Chapter 95: Yun Ziling Dances on Huo Chen’s Minefield
Selling Chu Xiaoran for 50 million right now was definitely a profit for Lin Huaizhi.
Moreover, selling Chu Xiaoran to Yun Ziling was like killing two birds with one stone. After all, selling someone you dislike to someone else you dislike—there weren’t many things in the world as good as that.
Especially now that Fang Mo and Yun Ziling were in an unusual relationship. Even if Yun Ziling actually bought Chu Xiaoran, he wouldn’t treat him well.
This man liked to keep lovers, but he enjoyed playing with people’s hearts even more.
When the time came, Lin wouldn’t even have to do anything. Yun Ziling would play Chu Xiaoran like a toy. Perhaps when he got tired of Fang Mo, he would reveal everything to Chu Xiaoran directly.
Letting Chu Xiaoran know exactly how he ended up at Yunling.
Yun Ziling was looking forward to that scene, and Lin Huaizhi was looking forward to it even more. He truly wanted to know: he had provided Chu Xiaoran with good resources and a good attitude, yet Chu Xiaoran—because he didn’t want the outside world to think he was “eating soft rice”—never treated him well and even acted arrogantly toward him. If Chu Xiaoran knew that his freedom from Huaimeng was traded for Fang Mo’s body, how would he treat Fang Mo?
He was looking forward to this moment so much.
The more Lin Huaizhi thought about it, the wider his smile became. He leisurely finished the wine in his glass and looked at Yun Ziling with satisfaction. “50 million is my bottom line. What is your choice, President Yun?”
Yun Ziling’s face was dark, and he didn’t hide his belittlement. “You dare to ask 50 million for a piece of trash?”
Of the three people present, only Fang Mo was stung by the word “trash.”
Lin Huaizhi retracted his gaze and smiled flawlessly. “A piece of trash isn’t worth 50 million, but the money I’ve spent on Chu Xiaoran over the years is far more than that.”
“Only charging President Yun 50 million is truly out of respect for you.”
Yun Ziling gave a cold laugh. “I don’t think it’s out of respect for me; you’re treating me like a sucker. For a character like Chu Xiaoran, you couldn’t make him famous even after dumping so much money. If I take him over, can I make him famous?”
“Asking 50 million for a hot potato… President Lin really knows how to do business.”
Lin Huaizhi was still smiling. “That depends on you, President Yun. Whether to buy or not is entirely up to your superior judgment.”
“Maybe not ‘superior.'”
Yun Ziling wasn’t a fool. Although he was ruled by his lower half, it didn’t mean he lacked intelligence. He had seen all too clearly what kind of person Chu Xiaoran was over the years.
He even felt that after all these years of sharp insight, Lin Huaizhi had finally stumbled over Chu Xiaoran. What he hadn’t expected was that this money-burning waste would one day end up with him.
Yun Ziling felt his hand being grasped by something. He looked up and saw Fang Mo looking at him with pleading eyes.
He was silent for a moment, then tilted Fang Mo’s chin with his hand. “What’s the rush? I never said I wasn’t buying.”
Yun Ziling suddenly pulled Fang Mo into his arms, making him sit on his lap. His hands wandered over the other’s waist while his mouth stayed busy, taking full advantage of Fang Mo’s neck.
“Lin Huaizhi.” Yun Ziling called out Lin’s full name.
“Spending 50 million on Chu Xiaoran is a very losing deal. But spending 50 million to make my little lover happy… I’m willing to spend that money.”
He wrote a check and gave it to Lin Huaizhi.
Earning 50 million in one night, plus a bottle of wine worth $200,000 that wasn’t available on the market—this was the easiest and simplest business deal Lin Huaizhi had done to date.
Holding the check, Lin Huaizhi showed his most sincere smile of the evening. “Then I will get the contract for President Yun right now.”
Yun Ziling didn’t even look at Lin Huaizhi; his eyes were glued to Fang Mo. “No rush for the contract. Send it directly to my office tomorrow. Since the deal is done, I won’t keep President Lin any longer.”
Lin Huaizhi wasn’t blind. Any adult knew what was about to happen next.
He rose composedly. “Then I won’t disturb President Yun’s good fortune…”
Then, his gaze fell on the wine on the table, and he reached out to pick it up. “Right, as for this bottle of Margaux Dry Red—thank you, President Yun, for your generosity.”
One would be a fool not to take a bargain. Besides, the bottle was opened in front of him, and he was the only one who had drunk from it, so he had no burden about “drinking someone else’s leftovers.”
Lin Huaizhi retreated with a smile.
Yun Ziling looked at his silhouette, his face showing disdain. “A bottle of Margaux Dry Red brought out his ‘scavenger’ face. No matter how high he stands, Lin Huaizhi is still a nobody at his core.”
Fang Mo said nothing.
Truthfully, he felt Lin Huaizhi was more impressive than Yun Ziling. Lin Huaizhi had built himself from nothing to become a top person, whereas Yun Ziling was born at the top.
He had no right to belittle Lin Huaizhi. But admiring Lin Huaizhi didn’t stop him from hating him. He just hated him.
He also couldn’t possibly beg Lin Huaizhi.
Thinking this, Fang Mo suddenly felt a hand slip into his hem. He instinctively blocked it, but heard a voice from above.
