-ha, ha-ha." They laughed out loud.
"If you can make yourself a girl, you can hug other girls as you like. I don't think there is anything wrong with that," Chu Peihan added.
Hearing that, Qin Zixun rolled his eyes at her.
"Oh, where is Hao Ran?" Gu Ning asked.
"He left to meet his mother," Mu Ke said.
Mrs. Hao was aware that Hao Ran was going to City B too, and she had told him to fly there along with her, but Hao Ran insisted on leaving for City B with his friends.
"I'm back!" Right at this moment, they heard Hao Ran's voice coming from outside. The next second, he dashed into the room. "Hey, boss!"
"Isn't it too fast for your mother to find her Mr. Right after staying in City B for such a short time?" Hao Ran asked Gu Ning with surprise.
Actually, they had a burning curiosity when Gu Ning told them the news on the phone.
"Well, it's understandable if one meets his or her love, but does your step-father treat you well? Does he have any children?" Before Gu Ning could say anything, Chu Peihan asked her.
They thought that the man Gu Man was going to marry must have married before given his age. And it was rare to see a kind step-mother or step-father, so they were worried about Gu Ning. One could never be too careful.
"Oh, how's your step-father's financial condition? Did he marry your mother for her money?" Qin Zixun asked. He wasn't being mean, but it could happen in real life, and it had happened many times before.
Gu Ning understood that they cared about her, although their questions sounded a little unkind, so she wasn't displeased at all.
"Don't worry about me. My father treats me very well, and he comes from a super-rich family. Most importantly, he isn't my step-father, but my biological father. He was caught in a car accident 19 years ago, and just got his memory back," Gu Ning said with a smile.
"What? He's your biological father?" Hearing that, everyone was shocked.
"How rich is he?"
"Well, much richer than me. I'm barely comparable to him, and he always shares good things with me and my mother," Gu Ning said.
��Alright, it's very late now, and I've gotta go. Have a good sleep tonight, Qiao Ya will come to pick you up tomorrow around 7 am." Gu Ning checked the time.
The wedding feast would be held in this hotel, but Gu Ning should bring them with her tomorrow.
"See you tomorrow!"
Although they still had many questions they wanted to ask Gu Ning, they knew that she must be busy preparing for Gu Man's wedding.
After that, Gu Ning left. She had only stayed in the room with them for a dozen minutes.
When she got back in the car, Leng Shaoting drove her to the night snack street.
"Please send me back to Huafu Hills after having night snacks, and then you can go back to the hotel. Come to my place at 7 am tomorrow," Gu Ning said.
There was no more room for Leng Shaoting in her house in Huafu Hills, so Gu Ning couldn't let him stay in her house.
"No problem." Leng Shaoting nodded.
Chapter 964 Let"s Go to the Hotel
After thinking for a while, Leng Shaoting said, "Um, why don't we give up the idea of going to have night snacks?"
Gu Ning was struck dumb for a second, and asked with confusion, "Why? Aren't you hungry?"
"I'm not." Leng Shaoting compressed his lips.
Actually, he was hungry, but not for food. If they went to share night snacks tonight, they wouldn't have much time to be alone together. Most importantly, he couldn't stay too long in City B, and had to go back to the military base for the monthly training the day after tomorrow.
Unless he had a task to fulfill, he had to join the monthly training every month. It was the rules, and he had to obey it. In addition, he was the one who set those rules.
"Come on, you have to eat something," Gu Ning said. She cared about his health.
"It's not good for me to keep in shape if I eat at night. If I can't stay in shape, I can't move fast when I'm fulfilling my task," Leng Shaoting said with a serious face, but Gu Ning understood that he was lying. They had shared night snacks many times before, but this was the first time that he had said that.
"What do you want to do if you don't want to eat?" Gu Ning asked.
"Why don't we go to the hotel and spend some private time together before I drive you back to Huafu Hills?" Leng Shaoting said.
Hearing that, Gu Ning realized what was on Leng Shaoting's mind.
Since he said so, Gu Ning agreed, but she still said, "Then you must eat a good breakfast tomorrow after you get up."
"Sure." Leng Shaoting smiled with satisfaction, then drove back to the Shengshi Hotel.
…
Ke Mingze and his people checked the surveillance videos once they got back to the police station, and everything went as Gu Ning had told them.
Gu Ning and two other people went to pick her friends up at the airport. After waiting for around a dozen minutes, Gu Ning's sight fell on a middle-aged man and she followed him. She drove behind him till the villa area.
A short while later, they received Gu Ning's call for help.
