Adrian’s face darkened at Zhuo Jingren’s blatant disrespect and he furrowed his brows at the man who looked a little familiar. He was sure that Zhuo Jingren was someone whom he saw before, as to where… he couldn’t seem to remember. But judging from the man’s good looks, he thought it might be possible that he was some star in Asia or China.
He didn’t stop Lily and Zhuo Jingren from walking away but chose to follow them instead.
“Adrian, what are you doing?” Samantha hissed in exhaustion. “Since they said ‘no’ to selling the watches to us. Let’s just forget about it and go. I am too tired to keep walking.”
“High heels look good on you,” Adrian answered before he leaned towards Samantha’s ear. “Put a little smile on your face,” Adrian said as he held Samantha’s hand and pulled her towards the elevator. While he was curious about Zhuo Jingren’s identity, he also couldn’t deny that the man’s arrogance and disrespect irked him.
He, the famous Adrian Lee in Singapore was blatantly disrespected by someone. How could he accept this insult? Of course, Adrian also didn’t like the fact that Zhuo Jingren refused his generous offer. Not many people dare to refuse his request and Zhuo Jingren’s refusal just made his blood boil.
When the elevator opened, Lily and Zhuo Jingren walked inside leisurely followed by Adrian and Samantha. To Adrian’s irritation, Zhuo Jingren and Lily did not acknowledge their presence. But he instantly recovered when he convinced himself that it’s because these people somehow failed to recognise him and Samantha who were considered public figures.
After a few seconds, they reached the ninth floor of the building where the Bulgari-owned restaurant was located. Zhuo Jingren instantly asked an attendant for a table for two that was preferably located near the window so that they could admire the view of the streets below in Ginza. It was already past six in the evening and the lights below were already glittering.
When Adrian heard this, he instantly asked for a table next to theirs.
“What do you think that man is doing?” Lily asked Zhuo Jingren when he pulled out a seat for her like a gentleman.
“Ignore him” he answered shortly as he sat on the opposite chair. Without further delay, Zhuo Jingren ordered for both of them.
“Have you dined in this place before?” Lily asked when the waiter left after taking their orders.
“No. But most managers in this place know me.” Zhuo Capital has been operating in Japan for ten years now so it was expected for people in more senior positions to recognize him.
“Ohhh… Well, that explains it.” Lily smiled at Zhuo Jingren. However, her smile faltered when she overheard Adrian at the next table.
“You can’t eat sweets. It will ruin your figure. Chose this one instead,” he said in a low and gentle voice. “And let’s pick this one for your appetizer.”
Lily instantly lifted a brow at the man’s statements. ‘What is wrong with this person?’ she asked inwardly. Lily was not planning to eavesdrop on their conversation but since Adrian insisted on sitting at the table next to them, it was inevitable that this happened.
Of course, there was no such term as ‘eavesdropping’ in Lily’s dictionary, only information gathering and… research.
“This place is grand,” Lily noted. She decided to focus her attention on the interior of the place instead of the conversation going on at the next table. Located on the ninth floor of the Bulgari tower, this restaurant was known for being one of the top restaurants not just in Japan but in all of Asia.
The floor to ceiling windows, coupled with its high ceilings added to the sophistication of the place. From the bespoke chandelier hanging on the high ceilings to the cushioned tan seats, everything seemed to scream elegance and contemporary Italy.
“Tell the Chef that Dr. Lee of the Lee Group is here.” Once again, Adrian’s voice reached Lily’s ears, earning another smile from Lily. She instantly wondered why the man named Adrian seemed so adamant about announcing that he was from the Lee Group. He was not even someone important but the son of the CEO of the Lee Group. ‘This man is a joke,’ she instantly concluded.
“Bei Tian told me that an auction will be held tonight in one of the prominent auction houses here,” Zhuo Jingren said with a sly smile on his face. His voice was not loud but Lily was sure that it was enough to reach Dr. Lee’s ears.
“Really? What items can we expect to see at the auction?”
“Jewelry and some paintings. But there should be more,” Zhuo Jingren answered. “I got an invite for two. You know, it’s pretty difficult to get these invites so I think we should go.”
A tinge of surprise instantly flashed on Lily’s face. While she didn’t understand why Zhuo Jingren wanted Adrian to go to this auction, she still decided to play along. There was no harm in having fun every now and then right? “Really? Then we should go! Do you think I should buy some new clothes?”
On the outside, Lily seemed so excited that even Samantha couldn’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation. And as expected, Adrian also heard what Zhuo Jingren said. After listening to Lily and Zhuo Jingren’s conversation, Adrian instantly sent a text to his secretary to get him two invites for this auction.
He wondered why he didn’t receive an invite and concluded that maybe some of his contacts didn’t know that he was in Tokyo. Adrian’s second home was Tokyo because the Lee Group had a couple of branches operating in Japan and the one in Tokyo was his personal favorite.
In fact, his name was actually quite famous in the medicine community in Japan. As a doctor who came from a prominent family, Adrian was used to people begging for his favors. People who came to know who he is would change their attitude instantly and start to treat him better – this would happen every time.
“Excuse me Dr. Lee this is your complimentary wine from the Chef.” Adrian’s neck instantly elongated when he heard the waiter’s words. He slightly eyed Zhuo Jingren and Lily to make sure that they hadn’t received the same treatment before smiling widely.
“Thank you. You can put it here.”
