Lin Chen shook his head with a wry smile. "Do you think people always have to have ulterior motives when they do things? You wouldn't understand what happened between us. To me, Tian Tian is like a girl next door. She's talented and hardworking, so naturally I'll help her."
This answer clearly surprised Su Yanan. She lightly spat at Lin Chen, "Hypocritical! If you're so capable, then never sleep with her again!"
"Can we stop talking about this?" Lin Chen said helplessly.
"Hehe, are you panicking? Then we don't have to talk. Tell me, why did you sleep with me in the first place?" Su Yanan pressed on.
Just then, Liu Tiantian returned to the table. "Where's Jiaying?" she asked.
"She went to answer the phone," Lin Chen replied.
"By the way, Brother Lin Chen, don't listen to Jia Ying's nonsense. Jia Ying doesn't know about our current relationship, and she has a very straightforward personality, so don't mind her! She's actually a very nice person," Liu Tiantian quickly explained.
"I understand, actually I didn't think too much about it." Lin Chen replied with a smile, without a trace of disappointment on his face. "How have you been lately? You didn't go home for the last Chinese New Year, so Ya Nan and I went back with your sister."
"Hey, I'm going to attend Lu Tiancheng's New Year's Eve party during the Spring Festival, and I want to go home too! By the way, how is my sister?" Liu Tiantian asked with concern.
"She's doing well..." Lin Chen was interrupted by Liu Tiantian before he could finish speaking.
"I know everything, she's with Uncle Nan now." Liu Tiantian winked mischievously. "My sister is really avant-garde, a love that transcends 30 years, that's amazing!"
As expected, Liu Tiantian was quite tolerant of her sister's behavior. She added, "And I heard from Ya Nan that Uncle Nan is incredibly vigorous; he kept my sister screaming all night! He even said that you, Brother Lin Chen, are no match for him! Hehehe, is that true or not?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen's forehead instantly creased with three black lines, and he shook his head helplessly.
Just then, Ding Jiaying returned from the phone call. Liu Tiantian and Su Yanan both keenly noticed the change in her mood; she seemed somewhat uneasy.
"Jiaying, what's wrong?" the two asked in unison.
"It's nothing." Although Ding Jiaying said this, her expression was completely different from before, becoming much more somber.
Lin Chen observed this and understood what was going on. He knew that Ding Jiaying's unusual behavior was definitely related to his presence as a "stranger." So, he stood up and said, "I'm going to the restroom."
Lin Chen's departure gave the three girls some space and time to be alone. He knew that their relationship was as close as sisters; Liu Tiantian could sleep in the same bed as Ding Jiaying, and Su Yanan took care of them like an older sister.
About fifteen minutes later, Lin Chen returned to his seat. Liu Tiantian and Su Yanan were sitting on either side of Ding Jiaying, comforting her. However, all three looked somewhat somber, with faint tear tracks remaining in the corners of their eyes. Clearly, the time and space Lin Chen had given them had not resolved the issue.
"Tell me about it, maybe I can help," Lin Chen said. However, Ding Jiaying didn't even look up, and Liu Tiantian and Su Yanan only glanced at him with dim eyes, without saying a word.
Since they were unwilling to talk, Lin Chen wouldn't force them. He wasn't one to meddle in other people's business, much less to actively seek out other people's secrets.
“No need to go. Don’t you understand what they’re thinking?” Liu Tiantian suddenly said, then looked at Su Yanan. “Shouldn’t these kinds of things be handled by the company?”
"Don't make things difficult for Sister Ya Nan," Ding Jiaying said in a low voice. "Sister Ya Nan has only recently taken over the company. Don't offend such a big shot for the sake of a small artist like me."
“But what else can we do?” Liu Tiantian also seemed somewhat helpless. “What can we do about this? Are we really going to just give in?”
"I don't know..." Ding Jiaying seemed somewhat lost at this moment, her low spirits and pessimism were obvious. A once lively and cheerful girl had become so dejected because of just one phone call.
Although Lin Chen didn't use his perception ability, he could roughly guess the seriousness of the situation from the three's conversation. It seemed that even someone of Su Yanan's caliber couldn't be dealt with through normal procedures. What kind of people could a young female celebrity have offended?
Since the matter seemed to be related to his company, Lin Chen decided to investigate further. After a brief examination, he understood what had happened. This gave him a new perspective on the dark side of Lu Tiancheng's entertainment industry.
Lin Chen sat quietly, but his gaze glared fiercely at Su Yanan like a sharp sword. He knew perfectly well that Su Yanan's outward expression of sympathy for Ding Jiaying's predicament was actually a carefully orchestrated farce! One could only say her acting skills were top-notch.
However, Lin Chen did not intend to expose her true colors at this moment. He wanted to know what other tricks Su Yanan was hiding.
Just then, the phone rang again, breaking the silence. Ding Jiaying trembled as she took out her phone, glanced at the screen, took a deep breath, and tried to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Director Si, is something the matter?" She tried to keep her voice calm, but her slightly trembling tone betrayed her inner panic.
"But...but I've already eaten." Ding Jiaying tried to refuse, but Director Si on the other end of the phone didn't seem to be planning to let her off easily.
"I don't drink alcohol..." she emphasized again, but her tone revealed a hint of helplessness.
"I haven't been feeling well lately..." Before she could finish, the phone went dead. Ding Jiaying stared at her phone, her emotions plummeting as if she were about to face execution.
"Why don't we go with you? If anything happens, we can help you," Liu Tiantian suggested, seeing Ding Jiaying's helpless expression.
"No need, Tian Tian, it will only drag you down. Besides, they've been watching you all along, so you should be careful." Ding Jiaying shook her head kindly. She knew that these people's real target was Liu Tian Tian, but as Liu Tian Tian's friend, she had become a shield.
"Brother Lin Chen, why don't you go with Jia Ying?" Liu Tiantian suddenly turned her gaze to Lin Chen, and her suggestion drew everyone's attention to him.
Ding Jiaying was desperate. She looked at Lin Chen and pleaded, "Um, can I ask you for help? I'll treat you to this meal."
"Yes." Lin Chen's answer was concise and powerful, giving Ding Jiaying a glimmer of hope.
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