However, the middle-aged man disappeared all of a sudden after leaving in a car.
They found out how the middle-aged man looked and the license plate of the car he drove, so they decided to conduct the investigation from these clues. The man who gave the middle-aged man the car key was also their target.
Nevertheless, they found that the middle-aged man had booked the car from a car rental agency online. In that case, the car provider wasn't guilty.
However, it was necessary to leave one's ID number and phone number to book a car, so Ke Mingze got the basic information on the middle-aged man from the car rental agency.
Even though they got the middle-aged man's phone number, nobody answered their calls.
Afterwards, Ke Mingze typed in the middle-aged man's ID number to search for his records of taking planes, trains, or staying in hotels and so forth. As long as the middle-aged man used his ID card, the police could easily find out what he had done.
…
The man of the Evil Practice didn't leave City B after escaping from the villa area, because he was unwilling to give up on Gu Ning. She was covered in magical power, which was quite useful in his eyes.
Members of the Evil Practice seldom stayed in the world for a long time, so the man had no idea that the police were searching for him.
He went to a hotel and wanted to book a room, but he was already on the wanted list released by the police.
The receptionist of the hotel soon found out that he was an escaping criminal after checking his ID number.
She was scared, but composed herself. She made up a lie and told the man that the system was acting up and that she needed to turn to their manager for help.
The man didn't think further and agreed.
A minute later, the hotel manager came over with five security guards, trying to catch the man.
The man didn't understand why they wanted to catch him, but he knew that he couldn't stay there any longer.
Given the man's fighting skills, he beat them down like lightning, but didn't seriously injure them.
Others in the hall were all frightened, and ran away screaming in fear.
The man seemed to realize why they wanted to catch him after seeing their reaction. In case Gu Ning found him, he left the hotel without hesitation dumping the ID card there.
He had more than one ID card after all. Besides, this ID card wasn't his.
Those who wanted to practice their inner discipline didn't live in the same world as normal humans, so there was no need for them to have a real ID card.
If they needed to deal with something in the normal human's world, they would make a fake ID card. Sometimes, they turned to important officials for help, or directly used ID cards of dead people.
Members of the Evil Practice were always cruel, so they preferred to kill someone and steal his or her ID card. The man got his two ID cards in that way too.
Even though he still had another ID card, he didn't dare to stay in any hotels now. He went to buy a quilt and some food, then went to stay in an abandoned warehouse. He had slept at graveyards before, so an abandoned warehouse was nothing in his eyes.
The man understood that it wasn't easy to absorb Gu Ning's magical power, but he had no intention to tell that news to other members of the Evil Practice.
Members of the Evil Practice were all selfish and self-centered, and they hated sharing anything good they could get with others. No matter how hard it was, members of the Evil Practice always worked alone.
…
Gu Ning and Leng Shaoting arrived at the Shengshi Hotel a while later.
Once they got in the room, Leng Shaoting kissed and rubbed Gu Ning. He couldn't wait a second longer to be closer to her.
Action spoke louder than words after all.
965 Too Nervous to Fall Asleep
Both of them were aroused as the kiss went wild, and began to undress each other.
Leng Shaoting understood that Gu Ning had to go back to Huafu Hills a while later, and that she would be very busy tomorrow, so he was struggling against his desire. However, it was extremely painful for him to do that.
Gu Ning understood the feeling very well, because she wanted to have sex with him too.
Without hesitation, she completely undressed Leng Shaoting, so it was impossible for them to not make love now.
After having sex for half an hour, Leng Shaoting felt satisfied, and Gu Ning was also out of strength.
She went to take a shower, and saw that it was almost 12:30 am, so Leng Shaoting drove her back to Huafu Hills. He was reluctant to separate from her, but Gu Ning had to go home.
"Ningning, I didn't know what gift I should send to your mother on her wedding day, so I bought a diamond necklace. Do you think it's a good choice?" Leng Shaoting said. He had never sent others a wedding gift before, so he didn't know much about it.
He had sent Gu Ning many gifts before because he knew what she liked. So this diamond necklace was the most suitable wedding gift in his eyes.
"Of course. It doesn't matter what it is; your good wishes matter the most," Gu Ning said.
She understood that it had to be very expensive, but it was out of Leng Shaoting's kindness, so she wouldn't talk about its price.
"Great!" Leng Shaoting felt relieved.
When they were back in Huafu Hills, Leng Shaoting didn't leave until Gu Ning disappeared from his sight.
…
It was almost 1 am and the others were all asleep now, but Gu Man walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water in hand.
