I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping
Chapter 243 - 240 A Glimpse of Startling Beauty at Lanting Pavilion (Thanks for the tip!)

Chapter 243: 240 A Glimpse of Startling Beauty at Lanting Pavilion (Thanks for the tip!)

Shaocity is more than a hundred kilometers away from East Sea.

Less than two hours by car.

On the highway, a black Prado traveled from east to west, the scenery gradually shifting from high-rise buildings to mountains and fields.

"Jiang Chen, have you been to Shaocity?"

Sitting in the backseat, Luo Li’er was as lively as a bird freed from its cage, completely different from her usual demeanor at school.

"I haven’t."

"Then how do you know so much?"

Jiang Chen smiled and said, "Because I’ve looked into it."

He had never even been to the coastal park, let alone Shaocity.

It was just that when he was with Ai Qian in the past, he had planned that if he had the chance in the future, he would take her on a trip, which was why he had looked up nearby attractions.

Unfortunately, that wish was destined to go unfulfilled.

As Jiang Chen talked to Luo Li’er, he subtly glanced in the rearview mirror.

Pei Yunxi was leaning against the seat, looking out the window as if admiring the scenery, very quiet.

Since she was in the car, she wasn’t wearing sunglasses and was still dressed as she had been in the morning, simple and natural.

Enough to attract someone like Shi Zhenhua to pursue her, a testament to the actress’s extraordinary beauty.

When beauty reaches a certain level, it requires no augmentation.

Without exaggeration, what need was there to visit any scenic spots when the woman sitting quietly in the backseat was already the most beautiful scenery.

Jiang Chen certainly understood that the reason she had invited him was not anything else; nine out of ten times, it was just to have an extra hand and driver.

But he didn’t mind.

As long as there was contact, there would always be an opportunity to deepen their acquaintance.

Sensing something, Pei Yunxi, who had been looking out the window, suddenly looked towards the rearview mirror.

Jiang Chen quickly lowered his head and focused on the road, pretending to be fully engrossed in driving.

"Sister, have you been to Shaocity?"

Luo Li’er turned her head.

"Mhm."

Pei Yunxi nodded, "I’ve been there for shooting, but I didn’t stay long."

As an actor like her, she had probably been to almost all the well-known cities in the country.

Chatting idly, the Prado entered the territory of Shaocity.

Each land nourishes its people.

Though not far away, the city’s first impression, utterly different from the glitz and glamour of East Sea, seemed to slow life’s tempo considerably upon arrival.

As they drove into Shaocity, it was already one in the afternoon.

Because of Pei Yunxi’s presence, the three of them didn’t ostentatiously look for famous restaurants to dine in; instead, Jiang Chen got out of the car to buy some simple food on the street, and they settled for lunch in the car.

Based on proximity, after eating, they first drove to the Orchid Pavilion scenic spot.

Yes.

It was the birthplace of the famous work "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion."

From the air above, the lush greenery and the ancient charm presented an entirely historic courtyard, seemingly fixed permanently in a specific period of history’s long river.

As Jiang Chen and his companions entered, two large white geese walked by in front, with a stele marking the everlasting words of the preface facing them.

There were many days in history worth remembering, but those with a hint of intoxication, were known as the ninth year of Yonghe.

More than sixteen hundred years ago, in March, a group of bleary-eyed literati by a winding stream, with the wind and moon themselves, General Wang Xizhi wrote the prelude to their revelry. Within the bends and turns, emotions followed their musings; with cups floating down the meandering stream, they expressed their thoughts freely, and hence on the path of running script, he left all others behind in the dust.

"Future readers will also be moved by this literature."

Luo Li’er stood in front of the stele, silently reciting the last sentence from the text.

The Orchid Pavilion Preface, something everyone had read, especially university students from prestigious institutions like theirs.

"When Wang Xizhi wrote this piece of running script, he seemed to know it would be celebrated for ages; probably only he had that kind of confidence," Jiang Chen said softly.

What one admires, within the span of a glance, has already become history.

Many true essences of humanity, as it turned out, had already been thoroughly understood by these sages a thousand years ago.

"Let’s go, take a look at the stream where they floated their wine cups," Jiang Chen suggested.

The trio walked further in.

Pei Yunxi had already put on sunglasses and, to be absolutely safe, even wore a mask, covering her entire face so thoroughly that no one could possibly recognize her as the radiant and popular actress she was.

Reality was indeed the case.

As they went along, none of the passersby took any notice; they had no idea who they were brushing shoulders with that day.

Today’s Orchid Pavilion, still with its verdant bamboo and grand mountains, and even the winding stream, remained as they were a millennium ago, through the ages of the famous prose.

The stream babbled, clear to the bottom.

Luo Li’er bent down to pick up a maple leaf, squatting by the stream and releasing it as if imitating the ancients.

"Luo Li’er, that’s not very considerate of you," Jiang Chen chided.

"It’s just one leaf, and there are already many tree leaves that have fallen into it," she retorted.

"If everyone thought like you and threw a leaf in, would it still look like what you see now?"

"Ugh, why are you so annoying!" Luo Li’er exclaimed, scooping up a handful of cold stream water and splashing it towards him.

