Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 550 - 533 Charity Gala (1)

On the day of the charity gala, Lu Jiaxin took a nap, had a bath, and then started working on her styling. She had designed two evening gowns for herself: one was a black halter-neck long dress, and the other was a cheongsam with butterfly and floral patterns as a backup. The black evening gown was to be paired with antique jewelry bought by Nie Zhan, and the cheongsam with jade ornaments.

After she finished styling and putting on makeup, Lu Jiaxin went upstairs to change into her evening gown. As she descended the stairs, Miao Na exclaimed, "Boss looks so beautiful."

Not only was she beautiful in appearance, but her figure was also exceptional. Alas, even though Mr. Nie was very good, she still felt a tinge of pity for her boss. With such favorable conditions and being so young, she could have dated around more instead of being tied down to Nie Zhan so early—it was quite a loss.

Yan Yijun very much disrupted the mood by saying, "I still think the boss looks better in professional attire."

This was his sincere opinion. Lu Jiaxin, dressed in business attire, was sharp and capable, possessing a vitality that few had.

Miao Na gave him a big eye roll, what an unappreciative bumpkin.

Nie Zhan gazed at Lu Jiaxin and said with a smile, "So beautiful."

Lu Jiaxin looked at him in his gray suit and said with a smile, "You look very handsome too. Ah Zhan, we might just be the most dazzling couple at the gala tonight."

Miao Na commented enthusiastically, "Boss, it’s not just a possibility but a certainty. The whole of Hong Kong can’t find anyone more beautiful than you or more handsome than Boss Nie."

Such sweet talk made Lu Jiaxin reluctant to let her leave. Regrettably, Miao Na still insisted on not wanting to stay in one place for too long, and would leave as soon as Xiaoxiao returned.

The charity gala was set to begin at five-thirty, and the auction was scheduled for seven-thirty. Lu Jiaxin had a small bowl of shrimp dumplings for makeup, then she and Nie Zhan drove to the gala in a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Although dinner was provided there, it was good to have something to fill their stomachs beforehand, so they could eat less once there.

Before leaving, she made a call to Zong Shimeng, who arrived shortly after they did. Upon seeing Lu Jiaxin’s gown, Zong Shimeng said with a smile, "Your dress is really beautiful. If you have time, design a few for me too, for future banquets."

Tonight Zong Shimeng was dressed in a champagne-colored long dress, which did not flatter her well-rounded figure that much. Sigh, women sacrifice so much for their families and children.

"Of course."

The two chatted as they walked, and as they entered the hall someone called out to her, "Lu Jiaxin, you’re here for the auction too!"

Lu Jiaxin looked up at the person who had called her, surprised to see it was her university classmate Li Huini. She replied with a smile, "Yes, I received an invitation to the charity gala, contributing to charity is a duty that can’t be shirked."

Although she had not participated in school activities much, she still recognized most of her classmates. Li Huini was also a wealthy heiress, but unlike the typical arrogance of rich young ladies, she was knowledgeable and gracious, making her very popular in the class.

Li Huini had heard about her substantial donations to the Mainland, but since her company wasn’t public and the donations were made in her personal capacity, it didn’t attract criticism.

After greeting Zong Shimeng, Li Huini asked with a smile, "Jiaxin, there are quite a few good items tonight, I wonder which ones have caught your eye?"

Zong Shimeng left them to their conversation when she realized it was a college friend and went off to chat with acquaintances of her own.

Lu Jiaxin replied with a smile, "I donated a Jade Ruyi."

She had looked through the auction catalog but found nothing of interest. When one owns many fine things, their tastes become higher.

The items up for auction this time were generally donated by people like her, so they were unlikely to be rare treasures. Of course, because this was a charity auction, she still planned to buy a few things later.

Li Huini was surprised, "The Jade Ruyi was donated by you? My mother loves it and told me I must win it at the auction."

After chatting for a while, Li Huini introduced her to several friends, both men and women, all of them rich young heirs and heiresses. Among them was a tall, handsome man who was also witty and humorous, especially with his peach-blossom eyes radiating affection, which could easily intoxicate you when he looked your way, but this circle did not include Lu Jiaxin.

Lu Jiaxin didn’t like the way the man with the peach-blossom eyes looked at her and wasn’t interested in their topics either, so she excused herself to the restroom to get away.

Regretfully, the man with peach-blossom eyes said, "Miss Lu is quite aloof."

Frowning, Li Huini warned, "Don’t you dare mess around, Miss Lu is not like those girls you’ve dated, who are won over by a few sweet words."

The girls were dazzled by a good-looking face and sweet talk, losing their wits, but Lu Jiaxin was not one to put love first. She was clear-headed, as could be seen from her choice of Nie Zhan as her partner. Handsome, wealthy, loyal, and able to help her make money. Sigh, she wished to find such a boyfriend too, but alas, she couldn’t.

The man with peach-blossom eyes said, "I can’t handle a woman like that."

He saw the disdain in Lu Jiaxin’s eyes earlier clearly and had no intention of approaching her again.

Upon seeing Lu Jiaxin, Nie Zhan smiled and said, "Why didn’t you spend more time talking with your classmate?"

One year in high school, three years in college, but the only close friend she made was Cui Zhihui, who was still studying law at Harvard. It was rare to see her talking with her college classmates, so he had hoped she would chat more with them.

Lu Jiaxin said, "There was a man beside her, looking at me with what he thought were deep, affectionate eyes. It was disgusting."

"Who is it?" Nie Zhan asked with an unfriendly tone. He thought someone dared to hit on his girl, the audacity!

Seeing him angered, Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, "Just a jumping clown, not worth the concern."

The auction started punctually at seven-thirty. Because all the items were donated, there was a wide variety, including Jade Ruyi, custom-made watches, sand teapots and jade ornaments, jewelry, and even contemporary masterpieces of calligraphy.

Lu Jiaxin was interested in a unique diamond brooch. She spent two hundred thousand to get it. Actually, even a hundred thousand was too much for this brooch. But it was a charity auction, so everyone tacitly agreed to buy at a premium price for the sake of raising more funds.

The Jade Ruyi was auctioned after the brooch, starting at five hundred thousand Hong Kong Dollars. Hearing the price, Lu Jiaxin was quite surprised, "How come the starting bid is already five hundred thousand?"

Zong Shimeng said with amusement, "The Jade Ruyi you donated belonged to an empress of the Qing Dynasty. Its material is top-quality, and it has a good symbolic meaning (’as you wish, may all your wishes come true’), plus it’s an antique, so naturally, the starting price is high. I’ve been wanting to ask you, why did you donate such a precious item?"

Lu Jiaxin was straightforward, "I have better items in my possession. When it comes to charity, naturally, the more funds raised, the better."

Thinking back to the news she had read in her previous life, Lu Jiaxin lowered her voice, "I’ve heard that some people pocket the charity money for themselves. Donghua Sanatorium wouldn’t do that, right?"

Charity organizations like the Red Cross Society, having done too many things without credibility, had lost the public’s trust, leading people to be unwilling to donate to them any longer. Why should her hard-earned money fatten the pockets of those who indulge in luxuries?

Zong Shimeng knew her concerns and said, "Don’t worry! The use of all the donated funds will be disclosed at the end of the year, and those people wouldn’t dare to help themselves to it."

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