Lily's childhood circle of friends overlapped heavily with Franklin and Royce, sharing several mutual friends. However, after Lily's incident, she was forcibly sent abroad, and their contact diminished. Upon returning to China, they gathered a few times, but their relationships hadn't fully recovered, and eventually, she fell out with Royce. Nowadays, their circle is mostly disconnected. Those close to Royce distanced themselves from both her and Franklin, while Franklin's friends didn't deliberately avoid her but became more reserved since she married Edmond and her status changed to that of an elder.
"Auntie," the two people in the private room greeted Lily alongside Franklin.
As soon as they spoke, the door to the private room opened, and a young man dressed in trendy clothes came in carrying a bowl of hangover soup. Upon seeing Lily, his eyes lit up.
"Finally, you're here! Please talk to him; he's already thrown up twice and insists on drinking more. If this continues, he'll need to be sent to the hospital."
The newcomer, Zeng Shao, the youngest of the Zeng family, was a notorious troublemaker and Franklin's closest friend. He was the one who called Lily.
...After the other two left and the private room door was closed, Lily sat beside Franklin, steadying his swaying body and trying to take the wine bottle from him. Franklin refused, hugging the bottle tightly. Lily slapped him on the head. "Give it to me!"
Zeng Shao thought about recording it on his phone but, seeing Lily's stern demeanor, decided against it.
Franklin rubbed his head and then his eyes. His vision cleared a bit, and he squinted at Lily. Once he barely recognized her, he grinned broadly.
"Lily," he called, baring his teeth like a puppy.
Ignoring his casual address, Lily reached out again for the bottle. "Give it to me."
This time, Franklin obediently handed it over.
Lily set the bottle aside, and Zeng Shao immediately handed her the hangover soup. She coaxed and scolded Franklin into drinking it all.
After finishing the soup, Franklin didn't last long before he collapsed onto the sofa and fell asleep.
The blaring metal music in the private room had been turned off.
Lily, who drove herself since she had given her driver the night off for Mid-Autumn Festival, didn't drink. Zeng Shao had someone bring her a glass of orange juice.
Talking about the day's events, Zeng Shao sighed heavily.
"Actually, Franklin's mom has been setting him up for blind dates since before Mid-Autumn Festival. Franklin is currently favored by your Uncle Edmond, so many families are eager to match him with their daughters. Recently, quite a few noblewomen have been inviting Franklin's mom for afternoon tea."
"You know how Aunt Guan is—too nice to refuse anyone. She genuinely wants to find a good wife for Franklin, so she's been arranging these dates. Franklin doesn't want to go, and they've argued twice, once before Mid-Autumn Festival and again today."
Lily remembered something.
Last year, Franklin suddenly went on a year-long trip, heartbroken. It was then that he had a crush. Zeng Shao mentioned on the phone tonight that Franklin had someone in his heart.
"So, who is Franklin's love? Is it the same person he was heartbroken over last year?"
Zeng Shao looked at her through the haze of his breath. "Yes, the same person. He's loved her for many years, since childhood."
Lily was puzzled. "Since childhood? I must know her then. Who is it?"
She couldn't believe Franklin had kept this secret so well! She told him everything, and yet he hid such a big thing! Zeng Shao took a sip of his drink and then, after a moment, slowly uttered three words.
"Wang Nian Nian."
Lily was stunned for a long time, her mind almost going blank.
Wang Nian Nian? Wasn't she the girl Grandpa Jian picked for Leopold? Half an hour later, after Zeng Shao escorted Lily out, he returned to find Franklin awake, sitting on the floor with his back against the sofa, smoking.
Zeng Shao threw two pieces of candy at him.
"Here, one for regret and one for pain."
...
Edmond had a dinner engagement that evening.
His third brother, Zhou Chengfan, hosted the event, inviting people from the TV station to discuss details about an upcoming charity project they were collaborating on.
The discussions went smoothly until they talked about the photographer.
