The morning sun at eight o'clock brings intense congestion to the Chao Yang Street. Lin Rui An, inside the taxi, cautiously sticks her head out of the window, a desperate look in her eyes as she stares at the endless stream of cars.
"Miss, watch out!" The driver up ahead, seeing Lin Rui An's action through the rearview mirror, quickly warns her.
Lin Rui An pulls her head back, glances at her watch, and quickly hands the driver twenty Renminbi before hastily getting out of the taxi.
The driver, looking at the fading figure that has just run away, sighs and mutters, "Ah, youth is truly bliss."
The pace that Lin Rui An runs is not fast. Because of the congested road, even a single-person space cannot accommodate her. After a breathless short run, Lin Rui An looked at her wristwatch, then continued to run.
A gaudy red Rolls-Royce is parked by the side. The owner, listening to the soothing music in the car, rubs his swollen eyes, feeling agitated from the jam. He had never been late in his entire life before. Such a thing happening on his first day back in the country was pure misfortune.
As the cars in front slowly move, Xiao Han Lin also started his vehicle — only to hear a "thud" as a figure collapses right under his car window.
"Darn it!” Lin Rui An curses as she notices her high heels lodged in a roadside drain cover, her fury mounting.
"Hey, do you think I'm running a bumper car here? Is this fun for you?" The car window slowly slides down, and the man, glimpsing at the significant scratch on his door, frowns — his voice is cool and emotionless, revealing no clear emotion.
In a compromising position on the ground, Lin Rui An lifts her head to see the sunglass-wearing Xiao Han Lin. For a moment, she was momentarily taken aback, as his face bore an uncanny resemblance to the man she utterly despised.
How's that possible? Lin Rui An tells herself that she must be overthinking.
After much struggle, Lin Rui An dislodges her high heel from the drain cover and puts it back on her foot. Glancing at the scratch on the car door, she then reaches into her briefcase and hands Xiao Han Lin a name card: "I apologize, I'm in a hurry. I will cover the repair costs. Let's contact each other once I'm free."
Xiao Han Lin, after some hesitation, accepts the name card from Lin Rui An. On the simplistic card is her name. He finds himself staring at the name card for some time, snapping out of it only when he hears a honk from behind. By then, Lin Rui An was nowhere to be seen.
Outside the café, winded from her run, Lin Rui An stops for a moment. She takes out a mirror from her bag and tidies up her appearance before stepping inside.
Upon entering, Lin Rui An spots a man dressed in a black suit by the window and promptly makes her way towards him.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Tong from Dingheng Company?"
Lin Ruian finished talking, and when she saw the person clearly, her smile stiffened on her face. Wasn't this the man whose car she had just scratched?
The man nodded, then removed his sunglasses.
Lin Ruian's movement of sitting down froze, and her originally gentle face instantly turned cold.
Once the sunglasses were removed, the man's stunning look and deep eyes came into Lin Ruian's sight.
Today, she seemed to have bad luck. In seven years, for two thousand five hundred fifty-five days and nights, she had never seen this man. And today, not only did her watch scratch his car, but he was also her company's most important client. The saying 'antagonists always cross each other's path' proved perfectly fitting at this moment.
Xiao Hanlin looked at the woman in front of him indifferently, parting his thin lips to speak, "Tong Li is my assistant, he was occupied today."
Lin Ruian's gaze was fixated on his face. In seven years, besides maturing, he hadn't changed much. He was still so eye-catching, like a shining diamond.
Xiao Hanlin glanced at Lin Ruian, admiring how a girl turns into a woman. If it weren't for the business card, he probably wouldn't have recognized her walking down the street.
Today, Lin Ruian wore a set of gray professional attire. The high-end fabric tightly wrapped her shapely figure. Her clear and pretty face displaying a neat and refined look.
Calm down, calm down. Lin Ruian reminded herself.
After sitting down, she took out two documents from her briefcase, filled out a few places on them with a pen, and then handed them to Xiao Hanlin, "This is our company's new draft contract. Take a look, Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Hanlin took the contract, his gaze briefly scanning the thin pages before frowning, "Why did your company suddenly increase by three percentage points?"
Lin Ruian replied with a smile, "That was my doing."
This left Xiao Hanlin somewhat surprised, just who was she? She actually dared to make changes to the contract without consulting her superiors?
Looking at Xiao Hanlin's hesitation, Lin Ruian spoke indifferently, "If Mr. Xiao is not satisfied with this contract, then we can cancel our cooperation."
Cancel? Xiao Hanlin looked at Lin Ruian, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. It was you who approached, he certainly wasn't going to miss the opportunity over a mere sum of money.
As Xiao Hanlin signed his name smoothly on the contract, Lin Ruian suppressed her shock. It’s not until both contracts were signed that she gathered them into her briefcase, intending to leave.
"Shall we not celebrate the success of our cooperation? Is this not the hospitality of your company?” asked Xiao.
Lin Ruian glanced at him, “It’s merely a meal, Mr. Xiao's ‘tender beauty in arms’ is much more crucial. I wouldn’t want to intrude on Mr. Xiao's indulgences.”
With that, she left, her high heels clicking against the floor. But after a few steps, she turned back, “My assistant and I will handle car repairs. Mr. Xiao, being a busy man, needn’t be troubled with such trifling affairs.”
Does she really not want to see him? His gaze trailed her retreating figure, landing on the slit of Lin Ruian’s dress.
Just as she was about to hail a taxi, a large hand snuck its way around her waist. Startled, she yelped.
She turned around and locked eyes with Xiao Hanlin, their faces inches apart with audible breaths mingling in the air.
Xiao Hanlin shifted his grip around her waist, before she realized he had draped his black western-style coat around her.
When Lin Ruian noticed the tear in her skirt, she blushed furiously. Who might see her now? The tear must've happened when she fell, offering a glimpse of her white undergarments.
"Do you dress this way on purpose?" He sneered.
Baring her teeth at Xiao Hanlin's teasing grin, Lin Ruian couldn't help but wish she could slap him
"Handsome Hanlin!"
Just as the two were exchanging glances, a sultry voice pierced the still air.
Turning her head, Lin Ruian saw a woman in a mini red skirt approaching them. She was undoubtedly beautiful, with radiant fair skin, long attractive legs, and her ample bosom, nearly spilling out of her dress.
