Chapter 18

This young man with red hair and green feathers on his head is Gao Yunliang, the son of Dong Jia Yun. He looks to be around twenty years old. Logically, he should still be in school, but this guy is not focused on his studies. He hangs out with some street punks, getting involved in all sorts of mischief, and has been to the police station more than a few times. However, he has a good "uncle" who is the deputy chief of the police, so he always manages to get out of trouble.

Thus, every time he gets into trouble, he can leave the police station unscathed. With this backing, he has gathered a group of young followers who call him "Brother Liang." He started to skip school and walk the streets with a gangster's swagger.

Gao Yunliang is not bad-looking; he resembles his mother quite a bit. After all, his mother was quite beautiful, or else his "uncle" wouldn't have climbed into her bed back then.

What's frustrating is that he always tries to look tough, thinking it's necessary to maintain his gangster image. He glanced at Lin Zixian and coldly snorted, "A little security guard who doesn't know his place. I'll show him what I can do."

Hearing that Gao Yunliang wanted to kill Lin Zixian, Dong Jia Yun was shocked. She was bold enough to do outrageous things, but murder was too extreme for her. She sternly warned her son, "Xiaoliang, just teach him a lesson. Don't kill anyone."

Earlier, when she called her son from the villa, it was out of spite for Qiu Renzhan. But when Gao Yunliang heard that his mother was being bullied and wanted to die, he panicked and kept calling her back. It wasn't until Qiu Renzhan left that Dong Jia Yun answered the call.

Dong Jia Yun couldn't let her son come to the villa where she was meeting her old lover. After they met at home, Gao Yunliang immediately asked who had bullied his mother and wanted to take revenge for her. In this sense, Gao Yunliang was a good son.

Dong Jia Yun's mind flashed with an idea. She knew her son had a group of street punks around him. The humiliation Lin Zixian had inflicted on her was unforgettable, and she couldn't rest until she got her revenge. Thus, this scene unfolded.

Actually, she overestimated her son. Gao Yunliang was just a street punk. Unless he was in a fit of rage, he wouldn't have the nerve to kill anyone. At most, he would bully someone or get into a fight.

Real gangsters who were known for their ruthlessness wouldn't look like a red-haired, green-feathered clown. They would try to look as normal as possible to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

To real gangsters, Gao Yunliang and his kind were just teenagers seeking attention. They wouldn't even give them a second glance.

Hearing his mother's warning, Gao Yunliang glanced at her, showing a look of disdain for women's softness, and said, "Got it, but I'll at least break his arms and legs. Otherwise, how will I save face?"

Breaking his arms and legs! Dong Jia Yun sighed in relief. This she could accept. Only then could she avenge her humiliation. However, she still frowned and warned him, "Xiaoliang, this is the last time. You need to focus on your studies. Also, don't do this yourself. Have your friends do it. Your 'uncle' is unhappy that you hang out with those riffraff. If he finds out, he might get furious."

"Pfft! Does he think he's my father? He's too controlling," Gao Yunliang sneered, gripping the steering wheel as he followed Lin Zixian from a distance.

Dong Jia Yun was speechless at her son's words. She couldn't tell him that his "uncle" was actually his father, and that she had an affair with him and gave birth to him...

Back in the hotel room, Lin Zixian turned on the TV and lay in a chair by the window, aimlessly flipping through channels, wondering what to eat for dinner. The phone rang, and he saw a familiar number.

He answered and said, "Hello," and heard Ning Lan's light laugh, "Deputy Minister Lin, are you off work?"

Lin Zixian perked up. He was bored, and a beautiful woman offering to tease him was a welcome distraction. He coughed and said, "What else would I do at quitting time? Wait for Assistant Ning to treat me to dinner?"

There was a pause on the other end, and Ning Lan said curiously, "But didn't someone ask me to dinner today?"

"Uh... did I?" Lin Zixian was taken aback, then remembered he had said something like that, but it was just a casual remark. Did she take it seriously?

"If you don't want to, just say so. I'll pretend I never said anything," Ning Lan's tone was slightly unhappy, as if she was about to hang up.

"Wait, wait!" Lin Zixian was both amused and exasperated. "Assistant Ning, don't joke with me. You're a beautiful woman and the CEO's assistant. There are at least enough colleagues to circle the Minghua Building who want to treat you to dinner. Even though I'm the handsomest in Minghua Group, I don't think you'd call me just for a meal. It's too flattering. What do you really want? Is there something from Chairman Qiao?"

Ning Lan was amused and laughed, "Who said I was joking? With the handsomest man in Minghua Group offering to treat me to dinner, why wouldn't I accept?"

Lin Zixian still found it hard to believe and asked skeptically, "Really? You're not just messing with me?"

"Are you going to treat me or not?" Ning Lan huffed.

"Of course, of course! I'd be honored to have a beautiful woman's company!" Lin Zixian said helplessly. "But I'm not familiar with Donghai. I don't know where to take you for a good meal."

"That's fine. I'll lead the way. You just pay. Where are you staying?" The sound of a car starting came from the phone. Ning Lan was clearly in her car.

"Not far from the Minghua Building..." Lin Zixian gave her his room number, and she hung up. He was still puzzled, thinking there must be more to her visit than just dinner.

Soon, there was a knock on the door. Lin Zixian opened it to see the graceful Assistant Ning standing there with a smile. "Deputy Minister Lin, I came all this way to pick you up. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Lin Zixian stepped aside, still suspicious.

Ning Lan entered and started looking around, even checking the bathroom.

Lin Zixian was dizzy from her movements and finally couldn't help but ask, "Assistant Ning, what are you up to?"

Ning Lan came out of the bathroom and nodded seriously, "You're staying in a high-end hotel, so you're not short of money. That gives us more options for dinner. There are no signs of a woman or anyone else in the room, so you're staying alone. We can take our time with dinner without worrying about anything."

She suddenly turned to Lin Zixian, who was staring at her in shock, and asked, "You're not married, are you?"

Lin Zixian was confused and shook his head, "No."

"Then you don't have a girlfriend either?" Ning Lan's eyes flashed with a hint of mischief.

"I've had a few, but they all broke up. I don't have one right now... Why are you asking? Does this have anything to do with dinner?" Lin Zixian circled her, examining her from top to bottom, and scratched his head. "I know I'm handsome and charming. Are you falling for me?"

Asking such a direct question to a woman, without any subtlety, was too blunt. Ning Lan playfully laughed, "What do you think?"

Lin Zixian rolled his eyes. He was just teasing, not really thinking she liked him. He lit a cigarette, unsure what she was up to, and decided to wait for her to reveal her purpose. He didn't want to play games anymore.

Seeing his reaction, Ning Lan's heart ached. Despite his lecherous words, she saw no lust in his eyes, not even a hint of male desire. His eyes showed only a distant look.

Ning Lan doubted her charm and felt a bit sad. Her gaze fell on a bronze harmonica on the bedside table. She picked it up and asked, "You play this?"

Lin Zixian turned and walked over, taking the harmonica from her and putting it in his pocket. He didn't want anyone touching it without his permission. He smiled bitterly, "Assistant Ning, are you really here for dinner?"

Ning Lan's hand, which had been holding the harmonica, twitched as if pricked by a needle. She still smiled, "I came to pick you up. Don't you believe me?"