Chapter 86: The Frightening Cousin

Capital City.

Lin Chuan had just hung up the phone when it rang again. Glancing at the screen, he saw Yuan Ye’s name displayed prominently.

“Hello, Yuan Ye, what’s up?”

“Xiao Chuan, are you busy right now?” On the other end, Yuan Ye’s voice sounded a little anxious.

Lin Chuan paused in slight surprise and replied, “Just tell me, what’s going on?”

“It’s about that matchmaking show you brought up before. I’ve already discussed it with the old man and the people at the TV station. Everyone is quite supportive of your idea and really looking forward to it. But a few of the board members… well, there are some differing opinions. Do you have time to come back for a bit?” Yuan Ye said.

“The board?” Lin Chuan chuckled. At present, there were only four board members, himself included, at Quancheng TV. They hardly ever cared about anything at the station—so what was this about? He’d just proposed a new show, and suddenly they’d decided to show up and object?

Thinking over his recent schedule, he realized that after wrapping up the current ad shoot, he’d have a few free days. The next commercial performance wasn’t until late October, more than half a month away. He had plenty of time to make a trip back to Quancheng.

Besides, this matchmaking show was crucial to the station. If it succeeded, it could breathe new life into the network. Whether for Lin Chuan himself, the station, or the old man, it was a matter of great importance.

After all, he was still neck-deep in debt. The only way to pay it off was to get the TV station up and running. With sponsors and advertisers, everything would fall into place.

But before that, he had to persuade those board members.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Chuan said, “Tomorrow. I’ll head back first thing in the morning.”

“Alright, let me know your train time and I’ll pick you up at the station,” Yuan Ye agreed readily, about to hang up when Lin Chuan quickly stopped him. “By the way, have you been in touch with your sister lately?”

“My sister? Which one?” Yuan Ye was momentarily confused.

Lin Chuan sighed helplessly, answering in a calm voice, “Of course I mean your cousin, Zhao Xinyi. Has she contacted you recently?”

“No, not at all. Xiao Chuan, don’t scare me—you haven’t run into her, have you?” Yuan Ye’s voice wavered noticeably.

“Uh… no, I was just asking. She came back from England a while ago and it’s been some time now, so I thought she might have reached out to you,” Lin Chuan hastily explained.

Hearing this, Yuan Ye let out a long breath. “It’s better if she doesn’t. Anyway, if there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up. Someone else is waiting for me.”

Just before Yuan Ye hung up, Lin Chuan distinctly heard a series of “ding-ding” notifications—someone was messaging him. So the rascal was chatting up girls online again.

“Dad, who was that? Was it Sister Xiaoyue again?” Lin Yiyang came over, full of hope.

“No, it was your Uncle. Tomorrow we’re going to visit him, how about that?” Lin Chuan scooped up his son with a smile.

“But, but I don’t want to see him. I miss Sister Xiaoyue… Dad, when are we going to see her?” Lin Yiyang pouted, a little upset.

“Soon, when Dad has some time, I’ll take you to see her. Sound good?” Lin Chuan replied with a gentle smile.

“Okay! Pinky promise, Dad—don’t break it for a hundred years…” The little one excitedly stuck out his pinky, hooking it around Lin Chuan’s.

At that moment, Gao Meng emerged from the house. She’d spent the whole day at home, helping look after Lin Yiyang, and it had worn her out.

Especially since Lin Yiyang was openly hostile toward her, making their interactions even more difficult.

When Lin Chuan came back from filming the ad, Gao Meng had hidden away in her room, lying down for over an hour just to recover.

“Who’s Sister Xiaoyue? I overheard from inside that you’re leaving tomorrow—are you going to see her?” Gao Meng asked as she walked out.

“Of course! Sister Xiaoyue is beautiful and has a wonderful temper. Both Dad and I like her—we just don’t like you…” Lin Yiyang said deliberately.

“Oh? So this Sister Xiaoyue is your girlfriend? She must have some tricks up her sleeve if she’s managed to win over your son. Quite impressive,” Gao Meng ignored Lin Yiyang and shot Lin Chuan a sarcastic smile.

Lin Chuan didn’t bother to explain. He felt powerless before this girl, so he just said calmly, “I have to go back to Quancheng for a few days tomorrow.”

“Quancheng? What for? I’ll go with you—I am your assistant, after all,” Gao Meng said, surprised at first but then decisive.

“No need. I’ll be back in a few days. I’ll call Uncle Gao and tell him,” Lin Chuan waved her off.

