When Hans heard this, his expression relaxed. He looked at Jian Ai and said gratefully, “Jian, thank you!”
Seeing this, Jian Ai only smiled and said, “Leader Hans, you don’t have to thank me. I’m just helping you convey the message, but I can’t guarantee that Bai Zhou will accept this. The decision is still in his hands. I won’t interfere.”
Jian Ai’s words were magnanimous, and she immediately removed herself from this matter. Bai Zhou listened to her. As long as she nodded, Bai Zhou would sponsor the mercenary group.
However, Jian Ai didn’t want to do this. She couldn’t use her identity to influence Bai Zhou’s decision. This was Bai Zhou’s business, and she didn’t want to interfere too much.
Hans naturally understood what Jian Ai meant. To him, Jian Ai helping him convey this matter to Prince Bai Zhou was already a huge help!
As for the method of funding and the annual amount, Jian Ai controlled her curiosity and didn’t pursue the matter. If Bai Zhou didn’t plan to fund it, there was no point in her asking.
If Bai Zhou will fund it to secretly expand his forces, Bai Zhou and Hans should be the ones to discuss these questions.
When they returned to the banquet, the smile on Hans’ face became more genuine, and his attitude towards Jian Ai and the rest became friendlier.
Yu Wuyuan looked at Hans’ change and couldn’t help but ask, “Sect Master, what did you talk about?”
Jian Ai couldn’t help but smile helplessly. She whispered to Yu Wuyuan, “He has other goals. Hans thought that because of this matter, he would lose the big financier behind him, so he targeted Bai Zhou as his next financier. He wanted me to help him establish a connection with Bai Zhou.”
When Yu Wuyuan heard this, he couldn’t help but reveal a look of understanding on his handsome face. This matter was within reason. According to Zhi Tong, such a large-scale international organization had to have a financier supporting it.
“You agreed to him?” Yu Wuyuan asked.
Jian Ai nodded. “Of course. This is Bai Zhou’s business. How can I bypass him and help him reject it? Bai Zhou can decide for himself. I won’t interfere with this.”
Yu Wuyuan understood what Jian Ai meant. She felt that with Bai Zhou’s identity, he might need a mercenary group behind him, so she will help Hans pass the message.
However, it was only limited to passing messages. In the end, Bai Zhou would decide for himself.
“Where’s Yun Buyao?”
Jian Ai suddenly asked and looked around.
Yu Wuyuan smiled and said slowly, “Hans’ son pulled her away.”
Jian Ai couldn’t help but blink. This foreigner was indeed open-minded. One second, he praised her beauty, and the next, he pulled her away?
Halfway through the banquet, perhaps because Hans had told the core members of the mercenary group about their conversation, everyone suddenly became passionate and took turns drinking and talking to Jian Ai and the rest.
Jian Ai gradually realized that most of these mercenary killers, who roamed the world and were known as outlaws by people who heard their names, had a type of straightforwardness that touched people’s hearts. They treated the commissioned missions as work. For them, it differed completely from how ordinary people saw killing people.
Jian Ai naturally could not say that they were good people. It was just that their image differed from what she had imagined.
After a while, Yun Buyao appeared in front of Jian Ai again. She had a smile on her face and looked like she was in an exceptionally good mood.
“Oh, what’s going on?” Jian Ai looked at Yun Buyao in amusement and asked, “Did a young hunk confess to you?”
“Not yet!” Yun Buyao gently flipped her smooth hair and said with a passionate expression, “However, being able to chat with a handsome man so unrestrainedly is already a rare opportunity for me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Yun Buyao couldn’t help but purse her lips. “You know very well what kind of environment public figures in China are in. When people become famous, there will be more trouble. I have to keep a distance from all the opposite sex who appear around me so that gossip magazines won’t write rumors. I don’t care about these things myself, but the team asked me to cherish my reputation. If there are too many rumors, even fake ones will become real.”
As she spoke, Yun Buyao smiled happily again. “I like this place a little. There are no paparazzi or reporters. I feel comfortable and free. That kid praised me as the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. His mouth is like honey.”
Jian Ai looked at Yun Buyao’s exaggerated reaction and smiled. “This makes you so happy? In China, haven’t you heard such praise often?”
“That’s the problem!” Yun Buyao said seriously, “The problem is that if you hear too much of this, you’ll realize that everyone’s expression is the same when they say it. It’s like praising for the sake of praising or praising with a goal.”
“Snow is different?” Jian Ai raised her eyebrows.
Yun Buyao nodded. “He’s different. His eyes are too clean. Moreover, when he praises you, he will stare into your eyes and let you feel his sincerity. You will believe that he was sincere at that time!”
“Sincerity!” Yun Buyao shook her head and sighed. “This word is too extravagant and precious for me, who has been in the entertainment circle all year round!”
The entertainment circle was a place where everyone wore a mask. Because they had to face the public and the media, they had to maintain dignity and elegance at all times. Once there were any flaws, the cameras would magnify them countless times.
Even a superstar like Yun Buyao was no exception. She even had to be more careful because compared to those who were not that famous, more people’s eyes would definitely be on a superstar like Yun Buyao.
Fans would pay attention, and so would opponents.
At this moment, Jian Ai’s heart suddenly ached for Yun Buyao. Before knowing her, Jian Ai had only seen Yun Buyao on screen and in newspapers and magazines. At that time, her imagination of Yun Buyao was an audience’s out of reach view of a famous superstar.
She must be cold, elegant, and well-rounded.
However, after knowing her, Jian Ai realized that the Yun Buyao she saw back then was the Yun Buyao wearing a mask. The real her was lively and cheerful. Sometimes, she was even a little noisy. This was the real Yun Buyao after taking off her mask.
Thinking of this, Jian Ai suddenly thought of Xia Qinghuan.
She was also a straightforward person who did not want to be restrained by anything around her. However, in the future, when she enters the public eye, should she put away her edges and sharpness and be a perfect person without flaws?
Just thinking about that scene, Jian Ai could imagine Xia Qinghuan going berserk because she couldn’t stand the restraints. She couldn’t help but smile.
