Chapter 103
By the time the auction ended, it was already quite late.
Song Fengshi drove Song Xinqiu home first, then took Lin Zhiqiao to Nanjiang Dinning House.
The whole way there, Lin Zhiqiao kept thinking about what Song Fengshi had said earlier.
Those words had completely overturned his previous fixed impression of the head of the Song family.
To be honest, when he heard Song Fengshi say those things, Lin Zhiqiao really had been moved.
Not by the “money and assets” Song Fengshi mentioned, but by his attitude.
Lin Zhiqiao could tell that Song Fengshi was not just saying those words casually. He truly meant them.
Really, how many people in this world could be as clear-headed and open-minded as Song Fengshi?
And on top of that, when Song Fengshi said, “I’m confident I’ll stay rich for the rest of my life,” the confidence in his tone, along with that decisiveness and commanding presence unique to someone at the top, was just…
So freaking handsome! Lin Zhiqiao screamed inwardly. Cooler than any male lead I’ve ever seen in an idol drama!!!
Song Fengshi’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, and a suspicious flush slowly spread across the tips of his ears.
With the nonstop stream of praise from the person he liked echoing in his ears, the drive to Nanjiang Dinning House became, in a certain sense, rather torturous.
Only after the car came to a stop in the underground garage did Lin Zhiqiao finally quiet down, and Song Fengshi secretly let out a breath of relief. The tips of his ears were completely red by then.
“Let’s go,” he said.
It was still the familiar Summer Room. Lin Zhiqiao instinctively glanced at the Spring Room across the hall and felt a wave of emotion.
The Spring Room had provided him with quite a few juicy scandals before. It seemed to have some kind of magical pull.
Wonder if that weird magnetic field will be broken today, Lin Zhiqiao thought. If there’s still gossip happening in the Spring Room tonight, then…
And just one second before the private room door shut completely, Lin Zhiqiao heard a familiar voice through the crack.
“Brother Tian, it’s getting late. Do you really not need to go back and spend some time with Young Master Jing?”
It was Lin Mubai.
Lin Zhiqiao instantly perked up.
He peered out through the gap in the door and saw Lin Mubai walking into the Spring Room opposite them.
Lin Mubai was not alone. Beside him was Tian Jing, the eldest son of the Tian family, whom they had seen earlier at the auction. The “Young Master Jing” he had just mentioned was Tian Jing’s childhood sweetheart and fiancé, the youngest son of the Jing family, Jing You.
The memory of running into them at the auction immediately surfaced again, and Lin Zhiqiao felt unbearably itchy with curiosity.
The engagement between the Tian family and the Jing family had trended before. Young Master Jing was currently making his way in the entertainment industry, so as someone in the same circle, there was no way Lin Mubai did not know about the engagement.
Tian Jing was probably one of Lin Mubai’s targets. Judging from how infatuated Tian Jing looked, Lin Mubai had probably already harvested quite a bit of favorability from him.
But obviously, Tian Jing had not confessed his feelings for Lin Mubai to his own fiancé.
He already had a fiancé, yet still could not let someone else go and was sneaking around for private dates. No matter how you looked at it, that was scummy.
What a pity. If Young Master Jing were here tonight, things would definitely get a lot more interesting.
Lin Zhiqiao sighed inwardly.
He did not really know Jing You, so if he suddenly ran over and told him to come “catch them in the act,” the guy probably would not believe him anyway.
While he was lost in thought, Lin Zhiqiao failed to notice that the man beside him took out his phone, sent a few quick messages to someone, then calmly put it away again.
As always, the food at Nanjiang Dinning House was delicious.
Lin Zhiqiao ate with great satisfaction and, out of habit, poked 888 to open blind boxes.
Tian Jing and Jing You were childhood sweethearts. They were in the same class from kindergarten all the way through high school, and even went to the same school overseas for college.
Their relationship had always been stable. Tian Jing had said more than once that if he married, it would be no one but Jing You. That all changed after Lin Mubai appeared.
Tian Jing stopped revolving around Jing You all the time and started secretly meeting Lin Mubai instead. Even though he had never openly confessed his feelings, he gave Lin Mubai all kinds of gifts in private, and even spent a huge amount of money to buy a crystal called “Eternal Love” as a present for him.
Lin Zhiqiao paused.
“Eternal Love”? Isn’t that the hideously ugly crystal cufflink from the auction earlier? Is Young Master Tian’s taste really that awful?
Lin Zhiqiao clicked his tongue twice. Then, thinking about Tian Jing’s change of heart, he suddenly understood.
Well, makes sense. A scumbag who can dump his childhood fiancé after years together and fall for someone else obviously doesn’t have very good taste.
But…
Lin Zhiqiao calculated the timeline in his head.
