Chuan Jin’s eyes widened.
What had she just heard? Zhou Lincan actually called her by her name? This person had always referred to her as “Second Miss” or “Miss Xu”—when had he ever used her full name? Chuan Jin instinctively sensed trouble.
Sure enough, the next moment, she saw Zhou Lincan say expressionlessly that he didn’t want to be her brother-in-law.
“You… how did you know I wanted you to be with my sister?” Chuan Jin pressed, leaning forward with both hands on the table.
Only after confirming she wouldn’t fall did Zhou Lincan reply, “It was obvious enough on the day of the PT Contract Signing. Everything you’ve done for Xu Mianchuan since then—hasn’t it all been to tie her to me?”
So he had known all along… Chuan Jin was stunned. Did that mean Zhou Lincan had never had feelings for her sister from the very beginning?
“If you noticed, and you don’t want to be my brother-in-law, why didn’t you say so earlier?” she frowned.
“At first, I thought your matchmaking attempts were just trivial antics. I assumed you would at least respect Xu Mianchuan’s wishes and listen to her thoughts,” Zhou Lincan said calmly. “I never expected you’d rather choose me than give Wei Chi a chance.”
“How have I disrespected my sister’s wishes?” Chuan Jin retorted unhappily. “She doesn’t like Zheng Jingyuan, but our parents insist on an arranged marriage for her. Is it wrong for me to help her choose a better person? I don’t know Wei Chi—is it a crime that I don’t want him as my brother-in-law?”
“Since you don’t know him, don’t casually label him a ‘violent maniac.’ Wei Chi has never been the person you assume he is. Your prejudice might cause Xu Mianchuan to miss out on true happiness.”
“It’s not like he’s the only one in this world who can make my sister happy…”
Zhou Lincan cut her off, “Then how can you be so sure that I’m better than Wei Chi? That I can make your sister happier than he can?”
Chuan Jin fell silent for a moment but still refused to abandon her choice. “Both you and my sister graduated from Stanford. You share the same educational background, family status, and even ideals. She’s elegant and beautiful, willing to sacrifice herself for the family’s interests through marriage. And you’re an outstanding gentleman. Anyone would say you’re the most compatible pair. Zhou Lincan, are you really not willing to consider being with my sister?”
In the dim light, Chuan Jin was so absorbed in her persuasion that she failed to notice Zhou Lincan’s expression growing darker.
“It seems my meaning still isn’t clear enough. Does Miss Xu think she’s the one who controls everything? No one’s feelings are for you to decide—least of all mine. Who suits me, who is compatible with me—those are my considerations. Whom I like and choose is based on my own standards. I don’t need you repeatedly recommending others to me.Zhou Lincan’s words were sharp, carrying a hint of anger, his tone a far cry from his usual reserved gentleness.
Chuan Jin had no idea why he had suddenly turned angry and inexplicably judged her like this. She grew agitated, “Wh-why are you being so harsh! What control have I taken? Whose decisions have I made? I just wanted my sister to escape that scoundrel Zheng Jingyuan. If she has to enter an arranged marriage, can’t I help her pick a decent family? And now you’re here judging my actions? What did I ever do to you? If you don’t want to be my brother-in-law, fine! No one’s begging you!”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became. Chuan Jin shoved Zhou Lincan hard.
[This person isn’t gentle at all—and he dares to be harsh with me? I must have misjudged him. That bastard Zhou Lincan isn’t worthy of being my brother-in-law either!]
“I didn’t mean anything else, don’t get angry first.”
Zhou Lincan sighed helplessly. He had always said Miss Xu had a quick temper, throwing tantrums at the slightest displeasure, and it was true.
He was also frustrated by Chuan Jin’s repeated attempts to matchmake him with Xu Mianchuan. Every time he appeared, she only saw him as a brother-in-law. All his virtues and strengths were merely criteria for being a brother-in-law in her eyes, as if as long as Xu Mianchuan could be happy and avoid the arranged marriage with Zheng Jingyuan, his own thoughts and feelings never needed her consideration.
