“We’re here…”
Before long, Rachel’s car came to a stop in front of the hotel.
“Don’t forget your gift.”
“I know, I know.”
Annie picked up the small handbag beside her and stepped out of the car.
In that moment, everyone passing by turned to look at her. Even though she was wearing a face mask, deliberately hiding her features, her figure and aura alone commanded attention. Just by appearing on the street, she became the focal point for every man and woman nearby. With the crisp sound of her high heels tapping against the pavement, Annie quickly entered the building.
…
Most buildings in Los Angeles were low-rise, with all the skyscrapers concentrated in the city center. Just a glance at the address told Su Fan that the restaurant Annie had chosen was high-end.
However, he had still decided not to buy a suit. While he had a good physique, when it came to suits, he preferred custom-made, hand-tailored ones. Rushing to buy an ill-fitting one would only make him look like an insurance salesman.
As for his personal grooming, thanks to his cultivation, his essence, energy, and spirit were excellent—that went without saying. This was evident from the reaction of the restaurant’s doorman. Even though Su Fan’s attire wasn’t particularly impressive, the doorman’s attitude was sincere and respectful.
“Mr. Su? Please proceed to table 16 by the window. Your companion has been waiting for some time.”
After confirming his reservation, the doorman smiled, stepped aside, and gestured for Su Fan to enter. The entire floor was spacious, yet only a few tables were set. Su Fan spotted the graceful figure by the window immediately.
It was nearing evening. The orange Californian sunset streamed through the window, outlining Annie’s near-perfect silhouette. Who would have thought she would break from her usual style and wear a qipao, even pinning up her normally flowing hair? The qipao was elegant and modest, with a slit that wasn’t too high—unlike the trendy styles from his past life that reached the thigh. Yet, the mere glimpse of her well-proportioned calves was a sight to behold.
She had been looking out the window but seemed to sense his arrival, turning her head towards him. “Su, you’re here.”
“Yes, sorry to keep you waiting.”
Su Fan took the seat opposite her. Seeing this, Annie smiled. She had foregone heavy eye makeup today. Without that disguise, her slightly downturned eyes, paired with their luminous quality, were incredibly captivating. With the suitable makeup and her stunning features, Annie, a Westerner, didn’t look awkward in this attire at all; instead, she exuded a unique charm. It was clear she had put in a lot of effort.
“Getting a meeting with you is so difficult,” Annie sighed, feigning distress. “If you hadn’t been with Jamie, my only option would have been to find you at the antique shop.”
“Well, I’m not exactly easy to book for most people,” Su Fan replied lightly, playing along.
The small joke made the corners of Annie’s mouth lift into a lovely curve, and the slight nervousness she felt earlier vanished. The young man before her didn’t conform to mainstream American standards of handsomeness, but there was an indescribable charm about him. The mysterious aura he carried seemed to have a magical, relaxing effect, allowing Annie to revert to her usual self.
“Is it because you don’t have a mobile phone?”
She brought out the gift she had prepared beforehand. It was a latest-model Nokia phone. “Even though there are phone booths, mobile phones are everywhere now. This will make things much more convenient.”
However, she didn’t hand it over immediately. Instead, she opened the phone and started pressing buttons. “This is my number. Let me save it for you first, okay?” She held the phone up beside her smiling face, as if asking him to memorize the number along with her image.
Taking in her dazzling beauty, Su Fan’s eyes held pure appreciation. He nodded and accepted the phone from her. “So the payment is this phone?”
“Of course not.”
Annie produced a check. “This is a check for five hundred thousand dollars, as the reward for this time.”
Hearing this, Su Fan was rather puzzled. The woman before him was indeed a moderately famous movie star, but she wasn’t the A-lister from his previous life. Taking out five hundred thousand dollars couldn’t be easy for her. He had estimated the talismans were worth maybe a little over a hundred thousand, and including dealing with Freddy, three hundred thousand would have shown considerable sincerity.
“Don’t look at me like that… This amount is pretty much my limit…” A hint of genuine pain flashed in Annie’s eyes. She forced herself to look away, as if not seeing the check would lessen the sting. “When I saw you being questioned by so many people, it didn’t sit right with me. If I hadn’t asked you to save them, you wouldn’t have been treated that way. I heard you faced even more difficulties afterward because of rescuing them… Consider the extra part my thanks and apology. Please accept it.”
Su Fan chuckled softly. “In that case, I would be rude to refuse.”
Seeing her be so gracious, Su Fan suddenly felt he should have brought a gift himself. Showing up empty-handed, just to receive money and a present, felt somewhat improper.
“You went through quite some trouble choosing this place, didn’t you?” Su Fan remarked casually. “You really didn’t need to book such a high-end restaurant. The main point isn’t the dining environment; the purpose of the meal was to discuss the reward. If the sincerity is there, any location would do.”
“I wish it were that simple…” Annie let out a breath, then made a slight sound of irritation, as if remembering something particularly annoying. “You have no idea how relentless Hollywood paparazzi can be… They’re like cockroaches hiding in dark corners, everywhere, feeding on the private lives of others… They love to fabricate lies and rumors… While I’m mostly used to it, if they investigated and exposed your information, Su, causing you trouble, that would be terrible.”
Seeing that Su Fan didn’t seem too concerned, Annie grew anxious. “Don’t take it lightly. Once they catch a scent, they’ll dig up your secrets, even if they have to turn the world upside down. Take what happened recently, for example…”
“What happened?”
Since they were waiting for the food anyway, Su Fan continued the conversation.
“A actress in the industry, because she was constantly stalked and harassed by them, developed mental issues. Rumor has it she has severe paranoia… Recently, some major negative news about her even broke. It got to the point where they had to suppress the information.”
That extreme? Su Fan’s curiosity was piqued.
Lowering her voice and leaning forward slightly, Annie said hesitantly, “It’s about that airplane incident a while back…”
Airplane?
Hearing the keyword, Su Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
