Chapter 228: Chapter 227: No Longer to be Seen
Lu Mian cast a leisurely glance and didn’t bother with those details. The four of them stood up, left the coffee shop, and headed back towards the Bai Corporation building.
Sui Yuan let out a small sigh as if with a hint of sympathy.
The smugness was practically written on Bai Fangfei’s face.
She wasn’t afraid of Lu Mian now. In fact, she felt she had him in her grasp, and was secretly gloating over it.
The fact that he hadn’t left after being made to wait so long showed that Lu Mian really wanted Ya Qing’s book.
Thinking of her next plan, she almost burst out laughing.
With an air of self-importance, Bai Fangfei said, “I just communicated with my uncle upstairs; he said Ya Qing is an important guest, and we can’t let people from outside the company in.”
Shouhao’s eyes bulged in anger, “What do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is… Lu Mian won’t be meeting Ya Qing today. Ya Qing said he would only meet with people from Bai Corporation, not outsiders,” Bai Fangfei replied with a smile. “What can I do? We can’t offend Ya Qing just for Lu Mian’s sake, can we?”
Shouhao spit viciously to one side.
She had earlier put on such a righteous act, saying she had kindly invited Brother Mian to meet Ya Qing, and yet after making Brother Mian wait so long, she simply said he couldn’t meet him.
It was clear that Bai Fangfei had done it on purpose!
The two brothers were seething, and they could barely contain their anger on their faces.
However, Lu Mian remained calm, nonchalantly standing with one hand casually draped over Sui Yuan’s shoulder and the other playing a game, seemingly indifferent to whether or not he met Ya Qing.
Sui Yuan just looked down, saying nothing.
Bai Fangfei gave Sui Yuan a once-over, remembered something, and her eyes changed but quickly returned to normal. She smirked and said, “Sorry about that, Lu Mian, making you come all this way for nothing.”
Though it was an apology, there was no sincerity in it, and it even carried a hint of provocation.
In the midst of it all, Lu Mian shook his head dismissively, “Not at all.”
The four of them settled back into their seats in the coffee shop.
The two brothers were still furious, growing more irate the more they thought about it.
“Bai Fangfei never intended to let Brother Mian meet Ya Qing from the very start!”
“I knew she was up to no good! There’s always some scoundrel out to harm our Brother Mian!”
“Brother Mian, are we just going to let this go?”
Lu Mian finally put away his phone, didn’t respond to the brothers’ query, got up, touched Sui Yuan’s head, and his voice was slow with a mischief that was tinged with a hint of languor, “Little Baldy, accompany me to the restroom…”
Bai Cultural Audio-Visual Company.
As the president of this subsidiary, Bai Shuli was really taking it seriously this time. He postponed several meetings, had staff set up the meeting room early, and booked a high-end restaurant, all in anticipation of Ya Qing’s arrival.
But now, he was getting anxious, pacing back and forth in the meeting room with quick steps.
The scheduled time was ten in the morning, but now it was forty past ten, and there was still no sign of Ya Qing.
“Uncle, why don’t you try calling?” suggested Bai Fangfei, after sending Lu Mian away and going upstairs.
Bai Shuli shook his head, “I’ve already called before, no one picked up.”
“Maybe there is a traffic jam, or Ya Qing couldn’t find the place? Why not call again…?” Bai Fangfei said, clutching the precious “Her Secret,” her heart also hanging by a thread.
If she didn’t get Ya Qing’s autograph, she would surely be mocked by her classmates come Monday at school.
Bai Shuli, left with no choice, dialed the number again. Surprisingly, the call was answered, and Bai Fangfei excitedly leaned in close.
Bai Shuli spoke with polite respect, “Ya Qing, hello, may I ask where you are now?”
Ya Qing was always a mystery, and nobody in the outside world even knew Ya Qing’s gender, so he refrained from using any direct form of address.
A slow, androgynous voice came through the phone, succinctly stating, “Mr. Bai, I don’t want to see anyone from Bai Corporation today.”
Bai Shuli’s heart skipped a beat and he panicked, “What, what do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is… you won’t be seeing me today.” Ya Qing’s tone carried a hint of depth, light and shallow, “There’s nothing I can do; who told you to offend my fans?”