Lu Zexiao, the business world’s emperor, is known as “the walking M&A machine.” His lifelong motto is, “Everything has a price, including people’s hearts.” From Wall Street to Lujiazui, there’s no company he can’t buy and no talent he can’t poach. Until he sets his sights on the last prime plot of land in the south of the city and meets the toughest holdout of them all: Su Nian.
Su Nian is a young inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage craft of filigree inlay. She guards the little courtyard and workshop passed down by her ancestors, and enjoys the easy life of “hammering away in the morning, then drinking tea and cuddling cats in the afternoon.”
When Lu Zexiao’s assistant offers her a check with eight zeros after the first digit, she doesn’t even look up. “Sorry. This land belongs to my ancestors, and it’s the root of my craft. It’s not for sale.”
Mr. Lu’s first acquisition attempt fails. He assumes he hasn’t offered enough.
The second time, he raises the offer by 30 percent and adds three luxury apartments in the city center.
Su Nian is adding kingfisher feathers to a phoenix hairpin. Without turning around, she says, “Mr. Lu, if you’re interested in traditional crafts, I can give you a two-percent discount.”
Lu Zexiao: “...”
Fine, woman. You’ve got my attention.
He assumes she’s putting on airs and must have some greater scheme behind the scenes.
So he has her watched around the clock.
Today, Su Nian turns down a multimillion-yuan order from a wealthy businessman because “the design concept doesn’t fit. It’s vulgar.”
Tomorrow, she casually sets a priceless imperial-green jadeite into a silver hairpin because “the two look good together.”
The day after, she misses a meeting with an art investment mogul to help a stray cat.
Lu Zexiao’s worldview is rocked like never before. This woman...
