"Oh, it's Sharon! How's your grandfather Charles Chen doing these days?" Victor Zhao's tone warmed noticeably at the mention of Sharon Chen's name.
"Grandpa's health has been pretty good lately. Thank you for your concern, Uncle Zhao." Sharon Chen replied with a smile, her gaze fixed on Lucy Lu.
"That's great to hear! I was actually planning to visit your grandfather in a few days. If you get the chance, please give him my regards." Victor Zhao's voice on the other end was cheerful and friendly.
Everyone present could tell from Sharon Chen's words that she wasn't just making empty threats. And from the way Victor Zhao spoke, it was clear that he really did have a close connection with the Chen family.
More and more people began looking at Lucy Lu with pity and sympathy in their eyes.
If Charles Chen, all the way in Brightsea, knew that his wife's class reunion could actually ruin his entire career, who knows what he'd think.
Some people were already secretly gloating, especially those who hadn't done as well as Lucy Lu, weren't as good-looking, and were jealous of her bold, carefree personality.
"Sharon, what made you suddenly think to call me today?" Victor Zhao's question made everyone around instantly perk up, listening intently.
This was the critical moment.
Sharon Chen lifted the corners of her mouth in a provocative smile, staring straight at Lucy Lu. Lucy's calm expression only made Sharon feel even more annoyed inside.
"Just wait until your husband Charles Chen loses his position—let's see if you can still act so calm!"
Sharon Chen thought to herself, then spoke up: "Uncle Zhao, I wanted to ask—does your company have someone named Charles Chen working at the Brightsea City branch?"
Hearing Sharon Chen's question, Joy Zheng instinctively gripped Lucy Lu's wrist, glancing at her with concern.
"It's fine. At worst, he'll just take a break for a while. No one starves that easily in this society," Lucy Lu comforted Joy Zheng beside her, smiling reassuringly.
Lynn Chen stood quietly nearby, lips pressed together, saying nothing.
Evan Lin stood off to the side, watching with interest as Sharon Chen held her phone.
This Victor Zhao was Jason Zhao's father. If Evan Lin remembered right, on the last day at the auction—when he wiped out Aiden Li—there was a man sitting next to Jason Zhao in their box. If nothing went wrong, that must've been Victor Zhao.
Besides, if push comes to shove, Evan Lin could just call Sawyer Summer. No matter how much face Victor Zhao has, could it possibly compare to Sawyer Summer's?
"Charles Chen..."
After Sharon Chen asked her question, she suddenly noticed Victor Zhao's voice on the other end had grown hesitant, making her feel a bit puzzled.
"Uncle Zhao?" Sharon Chen called again.
"Ah, yes, there is someone like that. What's up, Sharon?" Victor Zhao replied with a hearty laugh.
In fact, when Victor Zhao first heard Sharon Chen mention Charles Chen, a whole chain of memories immediately flashed through his mind.
He’d originally sent his son Jason Zhao to Brightsea City just to meet Charles Chen’s daughter, Lynn Chen. Later, Jason was reportedly beaten up by some guy named Evan Lin. After Jason returned to River City, before Victor could send someone to deal with Evan, he found out that Evan actually showed up in person at the auction that night!
No, he shouldn’t be called Evan Lin—he’s Evan 'Nine Mysteries' Lin!
As Victor Zhao mentally connected Charles Chen to Lynn Chen, then Lynn Chen to Evan 'Nine Mysteries' Lin, he was so stunned he nearly fell out of his chair.
"Turns out he’s just some nobody. No wonder Uncle Zhao had to think about it for so long," Sharon Chen said with a sly smirk, her voice loud and full of swagger as she glanced at Lucy Lu.
"Uh, Sharon, why are you suddenly asking about this guy?" Victor Zhao tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible.
Victor Zhao had no idea what kind of person Evan 'Nine Mysteries' Lin really was—and honestly, he didn’t want to know.
All he knew was that Evan 'Nine Mysteries' Lin had publicly and without hesitation killed Aiden Li, and that he was rumored to be close to the now-dominant Sawyer Summer.
Even his boss, Wansheng Wang, didn’t dare provoke Sawyer Summer lightly. In fact, Wansheng’s son Keaton Wang seemed to have a particular fondness for Evan 'Nine Mysteries' Lin.
Ever since the last auction, he’d kept Jason Zhao on a tight leash, terrified his son would do something stupid and provoke Evan 'Nine Mysteries' Lin again!
Suddenly hearing Sharon Chen’s words, Victor Zhao’s mind spun with a thousand possibilities, his thoughts in chaos.
"Here’s the thing, Uncle Zhao. I really don’t think Charles Chen is fit to be a manager at the Brightsea branch of Wansheng Real Estate—especially since I just met his wife and daughter, and their quality is... well..." Sharon Chen’s eyes gleamed playfully. "The two of them are right here with me."
Before Sharon Chen could finish, Victor Zhao interrupted, unable to hold back: "Wait, you mean you’re with Charles Chen’s wife and daughter right now? His daughter’s Lynn Chen, right?"
Sharon Chen nodded immediately. "That’s right. His wife is Lucy Lu, his daughter is Lynn Chen. Both of them are with me right now."
"Oh! I see!" Victor Zhao replied quickly on the other end of the line.
Hearing Victor Zhao’s words, the people nearby shook their heads and sighed, their gazes toward Lucy Lu filled with complicated emotions.
This time, it really looked like Lucy Lu was about to get Charles Chen kicked out of his manager’s seat!
Their family’s quality of life was about to take a nosedive. After all, finding a million-yuan-a-year job in Brightsea City was anything but easy.