Lin Xinyan deliberately left out Li Jing’s intention. Instead, she said, “She told me you’re a golden boy, whereas I’m mediocre at best. She seems to imply that we’re not well-matched. After all, my family isn’t prominent, nor do I have immense riches. Therefore, we’re not equal in social status.”
Indeed, I don’t have all these. Chances are, I will never own any of it. The only thing I can do is to stand by his side. For better or for worse, we’ll face everything together.
Zong Jinghao didn’t say a word, merely glancing at her. Then, he took the driver’s seat and started the car.
At this, Lin Xinyan turned to stare at him. “Don’t you have anything to say?”
At her question, Wen Qing looked straight ahead with a tensed gaze.
I can’t confirm that Wen Qing was hiding something from me before, but I got the answer now. He can inform me alone if it were to invite us for a meal. There was no reason for Li Jing to go all the way to her boutique. For as long as I could remember, Li Jing was always the one contacting me. In fact, I hardly even receive calls from him.
Truth be told, it wasn’t as if Wen Qing felt reluctant to contact Zong Jinghao. But he preferred Li Jing to do the job in his stead, as it had become a habit.
Yet, he’s called me personally not once, but twice already. It goes to show that something is off. Moreover, Li Xinyan’s recent mood swings have further reinforced my suspicion. She must have known about this matter. Not that I can tell how much she knows.
“I won’t allow anyone to interfere with my life!”
Not even Wen Qing!
He had made himself clear that no one could stop him from getting whatever he liked.
Attempting to change the subject, Lin Xinyan purposely got close to him and leaned against his shoulder. “Do you believe in fate?”
“I don’t.” His answer was resolute as he believed only in himself.
Immediately, she lifted her head to peer at him and declared in a serious tone, “I believe. Don’t you think it was fate that brought us together?”
During that unexpected night, I assumed that we’d never cross paths again. But I’d never imagined him to be the partner of my arranged marriage. What a twist of fate!
In a swift action, Zong Jinghao placed his arm on her shoulder and flashed a smile on his face while revealing his perfect white teeth. “You are right.”
Lin Xinyan glared at him. “What’s with this half-hearted response?”
To reassure her, Zong Jinghao placed her hands on his chest and smiled. “I’m not lying.”
Lin Xinyan lost her will to humor this flippant man. As a matter of fact, she might not win a debate against a garrulous man like him. If he were to become shameless, even the word ruffian was not too far-fetched as a description for him.
After a while, he stopped the car in front of the Chinese restaurant Wen Qing had informed him of.
Wen Qing had a relatively old-fashioned personality. Needless to say, western cuisine was not in his cards. Nevertheless, his suggestions for Chinese eateries were some of the best in B City.
This restaurant was one of them. It was decorated in a one-of-a-kind Chinese-style frame with a modern touch, giving its customers a unique experience. The waiters were in black suits, while the waitresses were dressed in Cheongsam. The sight of them standing together was especially pleasant to the eyes.
As soon as they walked over, the ushers in front of the door opened the door and welcomed them in.
After they entered through the door, a server dressed in a black suit with a bowtie on his collar approached them. “Did you make a reservation?”
Zong Jinghao nodded his head and replied promptly, “We’re with Mr. Wen.”
“Please follow me.” The waiter guided them to the private room politely right after hearing the name.
He stood aside when they arrived in front of the private room. “This one.”
Lin Xinyan was a little edgy after it occurred to her that Wen Qing was just one door apart, so she grasped Zong Jinghao’s arm.
To comfort her, Zong Jinghao placed his palm on the back of her hand, got hold of it firmly, and said in a low voice, “I’m here with you.”
At that, Lin Xinyan pursed her lips and nodded.
Once the door was pushed open, Wen Qing could be seen sitting in the middle of the spacious room with a beautiful woman right beside him.
The two seemed to be exchanging chatter in a great mood, with smiles on their faces.
Both of them looked toward the door at the same time.
The woman fixed her eyes on Zong Jinghao for a while before scrutinizing Lin Xinyan.
The smile on Wen Qing’s face faded almost immediately when he caught sight of Lin Xinyan; the look of his face was frigid and grim.
The drastic change in his mood was impossible to be missed by Zong Jinghao.
A hint of vexation flashed across Zong Jinghao’s eyes, but he got a grip of himself straight away and walked in with Lin Xinyan.
However, Chen Shihan greeted them passionately, “We were just talking about you two.”
When Lin Xinyan glanced at Chen Shihan, her woman’s intuition hinted to her that the latter was only putting on an act to get close to them. Specifically, Zong Jinghao.
“What were you talking about?” Lin Xinyan queried with a smile.
“You are Mrs. Zong, am I right?” Chen Shihan ignored her question. Then she added, “You look so young and pretty.”
Chen Shihan was good with her words.
Lin Xinyan remained smiling and replied, “You’re flattering me. My kid is turning six this year. I’m no longer in the bloom of youth; you’re much younger than me.”
The corners of Chen Shihan’s lips twitched a bit. I thought Wen Qing said that their marriage was a secret? Where did the child come from?”
Wen Qing had planned to inform her about this but hadn’t managed to find the right time.
Then he patted her shoulder, and they remained silent for a while. They only exchanged a few glances, which seemed to imply he would fill her in on the details next time.
Wen Qing was frustrated with Li Jing, who had done such a sloppy job. Nonetheless, he couldn’t turn the situation in his favor anymore, seeing that they were already here.
He didn’t bluntly ask Zong Jinghao to divorce Lin Xinyan as he knew that the man cared a lot for his wife.
If my memory serves me right, he covered for her exhaustively the first time he visited our family. The man doesn’t even mind if the children don’t take his last name. With my understanding of his character, I can’t risk telling him about this. Otherwise, there’s nothing I can do if he disagrees. It’d be too late to pull any tricks by then. If I were to make a move after that, he’d know for sure that I was the one pulling strings behind the scene. Now, I can only hope to make her leave discreetly. No, that won’t do… When push comes to shove, I have to play the same old trick again. I won’t allow her to get any closer to Cheng Yuxiu.
“Let me introduce you to Chen Shihan, the daughter of my colleague.” Wen Qing stared at Zong Jinghao and mentioned purposely, “I believe you met each other in the hotel the other day.”
Lin Xinyan’s heart skipped a beat at his words.
He met with this woman… in a hotel?
“Uncle Wen, there’s no need for that. Everyone in B City knows about Zong Jinghao, perhaps even the whole country. Besides, we’ve already met…”
She intentionally skipped her gaze over Lin Xinyan’s face when she spoke.
With that, Lin Xinyan clenched her fists under the table, and her palms became sweaty. Yet, she remained a calm expression on her face. “You’re right, Ms. Chen. Many people know about him, so it’s not strange for you to know each other.”
Chen Shihan was at a loss for words, and the smile on her face became awkward.
Right then, Zong Jinghao turned to look at his wife. I still remember she was sharp-tongued back when we got in our first fight.
