CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40 GRAND EMPEROR HOTEL_1

"A giant panda?"

Even Su Xuan, with his indifferent temperament, was surprised to see the rotund, black-and-white animal walking back and forth on the grass.

One can’t just keep these as pets, can they?

"Master, you have such great taste!" The old steward looked at Su Xuan with a beaming smile, clearly fond of his new master, but then his tone shifted. "To be precise, it’s just a white bear, not a panda. The previous owner of the mansion said it was due to a genetic mutation that it came to resemble a panda."

Having said that, the steward took out a piece of paper and handed it to Su Xuan. "This is something the previous owner left for you."

Su Xuan opened the paper and saw a line of exquisite handwriting: "Please take good care of Da Bai, and don’t bully him, okay! If you bully him, I will hit you. I’m really strong!"

"The previous owner speaks so cutely?" Su Xuan glanced at the old steward.

"She is the daughter of the former owner of the house, Alice," the steward explained with a smile.

"A foreigner?" Su Xuan asked.

"A joint venture, Chinese and foreign," the steward replied.

"Got it," Su Xuan said.

"Master, actually, Alice hasn’t left." The steward suddenly lowered his voice. "She hasn’t finished her studies and needs to stay in your mansion for free for a while. This was part of the agreement when you purchased the mansion from the previous owner."

Buying a mansion comes with a time-limited bonus daughter? That’s quite generous!

"Where is she?" Su Xuan also lowered his voice.

"She’s gone to school," the steward said.

"Then why are you whispering?" Su Xuan asked.

"I’m afraid she’ll come back and check the surveillance," the steward said, glancing at the cameras scattered around the mansion’s grounds.

"The security measures here aren’t too shabby!" Su Xuan commented. Then, under the old steward’s guidance, he went into a room, found the surveillance server, and changed the login password.

What’s mine is under my control.

Next, the steward took Su Xuan on a tour of the mansion. While Su Xuan was shocked by its luxury, a wave of loneliness suddenly welled up in him. The mansion had so many rooms it could easily accommodate twenty people.

Is it a waste for me to live here alone? Should I invite Su Zimo and Ye Qianqian to stay for a few days to indulge themselves?

"Master, as long as you don’t mind an old man with slow hands and feet, I will continue to stay with you!" The steward seemed to have guessed what Su Xuan was thinking and said earnestly.

"You don’t have any special hobbies, do you?" Su Xuan asked cautiously.

"None," the steward replied. "I don’t smoke or drink. Aside from being old, I have no other vices."

"Then feel free to stay."

"Because of my relationship with the former owner, I’ve accumulated a lot of connections. With just a word from you, Master, all these connections can be at your disposal," the steward said, making a point to emphasize this.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you in the future." Su Xuan naturally understood the steward’s unspoken message; the old man was afraid his new master might send him packing.

He immediately assigned the steward a task: hire a few housekeepers to clean the mansion thoroughly, inside and out, and replace all the bedding with new sets.

The steward accepted the order at once and got busy.

Su Xuan then casually strolled through his mansion’s grounds with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the fish and teasing Da Bai.

Da Bai really was a bear. Though tamed, his eyes still held a wild glint. Yet, being quite intelligent, the animal was very docile toward Su Xuan, the new master of the mansion. It would roll over when asked and walk upright on command, complying with Su Xuan’s every wish.

Su Xuan also saw a photo of Alice. She was indeed of mixed heritage—a "joint venture," as the steward had put it. She had fair skin, gem-like eyes, and a bewitching figure, yet she also possessed the delicate beauty and grace of an Eastern girl.

Based on the photo alone, her looks scored over 95 points! I hope this girl doesn’t have any particular quirks and that we can live together peacefully for a while until she finishes her education and leaves.

Later, seeing there was still some time before dark, Su Xuan took the tricycle to the courier station. Then, he parked his Koenigsegg in the garage of his luxurious private residence. He planned to make this his permanent home from now on.

"Mr. Su, are you free right now?" As dusk fell, Zhao Ankang suddenly called him.

"I’m free. Just call me by my name," Su Xuan said. "Have you finished the new employee training?" His old classmate Zhao Ankang had gone for training after Su Xuan arranged a position for him at Lycar.

"Brother Su, I finished! I got full marks in all the training modules!" Zhao Ankang’s form of address had changed, but his tone was even more respectful. It couldn’t be helped; Su Xuan had given him a hand when he was at his lowest, and he would be grateful for life.

"Impressive!" Su Xuan praised. "Looks like I should give you a raise."

"Haha!" Zhao Ankang was clearly delighted but said sincerely, "Let’s wait until I’ve produced some results before we talk about a raise. I wouldn’t have the face to accept it now."

"Brother, did you call me for a reason?" Su Xuan didn’t believe Zhao Ankang had called just to report his scores.

"Yes!" Zhao Ankang said. "Our high school class president, Liu Yiming, contacted me. He said Teacher Wang is sick and will be going to the Third Hospital for treatment tomorrow. You knew about this, right?"

"I knew," Su Xuan said.

"Liu Yiming is holding a fundraising dinner tonight and says all classmates must attend to donate money for Teacher Wang. He specifically told me to let you know that you have to be there!"

"When did he tell you?" Su Xuan asked.

"He called around noon, but I was busy and couldn’t answer," Zhao Ankang said.

"Time and place?"

"Seven o’clock tonight. Grand Emperor Hotel, Room 606."

「At seven o’clock in the evening.」

A BMW 530 pulled up to the entrance of the Grand Emperor Hotel.

"Jingjing, do you think Su Xuan will come tonight?" Liu Yiming personally unbuckled the seatbelt for Chen Jingjing, who was in the passenger seat.

"Hmm..." Chen Jingjing glanced through the car window at the resplendent Grand Emperor Hotel. After a moment, she said, "That day in the BMW, we saw him on his delivery tricycle. To save face, he probably won’t come."

"That’s exactly why I had Zhao Ankang tell him! I was afraid he wouldn’t come." Liu Yiming’s lips curled into a smirk. "He and Zhao Ankang were close in high school, so he probably won’t refuse."

"Why must you make things so difficult for him?" Chen Jingjing said.

"And who’s to blame for that? You’re the one who used to have a secret crush on him," Liu Yiming said, reaching out to hook her chin. "But now, you’re my woman."

"What about the 200-square-meter apartment you promised me for our wedding?"

"Easy. We’ll go sign the purchase contract tomorrow."

The two got out of the car and walked hand in hand into the Grand Emperor Hotel.

The moment they entered Room 606, a dozen or so people greeted them.

"Hey, Class President Liu, what took you so long!"

"You said seven o’clock, and it’s two minutes past!"

"Ah, Jingjing, you’re even prettier! I really regret not having the courage to pursue you back then. Now I’ve missed my chance!"

Amid the clamor, Liu Yiming and Chen Jingjing took their seats. They both reveled in this kind of atmosphere; they loved being the center of attention.

But Liu Yiming was also somewhat dissatisfied. Only a dozen or so old classmates have shown up. Is my influence that weak, or is everyone doing so poorly that they’re too embarrassed to come and donate money to Teacher Wang? And Su Xuan hasn’t come either!

"Let’s order!" Liu Yiming waved the waiter over.

The moment he mentioned ordering food, the room fell completely silent.