Qin Ou glanced at Lin Xiangwan through the rearview mirror.
The woman was dazzlingly beautiful.
He quickly looked away and asked calmly, “Going to see Jiang Shijing?”
Lin Xiangwan almost said he was asking knowingly, but at the last moment changed her words. “Do you think I’m really pathetic?”
Qin Ou frowned.
Receiving no further response, Lin Xiangwan straightened up, her voice light and airy. “To get this contract, I have to go meet a man who once hurt me. Isn’t that completely spineless?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Qin Ou answered promptly this time, seriously. “Miss Lin is compromising herself for the company and the business.”
Lin Xiangwan tugged at the corner of her lips.
For some reason, his words made her feel much better.
Yes, everything was for the company.
For the sake of protecting the business her grandfather had painstakingly maintained, along with the dowry her mother had invested what did it matter if she seemed spineless?
In this cold and ruthless world of business, integrity is the least valuable trait.
Soon, the car stopped at Jiang Group.
The largest, most impressive office building in Rongcheng, with a glittering golden character “Jiang” displayed high above.
Countless people had stared at this symbol, hoping to secure a partnership with the company.
Lin Xiangwan stood at the company entrance and called Jiang Shijing.
As soon as the call connected, Yan Jing appeared, gesturing for her to follow.
“Mr. Jiang has canceled all appointments, waiting specifically for you.”
Lin Xiangwan nodded slightly and followed him upstairs.
She had already made one thing clear in her mind.
Inside the office, she was still organizing her thoughts until she heard a girl giggling.
She looked up to see Bai Zhiran sitting by the desk, telling Jiang Shijing something amusing.
Jiang Shijing’s lips curved in a gentle smile, eyes full of warmth.
Lin Xiangwan clenched her hands and knocked on the door to announce her presence.
“Oh, Sister Lin is here!”
Bai Zhiran, both surprised and delighted, ran over to grab her hand.
Lin Xiangwan subtly pulled her hand back, smiling faintly, then looked toward the man behind the desk.
“Do you have time to discuss business, Mr. Jiang?”
Jiang Shijing glanced at her, half-smiling. “It’s rare for Miss Lin to come talk business voluntarily. Ziran, wait downstairs for me.”
Bai Zhiran obediently nodded and winked at Lin Xiangwan as she left.
Once she was gone, Lin Xiangwan exhaled and walked straight to Jiang Shijing.
“Huafeng Group has set the conditions: as long as you speak a word to Madam Jiang, we can cooperate with Fanxing.”
Jiang Shijing was surprised. “You’re not asking me for help, are you?”
Lin Xiangwan’s eyes flickered; she pursed her lips. “Yes.”
“Well, then you need to ask properly,” Jiang Shijing said, spinning a pen between his fingers, “That tone just now I thought you were here to scold me.”
Lin Xiangwan pressed her palms together, keeping a calm expression. “Then tell me how exactly should I ask you?”
As she spoke, many thoughts flashed through her mind.
Everyone who knew Jiang Shijing would say he was flawless, except perhaps a little flirtatious.
Strong at work, kind, always smiling, seemingly easy to approach.
But anyone who dealt with him more closely would realize he was a smiling tiger.
His smile could be genuine or a prelude to displeasure.
Lin Xiangwan had a hunch.
After Jiang Shijing’s questioning in the car last time, she realized that although he seemed indifferent about the wedding escape, he had actually held a grudge for the humiliation.
And now, using the Huafeng deal to guide her into a trap wasn’t it just waiting to get back at her?
She braced herself.
No matter how Jiang Shijing humiliated or teased her, she would endure it for this project.
As she thought this, a hand suddenly appeared, fingers long and nails clean.
She looked up at Jiang Shijing’s faint smile, hesitated for two seconds, then placed her hand in his palm.
The next moment, Jiang Shijing pulled her into his arms, securing her waist.
Lin Xiangwan barely had time to react before her chin was lifted.
Through the fabric, she could feel the strength in his muscular thigh.
“What are you doing?! Let go of me!”
Jiang Shijing ignored her, staring at the two red marks on her chin. He freed one hand, opened a drawer, and took out some anti-inflammatory ointment.
The cooling ointment applied to the marks left Lin Xiangwan even more bewildered. “Jiang Shijing, what exactly are you doing?”
He carefully rubbed it on, then poked her lips.
“Kiss me. Once I’m happy, I’ll call Huafeng.”
Lin Xiangwan’s expression turned cold, resisting. “Have you thought that Miss Bai is still waiting for you? Jiang Shijing, I can endure many of your demands, but if you want me to be a mistress and betray my morals, I won’t do it.”
She pushed him away, the faint scent of licorice-like ointment lingering at her lips.
“You’re really something,” Jiang Shijing said, unfazed, leaning on the desk to look up at her, eyes full of meaning.
“You’re lecturing me on morals for asking a kiss yet when you ran away from the wedding, didn’t you think that was immoral?”
He brought up the old matter again.
Lin Xiangwan tensed slightly, pursing her lips, silent.
How could she argue with that?
Was today destined to be unyielding?
Lin Xiangwan gripped her bag, ready to leave.
Suddenly, Jiang Shijing spoke. “See that bottle of wine on my shelf?”
She paused, following his gaze.
The glass cabinet held various fine wines. The bottle he indicated was in the lower-left corner, with an obscure Spanish inscription.
Lin Xiangwan couldn’t read it, but she could sense it was special.
“Kiss me or drink that. That wine is strong; if you finish it, you’ll be drunk senseless, and the headache will last three days and nights. Your choice how much you care about your body, Miss Lin.”
Jiang Shijing stepped closer, brushing his lips deliberately and teasingly along her earlobe.
“Compared to a three-day headache, do you think a kiss is harder to endure?”
Lin Xiangwan smelled the faint scent of tobacco on him and immediately stepped back two paces.
Her earlobe that had been touched burned as if on fire.
She looked at his lips, full and wet, but remained composed.
“I choose…”