Chapter 97: Luxury Scene

  As night fell, Ju An wore a suit and took Jasmine to the Lincoln car provided by the hotel, heading to the venue of this gathering, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Along the way, Jasmine was both nervous and excited, constantly holding Ju An's hand, asking about her clothes, makeup, whether she looked beautiful, and if her necklace and earrings were dazzling enough. In the end, Ju An had no choice but to hold her in his arms and comforted her, saying: "I believe you are definitely the most beautiful girl tonight, don't worry Jasmine, you are really stunning."

  Jasmine leaned her head on Ju An's shoulder and murmured, "It would be great if we could meet some producers and directors today. I just want to chat with them for a few minutes and leave a deep impression. If there's a role to audition for in the future, they might consider me more. I don't need to be the lead, even a small supporting role in their movie would make me happy now."

  Juwon kissed Moli on the forehead and said, "Don't worry, baby, you really look beautiful tonight, I can swear to God." Juwon didn't know why Moli, who was usually cheerful, was so worried tonight. Was Hollywood's charm really that great? For someone like Juwon, it was impossible to understand Moli's feelings from the heart, because for people like him, as long as they were full and content with this meal, they wouldn't worry too much about the next one, let alone a few days later. The kind of person who spent their whole life hiding in the shadows, without revealing any secrets under the light, was truly terrifying.

  For a billionaire who has no great pursuit in life, it is indeed impossible to understand the mind of a girl like Jasmine who is struggling at the bottom of Hollywood with ideals. Juren's current ideal is his wife and children, and if the sky falls, there will be tall people holding it up. If Jasmine says I don't want to be in Hollywood anymore, let's get married and have kids, and then I'll focus on raising kids at home, Juren will immediately raise both hands and feet in support. Of course, for Jasmine, marriage and children are not considered at all, she is considering how to stand firm in Hollywood and develop her own performing career.

  They arrived at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, and the driver got out of the car first to help open the door for An. After An got out of the car, the gentlemanly driver helped Molly out of the car, and they walked into the hotel together. Under the bright lights in the lobby, An was dressed in a black tuxedo with a bow tie, while Molly wore a navy blue pleated evening gown that reached her chest. Her soft golden hair was tied back in a bun, adorned with a diamond hairpin and a string of pearls. This was An's suggestion, and when he saw it, he thought of the noblewomen from ancient Chinese dramas - not to mention those from the Qing dynasty. An wasn't like those 2B screenwriters back home. Molly's neck was smooth and shiny, adorned with a sapphire necklace that perfectly complemented her skin tone. Tonight, Molly looked stunningly beautiful.

  Taking the hotel elevator, we arrived at the 23rd floor lobby where this gathering was being held. As soon as we stepped out of the elevator, a young Western man in a suit and tie approached us with an iPad in hand, asking for our names. After we told him our names, he tapped on the screen a few times before nodding to let us pass, saying "Have a great time tonight, sir and madam!"

  As soon as they entered the hall, they swept their eyes around and it was easy to understand why Jasmine always worried about her appearance. Except for a few older women, every young girl here was dressed in elegant attire, with sparkling jewels on their necks and chests, and not a single one had an ordinary face. Even the older ones were still charming, truly beautiful like jade, and people compared them to flowers. All the men seemed to be accessories to the women, a group of black suits serving as a backdrop for the lovely faces in the hall.

  Just as Ju An was admiring the scenery all around, occasionally glancing at the huge snow-white hemisphere with his eyes, a voice interrupted him.

  "Hey! Come here!" Ahn saw that it was surprisingly Mike, what is this guy doing here instead of running around in New York? Is he a party animal who won't leave? Next to Mike stood an even younger and more handsome guy, with a face somewhat similar to Mike's. Ahn walked over with Molly, shaking hands with Mike.

  "Ah, how did you end up here? I didn't think you were too into red wine. If I had known, I would have invited you directly. By the way, An, let me introduce you to my brother Miles and his girlfriend Jenifer, as well as my own girlfriend Juliet." Mack said with a smile.

