The Masterpiece of Leaving：Prepared A Perfect Stand-In For Him novel Chapter 72

I rushed all the way to the Imperial Hotel. There I saw a man dressed all in white, standing there with a small suitcase in his hand. His hair was tied back with a parting in the middle, giving off an ancient charm. He had his head lowered, as if deep in thought.

"Mr. Ripley!" I called out in a clear voice, which startled him out of his contemplation. He looked up and saw me standing opposite him.

I was wearing a fitted light-colored T-shirt and white capri pants, my hair tied up in a ponytail that fluttered in the wind like the arrival of spring. I hoped I looked refreshing to the eyes.

William seemed a bit captivated by my presence, taking a moment before he finally responded, "Miss Navier, why are you here?"

I walked a few steps closer to him and raised the paper in my hand.

I noticed his eyebrows furrow slightly when he saw the paper, and I knew he probably understood what I was there for.

I was a bit out of breath from hurrying over. "At your request, I'll go and persuade them on your behalf," I said.

His usually calm demeanor suddenly showed surprise as he looked at me.

I could tell he didn't expect me to agree to this matter so suddenly.

"You...?" he asked.

I smiled, waving the contract in my hand. "Mr. Ripley, since you value my father's ancient shoemaking craftsmanship so much, how can I not lend a helping hand?"

I pointed at the contract.

The contract's offer was for thirty million!

Thirty million for a shoemaking technique - that was an incredibly high price.

Maybe my father's ancient shoemaking technique was truly precious, but with William's means, lowering it to a few million or even a few hundred thousand wouldn't have been that surprising.

"However, let's make some changes to the contract," I continued. "Fill in thirty thousand, and that will be enough."

William looked puzzled. "Isn't thirty million good enough?"

"Thirty million is indeed good, but it will scare my father."

Dad was focused on passing down his craftsmanship and didn't even bother to look at the price.

Otherwise, there would definitely be problems.

In fact, I understood the real meaning behind William's thirty million. It was an advance payment for me to persuade Jack.

"Although I have some connections with Mr. Jack, I'm not sure if I can persuade him," I analyzed softly. "Besides, you helped me twice before, so consider this my repayment to you."

William just kept looking at me, and I could see a hint of obvious frustration in his eyes.

I knew he could tell that I didn't want to owe him any favors.

"Is it because I am Aubrey's friend?" he asked rather inexplicably.

I looked at him, confused.

"Nothing," he quickly replied, then took the contract and changed the price.

Seeing him be so accommodating, I felt relieved.

Taking the contract back, I smiled slightly and said, "When you return, send me the relevant information. However, I have one condition."

William raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me."

"While persuading Jack, I can cooperate with your business trips, but Aubrey absolutely cannot accompany us. Also, I hope you won't tell him about me being the Thousand-Faced Fox."

William's eyes sparkled unexpectedly, and he asked, "Why? He wasn't very nice to you in the past, so you don't want to use this opportunity to get back at him?"

I kept my expression calm.

William smirked with a deeper meaning: "If he had shown a little bit of care for you, he would have known you were the Thousand-Faced Fox four years ago. We could have started this project four years ago."

"Now that you tell him you're the Thousand-Faced Fox, it's definitely going to hit him hard."

"Are you really Aubrey's friend? Suggesting that I should slap him in the face?" I joked.

My playful smile made William think of how disheveled I looked when he saved me twice. A strange pain surged in my heart, though I didn't know what he was thinking.

I casually flipped my hair while saying, "The best state after a divorce is to never cross paths again. Whether I slap him or not, it doesn't matter."

I spoke with such a carefree tone, showing that I'd truly let go.

William's heart stirred inexplicably, and he asked, "Since you've come to terms with it, are you planning to start a new relationship? What kind of guy are you looking for?"

When he asked this, he stood up straighter than usual, looking even more elegant and refined.

I didn't look at him and shook my head. "Right now, I just want to live a peaceful life."

Honestly, I no longer had any extravagant hopes for love.

Because of someone like Aubrey, I'd lost my identity and my family had suffered too.

I didn't want to repeat such a tragedy.

I didn't have the strength to start another love affair.