Chapter 279 - Do You Have A Girlfriend?
Chapter 279: Do You Have A Girlfriend?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Follow me,” said Shen Zongyi.
Xu Moyan and Zheng Yuntong followed closely. Zheng Yuntong walked next to Shen Zongyi and heard his light, casual voice said, “That’s Liang Wenyin. She’s Mo Jinxi’s aunt and is a painter. She has just signed with a new agency and wants to pick a Public Relations team from Lin Yi. She’s meeting President Wei this afternoon for business.”
Zheng Yuntong and Xu Moyan looked at each other. Their woman’s intuition told them that Liang Wenyin was after something much more than just that.
It was lucky that there were no private rooms available for Wei Zilin and Liang Wenyin when they arrived at the restaurant. Wei Zilin might have wanted to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding and rumors as the lunch involved only both of them, so he had purposely chosen a public spot to discuss business.
Right next to their table as an empty one that remained unreserved. Zheng Yuntong and Xu Moyan chose to sit there.
The restaurant was quiet and everyone chatted in low voices. The chattering was accompanied by relaxing music. It was a location perfectly suited for dating couples, as well as for business meetings.
The three of them sat down and Wei Zilin gave Shen Zongyi a look. Shen Zongyi decided to play it by ear and pretended not to notice him at all.
Wei Zilin raised an eyebrow. Liang Wenyin, who was sitting opposite where he was, asked, “President Wei, is something the matter?”
Wei Zilin replied casually, “Nothing. In regard to your request, I would recommend Lu Lixin’s team. I’ll arrange for you to meet them later and discuss the details.”
He spoke in a low voice, but as Xu Moyan was sitting next to their table, she could still make out his words if she concentrated enough. However, there were still some noise disturbances around. Xu Moyan frowned. She could not tell for sure if that was the voice she has been looking for.
Besides, it did not help that Wei Zilin had purposely lowered his voice. It sounded different than his normal tone.
“Mr. Wei, I know this is very forward of me, but if I don’t get it out of the way, it would bother me a great deal,” Liang Wenyin gave a wide smile and lifted her hands to play with the hair near her ears.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
Zheng Yuntong inhaled sharply. She had not expected this lady to be so straightforward.
Xu Moyan’s ears twitched as she tried to listen in. She did not need to strain herself. Even though Wei Zilin’s voice was cold and distant, there was a very faint familiarity to his clear, soulful voice. It was melodious but distant at the same time.
“I’m sorry, this is my private matter. I’m meeting Miss Liang this afternoon only because of business,” Wei Zilin replied casually.
Xu Moyan’s heart jumped. Wei Zilin lowered his voice slightly when he was saying this.
It was this casually distant voice that reminded her of ‘Massacre’ six years ago, when Qi Shaofeng muttered those cold, unfeeling words before making his kill.
His opponent had tried to daunt him then. “Qi Shaofeng, aren’t you afraid that Si Yu will find out about everything you did?”
Even then, Yu Linling had voiced Qi Shaofeng with the same casual distant tone, “This is my private matter.”
Xu Moyan could not help but turned to look at him. When she saw the side of Wei Zilin’s handsome face, she immediately looked away, as if she was burnt by that gaze.
Liang Wenyin was completely focused on Wei Zilin and was not aware of what was happening at the table next to them.
She stiffened and could no longer hold on to her smile. It slowly disappeared from her face.
She had not expected Wei Zilin to be so blunt, he did not even bother with allowing her some dignity in the conversation.
Nevertheless, Liang Wenyin’s lips curved up in a smile once more. She was convinced that she should fight for a good man. She was not so lofty as to wait for someone to court her instead.
“When would Mr. Wei have time then? I’d like to buy you a meal on personal time. It’s just to show my appreciation and to also give myself the opportunity to get to know you. You can reply to my personal question then.”
Zheng Yuntong’s mouth opened wide as she mouthed the words, “This woman is so straightforward!”
Wei Zilin frowned slightly. His hands left the table and he straightened himself in his seat, “I didn’t give Miss Liang any help. Even if it was someone else who had approached me, there’s no reason for me to push away business. That’s why you don’t really need to buy me a meal, Miss Liang. If Miss Liang is interested in me, then I can only apologize. I have no other intentions towards Miss Liang and would not want to waste your time.”
Liang Wenyin stopped smiling immediately. She had not expected Wei Zilin to reject her this way. He did not plan to give her any glimmer of hope at all.
Normal people would have pretended not to read too much into the situation when the other party was trying to field a reaction before blurting out the words ‘I like you’, ‘I want to woo you’, ‘Be my boyfriend/girlfriend’. This was to prevent any awkwardness between both parties should one of them have no interest in being more than friends.
Why did Wei Zilin react otherwise?
He was not reacting the way normal people did!
Liang Wenyin lowered her head in embarrassment as she played the hair near her ear. Her lips were so tightly pressed together that one could see her chin trembling.
