Chapter 21: He's So Bad

Lin Chen slowly cut the steak with a knife, savoring a small sip of red wine. To him, this was far less enjoyable than eating skewers and drinking cold beer. Therefore, he once self-mockingly told Su Xiran that he might never change, destined to be a commoner, never a refined person.

Su Xiran loved Western cuisine and was very elegant when eating it, so elegant that many successful-looking men often approached her during meals.

Although Lin Chen's way of eating Western cuisine often affected the surrounding environment, making her also be looked down upon, she never minded. Whenever Lin Chen gulped down a glass of red wine, she would pour him another, then look at him tenderly.

Lin Chen's personality was never one to compromise. When he encountered someone he disliked, he would show his disdain with a cold face, straightforward and direct. As a result, many people said that his personality would not help him succeed in society.

But Lin Chen could be cold to anyone except the gentle older sister in front of him. She seemed to be his nemesis, his Achilles' heel.

When he first came to this city, he was a passionate young man, but at the same time, he was also somewhat fearful of this bustling and cold city. It was this gentle and beautiful woman who always held his hand and led him forward, never showing any disdain.

Lin Chen put another large piece of beef in his mouth, swallowed it after a few chews, and then smiled awkwardly at Su Xiran, saying, "Sis Xixi, why are you looking at me like that? It's as if I've done something to hurt you..."

Su Xiran said with a hint of resentment, "I don't know why, but I always feel like you're getting further away from me. If I hadn't called you this time, I don't know when you would have called me."

Seeing Su Xiran's resentful eyes, Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he laughed, "Hehe, so I'm that important to Sis Xixi? Could it be that 'a day without seeing you feels like three autumns'?"

He blinked and teased, "Sis Xixi, could it be that you like me?"

Su Xiran's face suddenly turned a bit red, and she looked flustered, saying angrily, "No way! Don't talk nonsense."

Lin Chen laughed, "Haha, I was just joking, no need to be so nervous. Sis Xixi, you're a few years older than me, and you've always treated me like a younger brother. I wouldn't think anything else."

When he said this, he looked very righteous, but what he really thought about this beautiful and sexy older sister, only he knew.

Su Xiran, hearing this, looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and she said angrily, "Who's a few years older than you? Just three years, is that a big difference? Who treats you like a younger brother? You're not my younger brother! Lin Chen, you're so ungrateful. I've been so good to you, and in your heart, I'm just an old woman!"

After saying this, she looked at Lin Chen coldly, with a hint of sadness and grievance, clearly angry.

Su Xiran rarely got angry, but when she did, the fearless Lin Chen was particularly afraid.

Lin Chen was a bit at a loss and said awkwardly, "Sis Xixi, why are you angry? Did I say something wrong? I didn't say you're old, just that you're a few years older than me. Of course, you're still a super beautiful woman."

Seeing his wooden expression, Su Xiran sighed and didn't say more. Instead, she said with some distress, "Lin Chen, my family is setting up a blind date for me this time. It seems they've already decided everything and are just waiting for me to go back and go through the motions."

Lin Chen suddenly felt uncomfortable and frowned, "What do you mean? If you don't want to, they can't force you, right? Your stepmother clearly has no good intentions."

Su Xiran's mother passed away when she was young, and after her mother's death, her father remarried.

Her stepmother had a son and a daughter with her father, making three children in total, and Su Xiran was the one who was not loved. Due to the family's poverty and the need for money for her younger siblings' education, she had to drop out of school and go to Yuehai City to make a living, sending most of her earnings back home.

Even so, her stepmother was not very warm to her, treating her efforts as a given. She often arranged blind dates for Su Xiran, all with men of poor character, clearly trying to benefit from her and find a rich man to rely on.

Su Xiran said with some distress, "No matter what, she's still an elder. This time, she said the person is particularly excellent and that I must meet him, even threatening me that if I don't go back, I'll never be allowed to return home. I still have to go back once."

Lin Chen was a bit unsettled and said urgently, "Sis Xixi, what do you mean? You're not really going to go on a blind date with that person, right? I'm telling you, those guys are just flies attracted by your beauty and good figure. They're not good people. Don't fall for their tricks! They may look decent on the surface, but they're actually beasts in human form, worse than animals, and completely devoid of conscience..."

Lin Chen looked deeply disgusted and started to criticize, as if those men deserved to be cut into pieces. Before he finished, Su Xiran burst out laughing.

She smiled like a fox that had caught its prey, "So you're so afraid of me going on a blind date. You were acting so righteous just now, and you even said you didn't have any improper thoughts about me. Humph!"

She playfully wrinkled her nose, looking very mischievous and satisfied.

"Hehe."

