Kang Zhong thought one way, but Qin Jiran thought another. If Qin Jiran knew what Kang Zhong was thinking, he would most definitely deny it. In his mind, Yanyi wouldn’t care about any romantic rival. The reason she paid attention to Wang Zhilin must be because of the Wang Family’s influence, right?
However, Qin Jiran didn’t realize that Kang Zhong’s words were exactly what Su Yanyi was thinking. A woman who doesn’t get jealous is because she doesn’t care, a woman who doesn’t get possessive is because she doesn’t like someone enough. Deep feelings breed complaints. For a woman like Su Yanyi, who had a strong desire for control, anyone coveting what she owned was an enemy, to be shown no mercy!
Around three thirty, the door to the office opened, and a woman with a commanding presence walked out, accompanied by a junior assistant. She exuded an air of importance. Her gaze swept around nonchalantly, but it lit up when she saw Qin Jiran. In her high heels, more than ten centimeters tall, she walked over.
Kang Zhong and Qin Jiran both stood up at the same time. Qin Jiran was intending to enter the office, but he was intercepted by the woman.
"Qin Jiran, the newly crowned Best Actor, President Su’s man, tsk tsk, President Su indeed has good taste." The woman sized up Qin Jiran from head to toe with an evaluative look, speaking in quite an appreciative tone.
Qin Jiran allowed the woman to scrutinize him without expression or apparent disapproval. He had seen such looks many times, but he didn’t react. He knew who this woman was, CEO Ling Tianyue of Hua’s, reportedly the same age as Su Yanyi, yet her circumstances were very different.
If Su Yanyi was a wealthy heiress who took control of Splendid Entertainment through her own efforts to become the queen of the entertainment circle, then this CEO Ling Tianyue was a self-made legend in the business world, using all sorts of methods to become a legendary figure. Both women were legendary figures and were among the few in A City’s upper circles who could stand shoulder to shoulder.
The difference between her and Su Yanyi, however, was that Yanyi was very fastidious about relationships and very strict with people, whereas CEO Ling was known to be rather flirtatious, still unmarried with countless suitors.
"Hello," Qin Jiran said, his tone distant, but already being very polite for Su Yanyi’s sake.
Ling Tianyue seemed not surprised by Qin Jiran’s coolness and continued enthusiastically, "The colder a man looks on the outside, the warmer he is on the inside, especially towards the woman he likes. Best Actor Qin, you mustn’t be so cold when you’re with President Su, right?"
As the office door wasn’t closed, Ling Tianyue’s voice carried, and Su Yanyi heard their conversation. When she stepped out, she happened to hear Ling Tianyue’s last remark and replied coldly, "CEO Ling, this is none of your business."
Seeing how Ling Tianyue spoke to Qin Jiran, Su Yanyi felt as though her possession was being harassed by someone else, which made her very uncomfortable, and hence her tone was not so pleasant.
"Heh, President Su is still so protective. It’s just a chat, no need to be so serious," Ling Tianyue laughed, turning back with a flirtatious smile. However, her charm went unappreciated, as everyone present already had someone in their hearts.
"Apparently you haven’t found the right person to chat with. Want me to introduce someone to you?" Su Yanyi retorted sharply, not bothering to disguise her protective nature.
Qin Jiran was her man, and she would protect him over anyone else!
"Sure, as long as they are more charming than Best Actor Qin, I have no objections." People say a tree cannot live without its bark, a person is invincible without shame; Ling Tianyue was that kind of woman who didn’t care about anything, could say anything, could do anything. In conversations like this, she never seemed to be at a disadvantage.
"Then you don’t have to chat anymore," Su Yanyi replied unapologetically, with a rather proud tone.
Ling Tianyue was so annoyed she wanted to roll her eyes. Su Yanyi had always been quite narcissistic, and now with a man by her side, her self-love seemed to have intensified even more.
The ears of Best Actor Qin, whom Su Yanyi had subtly praised as the most charming, turned a shade redder. Although he knew Su Yanyi was just bickering with Ling Tianyue, being so openly complimented still made him feel rather embarrassed.
Best Actor Qin felt a little shy inside, but his expression remained cool, without a hint of change.
Ling Tianyue’s eyes twinkled, and she suddenly said to Qin Jiran, "You must be smirking inside, right? Tsk tsk, they say those who flaunt their love die fast. If you ever get divorced, you can come to me, you know. I just so happen to be in need of someone to talk to."
Qin Jiran’s body exuded an air of coldness, frowning at Ling Tianyue with lips tightly pursed, not intending to respond. He thought her words were not worth replying to since even if he wasn’t with Yanyi, the only person he would love in his heart was Su Yanyi. He wouldn’t take a second glance at this woman, who seemed like a fox spirit.
Meanwhile, Su Yanyi’s expression wasn’t much better as she looked at Ling Tianyue coldly, thinking that this woman really didn’t know how to speak. She would say anything heedless of how it sounded—no wonder she was still unmarried at her age.
Well, to be fair, 26-year-old Ling Tianyue wasn’t old at all. Plenty of people got married in their thirties nowadays. But who told Su Yanyi to be so petty?
"Hey, Ling Tianyue, shouldn’t you be leaving now? This isn’t Hua’s place," said Su Yanyi very ungraciously, showing her out. Had she known that Qin Jiran would arrive so early, she would have kicked this woman out sooner.
In fact, Su Yanyi didn’t truly dislike Ling Tianyue. The two women, each outstanding in their respective fields, actually appreciated each other to some extent. Otherwise, Su Yanyi wouldn’t speak to her in such a direct tone. In a way, they were both business partners and friends.
For Su Yanyi, such relationships were quite rare. The number of people who could be called her friends were very few.
"Is this what being annoyed into anger looks like? Hehe, this is the first time I’m seeing you like this," said Ling Tianyue, who seemed to mind being shown the door very little and actually laughed even more cheerfully.
"Hmph!" Su Yanyi didn’t bother to retort. She simply thought Qin Jiran was great, and there was nothing else she felt she needed to explain.
"Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Seriously though, Best Actor Qin, are you free on the fifth of next month? Interested in a charity event in Tianhai?" Ling Tianyue extended the invitation. The charity event organized by Hua’s was primarily for bolstering the company’s positive image, but they were lacking a big-name celebrity to headline the event. Ling Tianyue wasn’t impressed with the ones suggested by Su Yanyi, but seizing the opportunity to meet Qin Jiran here, she had the idea to invite him.
Qin Jiran looked at Su Yanyi with questioning eyes. Whether he was free was secondary; what mattered most was what Su Yanyi thought.
After pondering for a moment, Su Yanyi seemed to think the idea was quite good. "If you have the time, you should attend," she said.
"Okay," Qin Jiran agreed, seeing no reason to refuse.
...