Jiang Mengxin was startled by the diamond ring. Was this a blind date or a proposal? If she didn't make her stance clear, the other party might make even more outrageous moves.
No, she had to reveal her true intentions.
Jiang Mengxin immediately turned cold and said, "Young Master Gao, I think you've misunderstood. I'm actually not here for a blind date with you today. It's just that my mother agreed to your request, and I don't want my mother to be called untrustworthy. That's all. I'm here today to tell you that I'm already engaged. I have a fiancé, so please show me some respect. I believe a man as outstanding as you will never lack female admirers. I wish you find a suitable partner in the future."
Her words were direct enough to leave Gao Yuheng embarrassed.
This wasn't right.
According to the information Gao Yuheng had, Jiang Mengxin should have been disgusted by her live-in fiancé who guarded graves. She usually spoke to him coldly.
Some people also said that Jiang Mengxin had always wanted to marry a successful second-generation rich individual for a strong alliance.
Logically, Gao Yuheng perfectly met Jiang Mengxin's requirements, and he had handled all the details flawlessly. There was no reason for him to be rejected.
Little did he know, his intelligence was outdated.
If Gao Yuheng had appeared a year ago, he might have successfully won Jiang Mengxin's heart.
But times had changed.
Jiang Mengxin's mindset had shifted.
She had gone through so many things with Lu Ming, facing various hardships and dangers. They had already developed a sense of shared life and death, something no other man could offer her.
Feelings towards a person could change. She, who didn't like Lu Ming before, now couldn't leave him.
It was ironic, but realistic.
However, what surprised Jiang Mengxin even more was Gao Yuheng's subsequent reaction.
Gao Yuheng didn't become furious; instead, he appeared generous and composed.
He smiled and said, "I apologize; I was presumptuous. I heard some rumors and thought that Director Jiang was dissatisfied with her fiancé and wanted to find a suitable partner. That's why I took the initiative to come. I didn't expect to cause you so much trouble. I'm sorry."
What a perfect response!
It was practically a textbook answer for men!
It had to be said that Gao Yuheng displayed extremely perfect qualities in all aspects. This, in turn, made Jiang Mengxin feel a little embarrassed, thinking her previous words might have been a bit harsh.
Moreover, Jiang Mengxin felt that Gao Yuheng hadn't done anything wrong.
She indeed disliked Lu Ming before, thinking of finding a wealthy and powerful second-generation rich man for a strong alliance. This wasn't just hearsay; it was the truth.
It was just that her mindset had changed recently.
Therefore, the fault wasn't Gao Yuheng's.
Thus, Jiang Mengxin took the initiative to say, "I'm sorry, Young Master Gao. My words might have been a bit harsh. We don't have fate, but that doesn't prevent us from being friends. How about this, as an apology, I'll punish myself with a drink."
Gao Yuheng immediately stopped her and said, "No, it's not good for girls to drink. How about we drink our Biaoniu sports drink instead?"
"Okay, let's drink Biaoniu."
They each held a can of Biaoniu and drank, the atmosphere very pleasant.
As they were enjoying themselves, Gao Yuheng took out two tickets and said, "Director Jiang, I have two tickets to a painting exhibition here. I originally planned to go with you. Now I'll give them to you. You can go with your fiancé. I wish you both happiness."
Uh... how could she accept this?
Jiang Mengxin felt even more apologetic. Just as she was about to refuse, she glanced at the tickets and her eyes widened in surprise.
"It's Zhu You's exhibition?!"
Zhu You was one of the top-ranked contemporary painters in China. His paintings were mainly in a rugged military style, depicting the cruelty of war and the moments of truth, goodness, and beauty within it.
His work was powerful and demonstrated great skill.
The most crucial point was that Zhu You had actually served in the military and held a gun. Many of the scenes in his paintings were his personal experiences, making them more convincing.
Zhu You's paintings were not many, and each one was extremely exquisite, fetching extremely high prices.
Once, a painting Zhu You gave to a comrade was auctioned by that comrade for an astonishing thirty-six million yuan!
Among contemporary painters, only Zhu You's paintings could reach such a sum, illustrating how formidable he was.
Zhu You's choice to hold a solo exhibition in Jinling this time was due to Jinling's cultural atmosphere and to commemorate his fallen comrades and civilians in the Jinling War.
Tickets for Zhu You's exhibition were extremely rare, with only 1,000 available. Each ticket was priced extremely high. The most outrageous was when a scalper sold a ticket for 100,000 yuan!
Good heavens.
Usually, even free exhibitions wouldn't attract many people. Zhu You's solo exhibition charged 100,000 yuan per ticket, which was no different from robbing people.
Yet, despite this, they were all sold out.
Besides the 1,000 tickets sold, others could only obtain tickets by negotiating with Zhu You and the organizers for some special 'relationship tickets.'
However, ordinary connections wouldn't get you these tickets; only those with extremely strong connections could obtain so-called relationship tickets.
Those who could obtain relationship tickets were super influential figures who shook one side!
The two tickets in Gao Yuheng's hand were purchased by Gao Yuheng from a scalper for 200,000 yuan. Even the young master of Biaoniu couldn't obtain relationship tickets, which showed how scarce they were.
Jiang Mengxin looked at the two tickets on the table and swallowed.
She didn't want to accept Gao Yuheng's kindness, but these two tickets were too precious, and she was a great admirer of Zhu You. She really didn't want to refuse.
Finally.
Jiang Mengxin said with a blush, "I can't take your tickets for free. I know how valuable these two tickets are; not everyone can get them. Young Master Gao, I'll transfer 500,000 yuan to you. Consider it me buying the tickets from you."
Gao Yuheng laughed heartily and repeatedly waved his hands, "No need, no need. If you transfer money to me, wouldn't I become a ticket scalper? Director Jiang, please don't insult me."
"Uh... I didn't mean to insult you."
"Alright, Director Jiang, please accept these two tickets from me. Consider it a small favor I'm showing you, how about it?"
Good heavens, he's doing you a favor and then saying you're showing him kindness.
Even a simp isn't this sycophantic.
Jiang Mengxin was both happy and shy, accepting the two tickets with deep remorse. "Then I won't be polite. Young Master Gao, I will definitely repay you in the future."
Gao Yuheng laughed heartily and continued to eat, drink, and chat with Jiang Mengxin, the atmosphere very harmonious.
Secretly.
Gao Yuheng was secretly pleased.
Today's dinner was just the first step of his plan. The painting exhibition tomorrow was the main event. As long as Jiang Mengxin attended the exhibition, more traps would await her.
You can't get fat with one bite.
And you can't win Jiang Mengxin with one move.
The more a woman acts high and mighty, the more you have to use a gentle approach, cutting away bit by bit!
Gao Yuheng secretly vowed, "Jiang Mengxin, you are the woman I must have. Don't even think about escaping!"