Chapter 2 Have we met somewhere before?

They chatted, and Lin Zaoyi didn't interrupt at all, minimizing her presence.

Occasionally, she would unconsciously glance at Tan Zhaojing. The man had a handsome appearance, and his jawline was even clearer than her life plan line.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, he subtly shifted his eyes, and their gazes met in mid-air. Though the scene was calm and uneventful, she felt unbearably anxious.

Lin Zaoyi knew that this was a sin committed out of a guilty conscience.

He secretly regretted not looking at it more.

I calmed myself down and quietly shifted my focus.

“Zaoyi,” Uncle Tan suddenly called to her, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Come sit next to Zhaojing and you two have a good chat.”

Forget it.

It's not like you're going to kill her.

Lin Zaoyi forced a smile, "You guys chat, Zhaojing and I will have plenty of opportunities in the future."

Just then, the aunt came over and called for dinner.

"Let's eat."

As Mingxian stood up, she pulled her daughter along, saying, "Come on, let's go to the kitchen and check on the soup."

Lin Zaoyi knew perfectly well that this was a lecture; her mother couldn't cook, and this was just an excuse to call her into the kitchen.

Sure enough, as soon as they went in, they confronted her, saying, "Not only did you not greet us, but you also sat there like a mute, not saying a word."

She lowered her eyes slightly and said, "What are you talking about? We don't even know each other."

"You'll get to know each other after a couple of chats."

"I can't talk to them." Lin Zaoyi established a new persona for herself. "Didn't I tell you I'm shy around strangers?"

Upon hearing this, Mingxian glanced at her daughter, "How come I didn't know you had this problem?"

Lin Zaoyi retorted, "Why don't you mention that you haven't lived with me for so many years?"

They divorced when they were young, without any complaints. Even after the separation, their love for her remained undiminished. However, her father's love only lasted until her freshman year of college when he passed away.

I thought life would continue in this lukewarm way until one sunny afternoon I received a call from my mother saying I was getting married.

It was quite sudden.

When they learned that the man's surname was Tan, they weren't surprised anymore.

When my mother was young, she had a romantic entanglement with Uncle Tan, but it was not allowed by the Tan family.

Regarding her relationship, her father once told her that her mother was decisive and moved on to the next relationship without any hesitation.

Lin Zaoyi collected her thoughts and laughed to cover up her embarrassment, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to blame you."

Whether it was strange or not, Mingxian knew in her heart, and she didn't try to make excuses for herself. "From now on, Mom will take better care of you."

Lin Zaoyi wanted to say no, as she was planning to move out of here anyway, but now was not the right time to bring it up, otherwise her mother would overthink it.

The maid came in to serve the soup, and the mother and daughter made room for her.

Lin Zaoyi arrived at the restaurant a few steps later. The table was long and narrow. Uncle Tan sat in the main seat, with his mother to his right and Tan Zhaojing to his left. Tan Jiani naturally sat next to Tan Zhaojing.

To avoid unnecessary eye contact, she sat down next to Tan Jiani, but this looked awkward and made it difficult to pick up food.

It's okay, skipping a meal is a way to lose weight.

Tan Jiani, who had always disliked her, looked as if she had seen a ghost. "Lin Zaoyi, why are you sitting next to me?"

She blurted out, "I'm craving the seafood stewed egg in front of you."

"That's easy." Mr. Tan got up and rearranged the dish. "What else would you like to eat?"

Lin Zaoyi: "...That's all, thank you Uncle Tan."

She could only move to her mother's side, and tried not to look up before putting down the chopsticks.

Perhaps sensing her restraint, Uncle Tan smiled and said, "Zaoyi, don't think your brother Zhaojing is cold. That's just his personality. Has the newspaper given you any assignments recently? If you need an interview, just ask."

He pointed to his son, "It's right here."

Lin Zaoyi verbally agreed, "I will."

Tan Jiani silently added fuel to the fire in her heart: Her brother would never agree. Someone tried to pull strings and get through to Grandpa, but he was rejected without hesitation.

Moreover, Lin Zaoyi.

The maid handed over a glass of decanted red wine. Mr. Tan took it and poured half a glass for his daughter. As for Zaoyi, he wasn't sure about her alcohol tolerance.

He asked, "Zaoyi, would you like a drink?"

For some reason, Lin Zaoyi thought of that night, and strangely enough, Tan Zhaojing, who was sitting diagonally opposite her, suddenly looked over.