Zhou Lincan was extremely, extremely bothered by this. Between him and Xu Chuanjin, there shouldn’t always be a Xu Mianchuan in between.
Chuan Jin was still angry, “Then what did you mean?! You can get angry but I can’t?”
Zhou Lincan knew his earlier attitude had been somewhat rude, but words once spoken couldn’t be taken back. He could only explain, “I just wanted to remind you not to take relationships between people for granted. I might not necessarily be good, and Wei Chi might not necessarily be bad.”
Chuan Jin pursed her lips. Even so, he couldn’t just inexplicably lose his temper at her.
He tried to soften his tone, attempting to salvage the situation, “Of course, I can probably understand why you do this. You have a bold personality, don’t sweat the small stuff, aren’t intimidated by Zheng Jingyuan’s status, and can stick to your principles. You must have been protected and spoiled by your family since childhood, growing up with enough confidence to act without restraint.”
In the darkness, Chuan Jin’s body trembled slightly.
“But you should also know that emotional development isn’t something you can control. No matter how you’ve meddled in others’ affairs before, you can’t just push Xu Mianchuan toward me like this. Doing so…”
Somehow his words lit a fuse. Chuan Jin suddenly interrupted with a low roar, “Enough!”
Zhou Lincan frowned, noticing her strange posture.
Chuan Jin seemed to be resisting him, her spine completely straightened at some point, her back taut like a straight line. Her expression was now indifferent, inexplicably making him somewhat alarmed.
Zhou Lincan’s intuition told him something was wrong. He focused intently to listen to her thoughts.
[Where does he get the confidence to think I was protected by my family growing up?… It took years of struggling and hardship to develop this fearless courage, and now it can easily be credited to a non-existent family? Who’s the one who was actually protected by their family growing up, to have the confidence to say such things?…]
Chuan Jin’s face darkened, “Zhou Lincan, have you been in America too long? Haven’t you heard about the Xu Family?”
“Protected by who? Xu Anguo? Or Pei Lingna? Among all the Xu family members, Miss Xu only has an older sister. Do you think it’s appropriate to say such things? Is this the upbringing of your Zhou family?”
Chuan Jin gritted her teeth. It was the first time she had lost control of her emotions since transmigrating into this book.
Zhou Lincan knew nothing at all. What right did he have to blame her, judge her, and attribute to her a past that never existed?
For as long as she could remember, aside from colleagues and friends, she had always been alone. She didn’t know whether she had been abandoned or if her relatives were no longer alive. In any case, during her years in America, she had carved out her own path with just a computer and a pen. After all these years, she had long stopped caring about the past because she had awards, a team, substantial savings. The courage she had to help Xu Mianchuan change came from her years of experience and boldness gained through her own struggles. Yet Zhou Lincan actually credited it to the one thing she never had – a family.
The family she didn’t care about at all.
“What kind of bullshit family is this? Just a lifestyle—can it bring her more value than a career, or give her confidence? How ridiculous! Would she need a family? She doesn’t want it, doesn’t want it, doesn’t want it, doesn’t want it!”
Miss Xu’s focus had completely derailed. Zhou Lincan listened to her insincere inner thoughts and sighed silently.
“Sorry, I…”
Damn, what had he said?
He had always known Chuan Jin wasn’t from this world. He’d assumed her arrogant personality stemmed from the confidence nurtured by a loving family in her original world, and he’d inadvertently voiced it. He hadn’t expected not only to stir up trouble but also to step on her sore spot.
Stupid, so stupid.
For the first time in over twenty years of sharp intellect, President Zhou had done something foolish and was left utterly at a loss.
His careless remark had dredged up her painful memories, steering the conversation into a dead end. Heaven knew, he’d only wanted to clarify to Miss Xu that he had no intention of becoming her brother-in-law.
“I misspoke. Please don’t be angry.” Zhou Lincan cautiously took a step closer, lowering his head to study her expression.
