Chapter 14: Became an Abandoned Wife?

"Miss… you… are you certain you wish to donate an Ink Wash Landscape Painting by Bai Lao?"

Nowadays, even if you searched every auction house in the market, you wouldn't necessarily be able to find a single Ink Wash Landscape Painting by Bai Lao.

The last time one appeared was over half a year ago.

That time, at the domestic Poly Auction House, an authorized Bai Lao painting was listed for auction.

The starting bid was one hundred million.

But people still competed to bid, and in the end it was said that a certain business tycoon won it and took it home as a treasured collection, with the final hammer price reaching nearly two hundred million.

So now, hearing that someone was actually donating a landscape painting by Bai Lao to a charitable organization… and doing so anonymously without compensation, it was truly hard to believe.

The staff even felt—could this be some kind of prank?

Otherwise, they really couldn't understand how anyone could be so generous and lavish.

Not only wanting no money, but also caring nothing for fame!

One had to admit, people in this world who don't want money—those exist.

People who don't love fame also exist, but those who want neither… that truly is one in ten thousand.

"Set a time, I'll come over and hand the painting to you." Gu Wenyan's tone was calm, indifferent, not caring too much about it.

"Then… could it be today? Do you have time this afternoon?"

"Sure."

The staff were truly eager, wanting to find out as soon as possible whether the painting was genuine or fake.

After hanging up the phone, she immediately discussed it with all her colleagues at the charity organization.

The others all expressed doubt: "I don't think it's reliable, it must be someone's prank!"

"Exactly, how could anyone really donate something like this? I don't believe it anyway…"

"Right, this person would have to be crazy, otherwise how could they possibly bear to donate a painting worth one or two hundred million?"

"Exactly, it's been over half a year since a Bai Lao painting last appeared at auction. In half a year's time, the price of a Bai Lao painting must have risen again."

The staff member who took the call shook her head: "Sigh, but you didn't hear it—her tone was truly very calm. If she was acting, then I can only admire how skilled she was…"

The entire office was waiting in anticipation; everyone didn't even go out for lunch at noon, afraid of missing the afternoon arrival time.

Before two o'clock, the front desk reported that a Miss surnamed Gu had said she had an appointment to donate a painting this afternoon.

"Me me me! She's the one who made the appointment with me…"

The young staff member named Lisa immediately rushed out, and soon met Gu Wenyan, who was there to donate the painting.

The young woman wore a fitted black dress, the cut very sharp and clean, with pleated detailing at the waist that cinched her slender waist you could just grasp in your hand.

Her makeup was very light, yet she carried a natural, lustrous aura of a Jiangnan water town, quiet and elegant.

She looked just like a young lady from a noble family.

"Hello, are you the one donating the painting?" Lisa's voice was trembling.

"That's right, it's me."

"Alright… please register your identity information. We won't release your identity to the public, but internally we need to keep it on file."

"Mm, here is my identification."

After Lisa took it, she looked at Gu Wenyan's name, then secretly observed her extraordinarily beautiful face, and suddenly remembered…

Wasn't this the person frequently reported in the news recently, the one about to marry the Bo Group Chairman?

No wonder she could produce such a rare and expensive painting at the drop of a hat. Clearly, she was a true socialite—someone who lacked neither money nor needed fame to bolster her, already carrying the halo of a young lady of wealth!

The entire donation procedure went very quickly. After it was finished, Lisa politely saw Gu Wenyan off, and told her: "Miss Gu, we will hold an auction for this masterpiece by Bai Lao in the near future. Apart from the necessary handling fees, all proceeds from the auction will be used for donations and support to impoverished populations, and all subsequent expenditures of funds will be regularly published to you."

"Mm, just leave it to you."

As Gu Wenyan left, she looked back at the charity foundation named "Thunder."

That name really didn't seem like one a charity foundation should have, but Gu Wenyan knew this was the Gu Family's Third Young Master, her third brother's private venture.

Gu Wenyan donated the painting here precisely because she knew that with Gu Yeting as the behind-the-scenes boss, the Thunder Foundation would never embezzle one or two hundred million in charitable funds.

As for her own third brother—just thinking of him gave Gu Wenyan a bit of a headache.

By comparison, the eldest brother was the easiest to deal with. As for the second brother, well, that person's temperament was a bit eccentric, but his weakness wasn't impossible to grasp.

Rather, this third brother, Gu Yeting, could be said to be truly birds of a feather with Gu Mianmian.

Possibly because their ages were relatively close, he was even more difficult to deal with.

After all, the eldest brother was already twenty-eight this year, but third brother Gu Yeting seemed to have not yet turned twenty-three, with only a two- or three-year age gap between them, so…

Enough, Gu Wenyan didn't want to think about these things that hadn't happened yet. No matter how much of a headache they were, she would take back all of their love.

What belonged to her—even if she didn't value it—she would absolutely never leave it for Gu Mianmian!

After the donation procedures were completed, it was still early. Bao Sihan should still be busy at the company, and Gu Wenyan didn't really want to disturb him, so she prepared to go to a nearby five-star hotel for afternoon tea by herself.

Under the guidance of the service staff, she found a window-side seat, but just as she sat down, a few people came over beside her, arrogantly saying: "Give me a window-side seat!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Xiao, but there are no window-side seats available today."

"What? None?! I'm a VIP here, you must reserve a window-side seat for me!"

"But…"

Amid the service staff's troubled tone, the lady forcefully demanding a window-side seat suddenly noticed Gu Wenyan, and was surprised and delighted, her expression strange: "Oh my, isn't this Miss Wen Yan?"

Gu Wenyan turned her head to look, recognized this person—she was a member of one of Gu Mianmian's socialite sisterhood groups.

The kind of socialite sisterhood group that idly went abroad shopping, had afternoon tea, did spa treatments, and lived a leisurely and carefree life every day.

"Miss Xiao." Gu Wenyan nodded with a distant expression.

"Oh, this is someone we know, we'll just sit together."

Saying so, without waiting for Gu Wenyan to refuse, she strode over.

Gu Wenyan looked at the newcomer's outfit piled high with luxury goods, and silently shifted her gaze away.

Miss Xiao led her friends over and sat down, squeezing next to Gu Wenyan with particular enthusiasm, putting on a show of concern: "How's that thing with you and the Bo Family Head canceling the wedding? It's not that he didn't want to marry you, so he took the initiative to break the engagement, is it?"

Gu Wenyan faced her deeply hidden hostility and said coolly: "If Miss Xiao has nothing to do, she could read the news — if she can understand it."

"... What! Don't talk like that, I'm just worried you got dumped and became an abandoned wife, alright?"