When Young Master Tian got engaged to Young Master Jing, he must have already realized he had fallen for Lin Mubai, right? And he still went through with the engagement anyway?!
Tian Jing’s father has two sons and has not yet indicated which one will inherit the family business. Tian Jing may be the eldest, but he is not certain he has his father’s favor locked down.
The Jing family is on equal footing with the Tian family. Tian Jing figured that if he got engaged to Young Master Jing and secured the Jing family’s support, maybe his father’s balance would tip in his favor.
Lin Zhiqiao was completely stunned.
Holy crap, what kind of supreme-grade scumbag is this?! He wants to chase his so-called true love on one side, but still cannot let go of family assets and power on the other… Does he really love Lin Mubai at all? The person he loves most is obviously himself!
Poor Young Master Jing, sincerely devoted and still clueless even now that the man he loves is completely unworthy. All those years of feelings, gone just like that. It’s too tragic!!!
Hm? Wait!
Young Master Jing just happens to be at Nanjiang Dinning House too? Lin Zhiqiao gasped, shocked and thrilled. No way, what a coincidence! If he runs into Tian Jing and Lin Mubai—
Just as he was thinking that, the door to the private room opened again.
A waiter pushed in a dining cart. “President Song, all the dishes for the Summer Room have been served.”
Song Fengshi gave a slight nod, signaling for him to leave.
At that exact moment, hurried footsteps sounded in the hallway. Lin Zhiqiao looked up—and his eyes immediately widened.
It was Jing You.
As if he had already gotten confirmed information, Young Master Jing did not hesitate for even a second. He strode straight toward the tightly closed Spring Room.
Apparently, Tian Jing and Lin Mubai were waiting for the waiter to bring food, because they had not locked the door. Jing You pushed it open without the slightest obstruction.
“Why did you come in without knocking? The service at Nanjiang Dinning House really—”
The words stopped halfway.
From Lin Zhiqiao’s angle, he could clearly see Tian Jing’s expression inside the Spring Room.
First there was irritation. Then shock and blank disbelief. Then tension and panic. And finally a stiff attempt at composure.
Such rich layers of expression could practically be included in an acting textbook.
Beautiful! Lin Zhiqiao clapped in his heart like a seal. Such a wonderful facial performance really is rare!
Before the door opened, Tian Jing and Lin Mubai had clearly been chatting quite happily. Despite the huge dining table, they were sitting extremely close together, Tian Jing with an arm around Lin Mubai’s shoulders. Anyone could tell how intimate they were.
The instant Tian Jing saw Jing You, he almost immediately withdrew his arm from Lin Mubai and shifted sideways, as if trying to create distance between them.
“A-You?” Tian Jing forced out a smile, sounding surprised. “Why are you here?”
Jing You swept a glance over the two people in the room, taking in every change in Tian Jing’s expression.
He gave a cold laugh. “If I didn’t come now, should I wait until my fiancé was already in bed with another man before showing up?”
Lin Zhiqiao gave an inward wow.
As expected of the famously fiery-tempered Young Master Jing. He really dares to say it!
Then he suddenly noticed Jing You was holding his phone up the whole time.
Lin Zhiqiao focused and immediately gasped again.
Good, good, good—he even remembered to record video! He really came prepared to tear the whole thing open!!!
Tian Jing’s face shifted at Jing You’s words. He slammed a hand on the table and snapped in embarrassment and anger, “I already told you! It’s not what you think!”
No sooner had he said it than he seemed to realize his attitude was too harsh. His tone softened. “A-You, this isn’t the place to talk. Let me explain everything when we get back, okay?”
Lin Mubai also spoke gently from the side. “Young Master Jing, please don’t be angry. Brother Tian and I truly aren’t the kind of relationship you’re imagining.”
Jing You was not buying any of it. He pointed at the crystal cufflink at Lin Mubai’s sleeve, gleaming and distinct.
“‘Eternal Love’ was already given to you, and you still want to explain?”
Lin Mubai was speechless. Tian Jing quickly tried to defend him. “This has nothing to do with Mubai. He doesn’t know what that crystal means!”
As if realizing the situation was slipping badly out of control, Tian Jing’s expression changed again and again. Finally, through gritted teeth, he said, “This is my fault. I was planning to find a time to tell you. I just hadn’t figured out how to explain it.”
“Explain what?” Jing You stared coldly at him. “Explain how you’re two-timing? One second you’re getting engaged to me, the next you’re acting all lovey-dovey with someone else—”
He took a deep breath. “Tian Jing, you disgust me.”
Tian Jing was rendered speechless for a while. When he finally spoke again, he said, “A-You, I’m sorry. I actually wanted to tell you a long time ago… what I feel for you isn’t love. I only ever saw you as a younger brother.”
