Chapter 9: The Date
735 Words
Neither of them expected their nemesis to appear on such a chaotic night, in this form!
Despite the unexpected ambush last night, Ryan Long found himself in an unusually good mood. When he entered the office early in the morning, he was practically grinning from ear to ear.
“You seem pretty happy. Something good happen last night?” Elliot, already waiting in the office with a stack of documents in his arms, observed.
“What if I told you I left someone hanging last night?” Ryan mused, still surprised himself at how deeply the woman from last night had left an impression on him. It wasn’t just her sneak attack; he could still vividly recall her face.
Elliot raised an eyebrow and smiled, placing the documents on the table. “I wouldn't believe you. You look more like a cat that just got away with something.”
Ryan handed his jacket to Elliot, who had already extended his hand to take it, and walked over to his desk. “Is that so?” he chuckled, though he hadn't quite "gotten away" with anything—he’d actually ended up getting kicked!
Elliot hung the jacket in the closet and turned back. “Did you really spend last night with some woman?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.
“What kind of expression is that?” Ryan pulled out his chair and sat down. “I’m a normal guy. Why wouldn’t I spend a night with a woman?”
Elliot pulled up a chair opposite him and sat down. “That’s exactly why I’m suspicious—because I know you don’t spend the night with women.”
“Who told you I spent the night with one?” Ryan asked without looking up, flipping through the documents in front of him.
“Well then…” Elliot’s curiosity only grew.
“I slept alone last night, and I woke up alone this morning.” Ryan paused, frowning slightly at something in the documents, and tapped his finger on the desk.
“Your story doesn’t add up,” Elliot said, more confused than ever.
Ryan stopped tapping and finally looked up. “Let’s not get into contradictions right now. What’s the status on the business with the Shang family?”
The files on the table concerned the holiday resort project. Beyond the land acquisition, the most pressing issue was the water and soil conservation work.
“It’s all set. The old man from the Shang family said there’s no time like the present—he suggested we meet tonight.”
“He’s that eager?” Ryan raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on his lips.
Elliot shrugged. “Greed, probably. If he can land you as a son-in-law, his one or two billion investment could quickly turn into ten or twenty billion.”
Ryan’s smile faltered slightly, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Or it could turn into one or two million. Who can guarantee investments are always foolproof?”
Elliot nearly dropped his jaw. “You… you’re not planning something else, are you?”
Ryan’s smile vanished, replaced by a more calculating expression. “Go ahead and let him know we’ll stick to his plan. Tonight, we’ll head down to Taichung together.”
Catherine Shang had never doubted Rose Wen’s decisiveness. Just last night, Rose had been insisting on inviting Victor Xu to join them for a meal. And now, the three of them were indeed sitting together having breakfast.
“I’ll have the ham and egg sandwich. What about you guys?” Rose asked, getting up to place her order.
“I’ll have milk tea and a ham and egg burger,” Catherine said, also getting up, intending to go with Rose to order.
But Rose quickly pushed her back into her seat. “You sit down; I’ll take care of it.” She turned to Victor. “Xu-ge, what would you like?”
Victor looked at her, scratched his head, and smiled. “I should go order myself, right?”
Rose waved him off dismissively. “No need for formality with me! I’ll handle it. You two chat.”
Victor glanced at her for a moment, then turned to Catherine before quickly averting his gaze. “Alright, I’ll have a r****h cake and a soy milk, then.”
“No problem.” Rose winked at Catherine before heading off to place the order.
- Writer