Lin Chen awkwardly laughed and scratched his head, at a loss for words.

Su Xiran scolded, "Dope!"

Then she explained, "I'll just go back to deal with it. And didn't I say I'd have you pretend to be my boyfriend and go back with me? If I bring my boyfriend back, how can I go on a blind date with someone else?"

Lin Chen finally realized, "Right, last time you asked me to pretend to be your boyfriend. If you have a boyfriend, you can't go on a blind date with someone else."

Just as he understood, he heard a surprised male voice, "Miss Su, I didn't expect to see you here. What a coincidence!"

A well-dressed, elegant man in his thirties walked over, looking at Su Xiran with fiery eyes.

Su Xiran's brows furrowed, then she forced a polite smile, "Mr. Lai, yes, you're here too. What a coincidence."

Mr. Lai smiled, "Yes, what a coincidence. Since we're so fated, why don't we sit together?" He sat down without waiting for an answer.

The table was large enough for three people, but Su Xiran did not welcome him.

Su Xiran's face showed some displeasure, but she quickly hid it.

Mr. Lai was the owner of a magazine company that had business with her company. Su Xiran had met him a few times, and each time he would hover around her like a fly, making her feel very disgusted, but she couldn't directly confront him, as the company had many business dealings with his magazine.

Mr. Lai, however, seemed completely oblivious to Su Xiran's displeasure, and he looked at her and chuckled, "Miss Su, why do I feel like you're always avoiding me? I don't eat people. Every time we meet, you leave after a few words. I haven't had a proper conversation with you yet, and I haven't properly introduced myself. Let me introduce myself. Lai Gaojun, 33 years old, owner of Tianxing Magazine, and unmarried."

He emphasized the word "unmarried."

Su Xiran just smiled, a bit forced, as if she hadn't heard him.

Lai Gaojun didn't mind. In his view, no matter how cold a woman was at first, once she was taken, she would be the same, only able to please him.

He had investigated Su Xiran. She was just a woman from a small county, with no background and no known connections to any important figures.

He had heard that the general manager of her modeling agency, Liu Shanhua, seemed to have some interest in her, but now he seemed to avoid her. Although he didn't know why, he believed that with his abilities, taking this beautiful but background-less woman would be no problem.

He extended his hand, looking at Su Xiran's white and tender hand, and smiled, "Miss Su, since I've introduced myself, can we shake hands?"

He thought that if he could rub and touch her hand while shaking, she would understand his intentions and he could take advantage of the situation.

Su Xiran knew what he meant without shaking hands. She had seen too many successful men with lust in their eyes over the years. She felt a bit disgusted.

But refusing to shake hands would be a public insult, and she would be giving him no face. She frowned.

At this moment, a calm voice said, "Don't shake his hand."

It was Lin Chen. Seeing Lai Gaojun's hand reaching out, staring at Su Xiran's hand as if he wanted to grab and rub it, Lin Chen felt like gouging out the man's eyes.

Su Xiran, hearing Lin Chen's words, was surprised but then smiled, looking obedient, and said to Lin Chen, "Okay, I won't shake hands. Don't be angry."

She then said to Lai Gaojun, "Mr. Lai, I'm really sorry, but my boyfriend doesn't want me to, so I can't shake your hand."

Lai Gaojun seemed to notice Lin Chen sitting next to Su Xiran only now. His face changed, and he forced a smile, "So Miss Su has a boyfriend. But your boyfriend is a bit overbearing, isn't he? Not even allowing a handshake? What kind of era is this? Miss Su, how can you tolerate such a man?"

Su Xiran looked pitiful but sweet and said helplessly, "What can I do? I've chosen him, and he's so domineering. My decisions are always his, and I can't say no to what he says. Otherwise, I'll be bullied when I get home. He's so bad!"

As she spoke, her voice became coy, making people imagine all sorts of things.

Damn, it seems Su Xiran has already been taken by this man!

Lai Gaojun was consumed with jealousy. Looking at Lin Chen, who had no outstanding qualities, he felt even more annoyed. How could this nobody make this beautiful woman submit so willingly, without a word of refusal? Does he deserve it?

He was about to mock when a waiter brought a bottle of red wine and placed it on the table, saying respectfully, "Sir, this is a 1995 Romanée-Conti red wine sent by our boss. He hopes the distinguished guests here will enjoy it."

Hearing this, Lai Gaojun was first incredulous, then delighted. He hadn't even had dinner with the restaurant manager a few times, yet the manager was so considerate, sending him a bottle of 1995 Romanée-Conti, which was unbelievable and extremely generous!

A bottle of 1995 Romanée-Conti red wine, a rare and valuable item, would cost over 100,000 yuan if you could even find it!