Chapter 19: A Fragile Woman

Upstairs in the banquet hall.

Lin Ting stood at the top of the stairs, looking around, but saw no one. She glanced at the screen in the banquet hall below, estimated the trajectory of the thrown dagger, and walked toward that spot. Still no one. She stood there and looked down. The scene below remained chaotic. Xia Wenxi had already left, and several other guests were departing one after another. Lin Jinchuan and Lin Ting were both surrounded by the media. Shen Haochen was pushing through the crowd with Lin Ting, while Lin Jinchuan was completely trapped, unable to move. He was bombarded with question after question, yet he couldn't answer a single one.

Lin Ting looked down, then back at the screen. From this distance, a blade could pierce straight through the screen... Her hands hung at her sides, her fingertips tapping lightly against her legs. Just as she was thinking, a sound came from behind her. She turned toward the room behind her. The tapping was coming from the pantry—a pantry that hadn't been officially opened yet. Lin Ting paused, walked to the pantry, and pushed the door open.

As soon as she stepped inside, a hand suddenly reached out from behind the door and pulled her in. The door shut. Lin Ting’s back hit the wall, and her eyes were covered. Another hand was placed against the wall behind her, shielding her from the hard surface.

Plunged into darkness, unable to see, her other senses became heightened. A jolt, like an electric current, ran through Lin Ting’s heart. Instinctively, she grabbed the hand covering her eyes. At first, she used force, trying to pull the hand away, but then she relaxed her grip. "Hmph, I wonder who is bullying me again—a beautiful, gorgeous, perfect, innocent, kind-hearted, infinitely charming, universally loved, flawless, and utterly defenseless weak... little... girl!"

"That weak girl’s voice is quite loud and full of energy," Shang Moting said. "Feels like she could uproot a willow tree with one hand."

Lin Ting kicked his leg. "That is rumor-mongering and slander."

Shang Moting frowned slightly when kicked, then laughed. He looked at her lips and said, "Do your vigilance and reflexes refresh at random?"

"Yes," Lin Ting said. "So if you want to do anything to me, do it now. My reflexes are currently offline."

Shang Moting: "..."

Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Ting smiled again. "When I just walked in, I did a quick calculation. I calculated that inside there was a..."

Shang Moting watched her, waiting for her to continue. Lin Ting raised her other hand and made a show of performing a divination. "I calculated that inside there was a handsome man who would treat me to crystal crab for lunch today."

Shang Moting let out a soft huff. "Your calculation is wrong."

The corners of Lin Ting's mouth, which had been turned upward, drooped instantly upon hearing his cold reply.

"Let go, I can't see anything," Lin Ting said.

Shang Moting chuckled. "Even a teleportation spell couldn't keep up with your changing expressions."

"What? Is it not allowed?" Lin Ting asked fiercely.

Shang Moting didn't say anything; he took his hand away from her eyes, but he didn't step back. Lin Ting blinked at him. Lin Jinchuan had said he wanted to sever ties with her, claiming that the Lin family would have nothing to do with her from now on. Lin Ting didn't seem saddened by this.

Shang Moting watched her for a few seconds and was just about to step back when footsteps approached from outside. They were headed toward the pantry. The door handle was right next to them. Shang Moting reached for the handle to open the door, but just as he touched it, Lin Ting suddenly gripped the fabric at his waist.

Shang Moting turned to look at her. Lin Ting, still clutching his clothes, looked up at him with a provocative expression. He wanted to cover her eyes when he pleased and leave when he pleased? Not a chance!

The person outside reached the door. Shang Moting’s hand moved to hold the door handle steady, preventing it from turning.

"What’s going on? Why won't it open?" the person outside muttered. "What kind of rotten day is this? Can't even slack off for a moment." The person persisted, rattling the handle a few more times.

Lin Ting stepped half a pace closer, lowering her voice. "Do you know how many media outlets are outside?"

The hand Shang Moting had placed behind her to keep her away from the wall shifted forward with her movement. It looked very much like he was embracing her, though he was only lightly supporting her back without fully touching her. Listening to Lin Ting’s low voice and watching her uninhibited, slightly arrogant expression, the hand behind her slowly tightened into a fist.

Lin Ting looked at the still-moving handle and whispered, "Believe it or not, I’ll scream that Shang Moting is bullying someone in the pantry and give the media a grand gift."

As soon as she finished, the handle stopped moving. The footsteps receded, and the person outside left.

Shang Moting let go of the handle and pulled his other hand away from her back. He looked down at her. "Do you think any media outlet would dare report on me without my permission?"

Lin Ting opened her mouth but couldn't find a word. No one would dare.

Shang Moting pinched her chin and tilted it. "Believe it or not, I’ll actually bully you."

Lin Ting looked at him for a moment and said, "Go ahead, bully me, bully me."

Shang Moting took a step back. Lin Ting took a step forward. "Bully me."

Shang Moting pressed down on her head to stop her from moving forward.

"Trying to scare me," Lin Ting said with a triumphant lift of her brow. "A petty trick, and I’ve seen right through it."

Shang Moting laughed, then opened the pantry door and stepped out. Lin Ting followed. The downstairs area was much quieter now; most of the media had left, and the hotel staff had begun cleaning up the scene.

Lin Ting looked down. "Mr. Shang, was the show today exciting enough?"

Shang Moting looked at her. "Not bad."

Lin Ting smiled. "I’m afraid tonight’s engagement banquet won't be happening. Are you returning to the capital, Mr. Shang?"

"And what about you?" Shang Moting asked.

"Me?" Lin Ting pondered. "Why? Is Mr. Shang starting to miss me already?"

"You're not very tall, but your imagination is quite rich," Shang Moting said, walking toward the stairs.

Lin Ting paused for two seconds before chasing after him. "Who isn't tall? I’m over 1.7 meters!"

Shang Moting kept walking without a word. Lin Ting chased him, defending herself. "I’m 1.705 meters. It’s just that compared to you, I look average. It’s you who is too tall."

Shang Moting still didn't speak, continuing to walk forward. Seeing his silence, Lin Ting followed him for a few more steps before stopping in her tracks, staring resentfully at his back. Shang Moting felt as though the entire hotel had been slaughtered by her resentment.

He stopped, turned around, and looked at her. "Not eating the crystal crab?"

Upon hearing the words "crystal crab," the resentment on Lin Ting's face seemed to be chased away by the sun. Her face lit up with instant joy, and her eyes sparkled. She ran a few steps to Shang Moting’s side. "Eating. Let's go."

Shang Moting looked at her eyes, which were curved into crescents of laughter.

"See, I told you my calculations were accurate," Lin Ting said, raising her hand to perform another frantic divination.

"What did you calculate this time?" Shang Moting asked.

"I calculated that we will be having dinner together tonight," Lin Ting said. "I’ll treat you tonight."