Chapter 101 Should you come out, or should I go in?

A question mark popped into Duan Lin's mind, "You don't know?"

Tan Zhaojing had no time for nonsense, his brows furrowed with coldness. "Get to the point, what happened between Zaoyi and Ji Boshen?"

Duan Lin: ?

Was he being too slow to realize it, or was he meddling in things that weren't his fault?

Even with that brief half-second pause, Tan Zhaojing, that dog, coldly urged, "Speak!"

"Okay, okay," he said.

"On a blind date."

These words immediately plunged the entire office into an icy abyss.

Assistant Shao, standing to the side, opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. It wouldn't be so bad if it were just a rival in love, but this was President Ji.

"Where?" Tan Zhaojing's tone was one of forced composure.

Duan Lin paused for a moment, then asked, "Where is what?"

"address."

"...No, you're not going to flip the table, are you?"

He just didn't understand, "Why do you, an illegitimate brother, care so much? Even a sister-complex wouldn't be this obsessed!"

Assistant Shao broke out in a cold sweat, wanting to say something to remind him: "President Duan, you should shut up."

Tan Zhaojing simply repeated the same two words: "Address."

On the other side.

Lin Zaoyi was completely embarrassed and unconsciously scratched the skin under her eyes. "President Ji, how about this meal—"

"It's alright." Ji Baishen interrupted her in a calm voice, entered the private room, pulled out the chair in the innermost seat, and said in a gentlemanly manner, "Order whatever you like."

Lin Zaoyi was not at ease; she felt uncomfortable from head to toe, and sat down stiffly, her buttocks barely touching the edge of the seat.

A cup of tea appeared before me, and the dark shirt cuffs were adorned with silver cufflinks. For some reason, I became engrossed in looking at them.

A soft chuckle sounded in my ear, "Interested?"

She snapped out of her daze, took a sip of water to compose herself, and said, "No."

Ji Boshen asked, "What are your thoughts on marriage?"

She glanced up, "Huh?"

The other person looked at him and said, "You should know this meal is a blind date."

She told the truth: "Aunt Ying only let me meet her first."

Ji Baishen nodded. "So, you didn't like me."

His words were casual, spoken in a relaxed, conversational tone.

Lin Zaoyi was embarrassed; no matter how she answered, it seemed inappropriate.

The other person then asked, "You and Tan Zhaojing broke up?"

The topic was rather broad and sharp, and she didn't have the mind to speculate on how President Ji had figured it out, so she nodded silently.

Ji Baishen stopped there and didn't ask any more questions.

Silence fell between the two.

Lin Zaoyi didn't try to start a conversation; she just wanted to end things as soon as possible. To be honest, if she had known beforehand that it was Ji Boshen, she would never have come.

How are we supposed to get news from now on? It's so embarrassing.

My phone vibrated.

Lin Zaoyi looked over, and the note flashing on the screen made her momentarily dazed. After a brief pause, she put the phone to her ear and said, "Hello."

"Are you coming out or should I go in?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was as soft and deep as ever, but it made her breath catch in her throat. "What..."

"I am at Yuanju."

Without warning, for a brief moment, Lin Zaoyi forgot to think, her fingertips gripping the phone trembling, and her voice trembled, "Are you... okay?"

"You have two minutes."

The call ended.

Ji Baishen could roughly deduce who it was from the girl's helpless expression, and as for what she said, it wasn't hard to guess.

Duan Lin's mouth can't keep secrets.

Lin Zaoyi stood up blankly, walked to the window, and caught a glimpse of the figure through the grille.

He was dressed in black, and his shadow under the streetlights was stretched long and sharp.

"Do you need any help?" Ji Baishen approached.

"Need not."

Ji Baishen was stung by her unwavering rejection, but remained outwardly composed, saying, "We didn't break up."

Lin Zaoyi didn't know how to answer, and it seemed there was no need to explain.

"Mr. Ji, I'm sorry, I have to leave now."

"Wait." Ji Baishen reached out and grabbed her, only touching her clothes, but this action had lost its usual nonchalance. He let go imperceptibly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing together.

The girl looked up at him and said, "Please tell me."

"It's okay, I've almost finished eating, let's eat together."

The door opened, and the two stepped out one after the other.

The sky and earth were dim, but the courtyard was bright. Tan Zhaojing stood near the artificial lake. It was cold, and a thin mist rose on the lake. Even through the mist, one could feel the ice in his eyes.

Lin Zaoyi didn't know how he found out, nor could she understand his purpose. To maintain her composure, she forced herself to walk over.

The door to the next private room opened, revealing Meng Henian. Without even trying, he immediately noticed Tan Zhaojing a few meters away.

He had just overheard Duan Lin mention it at the dinner table. Duan Lin spoke casually, but he was on edge listening to it. How could things have changed so much after he had been away on a business trip for a while?

She tugged at Ji Baishen's clothes. "Are you alright?"

Ji Baishen didn't reply. He poured out a cigarette, but didn't smoke it. He just rubbed it in his palm.

Duan Lin couldn't help but complain, "Is talking about Zhaojing really necessary? Zaoyi is just going on a blind date, why is she being so defensive like her father!"

Meng Henian sometimes really wondered what was going on in Duan Lin's head. "You still haven't figured it out?"

Duan Lin was puzzled. "? What did you see?"

Meng Henian suddenly lost the desire to communicate.

Duan Lin: "...Can you not just say half of what you mean?"

Meng Henian: "Ask Ji Baishen."

Ji Baishen didn't want to talk. He rubbed his pipe, and because he did it so hard, most of the tobacco fell out.

Receiving no answer, Duan Lin laughed in exasperation, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag. "Trying to isolate me, huh?"

His gaze swept over the brother and sister who had come halfway, and the more he looked, the more something seemed off. Why was Tan Zhaojing forcibly holding onto Zaoyi's sister?

His gaze lingered for a moment, and what he saw next was quite alarming: Tan Zhaojing was shocked to see that the dog was actually gripping the back of Zao Yi's head!

His hand holding the cigarette trembled, and the ash fell onto the back of his hand, burning him. He didn't have time to pay attention to the wound and suddenly looked at Meng Henian.

This time, Meng Henian replied, "Don't tell me you still don't understand."

Duan Lin's face immediately contorted in shock and disbelief. He uttered a curse, "When the hell did this happen?!"

Meng Henian smiled leisurely, "Guess."

Duan Lin: "..."

Screw you!

A few meters away, two people stood, one with a deep gaze, the other with a cold demeanor.

The latter herself knew that her current ease was just a facade, while the man in front of her had lost his usual composure, and his gentle features were now filled with icy coldness.

She instinctively stepped back, but he pressed closer. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly. She opened her lips, managing to squeeze out a complete sentence, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Her hand was gripped again, and she instinctively tried to shake it off, but failed. Just as she was about to gather her strength again, she caught a glimpse of three figures approaching from the corner of her eye.

Duan Lin's scrutiny was the most intense.

No amount of explanation is as good as keeping quiet.

She temporarily stopped struggling and lowered her eyes as if trying to escape.

Ji Baishen's gaze lingered briefly on the two men's clasped hands before quickly looking away.

Even though it was fast, it still left traces. Tan Zhaojing brushed it off lightly, raising his eyelids slightly. "You flatter me. I'll take my girlfriend home first."

After saying that, he tugged at the person next to him and said, "Say goodbye to President Ji and let's go."

Lin Zaoyi: "..."

Meng Henian laughed.