"Mom, it's very late now. Why are you still up?" Gu Ning asked. She thought that Gu Man must be very nervous. It was quite understandable.
"Well, I just felt thirsty. Go to bed now. It's very late," Gu Man said, but didn't tell Gu Ning the truth.
Gu Ning smiled and walked towards Gu Man. "Mom, I know that you must be super nervous now because your wedding is tomorrow, but you should have a good sleep. You need to start putting on make-up at 6 am tomorrow. What if you feel tired tomorrow because you don't have enough sleep tonight? You're the bride and you're supposed to be the most beautiful woman tomorrow."
Actually, with the help of Gu Ning's magical power, Gu Man would be full of energy tomorrow even if she didn't sleep at all tonight. However, it would mean that it would be a long night for Gu Man.
"Well," Gu Man was amused, "you're right, but I'm still too nervous to fall asleep."
"Don't worry, let me give you a head massage, and you'll soon fall asleep," Gu Ning said.
"Great!" Gu Man followed Gu Ning upstairs.
Gu Ning massaged Gu Man's head, and secretly put her magical power into Gu Man's body. Before long, Gu Man felt sleepy and fell asleep.
Seeing that Gu Man was sleeping, Gu Ning went back to her room.
…
At 6 am the next morning, Gu Ning woke up, so did the others.
The make-up artist arrived at 6:10 am, then began to help Gu Man put on make-up.
Leng Shaoting also came at 7 am with a white paper gift bag in his hand. In it was the wedding gift he prepared for Gu Man.
None of Gu Ning's relatives had met Leng Shaoting before, except for Gu Qing, so they were all stunned by his outstanding appearance, but they had no idea who he was. They thought that he might be a member of the Tang family.
"Hi, Shaoting, welcome!" Gu Qing greeted Leng Shaoting the moment she saw him.
"Nice to see you again, Aunt Qing," Leng Shaoting said politely.
"Come here and have a seat. Let me pour a cup of tea for you," Gu Qing said with a broad smile.
"Thanks," Leng Shaoting said.
"You don't need to thank me. We're a family after all," Gu Qing said, then walked into the kitchen.
Hearing that, the others in the living room were surprised.
At this time, Gu Ning noticed Leng Shaoting and walked towards him. She pulled him over and introduced him to her relatives. "Please let me introduce you, this is my boyfriend, Leng Shaoting."
Hearing that, everyone was astonished.
What? Boyfriend?
Gu Ning already has a boyfriend?
Before they could say something, Gu Ning introduced them to Leng Shaoting, "This is my Uncle Qinyang, Uncle Xu, and Aunt Yulan."
"It's so nice to meet you all!" Leng Shaoting greeted them politely.
"Oh, nice to meet you too!" They stood up with one accord and greeted Leng Shaoting together. They were curious why Gu Ning already had a boyfriend at such an early age, but it wasn't a good time for them to ask that question now.
In addition, since Gu Ning invited him to come here, and Gu Qing was also familiar with him, Gu Man must be aware of it too. If they all approved of their relationship, there was no reason for them to disagree.
Although Gu Ning was still very young, she behaved like a mature, independent woman, so she must know what she was doing.
966 The Star of Africa, and the King of Diamonds
Therefore, there was no need for them to be worried.
At 7:20 am, Gu Man was ready, but she had to stay in the bedroom waiting for the Tang family to pick her up.
Gu Ning brought Leng Shaoting to see Gu Man, and Leng Shaoting gave her the gift he had prepared for her. "Happy wedding day; this is a gift for you!"
Saying that, Leng Shaoting handed the paper bag to Gu Man.
"Thank you so much!" Gu Man was happy to receive the gift. She knew that it had to be very expensive, but it was out of Leng Shaoting's kindness, so she accepted it. In addition, Leng Shaoting was Gu Ning's boyfriend, so she wouldn't turn him down.
"Mom, open it. What is inside?" Gu Ning asked with curiosity. She didn't use her Jade Eyes to check, because it would be disrespectful.
"Alright!" Gu Man had no intention to open the gift right in front of Leng Shaoting, but she agreed to do so since Gu Ning wanted to see what was inside.
There was a necklace with a boat-shaped diamond pendant, weighing about ten karats in the jewelry box.
"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Gu Ning was impressed. Although she couldn't recognize the type of diamond, it looked much prettier and more shiny than normal diamonds.
"Indeed, it's very shiny!" Gu Man fell in love with it at first glance.
��What type of diamond is this? It looks totally different from normal diamonds," Gu Ning asked.
"It's the Star of Africa, and the King of Diamonds," Leng Shaoting said.
