Professional performance
The day for the dinner party arrived quickly, and the venue was set for a private room in a high-end Chinese restaurant.
From the moment she woke up in the morning, she was agonizing over what to wear for today's gathering. She couldn't dress too casually, which would seem like she didn't take it seriously, nor could she dress too formally, which would seem like she was being too deliberate.
After much deliberation, she finally chose a beige dress, which, paired with her hair up, made her look dignified and gentle, without being impolite.
She glanced at the time; it was still quite early. She carefully put together a unique makeup look and repeatedly checked that everything was in order before finally letting out a sigh of relief, though she was still nervous inside.
It was almost dinnertime, and Chi Zhuo still hadn't returned. Lin Tingyue paced back and forth in the living room, looking somewhat anxious.
She was worried that Chi Zhuo might change his mind and not come, but she was also worried that she wouldn't be able to explain it to her brother.
But what if she calls now and Chi Zhuo gets upset and refuses her outright?
Lin Tingyue held her phone tightly, unable to relax for a moment as she waited and waited.
She simply ran straight to the apartment building, and just then, Chi Zhuo's car slowly appeared at the door.
There was no driver in the car today, so Chi Zhuo drove here alone.
Lin Tingyue bent down and peeked over, and found that he was wearing a light gray suit today, which made him look less sharp and more easygoing.
Chi Zhuo's gaze fell on Lin Tingyue, and after looking her over for a while, he asked, "Is everything ready?"
Lin Tingyue hurriedly straightened up and nodded again, "Mmm..."
"Come on up." Without saying anything more, Chi Zhuo withdrew his gaze.
Lin Tingyue took a deep breath, gripped her bag tightly, then opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
She sat there for a while, but the car didn't move. She glanced at the time and couldn't help but ask:
"Why...why aren't you leaving?"
Chi Zhuo glanced at her and said coldly, "Seatbelt."
Xu Zhiyi then realized that she hadn't fastened her seatbelt all day. Feeling ashamed, she quickly fastened it.
In her heart, however, she was cursing Chi Zhuo for not reminding her earlier. He had to wait until she was stunned for a long time before speaking, just to see her make a fool of herself!
Chi Zhuo took in her appearance.
Inside the enclosed carriage, the two people were silent, and Lin Tingyue felt the atmosphere was eerily strange.
Normally, with a driver around, she felt at least had someone to share the burden. Now, however, she was all alone, and felt a sense of helplessness from being abandoned.
Are you nervous?
Chi Zhuo's sudden words startled Xu Zhiyi. Her legs trembled, and she quickly denied it:
"No."
"Oh?" Taking advantage of the red light, Chi Zhuo turned his head and glanced at her, suggesting, "If you're not nervous, you can drive in a bit."
"ah!"
Xu Zhiyi seemed to hear the sound of a bomb going off, and shook her head repeatedly, "No, no! I can't!"
Letting her drive is fine, but having Chi Zhuo sitting next to her is worse than death.
"Can't drive?"
"It might... but..."
"No driver's license?"
"have……"
Xu Zhiyi's confidence waned, and she dared not speak her mind.
"Then it's your turn in a bit."
"no!"
At this moment, Xu Zhiyi's brain was working at lightning speed. She had to think of a suitable reason. She was so anxious that she was almost sweating.
"I...I don't know the way!"
"There is navigation."
"I...I'm not a good driver, I'm afraid of getting into a car accident..."
After Lin Tingyue finished speaking, she thought to herself, "This should be acceptable."
To everyone's surprise, Chi Zhuo said in a serious tone, "If your skills aren't good, you need to practice even more. There's insurance if you get into a car accident."
"..."
Lin Tingyue was at her wit's end.
A pained expression appeared on her face. She closed her eyes and began to regret why she had come here to eat today, and why she had answered Chi Zhuo's words earlier. She really wished she were mute right now.
Chi Zhuo chuckled softly, with a hint of teasing: "Still nervous?"
Lin Tingyue opened her eyes and suddenly realized that she was not as nervous as before. She looked at Chi Zhuo with some surprise, as if his expression was mocking her.
So, Chi Zhuo said that on purpose just now, just to make her feel less reserved, right?
Lin Tingyue turned her head and looked out the window. "I already told you, I didn't."
Chi Zhuo said calmly, "That's fine. Just don't give yourself away in front of your brother later."
A bucket of cold water was poured over her, and Lin Tingyue's initial excitement instantly vanished. She knew that Chi Zhuo couldn't possibly be so kind; he was just reminding her not to forget today's task.
"I know." Lin Tingyue felt uncomfortable and turned to look at him, her tone tinged with sarcasm. "Don't worry, I promise I'll do a good job. Just don't give anything away and drag me down."
Upon hearing her words, Chi Zhuo remained calm and composed, saying, "I'm more professional than you when it comes to acting."
His words instantly brought Lin Tingyue to her senses. Yes, all of this was nothing but a mirage, an illusion.
Lin Tingyue lowered her head and did not answer, but her expression was even more desolate than before.
They finally arrived at the restaurant, where the staff led them to a private room that had been prepared in advance, where Lin Yujin was already waiting.
"elder brother!"
Upon seeing her long-lost brother, Lin Tingyue's eyes reddened almost instantly. She ran over to him in small steps, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible grievance.
Lin Yujin gently patted her shoulder, a smile on his face.
