When he reached the living room on the first floor, Xiao Manxuan was already eating breakfast. After Lin Tian sat down, he didn’t see Kikuchi Mika and curiously asked, "Where’s Lady Kikuchi?" Usually, at this time, she would be busy in the kitchen.
"She said your clothes were too dirty, all covered in dust and mud, so she took them to wash. I saw your clothes too, why were they so dirty? Could it be that you really went out to steal last night?" Xiao Manxuan batted her eyelashes and asked with a face full of curiosity.
How could they not be dirty? Being dragged out by your elder sister for practice, it’d be impossible for them to stay clean unless I went without clothes, Lin Tian muttered inwardly.
"Oh, you know I’m a diligent person. I need to study hard for my college entrance exams during the day and cultivate at night. It’s normal for my clothes to get dirty," Lin Tian said half-truthfully. He surely couldn’t say that he went out to practice in the forest with your sister. In the middle of the night, just the two of them, the little girl would start imagining all sorts of things.
"Really?" Xiao Manxuan glanced at Lin Tian a few times, then suddenly said, "Did you sneak into my room last night?"
A shock ran through Lin Tian’s heart. Did the little girl know? That shouldn’t be possible. He denied without hesitation, "How could that be? I certainly didn’t sneak into your room to take advantage of you."
He wasn’t lying; sneaking into the Second Miss’s room wasn’t to take advantage—it was just for a diagnosis. But he couldn’t talk about the diagnosis, as Miss had instructed him not to let Xiao Manxuan know about the things happening to her for now.
"But when I was half-asleep, I thought I saw you..." Xiao Manxuan said doubtfully, but her voice trailed off towards the end and her cheeks turned pink, clearly embarrassed at the thought of Lin Tian knowing she had a romantic dream.
"Uh, Second Miss, although it’s not springtime right now, which girl doesn’t harbor spring feelings? For a handsome young man like me to become the subject of a girl’s dreams is not at all surprising," Lin Tian said very narcissistically, skirting around the topic.
"Pfft..." Xiao Manxuan couldn’t help but burst into laughter, "You really have a thick face, talking as if you’re the dream lover of all the girls."
"So, can Second Miss tell me what you dreamed about last night?" Lin Tian asked with a smiley face.
Xiao Manxuan turned red with embarrassment and annoyance, "Hmph, I won’t tell you, I’m done eating, you take your time."
With that, the little girl ran out, just like Miss, fleeing in disarray.
Lin Tian finished quickly and also left. The Miss’s car wasn’t in the garage; that workaholic had probably gone to the company early again. Today a significant event was happening at the company, and Mrs. Xiao was still far away in Japan, so she had to preside over everything alone.
Lin Tian still drove the bulletproof car to school, and Xiao Manxuan seemed to have something on her mind, remaining silent the whole way. However, every time Lin Tian looked at her, she would avert her gaze and blush.
Being eighteen was the age when young girls harbored romantic feelings, and Lin Tian also couldn’t figure out what the little girl was thinking—the heart of a woman was something even God couldn’t fathom.
Upon arriving at the school and coming out of the parking lot, Lin Tian and Xiao Manxuan were about to enter the school gate when they happened to encounter some familiar faces.
A few people gathered around one individual like stars around the moon. When this person saw Lin Tian, the expression on his face turned sour.
"Look who it is, Sun Decai. To think your charm hasn’t diminished since the old days, still having so many people waiting on you hand and foot," Lin Tian said with a smile on his face.
In fact, Lin Tian was somewhat surprised. After the provocation last time, he hadn’t expected Guo Heng and his crew to still be trailing around Sun Decai, failing to isolate him.
Lin Tian once again witnessed the power of money; as long as Sun Decai wasn’t broke, those people would continue to flock around him.
Sun Decai said expressionlessly, "Our friendship cannot be destroyed by just a few words from you. However, speaking of charm, I certainly can’t compare to Lin Tian. Every time I see you, you always have different women around."
His words were somewhat insidious, trying to stir up trouble between Lin Tian and Xiao Manxuan. Sun Decai saw that the two were always together, presumably in a romantic relationship, so he deliberately mentioned Lin Tian’s numerous women to make Xiao Manxuan jealous and angry. One of the biggest troubles for a man is when his harem catches fire.
However, to his disappointment, Lin Tian still wore a smile, showing no change of color or anger, nor any sign of nervousness. Xiao Manxuan didn’t show jealousy either; instead, she moved closer to Lin Tian and provocatively swept her eyes over Sun Decai.
As Lin Tian walked past Sun Decai, he patted his shoulder and laughed, "Don’t be jealous, bro, you can’t learn it."
After speaking, Lin Tian ignored the ugly expressions of the group and walked into the school gate with Xiao Manxuan.
"Lin Tian, it’s best to keep a low profile in life. The tree that stands out in the forest is the one that gets blown down by the wind. Be careful lest trouble comes knocking," Sun Decai called out coldly, his words seemingly laden with allusions.
Without turning his head, Lin Tian replied with a light smile, "Let trouble come if it wants, and we’ll see whether the wind destroys me or I break through the wind. By the way, speaking of trouble, you’d better call your dad. Perhaps he’s the one who will be in some trouble."
Watching Lin Tian’s retreating figure, Sun Decai’s brows deeply furrowed. Nevertheless, he really took out his phone and dialed Sun Hai’s number.
"Dad, have you been dealing with some issue recently?" Sun Decai asked directly.
"Why do you ask?" Sun Hai didn’t immediately respond.
Sun Decai hesitated for a moment before saying, "I just ran into Lin Tian, and he said..."
"Remember my words, don’t mess with Lin Tian again. If you hadn’t offended Lin Tian, how could our Sun Family be in jeopardy of losing five percent of the shares?" Sun Hai seemed to be in a bad mood and spoke very angrily.
What Sun Hai said was actually true. If Sun Decai hadn’t humiliated Lin Tian in the first place, Lin Tian wouldn’t have targeted the Sun Family, and they might still be good friends now. But that’s how unpredictable life can be. "Don’t bully the young when they’re poor," this phrase really came true for them.
"The Xiao Group’s shares?" Sun Decai asked in a low voice.
"Besides the Xiao Group, where else do you think!" Sun Hai was so angry he could hardly find a place to vent, and he said more irritably, "At today’s shareholders’ meeting, Lin Tian will own ten percent of the Xiao Group’s shares, becoming the second-largest shareholder, while your father, I, will be demoted to the third shareholder, with my shares diluted by half!"
"Lin Tian? Why Lin Tian? What exactly happened?" Sun Decai asked in shock.
"Why! Why! Use your brain more and ask less why. Just remember, don’t provoke Lin Tian again; you’re no match for him!" Sun Hai roared dissatisfiedly, gave a severe reprimand, and then hung up the phone without giving his son a chance to ask further.
But Sun Hai’s last words deeply stung Sun Decai. The phrase "you’re no match for Lin Tian" echoed incessantly in his ears; even his own father said so, proclaiming his inferiority to Lin Tian, which dealt a massive blow to his pride.
"Brother Decai, should we continue with the plan?" Guo Heng asked cautiously and softly.
Sun Decai narrowed his eyes and said with a dark expression, "Of course, we continue, and we need to act fast. Call Lai Xiucheng immediately and tell him to coordinate the action!"