Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Lin Qian felt like Li Zhicheng had turned the relationship between them into something new. They were like friends with lots of possibilities.

Instead of being assertive like before, he wanted her to slowly accept him.

His intention was still conspicuous. However, after that night she accepted his point of view. It was like a seed planted inside her heart, and it germinated.

She ought to learn more about him.

I’m not going to settle but I’m also not going to withhold my emotions. I shouldn’t let this intelligent and excellent man slip by without trying first.

I should pursue a love in which the man is my sole purpose, and I can’t help thinking about him. Where all the natural beauty in the world can’t amount to him. Where I won’t hesitate to burn in hell if it’s for him.

Lin Qian sat at the back of the taxi, staring at the luminous lights outside while feeling the calmness of the man beside her. She no longer felt anxious—rather, she felt a sweet joyfulness.

This night had been more than amazing, and no words needed to be spared.

As for Li Zhicheng, he was covered in beads of sweat after the intensive exercise. Every single one of his muscles was sore after doing nothing for so long but sitting in the office. But there had been a woman working out with him, which made him feel fantastic both physically and mentally.

He looked at the woman’s profile quietly. Her eyes were shining, which meant her mind was wandering again.

Li Zhicheng’s heart soared.

Lin Qian, I’ll put that kiss on the rock face on hold.

I’ll suppress my feelings and win over you gradually.

The lust in that moment—I’ll fulfill it one day when you drop your defenses and answer me with your heart and soul.

The taxi stopped in front of a line of luxurious apartments.

Lin Qian exchanged some pleasantries with the driver, paid him and got the change. Li Zhicheng looked up and saw the dimming light coming from the second floor, where a tall man stood by the window, gazing down at the street.

The exterior of Lin Mochen’s apartment was white and elegant, which matched his arrogance.

There was a yellow fence in front of the apartment, with some snow-covered plants that had been seeded by Lin Qian last year.

Lin Qian stood before the fence and beam at Li Zhicheng. “Good night… you. Get back to the hotel soon.”

For some reason it was difficult for her to call him the familiar “Mr. Li” after having fun with him all night. But calling him “Zhicheng” would have been weird, so she’d just resorted to using “you” the entire car ride.

Li Zhicheng stood in the darkness with his black coat and damp hair. He nodded his head and smiled. “Good night.”

The door opened, and the light at the entrance turned on. Someone walked outside.

Li Zhicheng looked over calmly. Lin Qian, however, quickly closed the gate fence and walked to the door. “Brother, I’m back! Happy Lunar New Year!”

Lin Mochen wore a light grey sweater and a pair of black trousers. This was how a Wall Street elite was at home: leisurely but elegant. He glanced at his sister, who wanted to pretend that nothing was happening, and at the handsome man outside the fence, who nodded at him politely.

They were home sooner than he’d expected.

He pondered the situation for a while, and then said in a deep voice, “A friend coming from afar. Would you mind coming inside for a chat?”

Lin Qian was stunned.

LI Zhicheng said smoothly, “Well, it’s better to accept differentially than to decline courteously, right?”

Lin Qian was speechless.

Why the heck did you say yes?

When she turned back, she saw Lin Mochen walking into the house with Li Zhicheng following right behind him. Both of them were suave and solemn.

It was one o’clock in the morning on New Year’s Day.

Lights blazed in Lin Mochen’s home and the fragrance of tea permeated the air. Lin Qian looked at the two men sitting on the sofa and jokingly thought that her brother’s nightlife was finally getting more exciting.

He had chosen to interrogate his imaginary enemy, Li Zhicheng, instead of sleeping during the early hours of New Year’s Day.

However, Lin Qian calmed herself down after letting Li Zhicheng in. She served the tea and sat down beside the two of them. “Allow me to introduce you two to each other,” she said. “Brother, this is Lin Zhicheng, the president of my company. Mr. Li, this is my brother, Lin Mochen, a senior partner of the MK investment management firm.”

Just as she was about to continue, she saw Lin Mochen look over at her coldly. “It’s very late. Go upstairs, take a shower and go to sleep. I’ll talk with Mr. Li in my office.”

Lin Qian smiled. “I can’t do that. He’s my guest, Brother. I can’t just leave him here and go to sleep.”

Lin Mochen’s face fell. Before he could say anything, Li Zhicheng, who had been sitting quietly, said, “Just go to sleep.”

He said it to Lin Qian in a husky voice, a smirk on his face. Lin Qian was stunned and stared at him.

