Jiangcheng felt a bit awkward under Xu Xiangbei’s leering gaze, and she gave him a hard stare: "Boring. I’m heading back to Jiangcheng the day after tomorrow. When are you going back? You’re not planning to settle down here, are you?"

Xu Xiangbei tossed a ball in the air: "There are still a few things I haven’t sorted out yet. Once they’re squared away, I’ll head back to Jiangcheng too. Your family’s bank is hosting a jewelry exhibition—are you going to see the Heart of the Ocean?"

Chu Xiaoran chuckled: "Heart of the Ocean? I’ve seen it already. There’s not much to it. I need to pack for my trip back to Jiangcheng, so I might not make it to the exhibition tomorrow."

"Isn’t the Heart of the Ocean a treasure of your family’s?"

"No, although it’s being exhibited with us, it doesn’t belong to our family. Its owner is an Italian. My dad has a good relationship with him and convinced him to lend it to give our exhibition some prestige."

Xu Xiangbei grinned slyly: "So the owner of the Heart of the Ocean is Italian? Your family is really clever at using other people’s prestige for your benefit. Truly savvy businesspeople."

Chu Xiaoran’s delicate face flushed with a touch of red as she defended herself: "My dad and my elder brother are businesspeople, but I’m not. Please don’t lump me in with them. I just want to be a teacher and teach well at the university."

Xu Xiangbei’s eyes shone with curiosity as he gained a deeper understanding of Chu Xiaoran.

At the Earth Sea City Museum, colorful flags fluttered, balloons soared, and posters of Xiao Lin adorned in jewelry, looking radiant, elegant, and noble, were everywhere.

Posters had almost overnight covered the streets of Earth Sea, with Xiao Lin’s images on all the electronic screens.

Her blue eye pupils and the snow-white slender fingers encircling the Heart of the Ocean seemed to reflect each other, almost melding into one.

Xiao Lin was dressed in a fiery red trench coat again today, her long, jade-like legs beneath, with red high heels matching the coat. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

She wore green jade earrings dangling from her earlobes, and a green jade hairpin in her hair, where the red was punctuated with hints of green. It wasn’t tacky at all; instead, the contrast was perfect, like a small touch of green in a sea of flowers, exuding elegance, grace, and nobility.

A silver Porsche, its engine roaring like thunder, stopped in the square in front of the museum. Considering the large number of visitors coming to see the Heart of the Ocean, the organizers set up a thousand parking spaces overnight in the square.

The silver Porsche caught the attention of many in the square as soon as it stopped.

A yellow Lamborghini also parked in the square, and Qin Daming got out of the car, a heavily made-up girl holding his arm, looking affectionate and suggestive.

Qin Daming recognized the Porsche, knowing it belonged to Xu Xiangbei. Seeing Xu Xiangbei getting out of the car, he smirked coldly: "Kid, attending such a high-class jewelry exhibit alone, isn’t it boring?"

Xu Xiangbei didn’t get angry and grinned: "I’m not alone; I have a girlfriend."

Just then, the other car door of the Porsche opened slowly, and a pair of snow-white, delicate feet, clad in fiery red high heels, stepped out.

Qin Daming’s pupils contracted sharply. With his vast experience with women, just seeing those white toes like spring onions and that slender, beautiful ankle, he knew she was a great beauty.

When Xiao Lin, in her bright red trench coat, fully appeared in his sight, he felt a sudden breathlessness and instinctively glanced at the beautiful face on the electronic screen ahead of the square.

Evidently, the stunning model from the jewelry ad was Xiao Lin, and she looked even more lively and beautiful in person, exuding purity and nobility.

Noticing Qin Daming staring at her, Xiao Lin nodded slightly at Qin Daming, hooked Xu Xiangbei’s arm, and brushed past Qin Daming.

A surge of intense jealousy abruptly flashed in Qin Daming’s eyes. Looking at his girlfriend beside him, he couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast; she seemed quite plain, without a single feature matching Xiao Lin’s beauty or figure.

His girlfriend didn’t notice the ferocious hatred and jealousy in Qin Daming’s eyes. She kept shaking Qin Daming’s arm: "Daming, I want to buy that jewelry—the Heart of the Ocean—it looks so good."

Qin Daming shook off her hand: "All you know is how to shop, you spendthrift woman. The Heart of the Ocean is worth over a billion; it’s not for sale, what are you going to buy?"

After saying that, Qin Daming shook off his girlfriend and walked away to the other side of the square, leaving her sobbing there.

When he reached the museum, it was packed—so many people, filled with elites from the business world and political figures, judging by their attire.

Shen Congru had given him a VIP invitation card, which granted access to a VIP lounge. There, he saw a couple he recognized, Ouyang Yude and Dongfang Yelan.

Xu Xiangbei quickly approached to greet them: "Big brother, big sister, how are you? You’ve also come to the jewelry exhibition."

Ouyang Yude’s voice was deep as he chuckled: "It’s the fourth brother, huh? Xiao Lin, you two came together. This jewelry exhibit is actually an Earth-Sea Business Community meeting. We were also invited, so we came to catch up with old friends."

The sister-in-law chuckled: "Jewelry is always closely related to fashion. Since we’re in the fashion business, we definitely had to come. There’ll be a fashion show later as well."

Xiao Lin greeted them with a smile: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt."

Dongfang Yelan looked at Xiao Lin approvingly: "Xiao Lin, you’re dressed so beautifully today. Are you going to go on stage for the jewelry fashion show?"

"I’ve already represented them as their face; I’m not participating in their fashion show."

"Where’s Jia Hui? Hasn’t she been with you these days?"

"She’s been rushing to meet deadlines these days, working overtime at the magazine every night, hasn’t returned to the villa."

"This girl should come today, right? This is a big event in the Earth Sea fashion scene. I’ll call her to see if she’s coming."

As Dongfang Yelan was preparing to make the call, a figure rushed over like an exploding grapefruit—a rocket, "Mom and Dad, you’re here too. I guessed you’d come."

Ouyang Jiahui had a reporter credential hanging around her neck, holding a wireless microphone, followed by a young man carrying a camera.

Dongfang Yelan caressed Ouyang Jiahui’s arm fondly: "You’ve lost weight. Don’t overwork yourself to death for the job; take care of your health."

Dad also sighed: "Girl, I haven’t seen you for a week. Whenever you can, come home and visit your grandfather."

Ouyang Jiahui answered, somewhat embarrassed: "Hehe, I’m in great shape, no need to worry. After this jewelry exhibition, I’ll have time to visit Grandpa."

Seeing Xu Xiangbei and Xiao Lin, Ouyang Jiahui playfully punched Xu Xiangbei’s chest: "I’ve been away, and you’ve been running around with Xiao Lin. It must feel great to be around such beauty, right?"

Xu Xiangbei smiled slyly: "Being with a beauty is, of course, great. But seeing you makes me happier. Come join us in the lounge for a drink."