By the time the yacht reached the small town of Yangshuo, night had fully fallen, and a cool drizzle had begun to fall in the darkness.
Before this trip, Lin Su had repeatedly asked Lady A if Simon Westeros needed a place prepared in advance for his stay. Given his itinerary, it was clear that he would need to spend the night in Yangshuo. Alison had simply stated that arrangements had already been made and that they didn't need to worry about it.
Lin Su had her doubts at first.
After all, this was Simon Westeros's first visit to China. Even though Yangshuo, which had been open to international visitors since the 1970s, was famous abroad, it seemed unlikely that he would have made any prior arrangements.
If things didn't go well, it would certainly be seen as her failure.
Lin Su had realized from the start that this secret hospitality mission wasn't one where she would be rewarded for success, but she would definitely be penalized for failure—it was clearly a tough task.
Upon arriving at the destination, Lin Su realized that her concerns had been completely unnecessary.
Utterly unnecessary.
Gazing at the ancient courtyard perched on a mountaintop on the east side of the Li River, overlooking the town of Yangshuo and the surrounding peaks, Lin Su felt a surreal sense of disbelief.
The courtyard was clearly designed with great care.
As she entered, the classical wooden lanterns illuminated the pavilions, towers, and blue-tiled roofs around her. Even though the night obscured the distant surroundings, she could imagine how perfectly this courtyard integrated with the surrounding mountains and rivers. Walking down the stone path, she roughly estimated that this courtyard, laid out like an ancient Chinese quadrangle, covered at least ten acres, possibly more than a hectare.
Given the direct orders from the top to treat this VIP with care, the local authorities in Yangshuo had taken this task very seriously. A large group had gone to the pier to greet Simon and accompanied him all the way to the courtyard.
Lin Su glanced at the young man being escorted ahead of her and couldn't help but ask a staff member walking beside her, "Secretary Liu, this place looks quite new. When was it built?"
The secretary, surnamed Liu, was unsure of Lin Su's identity, so he thought for a moment before replying, "About two years ago, I think. An Australian Chinese businessman wanted to build a private residence here for vacation purposes. It's said that this businessman controls a $1 billion investment fund and plans to invest it all domestically. Such a patriotic businessman had to be taken seriously. After considering his own opinions, the higher-ups approved this mountaintop location in Dongling. I never expected it would be used to host Mr. Simon Westeros today. It's truly an honor for us."
Lin Su had studied the young tycoon's background thoroughly and immediately picked up on the keyword "Australian" in Secretary Liu's explanation.
Simon Westeros's wife was from Australia, and in recent years, the Westeros system had made substantial investments there. Some media outlets even referred to Australia as the Westeros system's "backyard." The Australian mining giant BHP, which was managed by the Johnston family and could be considered part of the Westeros system, had been increasing its collaboration with China's steel industry in recent years.
Upon closer thought, the "businessman" Secretary Liu mentioned might just be a Chinese-Australian fund manager.
In the 1990s, apart from Simon Westeros, a miraculous billionaire with a personal fortune of $300 billion, $1 billion-level tycoons weren't that common globally. While Southeast Asia might have had a few Chinese families with that level of wealth, she had never heard of any in Australia.
The more she thought about it, the clearer the truth became.
This courtyard might be registered under someone else's name, but its true owner was likely Simon Westeros himself.
Lin Su happened to know that this super-rich man had a habit of purchasing properties all over the world.
Moreover, only someone like Simon Westeros would have the financial clout to invest in and complete such a luxurious estate on a mountaintop within two short years.
The group only accompanied Simon Westeros to the inner courtyard's entrance before respectfully stopping.
After the man entered the inner courtyard, he didn't reappear, leaving Lin Su to handle the subsequent arrangements. She had to work with Lady A to manage accommodations and dinner for the entourage and coordinate the security arrangements for the courtyard. Finally, she followed Lady A into the inner courtyard. After dinner, it was already past 8 p.m.
Lin Su was assigned to a suite in the west wing of the inner courtyard.
Alone in her room, she suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.
In the stillness of the night, with the deep courtyard all around, if something were to happen, she wouldn't have the strength to resist, and there would likely be no one to turn to afterward.
After earning her PhD, Lin Su had spent a year studying in the UK, thanks to her parents' arrangements. That was just two years ago. Being in the English-speaking world, she had heard quite a bit about Simon Westeros, even if only unintentionally.