They made eye contact, and Lin Qian saw placidness and resoluteness within him.

Lin Qian stayed quiet for a while and got up. “Okay, then I’ll accept differentially rather than decline courteously. But don’t stay up too late.” When she finished talking she started to go upstairs. When she reached the second floor, she couldn’t resist looking back—the two of them were following her with their eyes.

What the heck! How can their minds be in sync?

The second she closed the door, she heard Li Zhicheng’s voice, neither meek nor arrogant, “I’ve always wanted to thank you for helping us with the Ming Sheng project. Though, I sadly came here in a hurry. It’s inappropriate for me to come without any gifts for you on New Year’s Day. I’ll definitely visit you again sometime in the near future…”

Lin Mochen invited Li Zhicheng to conduct their conversation in his office.

They sat beside a coffee table. Right outside the window was the terrace, where there was a sharp chill floating in from the dark night.

Every successful person in the business world was energetic, and these two were no exception. Although it was already late at night, they still looked wired and ready to go.

Li Zhicheng was the guest, so he just sat there and waited for Lin Mochen to start talking.

Lin Mochen reflected upon how his sister hadn’t followed his own instruction to “go to sleep,” but had gone after exchanging eye contact with the man sitting beside him.

Ha…

He internally sneered and stared at Li Zhicheng with a straight face. “Mr. Li, I’ve heard that you’re pursuing my sister.”

Li Zhicheng looked at him and nodded his head. “Yes. It seems that she’s already brought it up.”

Lin Mochen picked up his cup of tea and took a sip, then he put it down and lifted his head.

“What do you have?” He asked this while giving Li Zhicheng a cold glare. Anyone who had done business with him before knew that this look meant this handsome, clean-cut man was about to offer an argument.

Li Zhicheng didn’t even blink an eye when suddenly being questioned aggressively like this. He replied, “What do I need to have?”

Lin Mochen nonchalantly leaned back on the black velvet couch.

“Your company’s value based on the current debt-to-equity ratio of Aida reveals that even if Vinda has a stunning sales number, your net worth will be no more than three hundred million yuan.” He eyed him coldly. “I can find tons of men around me with net worths several times yours. Your corporation barely escaped total collapse, and we both know Aida will be fiercely challenged by its counterparts. You know that your career is in jeopardy—how could I rest assured if my sister were with you?”

Li Zhicheng stared at him quietly.

After quite a while he lowered his, picked up the teapot beside him and filled Li Mochen and himself up.

And then he picked up his cup and sipped it. “Running water is never stale and a door never gets worm-eaten. Three hundred million yuan is indeed too little for the Lins. But this is only the current situation, not next year or the year after that. It’s not the future I have in mind for me and Lin Qian.”

Lin Mochen raised his eyebrows and eyed him sullenly.

Li Zhicheng put down the cup and looked up at him. “Mr. Li, are you willing to have a gentlemen’s agreement with me?” He paused for a moment. “If I can give her a promising future, please don’t worry about me being with her.”

…

Lin Qian lied on her bed.

Outside the window, a heavy snow was falling. In contrast, it was dead silent downstairs.

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It was already two o’clock, which meant they had already been chatting in the room for an hour.

There was a saying: “Killing someone can only award you a useless dead head.” Neither of them was talkative, so it really surprised Lin Qian that they could have a conversation for such a long time.

But on second thought, this was probably a good thing. Lin Mochen always disdained people he couldn’t benefit from, and had no tolerance for people he didn’t like. Lots of people had been escorted out after less than a quarter of an hour being with him.

Does this mean Brother kind of likes Li Zhicheng?

What am I thinking? Wolves always stick with and appreciate each other.

Now that she was more curious than worried, she really wanted to know what they were talking about. Besides, it was better to let Lin Mochen get to know Li Zhicheng because she would need his approval sooner or later.

Um… Isn’t that exactly what Li Zhicheng said before? Lin Qian covered her eyes and curled up on the bed. Tisk, tisk—we must always respect our significant others.

In the middle of her thoughts, she heard the sound of footsteps and a door opening, along with low voices.

Lin Qian jumped out of bed.

The door was ajar.

She saw lights blazing in the living room, with two silhouettes at the gate.

Had Li Zhicheng already been escorted out?

Lin Qian ran to the window. Just as she had expected, Li Zhicheng was walking out through the fences with his hands in his pockets and his collar popped. He smoothly walked along with a poker face as usual.

Lin Qian exhaled deeply, gripping the corner of the curtain.