Gao Meng wanted to argue, but seeing the exhaustion on Lin Chuan’s face, she thought better of it. The day’s ad shoot had drained him, and he needed rest. Lin Yiyang, too, was tuckered out from a whole day with Gao Meng—more so than from kindergarten. Nestled in his father’s arms, he could barely keep his eyes open.

With a stomp, Gao Meng turned and left in a huff, without looking back.

……

The next morning, Lin Chuan got up early and took his son to the train station.

The journey from the capital to Quancheng was no short trip—even by train, it took nearly three hours.

As soon as father and son got out of the cab, they were greeted by a sea of people outside the station. Some were holding signs with “Hotel” written on them, weaving through the crowd’s edge.

Just as Lin Chuan headed for the ticket hall, several touts hurried over, bombarding him with offers of lodging and hot showers.

At that moment, a red sports car sped into view and screeched to a stop at the curb.

“Xiao Chuan, get in,” a woman’s voice called out.

Lin Chuan spun around. When he saw the woman in the car, his heart gave a sudden jolt and a wry smile flickered across his face. Of all things, this was the last encounter he’d wanted. As he walked up to the car, he muttered under his breath, “Cousin!”

“Enough talk, get in,” the woman ordered in a tone that brooked no refusal.

Lin Chuan smiled helplessly, gathered his son, and climbed in. He wasn’t surprised by his cousin’s sudden appearance—he’d already half expected it.

With the roar of the engine, the sports car shot down the road and was soon out of sight.

“Hey, didn’t that guy look familiar?” a middle-aged man holding a sign wondered aloud.

“Yeah, I thought so too—like I’ve seen him somewhere,” agreed a woman nearby.

“Probably just a frequent traveler or maybe stayed at your hotel before. What’s so strange about that?” grunted a burly man in his thirties, shaking his head. He felt no sense of familiarity at all.

“That could be it… Oh, another train’s coming in… Hey, buddy, need a room? Ours is clean, with hot showers—better than any fancy hotel…”

With that, the touts swarmed toward the new arrivals.

……

“Cousin, when did you get back? Why didn’t you call? Yuan Ye and I could have picked you up,” Lin Chuan said with a smile in the car.

This woman was none other than Zhao Xinyi—the same person who had haunted Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye’s dreams for years.

After all these years, Zhao Xinyi was just as beautiful as ever, but now she exuded the charm of a mature woman, an allure irresistible to most men.

But Lin Chuan felt nothing of the sort. He kept his distance from this voluptuous cousin whenever possible. The memories of his youth were still painfully vivid; a shadow he couldn’t shake.

“I saw you at the train station just now. Headed back to Quancheng?” Zhao Xinyi didn’t bother answering his question, her face expressionless.

“Yes. Yuan Ye called yesterday and asked me to come back,” Lin Chuan replied with a smile.

“That works out. I’ve got some business there too—let’s go together. By the way, this child—is he your son?” She glanced back at Lin Yiyang as she spoke.

“Hehe, Yangyang, say hello,” Lin Chuan said awkwardly.

For some reason, the little boy seemed a bit afraid of this beautiful but unsmiling woman. Since getting in the car, he’d sat quietly in his father’s lap, not fussing or speaking at all.

Hearing his father’s prompt, Lin Yiyang’s handsome little face tensed up. He slowly turned toward the woman driving and stammered, “Hello, Auntie. My name is Lin Yiyang. I’m five years old.”

At his self-introduction, Zhao Xinyi’s previously stern face crumbled in an instant, a smile breaking through.

“Am I really that scary? You won’t even speak—and are you going to cry? Little man, you’re a boy, no tears, okay?” she laughed.

Lin Yiyang nodded hard, pouted in grievance, and blinked repeatedly as if trying to force out the tears—but after a few tries, he gave up.

Lin Chuan smiled wryly. It wasn’t just his son—even he, a grown man, felt a bit intimidated when facing Zhao Xinyi.

Trying to break the awkward silence, Lin Chuan asked, “Cousin, are you in the capital for sightseeing, or…”

Before he could finish, Zhao Xinyi shot him a glance in the rearview mirror. “Alright, drop the act. If you have something to ask, just ask.”

“Uh… Cousin, you’re as direct as ever. Okay, I wanted to ask… are you working at Kadi Corporation now?” Ever since he’d glimpsed that woman’s silhouette the day before, Lin Chuan had been suspicious. Even though it had been years since he’d last seen Zhao Xinyi, her walk and figure were unforgettable. When she’d appeared just now, his suspicions had only grown stronger.

“That’s right. I’m at Kadi now, and the ad endorsement you just took on—that was my arrangement,” she said without hesitation.

“So that’s how it is!”