Lin Muyi left in tears.
Only after Lin Muyi had gone did Lu Tingwei hurry up to her, somewhat anxiously.
“Yingying, did she hurt you just now?”
Shen Xiying sat down and shook her head, her tone relaxed. “No, how could she possibly hurt me?”
Lin Muyi was clearly the type who had been spoiled rotten, used to being fawned over wherever she went.
She thought the whole world had to cater to her.
But Shen Xiying simply wouldn’t cater to her.
Lu Tingwei sat beside her and chatted with her for a while.
The two of them waited for quite some time before Lin Quan finally arrived, late.
When Shen Xiying went down to greet him, Lin Quan’s face was still set in a stern expression.
“President Lin.” Shen Xiying said with a smile.
Lin Quan glanced at her, pulled at the corner of his lips, and sneered. “I really didn’t expect Miss Shen to be so unwilling to show face.”
“My daughter has never suffered the slightest grievance at home, yet within just a few minutes of being here, she was already in tears.”
As he spoke, Lin Quan’s gaze landed on Shen Xiying, and his tone turned cold. “Miss Shen treating my daughter this way—it seems you also look down on cooperating with the Lin family.”
With that, Lin Quan sat down on the sofa nearby.
His gaze was heavy as he looked at Shen Xiying standing before him.
What was the Shen family, anyway? They weren’t even fit to carry the Lin family’s shoes.
And yet they dared to make his daughter suffer? They truly had no idea how to stay alive.
With that thought, a hint of disdain and disgust crept into Lin Quan’s eyes.
Shen Xiying smiled slightly before speaking in a calm voice. “President Lin, you might not know this.”
“When Miss Lin came over, she broke my fish tank. That fish tank was one my husband and I picked out yesterday—it symbolizes the longevity of our marriage.”
“I know Miss Lin must have broken it unintentionally. I was too anxious at the time and spoke a bit harshly. Really, all she needed to do was tell my husband, and we could just buy another one.”
Shen Xiying said, letting out a very soft sigh. “My husband really liked that fish tank. I don’t know if he’ll be upset when he finds out it’s broken.”
Hearing Shen Xiying’s words, Lin Quan’s entire body stiffened.
The fingers resting on the sofa trembled slightly.
His breath paused for a moment. The next second, he stood up from the sofa.
The contempt on his face instantly turned into a smile, and even his tone became somewhat genial. “Ah, this is all a small matter—no need to mention it to anyone.”
“I came this time specifically to discuss cooperation with your Fuying. What I said just now was just your uncle joking around—surely little Ying won’t take it to heart.”
Lin Quan said, his tone carrying a hint of warmth.
Shen Xiying smiled and waved her hand. “I naturally wouldn’t say much over such a small matter.”
“The restaurant is already booked. We can talk while we eat.”
“Fine, fine.” Lin Quan let out two laughs. “Of course, I’ll follow little Ying’s arrangements.”
The restaurant had been booked in advance—the best restaurant in Jianglin City, Rumu Hall, where all private rooms had to be reserved ahead of time.
No matter who you were, no exceptions were made.
The restaurant’s owner was extremely mysterious. Shen Xiying had never heard of them, let alone met them.
When Shen Xiying and Lin Quan arrived at Rumu Hall and registered their information, the staff led them up to the second floor.
What Shen Xiying hadn’t expected was that just as they reached the stairwell, a group of people came walking down the stairs.
“President Shang, please take a look—how does this cooperation of ours look…”
A clear voice fell into her ears, the tone carrying obvious fawning and caution.
Shen Xiying instinctively looked up.
She saw Shang Ruzhou walking at the back, but clearly at the center of everyone’s attention.
The man beside him was leaning in to speak with him, his brows carrying a hint of flattery and deference.
Shang Ruzhou’s expression was indifferent as he listened quietly, looking rather uninterested.
With a faint trace of casual nonchalance.
Shen Xiying’s heart went still for an instant, then began to beat one after another, like dense drumbeats.
She carefully pressed her lips together and shifted slightly to the side, letting them come down from the stairwell.
She was thinking about whether she should take the initiative to call out to Shang Ruzhou when he passed by her.
But he was in the middle of discussing cooperation. If she called him and he ignored her, Lin Quan would definitely think her relationship with Shang Ruzhou wasn’t good at all.
Then this deal would definitely fall through.
But if she didn’t call him, it would seem too distant.
While she was still deliberating, Shang Ruzhou walked past her.
She instinctively opened her mouth. “Shang—”
Before she could finish, Shang Ruzhou’s footsteps stopped in front of her.
Shen Xiying’s voice came to an abrupt halt.
Because she realized Shang Ruzhou’s gaze was fixed on her.
Even though it was faint, with barely any emotion in his eyes.
It still felt tangible, making Shen Xiying’s throat tighten, unable to make a sound.
“In the middle of discussing cooperation?” Shang Ruzhou asked.
Shen Xiying’s heart burst into bloom in that instant. She blinked, then nodded and said with a smile, “Yes.”
Shang Ruzhou hummed in acknowledgment and was about to leave when—
Lin Quan, standing beside Shen Xiying, suddenly spoke up. “President Shang.”
Shang Ruzhou paused and turned his head to look at him.
Lin Quan’s face was full of smiles, his voice filled with apology: “President Shang, today my daughter accidentally broke the fish tank that you and Xiying personally picked out. I haven’t been strict enough with her in my daily discipline—she’s been spoiled and used to having her way. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Shang Ruzhou listened to Lin Quan’s words, paused for a moment, then said, “Fish tank?”
Shen Xiying’s heart stopped beating for an instant.
That despicable Lin Quan!!
The next second, she quickly ran to Shang Ruzhou’s side and reached out to grab his hand.
Then she said in a sweet voice, “Honey, it’s the fish tank we went to pick out together yesterday.”
Shen Xiying’s voice was soft, and as she spoke, she squeezed Shang Ruzhou’s fingers and swayed them slightly.
“Honey.” Shen Xiying called out again in a coquettish tone, “Don’t be angry.”
Shang Ruzhou looked down at her.
She pressed her lips together, her eyes bright, with a faint trace of pleading shimmering in them.
The expression between her brows was especially vivid and spirited, making her look remarkably radiant.
Shang Ruzhou let out a very soft laugh, his voice low.
The laugh was brief, but it tickled the ear in a way that felt especially tantalizing.
Shen Xiying’s earlobes felt warm.
Then, she clearly felt his fingers slip out from her palm.
His fingertip grazed across her palm, sending a tingling sensation through her.
His hand brushed against her head, a brief touch that lasted only a second before he let go, his tone light: “We’ll go buy another one tomorrow.”
“I still have things to do, I’ll be going now.”
With that, Shang Ruzhou left.
A faint wisp of breeze swept past her nose, carrying his scent—fragrant and pleasant.
Shen Xiying stood frozen in place for a moment, then reached up and touched her head.
—The spot where Shang Ruzhou had just touched.
Then she couldn’t help but smile.
Remembering that Lin Quan was still nearby, she suppressed the smile with effort.
But her heart beat faster and faster.
“President Lin, let’s go.” Shen Xiying’s tone carried a hint of a smile.
Lin Quan nodded and glanced at Shen Xiying.
His gaze was somewhat obscure.
He had originally thought everything Shen Xiying said was just a bluff.
How could a whirlwind marriage possibly have any emotional foundation?
So he had deliberately tested it just now.
But he hadn’t expected that Shang Ruzhou actually cared about her.
Lin Quan’s heart sank.