  "Hello, I'm An, nice to meet you all, this is my girlfriend Molly." Yan An smiled and shook hands with several people. It had been a while since they last met, and Mike had changed girlfriends again. It seemed like every time he attended a gathering, his girlfriend was different. What a playboy!

  After exchanging pleasantries, Yu An took a glass of red wine from the waiter's tray and handed a glass of champagne to Mo Li. He pretended to take a sip, just as Jennifer laughed and said to the two women: "Ladies, let's go get some food and leave the men here to chat." She then led Mo Li and Zhu Li towards the buffet table on one side.

  "I didn't expect to run into you here. How did you end up all the way from New York? You're really a party animal," Ju An said with a smile.

  "Ha! My family has a stake in the vineyard, I'm basically part of it too. And being from California myself, I had to come. But what's weird is you're here." Mack replied with a chuckle.

  "My girlfriend is an actress and she's very interested in this party, but I'm not really bothered," he said with a smile, swirling the red wine in his glass.

  "Ah, I hear you've bought a big ranch, how's it going? Not many Chinese from Szechuan province that Mike knows," Miles said with a smile.

  "You guys actually know about Soochow, it's rare for Americans to know about Soochow and be able to say its name, you're speaking so smoothly" Ju An praised in surprise. Actually, most old Americans who know Chinese cities only know the capital and developed cities like Shanghai, I estimate that not many people even know Jiangnan City, the capital of Soochow Province. No way around it, Americans just don't care about this.

  "Didn't Mike tell you?" Miles asked in surprise, with Mike smiling beside him.

  "What was that?" Ju An was somewhat perplexed.

  "Our grandfather participated in the anti-Japanese war during World War II, as a volunteer he went to China to fight and was a fighter pilot. At that time, he was shot down by the Japanese in Suzhou Province and almost captured, but was rescued by Chinese civilians and guerrilla fighters, allowing him to safely return to the temporary capital at the time. To protect our grandfather, more than a dozen Chinese civilians died. Until his death, the most fluent Chinese phrase he could say was 'Gǒu de xiǎo rìběn guǐzi' (Damn it, little Japanese devils), spoken in the authentic Jiangnan city accent, and then he would burst out laughing."

  Mike also smiled and said: "Our grandfather always told us that Suzhou is his second home, unfortunately after China opened up, his body was no longer good, and in the end he never returned to Suzhou. Our grandmother's parents were diplomats stationed in Jiangnan City before, so our grandmother was born in Suzhou, so according to Chinese custom, we are considered old neighbors."

  After hearing this, Ju An finally understood why Mike would show himself such great courtesy. It turned out that it was still because of their small hometown relationship. For many elderly people who provided help to China during the Anti-Japanese War, Ju An had always been relatively respectful in his heart, so he said: "Is Mr.'s grave in California? If I want to go pay my respects."

  Miles smiled and said: "Just near Los Angeles, if he knew a little old countryman came to see him, he would be very happy."

  Then Mike asked: "Your girlfriend is very beautiful."

  "Thanks, she's a little actress, wants to come here and try her luck."

  "That's understandable, at least a third of the people here are actors, directors, producers and so on. Many of them are either looking for investment or opportunities." Mack replied with a smile.

  "Anyway, if you like, next time I can bring her to the high-end launch of Bellingham Winery, that's where the first-class directors and stars are, this one is at most second-rate, if you want to come, I'll give you an invitation later," Miles said with a smile.

  Looking around the magnificent venue, at the huge floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a panoramic view of the entire city of Los Angeles, Ju An said, "Is this considered second-rate? Then what would be considered first-rate, extravagance to what extent?"

  Mike smiled and said, "The red wine launched here is specially supplied to ordinary restaurants, the most expensive one is only around $1,100. The launch of first-class red wine is not as luxurious as this venue now, it's usually held in member clubs, quiet, without luxury, but more elegant. When the time comes, you'll know, basically some famous people from California will attend."

  This was also Joo-an's first chance to get a feel for the outer reaches of the California financial group.

  Jing An was still a small-time rural landlord who was shocked by the extravagance of this gathering.