In the past month, Maria completed her graduation defense at school and successfully obtained her diploma.Charles, on the other hand, was busy from early morning till late night, sometimes even coming home around eleven or twelve at night.Maria knew he had a lot of things to take care of at the company, so she didn't ask too much, but would wait for him to come home every day before going to sleep.*************One day after a month, Maria, as usual, sat in the living room with cut fruits and many dried fruit snacks on the table. She just turned on the TV and was preparing to watch when the door suddenly opened.She quickly stood up and walked towards the door, seeing Charles come in, she smiled and helped him take off his coat."You're back early today.""Heh..."Charles chuckled derisively as he took off his shoes, "What, you don't like me coming home so early?""How could that be!"Maria hung the clothes on the coat rack, then went to the kitchen to make a pot of tea, poured a c
For the past month, Charles has been busy with the move of the headquarters to Beijing. By the time Charles and Maria arrived in Beijing, the basic work was already in place.Sitting in a large villa in Beijing, Maria took a comfortable breath, "Ah, Beijing is so good, even the air is filled with the smell of money.""He..."Charles pulled her into his arms and pointed at the enormous villa, "Maria, this place isn't big enough. I want to give you a larger house.""Bigger ones?"Maria looked around, surprised wrinkling her face, "Isn't this big enough? You know Beijing is worth its weight in gold. This villa must be around four or five hundred square meters. I think it's enough.""Not enough!"Charles grabbed her hand, squeezed it firmly, "I had someone watching a few days ago, and I found out that someone wanted to sell a fruit orchard in the suburbs, about a thousand acres. I want to buy it and build a manor there.""A Manor?"In her life, Maria had only seen one manor, the Lesser Fa
Maria knew who it was just by the ring of the voice. Who other than Lesser Mia could have such a sharp and sarcastic tone?"Huh..." Maria curved her lips into a subtle smile, and walked over without arrogance or humility, taking a seat on the lone single seater sofa."Lesser Mia, it's been a month since we last met. I didn't expect that you, the servant of three different families, have flourished even more. Come on, tell me, how many more fathers have you acknowledged?"The sarcasm in her words caused a burst of suppressed laughter to ripple through the room. A man next to her couldn't help but spurt out a laugh and even the others were striving to keep in their chuckles.The whole city knew about Lesser Mia assuming the position as the lady of the Lesser family. If she had kept a low profile, people wouldn't have made fun of her. However, she was so high-profile that the entire city knew about her public incidents.The most hilarious thing was an incident at a shopping mall where s
Maria picked up a blank paper, thought profoundly, and wrote down 2 billion. It wasn't that she was stingy or didn't want to use all 5 billion that Charles had given her to bid. Her estimate was, although the land in the capital city was worth a lot, that particular fruit orchard was located in the suburbs. One thousand acres of land were worth one billion at market price, and the offer she gave had already doubled.Regardless of whether she could acquire it, this was her final decision. Regarding Yu Meilin's tactics, whether she could accept it or not, so be it.After everyone wrote down their decisions, they handed the notes to Yu Meilin. When Yu Meilin saw the number Maria had written, she looked at Mia meaningfully."Heh... Miss Lesser, you said she's poor, but her offer exceeded yours enormously.""What?!" Mia looked at Maria in disbelief. Maria was not dressed ostentatiously today, only in modest clothing that one could see anywhere in a shopping mall. From the moment she
"What?"Mia was dumbfounded and even stood up in anger, "You're actually asking me to leave? On what grounds?"With a lift of her chin, Yu Meilin sternly said, "Because this is my house! Get out!""I..."Mia wanted to say something, yet seeing Yu Meilin's enraged expression, she could do nothing but stomp her foot in frustration. What was going on?Was there any difference between what she and Maria had said?Why was she being dismissed and not Maria?It was so infuriating!Giving Yu Meilin a furious glare, Mia snorted proudly, "Fine, I'll go. The whole capital isn't just selling land to you!"With that, she picked up her bag and angrily stomped away, even snorting angrily at Maria as she passed her by.Maria, left speechless, only shook her head. "Childish!"Sheng Wei immediately stopped in her tracks, "You..."Unable to hold her anger any longer, Yu Meilin barked, "Get Out!"Mia glanced at Yu Meilin, then at Maria, and gritted her teeth in anger, forcing herself to swallow her word
Maria didn't intentionally use the lover's knot to please Yu Meilin. She noticed that Yu Meilin highly valued the jade beads which were mementos from her husband. So, she thought of helping her.Unexpectedly, her unintentional act led to a surprising payoff.She was overjoyed, "Mrs. Yu, are you really selling it to me? You just said it might be your husband's...""Hey!"Yu Meilin laughed and gave Maria a friendly blame, "I think, the fact this string of jade beads broke, is my husband telling me who the orchard should be sold to. You are very pleasing to me. I have decided to sell the orchard to you at market price, one billion, not a penny more, not a penny less."One billion?!What Maria had written just now was two billion!It's actually halved?!She couldn't help but raise her head and chuckle, "I never thought that the lover's knot would be worth so much. If I had known, I would have sold braided ropes before.""Hahaha..."Yu Meilin laughed so hard she almost couldn't stand stra
