Jiang Mian was stunned. She hadn't expected Lin An to be so resolute. In her memory, men would be heartbroken when they were rejected by her, but Lin An generously advised her to get together with her younger brother, Lin Zhe. This was too abnormal.
Lin An is definitely playing hard to get; this guy is incredibly cunning.
"Wait a minute," Jiang Mian called out to Lin An, who was about to leave. "If my grandfather asks you why you broke off the engagement, please..."
“I would say I’m not interested in you,” Lin An blurted out.
"You...who told you to say that? Just say we're incompatible and can't get along."
"I'm a straightforward person and I like to tell the truth. I just don't like you, and it doesn't matter who asks."
Lin An's expression was calm, and his tone was even, not like he was sulking, but rather like he was stating the facts.
Jiang Mian felt a surge of anger and blurted out, "Get this straight, I was the one who dumped you."
"It doesn't matter. As long as I don't have to marry you, it doesn't matter who dumps whom. I only care about the outcome," Lin An said calmly.
Jiang Mian was furious. Lin An's meaning was very clear: even if she didn't mention breaking off the engagement, Lin An would take the initiative to do so.
"You don't need to stubbornly insist on saving face. There's a limit to playing hard to get. Talking like this won't do you any good..."
The Jiang family is quite powerful, and Jiang Mian wants to use her status as a rich young lady to overshadow Lin An.
Before Jiang Mian could finish speaking, Lin An turned and went inside. This woman was too long-winded. It was just a matter of breaking off the engagement, a simple matter of a sentence, but he was getting tired of hearing it.
Jiang Mian stomped her feet in anger. It felt a bit strange to be standing alone on the outdoor terrace, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Lin An inside.
"Brother, did you bully Mianmian? Why did she look so pale when she came back from going out with you?"
Lin Zhe, always eager to stir up trouble, pretentiously questioned Lin An.
“I didn’t bully her. She told me she likes you a lot. Why don’t you get together with her? She’ll definitely be happy.”
Lin An deliberately raised his voice as he spoke.
People's interest in gossip surpasses everything else, and instantly all the young men and women in the private room turned their attention to Jiang Mian.
Zhou Ya breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Jiang Mian didn't like Lin An, and quickly tried to match them up:
"Mianmian, you like Lin Zhe? That's great! I wish you both the best."
Jiang Mian was speechless. She only wanted to use Lin Zhe as an example to manipulate Lin An. She didn't really have those kinds of feelings for Lin Zhe. At most, she just thought he was better than Lin An. She didn't expect that the other party would not accept her manipulation and instead put her in the eye of the storm.
"Mianmian, is what he said true?"
Lin Zhe gazed at Jiang Mian with deep affection. The Jiang family was far more powerful than the Lin family, and he had long considered making Jiang Mian his fiancée.
"Ugh, don't ask me, it's so annoying." Jiang Mian's annoyance was written all over her face.
Lin Zhe looked surprised: "Mianmian, what's wrong?"
Realizing she had lost her composure, Jiang Mian quickly explained, "Sorry, I have a bit of a headache, I'll be going now."
Lu Xun, who loved watching the drama unfold, quickly said, "Then Lin Zhe, I'm entrusting Mianmian to you. Be sure to be a good protector of the flower."
"Great!" Lin Zhe was extremely excited; the opportunity had finally arrived.
Jiang Mian's face looked as ugly as if she had eaten shit. Lin An was really too hateful. It only takes one mouth to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of legwork to refute them. Soon the rumors about her and Lin Zhe will spread throughout the circle, and it is possible that she and Lin Zhe will be locked up.
She thought that by dumping Lin An, she was giving up a crooked tree to gain the whole forest, but she ended up with another tree that wasn't very strong. Thinking about this, Jiang Mian's temples throbbed with pain.
"Mianmian, let me help you."
Lin Zhe was exceptionally attentive, reaching out to take Jiang Mian's arm.
But Jiang Mian brushed him off: "Let me have some peace and quiet."
She ran away, he chased, and the two left amidst a quarrel.
Lu Xun commented: "Tsk tsk tsk, they're quite affectionate."
Lin An remained noncommittal. The two were husband and wife in their past lives, so he wished them well. He wondered if Jiang Mian, who was frequently abused by Lin Zhe, would regret her decision to annul the engagement today.
Lu Xun handed Lin An a drink and said, "Lin An, I heard you were admitted to the Mathematics Department of Peking University through the recommendation program. We'll be classmates from now on."
"You also chose Peking University?"
"Of course, I'm a simple person, I go wherever there are lots of girls."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Lu Xun leaned close to Lin An's ear and whispered, "Does Zhou Ya like you? Jiang Mian was so nervous when she asked you to go out earlier."
"Don't talk nonsense."
Lu Xun confidently stated, "I'm not making this up. I understand girls' feelings best. I can spot these little thoughts at a glance. She's a girl, so why don't you take the initiative?"
"I have no plans to be in a relationship at the moment."
Despite saying this, Lin An's love life in his previous life was barren and painful. In this second life, he still had expectations for love. After all, a man needs money to have confidence, so he should focus on his career first.
Lu Xun shook his head, sighing at Lin An's dull life: "Tsk tsk tsk, no fun at all."
Zhou Ya was worried that Lin An would feel uncomfortable in this situation, so she kept an eye on him. When she saw Lu Xun shaking his head, she thought that they had a disagreement in their conversation, so she quickly came up to defuse the situation.
What are you talking about?
Lu Xun casually remarked, "Men, of course, talk about their careers."
"Lin An, you've already been accepted into university, so you shouldn't be too busy now, right? Would you be interested in joining the Zhou Group?"
Zhou Shengren has repeatedly instructed Zhou Ya to find a way to bring Lin An to the Zhou family company.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I won't go. I've already started my own company." Lin An politely declined the Zhou family's invitation.
"Congratulations, Lin An."
Zhou Ya was slightly worried. Lin An was such an outstanding and capable man that he would soon achieve great success. Once he became famous, she wondered how many girls would flock to him. It seemed that she needed to speed things up.
After the banquet, Zhou Ya took the initiative to drive Lin An home, and the two chatted casually on the way.
Zhou Ya kindly reminded her, "I think you should still be careful of Lin Zhe; he keeps saying bad things about you."
"Saying I'm a country bumpkin, uncultured, and unruly?" Lin An was all too familiar with Lin Zhe's little tricks.
"Yes, but I told him to shut up. However, his constant smearing of you is damaging your image. Now that you own your own company, maintaining a good image is an important aspect."
Lin An felt that Zhou Ya made sense. Before, he was just a student and could ignore Lin Zhe's foul mouth. But now it was different. His image represented the company, and he wanted to build the world's greatest company. He couldn't tolerate Lin Zhe's malicious slander.
Zhou Ya then asked, "Should our Zhou family step in and warn him?"
In Haishi, the Zhou family still has some influence over Lin Zhe, enough to shut him up.
"No need, I can do it myself."
A warning? That's too lenient on him. Doesn't Lin Zhe like to create a persona? Letting everyone know that his mouth is a stinking cesspool is better than making him shut up.
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