Zhou Lincan’s appearance must carry some deeper meaning…
Zhou Lincan turned around: “What did you say?”
Wei Chi lit another cigarette. “Don’t tell me you didn’t hear. Miss Xu called you brother-in-law.”
【A reserved and gentle woman like Miss Xu is clearly more suited for a bold and unrestrained man, preferably one with some combat skills to deal with scoundrels like Zheng Jingyuan… Tsk, could it be she likes someone like Zhou Lincan?】
Zhou Lincan froze upon hearing the inner thoughts.
He knew his friend’s tone all too well. Wei Chi loved gossip, but it was always for his sister’s sake. Without Wei Xingya around, when had this guy ever taken such initiative to show interest in anyone else?
Was Wei Chi interested in Xu Mianchuan?
Not sure, better test it out.
Zhou Lincan put on a serious expression: “Miss Xu dislikes Zheng Jingyuan. It does seem like she wants me to be her brother-in-law.”
Wei Chi: “Oh.”
Taking a drag of his cigarette, Wei Chi summoned a waiter to clean the carpet and led Zhou Lincan to private room 18. Neither spoke along the way.
Just as Zhou Lincan was about to step into the room, Wei Chi pulled him back. “What?”
Wei Chi’s expression was unreadable: “Does Miss Xu know about Xu Chuanjin’s intentions?”
Zhou Lincan teased him: “Probably.”
Even if she didn’t know now, she’d figure it out once she sobered up.
“And what did Miss Xu say?”
Zhou Lincan found it amusing: “Why don’t you ask what I said?”
Wei Chi gave him a strange look: “Why would I ask you?”
【What good would it do if you liked her? She never said she liked you】
The second young master of the Zhou family patted his friend’s shoulder, his tone meaningful: “If you asked me, I might just take pity and tell you—”
Wei Chi looked at him, a trace of unconscious anticipation in his eyes.
Zhou Lincan laughed: “I’ve been messing with you all along.”
With that, he pushed the door open and entered the private room. Seeing him come in, several old friends he hadn’t seen in a long time stood up to greet him.
A few seconds later, the door swung open again as Wei Chi stormed in with an angry expression.
【Damn it, playing him? This friendship is over!】
Zhou Lincan glanced sideways at him but paid no attention.
Having been abroad for years, now that he was back and settled, friends took turns offering him drinks. Wei Chi lingered nearby but couldn’t find a chance to drag him out for a beating. Eventually, he decided to avoid the irritation and went down to the first-floor dance floor.
Late night arrived, marking the successful conclusion of Xing Lan’s soft opening day.
Wei Xingya loved celebrities but disliked the flashy, superficial social scene. Wei Chi had specifically invited half of Shen Shi’s entertainment industry to warm up the venue during the soft opening week before his sister went abroad for further studies. By tomorrow morning, the night’s grand events would appear across major online platforms. With so many photographers hired, the captured moments would provide Wei Xingya plenty of entertainment and gossip material for some time.
As the socialites dispersed, Wei Chi sat alone in a booth drinking. Zhou Lincan, having endured an evening of grumbling inner thoughts, finally showed up.
“Chairman Xu and I only have a professional relationship. If you like her, then pursue her. What’s the point of pestering me?” Zhou Lincan stopped before his friend.
Wei Chi looked up at him and sneered: “I like her? When did I say I liked her? We just met today. Are you acting out some scripted love-at-first-sight drama?”
【I’ve met her several times—if I were going to like her, I would’ve liked her already. Like at the Luo family banquet earlier this year, last year’s charity auction, and the Shen Shi Investment Summit…】
Zhou Lincan chuckled inwardly. He’s even digging up something as old as the Investment Summit while still refusing to admit it.
He said: “I’m also curious. How come after just a short time together today, you couldn’t stop thinking about her?”
“Who’s thinking about her.” Wei Chi took a sip of wine, staring blankly at a spot.
[Actually, come to think of it, Xu Mianchuan is quite interesting. Bo Ya has been suppressing Xuri so thoroughly, Xu Anguo and his wife don’t dare breathe in front of Zheng Enhong, yet she dares to poke at Zheng Jingyuan’s sore spots. Quite impressive.]
Wei Chi maintained a calm facade on the surface, appearing completely indifferent to Miss Xu, unaware that every single one of his inner thoughts had been overheard by his friend without missing a word.