"Hmm? You bought it for a billion?"Charles returned home, looking at the contract that Maria handed him, he couldn't believe it, "If I didn't know Yu Meilin was a woman, I would really think you used some extraordinary means.""Look what's been in your head all day!"Maria huffed irritably, then told him what had happened at Yu Meilin's house today.After Charles listened, he was even more incredulous, "A story, plus a lovesick knot is worth a billion? Maria, your story and lovesick knots are really valuable!""That's it!"Maria suddenly paused, "Ah, husband, I won't tell you anymore, I just remembered that book, wait for me, I will find it."Previously, when Noah Swinton had a car accident, to afford the medical expenses, Maria sold their old house. Anyway, Noah Swinton was in the hospital and she was in school, so it didn't matter if they didn't have a home.Before selling the house, She packed up everything in the house. There wasn't anything valuable, just some albums and that bo
After the orchard was purchased, the next day Charles started to renovate the one-thousand-acre property, which was a vast project. Fortunately, Charles had enough money to hire half the workers from the capital to construct the estate, hoping to finish it as soon as possible.When the headquarters moved to the capital, the entertainment company where Luna worked also moved there.After Luna finished her work at the company, she came to the villa to look for Maria excitedly."Ria, I have some good news!"Maria was studying recipes. Upon hearing Luna's words, she put down the tablet and looked curiously, "Luna, what's the good news?""Hehe..."Luna had a sneaky smile, "Have you ever heard of Rivas?"Rivas?Maria blinked her eyes and nodded subconsciously, "Of course! He is a famous international pianist, the North Star of the piano world, with a high reputation in the international piano circles. Why?""Hahaha..."Luna already had a big smile on her face as she gestured dramatically t
After leaving the banquet courtyard, Maria and Charles got into a sightseeing car and headed towards the Lesser family gate.Along the way, Charles remained silent, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his face looked terrifyingly solemn.Maria also didn't say anything. She held his hand tightly as if she wanted to give him her strength.Even when they got into their own car, Charles didn't say a word. He just gently rested his head on Maria’s shoulder, like an injured child.**********Back at the villa, Maria fetched a bottle of red wine, opened it, and took out two glasses. She tilted her head at Charles."Let's go and drink in the room."She smiled and raised the wine bottle in her hand. Charles noticed and finally relaxed the corners of his tightly pressed lips.He stood up and laughed softly, "How is one bottle enough? You are never drunk after a thousand cups."Maria looked at him speechlessly, seeing him take out two more bottles of red wine. She felt like things wer
Eva had been with Eric for more than twenty years, and she had no doubt about his feelings for her. Moreover, Eric always took good care of her and loved her deeply. If there was any rift between them, it was Charles.For the past twenty years, she had always been cautious in protecting their relationship, never inquiring about any news about Charles. That's why they had been living in harmony, until Mia came to Beijing. She had started investigating Charles' affairs under the old lady's orders.And since then, she felt that Eric had become more and more distant from her, a distance that she couldn't close no matter what she did.Now that Charles had come to Beijing, she had to make a choice between Eric and Charles. She didn't want to, but she had to…"Eric…"Her voice trembled as she pleaded, looking at him. "Can't you…?""No!"Those two resolute words instantly crushed the only hope in Eva heart.On one side was her husband, and on the other was her biological son, and she owed C
David and Hamya exchanged glances as they heard this. It was as if they had made a decision. They immediately said in unison, "We want to go too!""Huh?"Charles looked at them with confusion.David patted his stomach and smiled at Charles, "Young Master Smith, I wonder if your company is in need of pianists? What do you think of me?"Hamya chuckled and nodded, "I think I can do it too. Young Master Smith, please consider signing both of us. We don't ask for much, just a chance to perform in top music halls."David was worried that Charles would disagree, so he put on an even more sincere smile. "Ah yeah, haha... We just feel that Patrick is not enough on his own. With Hamya and I joining, after all, we have better qualifications than him. When the three great piano masters embark on anglobal tour together, and with Maria and Linda, it will be twice as successful.""Exactly!"Hamya laughed happily, "Young Master Smith, a single concert takes too long, Patrick won't be able to handle i
