Chapter 18

　　"Miss, please show us your invitation letter." 　　As soon as Joanna approached, the reception staff stopped her in business. 　　Joanna closed the skirt and said lightly, "I'm here with Richie and the invitation letter is in his hand." 　　The receptionist made a confused face and spoke, “a little while ago, when Mr. Gu arrived, he was already with a female companion. miss, did you make a mistake?" 　　Joanna's face paled suddenly, something exploded in her head. She wondered if he had done it on purpose. Did she deliberately come here only experience humiliate and give him joy at her expense? There were people who had recognized her whispering around. Although she couldn't hear them clearly, she felt like she was stripped naked and thrown in front of everyone, without dignity or pride. 　　The receptionist showed contempt in his eyes, and reached out and gave her a push, "Miss, if there is nothing else, please don't hinder us—" 　　Before the reception staff spoke, a man pressed his hand on the receptionist’ shoulder and pressed it down, at the same time a clear male voice resounded. 　　"Miss Mo is a distinguished guest invited by my boss. Based on this, does she still need an invitation letter?" 　　The receptionist turned his head to look, his face changed, and stuttered in panic, "Shi, lawyer Shi..." 　　Joanna also followed his reputation. The man who spoke was wearing a furry camel collar coat with open buttons, revealing the dark blue suit inside. His eyes curled up, his nose was like a dangerous peak and the corners of his lips were slightly raised, and he was sloppy. His expression clearly showed a sense of no anger and prestige. 　　While she was looking at him, he was also looking at her with interest in his eyes. He was smiling but not a smile of happiness. And Joanna frowned at that, more so, she didn't know this person. 　　Seeing that the receptionist hadn't moved for a long time, he squinted his eyes, his eyes darkened a little, "Why? Isn't what I said is good enough?" 　　"What, no, of course not." 　　The receptionist cleared his throat, and said respectfully, "I'm sorry, Miss Mo, please come in." 　　Joanna squeezed a fist. She had a lot of doubts about the man's identity and intentions, but at this moment, she wanted to see Richie. Just how much she hated the man she had loved for so many years. Using this this kind of occasion just to embarrass her. 　　She took a deep breath and said softly to the man, "Thank you." 　　The man raised his eyebrows and made a pleased gesture. Joanna straightened her back and walked in slowly. 　　Purple Garden is a single-family villa, surrounded by mountains and rivers. After passing the gate, it shows an ingenious gravel road, winding deeper inside. The gravel road is surrounded by layers of unnamed shrubs and flowers, scattered around. Mixed with a few plum trees, giving off a pleasant fragrance. 　　The banquet was about to begin, and most people went to the lobby. There were not many people in the courtyard. They talked and laughed in twos and threes. The lights on the roadside were yellow, shrouding the surrounding scenery in a halo like ambiance, making it more elegant in the cold. 　　Joanna followed the man, staring at the other person’s long back, yet never saying a word. She was waiting for the other person to speak. Inexplicably helping out the siege, she started to make a plan, but he didn’t have anything to say until he walked near the pool in a crowded place. Explaining something, instead, he stopped and smiled, "Miss Mo, I will leave you here, you are free to roam on your own." 　　Joanna didn't have time to ask more. The other party had already left. She frowned, lowered her head to check her clothes, hesitated for a moment, and walked towards the crowd. 　　Not far away from the garden pavilion, an orange light spot suddenly shone bright as though everything dimmed. The light shined on a man’s handsome face. A shadow appeared behind him, took a puff from the cigarette between his fingers, took a sip of wine, raised his eyebrows and teased him. The man said, "Do you already have a wife, Jensen? So, how are you?" 　　This voice was the man who had just rescued Joanna, Jensen's good friend Jared Shi. 　　"It turns out that in addition to cats, you also have such a tender side for women. But I heard that Miss Mo is very loyal to her husband. Why, do you really want to fuck her?" 　　He spoke as he passed the cigarette to Jensen, the latter glanced at him indifferently, but did not answer back. "So, how is the investigation?" 　　Jared immediately put away his silly expression and said seriously, "Shannon did bring back the child of your eldest brother, but we all got it wrong. That child is a girl." 　　The swimming pool in front of the bungalows was brightly lit, and the surface of the pool water is sparkling, reflecting the silhouettes of people in Chinese costumes. 　　Even in the winter when the north wind brought forth the cold, most of the women wore skirts for beauty and style. Yet they really can’t stand the cold, most put fur on their shoulders. Even if their teeth tremble from the cold, they have to smile like flowers. Joanna is like this. Wearing a windbreaker outside the long skirt is definitely an alternative. 　　Her gaze calmly crossed the silhouettes and slowly focused on a couple of men and women not far away. And to what she saw, shocked her. All the courage she had put together all night was instantly broken to pieces, and for a moment, even breathing became difficult.