Evidence, This Engagement Won’t Happen
Lin Jin was waiting for his special assistant on the rooftop terrace of a café.
The hand-ground coffee and little cookies here were both to his taste, and he loved this rooftop garden, a quiet oasis amid the bustle. Best of all, hardly anyone came up here during working hours. Whenever he had a bit of free time, he would come sit by himself and unwind.
Now he sat in a corner surrounded by roses, leisurely sipping his coffee and wondering whether he should buy a villa and build a rooftop garden of his own.
Old Master Lin had once filled the family garden and rooftop with vegetables. The two of them had barely needed to buy any produce from outside. Then that family of three moved in… Best not to think about it.
Now that he’d decided to live his own life, he could start making plans.
As Lin Jin imagined which flowers to plant on his rooftop, the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
When Shu Ling came up to the rooftop garden, this was what she saw: in front of a few early-blooming pink roses, a handsome young man in a pale blue shirt lounged in a wicker armchair, eyes half closed and lips curved in a smile.
She paused for a moment, then clicked her tongue as she walked over. Taking the seat across from Lin Jin, she exclaimed, “Boss, do you know what I thought when I came up and saw you?”
Without waiting for Lin Jin to answer, she went on, “You’re more beautiful than the flowers! How do you take care of your skin? How is it so fair and smooth?”
Lin Jin looked back at her calmly. “The skincare products I use are the brand you recommended.”
“Right, right!” Shu Ling said through gritted teeth. “Why can’t I get the same results? This is so unfair!”
A server came over with the fruit tea Shu Ling had ordered. Once the server had left, they got down to business.
Shu Ling took a sip of her tea through the straw and asked around it, “So, how’s the outfit? Do I look young enough?”
Lin Jin gave her a once-over.
Shu Ling wore a long-sleeved dress with a small floral print and a canvas shoulder bag. Her shoulder-length hair fell in loose waves, and a little hair clip matched the pattern on her dress. She’d traded her usual gold-rimmed glasses for thick, candy-colored frames, and her makeup was light and natural. She looked like a bright-eyed college student, with none of her usual sharp, capable air.
Lin Jin nodded, satisfied. “As long as you don’t open your mouth.”
Shu Ling laughed. “Don’t worry. If someone catches me taking pictures, I can still play the part. I won’t try to copy you, though. I wouldn’t want you to lose your appetite.”
Lin Jin said nothing more. He took a new phone and a map from his bag and handed them to her. Shu Ling looked it over and found several spots circled, each marked with a time. A route had been drawn between them, too.
“They’ll be going to this little park soon. It’s not far from here. You can follow the times on the map and get there early to stake it out. Especially the last spot. I have a feeling you’ll get the decisive proof there.”
Shu Ling stared at him in amazement. “Boss, where’d you learn to see the future?”
“You don’t need to ask.” Lin Jin brushed the question aside. “Anyway, thanks for doing this.”
“It’s nothing. You pay, I work. I’d never complain about a big red envelope from you~”
Shu Ling folded the map and tucked it into her bag, then asked curiously, “But speaking of which, why did you suddenly get engaged? When the news came out, the whole company was stunned. No one had heard a thing beforehand.”
Lin Jin didn’t answer. He lowered his gaze and took a small sip of coffee.
He couldn’t answer. He still had no memory of the details of the engagement.
Shu Ling misunderstood and hurried to comfort him. “A scumbag who cheats right after getting engaged isn’t worth your tears. There are plenty of men out there. If this one’s no good, find another. The next one will be better behaved!”
Lin Jin set down his coffee and looked at her helplessly. “Do I look heartbroken to you?”
Shu Ling studied him for a moment before replying, “Not really… Anyway, Boss, remember that you’ve got a whole bunch of us working stiffs depending on you to earn a living. What does love matter? Your career is what counts!”
Lin Jin was getting a headache. His special assistant was wonderful in every way, except that sometimes she talked too much.
“All right, it’s about time. You’d better go.”
Shu Ling finished her fruit tea in a few gulps and stood, holding the empty cup.
“Should I come back here to find you later?”
Lin Jin nodded. She waved, turned, and hurried off.
*
Lin Jin watched Shu Ling head downstairs, then took out the phone he used specifically for Lin Group business and switched it on. He’d sent his resignation email the night before, then kept the phone off until now.
The moment it turned on, a flood of messages came in. Missed calls, texts, emails, WeChat messages, all showed red notification badges in the double digits. It seemed Father Lin had announced Lin Jin’s resignation that morning.
As the heir Old Master Lin had personally backed, Lin Jin had been parachuted straight into the vice president’s position without rotating through the various departments. If he hadn’t been so capable and iron-fisted, he wouldn’t have been able to hold on to real power for a year after Old Master Lin’s death.
As a result, he had no close friends at Lin Group. The people desperately trying to reach him now were all from the faction that had hoped to use his backing to wrest power from Father Lin. Things had been looking up, and then Lin Jin had suddenly walked away. Naturally, they were the most anxious of all.
