Chapter 48: Matters of the Company

Lin Feng gazed at the lovely girl still struggling in his arms, especially those rosy lips he had dreamed about for so long. He could no longer restrain himself; he suddenly pressed his lips to hers, and in that instant, the room was filled with a passionate atmosphere.

As the two were lost in a fervent kiss, a knock at the door startled them back to reality. A voice drifted in from outside, “Lin Feng, you and Ruo Xi come down, it’s time to eat!” It was his father, Lin Chuan Zhi.

“Got it, Dad! You go ahead, we’ll be right down!” Lin Feng quickly replied from inside the room.

“Alright then, I’m heading down. Don’t dawdle!” Lin Chuan Zhi’s footsteps echoed down the stairs as he left.

Hearing his father go downstairs, Lin Feng let out a breath, trying to calm his nerves. At the same moment, Xia Ruo Xi snapped back to her senses and gave Lin Feng a hard shove to get him off her.

Once Lin Feng climbed off, Ruo Xi quickly sat up, fixing her hair and smoothing her wrinkled clothes, all the while giving Lin Feng a playful, sultry glance. In a low voice, she muttered, “You wolf!”

Lin Feng was utterly bewitched by her charm, his heart itching with desire. The fire he had just managed to suppress threatened to flare up again, so he hurriedly recited a Buddhist chant in his mind to calm himself.

Seeing Lin Feng’s comical attempt at self-control, Ruo Xi burst into laughter, clutching her stomach and rolling on the bed as she cried, “Oh, my stomach hurts from laughing, I can’t take it!”

Lin Feng couldn’t help but laugh along with her, their laughter filling the room.

“Enough laughing, let’s get ready. Your dad already called us down for dinner. Let’s not keep them waiting, or they’ll come up again and that won’t be good,” Ruo Xi said once she managed to stop laughing, seeing Lin Feng still grinning foolishly.

“Oh, right! We’d better hurry. Thankfully it was my dad who came up; if it had been my mom, she’d have barged in without knocking!” Lin Feng replied, hastily straightening his own clothes.

Once Lin Feng was ready, Ruo Xi took his hand, leading him toward the door. Suddenly, Lin Feng stopped her, and before she could react, he magically produced a necklace he had bought for her and fastened it around her neck. He had secretly taken it from the jewelry box while tidying up. After securing the necklace, he turned her to face him and, admiring how beautiful she looked with the new gift, couldn’t help but boast, “This necklace suits you perfectly—it makes you even more beautiful. I have a good eye, don’t I?”

As expected, women love romance. Lin Feng’s gesture filled Ruo Xi with joy. She looked down at the necklace, touched, and then stepped forward to embrace Lin Feng, planting a quick, tender kiss on his lips.

The kiss lasted only a fleeting moment, but Lin Feng was overjoyed, as it was Ruo Xi who initiated it this time. Blushing, she avoided his gaze, keeping her head lowered as she led him downstairs.

As they descended, Ruo Xi complained softly, “See, it’s all because of you! I didn’t even get a chance to talk to you about what I came here for!”

“No rush, you can tell me during or after dinner,” Lin Feng replied, unconcerned.

Downstairs, Liu Runli was growing impatient, almost going up herself to call for them again when she saw the two coming down hand in hand.

“You’re so slow! The food’s getting cold. It’s fine if you want to eat cold leftovers, but Ruo Xi comes here so rarely—don’t let her eat cold food!” Liu Runli scolded Lin Feng as soon as she saw him.

“Yes, yes, Mom, you’re right. It won’t happen again. We were just discussing some work upstairs and lost track of time. I’ll be more careful next time!” Lin Feng promised immediately, feeling his standing in the family was lower than ever.

“Hmph, enough of you. Ruo Xi, come and sit down, let’s eat!” Liu Runli said, leading Ruo Xi to the table and seating her.

Seeing his mother ignore him, Lin Feng sat down quietly and began to serve himself.

Liu Runli paid no attention to Lin Feng as he ate. She kept piling food into Ruo Xi’s bowl, and even Lin Chuan Zhi, who was usually reserved, broke with tradition and served Ruo Xi as well, much to Lin Feng’s envy. As he did, Lin Chuan Zhi reminded her, “Ruo Xi, eat more. Your aunt and I have discussed it—you should take a key to our villa when you leave. Next time you visit, you can just let yourself in; there’s no need to ring the bell outside.”

