Chapter 13

"Wait, come again?" Liu Xinyi blinked in surprise.

"I said Luo Zihan, the grandson of the Luo household who recently returned from the States has been looking into the company's affairs. He's actually been at it for a while now but he's been discrete and I only just found out. This is the first time I've met someone this capable ever since I've been in this line of business." Liu Siting admitted.

Liu Xinyi's brows slightly furrowed, her thoughts beginning to gather as she pondered over Liu Siting’s words.

Luo Zihan?

He was her date for the night. She actually hadn’t done any findings on him so far. When grandma Liu proposed that she go on a date with this certain Luo Zihan, she had agreed mainly because she couldn't find any actual reason not to— except her own personal reasons that she had been holding onto for years.

Besides, Liu Xinyi knew how extremely picky her grandmother could be while making some certain decisions for her.

After all, grandma Liu had once been a victim of arranged marriage, though hers eventually worked out.

If grandma Liu selected a date she found suitable, Liu Xinyi would gladly go along with the elderly lady’s plans without objecting for even a second. But with what her cousin suddenly informed her, Liu Xinyi couldn’t help but think that maybe it was an unwise decision on her part when she decided not to run a background check on Luo Zihan.

She had wanted to be surprised by what her date would be like but not only had he surprised her at their date with his graceful eloquence, knowledge about her and also his daring questions and propositions about her dating life. He had also caught her by surprise based on the sudden discovery she just made about him.

Why was Luo Zihan looking into her company? What was he trying to find out? They weren't even rival companies.

"What exactly has he been looking into?" Xinyi enquired softly, her voice tender like the gentle caress of a breeze above the surface of the ocean. The effect of this breeze always left a rippling effect on the body of water, regardless of how tender or how tumultuous the wind caressed it.

As she sat at the edge of the bed, Liu Xinyi stared out through the slight opening created by her curtain, looking out into the moonly illuminated night. Xinyi loved the moon. At a time in her life, she had spent a good amount of time just staring at the moon for uncountable nights while reflecting on her life choices.

Even now, the sight still managed to captivate her just as much as it had done that time.

"He tried to get a look into the company's finances and our projects for the year."

“We don’t have any special proposals pending apart from the ones we’ve embarked on this year, do we?”

Liu Siting chuckled. “No. We both know how it would greatly affect the company’s finances and revenue plans if we dared to take more than the six international projects we’re currently working on along with the smaller ones.”

"Then give him access to it." She bit her lower lip ponderingly.

Liu Siting went silent for a few seconds. Then he asked in a cold tone. "What did I just hear you say?"

"Give him access to it. I know what I'm saying." Liu Xinyi’s tone was light and even a little carefree despite the severity of the discussion she was currently having.

"Of course you know what you're saying. If you didn’t, you wouldn't be the current CEO of the whole Liu corporation. Since you've decided to take this decision, I'll trust your judgement and have it authorized."

"Hmm. I’ll update you on it when I make my plans." Xinyi put her phone on speaker and climbed the duvet, picking her laptop to turn it on.

Immediately her laptop was powered on, it was automatically connected to the house WiFi and Xinyi clicked on Google, entering the words, 'cute cat pictures' into the search bar. Then she returned back to the homepage.

"There's something else I think you should know..." this time, even Liu Xinyi could hear the hesitation in Siting’s voice.

Knowing his nature, he was a carefree person who also loved playing around. He never even took things seriously but whenever he mentioned something with such level of seriousness, it would be best if it was immediately looked into to avoid a catastrophic end.

Xinyi’s hand hovering on the keyboard paused. Then, she blinked twice. "What's that?"

“It’s still about this Luo Zihan.”

Xinyi suddenly heard Liu Siting giving a response to someone calling him from the background in English and then his voice got louder once again as he resumed his talk with her.

“What is it?” Xinyi’s tone had a tinge of curiosity as she had noted the wariness in Liu Siting’s voice when he mentioned Luo Zihan again.

"He’s been keeping tabs on you.”

Liu Xinyi’s gaze instantly turned frosty. “Since when?”

“Roughly a four weeks now. He has someone who follows you around. I think he’s a pervert who might have a crush on you. Say, should I pay him a visit on your behalf? You know, have a chat with him for a bit.”

Xinyi thought about it carefully. If he was alerted that they were onto him, Luo Zihan would probably be more discrete henceforth and she wouldn’t be able to easily find out why he was so interested in her matters.

“No, don’t make any move. I know what to do on that as well.”

