Xu Jingyi was really putting in the effort to find her a suitable match.
Even after that unpleasant evening, Xu Jingyi hadn't given up, occasionally sending her information about potential dates.
She ignored these messages completely and hadn't seen any of those people again, so it had been a while since she'd heard anything.
She didn't know how Xu Jingyi handled things afterward; she found it too bothersome to pay attention.
But the resulting butterfly effect arrived a month later.
She and others were at a social gathering, which she initially thought was just another normal one.
However, after a few drinks, some people lost their inhibitions and started saying whatever came to mind.
"President Lin, I heard your sister-in-law is setting you up with someone?" The person across from her was drunk, his breath reeking of alcohol.
Yet, he thought he was whispering a secret, leaning in close to her as he spoke, almost suffocating Lin Ruoyan.
However, the man was a business acquaintance, so she had to endure it, even though she was uncomfortable.
In the business world, you don't always have a choice; sometimes, you just have to grin and bear it.
President Li was nearly 40 and divorced, which meant he wasn't even on Xu Jingyi's radar. She hadn't expected him to bring it up.
Lin Ruoyan was a little annoyed that Xu Jingyi had created this mess for her, but for now, she could only grit her teeth and try to deal with him.
As she thought about what to say, she couldn't help but glance at the man, feeling both angry and resentful.
Why did she have to stir up all this trouble? Now I'm caught in this mess.
"Sigh, about this…my sister-in-law is overthinking things.
I don't have any such thoughts.
If President Li is asking about this, there's no need to say more." Her attitude wasn't as warm as before, becoming somewhat cold.
"You also know my brother is gone. I don't have the energy to consider these things right now. My career is the priority."
She thought the rejection would make the other person embarrassed and angry, but he remained smiling.
"It's good that President Lin is career-minded. I admire Miss Lin. If that's the case, I'm reassured about partnering with you."
"Oh…is that so? Haha ha ha."
After a few words to state her position, it was clear the other person didn't have any ulterior motives towards her.
He was probably probing to see if she was really going to get married, considering future cooperation. "President Lin, if you're worried that my marriage will affect our cooperation, you can rest assured.
My energy is all focused on work, and I have no intention of settling down."
"It's not that I'm worried about those things, President Lin. Since we're cooperating, I definitely trust you."
After saying these flattering words, his tone changed, and he sounded a bit embarrassed.
"It's like this, President Lin, I have an impertinent request."
He looked at Xu Jingyi again as he spoke.
Lin Ruoyan: ???
Xu Jingyi didn't notice the two of them looking at her while they were talking.
She seemed very happy, and her exposed neck was a bit flushed, probably because she had drunk a lot.
Something felt off, but she couldn't figure out what.
"What's wrong?"
Then she saw President Li stammering and hesitating, unable to get a word out.
Each time he opened his mouth, he seemed to swallow his words.
"Is it the company's finances, President Li?"
Lin Ruoyan couldn't stand the man any longer, the alcohol churning in her stomach, making her want to throw up.
"Just say what you need to say."
"No, no…"
President Li quickly denied, "Rest assured, President Lin, the cooperation will proceed without any problems.
Our company's finances are very healthy, there are no issues."
"Then… what exactly is it, President Li?
Feel free to speak your mind." She even smiled.
Since it wasn't a problem with the cooperation, nor did he seem to have any other intentions towards her, whatever it was shouldn't be a big deal for her.
"It's just… um… well… since President Lin said so, I'll just come out and say it."
As if he had mustered up great courage, he said, "Since your sister-in-law is setting you up on blind dates, I wanted to ask, does she have any thoughts of remarrying?"
The information was a bit overwhelming, she couldn't process it for a moment.
A flash of white light seemed to pass through her head.
Lin Ruoyan didn't react for at least thirty seconds.
"What did you say?"
"I quite like your sister-in-law, but it's not appropriate for me to bother her directly.
It seems you're on good terms with her, so I'm asking you first.
If she's also considering remarriage, I'd like to give it a shot."
He grew increasingly embarrassed as he spoke, his voice dropping lower and lower. He snuck several glances towards Xu Jingyi.
Lin Ruoyan followed his gaze several times.
The man was dressed flamboyantly, with a large amount of exposed skin that was a flushed pink.
She didn't know who he was trying to seduce, but her anger was escalating, to the point where she could barely contain it.
"President Li," she said, her tone icy, her voice still significantly louder than his despite the effort to restrain it.
"It hasn't even been half a year since my brother passed away. Your eagerness is truly excessive."
"Furthermore, whether my sister-in-law has any thoughts on the matter, she wouldn't tell me, and I wouldn't know."
"Finally…
I advise President Li not to have any inappropriate thoughts about my sister-in-law." She held back, but couldn't restrain herself any longer.
"Regardless of whether she wants to remarry, even if she did, she definitely wouldn't be interested in you."
She stood up and left immediately, disregarding the reactions of those behind her.
She took Xu Jingyi's hand and left the private room, leaving the group behind.
"Lin, I haven't said anything. What kind of bullshit are you talking about?"
Thank you everyone for the little piggies.
Ignoring the situation behind them for the moment, Xu Jingyi was dragged along, feeling bewildered.
It was impolite to leave with such a bad attitude in front of so many people, but she held her tongue until they got into the car.
"What's wrong?
What happened? Did President Li harass you?"
Xu Jingyi asked, seeing her poor expression, wanting to comfort her.
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