“Ah, thank you, Uncle and Auntie!” Ruo Xi replied, still a bit shy but grateful.

“Hehe, let’s eat!” Lin Chuan Zhi said, smiling at her bashfulness.

When the meal was nearly over, Lin Chuan Zhi asked curiously, “By the way, Ruo Xi, did you come to see Lin Feng because something happened at your company?”

Lin Feng also put down his chopsticks, curious. He had told Liu Runli they were discussing business upstairs to explain their late arrival, but he knew perfectly well what they’d really been doing, so he didn’t dare answer his father. He looked at Ruo Xi, eager to hear what had happened.

Seeing everyone at the table looking at her, Ruo Xi quickly set down her bowl and explained, “It’s nothing major, really. But the company received a fax today from a group in Japan. They want to come by tomorrow to discuss some business with us.”

“Oh? Your company is developing so quickly! I thought international agency rights weren’t even settled yet—how come foreign companies are already approaching you?” Lin Chuan Zhi joked.

But Lin Feng’s heart was unsettled by this news. He thought, “A Japanese company? Just a few days ago, Zhao Ze and I dealt with two people from Japanese organizations. Could it be connected? Even if it isn’t, it can’t be anything good. Looks like tomorrow’s meeting will be tense—I’ve never had a good impression of the Japanese.”

“Lin Feng, what’s wrong? Did something come to mind?” Ruo Xi noticed Lin Feng’s face change after hearing her news and looked at him anxiously.

“Hehe, nothing. Dad’s right—our company is attracting international attention now. Looks like we’re about to go global!” Lin Feng replied with a joking tone, trying to ease Ruo Xi’s concern.

“Going global? You dreamer—day’s almost over and you’re still daydreaming!” Liu Runli scoffed, dashing his hopes.

Ruo Xi watched Lin Feng joke around with his family, but she knew him too well. She had caught the thoughtful look on his face when she mentioned the Japanese company; she didn’t believe for a second that it was nothing. Something had definitely happened, probably related to that company.

Lin Feng noticed her worried gaze and quickly signaled her with his eyes not to ask any more questions. Ruo Xi’s heart tightened; she was certain there was more to it, but chose to hold back for now.

After dinner, Lin Chuan Zhi handed Ruo Xi a key to the family villa in front of everyone. Holding back her excitement, Ruo Xi accepted it with both hands. It was more than just a key—it meant Lin Feng’s parents fully accepted her.

The couple smiled at her, satisfied. Liu Runli, seizing the opportunity, brought up the topic of Lin Feng’s marriage. They all knew Ruo Xi was an orphan, so the wedding date was up to their side and could be arranged anytime. Even Lin Chuan Zhi was uncharacteristically interested, joining in the discussion with Liu Runli. Before long, their conversation veered off into when they wanted grandchildren, and how many.

Lin Feng saw that Ruo Xi, blushing furiously, was too embarrassed to interject, so he finally interrupted, “Alright, you two keep discussing. Ruo Xi and I have something to talk about—we’re going upstairs.”

With that, he pulled Ruo Xi up to his room, closed the door, and turned to her apologetically, “Sorry for scaring you. My mom is great, but she can be a little too enthusiastic—and she’s obsessed with the idea of grandchildren! She’s still young herself, what’s the rush?”

“You don’t have to apologize. I love this kind of atmosphere. Auntie treats me so well!” Ruo Xi replied with a smile.

“Hehe, you call her ‘Auntie’ so smoothly—how about calling her ‘Mom’ today?” Lin Feng teased.

“Hmph! Dream on. I’m not marrying myself off so easily. Wait until you propose!” Ruo Xi retorted with a cute wrinkle of her nose.

Lin Feng only grinned foolishly in response.

“Lin Feng, is there a problem with that Japanese company I mentioned? I saw your reaction at the dinner table—you can’t fool me or hide it. I know you too well. Something must have happened for you to look like that!” Ruo Xi suddenly became serious, pressing him for answers.