Su Yang's phone rang for a long time before Zong Ze finally answered.
"I say, Brother Su, you don't need to miss me too much. You called yesterday, and now you're calling again. Is there anything important?"
"Can you see if you can contact Brother Shi? I heard that Shangguan Zhongtang is about to make a move."
"Is that so? I'll call Teacher first, and then I'll get back to you."
Hearing that Shangguan Zhongtang was about to act, Zong Ze's voice became serious, daring not to be negligent.
Su Yang hung up the phone, signaling Duan Linglong not to worry.
"As the heads of the nine major departments of the Dragon Country, Shangguan Zhongtang wouldn't dare to act recklessly, unless he can bypass the Supreme."
"Mm-hmm, then let's drink and wait for news."
Duan Linglong brought two glasses of champagne, and the two sat quietly waiting.
The villa was filled with people, all of them acting wildly.
Su Yang gave a wry smile, "Their lives are so simple, with no worries."
Duan Linglong disagreed, "It's not that they have no worries, it's just that they are all minor issues. You're different, your responsibilities are too great."
"That's true."
Su Yang finished a glass of wine, and after waiting for a while longer, his phone rang.
"Brother Su, Teacher is fine. He's just a bit busy."
"Brother Zong, did you contact him directly?"
"No, I contacted Teacher's trusted confidant of many years, Jiang Wei. I've met him before. He's an honest and reliable person."
Su Yang frowned. Zong Ze couldn't contact Shi Wuzun either.
Was he truly busy, or was there something else going on, he didn't know.
Shi Wuzun usually carried out secret missions, and if he didn't speak of them, it was hard for others to find him.
"Never mind, I'll contact Brother Shi later. I'll hang up now."
Su Yang hung up the phone, not wanting to keep the guests waiting too long.
...
At this moment.
Everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and were looking for entertainment.
At Meng Lianxin's strong invitation, Duan Wanjun walked onto the temporary stage and took the microphone.
"Hello everyone, I am Duan Wanjun. First, I wish you all a Happy New Year and all the best!"
Duan Wanjun smiled slightly, her sweet smile exuding elegance.
Zhang Ning asked softly, "Son, is this the second Miss Duan? She's indeed elegant and refined. Her figure is guaranteed to be good for bearing children."
Su Yang nodded, "Mom, what are you trying to say?"
"Son, you've been dating Man Ge and the others for a few months, why haven't they gotten pregnant yet?"
Zhang Ning had long wanted to hold grandchildren, and now that everyone was here, she could choose a daughter-in-law.
"Mom, this isn't a hen laying eggs. We can't rush it."
Su Yang was speechless. He was only twenty-one years old and still a university student, although he rarely attended classes.
"Son, try to give me a few little ones next year. Your father can manage Wanbao Zhai by himself."
Su Dingguo nodded beside him. The Su family had a tradition of single-child inheritance for three generations.
Now that the Su family was rising again, Su Dingguo felt it was time to expand the family tree.
"We'll talk about it next year..."
Su Yang was intimidated and quickly fled into the crowd to entertain himself.
"Hey, why did this child run off?"
...
On stage.
Duan Wanjun was singing "Blue and White Porcelain." Singing this song as a female voice had more charm than a male voice.
Her long and melodious singing attracted the attention of the surrounding neighbors, who came to watch.
"Wow, Longpan No. 1 is so lively."
"Look, there are so many beautiful women here, all of them are on the Songhai beauty rankings."
Hearing the neighbors discuss this, Liu Xu became curious.
"Um, is there a beauty ranking in Songhai?"
"Yes, of course!"
The person raised a finger, "The first place is Duan Linglong, the president of the Cultural Relics Association, the head of the Duan family, a super career woman. She's talented and beautiful, that's a universally acknowledged fact."
Those around nodded in agreement, not surprised by this evaluation of Duan Linglong.
Liu Xu became interested, "Who's second?"
"That would be Yang Mange, of course. She's a big star who transitioned to business. Besides her looks, she's also a self-made career woman. Her personality is also impeccable, and she's also Young Master Su's official girlfriend. That's how everyone on the internet evaluates her."
"Next is Duan Wanjun. Every word and action of hers is so elegant and noble. She's a beauty with great temperament, a typical贤内助 (virtuous helper)."
Liu Xu looked at Duan Wanjun. It was rumored that Duan Wanjun was proficient in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and had been managing the internal affairs of the Duan family manor for many years.
A woman like this would naturally come from a good family background, and ranking third was indeed deserved.
"Who's fourth?"
"For fourth place, some say Bai Xinhui, and others say Liu Xu from Yasi Group."
Hearing about her own ranking, Liu Xu became even more curious.
"Who ranks higher between the two of them?"
"It should be Bai Xinhui. She's now the head of one of the four major families in Songhai. She's rich and powerful, and her looks are also good, so her score is slightly higher."
"As for Liu Xu, she's rumored to be the boss of Yasi Group, but very few people have seen her, so she can only rank fifth."
Liu Xu chuckled, covering her mouth. She was right in front of everyone.
But these people didn't recognize her.
This was also why she rarely appeared in public. Most people didn't know her.
"Not bad, not bad. How many people are on this ranking? Are they all from our city?"
"Of course, all beauties from Songhai. Foreigners are not included. There are ten people in total, and there are still a few more to mention."
The person pointed at Anna and Kailin Emily.
Although these two women were good-looking, they hadn't changed their nationality yet and couldn't be considered Songhai natives.
"Sixth place is Meng Lianxin, a descendant of Confucius and Yang Mange's best friend, a popular singer. Look, she's singing with Duan Wanjun on stage."
Liu Xu secretly felt pleased that Meng Lianxin was still behind her.
"What about Liu Jiaqi? What's her rank?"
"What the hell is she?" the person couldn't help but spit, their eyes full of disdain.
"It's said that Liu Jiaqi actively begged Young Master Su for help to get ahead. Later, when Shangguan Yi arrived, she switched sides. Now she's a complete disgrace, she doesn't deserve to be on the list."
"Yes, among the four major families of Songhai, three are female heads. Duan Linglong and Bai Xinhui have performed well, but only Liu Jiaqi is not good. She's too much of a drama queen."
Those around them whispered, not caring if anyone from the Liu family was present.
Liu Xu shrunk her head, secretly sighing for Liu Jiaqi.
After a moment of cursing, the person continued, "The seventh place is interesting. She's the only beauty over thirty who can still make the list."
"Oh? Who is it?"
Everyone was very curious. It was known that once a woman passed thirty, her appearance and figure would generally change a bit.
If she could still make the list at this age, it could only mean that her natural foundation was very good.
"She is Zhang Suqin, the chief appraiser of Wanbao Zhai. She has a precise eye and is a woman who can turn decay into magic. I've been to Wanbao Zhai several times and had the honor of seeing her in person."
"Look, Zhang Suqin is drinking tea under that tree over there. It's rumored that Zong Ze, the former director of the Security Bureau, pursued her but failed."
Everyone craned their necks to look in Zhang Suqin's direction.
Zhang Suqin, as always, didn't wear makeup. Her face always showed neither joy nor sorrow.
It was as if nothing in the world could change her expression, and she always maintained a calm and indifferent attitude.
"Not bad, not bad, she's maintained herself so well!"
Liu Xu nodded, thinking that when she reached thirty, she might not even be as good as Zhang Suqin.