The Star of Africa, and the King of Diamonds?
Gu Ning had heard of it before, and it cost five million yuan a karat because of its rarity.
The diamond on this necklace weighed 10 karats, which meant that it cost at least fifty million yuan, and that was only the price of the raw diamond.
This luxurious diamond necklace must be the work of a famous skilled jewelry designer. In that case, it should cost around seventy million yuan.
"It must be very expensive, right?" Although Gu Man hadn't heard of it before, she knew that its price had to be very high given its title.
Leng Shaoting had no intention to tell Gu Man the price, but Gu Ning did because she hoped that it would leave a good impression on Gu Man. "Mom, the Star of Africa costs five million yuan a karat, and the diamond on this necklace in your hand weighs around 10 karats, so it cost at least fifty million yuan. Including the designer's fee, it should cost about seventy million yuan."
"What? This necklace costs seventy million yuan? It's too expensive!" Gu Man was shocked.
"It's fine. If you like you, its price doesn't matter at all," Leng Shaoting said with sincerity. He meant it, because he just wanted Gu Man to be happy.
"Well, of course I like it." Gu Man could barely put the necklace down, because she was literally stunned by it. However, she still thought that it was too expensive and she was afraid that she might damage or lose it.
At the same time, she also understood that it might hurt Leng Shaoting if she returned his gift because of its price.
"Thank you so much, Shaoting!" Gu Man said.
"I'm glad you like it," Leng Shaoting said.
…
Around 7:30 am, Hao Ran and the others arrived.
Hearing their voices, Gu Ning went downstairs and asked Gu Qing and Wen Yulan to chat with Gu Man in the room, in case Gu Man felt bored.
…
At this time the line of wedding cars also set off from the Tang family's house to pick Gu Man up.
When 12 luxurious cars appeared in line on the road, people were all attracted to it.
It wasn't the most luxurious line of wedding cars, because many people chose to rent expensive cars on their wedding day to show off, and it didn't cost much to rent a line of cars. Nevertheless, it was still uncommon for ordinary people to see so many luxurious cars.
…
Tang Yunfan wanted to hold a grand wedding for Gu Man, but Gu Man preferred to keep it simple.
Even though it was the first time that Gu Man was getting married, and she also dreamed of having a grand wedding, she wasn't a young girl anymore. She would feel shy if the wedding was too noticeable.
Moreover, they truly loved each other, so there was no need for them to waste so much money on a ceremony. Even though the Tang family could afford a grand wedding as long as she wanted one, Gu Man thought that it wasn't necessary.
In Tang Yunfan's eyes, their wedding was very simple, but it was super luxurious in common people's opinion.
…
Tang Yunfan didn't sleep much that night either, but he was still full of energy when he got up the next morning.
At 7:50 am the line of wedding cars arrived.
Tang Yunfan, Tang Yunhang, Cao Ruihua, Cao Wenjun, Tang Jiayang, Tang Jiakai, and other male members of the Tang family all showed up. The female members of the Tang family, including Cao Wenxin, however, stayed in the house and waited for Gu Man's arrival.
Xin Bei was Cao Wenxin's boyfriend, but he was still a guest today, so he wouldn't show up until the reception dinner in the hotel.
As the leading role in the Tang family, Tang Haifeng obviously shouldn't show up right now. He was waiting for the newlyweds to serve him tea in the Tang family's house, which was a part of the ceremony.
Seeing that the line of luxurious cars was sent out by the Tang family, everyone was shocked again.
The Tang family was super-rich, so each of those cars cost at least ten million yuan.
It wasn't a secret that the Tang family was a super-rich family in City B, so onlookers soon accepted the shocking news.
…
"Why do I feel like the bridegroom looks very familiar?" An Ye said all of a sudden when he saw Tang Yunfan.
Hao Ran and the others turned to look at Tang Yunfan for a while before Chu Peihan said, "The bridegroom closely resembles our boss, so that's why you feel like he looks familiar."
Hearing that, everyone nodded, but An Yi had a different idea.
967 The Chairman of Tanghuang?
Neither the bride nor the bridegroom were young anymore, so they didn't have many activities on the wedding day.
The male members of the Tang family gave everyone in Gu Ning's house a red envelope before they picked Gu Man up.
At 8 am, the bride left her home for the Tang family's house as planned. While Gu Ning and the others followed.
Chu Peihan, Su Anya, and Yu Mixi sat in Gu Ning's car, while Leng Shaoting drove. Although there wasn't much space in a sports car, it could still accommodate several slim girls.
