Chapter 147: I Like You

Taking a deep breath, Lin Xi rarely found herself this speechless.

"Still didn't get away, did you? Did you think I had left?" Su Ran crossed her arms, looking triumphant.

Lin Xi frowned. "What exactly do you want with me?"

"Nothing much, just wanted to chat with you."

Engineer Chen looked back and forth, then stepped forward and said, "Engineer Lin doesn't have time right now. If it's about work, come back and make an appointment tomorrow. As for personal matters, wait until Engineer Lin is free in a couple of days."

Su Ran raised an eyebrow. "Are you Lin Xi's agent?"

Engineer Chen: "..."

Before Chen could speak, Lin Xi raised a hand to signal him. "The elevator is here, Engineer Chen, you go ahead."

Hearing this, Chen didn't know what else to say. After entering the elevator, he poked his head out, looking worried, and urged, "Engineer Lin, if anything happens, just come back to the office and call for backup!"

Lin Xi: "..."

Su Ran: "..."

Engineer Chen had not underestimated Lin Xi's combat prowess; after all, her sharp tongue was quite formidable, and few people could get the better of her. However, he was afraid that Su Ran might resort to physical violence—when women fight, they go for the throat and pull hair. Lin Xi was clearly a refined person and would certainly never do such a thing.

Lin Xi waved her hand helplessly, signaling him to leave quickly.

Once he was gone, Lin Xi looked at Su Ran. "Let's go, we can talk over here." She led her to a nearby fire escape.

Su Ran looked disgusted. "Why can't we find a decent place to sit down and talk? Why here? People who don't know better might think we're up to something shady."

"I don't have time. If you have something to say, make it quick; don't waste each other's time." Lin Xi checked her watch. "I'll give you five minutes."

Su Ran agreed reluctantly. "Fine."

"You know who I am, right?"

"A little," Lin Xi said bluntly. "Cheng Si's blind date partner."

Su Ran: "No, no, no. We haven't reached that stage yet. It hasn't even begun."

"Okay," Lin Xi nodded. "Attempted blind date."

Su Ran: "..." That seemed accurate.

"I don't like him."

"You have three minutes left."

Su Ran choked. "I heard you are Qin Yu's sister. Is that true?"

"No."

"No??" Su Ran's voice rose. "That can't be. All the information I've received says you are Qin Yu's sister."

Lin Xi: "You could say we are like siblings, but there is no blood relation."

"You..." Su Ran narrowed her eyes. "Is there some other relationship between you and Qin Yu??"

"What makes you say that?" Lin Xi smiled.

"I don't know, a woman's intuition." Of course, that wasn't the whole truth; she had inquired carefully before coming, asking no fewer than ten people in the Beijing social circle. She was so focused on Lin Xi because everyone in the circle said that for all these years, Lin Xi was the only woman in Qin Yu's life. They said there used to be someone named Song Ning, but it was hard to tell if that was true. What was certain was that Lin Xi's position was unshakable.

She suspected their relationship was not simple, at least not what it appeared on the surface. But nobody in the circle dared to say much. Their answers were always vague—either they didn't know, hadn't heard anything, or said it was "maybe possible." The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt, so she decided to come directly to Beijing. She hadn't met Qin Yu yet, but testing the waters with Lin Xi wasn't a bad idea. According to the others, Qin Yu was hard to approach, but there was indeed a shortcut: if you could get on good terms with Lin Xi, Qin Yu would be within reach.

However, after a brief interaction, she felt that Lin Xi didn't seem much better than Qin Yu. This temperament of hers could be described as even more intense.

"Intuition."

Hearing that word, Lin Xi pursed her lips. She didn't speak, so Su Ran had to probe, "Isn't it?"

Judging by Lin Xi's usual personality, she wouldn't usually admit to such things. After all, it hadn't even truly begun. Just as Su Ran thought she had defaulted to silence, Lin Xi suddenly smiled and said, "Then your intuition is very accurate."

Su Ran: "..."

"You two really are??"

"Not yet."

The word "yet" was used quite cleverly. Su Ran's mouth twitched. Thanks, I'm officially annoyed.

"I knew it." As speechless as she was, Su Ran had been prepared for this. However, Lin Xi's answer wasn't particularly important to her. "Since you aren't together yet, I can rest easy. When Qin Yu returns to the country, we are going to have a meeting."

"Meeting" was just a euphemism; simply put, it was a blind date. Su Ran looked confident, as if she held the winning hand. As a romantic rival, she stood with her hands on her hips, trying to crush Lin Xi with sheer presence. Unfortunately, Lin Xi showed no particular reaction to her words. At least, not the ones she wanted to see.

This woman was certainly calm. It was hard to tell if it was genuine or just an act.

Su Ran was eager to try again; she had suddenly lost interest in Qin Yu. She completely forgot her main goal and now wanted to see Lin Xi lose control. It was hard to imagine what it would look like if someone like her went crazy. The thought was exciting.

"Are you not even a little bit worried? Whether it's family background or appearance, we are on par. Other than knowing him a little earlier, you don't seem to have any advantages." Su Ran tried to provoke her with words.

Lin Xi remained expressionless. She curled her lips slightly and replied calmly, "My advantages are certainly not limited to what you've mentioned."

"For example?" Su Ran challenged her to give an example.

"For example, he likes me."

"..."

This was Lin Xi's greatest advantage with Qin Yu.

—

Lin Xi stepped out of the elevator and strode away without looking back. Su Ran, being slightly shorter, had to jog to catch up.

"Hey, hey, hey! I haven't finished speaking yet!"

"The five minutes are up," Lin Xi continued walking.

Su Ran tried to keep pace with her. "How about I treat you to dinner?"

"No, thank you."

"Then you treat me to dinner!"

"I came to Beijing secretly; my family doesn't know. You're a local, take me around to eat something good."

"..." Lin Xi pursed her lips, grabbed a pen and paper from the reception desk, and wrote down an address for her. "I don't have time. Go here yourself. Just mention my name, and the owner will treat you well."

Su Ran looked at it blankly. She glanced down at the words: "Ruan Dong's Private Kitchen." Below it, a phone number was thoughtfully included.

"No... I wanted to eat with you, you're the main point." Su Ran blocked her path.

Lin Xi walked around her. "Do you have anything else you haven't finished saying?"

"No."

"Then what is this?"

"I like you, I want to spend more time with you!"

Lin Xi: "...?"