Lin Zhaojiang grabbed Song Wan and pulled her close, his strength almost suffocating her.
It seemed that only by holding her tightly like this would she not run away.
“Zhaojiang…” Song Wan gently patted his back, “What exactly happened? Please tell me…”
"I don't have much of an appetite." Lin Zhaojiang released her, took a deep breath, composed himself, and forced a smile. "Could we not eat at home?"
"Oh..." Song Wan nodded, her worry for him outweighing her doubts, and she went along with whatever he said.
Lin Zhaojiang took her hand and fled the house as if they were escaping a disaster.
He never imagined he would be afraid one day.
I'm afraid that long-buried past will resurface, and that old wound will be reopened.
I'm afraid I'll never have her again...
"Wanwan, let's get married as soon as possible." He said in a hoarse voice, almost pleading in her ear.
Song Wan was stunned and stared at him blankly.
His eyes were red-rimmed, and there seemed to be something in his gaze that she couldn't understand.
"After we get married, we'll leave here immediately. Where do you want to go? Central City? Or abroad? I'll take you anywhere! I... we'll move to a different place. I can give up everything here, I..."
Lin Zhaojiang began to speak incoherently and became restless.
Song Wan tiptoed and gently hugged him.
The scent emanating from her made him feel a little more at ease.
“Zhaojiang,” she said softly, “my brother is really annoying. Don’t take what he says to heart… I’ll call him and yell at him to help you get revenge, okay?”
Lin Zhaojiang looked at her quietly, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.
She still thought that Song Huai had said something nasty to make him lose his composure like that.
But if she remembered everything from the past, even where the child was buried... she would hate him and could never be so gentle with him again.
"I'm willing to marry you." Song Wan's eyes sparkled like stars as she smiled. "But... shouldn't you also introduce me to your family? Do you expect me to follow you secretly, without any official status?"
"Of course not! I will marry you properly, and I will tell the whole world that you are my wife!"
Why are you reacting so strongly?
Song Wan wiped the sweat from his brow and burst out laughing.
Although she was surprised by his reaction, she still felt sweet inside.
"So let's take things slowly about getting married," she said softly. "You don't want to make me feel wronged, right?"
Lin Zhaojiang was speechless and could only hold her in his arms.
She didn't understand his thoughts, his urgency, or the boundless guilt and regret in his heart.
Just then, Song Wan's phone rang. She glanced at the screen, walked to the side, and answered it.
"Hello!" came a cheerful voice from the other end. "Excuse me... is this 'Yicheng Jiangwan'?"
Song Wan was stunned. The voice sounded familiar. She had submitted her work a while ago on a whim, and she hadn't expected that the woman she met in the coffee shop would actually call her back.
"Alright, let's not keep each other in suspense any longer!" Xiao Liran laughed. "Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Xiao Liran, or Lilian on my business card. I've read your manuscript, and I admire your writing style. If you're interested, you're welcome to visit my company!"
"Really?" Song Wan was overjoyed.
"You can rest assured, I am definitely not a fraudulent company!"
"No, no... I'm just a little excited. I didn't expect my first submission to be recognized!"
"That just proves you have a talent for this!" Xiao Liran said crisply. "I'll send you an address in a bit, and I'll show you around when I'm free in half an hour!"
Song Wan glanced at her watch; half an hour... she had to get there as soon as possible!
"Who's calling you?" Lin Zhaojiang walked to her side and smiled. "Why are you answering the phone so mysteriously, not letting me hear it?"
"Um...it was an advertisement." Song Wan wanted to wait until everything settled down before confessing to him. "By the way, are you going to the company to take care of some things? I want to buy a few books; I can walk by myself!"
"I'll take you."
"Really, no need!" Song Wan said, skipping and hopping ahead, waving at him. "Don't worry, I'll be back at the hotel soon!"
Lin Zhaojiang was slightly taken aback, but quickly thought of someone. He had someone check, and sure enough, the phone call just now was from Xiao Liran to Song Wan.
He gave a helpless, slight smile.
"Mr. Lin," his subordinate asked, "should we invite Mr. Xiao over?"
"No need," Lin Zhaojiang thought for a moment. "I'll go myself. She holds my trump card now; it seems she's really determined to make this investment!"
"OK."
"Oh, right, there's one more thing." Lin Zhaojiang's eyes darkened. "Have someone keep an eye on Song Huai and see what he does every day. Also... don't let him say anything out of line!"
*
Song Wan arrived at Xiao Liran's territory, SL Publishing Company, as agreed.
Xiao Liran greeted her warmly and led her to a floor of the office building.
Two offices, mountains of manuscripts, and messy stacks of sample books... This was completely different from the publishing company Song Wan had imagined.
"Don't underestimate us just because we're small now. In the future, SL will definitely be the No. 1 in this industry!"
Xiao Liran took her hand and introduced, "We've published several best-selling books and already have a few well-known authors. We still have great potential!"
"So your company..."
Rachel continued, "Right now, we only have these two offices!"
Song Wan was stunned. "That employee..."
Rachel and Xiao Liran stood side by side, and Rachel flashed her a standard eight-tooth smile!
"Just the two of you?"
"Uh... that's quite a lot!" Xiao Liran said, slightly embarrassed, and quickly changed the subject. "Well, though it's small, it's fully functional! Don't be fooled by the fact that there are only two of us in the company, Rachel and I. As writers' agents, the two of us are enough!"
"So, Mr. Xiao usually handles all matters personally?"
Song Wan could hardly believe it.
She had also heard about Xiao Liran's background. The Xiao family's influence in Yun City was comparable to that of the Zhonglin Group. Xiao Liran was originally a pampered princess who could have inherited everything from her family with dignity.
Now, however, he is willing to stay in this small place and do any kind of chores.
If it weren't for her love for this profession, how could she have persisted until today?
Song Wan smiled, feeling even more respect for this strong woman.
“Writer Song,” Rachel inquired, “are you satisfied with our company? Do you have any intention of signing a contract?”
Song Wan looked around. Although it was small, it gave her a natural sense of belonging.
She enjoys work related to books and is willing to work alongside Xiao Liran.
Lin Zhaojiang was standing outside the door at that moment.
He saw Song Wan looking radiant, and noticed the unique gleam in her eyes as she held those books.
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