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Chapter 453: Chapter 453 - Manman, long time no see.
Lin Man quickly weighed the pros and cons. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Mom, go out first to entertain him. I’ll be out in a moment."
Tong Xiangqiao immediately brightened up upon hearing these words. She thumped her thigh excitedly, "Manman, thank goodness you’ve come around. I’ll go and entertain him right now."
With that said, she cheerfully opened the door and walked out.
Seeing Shi Yan smoking and chatting with Lin Jinwu, she quickly approached, adding some brown sugar to Shi Yan’s cup. She then seated herself across from Shi Yan, putting on a smiley face, she said,
"Shi Yan, what business are you into now? You haven’t come home to see Lin Man for quite some time. I was just commenting a while back about how long it’s been since I last saw you."
Shi Yan’s mouth curled into a smug smile, looking somewhat like a fox that got its prey, "I’ve been quite busy with my business abroad recently and haven’t been much in the country."
Tong Xiangqiao dramatically exclaimed, "Oh my, you have expanded your business overseas already? You are really capable, Shi Yan. I knew I hadn’t judged you wrong back then. I always told Lin Man that you are a capable man who would make it big someday. And see, I was right!"
"Not only is Shi Yan capable, he’s also quite a character. Just look at him. Now that he’s a big boss, he still remembers to sit with us." Lin Jinwu joined in the flattery, "Next time you come earlier, your aunt will prepare some dishes. We should have some drinks."
"Uncle Lin, if you like drinking, I can bring back a few bottles of foreign liquors for you. They taste really good." Shi Yan seized the opportunity to flaunt, implying through his words that he was doing really well now. 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Foreign liquors?" Greed clouded Lin Jinwu’s eyes, "I have never tasted it at my age. If I could really taste it once, I would live a fulfilled life."
Lin Jinwu’s heart was pounding with excitement at Shi Yan’s remarks, wishing he could taste the liquor right away.
If he could have foreign liquors, he would rule the roost in their neighborhood, boasting as he pleases.
Shi Yan smiled, was about to say something, but then saw Lin Man walk out of the room. She was dressed elegantly, like a different person than just earlier when he entered the room.
Just from Lin Man’s dress, Shi Yan knew that his trip here was not in vain. What he couldn’t obtain before, now seemed within his easy reach.
When a woman deliberately makes herself attractive for a man, it indicates that she is intending to please him. Shi Yan of the past wouldn’t understand this, but now he himself wished he didn’t.
He preferred Lin Man without all the heavy makeup, just as he had seen her when he first came in. At least, that could help him recall the old feelings and hold her in higher esteem. Now, to him, Lin Man appeared no different than a woman he had to pay for.
His eyes unintentionally revealed a slight contempt, "It’s been a while, Manman."
"Long time no see." Lin Man responded with a tentative smile and sat down next to Shi Yan.
Upon seeing this, Tong Xiangqiao immediately gave Lin Jinwu a knowing look, "You young people can chat. Your uncle and I will go to bed now. People get easily sleepy when they get old."
"Yes, yes. You two chat." Asked Lin Jinwu, retreated with Tong Xiangqiao back into their room.
The living room was abruptly left with just Lin Man and Shi Yan. For a moment, neither of them said a word. The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. The cigarette in Shi Yan’s hand quickly burned out. He reached for his pocket to retrieve another one, attempting to light it. Lin Man stopped him, however.
"Don’t smoke. You know I don’t like the smell of smoke."
Shi Yan ignored her, lit the new cigarette, and took a deep inhale. Only then he spoke, "Not only the smell of smoke, you don’t even like me."
Lin Man locked eyes with him, "Do you still like me now?"
Shi Yan continued smoking, snorted a cold laugh. Lin Man couldn’t get a sense of what his laughter meant.
Shi Yan, red-faced and reeking of alcohol, must have been drinking quite a bit. Yet he had come to her at this hour. Lin Man thought there must still be thoughts of her in his mind.
Shi Yan had clearly changed. He wasn’t pestering her as he used to, or acting docilely as before. Strangely enough, Lin man found herself drawn towards this new Shi Yan.
Maybe, women are just like men. When someone is too clingy, they find it annoying. Nevertheless, when not treated deferentially, they start seeing the person’s charm.
Shi Yan scoffed, gazing at Lin Man and retorted, "If I like you, will you like me?"
This Shi Yan was no longer the inexperienced man who would merely follow Lin Man’s lead in a relationship. Therefore, when faced with her question, he returned it back to her directly.
Tong Xiangqiao was eavesdropping outside the door. If she could, she would rush out and proclaim her love for Shi Yan on behalf of her daughter. As her daughter remained silent, Tong Xiangqiao got increasingly anxious, so much so that she felt like she was about to explode.
Naturally, Lin Man wouldn’t say she liked Shi Yan. Despite his relentless pursuit in the past, she hadn’t paid him any attention. Now she was even sitting here with him, which she considered as a favor she was granting him. So how could she possibly demean herself to please him?
Even if she considered being together with Shi Yan again, it had to be initiated by him.
Having not received her answer, Shi Yan seemed unfazed. He flicked away the cigarette ash with his finger, staring at Lin Man, and changed the topic, "Are you still working at Si Chen’s hospital?"
Lin Man replied, "I have resigned from there a long time ago. I haven’t found a suitable job yet."
"Didn’t you like Si Chen? Why didn’t he give you a chance?" As soon as Si Chen’s name came up, a derisive look flashed across Shi Yan’s eyes. It was clear that he thought negatively of Si Chen.
He might not have been up to Si Chen’s standards in the past, but now Si Chen was not even worthy of shining his shoes.
Lin Man was already looking for an opportunity to clear her name. On hearing Shi Yan’s words, she quickly corrected, "I never liked him in the first place. I only chose the First Hospital because it had more room for growth. You’re the one who kept insisting that I was after Si Chen. I was angry, so I just went along with it in a fit of anger."
"Moreover, I won’t hide it from you, I don’t even like Si Chen. The things I did back then were just to take revenge on Tong Yao. Who knew that you would take all of it seriously."
Lin Man’s face was solemn, but with a hint of grievance. She seemed like she had been wronged in the past.
Unfortunately, the Shi Yan of today was not the Shi Yan of yesterday. Otherwise, he would surely have believed Lin Man’s words.
He didn’t expose Lin Man either, "So what are you planning now? What kind of job are you looking for?"
"I haven’t decided yet, but I don’t want to be a nurse anymore." Lin Man looked at him, "Let’s stop talking about me. What about you? What are you working on now?"
As the topic shifted towards him, Shi Yan flashed a proud smile, "Nothing much. I’ve just been abroad a few times, made a bit of money, and opened a few milk tea shops, that’s all."
"Milk tea shops?" Lin Man, being a bright girl, quickly caught on to something, "Are you the owner of the milk tea shop across from Tong Yao’s shop?"
"Yes."
Shi Yan didn’t try to hide anything and nodded, "Yes, they are all mine."
As he spoke, he suddenly looked into Lin Man’s eyes with an affectionate look, "Didn’t you always like men who ran milk tea shops? So, I opened some milk tea shops."
