My Manor

"How is it?" Qi Li looked at the stunned Jiang Hai in front of her, smiling as she turned around, then pointed at him with her finger proudly. She deliberately tilted her head, exposing her slender neck.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Jiang Hai stared at Qi Li, genuinely surprised. To be honest, Qi Li looked stunning at that moment. She was already quite attractive with her tall figure, standing at over 1.7 meters. She wore a beige gauze jacket and a black gauze long skirt, which swayed slightly to reveal the slender ** under the fabric.

With the jewelry adorning her body, she sparkled like a star. Her once-black hair was now light brown, clearly the work of a stylist. It was neatly coiled at the back of her head, without bangs, but two curls were left deliberately hanging on either side of her cheeks. Her makeup, in shades of fruit-colored tones, made her look noble and cold, yet undeniably beautiful. Even Jiang Hai found his heart racing after a brief glance.

But as she struck the 213 pose, Jiang Hai was left confused. What on earth was this?

"Isn't this the pose that a woman from that cartoon you liked to watch always makes? No matter what I did before, please forgive me. I'm just so beautiful." Qi Li raised her head again, proud of herself.

"Psycho," Jiang Hai muttered, waving his hand. He knew exactly who Qi Li was imitating—the world's most beautiful woman from One Piece, Boa Hancock. Though their appearances were different between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds, Qi Li did indeed have the ability to pull off a cosplay. However, Jiang Hai wasn't buying it.

Hearing his words, Qi Li curled her lips, standing up again with a smile. She hadn't watched cartoons herself, but she remembered Jiang Hai had told her long ago about his love for them. He had been a true anime fan in the past. Even though he had issues with the island country, he still adored their anime. From literary, romantic, action, and idol dramas to more serious anime, he enjoyed them all, especially the three major action-packed "migrant worker" comics. His latest obsession was One Punch Man.

"Alright, enough of this. It's about time. Let's go," Jiang Hai said, standing up and heading toward the door.

But as soon as he stepped out, Qi Li stopped him, looking at him with curiosity.

"Aren't you going to wear that?" she asked in disbelief.

"What's wrong with my outfit? Arc'teryx, the coolest, most stylish outdoor sportswear. This outfit isn't cheaper than yours," Jiang Hai said, eyeing his own clothes. He wore a specially made jacket that was waterproof, dirt-resistant, and packed with pockets. Underneath, a short-sleeved shirt also had waterproof, windproof, and sweat-absorbing properties. Most importantly, it was scratch-proof.

His pants and shoes were the same style. The outfit was definitely not cheap, but it didn't seem suitable for a cocktail party...

"We're going to a cocktail party. It doesn't matter whether it's cheap or expensive. Don't we need to wear a suit? You know, formal attire?" Qi Li hesitated, realizing just how out of place Jiang Hai might look if he wore this.

"It's fine, let's just go," Jiang Hai smiled and walked straight out of the hotel.

But as he walked out, he spotted Qi Li's Rolls-Royce, parked at the entrance of the hotel, exactly like his own.

Jiang Hai didn't get in immediately. Qi Li, following behind, was momentarily stunned. She stood silently beside him, wondering why he didn't get in the car.

"This car won't work. Change it," Jiang Hai said, shaking his head.

"This car isn't good enough?" Qi Li was baffled. When Jiang Hai bought this car in the United States, it was worth about 3 million RMB, but in China, it would go for 8 million RMB. It was one of the best RVs available. Anything more expensive would be a limited edition or a supercar. It seemed excessive to drive such a car.

"No, it's not that this car isn't good enough. It's just that it's too good. You'll understand once we get there," Jiang Hai explained, shaking his head. While Qi Li had been to many cocktail parties and knew the ins and outs, today she had to follow his lead.

"Well, okay. I have a BMW 7 Series. I'll ask them to bring it over," Qi Li hesitated, but ultimately decided to listen to him. Since Jiang Hai wanted to be low-key, she'd have the BMW 7 Series brought over.

"No, it should be something worse. Around 300,000 yuan... how about a Cadillac?" Jiang Hai suggested after thinking for a moment.

For him, Cadillac was a mid-range car brand in the U.S., not too expensive. But in China, imported Cadillacs were still priced over a million yuan. Jiang Hai downplayed it, setting the price at around 300,000 yuan, narrowing the options.

Qi Li wasn't familiar with Cadillac, though she had seen the brand around. She quickly made a call to the company.

As it turned out, a small manager from Qi Li's company had a Cadillac. After hearing the news, he quickly drove it over, wondering what the chairman needed the car for. Was she interested in him? Or was it simply for business?

When he arrived, he was puzzled to see Jiang Hai and Qi Li together. However, Qi Li just took the key without any word of thanks, leaving him standing in confusion.

With Qi Li and Jiang Hai in her newly-bought car, they drove away. The manager stood there, helplessly watching as they left, feeling foolish.

Meanwhile, in a taxi trailing behind them was Azarina, disguised and following Jiang Hai's group to their destination. Their mission hadn't been forgotten.

The cocktail party hosted by Du Famen was located in a villa on the outskirts of the imperial city. The area was under tight martial law, with Du Famen staying there for security reasons. As someone of his status, living in a hotel would be too risky, even a high-end one. If anything went wrong, the imperial court would not tolerate it.

China's oil shortage was well-known, and Du Famen's importance had grown because of it. For his status, Du Famen was treated with extra care. The villa was heavily guarded by sea, land, and air forces.

When Jiang Hai and Qi Li arrived, they went through a strict check to ensure no dangerous items were in the car, including a large wrench from the trunk. Weapons were strictly prohibited. After the inspection, they entered the villa grounds.

Upon reaching the parking lot, Qi Li was taken aback. Normally, a top-tier cocktail party would attract guests with impressive cars, but the scene before her was unexpected. Rolls-Royces and Bentleys were everywhere, with Mercedes-Benzes hesitant to even make their presence known. What was going on here?

(To be continued...)