The two of them walked onto the stage and sat down at the piano. Maria raised her head and exchanged a glance with Linda, who placed her hands on the keys.The young pianists were curious about what music Maria and Linda would play. This was the second round of the training camp's open competition, and they usually wouldn't get to hear it.Suddenly, the piano played a melancholic melody, carrying a touch of elegance in the air, instantly striking at people's hearts!"This is..."Some couldn't remain calm instantly. "Butterfly Lovers?!""Is that possible? Butterfly Lovers arranged as a piano piece?""Yes, everyone knows that Butterfly Lovers is best played on the guqin, or the zheng would also work. It's my first time hearing it played on the piano.""Hey, no, this version of Butterfly Lovers has been adapted for piano. It suits the instrument perfectly while still preserving the essence of the original piece. It's absolutely refreshing!"After a few seconds of discussion, an unexpect
Two days later, Maria and Linda arrive at the venue of the exchange conference in their finest attire.They hand over their invitation cards and wait for the security guard to check them.Suddenly, a mocking voice comes from beside them, "Oh oh, who is this? Linda!? Am I mistaken?"The one speaking is Linda manager, and standing next to her is the pianist signed by Linda economic company."Aria, you're not mistaken, isn't that Linda herself?"Hearing their voices, Linda's face darkens. She turns her head and glares at them, "Aria, your eyesight is really not good, you can't even recognize me. You should go to the hospital to have your eyes checked."Aria originally wanted to embarrass Linda, but she didn't expect her to retort so sharply. She immediately gets furious."Linda, the company didn't give you an invitation card. Tell me, where did you steal it from?""Hehe..."Linda raises her chin triumphantly, holding Maria's arm. "Do I need the company to give me one? Just look at who's
After arriving in Beijing, the feeling of uneasiness never appeared again, and Maria felt an indescribable relief.Charles had sent someone to take Andrew back to the Lesser family, while Patrick and Linda followed Charles and Maria back to their villa.Originally, Andrew had strongly invited Patrick to come back to the Lesser family with him, but Patrick knew that the Lesser family was big and complicated, so he used the excuse of being with Linda and followed Charles.***********On the third day, when Luna returned from Brussels, she went directly to Maria’s place and looked at Linda, her expression becoming more flattering."Linda, I heard that your contract with your previous agency is about to expire, right?"Maria sat next to Linda, holding a big doll in her hands, feeling very angry."Yes, they told me before that if I could achieve good results in the training camp this time, they would sign me for another ten years and give me all the resources. But just when I announced my
At this moment, Maria had already packed up and left the hotel with Charles, Linda, Andrew, and others.On the way to the airport, Linda still couldn't understand and turned back to Maria, "Ria, as long as the misunderstanding is resolved, we can still stay in the training camp, right?"Of course, Maria knew that if she returned to the training camp now, everyone would treat her like a deity.Just kidding, being able to decide the life and death of their teacher, they would definitely flatter and serve Maria obediently.Maria shook her head, "Actually, I have already achieved my goal. Linda, if you want to go back, you can go back, no need to accompany me.""Hey!"Linda casually waved her hand, "Without you here, why should I go back? Besides, I have hugged your thigh, and you have hugged Master Smith's thigh. Am I still afraid of not being able to reach the pinnacle of the international piano world?"She said it so casually, as if she was joking. But Maria could tell that she still f
Maria, so smart, why couldn't she understand what they meant?She smiled and turned to shout inside the house, "Honey, it turns out they are looking for you." Charles was inside, and he had heard everything at the door clearly. The girls had looked down on him before and said he was weak, but now they all came to beg him with a straight face. It was really funny.He remained silent for a while before saying, "Ria, in our home, I make the major decisions and you make the minor ones. But in my eyes, besides you, nothing else is a major matter. So, you make the decisions."The girls outside, "..."Didn't that mean that Maria would be in charge of everything in the house?They felt a toothache and couldn't believe they were caught off guard by this unexpected situation.Maria shrugged and looked at them again.Originally, they came to apologize to Maria as a pretense, hoping that she would persuade Charles, but now, the initiative was completely in her hands, and they had to lower their
Maria was not foolish. Why did her reputation stink so much? Was it only because of the ambiguous relationship between her and Charles at that banquet?Just that one time was not enough to make everyone dislike and envy her.Lucy's face was extremely embarrassed, but at this moment, she had already lost all confidence in front of Maria and could only cry helplessly."Maria, I really know I was wrong. Can you forgive me? Please...""Lucy, your intentions were truly wicked. You even used Rivata as a weapon. Honestly, I admire you for that."Even while saying this, Maria's expression remained calm, her tone as if chatting with a close friend."You, alone, have bewitched the hearts of all the girls in the training camp. You treated others as pawns to sacrifice for your own gain. Wasn't your goal to drive me out of the camp? Congratulations, you achieved your goal. You should be happy, so why are you crying?"When Maria said this, the other girls immediately began pondering.After thinkin