Hao Ran and the other boys shared the MPV that was driven by Qiao Ya, while Gu Qing and the others sat in another MPV that Gao Yi was driving.
Gu Qingshi and Gu Yinyin were a little unhappy because they couldn't drive in Gu Ning's sports car, but they didn't show it on their faces.
Wen Yulan noticed their reaction, and criticized them for a short while. Today was their aunt's wedding day, and they should be happy. Jiang Xinyue, on the other hand, was a very considerate girl, and listened to her family's arrangement.
…
When they arrived at the Tang family's house, they were all shocked by the spacious and beautiful house.
"Wow, boss, how rich is your father?" Hao Ran asked.
They were in City B now, and the housing price in this city was absurdly high. Although they weren't downtown, this area had to be the super-rich people's living area given its layout.
Given the size of the Tang family's house, normal rich people could hardly afford it. It cost at least a billion yuan, and even the fee for its annual cleanup could be over a million yuan! It seemed like Gu Ning's father should have wealth of over ten billion yuan.
"Tell us more about your father!" the others also asked curiously.
Since they already came to attend the wedding, there was no need to keep it a secret from them anymore. "This house is owned by the richest family in City B, the Tang family, and my father is its heir. People call him Lord Tang, and he's also the chairman of Tanghuang."
"What?"
"The richest family in City B?"
"The chairman of Tanghuang?"
"Seriously?"
They couldn't be more shocked now. They had all heard of the famous Tang family and Tanghuang in City B, but they were surprised to find out that the chairman of Tanghuang was Gu Ning's biological father.
Although Gu Ning had told them that her biological father's surname was Tang, and that the Tang family was very rich, they didn't connect it with the number one richest Tang family in City B, because it was totally unbelievable!
"Now I know why I felt that the bridegroom looks so familiar! I've seen his face on the cover of a famous finance magazine before," An Yi said.
He was astonished to meet such an important figure in person, and the man turned out to be his boss's biological father.
"Well, in that case, that gentleman over there must be the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee of City B, right?" Hao Ran turned to look at Tang Yunhang.
He didn't recognize Tang Yunhang, but had heard his name before. The first son of the richest family in City B was also the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee of City B.
"Yes," Gu Ning replied.
Everyone was amazed. Gu Qing and the others were also stunned. They couldn't believe that Gu Man married into such a powerful family in City B. Nobody in City B dared to annoy the Tang family.
After hearing that, Gu Qing and the others got super nervous. They didn't even know how to behave and talk in the following hours. At the same time, they were also worried about Gu Man's position in the Tang family.
It was common knowledge that even a normal rich family cared about a marriage between families of equal social status, let alone those super-rich families. In normal cases, it was impossible for Gu Man to marry into the Tang family.
…
Those who were worried about Gu Man's position in the Tang family didn't know about all of Gu Ning's companies and wealth, so they thought that Gu Man wasn't qualified to be a member of the Tang family.
Although Gu Ning's property was barely comparable to the Tang family's, it was enough for Gu Man to be accepted by the Tang family.
Actually, even if Gu Ning and Gu Man were still dirt poor as always, Tang Yunfan would take the responsibility as a father and a husband. Tang Yunfan had a say in his own marriage, so he could decide which woman he wanted to marry.
Because he was in charge of the majority of the Tang family's property now, the Tang family's business corporation had rapidly grown under his lead. Nowadays the Tang family was the well-known number one super-rich family in City B.
…
"Ningning, it's too unbelievable!" Gu Qing's voice was trembling.
"I'm so nervous now. What should I say or do later?" Wen Yulan said.
Gu Ning was amused by their reaction.
"Relax, just behave normally," Gu Ning said to comfort them. She was already used to getting along with the Tang family, so she thought that it was easy.
"It's not as easy as you said. We can't relax at all!" Gu Qing argued.
Wen Yulan added, "Right, the Tang family is the richest family in City B, and it must be very influential around the country too."
968 Pan Zirui Is also Invited
Wen Yulan was just an ordinary citizen, and the last thing she wanted to do was to annoy rich or powerful people. If it happened, she couldn't bear the result.
Gu Ning was amused by their reaction.
Gu Qingshi and the other kids closed their mouths at once, and didn't dare to make a sound. Jiang Xu and Gu Qinyang also felt uneasy. Chu Peihan and the others were nervous too, especially Yu Mixi and Zhang Tianping.
…
People who stayed in the Tang family's house for dinner were all close relatives or friends of theirs. Normal relatives and friends would gather together in a five-star hotel.
