The immediate priority was to get Lin Ruoyan to drop her relentless pursuit of this matter, or at least divert her attention and prevent her from focusing too much on it.
The solutions, as always, revolved around work, life, and relationships.
That was the thinking before, which was why she'd been introducing suitable men to her.
Thinking back, the direction was right, but the method was wrong.
What Lin Ruoyan wanted all along wasn't those so-called elite young men; what she wanted was…
Biting her lip, she felt a little parched. A bold idea gradually emerged in her mind.
But this was perhaps too audacious. She was her sister-in-law. If something went wrong during this process, how would she face her brother in the future?
Did she really have to do what others said and get involved with her younger sister-in-law?
But if she let the investigation continue, she really didn't know what would happen. She couldn't take the risk.
Lin Ruoyan was indeed a very capable person. How long had it been since she returned to the country? She had gone from having no foundation at all to building her own power.
She had underestimated her.
She thought that by making her an executive General Manager, even if she wanted to cultivate her own forces, it wouldn't be so fast. By the time she was fully fledged, that matter would have been dealt with by herself.
But things didn't develop as she had hoped; her speed of development exceeded her imagination.
The more she thought about it, the more of a headache it was. Xu Jingyi took another sip of tea while listening to her friend's chatter, then picked up her phone and sent a message to Lin Ruoyan. This matter should be dealt with quickly; the longer it was delayed, the harder it would be to handle.
"Are you free tonight? Let's have dinner?"
She tossed the phone aside as soon as she sent the message, as if avoiding a scorpion.
She needed to get closer to her sister-in-law, who had unusual feelings for her, without becoming too close.
Simply put, she wanted to flirt with her, without crossing the final line, as long as she held the line.
Once she had dealt with that matter, she could reveal everything.
It was easier said than done, though.
She had no experience with this sort of thing. Too much and she'd overstep, not enough and she wouldn't achieve her goal. It was like walking on a knife's edge, yet she had no choice but to take the risk.
The notification sound of a message on her phone made Xu Jingyi anxious. She wanted to see it, but was also hesitant. Whether the other person accepted it or not, she would be in an awkward position.
But she had to face it. After another minute, she picked up her phone and opened WeChat.
It wasn't a message from Lin Ruoyan. It was a work report from a subordinate.
Xu Jingyi: …
Just getting worked up over nothing.
Lin Ruoyan was still busy. By the time she saw the message from Xu Jingyi, an hour had passed. She was just about to go and meet the person who had given her the message in person when she saw Xu Jingyi's message and hesitated.
The two of them had been on cool terms for quite some time. After that night, their relationship had become a bit strange. She didn't know what was strange, she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was especially strange that Xu Jingyi was asking her out today.
Xu Jingyi had contacted her as soon as there was news, making it hard for her not to overthink things.
She narrowed her eyes, twirling her phone in her hand. After half a minute, she made her decision. She looked at the time, didn't reply to the message, and called instead.
"Hello, Sister-in-law." Her voice was as usual. "Do you need something?"
Xu Jingyi's mind went blank for a few seconds after answering the phone. She felt like she was being pushed forward by a pair of large hands, a feeling she couldn't quite describe, yet she had to face it. "It's nothing. It's precisely because there's nothing that I asked you to have dinner with me."
She paused, then added, "It's been a while since we had a meal alone. Today's a good opportunity."
It had been a long time since she'd felt this kind of tension. The business she managed required her to deal with complex people. She'd long mastered the art of speaking differently to different people, even handling the most difficult situations with a smile. Yet, she was surprised to be feeling nervous because of this person today.
"Just dinner?" Lin Ruoyan asked.
"Just dinner."
Although somewhat bewildered, Lin Ruoyan agreed, "Okay, where?"
She was curious to see what Xu Jingyi was up to.
When Lin Ruoyan agreed, Xu Jingyi should have felt relieved, but at that moment, her heart was even more on edge. However, she didn't show it, maintaining a calm demeanor, "I'll send you the address."
"Alright."
"Are you going over now?" Xu Jingyi asked again.
"Yeah, I'm about to get off work." It felt like there wasn't much else to say. "So… see you later?"
"Yeah, see you later."
Xu Jingyi put down her phone and sighed. She didn't know why, but besides the last time she pretended to be drunk and tricked Lin Ruoyan, learning about her feelings, Lin Ruoyan hadn't done anything particularly out of line, either in her actions or words, at other times. But still, facing her alone made her a little nervous.
Oh well, let's take it one step at a time. She's not going to eat me.
At least she wouldn't be following her original plans tonight.
Little Lin: Hehe, how do you know I don't want to eat you?
Lin Ruoyan had already finished work, so Xu Jingyi didn't linger. She picked up her bag and went to the restroom
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