Chapter 88: This Is Clearly a Little Swan

Lin Chuan truly had no intention of consulting with them, nor did he see any need to do so. To say nothing of the rest, just that bald-headed man—when he first invested in the TV station, it was entirely to curry favor with his little mistress, Shen Hong.

But the very first thing Lin Chuan did after becoming chairman was to fire Shen Hong, which the bald-headed man had always taken to heart, waiting for a chance to get revenge.

So, when Lin Chuan proposed the idea for “If You Are the One,” it was immediately shot down by him.

As for the others, Lin Chuan had done some cursory research. Liu Tao, true to his name, was a learned man with a gentle, refined appearance. If you didn’t know him, you’d never peg him for a company boss. Careful and methodical, his strengths lay in advancing step by step, but that also meant he had little initiative. Take today’s board meeting, for example—he was mainly watching the bald-headed man for cues.

Then there was the middle-aged woman, a veritable whirlwind of activity, a true iron lady. Despite being in her forties, her ambition was boundless. She was currently preparing a new project and was so swamped that she had neither the time nor the energy to bother with the TV station’s affairs. To ask for her opinion was pointless; Lin Chuan might as well make the decisions himself.

“Chairman Lin, since you’ve already made up your mind, why bother calling us here at all?” Shen Hong’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Lin Chuan ignored her, not even bothering to look in her direction. Letting her remain here was already a concession to the bald-headed man. He chuckled softly and said, “Once this program airs, if it stirs up a reaction in society, it will only benefit both the TV station and everyone present. It’s a win with no downside…”

“A win with no downside? Chairman Lin, I don’t know where you get your confidence. Do you really think a tired old matchmaking show will bring overnight success? It’s laughable… However, if you let Shen Hong host the show, not only will I fully support it, I’ll even invest more funds. How about it?” The bald-headed man sneered.

At this, Lin Chuan glanced at Shen Hong. She only smirked contemptuously, as if the matter were already settled. She was already thinking that Lin Chuan couldn't refuse, pressed as he was by the board's demands.

And even if he agreed, she wouldn’t return too quickly. How she’d been driven out then, she’d be invited back now in the same fashion—after all, he’d offended someone he never should have.

Lin Chuan smiled, looked at the bald-headed man, then turned and winked at Yuan Ye beside him. “By the way,” he said, “I heard someone came to the station a few days ago, looking for someone. Is that true?”

Yuan Ye was startled, then quickly nodded. “Yes, that happened. At first, we thought she was a staff member’s family, but later we learned she was Director Zhu’s wife… Oh, and I think she was looking for Miss Shen?”

At these words, the faces of the bald-headed man and Shen Hong changed dramatically. Especially the bald-headed man—though he strutted about and looked imposing, he was, in truth, notoriously henpecked.

At home, when his wife lost her temper, he barely dared to breathe, shrinking like a mouse before a cat.

His wife's suspicions about his affair with Shen Hong were nothing new; she’d made scenes about it before. But lacking solid evidence, things had never escalated too far.

Now, hearing this, the bald-headed man’s face turned an ashen gray. If his wife ever caught him red-handed, a divorce and splitting assets would be the least of his worries. What truly frightened him was that, without his wife’s management, the company would be teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. He simply wasn’t capable of running it himself.

Shen Hong, too, was visibly ill at ease, her previous arrogance vanishing in an instant. She’d heard plenty about the bald-headed man’s formidable wife—a wild tigress, some said, tougher than any man. If that woman really found her, she’d be in for a savage beating and nobody would shed a tear for the mistress.

“Of course, if Director Zhu insists on having Miss Shen host the show, that’s fine—I’ll make the arrangements,” Lin Chuan said with a faint smile.

“No, no, Chairman Lin, the future of the station concerns us all. We all know Miss Shen’s abilities—she simply isn’t fit for such an important role. Let’s… just drop it,” the bald-headed man replied hurriedly, shaking his head like a rattle-drum.

Let Shen Hong host? He’d have to be mad—he might as well dig his own grave.

“Then… what is your opinion on this matchmaking show?” Lin Chuan asked, frowning as if hesitating.

“It’s excellent! This concept is brilliant—transforming such an old-fashioned idea into a dazzling show. Chairman Lin, you truly are a genius!” The bald-headed man’s attitude spun 180 degrees; he was a different person from moments before.

