Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 549: Cross-America Tour

"What kind of attitude could they possibly have toward Li Shiqi?"After all, Shen Yu had only just joined their ranks and did not quite understand many things. So, hearing Su Qing ask this, Lu Lin replied nonchalantly. According to her assessment of the two girls, Tao Tian and Qu Jing, Qu Jing was at best someone Zhou Yuwen took on a whim and had no real say in anything. The main focus was still on the well-endowed one, who had both the capital and the capability.

"The well-endowed one has a pretty good attitude toward Li Shiqi. She probably wants to bring her into the fold, but that little lass is quite stubborn. After all, she excels at studying and carries an innate arrogance in her bones. She likely still wants to fight for the top spot." Lu Lin saw things clearly. Although Li Shiqi could accept Zhou Yuwen having several women, she still held onto a sliver of hope in her heart, wishing that Zhou Yuwen would eventually abandon all the other girls and be with her alone.

But it made sense. After all, she had never clashed directly with Su Qing. Once she saw Su Qing, she would realize that her fantasy was entirely impossible. The bond between Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing would likely never break in this lifetime.

Listening to Lu Lin's analysis, Su Qing understood the situation. It was normal to fail to grasp reality. Su Qing would not bother intervening in such matters, because she herself used to be exactly the same.

Even now, it was nothing more than a helpless compromise.

Su Qing felt that by seeking out Li Shiqi, Zhou Yuwen was at most just taking a lover on the outside, and it would not amount to anything significant. It was impossible for Li Shiqi to stand out alone now. She, Shen Yu, and the other girls were roommates at the university, and now they had all become Zhou Yuwen's women. If there were no other girls around, these roommates would definitely be fighting each other to the bitter end. But now that Zhou Yuwen had so many women, they naturally banded together.

In Su Qing's eyes, even Tao Tian probably would not amount to much of a threat.

The only one worth worrying about was probably Jiang Xinyi. Now that Jiang Xinyi had started doing business with Zhou Yuwen again, calling it doing business was just a nice way of saying they were rekindling their old romance.

Jiang Xinyi's mother, Liu Jing, was incredibly attentive. She even specifically went to the company to find Zhou Yuwen and invited him to their house for dinner. Was her intention not a case where the Sima Zhao heart is known to all?

Listening to their complaints, Su Qing simply kept nodding, telling them to let it be. For Zhou Yuwen to expand in Jinling, he indeed needed the support of local factions. As long as it benefited Zhou Yuwen, it was best to turn a blind eye and leave it at that.

Seeing Su Qing's current indifferent demeanor, Shen Yu and Lu Lin exchanged a glance, both feeling that Su Qing had changed a great deal.

The three girls continued chatting for a while longer until they finally felt tired and returned to their room to rest.

Zhou Yuwen enjoyed a good night's sleep with Lu Wanting, and the next day he immediately got busy. Although Su Qing had set up the framework for the design studio, there were no designers inside who could hold their own. Su Qing's designs were certainly flawless, but the problem was that she had only been a senior white-collar worker in the past. She was still several levels away from being truly top-tier.

However, she did know of a few people living in the United States who, while currently unknown, would become highly renowned in a few years for their far-reaching designs. The architectural designer profession was much like being a painter; it required time for true validation.

Zhou Yuwen outlined his design concepts, and Su Qing provided a recommendation for a few designers. They were all in their fifties or sixties and possessed immense experience. Among them was a female designer named Susan. At forty-seven years old, she had constantly worked as an assistant to others. It was not until 2020 that she would finally produce her own representative masterpiece and rise to fame.

Currently, Susan was in the United States.

But talented people often had eccentric temperaments. In fact, Su Qing had already visited two other designers previously, but the moment they heard the project was in the distant East, they practically all refused.

Even with Zhou Yuwen coming over this time, Su Qing still lacked confidence, repeatedly telling him about the peculiar tempers of these designers.

Zhou Yuwen, however, countered that their eccentric tempers were simply because the offered price was not high enough. This was a society driven by capital; as long as the money was sufficient, everyone would become gentle and accommodating.

The United States was a vast country. According to Su Qing's plan, they needed to visit these designers one by one.

Zhou Yuwen felt it was unnecessary, but he suddenly recalled a time when Su Qing had accompanied him to an architecture exhibition. She had mentioned hoping to visit those designers in the future, saying that even just listening to their architectural insights would likely be immensely beneficial.

Zhou Yuwen figured that since they were already in the United States, he might as well accompany Su Qing.

And so, the two of them drove a bright yellow Ferrari and embarked on a cross-country tour spanning the entire United States.

Aside from a few bustling big cities, the United States was mostly composed of wilderness. It was the kind of scenery where yellow earth met the blue sky, and as far as the eye could see, there was only an endless highway stretching into the horizon.

