Chapter 123
Yun Rulan stood beneath the Jiahe Building, looking up at the towering structure she couldn’t see the top of. She recalled what her grandfather told her yesterday, tidied her hair, and stepped inside.
“Hello, Miss. Do you have an appointment?” Li Jie at the reception asked with a professional smile.
“No appointment. I’m Yun Rulan, tell Xu Jie I’m here to see Xu Ke. Call Xu Jie. She’ll know once she hears my name.” Yun Rulan cast a discerning glance at the Jiahe Group’s lobby and waved her hand impatiently.
“Alright, please wait a moment.”
When Xu Jie received the call from the front desk, she was momentarily stunned but then relayed the situation to Xu Ke.
“Yun Rulan?” Xu Ke raised an eyebrow at Xu Jie.
“Yes, would you like to see her?”
“Let’s see her then, let her come up.” Xu Ke casually brushed his fingers against his brow.
“Okay.” Xu Jie said respectfully before leaving Xu Ke’s office.
As Xu Ke immersed himself back in work, the office door suddenly swung open and a voice arrived before the person, “Xu Ke, I’ve come to see you play.”
Yun Rulan, wearing ten-centimeter high heels, quickly approached Xu Ke’s desk and without hesitation, sat on it. She crossed her arms, raised her chin, and looked down at Xu Ke like a spoiled princess doted on at home.
“What are you doing looking at files? Look at me,” Yun Rulan said, reaching out to cover the document Xu Ke was reading.
“May I ask what brings Miss Yun here?” Xu Ke removed his glasses and looked at Yun Rulan with sharp eyes.
“What? Can’t I come see you if I have nothing else?” Yun Rulan pouted, looking somewhat displeased.
“I’m very busy. I don’t have time to chat. If there’s nothing else, please leave so I can get back to work. Close the door on your way out.” Xu Ke gave Yun Rulan a brief look and reopened the file she had covered.
But before he could open it, a small hand pressed down.
“Come shopping with me,” Yun Rulan said in a coquettish tone.
“Miss Yun, did you not understand what I just said?” Xu Ke slightly furrowed his brow, looking at Yun Rulan with a hint of coldness.
“I understood, but I want you to go shopping with me. Don’t you understand me?” Yun Rulan showed no sign of backing down. Instead, she leaned in closer, reducing the distance between them until their breaths intermingled.
“If I remember correctly, besides our brief encounter at a Yun Family banquet, we’ve never met and have no private contact. So, it’s safe to say we’re not close enough for me to accompany you shopping.”
“The Yun Family’s little princess wants to shop, surely there are many willing to accompany her. I don’t count, so what purpose brings you here today?” Xu Ke said, meeting her eyes with a cold gaze.
“You’re quite the character, I like that. Intriguingly, as you’ve said, we only have a brief acquaintanceship and no private connections, but after over a month of exploring and reflecting, I’ve come to a realization: I fell in love with you at first sight.” Yun Rulan propped her hands on the desk, twisting her body into an awkward pose, her gaze determined.
“So then?” Yun Rulan pounced towards Xu Ke like a flame, but his expression remained unchanged, an icy demeanor capable of extinguishing fire.
“You should know I’ve already married.”
“So what? I researched, and Lin Mengyao didn’t like you when you two got together. She was forced. Your marriage was arranged by Old Master Lin—what we’d call an arranged marriage, not valid. I don’t care about the certificate; as long as you come to love me in the future and divorce her, it’s fine. I’m not bothered by you being divorced.” Yun Rulan said nonchalantly, her demeanor proud.
“Does the Yun Family’s little princess like being the third party?” Xu Ke raised an eyebrow, his expression somewhat playful.
Xu Ke clearly saw a momentary twist in Yun Rulan’s expression, but she quickly recovered, putting on an air of haughty grace.
“I’m not a third party—I’m pursuing true love. Your marriage is arranged, and you don’t love each other. I’m just freeing you, encouraging you to pursue true love.”
“Lin Mengyao is my true love.” Xu Ke smiled, his expression earnest.
“Impossible. What’s so good about Lin Mengyao? What do you like about her? What she has, I have. What she doesn’t have, I also have. I think this so-called true love of yours is just an illusion. You’ve met harsh women, and she’s the first who isn’t, so you think she’s your true love. It’s not true. If you don’t believe me, go on a date with me and see.”
Xu Ke said nothing but gazed intently into her eyes, piercing through to her heart. Yun Rulan, initially calm, soon broke her gaze, using the pretense of adjusting her hair. “Why not try? If after a few dates with me you still feel nothing, I’ll concede we’re not meant to be and I’ll give up. But if you say no, I’ll keep clinging, and I’m very good at that.”
“Alright.” Xu Ke gave her no chance to speak further, agreeing directly. “But you have to wait for me to finish this document before I can go shopping with you.”
“Fine, you have ten minutes.” Yun Rulan blinked sparkling eyes, nodding with the poise and elegance of a white swan, absorbed in her triumph at Xu Ke’s consent to date, missing the hint of danger and amusement in his gaze.
Xu Ke took less than ten minutes to finish his work. Standing from his chair, he donned his coat before meeting Yun Rulan’s expectant gaze and said, “I’ll only go on three dates with you. If after three times, you don’t make me fall in love with you, then stop bothering me. Shopping today counts as the first, which leaves you two more chances—make them count.”
Stepping out of the office, Xu Ke left Yun Rulan standing in disbelief. “Why are you still standing there? Didn’t you want to shop?”
“Why put a limit on dates? And why only three? That’s too few!” Yun Rulan complained, trailing behind Xu Ke in heels.
“Three is a lot for me. Whether you can win me over depends on your skills.” As Xu Ke entered the elevator, he showed no intention of waiting. If not for Yun Rulan’s quick move, the doors would have closed in her face.