Given the Tang family's social status, there were many attendees for today's wedding, but not many of them were close friends.
Take Gu Ning as an example, she had countless acquaintances and friends, like Bai Xueyan in City G, Xu Qinyin and Gu Anna in the capital and so forth. However, only Chu Peihan and her other schoolmates were her best friends. She wouldn't invite common friends or acquaintances until her own wedding.
Gu Ning had also called Pan Zirui, but she didn't tell him that it was her mother's wedding at the beginning. She just asked him whether he would be free on that day. Pan Zirui wasn't in City B, so Gu Ning was unwilling to tell him more details, in case it would interrupt his work.
Pan Zirui asked her for the reason, and Gu Ning explained that she simply wanted to invite him to share a meal together.
…
Right at this moment, Gu Ning received Pan Zirui's call.
"Hey, boss, I'm coming to City B this afternoon, and I'll attend a wedding with my family at 4 pm," Pan Zirui said once Gu Ning picked his call up. "Oh, boss, I just remembered that you're a relative of the Tang family, right? Today is Lord Tang's wedding day. You must be invited, right?"
Pan Zirui didn't remember that Gu Ning was the Tang family's relative until now.
"Yes," Gu Ning said. "Well, actually I called you that day to invite you to attend today's wedding, because the bride is my mother, and the bridegroom is my father."
Gu Ning had no intention to keep it a secret anymore.
"What?" Pan Zirui was shocked. "Do you mean that Lord Tang is your step-father?"
Pan Zirui couldn't believe his ears.
"Um, he isn't my step-father, but biological father. An accident happened 19 years ago, so we were separated till now. Well, it's a long story. Since you're invited, come here now!" Gu Ning said.
"Oh, sure, sure." Pan Zirui understood that he shouldn't ask more questions about that. "Can I come with my friends?"
"Why not? I planned to invite them too, but I'm not very familiar with them," Gu Ning said.
"Great, I'll come with them," Pan Zirui said, then hung up.
While they were talking on the phone, Tang Yunfan already carried Gu Man in his arms after getting out of the car. Afterwards, he walked along the red carpet towards the front gate.
Gu Ning and the others followed at once.
…
Tang Yunfan put Gu Man down at the door of the main building, then stepped over a small brazier into the hall.
In the hall of the Tang family's house, Tang Haifeng was sitting on a beautiful wooden chair. He beamed with happiness seeing the loving couple walk inside.
They knelt down before Tang Haifeng and served him a cup of tea. Tang Haifeng then gave each of them a red envelope, and Gu Man called him her father, which was the last step of the ceremony.
Once the ceremony was done, it was time to rest before the dinner party.
All the guests were chatting and drinking tea in the yard.
"Boss, I still can't believe it. How come your biological father is Lord Tang? Given your father's position in City B, you can do whatever you want and nobody would dare to act against you," Hao Ran said.
Gu Ning cocked her eyebrow. "Do you think that I'm the kind of person who bullies others as they like just because of their family background?"
Hao Ran was struck dumb for a second, then laughed with embarrassment. "No, no, of course you're not."
It was only 11 am now, and the dinner party wouldn't begin until 4 pm, so Gu Ning proposed to have lunch outside and have some fun together.
Everyone got excited hearing that. In fact, they felt a little bored staying in the Tang family's house. They were a bunch of active young people after all.
Gu Ning then went to ask Tang Yunfan for permission, and Tang Yunfan agreed.
When Cao Wenxin heard that they were going to have fun together outside, she joined them without delay, but she drove her own car because there wasn't enough space for her in the other cars. Most importantly, she needed to pick Xin Bei up later.
"I've had enough dishes in those fancy restaurants. Why don't we go to a mountain villa to relax for a while?"
"Let's go!"
They left the Tang family's house together.
…
Pan Zirui called Guan Bin without hesitation the second he found out that Tang Yunfan was Gu Ning's biological father.
Guan Bin was also shocked when he learned the news. "Seriously? Are you sure?" Guan Bin couldn't believe his ears either.
"I'm sure, and you heard it right. The chairman of Tanghuang is my boss's biological father. Today is her father and mother's wedding day, and we're invited too." Pan Zirui explained.
Chapter 969 Can I Go with You?
It took a long while for Guan Bin to digest the news, but he hesitated to accept the invitation. "Did Miss Gu invite me too, or just you? Is it appropriate if I go with you?"
The Guan family wasn't invited, and Gu Ning didn't call him in person either, so he felt a little embarrassed.
Although the Guan family owned several hundred million yuan in wealth, which was qualified to be called a rich family, it was barely comparable to the Tang family.