"How old are you to still be crying?"
"It's been so long since I've seen you~" Looking at her brother, Lin Tingyue finally felt a sense of relief, a rare opportunity she hadn't had in a long time.
"Chi Zhuo."
Lin Yujin seated Lin Tingyue, nodded to Chi Zhuo, his tone was polite, but his attitude still carried a hint of the composure and pressure that an elder brother should have.
"Brother Yujin."
Chi Zhuo nodded slightly, his expression unchanged, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant.
He reached out his hand to Lin Yujin, who politely shook it back. The two held hands for almost a minute before slowly letting go.
Looking at the atmosphere, Lin Tingyue felt as if an invisible great battle had taken place.
It was extremely oppressive.
"Sit down," Lin Yujin gestured to Chi Zhuo, who then chose to sit next to Lin Tingyue.
Lin Yujin sat on her other side.
Caught between two men, Lin Tingyue didn't dare to move.
When it came time to order, Lin Yujin deliberately handed the menu to Chi Zhuo, saying, "Chi Zhuo, take a look and see what you'd like to eat."
Chi Zhuo then naturally handed the menu to Lin Tingyue, saying, "Give it to Tingyue; she's always the one who makes the decisions."
Lin Tingyue took the menu, smiled politely, and behaved appropriately. In her heart, she cursed Chi Zhuo a thousand times over. She almost believed his acting.
Even ghosts would listen to her.
Lin Tingyue picked out a few signature dishes and a few more that suited the general public's taste before the game was finally over.
During the meal, Lin Yujin and Chi Zhuo spent most of their time discussing business trends and international situations. Lin Tingyue wasn't particularly interested, occasionally chiming in with a few perfunctory remarks, and the atmosphere remained fairly harmonious.
Occasionally, when Lin Yujin brought up questions about the Chi family, Lin Tingyue would pretend to be well-behaved and sensible and brush them off. After all, outsiders wouldn't know all the private matters, so she just tried her best to play the role of an innocent little sister who didn't know much.
Chi Zhuo also worked quite hard.
When Lin Tingyue was eating, he would occasionally notice her favorite dishes and put more on her plate. Sometimes when her water glass was almost empty, he would refill it for her. He would even bring up some embarrassing childhood stories that Lin Tingyue had never told him, in order to liven up the atmosphere.
Lin Tingyue secretly admired this business tycoon. It was a waste of his talent that he didn't apply for a performing arts major. His preparation was incredibly detailed; he even investigated her childhood thoroughly.
However, this only further illustrates that Chi Zhuo is too scheming, adept at disguise, and cold-hearted; he is truly not a good match for her.
This kind of person is suited to staying single forever.
"Yueyue looks well, it seems she's doing quite well at the Chi family, so I'm relieved." Lin Yujin looked at Lin Tingyue, then her gaze fell on Chi Zhuo. "Chi Zhuo, thank you so much for taking such good care of her."
"Of course." Chi Zhuo put down his chopsticks, turned his gaze to Lin Tingyue, and said in a calm and natural tone, "Tingyue is very good, but sometimes she can be a little temperamental and needs to be coaxed."
Lin Tingyue suddenly frowned. Could such a thing be said at a time like this?
Upon hearing this, Lin Yujin immediately understood and laughed happily.
"It's inevitable for couples to have little arguments. Yueyue is young and a bit willful, so Chi Zhuo, please be more tolerant of her. She's just too childish."
Lin Tingyue was on the verge of tears. Chi Zhuo was smearing her image. She wanted to refute him, but Chi Zhuo glared at her and shut her up.
After exchanging pleasantries for about an hour, the meal finally came to an end. Lin Yujin had to leave early because of other matters, leaving only the two of them in the private room.
Lin Tingyue was about to leave, but Chi Zhuo forcibly pulled her in front of him. She was somewhat surprised, and then both anxious and angry.
"Chi Zhuo, what are you doing now!"
Did I let you leave?
Chi Zhuo trapped her in front of him, raised an eyebrow and said, "You acted quite well just now, look how satisfied your brother is."
"Oh." Lin Tingyue turned her face away, her voice indifferent, revealing no emotion.
Chi Zhuo suddenly lowered his head, his lips just a finger's width above her eyelids, his tone slightly teasing, "Here's a reward for you, want some?"
When Lin Tingyue saw his face so close, she suddenly remembered that day. Her eyes widened, a mixture of fear and anticipation washing over her.
Before she could answer, Chi Zhuo moved even closer to her, so Lin Tingyue simply closed her eyes and dared not move.
She seemed to hear Chi Zhuo's very soft laughter. Then, Lin Tingyue was helped to her feet. While she was still in a daze, she saw Chi Zhuo get up and walk towards the door.
As he walked to the door, he gave Lin Tingyue a special reminder.
"Aren't you leaving yet? Waiting here for dinner?"
"you!"
Lin Tingyue watched his retreating figure, stomping her feet in anger. She had been tricked by Chi Zhuo again; that scoundrel.
On the way back, Lin Tingyue had made up her mind to ignore this jerk this once and never say another word to him.
However, the car stopped halfway through the journey. Chi Zhuo got out of the car alone, leaving Lin Tingyue alone in the car.
Lin Tingyue leaned against the window, staring at Chi Zhuo, her mind filled with a million questions. What did he mean?
Did Chi Zhuo just leave her here?
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