“I don’t think you should do this one on your own, XiXi.” Liu Siting addressed her seriously, instantly calling her the pet name he gave her himself when they were little children. He had already stopped calling her that for a few years but certain emotions must’ve been stirred up inside him which prompted him to easily revert to calling Xinyi ‘Xixi’ once again.

“Don’t you trust me? I know how to handle him, so let him keep doing as he pleases for now.”

“You don’t know how these men act, Xixi, so I’ll have to insist that you let me deal with him. He’s sleek, I tell you. Keeping a tab on you, as well as getting his PA to buy magazines with your pictures on them. These acts of his has instantly confirmed my suspicions that he’s indeed a grade-A pervert. I heard he even visited the hotel where you met with grandma this evening.” Siting’s voice carried so much anger that warmth instantly spread through Xinyi’s heart.

Who didn’t love being doted on? She was still after all, a young lady who at her age, already shouldered so much responsibility of the Liu family.

Everyone saw her as the young, hardworking and even cold hearted Liu heiress based on how swift she was in instantly dealing with issues. Some even said she didn’t have a heart because they believed a woman who had a man backing her up wouldn’t be so ruthless in the business affairs and she would lean on him in certain situations.

She never allowed such rumours bother her but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t feel sweet and warm inside when someone else tried to shield her from threats.

Sensing how angry Liu Siting had become, she quickly tried to explain things. “I’m aware of that meeting, Siting…we actually had a dat-”

“Xinyi, you meet men daily in your line of business but I know men like Luo Zihan. They’re perverts. Why is he hoarding pictures of you? His family is one of the top ones in this country but he still has time to follow you around without even mustering the courage to talk to you like a responsible man. He’s probably doing lewd things while observing you from afar. Stay away from him!” The more Liu Siting spoke, the angrier his voice became.

Xinyi was at loss for words. Why did Siting suddenly get so agitated within such a short time? He was just casually telling her about her company affairs and then he took it so personal when he mentioned Luo Zihan's recent escapades…such a protective male cousin!

Xinyi chuckled. “I have heard you.”

“Are you telling me the truth? I know how inquisitive you can be sometimes…”

“Haven’t I just said it? Believe me, I’ll stay away from him.”

“Good girl. If his company contacts you for a deal, be very careful when interacting with them."

"Got it."

"Don’t stay in the same space with him except you have so much company. Take Lina and a bodyguard wherever you go.”

Xinyi nodded for the umpteenth time. “Noted.”

Finally, she heard Siting heave a deep sigh as if a heavy burden had just been lifted off his shoulders. How long had he been bothered about this issue?

Anyway, it was good if she had someone looking out for her since she was also looking out for so many people and sometimes didn't even have the capability to properly watch out for herself.

“But Xinyi, I’m confused about something.”

“What’s that?”

“Grandma mentioned it that you don’t remember much about Luo Zihan.” Liu Siting noted and he sounded confused.

Liu Xinyi sat up. She could remember that her grandmother had repeatedly mentioned this Luo Zihan and how close they’d been as children. He usually followed her around and doted on her a lot. Liu Xinyi wasn't one to easily forget things so how could she have forgotten all that?

Even Grandma Luo had also hinted at it before Luo Zihan appeared at their date that she knew Xinyi very well as a child but Xinyi couldn’t remember being that close to either the elderly lady or her grandson. She had only heard of the Luo family as being one of the most prestigious families holding up the foundation of City A even though they were a low-key household.

Her parents hadn't had much interactions with the Luo family and their companies never came together for any business deals.

She could’ve even sworn that she’d never met Luo Zihan ever in her whole life.

Liu Xinyi blinked. “She’s right. I don’t remember him at all.”

Xinyi was sure that she wouldn’t have forgotten such a distinct young man. He had the aura that would definitely be on par with that of an emperor in the ancient times. Even when he was merely sitting and looking nonchalant, one could still sense the gracefulness and charm that emitted off him.

He was also handsome than any man she had laid her eyes on. Even if Liu Xinyi wasn't interested in men at the moment, she was sure that if this man had approached her before to ask her out, she would've definitely considered him.

Even if he wasn't the renowned grandson of the Luo Household, he was still very good to look at. She could even marry him and keep him as the house husband while she went out to work for their daily bread everyday!

Xinyi shook her head as she realized the direction her thoughts were heading.

“How come? You were so close when we were little. He even followed you around and loved disturbing you. He wouldn’t let you play with the other kids whenever we met him at an event. He would chase them off with his sneers and glares.” Liu Siting sounded genuinely confused as he recounted their childhood from what he remembered about Luo Zihan.