She needed a minute to calm down. Liang Wenyin lifted her head after a while and gave a pride-filled, joking laugh. “Mr. Wei, I think you’ve misunderstood. All I wanted to do was to thank you and take the opportunity to make a new friend. You are a good friend of Yan Beicheng and Lin Chu, and I happen to be their friend as well. I didn’t want us to be strangers as it would be weird. I have not expected for you to misunderstand that I feel something for you...”
Liang Wenyin gave a light laugh. “It’s okay. I have something to attend to and I’ll make a move first.”
Liang Wenyin stood up and straightened herself before leaving the table.
It was only after she moved away from the table that the smile she had forcefully put on disappeared. She held on tight to her handbag as she walked stiffly away.
Liang Wenyin did not want to embarrass herself here, nor did she want to admit that she was rejected. Her ego pretended that nothing had happened and to act as if she was the one that was offended instead.
All this was not lost on the others. It was just an act for her to leave with some dignity as she tried to convince herself so.
It was really awkward for Zheng Yuntong. She had just witnessed someone confessing to her boss, just to be rejected. Now her boss was left here all alone. It was not a really great thing to see. Shen Zongyi did not think much of it. He knew most of Wei Zilin’s private matters, this was just another feather to add to that cap.
Xu Moyan lowered her head, almost burying into the table. For some reason, she was feeling happy about the whole situation. Was is because Wei Zilin’s voice sounded like Yu Linling?
Wei Zilin, Yu Linling. There was a ‘lin’ in both names.
At that moment, a clear, elegant voice that had a magnetic charm could be heard coming from the top of her head. “Do you mind me taking a seat here?”
The tone sounded normal. It sounded much more like the voice she heard yesterday.
Xu Moyan trembled slightly all over as she went numb with electricity. She almost melted on the spot because of this voice.
No one would believe her if she had told them that she climaxed over a voice.
She next heard Shen Zongyi accept Wei Zilin’s request and before she knew it, a tall, upright-looking man sat in front of her.
“Miss Liang left in anger because of me. It’s a little awkward to be eating alone,” explained Wei Zilin.
Now, Xu Moyan and Zheng Yuntong were the ones that felt awkward.
This man made no attempt to skirt about the issue. They had no idea what reaction to give him. This was someone who did not really conform to the social norm!
“And this is?” Wei Zilin looked at Xu Moyan, who was sitting opposite from him.
Zheng Yuntong quickly made an introduction. “This is the mutual friend of me and Lin Chu, Xu Moyan. She was previously sharing a rental with Lin Chu, and now she’s sharing it with me. She’s currently working at Creative Works as a media planner. She’s 25 this year... Ouch!”
Xu Moyan had pinched her on the thigh.
She was about to turn and complain to Xu Moyan when she saw the look in her eyes. Zheng Yuntong felt bad about what she had just done.
Her boss was to blame for asking that question. He had always had an imposing presence at work and Zheng Yuntong had given a habitual reply as if she was being interviewed for a job and left no stones unturned.
Xu Moyan blushed furiously. She was afraid that if Zheng Yuntong continues talking, she would mention Xu Moyan’s voice fetish and how her face was always stuck to the computer screen while listening to Yu Linling’s voice.
Even though Xu Moyan could not be sure that Wei Zilin and Yu Linling were the same person, she had instinctively thought of Wei Zilin as Yu Linling because their voices were very similar. Besides, Wei Zilin had a saintly air about him that made Xu Moyan feel it was not appropriate to be talking to him about such an unseemly topic.
Wei Zilin’s lips curved up slightly. The waiter came by to ask if Wei Zilin was changing tables. Wei Zilin informed the waiter that he would like to sit and eat with friends at the new table. If the kitchen had not prepared the previously ordered meal, he would like to cancel it.
This was a restaurant with excellent service. As Liang Wenyin had left, the appetizer, soup, steak and dessert she had ordered were canceled by the restaurant even though the soup had already been served. Only Wei Zilin’s order was left.
Four bowls of soup were served. Xu Moyan and Zheng Yuntong had ordered the creamy mushroom soup. Wei Zilin and Shen Zongyi were not fans of cream-based soup that most women liked, so they ordered the puff pastry seafood soup.
Zheng Yuntong mumbled to Xu Moyan in a low voice, “I read the reviews about this. The creamy mushroom soup comes highly recommended.”
Xu Moyan nodded. She believed in the judgment of a foodie like Zheng Yuntong.
She took a sip of the soup. It tasted nice. The creaminess was not overpowering, and the fragrant soup was thick and smooth. Xu Moyan did not really like mushrooms as she thought they had a weird taste. She preferred food that was fresh with a natural sweetness, which was why she found mushrooms hard to take in. However, this bowl of soup was done very well. It did not have that taste of mushroom that she disliked. In fact, it only tasted of the mushroom’s tender texture and the sweetness of its flavor, there was even a touch of natural fragrance wafting from the soup.