I almost forgot that he has “facial paralysis.” There’s no way to tell how the conversation went from the look on his face.

Li Zhicheng seemed to sense her, and suddenly turned back. Just that quick glimpse caused both of their looks to blaze hot. Lin Qian scooched sideways to avoid eye contact.

Her heart pounded rapidly—perhaps due to her rapid movement.

She thought, It’s totally the right move to dodge him. We agreed that we should take things slow, so if I act too inviting he will see right through me.

She only turned her head to the outside again after the sound of footsteps withered away.

“Still haven’t had enough?” a cold voice drifted over to her.

Lin Qian turned quickly and smiled at him. Lin Mochen leaned against the door and stared at her with apathy.

“We’re just friends and nothing more. Why were you grilling him?” Lin Qian walked over and slipped an arm through his.

Lin Qian glanced at her without saying anything.

Lin Qian went on asking, “What were you guys talking about for so long?”

Lin Mochen tittered mysteriously and pulled his arm out of hers.

“Don’t worry about it. He won’t dare to pursue you in the short term.”

Lin Qian blinked her eyes.

A few minutes later, she lied in her bed once again and stared at the ceiling.

Lin Mochen’s face had darkened considerably during her questioning and he’d told her to go to sleep after saying something inscrutable. It seemed he didn’t plan on telling her what had happened.

And if he didn’t want to give something away, no one could possibly change his mind. Not even Lin Qian.

Her phone suddenly buzzed—a message was sent to it.

Who sent the message?

She picked up her phone. It was Li Zhicheng.

‘I’ve arrived at the hotel. Good night.’

Lin Qian replied, ‘Okay. By the way, what were you and my brother talking about?’

Li Zhicheng quickly replied, ‘Don’t worry about that. I can handle him.’

Lin Qian flushed. The tone…

But she was more curious than worried, and put her phone aside.

What the heck had happened? Both of them had told her not to worry, but neither of them had said a single word about the conversation.

Humph. They’re speaking of “private business” and excluding me.

After a while, he thought back to the night, when Li Zhicheng stood in the heavy snow and murmured “I wish that you’ll always have today’s glory. Let today’s good memory always be with you.”

Her blush had faded away; she felt unusually soft and touched.

And then she thought of her brother.

He had been suffering from insomnia for years. It was difficult for him to fall asleep even at this late hour.

She got up and went downstairs, seeing Lin Mochen sitting in the living room, staring at the snow outside with a hot cup of tea in his hands. He seemed to be pondering something.

Lin Qian’s heart ached a bit. She walked to his side, sat down, put her hands over his and said, “Brother, I haven’t said my New Year’s wishes to you.”

Lin Mochen turned his head to her and smiled.

“I wish the two of us, as a family, will always have today’s happiness. Let the good memory of today always be with us.”

Night overtook the city.

Neither of them was going to sleep. They instead chose to watch the recording of The CCTV New Year’s Gala. Lin Qian shook her head and sighed while watching, unsatisfied with the quality of the show. As for Lin Mochen, his attention was clearly not focused on the comedic dialogue, sketch comedy, or Chinese acrobatics he hadn’t watched in years.

He glanced at his sister after his thoughts had wandered for a while.

Lin Qian had said that Li Zhicheng was similar to him.

Based on what he’d witnessed today, they were indeed in the same class.

However, they were different.

He saw something in Li Zhicheng that he also saw in Lin Qian.

Under the ingenious, shrewd disguise, he had the same sincerity and perseverance that Lin Qian did. It was something that Lin Mocheng had lost a long time ago.

As for the gentleman’s agreement between them, they both knew it would remain valid.

If Li Zhicheng were both capable and sincere, he would be with his sister.

However, if he lacked either one of these qualities, all his fortunes would be gone, and his status and reputation would be lost.

Lin Qian didn’t wake up until tomorrow afternoon. She saw the message Li Zhicheng had sent her in the morning.

It was brief: ‘There are some company issues I have to deal with and I’ve taken the earliest flight back. See you in China.’

This surprised Lin Qian. She later learned from Jiang Yuan that it was Mr. Kang from Ming Sheng Group who had introduced him to the chairman of another state-owned corporation—he was interested in ordering products from Aida. The chairman had happened to be visiting his relatives in Lin City, thus Li Zhicheng flew back immediately.

Lin Qian arrived at Aida on time the first day after the vacation.

All the industry giants, including New Bori, SMQ and Aida began the new year’s business.

And the new year’s battles.