Liu Xinyi pondered over Liu Siting’s words. It sounded like this Luo Zihan had been around her for a while when they were children. How come she didn’t have any recollection of him? And did he mention Luo Zihan sneering and glaring at other kids?

“What was he like at that time? I mean his personality.” She asked, remembering the indifferent eyes of the man who blatantly flirted with her on their date.

"He was a very reserved person. He never spoke much and he didn’t like talking to any of us, except you."

“Me? Only me?” Xinyi’s tone was light but laced with slight confusion.

“Yes. He liked you a lot back then. He even said a few words to me the times we stuck together at Elder Mo’s party. When he spoke to me, he only wanted me to tell you not to eat too much chocolate so you wouldn’t have a runny stomach. It was strange. I think he has been obsessed with you since then.”

“Wow. I can’t believe this.” Xinyi blinked in surprise.

“Yes. The more reason why you have to stay away from him. I never thought he would still pant after you like a child seeing its favorite snack that it wants to eat up.” Liu Siting said crossly.

"But, why do you dislike him so much? Is there another reason?"

Liu Xinyi felt that apart from Luo Zihan stalking her, he must've done something to make her cousin be against him this much.

"Nothing else. I just don't like how he acts all mighty and aloof yet as soon as he returned to the country, he instantly started pinning after you. He's a rogue, so stay away from him."

“Of course.” Xinyi didn't want to prolong this issue any further. She would do a immediately and thorough check on Luo Zihan and make her own findings so as to know who she was up against. Even though he recently returned to the country, her instincts kept telling her that he wasn't a simple man and had already established himself in China in a deep rooted way.

Liu Xinyi’s mind drifted off to her discussion with Luo Zihan earlier at their date. The curiosity, excitement and the ease she saw in his eyes while they were chatting before he masked it with indifference when she caught the emotions. Did he still like her?

He’d asked about her relationship status and even proposed escorting her to her next destination. He had been very direct, which was new to her but at the same time, annoyed her so much. She was used to men trying to use several cheap tricks to ask her out but never had she met someone who looked her in the eye to directly convey his intentions towards her.

Still she shrugged.

Liu Xinyi couldn’t be bothered to care about him or his intentions. She was done with men, for good.

She would gladly continue with her previous plans. Also, love wasn't something that could be forced down one's throat. She would choose to secretly observe him from afar to know what his intentions are but regardless of whatever they are, she still wouldn’t bother herself with dating him or anyone for that matter.

After chatting with Liu Siting for a while, she finally ended the call with another reminder to Siting that she would try her possible best to avoid any contacts with Luo Zihan if ignoring him wasn’t totally possible.

After all, he was a businessman so there was no saying about whether or not their paths would eventually cross again soon due to business collaborations.

She went back to her online search and decided to check a few more animal shelters in the City.

There were a few highly rated ones.

“What pet should I get exactly?” She wondered, lightly pinching her chin in wonderment. “Cats and dogs are the only options I have. Ahhh, this white cat has the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen. Take a look at this black, shiny cat as well. I wonder if it eats so much, seeing how chubby it looks. So cute.” She squealed internally, gently patting her cheeks.

Anyone watching Liu Xinyi would literally see the sweetness wafting off her in strong waves as she gushed over cat images.

They would never believe she was the ruthless CEO of the family corporation.

She copied the name of the shelter and decided to visit them the next day. Since it was a Saturday and the following day was also a work free day, she didn’t have to do anything work related so she would visit the shelter and get one or two cats.

Having that thought in mind, Xinyi turned off the light and got into bed, covering up as she stretched like a lazy cat and cuddled her five feet teddy bear, ‘Mr. Squishes’.

Then Liu Xinyi fell into a comfortable slumber and dreamt of a handsome knight in shining armor on a white, graceful horse coming to save her from a cold, damp and deserted wilderness.

She was woken up at four thirty am by a phone call.

Groaning, Xinyi groggily sat up. Her eyes were misty and lazy as she scratched her ear while fishing around for her phone. She picked it and saw the number of an acquaintance, Detective Shen. The man would never call her at such a time except something very important had come up.

“Hello?”

“Apologies for calling you at such an early hour, miss Liu. I just got some information and thought it should be immediately shared with you since you came directly to me when the Hotel incident happened.” The clear voice said on the other line.

Liu Xinyi’s gaze frosted over.

"Thank you for calling, detective. What do you have for me?"