Without mentioning anything else, in terms of relationships, this man was definitely a playboy.
And yet, women seemed to like him.
Which wasn't surprising.
Thinking back to their interactions since yesterday, Lin Su herself couldn't muster any negative feelings toward him. On the contrary, she felt a natural sense of closeness. It wasn't just his immense wealth; the man's talents alone were enough to win anyone over. A 26-year-old who had never set foot in China, yet could speak Mandarin so fluently and even had such a deep understanding of Chinese culture.
When he recited that passage, "Once the flowers have bloomed in all their glory," after hearing it only once, Lin Su was utterly astonished.
Perhaps only someone like him could create a vast financial empire in just eight years.
The world is full of miracles.
Simon Westeros was undoubtedly one of them.
As she sat alone in the guest room, resting her chin on her hand and letting her thoughts run wild, she suddenly realized that it was already past 10 p.m.
Nothing had happened.
She suddenly felt she might have been overthinking. She was certainly a beauty in her own country, but she knew that Westerners had different aesthetic standards. Westerners seemed to prefer Asian women with prominent cheekbones and sharp facial features, which was far from her softer appearance.
Perhaps, in that man's eyes, she was unattractive.
Her mood suddenly soured.
Having been proud of her looks all her life, the thought that she might be considered unattractive by someone was hard to swallow.
Despite her heavy thoughts, exhaustion from the long day took over.
After a bath, she quickly fell asleep.
The faint sound of birdsong woke her up. Groggily, she glanced at her watch. It was 7:40 a.m.
Oh no!
She hastily dressed and washed up, leaving her room just as it struck 8 a.m.
As she stepped out, she was greeted by a misty scene. The rain from the night before hadn't cleared, and as she looked through the gaps between the buildings, she caught glimpses of mist-covered peaks, like something out of a fairy tale.
She suddenly thought that living in such a place for a lifetime wouldn't be so bad.
And it would be even better with someone to share it with.
The phrase "a match made in heaven" popped into her mind, and she felt a slight warmth in her cheeks.
She made her way to the entrance of Simon's residence and knocked. The door was opened by one of Simon's flight attendants, who had naturally become a maid upon leaving the plane.
They had introduced themselves the day before on the luxurious private jet, and Lin Su greeted her in English. As they chatted, Lin Su couldn't help but study the young woman, wondering if she had spent the night in Simon's residence. After a brief conversation, she learned that Simon was on the viewing terrace on the west side of the courtyard. She thanked the maid and made her way through the layers of courtyards toward the west.
Stepping out through the westernmost gate, she found herself on a viewing terrace built along the cliff's edge.
The glimpses she had caught earlier were nothing compared to the breathtaking panorama now before her.
A paradise on earth.
Close to this "paradise," Simon Westeros, dressed in a black pullover and khaki slacks, was sitting cross-legged beside a low table on the terrace, playing Go with Chen Qing. The two were chatting and laughing, while the woman he habitually called "A" leaned affectionately beside him, not hiding their closeness.
When Simon noticed Lin Su approaching, he greeted her with a smile and asked if she knew how to play Go.
Her grandfather had been a professor of Chinese literature, and despite majoring in international relations in college with plans to follow her parents into politics, Lin Su had been influenced by her grandfather since childhood. Of course, she could play Go.
Seeing her nod, the man immediately patted the seat beside him, inviting her to join in and help him. He was losing to Chen Qing.
So there's something you're not good at after all.
This odd thought flashed through her mind as she walked over and sat down beside Simon Westeros. Surrounded by the chill, she was acutely aware of the man's presence next to her, making her feel strangely unsettled.
She forced herself to stay calm and took a glance at the board. It was clearly a very basic game.
Lin Su knew that Chen Qing, who was a top student at Shanghai International Studies University, was undoubtedly very capable, even if a few years younger. However, it was obvious that Chen Qing was deliberately going easy on Simon Westeros. The man didn't hide the fact that
he was being given a six-stone handicap and still felt that his chances of winning weren't great.
After a brief discussion, the game continued.
Across the table, Chen Qing noticed Lin Su sitting beside Simon Westeros and realized she might have made a mistake. Quickly changing her strategy, she began deliberately losing the game, hoping to lose quickly so she could switch places with Lin Su and team up with Simon.
