For many Shanghainese born in Puxi, the historic city center, the bustle and prosperity of Pudong will never be a part of the real Shanghai.

Qu Yaohua from Ningbo, Zhejiang, doesn't have time to think about what such a snob thinks. He prides himself on being part of the construction of the new Chinese Pudong, and whenever a guest comes to his three-story penthouse building in Riverside Victory Tower — a sprawling ultra-luxury apartment complex he has developed along the river in Pudong's financial district — he proudly takes them on a stroll through the 888-square-foot penthouse and points into the distance to give them a view of the new city. "A few decades ago, all of this was farmland, and now it's the center of the world." He said.

Today, as Jack sits in a chair designed by Mark Newsom (1) in titanium inlaid with Mongolian gazelle horns, as he routinely sipps the 2005 Petrus red wine on a rock coffee table, his mind haunts him: it was an afternoon spent alone in the Palace of Versailles after a business trip to the Palace of Versailles. There, he was delighted to see a small exhibition dedicated to Chinese antiquities inside the Louis XIV Palace. He was admiring the robes of Emperor Qianlong in a small gallery behind the Hall of Mirrors when a large crowd of Chinese tourists poured into the space.

A man dressed from head to toe in the Stefano Ricci brand mutters excitedly as he points to a portrait of an emperor in a Manchu fur hat. "Genghis Khan! Genghis Khan! ”

Qu Yaohua hurriedly left the gallery, fearing that he would associate himself with this group of ignorant Chinese. Imagine that these pagans did not know one of their greatest emperors – the Qing Dynasty that ruled for more than 60 years! But as he strolled along a Grand Canal that bisected the majestic gardens of Versailles, he began to wonder if the French would today be able to recognize their own king – a king who had built such a magnificent monument to his power. Now, as Qu Yaohua stares at the golden lights of the crescent-shaped crescent on the waterfront of Pudong, he counts the countless buildings of this new China, and perhaps some people will remember him centuries from now.

At this time, her daughter's familiar high heels clattered to break the silence, and Qu Yaohua quickly took out the ice cubes from the wine and threw them into the nearby epiphany potted plants. He knew that Shutao would scold him if he saw them. A few pieces of ice skipped the Ming Dynasty ceramic vase and slid across the floor, leaving a faint red streak on the white marble floor.

Shumo angrily broke into his study. "What's wrong? Is Mommy okay? Shulei is okay? ”

"As far as I know, your sister is still alive and your mother is receiving her reflexology," Father Qu said calmly.

"Then why are you in such a hurry to see me? I'm having dinner with the world's most acclaimed chef and hoping he'll do something for Shulei's wedding. ”

"Is this more important than seeing your father? You're coming back from Paris, and you're struggling to eat this meal when I need help? ”

"When you called, the top truffle dealer was about to give me his precious white truffles, but now I think that cunning Eric Ripet has already tasted it. I was going to give you these white truffles as a surprise. ”

Father Qu snorted, "What really surprised me was that you let me down again and again. ”

Shutao stared at her father suspiciously, "In addition to messing up the art exhibition, what else did I do to disappoint you?" ”

"You don't even know what's wrong with you. I'd love to help Yue Ran arrange a perfect birthday party for you and him, and see what you've done to repay my kindness. ”

"So you're part of the whole plan? Of course you are - if I had planned this, it would have been more tasteful! ”

"That's not the point. The point is, you should feel honored, just like every ordinary girl in the world looks grateful and satisfied when she sees a boy who has prepared so many expensive dresses for her that have yet to be released. ”

Shutao rolled her eyes: "I love dresses, but even if you pay Yves Saint Laurent, not Mao Fei, to get him to stand out of his grave and show me his new season designs, the answer is still regrettable." ”

Shutao saw something move out of the corner of her eye, and turned to see her mother standing in the doorway. "What are you doing sneaking around in the shadows? Shouldn't you go with Shulei for a wedding dessert tasting during this time? You've always known that Dad had something to do with Yue Ran, right? ”

"Oh, I couldn't believe it when you were furious with Yue Ran! Ever since you started dating him a long time ago, both of us have been thinking that one day you will be able to marry him. Her mother let out a long sigh and threw herself on the gilded bench.

"I'm not specifically dating him, and I don't know how many times I've told you that I played a game with him, and you believed it. Besides, I've dated a lot of men. Shu Tao said angrily.

"Okay, you've had a great time, it's time for you to get married. I was already pregnant with you when I was your age. Mrs. Qu sighed for a long time.

"I can't believe we're going to have a conversation like this! If you think I'm going to get married at such a young age, then why did you send me to study at the highest fashion school in Paris? Why should I go to such great lengths to study fashion design? I have so many goals, so many things, that I want to accomplish them before I become anyone's wife. ”

"It's not impossible for you to fulfill your dreams after getting married." Father Qu argued.