The Guan family and the Tang family seldom met each other, except at some business meetings. There was a huge gap between them after all.
"My boss didn't call you in person just because she thinks that she isn't very familiar with you. I've asked her whether I can attend the wedding with my friends, and she agreed," Pan Zirui said.
"Really?" Guan Bin was excited. It was his honor to attend the wedding held by the Tang family. Therefore, Guan Bin agreed with alacrity.
Pan Zirui also called his other friends. His other friends were shocked as well, when they found out that Gu Ning was Tang Yunfan's biological daughter. However, even though Gu Ning was a member of the Tang family, they still believed that she had built her business empire on her own.
They admired as well as trusted Gu Ning. However, they had just met Gu Ning a few times, so they were simply acquaintances. If it hadn't been for Pan Zirui and Gu Ning's invitation, they wouldn't have thought to show up at the wedding.
In their eyes it was a great honor to attend the wedding held by the Tang family. They had even felt greatly honored when they had dined with Tang Jiakai and Cao Wenxin before. They thought that they were very lucky to have met Gu Ning in their life.
…
Zhou Guangrui's home was located in a high-end villa area in the suburb near City B.
It was Saturday today, so Zhou Guangrui didn't leave for work. When he received Pan Zirui's call, he had just gotten up and was exercising in the yard.
Zhou Guangrui and Pan Zirui's conversation on the phone was heard by his older brother, Zhou Guangming, who was also in the yard. Zhou Guangming figured out that Zhou Guangrui was going to attend the wedding held by the Tang family because of his friend's invitation.
Knowing that, Zhou Guangming was displeased. He had done everything he could to get an invitation to the wedding ever since he heard that the Tang family was going to hold it today.
Many important figures would gather together at the wedding, so he planned to meet and become familiar with them, which would be helpful for the Zhou family's business and himself. However, he failed. It wasn't easy to get an invitation letter for it after all.
Zhou Guangming had also turned to his friends who were invited for help, but they all turned him down. Nevertheless, he didn't dare to show up at the wedding without an invitation, because it would be humiliating if it was exposed.
Now to his astonishment, Zhou Guangrui was invited, and he couldn't accept it.
When Zhou Guangrui turned around, he saw Zhou Guangming's unhappy face, and the excited smile disappeared from his face in an instant.
It seemed that they didn't get along with each other. In fact, the two brothers were like enemies.
Zhou Guangming and Zhou Guangrui were half-brothers, with the same father, but Zhou Guangming regarded Zhou Guangrui as a thorn in his side ever since they were just kids. He ached to chase Zhou Guangrui away from their home, because he believed that it was Zhou Guangrui's mother who had forced his mother to leave. Therefore, Zhou Guangrui had been bullied a lot by Zhou Guangming during their childhood.
However, the fact was that Zhou Guangming's mother had left his father for another man because his father was poor back then.
Zhou Guangrui was a little troublemaker when he was a kid, while Zhou Guangming was always quiet and obedient. That being the case, their father had never believed Zhou Guangrui when he told on Zhou Guangming.
Zhou Guangrui's mother believed him, but she couldn't criticize Zhou Guangming as a step-mother. If she did that, people might say that she was a unkind step-mother, so she could only comfort Zhou Guangrui in private.
When they grew up, Zhou Guangming gradually understood the truth, so he stopped bullying Zhou Guangrui, but their relationship didn't get better because of the heir position of the Zhou family.
At the beginning, Zhou Guangrui had no interest in taking over their family business, but Zhou Guangming wouldn't believe him. Accordingly, Zhou Guangrui decided to compete against him, and both of them worked hard in the company to gain their father's approval.
Because both of them were outstanding, their father had no intention to pick an heir from them right now.
Their father wouldn't pick the heir according to their ages, instead he would look at their ability.
"Are you going to attend the wedding held by the Tang family?" Zhou Guangming asked, although he already knew the answer. He hoped that Zhou Guangrui might help him.
Even though they didn't get along well, they still maintained their family connection with one another. No matter how much he hated Zhou Guangrui, he would still make use of him when it was necessary.
"Yeah," Zhou Guangrui said.
"Can I go with you?" Zhou Guangming asked in a polite tone.
Hearing that, Zhou Guangrui cocked his eyebrow. He obviously understood Zhou Guangming's aim and despised it, but didn't show it on his face. "Why?"
"I need to deal with something," Zhou Guangming said.
Actually, both of them were clearly aware that they both wanted to get to know more important figures through all kinds of social events.
