The distance was extremely aggressive.
Lin Xingwan had never expected such a flippant remark to come from Zhou Jinbai.
She wanted to walk out. The walk-in closet wasn't large to begin with, and with the tall Zhou Jinbai blocking the doorway, she felt the air in the entire closet was becoming stagnant.
"I'm hungry, I..."
"Don't change the subject, Lin Xingwan." Zhou Jinbai's gaze was locked onto the woman before him, as deep and dark as an unfathomable abyss.
Lin Xingwan felt a pang of panic. Zhou Jinbai was too forceful; he wouldn't even let her retreat like a turtle into its shell.
"Zhou Jinbai, I don't know how to answer. We've only known each other for a week! This is too fast."
"Fast? Hmm?" The last syllable was so sweet it could melt.
"I don't like relationships that are like tornadoes, coming and going in a rush. We've only known each other for a week, we don't know each other at all. This will only make me think you're casual about relationships, and that you think I'm a casual woman too."
As Lin Xingwan spoke, her delicate face was filled with seriousness. Coupled with her suit, she looked like a cold, aloof CEO keeping everyone at bay.
Seeing her earnest expression, Zhou Jinbai explained, "I'm telling you this not to confirm a relationship."
Lin Xingwan frowned, not understanding his meaning.
"I want to tell you that I have feelings for you and want to develop them further. Some people like passionate affairs, others prefer quiet companionship. Neither a slow-burning love nor a tornado-like romance is inherently wrong. What's wrong is loving someone who isn't worth your genuine devotion. You can't dismiss all men just because you encountered a scumbag like Gu Shaoting."
Lin Xingwan was almost swayed by Zhou Jinbai's words. This man... he seemed so cunning.
"Although what you say has merit, I've just ended a failed relationship. I need time to calm down. A period of being single is the greatest respect for that past relationship."
"Are you going to wear mourning for this relationship for three years? Waiting until Lin Shirou and Gu Shaoting's child can fetch soy sauce before you're willing to invest in another relationship?"
Wear mourning for three years?
Gu Shaoting and Lin Shirou's child fetching soy sauce?
Good heavens! What a tragedy!
Lin Xingwan felt a powerful blow.
The next second, Zhou Jinbai tapped her head. "If Gu Shaoting were dead, I could wait thirty years for you, let alone three years of mourning. But the fact is, this man betrayed you, shattered your trust in relationships, and made you feel that men are all the same. Rather than saying you don't want to jump into a new relationship immediately, it's more accurate to say you're afraid, afraid of being hurt again. Lin Xingwan, I'm not like Gu Shaoting. I know that no matter what I say or promise you now, you won't believe me. But wanting to develop a relationship with you with marriage in mind is a decision I've made carefully. You're excellent, but I'm not bad either."
Lin Xingwan didn't know how to respond. Gu Shaoting, however, had already released all his pressure on her. "I will use my actions to prove to you that Zhou Jinbai is worth marrying Lin Xingwan."
After saying this, the man left the bedroom and went to the kitchen to start cooking.
The abrupt shift from domineering CEO to domestic husband was so stark that Lin Xingwan felt as if the man's heartfelt confession had been a figment of her imagination.
Her dizzy head gradually cleared.
She suddenly remembered, this guy didn't have a job!
Who gave him the courage to say those words just now?
However, the way he cooked was indeed very pleasing to the eye.
She had a bit of money herself, so keeping him should be more than enough, right?
He seemed to know how to do everything and had a sense of justice.
Stop, stop! Can't think about it anymore!
Lin Xingwan patted her face. Gu Shaoting used to treat her well too, but didn't he change later?
Better to believe in ghosts than men's words.
Lin Xingwan's phone suddenly buzzed with a series of new message notifications.
The phone vibrated continuously. She quickly opened WeChat and saw that she had been added to a group chat.
It turned out her college roommate, Liu Xinxin, had created a class group with over three hundred members.
Liu Xinxin had tagged everyone in the group and said, "Dear classmates, seniors, and juniors, my wedding with Sheng Yuanbai will be held tomorrow noon at Banxia Hotel. I hope you can all come and bless us. It's been several years since graduation, so this will be a small class reunion."
"Wow, Sheng Yuanbai, that rascal, actually managed to capture the beauty Liu! Congratulations, I'll definitely be there."
"Banxia Hotel? The Banxia Hotel in Rongcheng? I remember Lin Xingwan is from Rongcheng. Can I see my dream goddess again?"
"Back then, Lin Xingwan and Liu Xinxin were the two golden flowers of our class!"
A large group of people chatted and replied in the group, and Lin Xingwan was tagged countless times.
Liu Xinxin also tagged her, "Xingwan, as my best friend, you absolutely must come and witness my wedding with Yuanbai."
After tagging Lin Xingwan, Liu Xinxin further announced in the group, "Xingwan is single now. Guys in the group, this is your chance."
Because of Liu Xinxin's words, the group's discussion topic shifted from her wedding to Lin Xingwan's breakup with Gu Shaoting. Some people had even posted the link to the video Lin Xingwan had clarified that morning.
Suddenly, the group was filled with sighs.
Many people also sent private messages to Lin Xingwan, using the guise of comforting her to pry into her breakup with Gu Shaoting.
Some pathetic men, under the pretense of sending the wrong message, deliberately sent her photos of their cars and bank balances, then quickly withdrew them.
Lin Xingwan wasn't surprised by this outcome at all.
She had a very bad impression of Liu Xinxin.
This woman was vain and loved to show off, and she liked to gossip behind people's backs. If someone was prettier than her, she'd say they had plastic surgery; if she saw someone wearing designer brands, she'd say they were being kept; in short, she believed she was the only genuine, excellent, and untainted woman in the world.
After learning about Liu Xinxin's character, Lin Xingwan didn't associate with her closely, but she didn't expect to escape being slandered.
In her senior year, rumors started circulating in the school that her good grades were due to a relationship with a certain professor. The professor's wife caused a scene at the school, and only then did Lin Xingwan learn about it.
Not only that, but photos of her carrying a LV bag, wearing Chanel clothes, and using La Mer cosmetics were posted on the school forum as evidence that she was being kept by the professor.
Later, Lin Xingwan presented her academic achievements abroad, research results, her published papers, and her identity as a daughter of the Lin family. These rumors then fell apart.
Finally, she discovered that the rumor spreader was Liu Xinxin.
At that time, she was busy helping Gu Shaoting manage Huanyu Company and didn't have the extra energy to punish Liu Xinxin.
Time flew by, and three years passed.
Liu Xinxin choosing this time to invite her was definitely to mock her.
"What are you thinking about? So engrossed?" Zhou Jinbai had finished preparing lunch and saw Lin Xingwan sitting on the sofa, staring at her phone, lost in thought. He couldn't help but ask.
Lin Xingwan told him about the situation. "Liu Xinxin just wants to see me make a fool of myself. If I go, I'll inevitably be subjected to ridicule and sarcasm."
"If you don't go, won't that make them mock you even more?" Zhou Jinbai handed Lin Xingwan a pair of chopsticks. "You have to go, and you have to go in style, to slap those who want to see you embarrassed right in the face!"
"How can I slap them? I have no idea right now." Lin Xingwan was troubled.
"I have a way." Zhou Jinbai looked at Lin Xingwan with burning eyes, his handsome face inscrutable.