The TV station planned to hire a renowned photographer to document the entire process, making a documentary. As they discussed the list of potential photographers, Edmond's phone rang.
The room fell silent, and seeing that Edmond wasn't leaving to take the call, everyone quietly allowed him to answer.
It was Octavian.
"Mr. Zhou, the items your wife wants to donate have been appraised. They're worth about ten million. Are you sure you want to donate everything?"
"Yes."
"Alright."
The call ended in three sentences, Octavian's voice loud enough for everyone to hear clearly in the quiet room.
Naturally, the topic of donations sparked some compliments.
"Mrs. Zhou is truly kind-hearted and beautiful."
Edmond accepted a toast and set down his wine glass.
"Her studio hasn't made much money, but she's donated a lot. I told her she didn't need to donate; I donate plenty every year, which counts for both of us. But she insists, saying she can't stand to see those children suffer. What can I do? If she's unhappy, I have to console her and agree to everything."
Everyone: "..."
Suddenly, Zhou Chengfan had an epiphany.
In fact, Edmond didn't need to attend this dinner. The collaboration was already confirmed; they were just discussing details. He could have handled it himself.
But Edmond came, and Octavian's call was too coincidental... Zhou Chengfan, being astute, suddenly remembered something and clapped his hands.
"Come to think of it, Lily is a photographer too. Why look elsewhere when we have one right here?"
He subtly sought Edmond's opinion. Edmond wiped his hands with a napkin.
"I don't get involved in the specifics. It's up to you. If you want to hire Lily, go to her studio and discuss it with her. Just don't mention me. She doesn't like me interfering in her work. If she thinks I'm giving her resources, she'll be upset and won't let me sleep in bed. I'll have to placate her for days."
Everyone: "..."
Edmond, afraid of his wife? Zhou Chengfan pondered his words, 'It's up to you,' 'Go to her studio.'
Wasn't he clearly saying, "Yes, go find Lily"?
...
Edmond arrived home at midnight.
Lily was still awake, tossing and turning in bed. Edmond, reeking of alcohol, took a shower before climbing into bed and hugging her from behind.
"What's wrong? Bad mood?"
Lily turned to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and told him about Franklin.
"Franklin has loved someone for many years, Wang Nian Nian."
When she left, Zeng Shao said, "Franklin drank like that today because he heard the news that the Wang family is arranging a marriage with the Jian family, and Wang Nian Nian is going to marry your brother."
"Edmond, Franklin has always been good to me, never said a bad word. Can you help him?"
Helping Franklin meant attending the dinner Leopold mentioned, which she initially didn't want to go to.
It was so troublesome... Edmond's deep, dark eyes showed concern.
Franklin likes Wang Nian Nian? What is Franklin up to? Lily was so preoccupied with Franklin that she forgot about Selena's lunch invitation until she got a call from her the next day.
"Lily, is lunchtime today okay? My flight is in the afternoon."
The first working day after the Mid-Autumn Festival break, Lily received two calls in the morning.
The first was from Karina's husband, her third brother Zhou Chengfan.
He asked when she was available to discuss the details of the photography project for the TV station collaboration.
Edmond had already mentioned this during their morning run.
"Third Brother realized my intention last night. Given his nature, you would have received his call as soon as you reached your studio. Don't worry about the contract; he wouldn't dare shortchange you. Just make sure to state your requirements clearly and don't worry about saving money for me."
As expected, just as he predicted, she received the call right after reaching her office, even before she had a chance to drink a glass of water.
Despite having a powerful backing, Lily believed that certain things should be done properly. It was only right for them to visit her instead of asking the client to go to them.
So she scheduled the meeting with Zhou Chengfan at 3 p.m. at Jingxiu.
After hanging up, Lily went to Aria's office and informed her about the meeting at Jingxiu, which made Aria quite excited.
After discussing that, Lily brought up Franklin's situation, causing Aria's face to change color.