A chill ran down my back.

She's now like a frightened bird, her nerves taut like a bag of instant noodles that costs a dollar, ready to crumble at any moment.

Fortunately, he moved away in just half a second.

It must have been a casual glance.

Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, settled down, and she replied to her elder, "No need, Uncle Tan, I'll just have the soup."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was relatively peaceful, but Lin Zaoyi ate with trepidation, and in the end, she didn't even know what she had eaten.

Tan Jiani was the first to put down her chopsticks. "Brother, I have something to do back in my room. I'll come find you later."

Lin Zaoyi also wanted to go back.

As they walked toward the living room, she deliberately lagged behind a few steps, but her mother saw through her act and slapped her on the bottom, saying, "I think you're just pretending to be profound."

"...No way."

This time, they didn't sit for long. About five minutes later, Tan Zhaojing said, "Dad, Aunt Ming, I have a video conference. Let's go back to our room first."

Mingxian: "Okay, I'll have Zaoyi bring you some fruit later."

Lin Zaoyi: "???"

With so many aunties around, why let her deliver it?

He kept giving his mother meaningful glances.

Mingxian ignored her; the mischievous girl was getting addicted to pretending.

Tan Zhaojing stood up with a calm expression, without raising his eyes. As he passed the girl, he said a gentle thank you, "Thank you for your trouble."

......

Ten minutes later, Lin Zaoyi appeared on the third floor carrying a fruit platter that her mother had forcibly stuffed into her hands. The hallway was carpeted, which absorbed the sound of footsteps, and since only Tan Zhaojing lived on this floor, it seemed even more deserted.

The second door on the right was open, and you could smell a faint scent of wormwood even before you entered. If you sniffed closely, you could detect the refreshing aroma of mint.

I peeked inside and saw that the bedroom had a simple layout, with no extra colors except for black, white and gray, which was very similar to the owner's style of dress today.

Instead of trying to be friendly by calling him "brother," she lightly knocked on the door with her fingers. "It's me, Lin Zaoyi."

About two seconds later, a figure approached. This time, unlike when he was standing upright downstairs, he rolled up his sleeves to his forearms and loosened two buttons on his shirt collar, thus exposing the teeth marks on his collarbone that were hidden under the fabric.

Due to the passage of time, only the dent remains.

Lin Zaoyi's eyes widened, and a few intense scenes inappropriately popped into her mind.

That night, it seems she bit down on it, and quite forcefully...

I didn't dare to look you in the eye, and handed you the fruit plate with my eyes down.

He didn't take it, but out of the corner of his eye he saw him point his finger outwards, "Could you please put it in the study for me?"

He was polite, and she was even more polite, saying, "It's no trouble at all."

I guessed that the next room was the study, and I was right. The furnishings were immediately apparent: neatly arranged bookshelves and a laptop on the desk with its screen lit up, filled with dense English text.

He put the fruit plate on the table, turned around and left.

As they passed each other, he called out to her, "Lin Zaoyi."

She paused, "Huh?"

He slightly lifted his eyelids, his dark pupils calmly gazing at her. "Have we met somewhere before?"

What an outdated way to start a conversation.

For most people, Lin Zaoyi would at most give a fake smile, but at this moment, she was extremely flustered, the fear seeping into her blood.

He opened his lips, but his vocal cords seemed to be held hostage, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

"It's hard to answer," Tan Zhaojing said calmly, looking at the girl in front of him.

She wore a loose ponytail with two strands of hair sticking out from her temples. Perhaps due to nervousness or fear, her breathing was slightly heavy, causing even the strands of hair to move.

After a brief silence, Lin Zaoyi spoke up, "It's not difficult."

She pinched her palm to steady her voice, "I haven't met you, but I have met you."

"Where?" His eyes were dark and his thoughts were unfathomable.

"Financial news videos," she made up haphazardly.

Tan Zhaojing's voice remained unchanged, "Are you sure?"

Lin Zaoyi is easily suspicious; even the slightest doubt can throw her into disarray.

Seeing the other party's lukewarm response, he blurted out without thinking, "I misremembered, it's information!"

After he finished speaking, I heard him laugh.

A very soft, magnetic laugh.

But she felt a chill run down her spine.

Why are you laughing for no reason...

He gave a mischievous smirk. "So far, I haven't given any interviews to any media outlet."

The air fell eerily quiet.