Jing You looked at him as if he had just heard the world’s funniest joke. “A younger brother? When you held me and kissed me and said you would never marry anyone but me, that wasn’t what you were saying. What, do you think kissing your younger brother is perfectly normal?”
Tian Jing still wanted to say something, but Jing You gave him no chance.
He stepped forward two paces and, before anyone could react, slapped Tian Jing across the face.
“This slap is for the me who spent the last twenty-five years blind.”
Lin Mubai moved as if to stop him. “Young Master Jing, if you have something to say, let’s talk it out. There’s no need to hit anyone!”
Jing You shot him a sideways glance. “I’m hitting my fiancé. What business is it of yours, an outsider?” He gave a cold snort. “Drop the fake act. Who are you trying to fool? Don’t push me into slapping you too.”
That clearly was not an empty threat, because Lin Mubai immediately went silent.
Then came a second slap.
“This slap is one he owes me through you. Since you love him so much, taking one slap for him should be worth it, right?”
Tian Jing had looked like he wanted to dodge, but instead he stood there stiffly, lips pressed tight, saying nothing.
Then came a third slap.
“As for this one…” Jing You flicked his aching hand. “Let’s call it me drawing a line between us. From now on, we owe each other nothing. Damn, your face is so thick my hand hurts.”
For one brief instant, panic flashed in Tian Jing’s eyes. But after glancing at Lin Mubai, whose face had turned slightly pale, he still did not try to keep Jing You there. Instead, he said, “This is my fault. I’ll tell Grandpa and the others myself and cancel our engagement.”
“No need to trouble yourself,” Jing You said, waving the phone in his hand. “I was livestreaming. Grandpa and the others have probably already seen it.”
Tian Jing’s face stiffened. “You were livestreaming?!”
Lin Mubai’s expression also darkened for a split second, though in front of the camera he quickly adjusted it again.
Jing You arched a brow. “What, you sneak around behind my back meeting someone else without telling me, but I need to report to you before going live? Don’t be such a hypocrite, Young Master Tian.”
He reached out and patted Tian Jing’s handsome face, right where the swelling from the slaps was already showing. It looked ridiculous.
“If you were so afraid of being seen, then you shouldn’t have done something this shady in the first place.” Then he lowered his voice right at Tian Jing’s ear. “Don’t think I don’t know what you wanted from this engagement.”
His tone was cold and sharp, like an ice blade driven straight into Tian Jing’s chest.
“I won’t let you get what you want,” Jing You said quietly. “Even if the engagement between the Tian and Jing families can’t be canceled, the Tian family doesn’t have only one son. And for me, you aren’t my only choice either.”
Tian Jing’s face instantly became awful to look at.
After saying that, Jing You took a step back. As he turned to leave, he waved cheerfully at the two of them. “Enjoy your meal, you two. Hope you have a wonderful evening.”
A wonderful evening was probably not happening anymore.
Before the door of the Spring Room closed, Lin Zhiqiao clearly saw Tian Jing and Lin Mubai both pick up phone calls. Neither of them looked or sounded pleased.
This scandal had fed Lin Zhiqiao to absolute satisfaction.
Amazing. Truly amazing! he exhaled happily. There really is nothing better than watching a scumbag’s face change in real time!
The next second, someone knocked on the half-closed door of the Summer Room.
Jing You poked his head in through the gap, his gaze landing on Song Fengshi.
“President Song.” He smiled gratefully. “Thanks for the tip. I was just worrying about how to catch him red-handed.”
Song Fengshi gave a slight nod. “It was nothing. No need to thank me.”
“No, really, your ‘nothing’ helped me a lot.” Jing You let out a breath, a trace of sadness flashing across his face before he quickly hid it. “Then I’ll be off. I won’t disturb your private little world anymore!”
The door to the Summer Room was thoughtfully shut behind him.
Lin Zhiqiao stared blankly for a moment, then asked Song Fengshi, “You were the one who tipped him off?”
The phrasing sounded a little odd, but Song Fengshi still nodded. “I was.”
Lin Zhiqiao sighed. “Good thing Young Master Jing happened to be nearby and got here in time.”
“I was the one who told him to come to Nanjiang Dinning House,” Song Fengshi said, lips curving faintly. “When I booked the private room, I happened to see Tian Jing had reserved the Spring Room too, so I let Jing You know in advance.”
“So that’s how it was.” Lin Zhiqiao finally understood. Then he teased, “I thought you wouldn’t be interested in this kind of thing.”
“I’ve had dealings with Jing You before, so it was just returning a favor.” Song Fengshi said, “And besides… I’m actually pretty interested in this sort of thing. Eating gossip is human nature, isn’t it?”
Lin Zhiqiao’s eyes lit up at once.
Rich, handsome, and a soulmate.
How was he supposed not to fall for that?