Liu Tao’s eyes darted, and he quickly chimed in, “Chairman Lin, just tell us what you need. Director Zhu and I will do everything we can to assist.”

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving. And if anything comes up in the future, don’t bother informing me—what a bore.” The middle-aged woman got up, tossed out this line, and left the room without a backward glance.

The bald-headed man also seemed unable to sit still. He stood up quickly and said, “Chairman Lin, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave—there’s much to do at the company…”

“Very well, I won’t see you out.” Lin Chuan gave a calm nod.

Immediately, the bald-headed man and Shen Hong all but fled for the door, as if granted amnesty. Now, however, they kept a measured distance from each other, all former intimacy gone.

After Liu Tao also left, only Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye remained.

Yuan Ye exhaled deeply, still shaken. “That was nerve-wracking. Why didn’t you warn me? If I’d slipped up, everything could have gone wrong.”

Lin Chuan smiled faintly. “I trust you can handle yourself in any situation. You didn’t let me down.”

Anyone else would have found their exchange baffling—it was impossible to follow their meaning.

In truth, the story about the bald-headed man’s wife coming to the station to look for Shen Hong was pure fabrication, concocted by Lin Chuan for the sake of the moment.

But Yuan Ye reacted quickly, instantly catching on to Lin Chuan’s meaning. The two had been in sync since childhood, so they didn’t betray themselves. Thus, they staged this little performance without a hitch.

Otherwise, the matter would not have been so easily resolved.

Meanwhile, the bald-headed man and Shen Hong descended by elevator to the lobby. Just before leaving, he suddenly stopped and said, “Wait for a bit. Leave after I’m gone. If my wife’s got someone watching outside, we’ll be in trouble.”

“Hmph, letting your own wife scare you like this—how pathetic… Brother Zhu, are we just letting this go? Is there really no hope for me to host the show?” Shen Hong muttered, then tried a more coquettish tone.

“Host? Host my foot! If that tigress finds you, neither of us will escape unscathed. Enough—let’s talk later. I’m leaving; wait a while before you come out.” The bald-headed man glared and strode off.

Elsewhere, Lin Yiyang sat in a spacious lounge, pulling a sketchbook and a set of crayons from his little backpack. He lay on the sofa, focused on his drawing.

Fan Li walked over, smiling warmly. “Hey, handsome! What’s your name?”

Without even looking up, Lin Yiyang mumbled, “Ask Brother Chuan later…”

Fan Li was taken aback, but kept her smile. “Then can you tell me how old you are?”

“Ask Brother Chuan. He knows!” Lin Yiyang remained aloof, never once glancing her way. Clearly, he didn’t like this “sister” much.

Fan Li was at a loss. She’d hoped to use this little guy to get closer to Lin Chuan, but nothing she did seemed to work. The child was impervious.

She glanced at his drawing and saw a big duck and a group of ducklings… Well, one looked more like a chicken—or maybe a bird…

“Handsome, what are you drawing? Is this a little bird? It’s really good!” Fan Li said with a smile.

“Auntie, haven’t you ever heard the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’? This is clearly a cygnet!” Lin Yiyang finally looked up, sounding a little aggrieved.

The Ugly Duckling? What’s that… Wait, did he just call me what? Auntie?

Fan Li felt as if thunderstruck, rooted to the spot as if petrified—just as Lin Yiyang had been when he first met Gao Meng. It seemed that, little by little, Lin Yiyang was growing more and more critical of the women around Lin Chuan. Especially those “sisters” he didn’t like—they all ended up being called “auntie.”

Thinking about it, only Wang Yue had ever been consistently called “sister.”

As the atmosphere in the room grew awkward, the door suddenly opened. Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye entered, one after the other.

Instantly, the little boy put down his crayon and ran to Lin Chuan. “Daddy!”

“I hope you weren’t any trouble for the lady while I was gone?” Lin Chuan picked up his son and smiled.

“No, I was drawing the whole time. Daddy, look at what I drew!” Lin Yiyang held up his sketchbook.

“Let’s see… This is a young swan, isn’t it?” Lin Chuan glanced at the drawing.

Fan Li was speechless. That creature, which looked neither like a chicken nor a bird nor anything close to a swan, and yet he could call it a cygnet? Was this what they meant by a father-son connection?

Yuan Ye, curious, craned his neck for a look and couldn’t help but laugh. “Xiao Chuan, are you sure that’s… a cygnet?”