“What? I just spent 50 million for you, and now you’re going to turn your back on me?”
Fang Mo’s movement stiffened. He slowly withdrew his hand and forced a smile. “President Yun, I’m not. I just… I’m not quite used to it.”
Yun Ziling sneered and directly ripped Fang Mo’s clothes. “Then you’d better get used to it right now! Don’t play that ‘acting like a virgin while being a whore’ game with me!”
Lin Huaizhi no longer cared about what was happening in the room. Whatever Fang Mo had encountered or was about to encounter was a path he had chosen for himself; Lin had no reason to interfere.
Moreover, if you interfere with someone else’s karma, you have to bear that karma yourself. And Fang Mo’s karma was exactly what he deserved.
Lin Huaizhi went downstairs in a good mood. Before going down, he asked a waiter for a bag and packed the unfinished Margaux Dry Red.
He wanted to get home quickly to see Huo Chen.
To his surprise, when he reached the first-floor lobby, he saw a familiar figure sitting on a sofa in the distance.
Lin Huaizhi was stunned. His fingers curled unconsciously, and he instinctively walked toward that figure.
As he got closer, the man’s silhouette became clearer, and his face more distinct. Once he determined who it was, the corners of Lin Huaizhi’s mouth turned up.
He lightened his steps and walked up to the man, then leaned over to look at the book in his hand.
“Romance of the Three Kingdoms?”
“What a mood. Do you also want to learn how to manipulate the world like the Chancellor?”
Huo Chen kept his legs crossed as he closed the book. He looked up and met the young man’s smiling eyes. Even though he already knew Lin Huaizhi was exceptionally good-looking, the man’s heart still skipped a beat uncontrollably. “No, just reading casually.”
Lin Huaizhi sat down beside him comfortably. “How did you know I was here?”
Huo Chen casually brushed back a stray lock of the young man’s hair. “You said you had business and that someone else invited you. I guessed it was work-related, so I called every five-star hotel in Longcheng.”
The man’s voice wasn’t particularly gentle, but Lin Huaizhi’s heart felt like mush. He couldn’t help but lean in and press a kiss to the man’s lips. “Why didn’t you just ask Zhou Ning?”
Huo Chen’s hand rested on the back of the young man’s neck, his thumb rubbing against the other’s carotid artery. “I did. He didn’t know.”
Just like the first time Huo Chen had gripped his neck, Lin Huaizhi felt no sense of danger being held by the artery. He just suddenly remembered that the dinner invitation was sudden, and since he had taken Huo Chen’s call in between, he’d forgotten to tell Zhou Ning.
But thinking about what Huo Chen just said, Lin Huaizhi couldn’t help but laugh. “You really called every five-star hotel in Longcheng?”
Huo Chen didn’t hide it, nor did he feel embarrassed. “Pretty much. I found you at the second-to-last one.”
If the location weren’t inappropriate, Lin Huaizhi really would have dragged Huo Chen for a “roll” then and there. His heart trembled at the thought of this cold-hearted man doing something so beneath his status just for him.
The two sat in the lobby chatting.
After some time, there was a ding from the elevator. The doors opened, and Yun Ziling walked out with his arm around Fang Mo.
The four of them came face-to-face.
Huo Chen and Lin Huaizhi were poised and calm, while Yun Ziling had a half-smile. Only Fang Mo felt a deep sense of shame; he immediately lowered his head, his eyes shifting as he didn’t dare lift his face, let alone meet the gaze of Lin Huaizhi and the others.
Yun Ziling swaggered past with his arm around Fang Mo, his mouth not staying idle.
But this time he didn’t talk to Lin Huaizhi. Instead, he looked at Huo Chen. His words sounded like a question, but they were actually a provocation.
“President Huo, did you really give up the Huo Group for someone like Lin Huaizhi?”
“I really didn’t expect that a man as smart as you could do something so stupid. But it’s fine; as long as you go back and kowtow to your parents in apology, I’m sure they’ll still be willing to take you in.”
Yun Ziling ignored Huo Chen’s coldness and continued to dance on his minefield.
“But in your interview today, you just said those arrogant and ignorant things—how it’s ‘true love’ with Lin Huaizhi and how leaving the Huo family is no big deal…”
Yun Ziling laughed as he spoke. “So, if you go back now with your tail between your legs, wouldn’t that be a bit too embarrassing?”
Translator’s Note
A few notes on terms:
- “Tea-like” (茶味): As mentioned before, this refers to “Green Tea Bitch” behavior—acting innocent and sweet while being manipulative and calculating. Fang Mo is an expert at this.
- “Soft-rice hard-eater” (軟飯硬吃): This refers to a person (usually a man) who depends on their partner for financial support but remains arrogant, ungrateful, and acts like the boss. Chu Xiaoran is the textbook definition.
- The Chancellor (丞相): In the context of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this refers to Zhuge Liang, the legendary strategist known for his intelligence and mastery of statecraft.
- “White-eyed wolf” (白眼狼): A Chinese idiom for an ungrateful person who bites the hand that feeds them.
- “Eye drops” (上眼藥): A slang term for stirring up trouble or sowing discord by making small, calculated comments to make someone look bad.
Recommended Reads
