Chapter 12
Chu Hong's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Upon hearing that this matter might involve Yuan Chu Yu, he suddenly became hesitant and lost his momentum, becoming as timid as a wilted cucumber.
He was about to object when he suddenly noticed the person behind Lin Langyi, and his expression changed drastically. He awkwardly called out, "Cousin..."
Lin Langyi's smile froze, and she turned her head away.
Yuan Chuyu was there at some point. He stood in the shade under the circular gate, not exposed to the sun at all. Only a sliver of reflected light shone from the water in the distance. He didn't glance at Chu Hong, but stared at her silently the whole time.
"The swimsuits have arrived, shall we come and choose one?"
Tao Shu asked in surprise, "Isn't the commercial area here not open yet? How come they sell swimsuits?"
Yuan Chuyu's gaze lingered for a second on Lin Langyi's soaked side before shifting away: "Yan Jin had it delivered."
Xiao Pucheng glanced at Yuan Chuyu's calm face again, his expression unreadable.
"Cousin, our bet doesn't count, I..." Chu Hong became anxious.
However, Yuan Chuyu still felt it wasn't enough, and casually added, "The stakes are good. In addition, the allowance your father gives you each month isn't much, but it's not little either. If you lose, besides what I just mentioned, you'll have to pay for the entire trip to Jinshaxi Island."
Chu Hong was shocked. He was a mischievous boy who had always been spoiled by his parents. He had finally been severely punished and his allowance was strictly controlled. The main person who made this decision was his cousin.
Since then, he has never been financially well-off.
If he pays for the whole trip, he won't be able to participate in any entertainment activities for at least three or four months.
Chu Hong was filled with regret and frantically waved his hands, "Cousin, cousin, cousin! I..."
Yuan Chuyu turned around and led Lin Langyi to choose a swimsuit, only glancing at him casually. His usual faint smile and calm tone carried a subtle sense of intimidation: "If you're a man... oh, kids don't really need to treat us."
Lin Langyi listened to Chu Hong's angry and anxious wails behind her, and followed Yuan Chuyu back through the garden to the dressing room on the east side.
She was frantically reviewing what she had just said, trying to find a way to make Yuan Chuyu believe that she had no problem with her cousin.
"So you're 171cm tall?" he said first, choosing an extremely ordinary topic that was harmless and didn't seem like he was there to interrogate someone.
Lin Langyi paused for two seconds, then decided to be honest: "Actually, no, it's 2cm off."
Yuan Chuyu glanced at her, slightly puzzled.
"Ah, I'm just trying out your typical male tactics, experiencing the vanity of exaggerating your height." Lin Langyi said confidently, "Don't you guys say 170 when you're 168cm, 175cm when you're 172cm, and 180cm when you're 178cm? So it's not too much for me to add a bit more when we're arguing, is it?"
“Besides,” she looked down at herself, like a proud, thriving wheat stalk, “I may not be over 170cm, but Chu Hong isn’t as tall as me either. When you’re out in the world, you earn your own face. When you’re arguing, you just pick the most incisive angle to stab someone.”
Yuan Chuyu seemed to smile slightly, the faint sunlight filtering through the leaves in the garden casting shadows on his face, making him look incredibly gentle at that moment.
"It's because Cheng Yanjin didn't do a good job that you have to work so hard to save face," he suddenly said.
"It's your first day here, and the person who brought you into this circle doesn't even show up in person, which is a form of disrespect. And the disrespect shown by the introducer will be contagious and affect other people's first impression. It's just that some people are good at being hypocritical, while others, like spoiled idiots like Chu Hong, will show it directly."
Lin Langyi was stunned. She didn't expect Yuan Chuyu to defend her like this. After teaching Chu Hong a lesson, he was still able to criticize Cheng Yanjin, the "instigator," without any mercy.
This is his good brother. He can stand up for her so fairly and impartially, and even speak ill of Cheng Yanjin in front of her.
Of course she knew Chu Hong's values. The hierarchy of contempt was ingrained in the bones of people from aristocratic families who looked down on the rich second generation, and the rich second generation who looked down on the nouveau riche.
Not to mention she's in the real business world. In those TV dramas, the domineering CEOs all change their identities with the times, becoming high-tech tycoons, investment bankers, etc. They're all involved in high-end things like financial technology. Oh, for example, the person in front of me has some family connections in that field.
She, a pearl farmer, is like those who set up stalls or open shops on the roadside. She is actually very rich and has a strong financial chain, but it just sounds low-class.
Who says there aren't different levels of jobs, or different levels of people? It's just that nobody says it out loud.
However, Yuan Chuyu never seemed to have any prejudice against her.
