Lin Xinyan rejected his proposal immediately. “Even if you aren’t going to charge me, I’m still not going in with you.”
“Do you think you have a choice?” Li Zhan raised their hands to show the cuff.
“I can’t go with you no matter what.” Lin Xinyan stood her ground.
Li Zhan was confused by her action as he wasn’t asking her to do anything indecent.
“Is there someone you know who works here?” Li Zhan questioned. “Someone you don’t want to meet?”
Since she barely knew Li Zhan, Lin Xinyan did not want to disclose the information about her private life.
She averted her gaze and lied, “I don’t want to go out into public with the cuff still on. People might think I broke the law or something.”
Li Zhan looked at the cuff and frowned; it was his first time in such a situation. Even though he agreed that it was embarrassing and awkward to appear in front of others in such a state, what was done could not be undone.
“The person I have to meet is a very important person to me. I really have to go…” Li Zhan groaned and suddenly thought of an idea. “If all you want is for other people to not recognize you, I’ll borrow you something.
He took off his glasses and grabbed a face mask from Fatty Long. “Here, put these on.”
Lin Xinyan stared at the items speechlessly.
“You have to understand. I have to meet this person no matter what.” Li Zhan stood his ground. If Lin Xinyan still insisted on not going, he would drag her with him.
Without many choices left, Lin Xinyan nodded. After putting on the mask and glasses, she checked herself in the mirror, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that most of her face was covered.
“Are you serious about endorsing my products for free?”
She wasn’t being a cheapskate, but the endorsement fee wasn’t a small number. She wanted to save as much money as possible. Of course, she wasn’t going to let Li Zhan do it for free. She still planned to pay him an adequate amount when it was all over.
“As long as you come with me, I’ll do it for free! Do you trust me?”
Lin Xinyan nodded. “I’m not going to let you work for free. I’ve checked; the price starts from a million. I’ll pay you that much. Just think of it as you giving me a huge discount.”
“You sure are good with numbers,” Li Zhan laughed.
“It’s to make sure I don’t lose anything.”
Lin Xinyan wasn’t the type of person who would use her friendship as leverage in business negotiations, nor was she the type who would take advantage of others. She believed in setting things straight right from the beginning to avoid any complications in the future.
“Deal. Come on.” Li Zhan pushed the door open, and they got off the car.
Before they went up the elevator, Li Zhan took Fatty Long’s jacket to cover the cuff. As they went up in the elevator, Lin Xinyan noticed which floor they were heading to and frowned.
“Who are we meeting again?”
“My brother.”
“Is he a manager here?”
“Have you ever heard of Zong Jinghao?”
Lin Xinyan’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name as she stared at Li Zhan. “He… He’s your brother?”
“You know him?”
Lin Xinyan didn’t know how to react to the situation.
“You should have seen him once or twice in financial magazines,” Li Zhan clarified. “He’s in his thirties and carries a cold expression every time. Tell me, why does a man like him still stay single until now? Shouldn’t he get a wife or something? Heck, even if he doesn’t get married, he could still have a few lovers with the money he has. It’s like he’s a monk or something.”
The actor only knew of Zong Jinghao’s relationship with He Ruilin and was very surprised when they called off their engagement. He always thought his brother loved his ex until their breakup. Zong Jinghao had been single ever since – at least that was what Li Zhan believed.
Li Zhan was a busy person. Most of the time, he would be traveling to foreign countries for TV shows and advertisements. When he wasn’t acting, he would go back to school, put on his glasses, and work as a lecturer.
He wasn’t exactly on good terms with Wen Qing, and he would only call Li Jing from time to time to update her on his status. He rarely asked about Zong Jinghao as he always thought of the man as a boring person who simply made a lot of money.
“That’s how you think of him?” Lin Xinyan asked.
Li Zhan mulled over the question in his head for a few seconds and nodded. “He’s a boring person. What’s the fun in making so much money when you aren’t going to splurge a little? Aren’t all rich men supposed to be the same? They earn money and have fun with girls.”
