Contrast

The two of them soon drained the bottle of Lafite Legend.

Most of the food on the table was gone, too.

Like a thin layer of rouge, the alcohol tinted Song Qiuya's cool, aloof face with a captivating flush, adding a breathtaking touch of allure to her exquisite beauty.

Chen Lin found it rather curious.

He had always been a lightweight; a few bottles of beer were enough to leave his head spinning.

Yet tonight, after half a bottle of red wine, his body felt slightly warm, but his mind was unusually clear. He wasn't the least bit drunk.

It must have been thanks to the Taiyin Breathing Technique.

The technique didn't just strengthen his body. It also boosted his metabolism far beyond that of an ordinary person, breaking down the alcohol completely as soon as it entered his system.

They sat for a little longer before Song Qiuya checked the time and got up to pay at the front desk.

Chen Lin rose as well, and they left the private room one after the other.

When they reached the brightly lit lobby, Song Qiuya went straight to the front desk, while Chen Lin leaned casually against a marble pillar nearby and waited quietly.

Just then, a shrill voice, edged with mockery, drifted over from a short distance away.

"Huh? Chen Lin? It really is you!"

A short, skinny young man with a pinched, ratlike face approached, arm in arm with a curvaceous woman in a sultry outfit.

Chen Lin looked toward the voice, and one eyebrow lifted slightly when he recognized the man.

Wang Dali?

A classmate from high school.

What a small world.

"Wang Dali? What a coincidence," Chen Lin replied coolly.

He had never had a good impression of Wang Dali.

Back in high school, the guy had already been a troublemaker. He had relentlessly pursued Chen Lin's deskmate, Xiao Xiao, who was also the prettiest girl in their class, buzzing around her like a fly every day.

Naturally, Xiao Xiao had no interest in him, but Wang Dali had skin thicker than a fortress wall. His incessant pestering had seriously disturbed everyone around them.

Young and hotheaded, Chen Lin had finally had enough. The two clashed and came to blows in the classroom.

Of course, calling it a fight gave Wang Dali too much credit.

In reality, Chen Lin had pinned him to the floor and beaten him soundly.

Unwilling to take the loss, the guy rounded up a bunch of thugs from outside school that very evening and ambushed Chen Lin at the school gates.

Fortunately, Chen Lin's two best friends, Zhao Jie and Wang Ye, had been there too. Without another word, the three friends waded in and beat the dozen or so men until they fled in terror.

Chen Lin had paid particular attention to Wang Dali, beating him into submission.

After that, the two had never crossed paths again.

He hadn't expected to run into him here, so many years after graduation.

Wang Dali walked up to Chen Lin, his little eyes sweeping him up and down, practically overflowing with contempt and gloating.

He grinned, his voice shrill and grating. "I heard you went back home to run a farmhouse restaurant? What happened? Couldn't cut it in Magic City? Weren't you the only star student in our class who got into Modu Jiaotong University? How did you end up like this?"

Watching his smug, petty expression, Chen Lin's lips curved into an amused smile.

"You don't need to worry about my business. Mind your own."

Wang Dali choked on his words for a moment, then resumed his punchable expression. He deliberately raised his voice, apparently hoping everyone nearby would hear.

"Oh, don't be like that! We're old classmates, after all. It hurts me to see you like this. If you're really struggling, come work at my family's company! For old times' sake, I'll guarantee you five thousand a month! How's that? Pretty generous, right?"

At his words, several customers waiting for tables immediately turned to watch the show.

Far from getting angry, Chen Lin replied with a cheerful smile.

"No need! I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass."

He paused, then continued with an earnest expression.

"It's not my field. I studied finance in college, so I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to work at your family's pig farm. You'd better find someone more qualified!"

As soon as he finished, several young women watching nearby could no longer hold back and burst into giggles.

"A pig farm?"

"Hahaha! And here I thought it was some big company."

That single retort turned Wang Dali's face a dark, purplish red.

Worse still, his girlfriend, who had been clinging proudly to his arm, suddenly flung his hand away like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Her eyes widened as she demanded in disbelief, "Wang Dali! Your family raises pigs? Didn't you say they owned a company?"

"Lili, no, listen, let me explain..." Wang Dali panicked and reached for his girlfriend.

But the woman named Lili jumped away as though he were the plague, her face full of disgust. "Explain what? You liar! I thought you came from a rich family, but you're just a pig farmer! How humiliating!"

With that, she stormed off in her high heels without looking back.

"Lili! Lili, wait for me!"

Wang Dali completely lost his composure. He shot Chen Lin a vicious glare and forced a threat through clenched teeth.

"Just you wait, Chen Lin. This isn't over!"