"It's different, Dad. Besides, I'm in a completely different situation than when you were younger. Sometimes I even wonder if I need to get married – I don't need a man to take care of me. ”

"How long are you going to keep us waiting until you're ready to get married?" Her mother asked.

"I think it's going to be at least another 10 years, and I'm not ready for it anyway."

"Oh my God! You will be thirty-two years old. Have you ever thought about what will happen to your eggs? Your eggs will get old, and your baby may be mentally retarded or deformed at birth! Qu Mu screamed.

"Mom, stop messing around! You see so many damn doctors every day, you should know that nothing like this is going to happen. Now there are special genetic tests, and women can have healthy babies in their forties! ”

"Look at your good daughter, you talk in a way!" Qu's mother said to her husband suspiciously.

Father Qu leaned back in his chair and said with a wry smile, "Actually, I don't think it has anything to do with age. I think our daughter is in love with Ma Jun. ”

"Even so, I don't want to marry him right now," Shutao replied.

"Then why do you think I'll approve of you marrying him?"

Shu Tao looked at her father angrily: "Why is Yue Ran more special than Ma Jun?" They are all graduates of leading universities, and they all come from prestigious families. I can even say that through this trip to Switzerland, I learned that Ma Jun came from a family with a higher status than Yue Ran, at least on his mother's side, and on my mother's side. ”

Qu's mother exclaimed, "I don't like to get along with people I don't know, especially women who have lived in Europe for a long time. They always act so arrogant, as if they are so much better than me, and they think they are smarter than me! ”

"You should accept the fact that Ma Jun's mother is smarter than you. She holds a PhD in biochemistry and runs a multi-billion dollar company in Switzerland. ”

"How dare you say such a thing to me! Do you think I don't have a dog or horse to your father's success today? You don't know how much I've paid for this family over the years......"

Father Qu raised his voice so that his noisy wife and daughter could listen to him, and he interjected to interrupt them: "Ma Dewen only has a maximum of $2 billion before he gets off the horse, and even if Ma Jun has a great mother, I don't believe that no matter how much she has assets, she can't exceed this amount." The Yue family is another level, on par with ours. Don't you think it's like the marriage of two perfect dynasties? The two of you together will make our family the most powerful and influential people in China. Don't you see your unique place as part of history? ”

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was a pawn in your plan to rule the world," Shumo replied sarcastically.

Father Qu slammed his fist on the table, got up from his chair, and pointed angrily at her. "You're not my pawn! You are my most precious possession. I want to see you treated like a queen and then marry the best man in the world! ”

"But I don't agree that you think the best man is the man I'm willing to accept!"

"If Ma Jun is the best man for you, then why didn't he propose to you? Why does his disappearance make you uneasy for days in a row? "Father Qu is constantly challenging the limits of what Shutao can bear.

"Oh, is it? I think whenever he proposes to me, he will propose to me. Don't you understand? I keep telling you I'm not ready! When I want to get married, if I choose Ma Jun, you can trust him to exceed your expectations. At that time, Ma Jun may be richer than Yue Ran. Because you have no idea how smart Ma Jun is! Once he puts all his energy into his family business and art investment, no one can do it better. ”

"Will this happen in my lifetime? Your mom and I are no longer young – I want to see my grandchildren grow up while we're still healthy and enjoy this family with them! ”

Shutao's eyes narrowed, and she stared at her father, looking at him with a new perspective: "So this is the truth, and what you think in your heart...... You're just trying to get grandchildren, aren't you? ”

"Of course! Who is a grandparent who doesn't want many, many grandchildren? Qu's mother answered.

“…… That Shulei could have given birth to a few for both of you, why me? ”

"Because Shulei's husband is Fu Yuanshan, he will never be a member of the Qu dynasty...... They get married, this is just a way out of the way, since Shulei has a child, she should also marry as a child, and you are different, you can still choose a more noble bloodline and sperm now. ”

Shu Tao laughed to herself: "This is so funny...... It's like I'm stuck in a different time. What if I could only have girls? What if I don't want children at all? ”

"Don't talk nonsense!" Her mother said sternly.

Shutao was about to refute, but was struck by something in her heart - her mother's name is Su Juan, and the deep meaning may be 'there will never be a son'. Her mother couldn't shake off her own inherent clichés – something that had been imprinting her since the day she was born. Shutao looked directly at her parents and said, "In your time, the two of you may have grown up as heirs, but I will not get married because you want a bucket of children, and then squirt the children out for the old people to play with." ”

"You ungrateful child! Don't you know that we gave you all of your life! Qu's mother blurted out.

"Yes, thank you for giving me a good life, and I am planning to live well in such living conditions!" Shumo walked out of the room in a rage.

Father Qu smiled wryly: "Let's see how she plans to live once I freeze her account." ”