Zhou Lincan didn’t know why he was being so stubborn and couldn’t be bothered to expose him: “Good that you’re not thinking about her. Next week at the banquet, Miss Xu will be matchmaking me with Xu Anguo. Lend me a hand.”
Wei Chi suddenly looked up: “Help with what? Aren’t you two just business partners?”
“So far we’re indeed just business partners, but who’s to say that won’t change.” Zhou Lincan teased: “I’ve been thinking, becoming the Xu Family’s son-in-law… wouldn’t be so bad.”
Before his friend could process this, he turned and walked out of the club, “Got a meeting tonight, I’m off.”
Wei Chi didn’t try to stop him, quietly sitting in the booth and taking a small sip of wine.
The golden liquid swirled in the square glass, refracting the light into unusual colors that closely resembled the necklace around Xu Mianchuan’s neck.
Wei Chi watched the light dancing on his arm, recalling his brief encounters with Miss Xu, his gaze gradually deepening.
Xu Mianchuan cursing Zheng Jingyuan, Xu Mianchuan worrying about the fake heiress, Xu Mianchuan thanking him – he actually remembered every expression she made.
And not just that.
The slender yet resilient waist in his arm, the rounded shoulders bumping against his chest, and the faint rose fragrance – all easily surfaced in his mind.
Wei Chi leaned back on the sofa, tilting his head up, his breath carrying the heat of alcohol.
After regulating his breathing, he stared at the crystal butterfly on the ceiling, his eyes widening in disbelief.
He was actually thinking about Xu Mianchuan – from the moment she left until now, continuously, not missing a single detail, even recalling their brief encounters on other occasions.
But—
They had only interacted for less than fifteen minutes!
Young Master Wei covered his face, a trace of inexplicable restlessness flashing in his eyes.
…
Sunlight streamed into the room, waking Chuan Jin with its brightness. She nuzzled her pillow, still heavy with sleep, and buried herself back under the covers.
“If you’re awake, get up. No more sleeping.”
Her elder sister’s voice suddenly rang out. Chuan Jin threw off the covers and groggily saw Xu Mianchuan standing at the foot of the bed: “Elder sister? Why are you in my room?”
“What do you think.” Xu Mianchuan said with a dark expression.
Having taken care of her sister last night – changing clothes and washing up – she had only managed to sleep beside her for a short while before being woken by a phone call. Xu Mianchuan had completely lost her sleepiness and had been handling work matters until now, hardly in the best spirits.
Meanwhile, Chuan Jin had blacked out in the car, been carried inside by Uncle Fu, cleaned up by her sister, and slept comfortably until now.
Xu Mianchuan’s temple twitched as she commanded: “No more drinking outside from now on!”
At the mention of drinking, Chuan Jin remembered last night’s events. This fake heiress actually blacked out after drinking just like her – what a coincidence.
Knowing how suddenly she tended to black out, and that Xu Mianchuan had single-handedly brought her back from the club, probably exhausting herself, Chuan Jin quickly got out of bed and sweetly promised she would never touch alcohol again.
Xu Mianchuan wasn’t really angry to begin with, sighing: “It’s not that I’m forbidding you to drink, but you need to know the appropriate occasions. Do you have any idea how much trouble you almost caused last night?”
Chuan Jin shrugged: “All I did was kick Zheng Jingyuan and bite him.”
Xu Mianchuan laughed in exasperation: “You make it sound like you weren’t kicking or biting him, but kissing and hugging him instead.”
“Ugh, don’t gross me out so early in the morning.” Chuan Jin hugged her arms and shuddered.
Xu Mianchuan glanced at her: “Why didn’t you feel disgusted when you bit Zheng Jingyuan?”
Chuan Jin collapsed onto the bed, pounding the mattress in frustration: “Don’t bring it up, I regret it even now. Out of all the ways to deal with him, I actually chose the dirtiest one!”
Xu Mianchuan looked stunned: “You were considering other ways to handle him?”
“Of course! A scumbag like him deserves to be stuffed in a sack and beaten up. How dare he boast that you’d beg to marry into the Zheng family? And think about becoming my brother-in-law? He’s living in a fool’s paradise!”
Xu Mianchuan fell silent for a moment before changing the subject: “Did you run into President Zhou yesterday? How much did you two drink?”