Then he hurried after her.

The farce ended with a whimper.

Having paid the bill, Song Qiuya walked over with the bouquet of roses in her arms. She had clearly watched the whole exchange, and her lovely face was filled with barely suppressed laughter.

She approached Chen Lin and even gave him a playful thumbs-up.

"You really do have a sharp tongue."

Curious, she asked, "Does that classmate of yours really come from a family of pig farmers? That Armani outfit he was wearing couldn't have been cheap."

Chen Lin chuckled, showing his white teeth.

"More or less. Yicheng Shengnong belongs to his family."

Song Qiuya froze for a moment.

Yicheng Shengnong? The Shengnong Group, the largest local agricultural group in Yicheng, which was even publicly listed?

The next second, she could no longer contain herself. She shook with laughter, unable even to straighten her back.

"Chen Lin, you're terrible! It's a publicly listed company worth hundreds of millions, and you made it sound like some pig farm!"

Chen Lin spread his hands innocently and asked, "Well, doesn't his family raise pigs?"

His question left Song Qiuya speechless. She exchanged looks with the onlookers who had yet to disperse, and for a moment, none of them had an answer.

It seemed... he wasn't actually wrong.

Yicheng Shengnong's main business really was raising and selling pigs.

It was just that they raised hundreds of thousands of them...

Since they had been drinking, driving was naturally out of the question.

Chen Lin was about to take out his phone and book a designated driver when Song Qiuya stopped him.

"Don't call a Designated Driver."

She held the bouquet of vibrant roses as the evening breeze from the river lifted a few strands of her hair. The city lights reflected in her bright eyes as she gazed steadily at Chen Lin.

"Walk with me. Let's work off dinner."

Chen Lin looked at her and nodded.

They left the manor on River Heart Island side by side and stepped onto the brilliantly lit Cross-River Bridge spanning the river.

Yicheng's nighttime river scenery was spectacular. Neon lights from the high-rises on either bank reflected on the water, breaking into shimmering colors. The gentle evening breeze carried the cool moisture of the river, dispelling the heat left by the wine.

They strolled along the broad sidewalk without speaking, but the atmosphere was no longer awkward. Instead, an indescribable peace and harmony settled between them.

After they had walked for quite a while, Song Qiuya suddenly stopped. Resting both hands on the cold bridge railing, she gazed at the glittering lights in the distance.

She turned her face toward Chen Lin and spoke softly.

"Chen Lin, do you know? In all my life, this is the first time I've ever been alone with a man like this."

Standing beside her, Chen Lin smiled at her words. "Really? Then I must be quite honored."

Song Qiuya's cheeks instantly reddened. Embarrassed and annoyed, she reached out and gave his arm a light slap.

"You never take anything seriously..."

The soft little slap carried hardly any force. It was more like a coy gesture.

Chen Lin chuckled, finding her reaction amusing.

"I've realized you're not quite what I first imagined."

"Oh? In what way?" Song Qiuya turned to face him, watching him expectantly as she pretended to be angry. "Are you saying I'm completely different from how I look?"

Her beautiful eyes were full of laughter, and she raised her hand to swat Chen Lin again.

At that very moment, as Chen Lin looked at her face, breathtakingly beautiful beneath the lights, and her adorably indignant expression, it felt as though an invisible hand had gently squeezed his heart.

An unfamiliar flutter surged through him without warning.

Instinctively, he reached out and caught her hand neatly in his palm before it could land.

So soft. So smooth.

That was his only thought.

Song Qiuya froze when he caught her hand.

She tried to pull it back, only to find his palm warm and strong, giving her no chance to break free.

A rush of heat spread from her wrist through her entire body. Her face flared scarlet, and her heart pounded like a drum. She didn't dare lift her head to meet Chen Lin's eyes.

When had she ever experienced anything like this?

She had only seen such intimate moments in novels and television dramas. Now that one was actually happening to her, she discovered that her mind had gone completely blank.

Chen Lin took a step forward.

The distance between them vanished in an instant.

Like a startled deer, Song Qiuya caught her breath and nervously shrank back. Her back met the cold railing, leaving her nowhere to retreat.

Chen Lin raised his other hand and gently pinched her burning cheek, then softly brushed the pad of his finger over her smooth skin.

Song Qiuya felt her body trembling slightly, yet the warmth of his fingertips and his gentle touch left her without the slightest desire to refuse him.

Was this woman... really that cold, aloof store manager?

She was just like an eighteen-year-old girl who had never been in love.

Chen Lin chuckled inwardly, tightened his grip slightly, and gave her a gentle tug.

With a soft gasp, Song Qiuya was pulled by an irresistible force into his broad, warm embrace.