Lin Jin ignored every message and called his secretary instead. He went through the tasks that needed handing over one by one, telling the secretary to pass them along once the higher-ups appointed someone new.
At the end, he gave the secretary an address. “Please pack up the personal things in my office and send them here by courier. The gatekeeper will sign for them.”
He could just as easily throw the things away, but he was worried someone might use them for their own purposes, so he’d rather have them collected, just in case. He’d personally hired this secretary, and trusted the secretary’s character well enough.
On the other end, the secretary asked hesitantly, “President Lin, are you really not planning to come back to the company? Ever since the news got out today, the company’s been in an uproar. It’s been chaotic all day…”
Whatever chaos there was, it was Father Lin’s problem to deal with. Lin Jin felt no guilt whatsoever. “Unless something unexpected happens, I won’t be going back. I have my own company. If you’d like to keep working for me, you can go through the proper channels with HR, resign next month, and come work for me. You know my personal number. Give it some thought.”
Then Lin Jin gave the secretary the name of his company.
The secretary sounded both surprised and flattered. “All right, all right. I’ll think it over carefully! And I’ll keep your company a secret. I absolutely won’t tell anyone!”
Lin Jin was about to say there was no need to keep it secret, but such a small misunderstanding didn’t matter. Better not to make extra trouble for himself, so he said no more and simply ended the call.
Not long afterward, the screen of his phone, still set to silent, lit up again. Lin Jin picked it up and saw that Old Master Li, another major shareholder in Lin Group, was calling.
Old Master Li had been a friend of Old Master Lin’s for years. Back then, he’d had some money to his name, and he’d poured it all into Old Master Lin’s business as startup capital. Once Lin Group got off the ground, Old Master Lin had wanted to split the shares fifty-fifty, but Old Master Li had refused, saying he hadn’t contributed enough. He’d taken only 45 percent. Later, after trouble hit his family, he sold some of his shares to Old Master Lin. Then Lin Group went public and his stake was diluted, though he later bought some shares back on the stock market. He now held about 32 percent.
Old Master Li, however, had never been one to get involved in business, even when he was young. He’d trusted Old Master Lin completely, and whenever there was a board meeting, he’d show up and blindly vote with his old friend. But he’d retired long before Old Master Lin did, and had handed his shares over to his son to represent him. His son was the complete opposite. He wasn’t content to live on dividends, and had gone to work at Lin Group. These days, he had quite a bit of influence at the company.
Now that Old Master Li was calling in person, it was obvious the Li family had its eye on the 15 percent of shares Lin Jin held.
Lin Jin answered the call and unhurriedly greeted him with, “Hello, Grandpa Li,” and asked after his health. They chatted for quite a while before Old Master Li finally couldn’t help getting to the point.
“Xiao Jin, I heard you resigned. Is something going on between you and your father?”
“Nothing much. I was having trouble juggling both jobs, and it was exhausting, so I decided to resign from this one.”
Old Master Li didn’t know the details, but he’d heard from his old friend Old Master Lin that Lin Jin had started his own company. After all, the older you got, the more you ended up talking about the younger generation when you got together. Lin Jin was so outstanding that even Old Master Lin, reserved as he was, couldn’t help bragging about him to his friends.
“I see. Well, your health comes first. You’re young, but you still need to take care of yourself. Don’t end up like your grandfather. He pushed himself too hard when he was young. Sigh.” Old Master Li sighed, then changed the subject and continued probing. “So, from now on, will you only show up at Lin Group for board meetings?”
Lin Jin’s lips curved silently. “I’m planning to let go of everything. In six months, I’ll transfer all my shares. We’ll see if my father can take them all. If he can’t, I’ll sell the rest on the open market.”
In other words, if Father Lin couldn’t afford them, Lin Jin had no objection to selling them elsewhere.
Old Master Li had gotten the answer he wanted and didn’t press further. They chatted a little longer before ending the call.
Lin Jin had turned on this phone specifically to wait for that call. Now that it was over, he switched it off again. With the Li family and Father Lin competing, he could get a better price for his shares.
His own company was at the stage where research and development ate up money, and now that he had his hands free, he needed to think about setting up a production line. Without one of his own, he’d always be at someone else’s mercy. The money would ease the pressure, and for now, he wouldn’t need to go looking for investors or applying for loans.
Whether the Li family would trip Father Lin up while he was raising the money wasn’t Lin Jin’s concern. If Father Lin couldn’t handle something this minor, then it was only a matter of time before Lin Group changed hands.
Everything was going according to plan, and Lin Jin was in a great mood. He ordered another plate of little cookies through the café’s app, then opened his laptop and got to work on his own company’s business.
◇◆
While Lin Jin worked, Shu Ling was marveling to herself at her boss’s uncanny ability to predict the future. Every spot he’d circled on the map had led to a crucial photo, and the timing had been almost exact!
She marveled inwardly, Wow, as she held up the phone that claimed it could photograph the moon and snapped pictures of two cheating assholes kissing in a secluded spot ahead.
