AD | Chapter 2

The moment I saw Miss Lin’s manager, I almost stopped breathing.

If he hadn’t been standing right there in front of me, I would never have believed a man could actually be that handsome.

How handsome? Well, there was a man in the Jin Dynasty named Wei Jie. He was so extraordinarily beautiful that whenever he went out, admirers would crowd around just to catch a glimpse of him, causing miniature traffic jams. Wei Jie died at twenty-seven, and people used to joke that he had literally been stared to death.

That was how handsome the man in front of me was.

“My name is Lin Zhian.” He held out his hand.

“Uh—yes.” I fumbled out a breath and sat down without taking his hand.

Chen Hao smiled.

It was a strange, knowing sort of smile.

We were meeting at Santia, a very nice Western restaurant. Unless someone else was paying—or I happened to be feeling ridiculously flush—I generally didn’t eat in places like this.

Lin Zhian got straight to the point.

“I’m grateful to you for taking this on, Miss Zhuang. Miss Lin asked me to pass along her thanks and regards. As for your payment, it can be arranged whenever you’re ready.”

“No need to be so formal,” I said. “Money makes the world go round.”

“Have you heard any of Jiahui’s songs?” he asked. “Which one do you like best?”

“Never heard of them.” I shrugged. “Sorry.”

He looked genuinely surprised.

Chen Hao quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Xiao Qin’s busy. She hardly has time to listen to music.”

“Busy writing?” Lin Zhian asked.

“Busy sleeping,” I said mischievously.

Just then, the waiter brought us the menus. I was hungry, so I ordered enough food for a small army. Lin Zhian merely smiled, apparently incapable of getting annoyed.

I couldn’t help letting my eyes drift from the menu to his face for three whole seconds.

Good Lord.

He really was beautiful.

But so what?

Handsome, rich—what did any of that have to do with me?

I knew perfectly well that my little temper tantrums were irrational, but I couldn’t seem to control them.

Chen Hao began singing my praises.

“Xiao Qin’s writing is first-rate. She’s smart, too. Whatever she writes, she makes it sound authentic. I thought it over from every angle, and she’s absolutely the best person for this job.”

“Is that so?” Lin Zhian said. “What books have you published, Miss Zhuang?”

There it was.

Right for the sore spot.

I decided to be completely honest.

“Well, Mr. Lin, I’m sorry to disappoint you again. I’m afraid I’m not much of a writer. I haven’t published a single book.”

This time, he didn’t look particularly surprised. He clearly had enough poise not to show it.

Chen Hao, on the other hand, shot me an angry sideways glare.

I ignored him.

If he wanted to glare, he could glare. I glared right back.

Lin Zhian laughed.

The steak at Santia really was excellent.

While Chen Hao and Lin Zhian discussed the manuscript—deadline, printing schedule, trim size, paper stock, publicity before and after publication—they seemed to have thought of everything.

I concentrated on my steak.

Eventually Chen Hao turned to me.

“Xiao Qin, what do you think?”

“The steak’s good,” I said.

His face went green.

By then I was full and pleasantly drunk. I finished the last sip of red wine in my glass, then leaned toward Lin Zhian.

“Thanks for the wine. I have somewhere to be, so I’ll be going.”

Chen Hao stood up as if he wanted to stop me.

In the end, he didn’t dare.

I floated out of the restaurant, looking carefree, though inside I wasn’t nearly so cheerful.

What did I amount to, anyway?

To a lot of people, five thousand yuan—no, fifty thousand—might be enough to get me to do just about anything.

So what did that make me?

I wandered down the street, buoyed along by the little buzz of alcohol.

A car stopped in front of me.

It was him.

I opened the door myself and got in.

He started the engine.

“You seem to have something on your mind, Miss Zhuang.”

“Stared Wei Jie to death,” I said.

He gave me a bewildered smile.

“What does that mean?”

Of course he had no idea. I understood, and I forgave him completely. A man that beautiful really didn’t need a brain.

“If I said anything today that offended you, I hope you’ll forgive me,” he said. “I’m not very good at dealing with women. Especially women I don’t know. Whatever I say always seems to come out wrong.”

“Not at all,” I said. “I’m just an ordinary woman. I should know better than to make things difficult.”

“Jiahui’s book is very important to her,” Lin Zhian said. “I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you with it. I trust that someone Mr. Chen recommended so highly must be the right person for the job.”

“She could write it herself,” I said. “Her fans might actually prefer something written in her own hand.”

“If she could write it herself, I wouldn’t have needed to find you,” he said.

Then his tone turned more serious.

“Whether this works out or not, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone else.”

So that was why he’d followed me in the car.

He was worried I might talk.

“You really don’t have to worry,” I said. “Just take me home.”

If you have a driver, why not use him?

I’d long since become the kind of person who knew how to take advantage of every convenience life offered. Since he already seemed to think I was that kind of woman, I might as well commit to it.

He kept smiling.

I suppose you needed exceptional patience to be an assistant.

His driving, however, was absolutely terrible.

Sharp turns. Sudden brakes.

Before long, I couldn’t take it anymore. I caught sight of my own face in the rearview mirror. I was as pale as a ghost.

“Stop!” I shouted. “I need to get out!”

But there was nowhere for me to get out.

We were on Sihuan Bridge during rush hour, surrounded by a solid wall of traffic in every direction. The congestion alone was enough to make anyone lose their mind.

Before he could figure out what was happening, I threw up.

I didn’t even have time to open the window.

I made an absolute disaster of Lin Zhian’s spotless car.

And, incredibly, he laughed.

“You get carsick too?”

“Jiahui gets carsick too,” he suddenly said, almost to himself.

There was a touch of wistfulness in his voice, as if he’d slipped into an old memory.

“Whenever she got carsick, I was the one who looked after her. I used to tell her to sing, because singing would make her feel better. She had such a beautiful voice. We’d sit in the back, and everyone in the car would turn around to look at her…”

That was all.

Just as my curiosity began to wake up, he stopped.

He had done it deliberately.

We drove around to a car wash. I got out and walked a little distance away, then lit a cigarette.

Lin Zhian watched me from afar without coming over.

But I could feel his eyes on me.

Aside from Chen Hao, it had been a long time since a man had really looked at me.

Then again, aside from Chen Hao, it had also been a long time since I’d had much contact with men.

And the man watching me happened to be extremely handsome.

I forgave myself for being a little boy-crazy.

That day, I didn’t let him drive me all the way to my doorstep.

Thank God. I didn’t throw up again, either.

When we stopped, he got out first and opened the door for me.

I stepped out like a princess, then walked away without looking back.

Let him think Zhuang Xiao Qin was nothing but a shallow, vulgar woman.

After all, there was no reason for our paths ever to cross again.