Simon had said he wanted to win, and Lin Su, unsure of Chen Qing's skill, followed his instructions and did her best.
So she won easily.
Then Lin Su heard Chen Qing's playful voice saying, "Sister Lin is so good, and with Mr. Westeros, there's no way I can win. How about we switch places so that it's fair?"
Simon, always easygoing, agreed with a smile.
It wasn't until she was seated across from Simon, watching Chen Qing take her former seat, that Lin Su realized what had happened.
She was annoyed.
But instead of being polite, she decided to be even more competitive, determined to make the scheming girl across from her cry.
She tried her best.
And yet, she lost.
Simon Westeros was very pleased, and so was Chen Qing. Lin Su felt a bit wronged. Deep down, she was strong-willed, but she didn't show it.
So they continued.
She concentrated fully this time, determined to win.
And she lost again.
Reflecting on the two games, Lin Su realized that Chen Qing had been subtly outplaying her, not by much, but just enough to keep her on the defensive.
This was clearly intentional.
It was bullying.
Feeling defiant, she started a third game.
But the result was the same.
She felt a sudden sting of tears.
Was playing dumb really that fun?
Simon Westeros seemed oblivious, but catching the slight smirk at the corner of his mouth, Lin Su suspected otherwise.
She had a growing sense that this was a man who enjoyed watching women spar with each other.
What a jerk.
And then she heard their voices.
"Mr. Westeros, should we continue? I think Sister Lin is getting better and might win next time."
"Is that so? Well, let's stop here and not give her a chance to turn things around."
"Mr. Westeros, you're so bad."
"Doesn't China have a saying, 'Bad men are loved by women'?"
Chen Qing covered her mouth with a hand, "Ah, you know that saying too?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Westeros, you're so knowledgeable. Um, 'knowledgeable' means someone who knows a lot. Was that explanation unnecessary?"
"It seems so."
Silently packing up the game pieces, Lin Su felt like she might rush to the railing and vomit.
"Bad men are loved by women."
Is that supposed to be a compliment?
Just as she was stewing over it, Chen Qing suddenly asked, "Mr. Westeros, if I'm not mistaken, this courtyard belongs to you, doesn't it?"
Lin Su, who had been sulking, couldn't help but perk up her ears.
She had expected Simon Westeros to deny it, or at least dodge the question, but to her surprise, he admitted it outright, "Yes, I'm used to having a place that's completely my own wherever I go."
"So you'll be visiting China often in the future?"
"Maybe."
Just as Lin Su finished tidying the board, Alison Norris quietly returned through the side door, carrying a tray with some tea and snacks.
It was only then that Lin Su realized she hadn't had breakfast.
When Lady A handed her some food and sat beside her, clearly not intending to disturb her boss and the other woman, Lin Su thanked her and made small talk. However, she couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation between Simon and Chen Qing.
So, this place really is his.
And then.
Her emotions became even more complicated.
This man had spent years and a fortune building a villa on a mountaintop in a foreign land for a future trip.
Such a man, Lin Su suddenly thought, was indeed a little terrifying.
Naturally, Simon noticed the change in the mood of the woman across from him, but he didn't pay much attention.
These two women had been selected from a list of candidates by the Westeros system staff, but their presence here wasn't entirely innocent. After he left, his every word and action during this trip would likely be reported back.
This luxurious estate could no longer be hidden.
Nor had Simon intended to keep it a secret.
In this country, Simon saw himself as purely a businessman, so he had nothing to hide.
Of course, for the sake of future plans, Simon wouldn't reveal everything.
For example, in terms of his investments in China, Simon had chosen to operate through proxy channels rather than having the Westeros Company take direct control, to prepare for the long term. Over the past few years, shell companies and subsidiary funds specifically targeting China had been established across Europe, Australia, East Asia, and South Asia, outside of North America.
Even Janet had trouble keeping track of the small moves Simon had been making, but Simon knew exactly how many of these seemingly minor investments could later grow into major powerhouses.
The world indeed had many kinds of geniuses. For Simon, the foresight gained from two lifetimes was his own form of genius. Just as a talented painter might create a masterpiece with casual strokes, Simon's seemingly random actions might, years later, weave a vast, intricate web.
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