Thanks to the map Lin Jin had given her, Shu Ling had arrived early and scoped out the area. Now she was hidden away with a clear view of their profiles. Paired with all the intimate date photos she’d taken earlier, this was solid proof.
Lin You and Huo Jianting, meanwhile, had no idea they were being photographed. That corner really was deserted, with cover all around.
They kissed for a long time before pulling apart. Lin You leaned against Huo Jianting and caught his breath, then suddenly said softly, “Jianting, about us doing this… I still feel like I’m letting my brother down…”
Huo Jianting held him and spoke gently. “Love doesn’t follow reason. I’ll ask him to meet tomorrow and talk about ending the engagement. Then we can be together openly.”
Lin You nodded. A moment later, he looked up at Huo Jianting, worry filling his eyes. “But my agent said my popularity is only just starting to take off, so it’d be better not to make our relationship public yet…”
Huo Jianting stroked his hair. “All right. We’ll keep it private for now.”
Lin You smiled sweetly, then sighed. “But with my brother suddenly quitting last night, I don’t know if Dad will be able to handle everything. If he really can’t manage, I might leave the industry and go help him at the company.”
Huo Jianting’s gaze flickered. “Your brother’s leaving Lin Group?”
“Mm.” Lin You looked troubled. “He even said he’d sell all his shares in six months. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”
Huo Jianting comforted him. “If you love your career in entertainment, then do what you want. As for the company… if your father trusts me, I should be able to help out.”
Lin You’s face immediately lit up. “You’re so good to me, Jianting!”
While the two of them were busy cuddling, Shu Ling, having gotten the decisive evidence, had already made a quick getaway.
At dusk, Shu Ling came back to report, and Lin Jin was waiting for her.
Shu Ling tossed the new phone down in front of Lin Jin, then picked up the iced tea the server had brought and drained half of it in one go.
“Your brother and fiancé, they really take the cake! But you’re even more impressive. How did you predict their moves so accurately?” As she spoke, she gave Lin Jin a thumbs-up.
Lin Jin calmly picked up the phone and opened the album. He flicked through the pictures one by one, his calm expression not changing in the slightest.
Once he’d finished looking, Shu Ling smiled at him. “Boss, it’s already dinnertime…”
Lin Jin put the phone away and stood, continuing to gather his things as he said, “Where do you want to eat?”
Shu Ling grinned and hurriedly took out her own phone. “I love how straightforward you are! Let me book us a table.”
◇◆
In a private dining room at a restaurant in the commercial complex beside the rooftop terrace, about half a floor higher than the rooftop itself, a tall man stood before the glass wall, looking down at the man and woman in the garden below.
Just then, the private room door opened, and another man walked in, apologizing repeatedly. “Sorry, sorry. Traffic was bad. You’ve been waiting a while…”
When there was no answer, and the man in front of him didn’t even turn around, he walked over in surprise. “Old Huo, what are you looking at?”
He came to stand beside the man and looked down, but all he saw were the backs of a man and woman leaving the rooftop garden.
He immediately put on a smug smile, certain he understood everything and nudged the man with his elbow. “So you like the sweet, innocent type. I’ll introduce you to a few sometime.”
The man, Huo Yiming, smiled faintly but said nothing. He simply turned and sat down at the table.
“Let’s order dinner.”
“Right, I barely ate anything at lunch. I’m starving.”
Tang Songping followed him over and sat down. As he picked up the ordering tablet, he said, “By the way, you haven’t been back in the country for months. Have you heard your eldest nephew got engaged? He’s latched on to the heir to Lin Group. Lin Group can’t compare to your family, but with that kind of backing, maybe your nephew will actually dare to challenge you someday.”
Huo Yiming took a small sip of water. “I heard, but I haven’t had time to find out who he’s engaged to.”
“His fiancé…” Tang Songping’s expression turned complicated. “He’s good-looking and capable, but cold as ice. He seems pretty arrogant. Oh, he should have an encyclopedia entry. I’ll look him up.”
He pushed the tablet over to Huo Yiming so he could keep ordering, then took out his phone and tapped around for a moment before holding it up for Huo Yiming to see. “This is him. His name’s Lin Jin.”
Huo Yiming glanced up and couldn’t help narrowing his eyes. But he soon lowered his gaze again and continued ordering, saying coolly, “If you ask me, that marriage won’t happen.”
“Huh?” Tang Songping looked at him in surprise. “How do you know?”
“You said it yourself. He’s very capable. Someone like that wouldn’t be blind enough to fall for my eldest nephew.”
Huo Yiming finished ordering and pushed the tablet back. He smiled faintly. “Besides, a business marriage is about mutual benefit. Everyone thinks my nephew can speak for the Huo family. But if I gave the other side a hint of what I wanted, who do you think they’d choose, me or my nephew?”
“Uh… Anyone with half a brain would choose you, of course…”
After saying this, Tang Songping scratched his head. Why did that somehow sound a little strange?