Lucas Lin's heart was inexplicably anxious.
He paced back and forth in the room for a long, long time.
Finally, his steps came to a determined halt.
He suddenly looked up, making a silent decision.
Even if he ended up completely bankrupt and back to being a nobody, he couldn’t let Marcus Chow ruin Cecilia Gu!
Cecilia Gu was Rona Muir’s best friend. If anything happened to Cecilia, Rona would blame herself and be heartbroken forever.
Since he’d chosen to love her, he absolutely couldn’t let her be sad and hopeless!
It’s just... all those years of hard work—it’s such a pity to lose it all!
Lucas Lin took a deep breath, cashed out all the investments he could, gathered up every bit of his assets, and got ready to pay the penalty for breaching the contract.
Even if it meant leaving the entertainment industry, he absolutely couldn’t let himself regret it for the rest of his life!
Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir exchanged a glance—what terrible luck, running into him here of all places.
Marcus Chow didn’t bother with formalities and sat himself right between Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir.
The bodyguards immediately stood up, but Cecilia Gu raised her hand, signaling them not to approach.
“Mr. Chow, you appreciate Huangmei Opera too?” Rona Muir said coolly, not even looking up. “I thought after all those years abroad, you’d only be used to listening to piano concertos.”
Marcus Chow turned to Cecilia Gu, his eyes practically gleaming. He ignored Rona Muir’s comment and said to Cecilia, “I never expected Miss Gu to sing so beautifully.”
A true goddess—she really is a hidden treasure!
He used to think women who sang opera were too ordinary, but now he realized just how stunning Chinese women could be when performing.
Her singing was far better than any internet celebrity streamer he’d ever watched!
“Since Mr. Chow says I sing well, let’s put him to the test. Do you know the name of the piece I just performed?” Cecilia Gu asked bluntly.
Marcus Chow: “Uh…”
“Do you even know what kind of opera this is? Is it Peking Opera, Yue Opera, Huangmei Opera, Lü Opera, Yu Opera, or Sichuan Opera?”
Marcus Chow: “Er…”
“Do you know which excerpt I sang? Do you know what story this aria tells?”
“Well…” Marcus Chow was left speechless by Cecilia Gu’s questions.
“Since Mr. Chow doesn’t even know what I was singing, how can he say whether I sang well or not?” Cecilia Gu asked bluntly.
“Uh…” Marcus Chow shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Is chasing a girl this demanding nowadays?
Do you really have to know all this stuff?
Why did none of those internet streamers ever quiz him like this?
Rona Muir pretended to sip her tea, unable to hide the smile tugging at her lips.
Lucas Lin didn’t dare to laugh, but he was clearly struggling to hold it in.
Wendy and the others couldn’t hold back—they burst out laughing.
Of course Marcus Chow knew he’d embarrassed himself today.
He wanted to get angry, but he didn’t want to lose face in front of Cecilia Gu, so he forced a smile and said, “Well, if you tell me, I’ll know, won’t I?”
Cecilia Gu gave him a mocking look and said to Wendy, “Bring me the County Gazetteer.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Wendy immediately opened her bag and handed Cecilia a thick book.
Cecilia Gu passed the book straight to Marcus Chow. “Read this, and you’ll know exactly what I was singing.”
Marcus Chow, forced to accept the book: “…”
At this point, Marcus Chow finally realized how unwelcome he was. He stood up awkwardly. “Well, I have something to take care of, so I’ll be leaving now!”
With that, Marcus Chow hurried off with his entourage, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
Watching him leave, several guests nearby couldn’t help but laugh.
If you don’t have any real skills, you shouldn’t try to win over a talented girl.
What were you even thinking?
Anyone could tell she was gifted and accomplished—if you’re not up to her level, don’t bother showing off.
With Marcus Chow gone, the noisy distraction disappeared, and everyone could finally enjoy themselves.
They ate, listened to music, and had a wonderful time.
After dinner, they strolled around for a bit, then headed to the lakeside to wait for the boat tour.