Chapter 111: The Invitation

The evening breeze blew gently, rustling the tree branches with a soft, rhythmic sound. Beneath the pale moonlight, the figures of a man and a woman stretched into long shadows on the ground. Lin Chuan, carrying his young son in his arms, walked side by side with Wang Yue back toward their home. They chatted idly, and before they knew it, they had arrived at their residential complex.

They took the elevator up. When they reached their respective doors, they turned back at the same time, caught each other’s eyes, and shared a quiet smile.

"See you tomorrow!"

"Mm, see you tomorrow."

They opened their doors and stepped inside.

The little one had been exhausted from watching movies all afternoon; he had fallen into a deep slumber in Lin Chuan’s arms on the way home. Although it was November, the weather in Kyoto was not particularly cold. Still, Lin Chuan hurried to carry his son into the bedroom and tucked him in. Looking at the boy’s delicate, handsome face, Lin Chuan sat by the bedside with a faint smile on his lips.

Suddenly, a splashing sound came from outside.

Lin Chuan frowned and stood up immediately. That sound—was it a toilet flushing? Yes, it was definitely the sound of a flush from the bathroom.

What was going on? Had a thief broken in? If so, this must be a remarkably dim-witted thief—not only failing to flee after a burglary, but actually stopping to use the restroom?

His expression grew grave. Lin Chuan carefully opened the bedroom door and tiptoed toward the living room. Since the apartment wasn't very large, the bathroom was not far away.

Just as Lin Chuan prepared to lurk by the bathroom door and launch a lightning strike the moment the "stupid thief" emerged, the door swung open.

Instinctively, Lin Chuan strode to the coffee table, grabbed an ashtray, and rushed toward the bathroom.

A figure stumbled out, shaking their hands dry. Lin Chuan didn’t stop to think; he figured the best strategy was to catch them off guard and knock them down with the ashtray.

He raised the heavy object, muscles tensed to strike, when suddenly, the person let out a terrified, high-pitched scream. It was a piercing, shrill sound—definitely not something a man could produce. Could it be…

"Ah! What are you doing?" The "stupid thief" was horrified, eyes wide, their face turning deathly pale. Anyone in such a sudden, precarious situation would react the same way, unless they were some kind of hidden martial arts master.

At the very last second, Lin Chuan lowered the ashtray. He had finally recognized the intruder. It was his assistant, Gao Meng.

"Lin Chuan, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill me?" Seeing him stop, Gao Meng jumped aside, still shaken, clutching her chest as she demanded an explanation.

Lin Chuan broke into a cold sweat. If he hadn't recognized her face at the critical moment, things would have turned into a catastrophe. He set the ashtray back on the table and asked testily, "What are you doing here? How long have you been here?"

"Hmph, you have the nerve to ask? You came back from Quancheng without even telling me! And where did you go? Why was your phone turned off every time I called?" Gao Meng huffed.

The barrage of questions left Lin Chuan dazed. He pulled his phone from his pocket; sure enough, it was powered off. He had switched it off while watching movies in the afternoon to avoid interruptions and had completely forgotten to turn it back on. He hadn't expected it to provoke Gao Meng.

He shook his head with a wry smile. "I only got back yesterday. There wasn't much to report, so I didn't mention it. As for the phone, I took Yangyang to the movies this afternoon and forgot all about it."

Gao Meng didn't seem satisfied with this explanation, but she didn't press the issue further. She rolled her eyes and sat down on the sofa.

"I heard from my dad that you’re going to write a song for Zhang Xiaoqiao?" she asked.

"Yes, that’s true. Why?" Lin Chuan recalled the matter and nodded.

"You are not allowed to write it. Not a single song! If you were writing for anyone else, I wouldn't have an opinion, but her? Absolutely not!" It was as if someone had stepped on her tail; she jumped up and shouted.

Lin Chuan quickly waved his hands, signaling for her to stay quiet. "Yangyang is sleeping, keep your voice down. Why can't I write it? Do you have a grudge against her?"

"A grudge? Is she even worthy?" Gao Meng curled her lip dismissively.

Lin Chuan shook his head with a smile. He had no interest in the squabbles between these girls, though, in truth, he hadn't been very fond of Zhang Xiaoqiao either. Her arrogant, condescending attitude was off-putting. Who did she think she was?

"Anyway, you came over so late and hid in the bathroom just to tell me this?" Lin Chuan frowned.

"Who hid in the bathroom? Do you think I wanted to come here? I… I, oh, it’s nothing, I just came to check on you." Gao Meng stammered, unable to get to the point.

It was strange. Ever since returning from Quancheng, both Gao Meng and her father had been acting nervous and hesitant, as if they had something to say but couldn't bring themselves to speak.

*They must want something from me,* Lin Chuan guessed. *Otherwise, given Gao Meng's personality, why would she be acting like this?*

Sure enough, Gao Meng stood up from the sofa and said with a solemn expression, "I… it’s my birthday tomorrow. Could you… could you please…"

"It’s your birthday tomorrow? Are you inviting me?" Lin Chuan smiled. It was the first time he had seen the girl look shy. Since he first arrived, Gao Meng had treated him like an enemy. To think she would actually invite him to her birthday—the sun must be rising in the west.

"Hmph, it’s an invitation, so what? Whether you agree or not, I’m counting it as a 'yes.' I’ll text you the location tomorrow. If you don't show up…" She waved her fist, making a threatening gesture.

*Well,* Lin Chuan thought, *I thought she had changed, but apparently, she can't handle a compliment.*

Seeing Lin Chuan nod, Gao Meng let out a long sigh of relief, a satisfied smile blooming on her face. To be honest, she had been worried he wouldn't give her the time of day, and if that happened, her idol wouldn't have come either.

With a triumphant smile, she said, "It’s settled, then. Wait for my text tomorrow. I’m heading back now."

With that, Gao Meng turned around, opened the door, and vanished.