Chapter 145

145 Bigshot Goes to Cui Manor
At this moment, the car Gu Man was in had already driven up the mountainside of Yunlong Mountain. The mountain was covered in green trees, as if they had driven into a forest. There was no longer the noise of the city.
Not long after, the car drove into a villa courtyard.
“Miss Gu Man, we’re here.”
Before Uncle Li could open the door, Gu Man got out of the car.
Uncle Li smiled and led Gu Man into the Cui Manor.
The Cui Manor was built against the mountain in an ancient style. At first glance, it did not look resplendent, nor did it have any carvings of dragons or phoenixes.
However, if one looked carefully, the handrail in front of the door was made of jade pillars. It felt cool to the touch. The stairs were made of cloisonné. When they entered the front hall, the light in the room was actually the gentle light emitted by the night pearls arranged on the walls.
Gu Man recalled that in her previous life, she was used to using night pearls to illuminate the house. There were a few of them in each room, and the light was gentle and not dazzling.
After walking for a while, they arrived at a courtyard. Gu Man heard the sound of water flowing. At a glance, she saw that the Cui Manor had used the rocks of Yunlong Mountain as the mountain in the inner courtyard. They then guided the water in to form a natural scene of mountains and flowing water.
Uncle Li brought Gu Man to the right and turned into a curved corridor before walking to an outdoor garden.
Gu Man was amazed. She did not expect that there would be such a wide garden on Yunlong Mountain. There was a glass room in the garden, and there was a person sitting in it.
Before Li Bo arrived, he said, “Master, Miss Gu Man is here.”
Gu Man looked at the person and nodded slightly. She called out calmly, “Old Master Cui.”
Old Master Cui nodded repeatedly. “Okay, okay, okay.” Then, he called out to Gu Man, “Girl, come over quickly. Sit here for a while.”
Gu Man walked into the pavilion and realized that she could look down at the Yunlong Mountain District of Han City and the sea in the distance.
“Come, have a snack first. You must be hungry by now.” Old Master Cui pushed over a plate of snacks and then looked at Gu Man. “Girl, you’re too thin. You have to eat more. You’re growing now and there’s a lot of pressure on you from your studies. You have to eat well. Otherwise, you won’t have the strength to study and grow.”
Uncle Li shook his head imperceptibly at the side. He thought to himself that Master was no longer the Old Master Cui who dominated the business world. He was just a kind old man who enjoyed playing with his grandson.
Gu Man nodded and picked up a piece of brownie to eat. Old Master Cui asked happily, “Do you like it?”
Gu Man nodded again and picked up another piece.
Seeing that Gu Man liked it, Old Master Cui quickly introduced, “This is a pastry made with dark chocolate and hazelnuts from Italy. It’s soft and delicious. Ah Mai especially likes it too.”
Gu Man asked, “Where’s Ah Mai?”
Uncle Li said, “He should still be in his room. I’ll go take a look.”
“Alright, it’s best if you bring him over.” Old Master Cui waved at Uncle Li.
After Uncle Li left, Old Master Cui saw Gu Man wipe her mouth with a napkin and say with a smile, “Just eat a little to fill your stomach first. We’ll eat later.”
With that, Old Master Cui got up and went to another table to get a book. He handed it to Gu Man and said, “Girl, I want to show you something.”
Gu Man took it and opened the book. It was a photo album. The photos were made of some special materials, so every photo looked very historical, but they were kept very intact and clear.
However, there were some traces in the booklet that indicated that this photo album was constantly flipped through.
Gu Man slowly admired it, but the more she looked at it, the more surprised she became. Why did the little girl and lady look so much like her?
Gu Man pointed at the little girl in the photo album and asked Old Master Cui, “This is?”
“This is when my daughter, Cui Jin, was three years old.” Cui Lao pointed at a lady. “This is my wife. She died decades ago.”
Old Master Cui saw Gu Man’s expression and seemed to have expected it. “Do you think you’re very similar to them?”
Gu Man nodded.
“Girl, perhaps my story can answer your doubts. Are you willing to listen?” Old Master Cui asked.
Gu Man nodded.
Old Master Cui sat down in his seat. He looked at the sea in the distance and then said slowly with some difficulty, “The story happened forty-five years ago. My wife and I took my three-year-old daughter, Cui Jin, on a cruise ship. Unexpectedly, we encountered arrogant pirates. Everyone on the ship was kidnapped. In the end, the pirates let the adults go, but they held the children hostage and asked us to give them ransom. My three-year-old daughter was one of the children who was held hostage.”
Old Master Cui paused, as if the story was too heavy.