The two of them were like a couple straight out of a movie. Holding a US map, they traveled from city to city, driving from south to north. Zhou Yuwen wore simple casual clothes, looking completely relaxed and at ease. When driving with the top down, he even wore a pair of sunglasses, steering the car toward the setting sun. Su Qing's outfit, on the other hand, resembled the classic image of a beautiful heroine from an American film—a simple white dress.

Over the course of about half a month, Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing talked a great deal. From their previous life to their current one, they had harbored far too many conflicts and misunderstandings, all of which were completely clarified during these fifteen days.

The two seemed to have returned to their time at the university. Su Qing forgot all the friction that arose after they got married. For these fifteen days, Su Qing only had eyes for Zhou Yuwen, and Zhou Yuwen accompanied her with his whole heart. They laughed and joked, greeted strangers who were also traveling, took photos in the desert, and pretended to be cowboys.

When the weather grew blisteringly hot, Su Qing would gently wipe the sweat from Zhou Yuwen's brow.

During the nights in the wilderness.

The stars shone brilliantly.

Zhou Yuwen set up a tent and a campfire beside the Jeep.

As they watched the stars together, Su Qing said to Zhou Yuwen that it would be wonderful if they could return to their previous life right now.

"If we did not have so many misunderstandings, and if we did not divorce, perhaps we could have been as happy then as we are now," Su Qing said to Zhou Yuwen, hugging her knees.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen smiled. "We are very happy right now too," he replied.

Su Qing did not say anything more, simply resting her head against Zhou Yuwen's shoulder.

Zhou Yuwen gazed thoughtfully at the campfire before them.

Su Qing was still as sentimental as ever. But the truth was, if Zhou Yuwen had not been powerful enough, how could they have experienced such joy after their rebirth?

Without it, there would be no Ferrari, nor a Jeep they could swap out at a moment's notice.

It appeared to be a two-person cross-country tour across the United States.

In reality, they were followed by one commercial van and RV after another.

Bodyguards hired from a professional bodyguard company trailed them twenty-four hours a day.

In the dazzling sky above, tiny specks of light flickered one after another.

Su Qing remarked on how beautiful the stars in the sky were.

What she did not know was that hidden among these stars were drones tasked with ensuring their safety.

Over the course of the fifteen days, aside from sleeping out in the wild on a whim, they spent the vast majority of their time staying in hotels.

Su Qing had compiled a list of designers for Zhou Yuwen, telling him that all these individuals possessed adequate skill levels. But in truth, a single building did not require so many renowned designers. Su Qing merely wanted to use this opportunity to visit them and learn about their philosophies on design.

During this process, the ones Su Qing truly wished to recruit were the designers who had yet to fully mature. These individuals lacked representative works and, due to their age, were often underappreciated in large companies. Upon hearing that someone was willing to hire them at a high salary, they were all extremely eager. Some even quoted an ancient proverb from the East, saying that a scholar dies for their truest friend.

Aside from these designers, Zhou Yuwen took Su Qing to visit the forty-seven-year-old Auntie Susan. Susan was from France. At forty-seven, the years had added quite a few wrinkles to her face, but these wrinkles did not make her look elderly. On the contrary, she appeared to be in excellent condition and maintained a rather slender figure.

She lived in seclusion at her countryside estate, spending her days painting and drinking wine.

When Su Qing and Zhou Yuwen found her, she firmly refused to meet with Su Qing.

She truly gave off the impression of someone entirely detached from worldly affairs.

Despite being shut out, Su Qing was not disheartened in the slightest. She turned to Zhou Yuwen and said, "See? I told you she was different from the rest."

"She is not the type of designer who does design work just for money."

Zhou Yuwen noted that while she might not do design work for money,

"But there will always be something else."

Zhou Yuwen made a phone call to Lu Wanting, asking her to help investigate this woman named Susan. They discovered that she had been married once and even had a child. Because she lived too freely, she had completely neglected the obligations a mother should fulfill for her child.

As a result, her child was currently sitting in a prison in France.

Once Zhou Yuwen understood all of this, he asked Lu Wanting to help resolve the matter.

After all, Lu Wanting was currently managing a financial institution worth tens of billions, so she certainly possessed the necessary means to handle something like this.

In just two days' time.

Zhou Yuwen brought Su Qing back to see the older designer once again.

Su Qing still looked reluctant as she told Zhou Yuwen, "It's no use. Teacher Susan is not the type to do design work for money, and it's even less likely that she would take me on as an apprentice. Let's just forget about it and stop wasting time."

"Let's just go take another look. Who knows, maybe she has changed her mind," he replied.

Hearing this, Su Qing scoffed and laughed, asking how that could possibly happen.

