The best way to deal with a shameless person like Xing Yu was simply to ignore him.
She brushed past him coolly, but Xing Yu blocked her path.
“Since you’re here, why not sit for a while?”
“No time. I have to get to work.”
“Work?” Xing Yu’s lips curved slightly upward. “Friend, you’re not working at the translation company next door, are you?”
They were bound to run into each other sooner or later, so Lin Yan didn’t deny it. “Mm.”
Xing Yu smiled without saying a word.
Lin Yan knew he had a tendency to overthink things, so she explained, “Coach Xing, this town only has one decent translation company. I’m working next door, and there’s no other reason behind it.”
“Don’t explain.” Xing Yu gazed at her intently, a hint of charm flickering in his eyes. “I might get the wrong idea.”
“…” Dear God, someone please take him away.
Lin Yan tried to step forward again, but Xing Yu stopped her once more. “Take the milk tea with you. I don’t drink it.”
“I’m only responsible for delivering it. Whether you drink it or not is your business.”
After she left, Xing Yu’s expression gradually returned to its usual aloofness.
Mo Kai saw right through it and couldn’t help pouring cold water on him.
“Yu-ge, looks like sister-in-law has zero interest in you!”
Xing Yu shot him a hawk-like glare. “What, is she interested in you?”
“…” Mo Kai said, “How could that be! What kind of international joke is that? But Yu-ge, if I were you, I’d say if you want to pursue someone, do it seriously. Don’t act all flippant and make people think you’re not sincere. Besides, aren’t you usually pretty straight-laced? Why do you have to put on this smooth-talking, wild and carefree persona?”
Xing Yu closed his eyes lightly. “You talk too much.”
Mo Kai: “…”
“And another thing.” Xing Yu’s expression turned stern. “I told you last time—don’t call her sister-in-law anymore.”
Mo Kai scratched his head guiltily. “Yu-ge, calling her sister-in-law… doesn’t it… doesn’t it make you happy?”
But she doesn’t like it.
“I said don’t call her that, so don’t.” Xing Yu said in a low voice. “Do it again, and I’ll fire you.”
Mo Kai couldn’t figure him out. “Oh, got it.”
…
At six in the evening, Lin Yan and her colleagues went to a local food stall for a group dinner.
Her coworkers were all easy to get along with, except for one female colleague named Fang Jinyao who was a bit cold toward her. Everyone else was very welcoming.
He Lan had no airs of a boss at all—she rolled up her sleeves, drank, played finger-guessing games, and blended right in with everyone.
Halfway through the meal, the colleagues suddenly fell silent, their gazes all fixed on the entrance.
Su Xin, already tipsy from the alcohol, excitedly tugged at He Lan’s sleeve. “Sister Hong, it’s Coach Xing! Coach Xing is here to eat too!”
Lin Yan turned around. Xing Yu was dressed all in black, looking especially cold and stern.
His tall, muscular model-like figure was hard not to notice in a crowd.
Beside him was Mo Kai, half a head shorter, wearing a white jacket.
The two of them, one in black and one in white, looked like the Black and White Impermanence.
At that moment, Xing Yu’s gaze had already landed on her.
The moment their eyes met, Lin Yan casually looked away, shifting her attention to He Lan.
She saw He Lan smooth down her hair, stand up, and wave at Xing Yu with a smile. “Coach Xing, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? What a coincidence—want to join our table?”
Just as everyone expected He Lan to be rejected, Xing Yu stopped in front of their table with an expressionless face. “Sure.”
Everyone was taken aback and quickly scooted over to make two seats.
Xing Yu and Mo Kai sat down across from Lin Yan. Their presence made the atmosphere feel strangely oppressive, and everyone became noticeably more reserved.
He Lan noticed and took the initiative to warm things up.
“Everyone knows each other, right? This is Xing Yu, the owner of Gale Combat, and next to him is Mo Kai, a coach at Gale Combat. We’re all old acquaintances—practically neighbors. Don’t be so stiff, everyone. Eat and drink as you please!”
