After breakfast, Ms. Yu and Zhu Momo left the secluded manor nestled in the northeastern woods of East Hampton. They seemed quite busy.
Chen Xingwei was the last to leave.
Aside from a handful of attendants, she was the only one left in the villa. Her feelings were mixed: excitement and nervousness mingled with a faint sense of loss.
Since joining the National Style Dance Troupe, Chen Xingwei had always felt a bit insecure, especially compared to Li Youhu, who was cast in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon even before leaving China, or to the many other talented girls in the troupe. She felt she neither had the luck nor stood out in ability.
Last night... if something significant was to happen, she thought the tall and striking Zhu Momo or someone like Li Youhu—known for her bold and captivating charm—would surely be chosen over her. Perhaps even Wei Cenci, who seemed to be more favored by men.
To her surprise, it was she who was chosen.
Even though her first time was shared with two other women, which was unexpected, she didn't mind. Compared to Ms. Yu's hesitant acceptance or Li Youhu's boldness, she had been the most proactive and eager. As a dancer, she instinctively adapted to even the more unconventional moves without needing direction, striving to please. She believed he must have been quite satisfied.
With this, she felt her status might rise, becoming at least equal to Li Youhu or Ms. Liu, and certainly surpassing Wei Cenci.
With hopeful thoughts, she wandered alone around the vast manor. Eventually, she found herself by the swimming pool on the west side, surrounded by hedges. Staring at the clear water, she felt a sudden urge to swim. She shed her clothes and jumped in.
After swimming gracefully like a mermaid for a while, she noticed a shadow on the edge of the pool. Swimming closer, she saw it was Angela Davis, accompanied by two female attendants. Climbing out using the pool ladder, Angela personally handed her a large bath towel, gently saying, "Ms. Chen, it's best not to swim for the next few days. You might catch a chill."
Angela's subtle reminder made Chen Xingwei instantly understand. She nodded. "I understand, Angela. Thank you."
The housekeeper glanced at the dancer's well-toned figure, honed by years of practice, and smiled. "It's not a big deal; the water here is very clean. Just a suggestion."
Drying herself off and putting on a dress handed over by one of the attendants, Chen Xingwei asked, "Angela, were you looking for me?"
The housekeeper nodded. "Yes, I'm heading to Manhattan shortly and needed to discuss a few things with you."
"Shall we head back to the villa?"
Together, they returned to the villa. Although initially nervous, Chen Xingwei was soon reassured—it wasn't bad news. If anything, it was good news.
She signed several new agreements. First, her annual salary was raised to $200,000, which was certainly a reason to celebrate. Among the documents, what stood out to her was a clause related to potential accidental pregnancies.
Essentially, in such an event, she would have no rights.
Chen Xingwei didn't object.
Given Simon Westeros' status, it was only natural. Many Western billionaires likely had similar arrangements with their companions. Such matters involved too many complications, and Chen Xingwei didn't dare entertain any delusions. In fact, she believed that if such a situation occurred, it wouldn't be good for her. The child likely wouldn't be allowed to be born.
After these formalities were completed, Angela drove her back to the National Style Dance Troupe's estate. Noticing her subdued mood, Angela kindly reassured her to remain patient.
It was true.
Though she might not reach Li Youhu's level, she was already quite fortunate. Her future would surely be different.
When parting ways, she sincerely thanked Angela and decided to foster a good relationship with the housekeeper. Previously, she hadn't had much reason to interact with her, but now things had changed.
Even though it was Sunday, when the girls could have chosen to rest without anyone questioning them, the troupe was still bustling.
The preparations for the end-of-year tour continued.
For the dancers, their current life was like a dream come true. To avoid jeopardizing it, everyone worked diligently on the upcoming tour.
Chen Xingwei had already been assigned two dances: the opening number Guan Ju from The Book of Songs and Cai Wei, an original piece conceived by a certain man himself. After saying goodbye to Angela, she returned to her room in the main villa, changed clothes, and headed to the practice room. On her way, she deliberately walked with a slight limp, paying no mind to the curious glances from other girls.
She wanted them to know.
At the practice room, she joined the Guan Ju team. The choreographers, Wang and Liu, were brainstorming with the others on refining the details of the dance. This had been planned the previous day, and though Chen Xingwei arrived late, no one commented. Some girls even looked at her with evident envy.
Unintentionally, her gaze met Ms. Liu's.
Everyone knew Ms. Liu and her daughter's special situation. Usually, out of respect, even the other choreographers treated her kindly. This time, however, Chen Xingwei noticed a hint of sourness in Ms. Liu's expression when looking at her.
She couldn't help but feel smug.
Men always crave novelty. Perhaps Simon hadn't visited her in quite some time? Still, she envied their exclusive mansion.
Envy aside, Chen Xingwei felt her youth gave her a clear advantage.
Meanwhile, Angela Davis arrived in Manhattan close to noon, having opted not to take a helicopter.
Simon had a lunch meeting scheduled at home, and A-girls were already preparing at the Fifth Avenue apartment. Angela joined in organizing the final details.
At precisely noon, Simon arrived, as did his guest: Steve Forbes, the head of Forbes Media Group.
Over the past year, Steve Forbes had been vying for the Republican presidential nomination, posing as one of Bob Dole's strongest competitors. As a billionaire himself, Forbes sought to emulate Ross Perot's strategy from the last election but with a more calculated approach. Recognizing the slim chances of a third-party win, he aligned with the Republicans.
Unfortunately, Forbes' lack of political experience left him unable to defeat the establishment-backed Bob Dole.
While the official nomination wouldn't be finalized until the upcoming Republican National Convention, it was almost certain to go to Dole.
Angela guessed that this luncheon might relate to the soon-to-be-published Forbes 400 Richest Americans list.
Though she wasn't privy to the specifics and didn't overstep her bounds, Angela knew that despite Simon's unprecedented wealth—so vast it rendered such rankings nearly irrelevant—the Westeros system placed significant value on financial data.
The lunch ended at 1 p.m., with both parties in high spirits. After seeing Steve Forbes off, Angela and the A-girls began preparing for Simon's afternoon flight to Melbourne.
Before leaving, there was one more matter to attend to.
Three girls had flown in from Los Angeles for a brief stop in New York. These were Ekaterina Noskova and her two companions, who had come from Ukraine to watch the Olympics last month. Angela, less attuned to European affairs, was aware that these three were Simon's most favored companions from Ukraine.
Their trip to watch the Olympics had been arranged by Angela herself.
Unexpectedly, the three girls had been near Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park during the July 27 bombing.
While the media made no mention of this, Janet, upon learning of their proximity to the incident, was furious. She summoned the trio to Dume Point Manor, personally overseeing their discipline for half a month. If not for the Westeros family's scheduled Australian vacation, the girls might have stayed there longer to learn etiquette—or perhaps serve as gardeners.
Angela couldn't help but wonder if they had been physically disciplined.
For the women around Simon who stepped out of line, Janet wasn't above such measures.
Now, standing before Simon in the Fifth Avenue apartment, the three girls seemed noticeably more subdued.
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