It was right as the two arrived outside the gates of Susan's estate once more.

Su Qing fully believed that Zhou Yuwen was wasting his effort.

To her surprise, the butler walked out, nodding slightly at the two of them before announcing that the madam had invited them in.

"?"

Su Qing froze, turning her head to look at Zhou Yuwen in disbelief.

Zhou Yuwen shrugged and said, "See? Things can always take a turn for the better."

Susan's estate was massive. More accurately, it was a wine estate. She employed a number of fruit farmers to grow grapes and produce wine for her.

Within the winery grounds stood a structure resembling a castle, but Susan did not live there. Instead, she resided in a two-story small wooden cabin not far from the castle. She had hired local farmers to custom-build it along the riverside. The entirely wooden structure looked incredibly cozy and pleasant.

As the butler led the two of them over, Su Qing's eyes lit up the moment she saw the small wooden cabin. She told Zhou Yuwen that it was practically a paradise on earth, asking if it looked like a worldly utopia.

"I build my hut within the realm of men, yet hear no clamor of carriages or horses."

Su Qing recited these two lines of poetry for Zhou Yuwen.

Zhou Yuwen merely smiled. From the moment they stepped inside from the exterior of the estate, he realized just how truly enormous this estate was. It made him feel that this Susan had to be quite wealthy. How could she be unable to even handle her own son's affairs?

Still, this estate was undeniably beautiful. Originally, Zhou Yuwen had been very satisfied with his own villa in the United States, but now, looking at Susan's estate, he felt that his own taste was too lacking. The truly wealthy were the ones who truly knew how to play the game.

The two were led into the small wooden cabin by the butler.

Inside the small wooden cabin, a forty-seven-year-old older woman stood with her back to them, immersed in painting.

The butler walked over and whispered a few words into Susan's ear, presumably saying something along the lines of, 'Madam, I have brought them to you.'

Nodding, Susan turned around to look at Zhou Yuwen and the others.

Her eyes were a truly deep and profound blue, clearly pure-blooded at a glance. Even at the age of forty-seven, she did not look old in the slightest.

She looked at Su Qing, then at Zhou Yuwen, before finally asking the butler quietly in English, "Which one is Zhou Yuwen?"

Before the butler could even speak, Zhou Yuwen responded in a rather impolite manner, "I am Zhou Yuwen, ma'am."

Susan lifted her head to give Zhou Yuwen a look, nodding slightly as she said, "Thank you for your help."

"It was a piece of cake."

"May I ask how I can be of assistance to you?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen offered a faint smile. He thought to himself, 'She wasn't that hard to invite after all. At the end of the day, it's just because she puts on airs and refuses invitations. As long as one expends a little effort, she can still be brought on board.'

Zhou Yuwen then expressed in English that he greatly admired the architecture designed by Madam Susan.

"This is my wife."

Zhou Yuwen introduced Su Qing. Meeting Susan face-to-face, Su Qing was still a little nervous. After all, during her years working as a designer, Susan had already been an elite in the industry.

Zhou Yuwen got straight to the point, saying, "My wife admires you greatly and hopes to spend some time studying under your guidance."

Hearing that she had come to seek an apprenticeship, Susan looked somewhat troubled. "I have never taught anyone before," she replied.

"That is perfectly fine," Zhou Yuwen said. "There is a first time for everything."

After speaking, Zhou Yuwen smiled at Susan.

Susan pondered for a moment before turning to Su Qing. "Do you have any past works?"

Su Qing immediately, with a mix of reverence and trepidation, presented her design portfolio for Susan to review.

What followed was time for the two of them to continue chatting alone. Zhou Yuwen refrained from disturbing them. With nothing to do, he turned to the butler—who was a few years older than Susan—and asked if this estate belonged to her master.

Though she was called a butler, the woman before him actually looked more like Susan's old nursemaid. She cast a glance at Zhou Yuwen and explained that it did not belong to the madam, but rather to a good friend of hers. The madam was merely borrowing the place to live.

Zhou Yuwen, nodding, gave an affirmative hum and asked, "Then do you know how much money it would take to buy an estate like this?"

The butler shook her head and replied, "I am very sorry, I do not know anything about that."

Zhou Yuwen felt a touch of regret.

Whatever else could be said, Su Qing had, after all, experienced rebirth from a future era. Coupled with her thorough understanding of Susan's design style, even if her innate talent was only average, she could put up enough of a front during their first meeting to leave a profound impression on Susan, creating a feeling of wishing they had met sooner.

After listening to Su Qing explain her understanding of design, Susan could not help but to look at her with new eyes, even experiencing a strange illusion.

How was it that after decades of studying architecture on her own, upon meeting this girl from the East, she felt as though she had been living in this girl's shadow all along?

'Just what exactly is going on?'