In June, Ti City officially enters winter.
The northwest monsoon brings moist and cold air currents. When the cold wind hits the cheeks, it seems to still carry the earthy smell of the plateau of the Old World.
So much so that it even became one of the themes tonight at the dinner party.
Machiko Kawahara came to this conclusion when she wandered around the banquet hall of the castle.
This is of course just an illusion.
Separated by tens of thousands of kilometers, the northern and southern hemispheres are reversed. Even if there is a subtle exchange of elements in nature, it is impossible for these ordinary people to perceive them. In fact, it is just a group of comrades who brag with lingering fear and excitement after narrowly escaping death.
Even though nearly a month has passed, technically three weeks.
This time is just right.
Time quietly beautified the memories of those who experienced it, washing away their embarrassment and fear. Against the background of the relatively peaceful ending, the legendary nature of the process provided them with a lot of talking points, making them not reject it and even willing to We discussed the seemingly vivid personal experiences, and distributed "comradeship" stickers and medals to each other, so that many of the hateful faces looked cute at this time.
Well, maybe quite a few of them were just pretending to show her.
After all, the real theme of this banquet is the appreciation dinner held for the donors of the "Ronan and Friends Foundation" after it was officially established.
At the banquet, the most dazzling figure was not the largest individual donor, the honorary chairman of the foundation, or the well-known rich man in Ti City... Ah, it was Mr. Lang Li, nor was he the sole proprietor of Quantum Company who came specifically to support him. Mr. Dong Mou Zhengye is not even one of the so-called celebrities in Ticheng.
The only ones who can truly be called stars are Ms. Yin Le, the agent of Mrs. Halder, the majority shareholder and chairman of the Castle Consortium, and Machiko Kawahara herself.
In the business world, the Gubao Group is only considered to be of medium size. Let alone looking at the world, it may not be among the top five even in Ticheng. But such a ranking is meaningless - at the appreciation dinner where world-class rich people gathered, Hal Mrs. De can still refuse to come if she doesn't want to come, and only sends one agent to top up the number, and she is still the core of the whole meeting.
All this can only be because Mrs. Halder is Mr. Ronan’s confidant, and Ms. Yin Le is the person in charge of the foundation arranged by Ronan himself.
The same is true for Machiko Kawahara.
Otherwise, there is no way to explain that a standing director who has just transferred from Toyama Auction House can, in his capacity as secretary-general of the foundation, chat and laugh with the rich people around him with tens of billions and hundreds of billions, accept their compliments, and mobilize them. emotions... also bear the evil thoughts deep in their hearts.
Machiko Kawahara still clearly remembers Jun Kawaguchi's greedy, ugly and dirty expression on the "Emerald Light" a month ago. Whether it's Sakagawa, Ticheng, or anywhere else, as long as you're in this circle, there's actually not much difference.
Just like at this moment, everyone was chatting and laughing together, recounting their friendship on the one-way trip to the plateau, and touting Mr. Ronan's compassion for the future development of mankind. But God knows what kind of despicable jokes would be made up in the hearts of the men and women around him, asking her, Or she and Ronan could be the protagonists together.
But so what?
Machiko Kawara enjoys all this and feels at home at this banquet full of malice and calculations.
This is the scene she has been pursuing. For this reason, she gave up the so-called love and marriage, but still enjoyed it, even though she had been wandering halfway up the mountain - but now she was standing on the top of the mountain, close to the peak.
The price she paid...what did she pay?
Compared with the hidden malice around her that could engulf her at any time, this doubt and confusion may be the source of the confusion that occasionally pops up in her heart.
She knew that maybe she would never be able to make such an incredible deal again in this life.
Even though this is likely to be a gimmick deal where you can enjoy it now and pay later, the subsequent price will be unbearable for her - but until now, from her mortal perspective, she is far from reaching the end, right?
In a capitalistic society, without this awareness, what kind of businessman would you be?
Besides, she is indeed willing to pay any price for the glory she has now.
Machiko Kawahara's smile became even brighter.
At this time, the bracelet on her wrist vibrated slightly. She raised her hand to signal and apologize to the daters around her. She temporarily left the crowd and connected to the communication. Her voice became particularly gentle:
"Zhiya, the call came very early today."
"Yes, Mom. Did it disturb your work?"
The only son of Machiko Kawahara, Haruya Kawahara, grew up in a single-parent family, and in such a repressive environment as the Kawahara family. Although he is still a preschooler, he is far more mature than most of his peers, and is very keen.
"It seems to be a mess over there. I'll call back later."
"No, it's okay, Zhi Ye."
At this time, Machiko Kawara was also qualified to be willful. She had already arrived in the lounge upstairs, sat on the sofa, and relaxed her toes and ankles that had been tight for a long time: "Mom is at a banquet, it's okay. Tell mom ,Did you have fun today?"