Chuan Jin counted on her fingers: “Not much, just three or four glasses of hard liquor. He didn’t drink, it was all me. If he hadn’t stopped them, those waiters would’ve kept pouring. Oh right, sis, when you see President Zhou later, help me thank him.”
Her memories of last night were hazy, and she couldn’t remember whether she’d thanked him or not.
Xu Mianchuan agreed to this, then brought up another matter: “If you really want to thank him, stop calling him randomly. You called him brother-in-law right in front of Zheng Jingyuan and Mr. Wei. Good thing you were drunk, otherwise how would I explain?”
Chuan Jin froze—had she actually spoken her thoughts out loud?
She propped herself up and asked Xu Mianchuan with a smile: “Sis, I wasn’t calling him randomly. I think Zhou Lincan is really good—much more suitable to be my brother-in-law than that bastard Zheng. Why don’t you consider him?”
Xu Mianchuan frowned, belatedly realizing something: “You’ve been planning this since you helped me secure PT, haven’t you? And last night’s drinking with Zhou Lincan—did you run into him on purpose and deliberately keep him there?”
“Hehe, top students will be top students.” Chuan Jin didn’t deny it.
Xu Mianchuan sighed helplessly: “Are you all that eager to marry me off?”
Chuan Jin paused, sitting up straight: “No, that’s not what I mean. If I wanted you to be married off like a bargaining chip, why would I have taken you to the club to meet male models last night? But sis, you said it yourself—arranged marriages are inevitable in wealthy families. Since you’ve chosen to accept this arrangement, why not seek the maximum benefit within the established rules?”
“Maximum benefit?” Xu Mianchuan looked puzzled.
“Even if you have to be a bargaining chip, you should go to someone worthy.” Chuan Jin said: “Zhou Lincan is ten thousand times better than Zheng Jingyuan. If you two could be together, he wouldn’t just shoulder responsibilities—he could make you happy too.”
Xu Mianchuan chuckled lightly: “You’ve only met him a few times, yet you trust him so much.”
Chuan Jin paused for two seconds before nodding seriously: “I do.”
Though they’d only met three times, anyone who could break free from the original novel’s plot and gain this much screen time must be significant—Chuan Jin believed Zhou Lincan’s appearance definitely held deeper meaning.
“But Xiao Jin, there are others better than Zheng Jingyuan besides Zhou Lincan.”
Chuan Jin was slightly taken aback.
Did her sister mean she wasn’t interested in Zhou Lincan?
She felt somewhat deflated: “But Zhou Lincan is the only one I know…”
In the original novel, all the major characters were connected to Xia Helu and Wang Yujiang. Zhou Lincan was the only one who’d inexplicably appeared after she transmigrated—where was she supposed to find anyone else…
Suddenly, a name surfaced in her mind.
Chuan Jin asked: “You just said—who was I with when I called Zhou Lincan brother-in-law in front of Zheng Jingyuan?”
“Wei Chi.” Worried that Chuan Jin wouldn’t know who he was, Xu Mianchuan explained, “The owner of the club, the eldest son of the Wei family, and currently the one in charge of Huasheng Group.”
“Why was he with you? Did he and Zheng Jingyuan bully you together?”
“What are you thinking? He’s President Zhou’s friend. Zheng Jingyuan was drunk yesterday, and he helped me out.”
“Oh, that’s good then.”
Since he was Zhou Lincan’s friend, he probably wasn’t too bad, Chuan Jin thought, stroking her chin. Maybe she should try to get to know him too? Perhaps her sister would be interested in him?
Xu Mianchuan could tell what her sister was thinking just by looking at her expression. She tapped her head and warned, “Wei Chi is different from Zhou Lincan. Don’t provoke him for no reason. Even Zheng Jingyuan doesn’t dare to confront him directly. Don’t bring trouble upon yourself.”
“What’s wrong with him? I thought he seemed pretty normal last night. Didn’t he help you?” Chuan Jin asked naively.
Xu Mianchuan replied, “That’s because it was his territory last night. The club was a gift to his sister. He wouldn’t have chosen to lose his temper on such an occasion. Zheng Jingyuan escaped unscathed yesterday; otherwise, given Wei Chi’s temper, he wouldn’t have left the club standing.”