Jiang Chen quickly dodged.

Pei Yunxi paid no mind to their frolicking and turned away towards the memorial hall.

"I’m sorry, the memorial hall is currently closed to the public."

At the entrance.

Two casually dressed men stopped Pei Yunxi with outstretched hands, standing one on each side, like door gods.

Luo Li’er, glancing over inadvertently, noticed something was wrong and, forgetting her tussle with Jiang Chen, hurried over.

"What are you doing?"

"The memorial hall is currently closed to the public, please come back later."

One man repeated, his tone polite yet expressionless.

Not open to the public?

When I bought the tickets just now, the staff didn’t notify us in advance.

Moreover.

These two men, they don’t seem like staff members from the scenic area; they don’t even have badges.

Pei Yunxi, wearing a mask and sunglasses, was worried about revealing her identity and naturally did not want to cause trouble. She turned to leave, but Luo Li’er, who had finally coaxed her cousin out to have fun, was not willing to let her cousin suffer this kind of indignity.

"Isn’t there someone inside? Why can she go in?"

Luo Li’er raised her hand.

That’s right.

The doors to the memorial hall were not closed.

You could see very clearly.

Under the statue of Wang Xizhi, there was a woman standing, her back to the entrance, her face indistinct, but her attire was very special.

Dressed in a rare white linen garment, with white silk pants and silver cloth shoes, a red string tied around her wrist, her hair, thick as clouds, braided into twists, her simplicity almost reaching perfection, yet it bred an indescribable charm.

In modern society, it was very rare to see such attire; she looked as though she could be in her twenties, thirties, or even forties.

"Sorry, please come back later."

The two men mechanically repeated.

It was obvious.

It wasn’t about not being open to the public.

They were not allowing entrance simply because of the woman inside.

Jiang Chen also came over.

"Jiang, please go inform the scenic area that someone is occupying the space by force and not allowing other visitors to enter."

Luo Li’er could tell that these people were clearly together.

"Forget it..."

Pei Yunxi was about to persuade her sister not to make a big deal out of it when the woman inside the memorial hall seemed to hear the commotion outside.

"Let them in."

It was only then that Jiang Chen looked inside, and he too, inevitably, was taken aback.

Tangzhuang and Hanfu are becoming more and more popular these days, but he had never seen such an outfit before.

Without exaggeration.

The other party’s attire would draw attention immediately in any setting.

How much confidence must one possess to dress like that?

But it had to be admitted.

This woman, seen only from behind, strangely fit perfectly with a place like Lan Ting.

When the woman spoke, the two men immediately stepped aside without another word.

"Sis, let’s go in."

Luo Li’er grabbed her sister’s hand.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Chen also followed them in.

After the three entered, the woman in the memorial hall did not linger any longer. As she turned to leave, she unavoidably made eye contact with the three of them.

In that instant, Jiang Chen’s heartbeat skipped half a beat.

By the time he collected his thoughts, the woman had already left the memorial hall, and the two men at the entrance immediately followed her, leaving only a hazy silhouette behind.

"That woman..."

Luo Li’er had also seen the woman’s face clearly, staring blankly at the entrance, her dissatisfaction vanishing in an instant.

Jiang Chen could understand how she felt.

He was also completely unable to describe the feeling in his heart at that moment.

In the age of the internet, everyone has seen beautiful women, but that woman...

Even when he first saw Pei Yunxi, Jiang Chen had not been subjected to such a strong impact!

It’s not that she was more beautiful than Pei Yunxi.

It was just that her aura was far too unique.

Especially that fleeting exchange of gazes.

Jiang Chen was certain that even if it was just a brief glance, he would probably find it difficult to forget this woman for the rest of his life.

"Don’t look anymore."

Because she was wearing a mask, Pei Yunxi’s voice was somewhat muffled and unclear.

"Sis, did you see just now? That woman... so beautiful!"

Luo Li’er still seemed a bit dazed, unable to find the words to describe what she saw, she could only use "beautiful" to summarize, even though she was aware it wasn’t quite accurate.

Being the campus belle of East University herself, and her cousin being a world-famous celebrity, she should have developed a strong immunity to beauty,

but that brief glance still caused her to lose her composure.

She had never seen a woman like that before.

"Miss Pei, do you know her?"

Jiang Chen looked away, sensing something off in Pei Yunxi’s tone.

Pei Yunxi simply shook her head without speaking.

"I heard that last night at Bulgari, Shi Zhenhua tried to spend a fortune to win a smile from a beauty, but instead ended in failure?"

The woman with the red string on her wrist walked past the monument.

"That’s right, the one he was bidding against was his prized daughter."

"It seems that even after the divorce, it will be difficult for Shi Zhenhua to win back the beauty. She has even fled here."

"Master, are you saying..."

The two men, as if enlightened, turned to look back in the direction of the memorial hall.

"It’s surprising that Shi Zhenhua, who is so decisive in the business world, would be so indecisive when it comes to a woman. No one is perfect, after all."

The woman smiled, her thin lips curving seductively in the light.

The two men dared not join the conversation.

The woman did not linger any longer and walked out of Lan Ting Residence.