He Yuanji also laughed there: "It's the same here, mom. Today is the birthday of Mr. Luo Yuandao, Mr. Luo Nan's grandfather, who turns eighty! Their whole family is here."
Machiko Kawahara straightened up subconsciously: "Mr. Luo Yuandao?"
Of course she knew that the old gentleman with serious mental illness, with his physical condition, it would be difficult for him to do anything big even if he was 80 years old... not to mention that she had not heard the news at all.
In other words, this is probably just a family dinner.
Machiko Kawara's heart skipped a beat: "Where are you? Did Mr. Ronan invite you?"
"No, mom. Today is Sunday. Wei Wu and I were going to the monastery master to do our homework, and we happened to meet him."
"That's it." Machiko Kawara's mood fluctuated, and she actually broke out in a thin layer of sweat.
At this time, she thought again that the time difference between Ti City and Xia City was 4 hours. It was already past four o'clock in the afternoon in Xia City, and external banquets usually did not last until this time.
Obviously, Xiaozhi just happened to meet him.
That’s not bad…
Just as he was thinking about it, He Yuanji also lowered his voice: "Mom, I also know a secret!"
Machiko Kawahara frowned, but before she responded, Xiao Zhi said over there: "I just heard that it seems that today is also Mr. Ronan's birthday, but he doesn't know it."
"Really?" Machiko Kawara's mind immediately jumped to the public information about Ronan.
Remember, this person's birthday should be June 16th, which is only a week away... She quickly searched the perpetual calendar. Well, Ronan's birth date was June 16th, 1980. Using the traditional East Asian calendar, it was April 29th in the lunar calendar, this year, is exactly opposite June 9th in the Gregorian calendar.
That's right.
After solving a small doubt, Machiko Kawahara considered another issue, and her tone became much more serious: "Haruya, thank you for telling mom this. But, I don't want you to have another time."
"ah?"
"Do you remember what your mother told you? From the moment you arrived in Xia City, you should respect Mr. Ronan as you respect your mother, learn from him, and ask for advice from him... You should be a qualified retainer and ask Ronan for advice. Be loyal to Mr. Ronan and obtain his approval! Without Mr. Ronan’s permission, you cannot reveal his secrets and other information to anyone, including my mother, even if it is just such a small thing.”
There was silence on the other side.
Machiko Kawahara was a little worried. She hadn't criticized her son like this for a long time, especially now that they were thousands of miles apart and didn't even have a video connection, she felt very unsure.
Just when he was about to send a request to activate the video, Haruya Kawahara over there asked in a weaker voice:
"Mom, are you Mr. Ronan's mistress?"
"..."
Machiko Kawahara once thought that she would never be troubled by similar problems. To a certain extent, she even hoped that everyone else would think so until this matter became a reality, which would consolidate her inexplicably acquired status.
But at this moment, when this question came out of her biological son's mouth, her mood was obviously not as simple as she imagined. She even subconsciously wanted to slap him, but there was no Haruya Kawahara in front of her, and the slap in the end seemed to hit her in the face.
"Zhiye, why do you say that?"
When Machiko Kawahara finished speaking, she was shocked to realize that her tone was so hoarse, like cracked porcelain that no longer had a clear echo when struck again.
"It's from Xia City..."
"No, it's in Sakajo, mom." Haruya Kawahara's voice was still low, but surprisingly stable, even calm.
"Many people have tried to tell me this, including grandpa and grandma, in various ways and from various angles... It seems that I am indeed your weakness, Mom."
"Treat it!" Even if she knew that her son was far more mature than his peers, Machiko Kawahara didn't want to hear the result of his thinking, not at all.
About a second or two later, maybe longer, He Yuanzhi also spoke there, his voice a little more urgent: "Weiwu is calling me, mom, don't worry... Mr. Ronan is a very good person. , many people here are.”
The next moment, He Yuanji responded with a very clear voice: "Hey, wait for me here!"
The communication was immediately disconnected.
Machiko Kawahara looked at the bracelet on her wrist and was stunned for a long time.
She almost thought she would shed tears, even just a few symbolic drops, but as the voices outside the lounge door came in, she straightened her back reflexively and raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a beautiful, calm and mysterious arc. ——It seems that everything is under control.
In fact, she did achieve perfect control.
Whether it's the outer expression or the inner mood.
Even if there are some ups and downs, they will settle down in the sentence like a mantra, which is what Xiao Zhi also said:
Mr. Ronan is a very good person.
Right, a six-year-old child can figure it out in two weeks:
Mr. Ronan is a very good person!
The door to the lounge opened, and the noise from the banquet hall began to flow again.
Machiko Kawahara is like a mermaid. After a temporary rest, she immerses herself wholeheartedly in the turbulence of complex interpersonal relationships and never tires of it!
