Chapter 50: Mansion

Zoe had invited Lu Zhiyu to an upper-class party in London. The party was held in a mansion just on the outskirts of the city. Lu Zhiyu had accepted her invitation because he had spent a few years in Maria's World, doing nothing but experimenting with different creatures. When he first came back to the real world, he couldn't quite remember how to interact with others and even his facial expressions were unnatural.

He felt that if he kept doing this to himself, he would forget how to act like a proper human being, so he wanted to take this opportunity to get away from his experiments a little and relax. He was also very curious about the British upper-class. He had only seen such parties in movies, and he wanted to see what a real one was like.

After changing into a nice suit, he drove out to the outskirts of the city. As he drove toward the mansion, he used the time to enjoy the view along the way and took a deep breaths of the fresh country air. At one time, London was one of the most heavily polluted cities in the world but now, there was no sign of pollution in the country. The air was fresh and the surroundings were clean and beautiful.

As he approached the mansion, he could see a large building standing alone at the foot of the mountain, there were no other buildings around the mansion and its grounds. When he arrived at the mansion, he saw that many people had arrived already. Getting out of his car, he took out his invitation.

A few guards stood at the gate. They checked his invitation and allowed him inside. The grass in the garden was neatly trimmed and a variety of trees and flowers adorned the garden as well as fountains and statues of angels. A few gardeners were still working in the garden, taking care of the plants.

Even though the garden looked very new, the mansion itself looked like a castle and appeared very old. It was clear that the owner of this mansion was not only rich, but also came from a privileged background.

He entered the mansion through a pair of glass doors and saw a large group of people already gathered inside. As soon as he walked in, the attention of the room turned to him. The good looks his genes had blessed him with made him the center of attention wherever he went, and this place was no exception. Everyone was looking at him, curious about who he was. A young woman wearing a black dress smiled at him as she walked over.

She held out her hand and said, "I've never seen you here before. I'm Lisa."

"Anthony," Lu Zhiyu said with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"No offense intended," Lisa said after they shook hands. "But are you a man, sir?"

Lu Zhiyu frowned a little, then nodded. By then, there was a small crowd had gathered around them. Everyone was looking at him, curious. Seeing his response, Lisa's eyes widened. "You are indeed very handsome," she said. "Dare I say, even women would be jealous!"

"Thank you," Lu Zhiyu said awkwardly. Suddenly, someone grabbed Lu Zhiyu's hand. He turned and saw Zoe standing behind him.

"This is my friend, Lisa," Zoe said with a smile. "I have to talk to him about something." Lisa frowned, but she didn't say anything as she turned to leave.

Zoe led Lu Zhiyu to a corner on the left side of the room. The two found a red couch and sat down. Immediately, a server came over with some champagne and snacks and Lu Zhiyu and Zoe each took a flute. They clinked their glasses and Zoe asked, "You came alone? Didn't you bring a date?"

"I don't know a lot of people here," Lu Zhiyu said, shaking his head. "I just wanted to know what your parties are like."

Zoe glanced at him as if she found his words hard to believe. "Oh my God, you're not...gay, are you?"

Zoe looked at him as if confirming something. Lu Zhiyu waved his hands frantically and said, "No, no, no. Don't make such jokes, Zoe. They're not funny."

"Alright," Zoe said with a small smile and nodded. She grabbed his hand and said, "Then I will be your date tonight. Promise me you'll dance with me?"

"I'm not a good dancer, though," Lu Zhiyu said with a shrug. "I might step on your feet."

Zoe smiled. "Don't worry," she said with a small wave. "Come on. I want to introduce you to someone."

In the middle of the room was a thin man with a small beard. He was very slender, but he looked very energetic and proud and seemed to be a good friend of Zoe's. As Zoe walked over with Lu Zhiyu, he first waved at her, then glanced curiously at him. After Zoe introduced Lu Zhiyu to him, he smiled and said, "Greetings, Mr. Anthony. I'm Charles Andrew. Welcome to my party."

"The honor is all mine," Lu Zhiyu said, shaking hands with him.

The party was more fun than Lu Zhiyu expected. Charles had hired a professional band, and the band performed some very interesting and unique music. Amidst the elegant music, the moon rose and its light poured into the room through the large windows. The entire mansion was lit up for the party and the attendees in suits and elegant gowns danced together under the mingling party light. The atmosphere made one feel like they had been transported to the Middle Ages.

Lu Zhiyu walked onto the dance floor with Zoe, who unexpectedly tugged him into a waltz. The two waltzed across the floor with such ease that the dancers around them stopped to glance at them. When the song ended, the two concluded their dance with a professional pose and applause erupted around them. Zoe looked at him with a wide smile, her cheeks flushed. "I thought you said you couldn't dance," she said. "You were being modest, weren't you?"

Lu Zhiyu grinned mysteriously. Of course, he wouldn't tell Zoe that although he had never danced the waltz before, he did have his sub-brain do some research about dancing. That, combined with his absolute control over his own body and attention to detail, made it easy to learn how to dance and pretend that he had been learning it since he was young.

After talking for a few more minutes after leaving the dance floor, Lu Zhiyu said, "I'll be fine. You don't have to stay with me the entire time. I think I'll walk around a little. I'm pretty interested in this castle."

Lu Zhiyu knew the reason Zoe came to this party was to network and expand her connections. She was the daughter of a businessman and had several siblings. If she wanted her family business and more resources, she would have to fight for it. She needed more friends and more people who knew her face and name. This was why this party was so important to her.

Lu Zhiyu walked through the hallway of the castle alone, looking at all the paintings in the hall. The paintings showed the previous owners of this mansion, and there were brief descriptions about each one of them under their portraits as well as some descriptions of the castle's history and some of the important events that had taken place there. This mansion had a long history, and Lu Zhiyu was very interested by it.

"That's my grandfather," a voice said as Lu Zhiyu stared at a painting of an old man. He turned and saw Charles standing behind him. "He was a devoted Christian," Charles said.

"Do you believe in God, Mr. Andrew?" Lu Zhiyu asked, curious.