Chapter 43: Wild Men Smell Sweeter than Homegrown Grass

Mrs. Yang was a strong woman with a deep sense of responsibility and integrity. Arthur Vane’s impression of this junior was actually quite good, and he didn't want anything to happen to her.

Especially not if she were being harmed by a scumbag like Danton Yang; it was simply not worth it.

Seren Thorne said, "Don't worry. Mrs. Yang actually knew Danton Yang was gay long ago. She and Danton have never had a physical relationship; they even sleep in separate beds.

"The reason Mrs. Yang married Danton was that the man she once loved died in an accident.

"At that time, Mrs. Yang was already pregnant with that man’s child. In the 90s, societal expectations for a woman's 'chastity' and morality were still very high. Mrs. Yang’s parents worried she would be the subject of gossip, so they found Danton to serve as Hunter's father in name only.

"Mrs. Yang has played the role of a model wife with Danton all these years just to give Hunter a healthy and stable environment to grow up in."

Arthur Vane had originally been worried that Mrs. Yang would be implicated by Danton, but he hadn't expected her to be so clear-headed.

No wonder Mrs. Yang would pick a man with Danton's looks to be her "kept man." People in their circle used to think she had unique tastes; it turned out she just wanted to find a fake father for Hunter and wasn't interested in romance at all.

His own perspective was still too narrow.

The pair chatted as they soon returned home. Arthur Vane contacted someone to have the remaining raw stones cut. Worried that someone might tamper with them, he went over in person to supervise the work.

What a joke—his ability to have spending money for the next few months depended on these few stones. How could he not keep a close watch?

Cutting stones takes quite a bit of time. Arthur couldn't wait, so he had several more machines brought in. After much tossing and turning, everything was finally finished by nine in the evening.

The quality of the stones cut later was quite good. Arthur specifically found someone to provide an appraisal; the total value added up to about 20 million. Including the two stones opened at the shop earlier, the total value reached over 30 million.

In the past, Arthur Vane wouldn't have spared a glance at a few tens of millions. But after being "poor" for several consecutive days, suddenly getting his hands on this much money made him so happy he nearly took flight. He couldn't wait to take out his phone and send the results to Seren.

Seren had expected this, but thinking about how she had earned so much in a single day, she still couldn't help but grin like an idiot.

After replying to Arthur's message, she was just getting ready to shower when her phone notification rang again.

Picking it up, she found the message was actually from the male lead, Alistair Gu.

Since adding each other as friends that day, the two had never chatted. Seren was quite surprised that he would suddenly take the initiative to message her.

After seeing the content of the message, she was even more stunned.

Alistair Gu: [I heard Mr. Yang went to the hospital today and his affairs with several lovers were exposed. Did you calculate all of this?]

Seren thought a business elite like Alistair wouldn't pay attention to life gossip; she hadn't expected him to be such a fan of "eating melon" too.

[That incident does have a little to do with me. Is something wrong?]

Alistair Gu: [I have something I’d like to ask for your help with. Of course, there will be compensation. I wonder if Mrs. Vane has time to meet in the near future?]

Seren naturally wouldn't refuse an opportunity to make money. Once she divorced Alaric, she wouldn't have access to these upper-class circles anymore; she had to take this chance to rake in as much cash as possible.

If she could snag a few stable, long-term clients, it would be even better. She could still make a living after leaving the Vane family.

[I have time. I can meet with Mr. Gu whenever you're ready. However, could you please tell me the specific details of the matter first? I want to see if it’s within my capabilities.]

In her past life, Seren had once met a ridiculous person who asked her for a way to live forever. He demanded she make him live to a hundred, or he would sue her in court for being a fraud peddling feudal superstitions.

Seren was speechless at the time. If she knew the secret to immortality, she would have long been an honored guest of the world's top billionaires—why would she be setting up a pathetic little stall on the roadside?

Back then, she had just bluffed her way through, telling him that if he didn't live to a hundred, he could come back and find her. Her plan was to move her stall to a new location the moment he left so he’d never find her.

Later, he truly couldn't find her—because she had kicked the bucket.

Thinking of the events of her past life, Seren almost shed a small "pearl" of sadness. Fortunately, in this life, she was well-fed and clothed, and no longer had to worry about her next meal.

While Seren was feeling sentimental, Alistair Gu sent over the details of his situation: [Miss Thorne should have heard rumors about the Gu family's decline over the past two years. To be honest, my grandfather was in power until he passed away the year before last. His will left all the assets to my uncle.]

[For over a year now, under my uncle's management, the company’s revenue has dropped for several consecutive quarters. If this continues, it will be hard for the Gu family to return to its former glory.]

[My grandfather's attitude toward my uncle wasn't good when he was alive, and he explicitly said he would hand the family business to me. I suspect there is a problem with the will my grandfather left behind, so I’d like to invite Mrs. Vane to come and take a look for me.]

Hearing Alistair’s description, Seren immediately knew what was going on. Wresting control of the company back from an uncle—isn't this the male lead's career arc in the book?

If she remembered correctly, the will left by Old Mr. Gu did indeed have a problem. Later, the male lead toppled his uncle because the female lead, Xandra Xu, discovered the will was a forgery and successfully obtained evidence.

It was precisely because of this incident that the relationship between the leads progressed further, and the male lead officially confirmed his feelings for her, leading into a brief honeymoon period.

{If I take this commission, will it affect the romance plot between the leads?}

{Then again, the 'marriage line' between them seems to have mysteriously snapped already. Taking this job shouldn't have much of an impact, right?}

While Seren was hesitating, Alistair Gu’s message arrived again: [If Mrs. Vane can help me uncover the problem with the will, I can pay a nine-figure reward.]

Nine figures!? How much was that again?

Seren counted on her fingers, and her gaze instantly became clear and determined.

[Deal. I’ll go over tomorrow to check the situation. No, no, no—tomorrow is too late. How about tonight? I can come over right now!!]

Looking at the message from Seren, Alistair Gu let out a small laugh. Although he couldn't see her face, he could read her excitement between the lines. So, a reward of several hundred million could make someone this happy?

He replied: [It’s too late today. Let’s make it tomorrow.]

Seren wished she could fly to the Gu house to make money right now, but since the client said it was late, she couldn't disturb him and had to agree.

After ending the chat, Seren was still feeling quite agitated.

{How can there be such a generous and magnanimous man in this world? No wonder he’s the male lead of a Mary Sue CEO novel; he spends hundreds of millions like it's nothing.}

{The book's female lead really was 'eating' well, ahhh!}

Alaric Vane pushed the door open and entered. While still at the threshold, he heard the screaming in Seren’s heart, and his face instantly darkened.

How come when he offered to give this woman a villa this morning, he didn't see her this happy?

Is a wild man’s money from outside really that much more fragrant than her own husband's?