“Before Yuelin’s funeral?” Qian had a vague memory of that time, given the grief they were all experiencing. He remembered an unusual visitor who had shown up for money at the weirdest and most insensitive time, and he guessed that was why Kai remembered it, too.
“I was just starting to wonder if I needed to take out a restraining order.” She retorted in her usual sassy manner and flicked her hair from his shoulder his way. “Seems any time I turn around, you are always at my ass.” She, too, picked up a glass and turned around to watch the schmoozing and mingling of many men in suits and women in pretty dresses. The convention was boring, and these after-hours mixers always gave her a headache.
They both knew nothing serious was in that greeting, and Tian relaxed on his heels, intending to linger. They had reached a point through constant crossing of paths where he no longer classed her as a stranger even though they were not friends. But her presence no longer angered him as it once did. He could tolerate her more than before in short bursts.
“How did the family meeting go? I haven’t seen Kai to ask.” Tian knew Minhui had flown in with Kai’s parents and was glad to have swerved seeing Mrs. Xuchen in that scenario. She wasn’t his favorite person.
Ling let Minhui and Kai push Yue on the swings and deposit her on the slide. Run around a little with them, and the sister seemed pretty pleasant. She didn’t bring up anything except questions about Yue’s childhood. The parents, however, had an overbearing aura as the mother scrutinized and watched like a hawk, giving Ling extreme uneasiness. She had a deathly atmosphere, and Ling could see why Meilei never warmed to her. In Ling’s eyes, she was Cruella De Ville, and Yuelin was one of the puppies.
“Hmmm.” Ling sipped her drink, watched with disinterest all the familiar and unfamiliar faces, and sighed heavily. Somehow, she was slightly vexed with his praise of the woman. “Do you like her? Is she your secret crush?” Ling nudged him in the ribs. Sounding playful, but there was a bitter edge to the question, and she gulped down half her glass.
“Umm. No. We grew up together. I see her as an older sister and nothing more.” Tian deflected it, shuddering to think of anything romantic with Minhui, and took an equal-sized slosh of his alcohol.
“Why?” Ling turned in half interest and browsed the finger foods, moving him aside with a slight tap to his elbow so she could reach what was behind him. Her eyes flickered up his black tux, taking in the perfect cut lines and expensive tailoring that hinted he had a good body underneath. She warmed a little at how much he suited being dressed this way and reached for a croissant while checking out his tight ass and wide shoulders.
It’s not that he particularly wanted to sit and drink while she gave him her list of why men sucked. He just didn’t want to be here. He was bored, and at least she always kept things interesting, even if she made him want to choke her every thirty seconds while in her company. Her best traits were her fire and gutsy ‘give no shits’ manner and her lack of shyness about putting it to him straight. He could sometimes use some of that to get his thoughts in order.
“I’m intrigued.” Ling leaned in, bridging their gap and getting so intimately close her perfume invaded his senses and made him weirdly uncomfortable. Up close and personal, he couldn’t deny she was a natural beauty, and not much was makeup. “Are you hitting on me?” Ling hit him with a mischievous and questioning, wide-eyed remark.
“Good, then come on. Let’s go find that bar.” Ling dumped her glass down, snatched his from his hand without warning, and lassoed an arm in his as though this was perfectly acceptable. Tian stiffened and didn’t know how to react to her forward and pushy taking control. He could only let her maneuver him and follow like an obedient puppy.
Ling dragged him with her, not caring about the office gossips staring after them and the wide-eyed pauses of senior executives seeing them looking so buddy. Ling fully intended to let them talk. Give Kai and Tian a taste of their own medicine of how uncomfortable it was for Meilei to be the center of speculation these past weeks. It would also divert attention from her and onto Ling and her shameless display of sexily dragging their Vice CEO out on her arm. It would probably give Meilei some well-earned respite if she let them cook up their lies about her relationship with Tian Wang.
She deliberately smiled up at him seductively and squeezed his arm before sliding her free one in to make it a cuddlier hold, and Tian tried to unwrap her from his limb. It was not because they were being so obviously watched. It was because her snake-like wrap on his body was seriously messing with his libido and sense of calm. His pulse was rapid, and he swallowed hard to cool it.
“Are you drunk?” he asked in wary unease. Shaking her to loosen her off, but she held on. She was seemingly upping her game and leaning her head on his shoulder in an overly familiar way that put her hair under his jawline.
“Can you not?” He gestured to her hold as they walked towards the exit and only got a salacious smile in response. “What is wrong with you all of a sudden?”