Lin Langyi sincerely exclaimed, "Brother Yu, you really are a good person."
Yuan Chuyu glanced at her, then suddenly pursed his lips and smiled with a hint of teasing: "I'm a good person? How come I remember that I, who conform to the precepts of altruism, seem boring and hypocritical? So you doubted that I was a good person when you first met me?"
She's waiting for him here!
Lin Langyi's temples throbbed. How much had this person overheard? Help! And she admitted that she had been prejudiced and suspicious when they first met, but did it have to come back to dredge up old grievances now?
She braced herself and unleashed her years of eloquent tongue: "However, being smart, decisive, academically excellent, and good at interpersonal communication are internal points for self-interest, and you do those perfectly too. You are the kind of child everyone admires."
"I'm not as good as you think."
“A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions; gaining unanimous praise from those around you is not an easy thing,” she retorted.
"Besides, while those sensible and generous external points are altruistic, they make you, who already have a strong core, appear even more extraordinary. Who says that 'altruism' and 'being difficult to mess with' can't coexist? If you first use 'altruism' to let others taste the benefits and be willing to work for you, and then add 'selfishness,' isn't that the answer?"
Yuan Chuyu gave her a deep look. Sunlight slid across his high nose bridge and, unusually, gave his obsidian-like pupils a glimmer of light.
He said softly, "So you got the job from one of your companies in Y City or G City in the same way, right?"
Lin Langyi's face stiffened, and her steps faltered.
He said calmly, "By taking advantage of the commercial loan opportunity, you changed the legal representative. On the surface, you were taking on debt and gambling on automated clean water aquaculture, but in reality, you put the entire company into your pocket in advance."
"No matter who gets the company in the end, you've already gained the upper hand. If you don't sign, no one can take it from you. You're ruthless, yet you're still saying sweet and warm words."
He hit the nail on the head: "Commonly known as, sweet-talking but hard-hearted."
The two walked out of the garden and onto the eaves, where the sunlight could no longer shine directly, and the air became slightly colder.
Lin Langyi's expression was equally unpredictable.
Yuan Chuyu still wore a gentle and bright smile: "Uncle Lin only mentioned that you made the right bet on the policy with your loan, praising your foresight. The rest was just my guess... That's why I wanted to come and see you for the first time."
Seeing that Lin Langyi's small face was tense and her whole body seemed to be bristling with thorns, he softened his voice to comfort her: "Don't be afraid. I didn't mean anything by saying this. I just feel that we are actually the same kind of people."
Lin Langyi retorted dryly, "The same kind?"
"Yes, when you agree to do something for someone, even if you don't like it, you still agree readily and cheerfully. Because if you make excuses and then do it anyway, all those complaints are meaningless except for lowering the other person's opinion of you. But if you want to refuse something, you will try your best to be considerate of others in your words, and then refuse directly in your actions, right?"
He smiled slightly at her: "A very capable girl, always going against human nature."
Lin Langyi felt extremely uneasy.
Especially under these circumstances, she still had to ask him for help.
But Yuan Chuyu's voice was incredibly gentle at that moment, so Lin Lang made up her mind and, following his use of the word "kindred spirits" to close the distance, immediately told him everything Cheng Yanjin had mentioned about the bulk commodity spot market.
Yuan Chuyu turned his head to gaze at her, his face showing little emotion, as if he had known from the beginning why she had come.
He behaves completely differently when discussing serious matters and when chatting casually: "I need a reason."
Finally, they arrived at the most important topic. Lin Langyi straightened her shoulders and tensed up, assuring them, "The Lin family will not let you down."
He remained motionless, his long, dark eyelashes lowered, just looking at her.
In a daze, Lin Langyi felt that there were turbulent emotions in those eyes.
He seemed to be clearly and directly telling her that he could help her.
He could easily and simply help her, as easily as lifting a finger, if he wanted to.
Of course, this requires her to show more sincerity.
There are no philanthropists in business.
Unfortunately, Lin Langyi answered incorrectly.
She went over the technology in the core area again, talking about the luster of Lin's pearls, the reduction of wrinkles, the stability of quality control, and the customers' preference. She even mentioned at the end that she could offer a certain profit margin.
Yuan Chuyu listened quietly to her, a smile playing on his lips, as gentle and pleasant as a spring breeze, just as he always was in front of others—polite, refined, and elegant.
But Lin Langyi clearly realized that these conditions could not sway him.
Her words gradually slowed down, her tone becoming weak and fading. In the end, Yuan Chuyu, who didn't usually interrupt, ended the conversation herself.
She didn't know.
She had no idea what he wanted.
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