Chuan Jin was genuinely furious now, completely forgetting the whole brother-in-law issue. She shot the man a glare, pushed him aside, and jumped off the table.
Zhou Lincan swiftly wrapped his arms around her waist before she could land, lifting her back onto the table.
“What are you doing?” Chuan Jin shoved him.
“With your foot injured like that, you still jump down? What were you thinking?” Zhou Lincan frowned. To prevent her from doing anything reckless again, he braced his hands on either side, trapping her within his arms.
“I want to leave!”
“The door is locked. Where can you go?”
“None of your business! I just don’t want to talk to you or be around you!” Chuan Jin yelled, venting her frustration.
Zhou Lincan waited for her to finish before sighing softly. “What can I do for you to forgive me?”
After a long pause, Chuan Jin sneered, “Become my brother-in-law, and I’ll forgive you.”
Knowing she was speaking in anger, Zhou Lincan played along. “Fine.”
Chuan Jin froze, her attention diverted again. “You’re serious?”
“If you can accept me treating your sister as a mere decoration for life—ignoring her when she’s sick, dismissing her emotions, and giving her the cold shoulder when she’s upset—”
“How dare you!!”
Chuan Jin grabbed Zhou Lincan’s collar, her face flushed with rage as she glared at his handsome features mere inches away.
Zhou Lincan chuckled lightly. “Xu Chuanjin, I’m not as good as you think. If you casually choose me as your brother-in-law, you’ll have to accept that I won’t love your sister. Though I started in tech, at the end of the day, I’m a businessman.”
Chuan Jin stared at him. “Shouldn’t businessmen prioritize benefits? Isn’t my sister worthy of you?”
“She is worthy, but neither the Zhou family nor I need to trade emotions for profit. I won’t marry someone I don’t love, and Xu Mianchuan can’t offer the emotional value I seek.”
Chuan Jin was taken aback.
At this point, she understood perfectly. So Zhou Lincan was upset that she had overlooked him, focusing only on her sister’s interests while ignoring his feelings as a person.
But understanding was one thing—she still resented Zhou Lincan for suddenly losing his temper and reopening her old wounds. She glared at him and accused fiercely, “So you lashed out at me just because I ignored your emotional value? Zhou Lincan, are you even a man? Don’t you know how to decline politely? Do you scold everyone who proposes to the Zhou family like this? We’re not close enough for you to reprimand me like this. Do you think I’m easy to bully just because I’m a ‘fake heiress’?”
Finally putting the family issues behind him, Zhou Lincan breathed an inward sigh of relief. “I wasn’t scolding you. I lost my composure earlier because…”
“Because what?” Chuan Jin grabbed his suit lapel and pressed.
Zhou Lincan didn’t continue.
He stared at the face mere inches from his, his Adam’s apple bobbing. They were too close—their breaths mingled on each other’s skin, their perfumes entwined. His mind grew muddled, and he no longer knew the reason himself.
“Say it!” Seeing his silence, Chuan Jin grew even angrier. “You just look down on my sister, don’t you?!”
This person really… Couldn’t she think about anything other than Xu Mianchuan?
Zhou Lincan smiled helplessly and was just organizing his words when faint rustling sounds came from outside the warehouse.
Both turned to look simultaneously. Suddenly—BANG!—the iron door erupted with deafening noise, the roar sweeping through the space as the entire warehouse shook. Chuan Jin screamed in fright. Zhou Lincan pulled her head against his chest, shielding her from the falling dust and debris.
“Ah Can!”
“Xiao Jin! Are you in there?!”
Amid the chaos, hearing Xu Mianchuan’s voice, Chuan Jin lifted her head from Zhou Lincan’s embrace. Looking over his shoulder, she witnessed the shocking scene before her.
Under the harsh light, Wei Chi retracted his kick from the door and rushed inside with Xu Mianchuan.
Chuan Jin’s pupils dilated in shock.
[Holy shit holy shit holy shit—he kicked open a locked iron door with one foot?? And he still denies being a violent maniac!!!]