Chapter 970 Glad to Know Tha
"Sorry, I'm afraid that you can't," Zhou Guangrui said. He was unwilling to help his competitor.
At the very beginning, he wouldn't have refused to be reconciled with Zhou Guangming because those unpleasant experiences had all happened in their childhood. However, Zhou Guangming didn't stop picking on him even though he had made it clear that he had no interest in taking over their family business.
In that case, he had to fight back. He was now determined to win in the heir battle.
Although he was competing against Zhou Guangming, he wouldn't scheme against him behind his back because they were brothers after all, but he wouldn't grin and bear it either if Zhou Guangming schemed against him.
"You…" It wasn't a surprising answer, but Zhou Guangming was still displeased.
Right at this moment, their father walked downstairs. Seeing that both Zhou Guangrui and Zhou Guangming were in the yard, he walked outside too.
Once Zhou Guangrui noticed his father, he walked ahead with excitement. "Dad, I was just invited to attend the wedding held by the Tang family! What kind of gift do you think I should prepare for it?"
"What? You're invited to the wedding held by the Tang family?" His father couldn't believe it. "Really?"
"Of course. Didn't I tell you that Gu Ning is my acquaintance? Although we aren't familiar, Gu Ning is Pan Zirui's boss, so I had a chance to meet her," Zhou Guangrui said, but his father interrupted him. "I don't think that that has anything to do with the Tang family."
"Of course it does! Gu Ning is Tang Yunfan's biological daughter, and Tang Yunfan is going to marry her biological mother today!" Zhou Guangrui said.
Hearing that, his father was surprised again, but laughed out loud with satisfaction the next second. "Great, my good boy!"
His father was thrilled that Zhou Guangrui was able to form a relationship with such an influential figure and family. They probably wouldn't benefit much from it, but it wouldn't do them any harm.
"What gift should I prepare?" Zhou Guangrui asked again.
"Oh, right. Let me think about it," his father said.
Zhou Guangming got jealous and was full of hatred towards Zhou Guangrui after seeing their father being so proud of Zhou Guangrui. He clearly knew that their father loved Zhou Guangrui more than him ever since they were little boys.
Since Zhou Guangrui was invited to attend the wedding held by the Tang family now, their father would pay more attention to him too.
When he was only 3 years old, his mother abandoned them, and he was sent back to live with his grandparents. He would only come to City B on vacation to stay with his father.
His father didn't have much time to take care of him, and married Zhou Guangrui's mother later.
His father didn't bring him back home until his business became profitable and they could finally afford a nanny, at that time Zhou Guangrui was 3 years old and he was 7.
Even though his father treated him well, there was always a distance between them. However, his father was much closer to Zhou Guangrui. Zhou Guangrui's mother was also a kind woman, and did her best to be fair, but Zhou Guangming wasn't her biological son after all.
"Dad, it's a good opportunity to help our family form relationships with those important figures. I think it would be better if I could go there with Guangrui," Zhou Guangming said, trying to persuade their father to side with him.
Their father thought that it was reasonable, but didn't make the decision on his own. Instead, he turned to ask Zhou Guangrui, "Guangrui, what do you think?"
Zhou Guangrui pretended to feel cornered. "Dad, I would love to, but I got invited because of Zirui's relationship with Miss Gu, not because I'm Miss Gu's friend. What if Miss Gu is unhappy that I brought my older brother along. I don't think it's a good idea to displease Miss Gu."
Hearing that, their father agreed. "You're right. Guangming, I think you better stay at home."
"Alright." Zhou Guangming nodded, but was annoyed. To his surprise, Zhou Guangrui still refused to help him right in front of their father.
He blamed Zhou Guangrui for it.
However, he didn't dare to show his dissatisfaction on his face, in case their father disliked him.
…
Gu Ning and her friends had fun together in the mountain villa after lunch to kill time.
"Didn't you say that you're going to tell me the details about what happened last night after you suddenly left?" Leng Shaoting asked Gu Ning.
Gu Ning remembered that she had promised Leng Shaoting to tell him everything about what had happened last night.
"Oh, the thing is that I ran into a member of the Evil Practice at the airport when I went to pick you up yesterday. I thought that nothing good could come from him being there, so I followed him till an abandoned villa area in a suburb. I found a 14-year-old girl tied to a chair and it was obvious that the man wanted to absorb her blood for his inner discipline, so I fought against him," Gu Ning said.
Hearing that, Leng Shaoting got nervous at once. "Are you alright?"
Gu Ning smiled. "I'm fine."
"Glad to know that." Since Gu Ning said that she was fine, Leng Shaoting believed her.