Chapter 36: A Disguised Blind Date

After getting out of the car, Lin Fan gazed up at the towering Dongxing Group building. He watched the employees bustling in and out, busy with their work, and couldn’t help but sigh, “I suppose Zhentian Group must be just like this.” Ever since his parents passed away, Lin Yan had handed over all the Lin family’s assets to him. Over the years, she had worked tirelessly to manage Zhentian Group, pushing it to new heights time and again. In his heart, Lin Fan was deeply grateful to his sister. Although he had secretly used the influence of Dragon Soul to propel the company’s growth from behind the scenes, compared to Lin Yan, he felt that, as the true owner, he had done far too little.

“You’re here early,” came a sudden voice behind him—Tang Rui.

Her words snapped Lin Fan out of his thoughts and reminded him that he was standing in front of Dongxing Group, not Zhentian Group. He looked at Tang Rui, momentarily taken aback—he hadn’t expected to see her here. She should be upstairs in her office, shouldn’t she? Was she here to meet him? Impossible, he immediately denied the thought. But from her tone, it sounded as if she knew he would come. Could she really be planning to torment him? He doubted it.

“Early? It’s already nine o’clock. Why did you come downstairs? Don’t tell me you came to meet me,” Lin Fan replied with a wry smile, the corner of his mouth lifting in amusement. Whatever she had in store, he was ready—he was not afraid of Tang Rui’s attempts at payback. When dealing with women, especially someone like Tang Rui who blushed so easily, the most important thing was to have a thick skin.

“I just went down for breakfast. I worked overtime last night and didn’t go home. Come on, let’s head up,” Tang Rui replied, avoiding his gaze. Every time she saw Lin Fan, she couldn’t help but recall the memory of him seeing her naked for the first time, when he’d barged into the bathroom unexpectedly.

“No wonder I didn’t see her this morning—she didn’t go home last night,” Lin Fan mused inwardly, then followed Tang Rui upstairs. In his experience, if he’d said something like that to another woman, she’d probably sneer, “Who do you think you are? Have you looked in a mirror? Why would I come to pick you up?” Even if not those exact words, the sentiment would be the same. But Tang Rui had simply ignored his teasing, which left Lin Fan a little deflated, as though he was performing a solo act.

In truth, Tang Rui did want to scold the man who’d seen her naked for the first time, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. First, she had been well brought up and never used crude language. Second, Lin Yan was her senior from their days at Harvard in the US; the two were as close as sisters, and Tang Rui regarded Lin Yan as her elder sister. There was another important reason as well—Tang Rui didn’t dislike Lin Fan. Even though he often teased her with his playful banter, there was a certain roguish charm to him. Unlike other men, he showed no sign of coveting her beauty or family background, so Tang Rui didn’t feel any aversion toward him.

“Find yourself a seat. Sister Lin said she’s too busy and insisted you stay with me to learn about business,” Tang Rui said, pulling out a stack of documents as she settled into her office chair. “She also said you should study hard so you can take over Zhentian Group in the future. I’m new to the job myself and may not be able to teach you everything. Don’t go tattling on me to Sister Lin, alright?” She finished with a mischievous smile.

“What’s this about taking over Zhentian Group?” Lin Fan’s vision dimmed at her words, and he instantly understood Lin Yan's intentions. Forcing him to work as a bodyguard while telling Tang Rui to have him learn business at Dongxing Group—wasn’t this all just an excuse to create opportunities for the two of them to spend time together and develop feelings? It was basically a disguised matchmaking attempt. Lin Fan couldn’t help but smile wryly to himself: “My sister is really going to great lengths for my marriage. Too bad I already have Zhao Ying; otherwise, Tang Rui wouldn’t be a bad choice.”

Looking at Tang Rui, who had just flashed a playful grin, Lin Fan realized how pure-hearted she was—she had told him everything Lin Yan had said without reservation. Otherwise, he might still be in the dark. He knew his sister well: once she set her mind on finding him a partner, if Tang Rui didn’t work out, she’d find someone else to set him up with. If that was the case, Lin Fan figured he’d rather be with Tang Rui. At least she was innocent and straightforward, not like those calculating women who only cared about houses and cars. He couldn’t stand those types—he wouldn’t go near them, even if they threw themselves at him.

With that in mind, Lin Fan decided he ought to find a good time to tell Lin Yan about his relationship with Zhao Ying, so she would stop arranging blind dates for him in the future.

“What are you thinking about?” Tang Rui asked, noticing his silence.

“Nothing much. Don’t worry—so long as you give me some perks, I won’t say a word to my sister. Just a little something,” Lin Fan grinned, plopping down opposite her and propping his chin up with both hands.

Tang Rui knew he was joking and didn’t take it seriously. She replied casually, “What kind of perk do you want?”

With a sly chuckle, Lin Fan said, “Let me give you a kiss.”

Tang Rui’s pen froze mid-sentence, and a flush crept up her cheeks. She had been pursued by more men than she could count, but none had ever spoken to her so boldly. This was blatant flirting—how shameless!

“No way,” Tang Rui muttered, her face red as she lowered her head.

Lin Fan hadn’t expected her to agree; he was only teasing her. Tang Rui was clearly the well-bred, gentle type, and he found the atmosphere with her a little too subdued unless he lightened it up with some banter.

“You’ve already seen it all—one kiss won’t hurt, right?” Lin Fan’s lips curled into a playful smirk as he toyed with his bangs. The less Tang Rui reacted, the more he wanted to provoke her, just to see what she’d look like when she finally lost her temper. With someone like her, he’d be missing out if he didn’t take advantage of the fun.

Just as he finished speaking, the office door swung open. A stylish young man in a sharp suit strode in holding a bouquet of flowers, not even bothering to knock.

“Rui, have lunch with me today. I’ve already made a reservation,” the man said eagerly as soon as he entered.

Flustered from Lin Fan’s teasing, Tang Rui’s face turned crimson, the blush spreading all the way to her ears. It took her a moment to recover before she replied, “I—I’m busy at lunch today. Maybe next time. Sorry for turning you down again.”

From Lin Fan’s perspective, this man—who called Tang Rui “Rui” and barged in without knocking—was clearly familiar with her. Judging by her reaction, though, Tang Rui didn’t seem interested. Not that it mattered to Lin Fan; as long as the guy didn’t mess with him, he couldn’t care less.