With He Lan easing the tension, the atmosphere gradually livened up again.
Su Xin, hoping to help He Lan score points, emboldened by the alcohol, dared to ask Xing Yu, “Coach Xing, would you mind telling us what kind of woman you like?”
Xing Yu showed no particular expression, swirling the cup in his hand. “Fair-skinned.”
Su Xin, fixated on He Lan, blurted out awkwardly, “Fair-skinned is great! Sister Hong is pretty fair-skinned, isn’t she!”
The colleagues joined in the teasing. “That’s right! Sister Hong is fair—Sister Hong is super fair!”
Lin Yan kept her head down, eating her meal, saying nothing, contributing nothing, participating in nothing.
But the very next second, the topic was dragged onto her.
“Sister Hong, who’s this beautiful lady?” Mo Kai pretended not to know her, grinning as he complimented her. “She’s really fair-skinned.”
He Lan didn’t think much of it. “She’s Lin Yan, a new colleague who just joined today. What, you’ve taken a liking to her, kid?”
Lin Yan nearly choked on her food.
But Mo Kai was getting into his act. “Sister Lin Yan, are you single? What type of man do you like?”
Lin Yan shot him a look signaling him to shut up. Mo Kai ignored it and kept going.
“Sister Lin Yan, do you like a younger guy like me, or… a tough, macho older guy like Yu-ge who’s just bursting with testosterone?”
Round and round it went, until it circled back to Xing Yu.
Lin Yan saw through Mo Kai’s intentions and shot back at him coldly, “I don’t like the brooding type, anyway.”
Mo Kai: “What about the openly flirtatious type?”
Lin Yan: “…”
“Alright, that’s enough.” He Lan cut in. “Lin Yan just got here. Don’t be so crude with your words, kid—you might scare her off!”
…
The dinner didn’t end until the early hours of the morning.
Everyone went their separate ways.
As for Xing Yu, he had already left an hour earlier after receiving a phone call.
The food stall was very close to the neighborhood where she lived—only about a ten-minute walk.
To save money, Lin Yan didn’t take a taxi.
At midnight in the small county town, the biting winter wind made the streets feel desolate and empty.
There were hardly any pedestrians in sight.
Lin Yan had had a bit to drink and was slightly tipsy, wrapping her scarf tighter as she quickened her pace home.
As she passed an alley, a chill suddenly crept up behind her.
She spun around, her hairs standing on end.
There, not far away, a large black dog was glaring at her menacingly, its sharp teeth bared.
The streetlight glinted in the dog’s eyes, reflecting a fierce, wolf-like gleam.
It crouched low, its limbs braced against the ground, as if ready to lunge at her at any moment.
Lin Yan froze in place, not daring to make the slightest move.
She glanced around—there was no one to turn to for help.
The black dog was testing her, inching closer bit by bit.
Staying still wouldn’t work, and moving wouldn’t work either.
After weighing her options, she decided to run.
But the moment she took a step, her legs turned as weak as cotton, completely unable to pick up speed.
The big black dog bared its teeth and lunged at her at full speed.
At that critical moment, a stone flew in from afar, striking the dog’s belly.
The dog let out a whimper and turned its attention behind it.
Enraged, it charged at the person who had attacked it from behind.
Lin Yan was stunned with fright, staring blankly ahead.
That familiar black figure was swinging his fists under the streetlight, and amid the dog’s shrill yelps, her thoughts gradually cleared.
The night was deep, the streetlight dim, yet the man’s silhouette grew sharper and sharper in her eyes.
She unconsciously stepped forward a few paces, and he, not far away, was already rushing toward her at a sprint.
Her shoulders were gripped, the force quite heavy.
The man’s face turned icy cold, and his deep, husky voice carried a note of reproach as he shouted at her.
“Are you crazy?! What time is it? Would taking a cab home kill you?”