Chapter 43 Meeting His Fiancée for the First Time

Chapter 43: Meeting His Fiancée for the First Time

Lin Haoda met Jiang Tianyi for the first time on an autumn afternoon in the capital.

After the endless rain, the sunny weather in the capital had become pleasantly warm and inviting, sunlight dancing among the similarly colored fallen leaves, the air crisp with floral scents.

Jiang Tianyi had her assistant arrange for Lin Haoda to meet her at a park in the city center.

Even on a workday, there were many people here, either walking their dogs or on dates. Jiang Tianyi, wearing sunglasses, sat quietly on a bench by the lakeside. She had her assistant stand quite far away, about seven or eight meters.

Lin Haoda walked over, politely said "Miss Jiang," and when Jiang Tianyi turned to look at him, introduced himself, "I'm Lin Haoda."

Jiang Tianyi took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes, and blinked at him. "Lin Haoda." She repeated it slowly, then suddenly laughed. "So you're Lin Haoda."

Lin Haoda blinked, looking puzzled. Jiang Tianyi moved over a little, patted the bench for him to sit, and then took the initiative to speak. "I heard from Jun Shan that it was you who guessed the white lisianthus?"

Lin Haoda smiled, hummed an acknowledgment, and said softly, "Just lucky, I guess."

"It's fine," Jiang Tianyi said, tossing her curly hair over her shoulder, appearing unconcerned. "At least it was just you."

She turned her head and gazed at the calm lake for a while, then after a few seconds of silence, asked Lin Haoda, "You signed the contract, right?"

Lin Haoda was taken aback for a moment before realizing what she was referring to, and nodded, saying, "Yes."

"Then I'll be counting on you for all the dates between Jun Shan and me from now on." Jiang Tianyi's voice softened a little. "It should go well, right?"

Lin Haoda tacitly agreed, also looking in the direction of the lake. After a brief pause, he echoed, "It will."

"If you don't mind me asking," Jiang Tianyi turned to look at him again, her tone becoming a bit ambiguous, "Is there someone you like right now?"

Lin Haoda was silent for a few seconds, then turned to meet her gaze and told her, "No."

"Then how will you know whether our relationship is good or not?" Jiang Tianyi's question was sharp, yet practical. "If you see us kiss? What about sleeping together? Does that count?"

Lin Haoda looked away awkwardly. "It won't go that far."

He cleared his throat, his tone helpless. "Mr. Guan and I agreed on one month. After that..."

"I see." Jiang Tianyi cut him off with a smile. "Then I'm relieved."

They sat on the lakeside bench for a while longer, no longer discussing the details of the love contract. Jiang Tianyi seemed to be in a slightly better mood and began sharing her travel experiences abroad with Lin Haoda.

The sun gradually shifted a few degrees downward. Jiang Tianyi's phone rang—it was her assistant urging her to leave. After hanging up, they stood up from the bench, walked back to the pathway through the fallen leaves. Jiang Tianyi's assistant came running over, dressed in a sharp, capable business suit, with a somewhat cold demeanor. She looked younger than Lin Haoda but carried herself with a very mature professionalism.

She called Jiang Tianyi "Sister Tianyi" and told her, "We need to leave soon, or traffic will get heavy."

Jiang Tianyi nodded, then turned to Lin Haoda. "How are you getting back, Mr. Lin? Would you like a ride?"

Lin Haoda declined, saying he had something else to do. Jiang Tianyi didn't insist. The three of them walked together toward the east exit. It was almost five o'clock, and there weren't many cars yet.

Only a few cars were parked in the lot. Jiang Tianyi's assistant walked over, pressed the key fob twice, and suddenly the door of a black car in the center of the lot opened. Guan Junshan stepped out.

Lin Haoda froze, standing there, initially thinking his eyes were playing tricks or that he'd mistaken the person. He hadn't seen Guan Junshan for about a week, not since that night when Guan Junshan had confessed in the car that he had liked a man before.

Actually, there was nothing to hide or be embarrassed about, since Lin Haoda was in the same boat. But not hearing from Guan Junshan had made him uneasy, unsure of what to say or do, constantly replaying his own reaction from that night, afraid he'd made a mistake.

The thought that today he was meeting Guan Junshan's fiancée made Lin Haoda's feelings even more tangled.

The daylight was fading. Towering trees surrounded a small patch of sky, the clouds bright with golden sunset light, casting deep and shallow shadows across the surroundings.

Twigs crackled softly under Guan Junshan's feet. The temperature had dropped overnight. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and a thin coat. Seeing Jiang Tianyi, he stopped in front of her and gave a slight nod. "I'm late. Have you two finished your talk?"

Jiang Tianyi smiled and called out "Jun Shan," also looking surprised. "How come you're here?"

"I wrapped up early at the office." As Guan Junshan spoke, he stepped forward, just dodging Jiang Tianyi's outstretched hand. His gaze landed on Lin Haoda, and he casually asked, "Dinner at that restaurant tonight? Yang Yue called this morning to reserve a table."

"Sure," Jiang Tianyi said from behind him. Guan Junshan's face showed no particular expression. He patiently asked Lin Haoda again, "Coming?"

If this were a normal day, just the two of them, Lin Haoda might have agreed without a second thought. But right now, he had no idea which restaurant Guan Junshan meant, nor did he want to intrude on this rare evening out.

Feeling sheepish, he dropped his gaze, pretended to glance at his phone screen, and said apologetically, "Sorry, Mr. Guan, I'll pass. I've got some other stuff to do."

Guan Junshan asked why, and Lin Haoda said vaguely, "Something came up."

Guan Junshan nodded at that, said nothing, then turned to look at Yang Yue by the car, and suddenly asked, "How many people did you book the table for this morning?"

Yang Yue replied, "Three, Mr. Guan."

Guan Junshan paused for a few seconds, then said, "Then you'll come up with us later."

Yang Yue was visibly startled. "Mr. Guan," he said with a surprised laugh, "Give me a break."

Guan Junshan then turned to look at Jiang Tianyi's assistant in the distance. "How about Miss He? Would you like to join us for dinner?"

Jiang Tianyi's assistant also declined. "I didn't bring a driver today, so I'd better not. Thank you, Mr. Guan."

Jiang Tianyi stayed silent, which everyone took as agreement.

After going around, Guan Junshan's gaze returned to Lin Haoda.

The parking lot was very quiet. The wind rustled the fallen leaves with a soft whisper. Lin Haoda didn't dare to meet his eyes, and couldn't bear the awkwardness of the situation about to go sideways, so he took the initiative to call out to him, his voice very low.

He gave in. "I can go too."

Only then did Guan Junshan show the first smile since they'd met today, as if satisfied with Lin Haoda's agreement. Without asking about whatever he had to do, he simply hummed an acknowledgment, then turned and got back into the car.

Lin Haoda lagged behind, following toward the car. As he approached the door, Jiang Tianyi hurried up a few steps and asked with concern, "Is your matter urgent?"

"It's fine." Lin Haoda smiled gently. "No big deal."

"Was he always this way?" Jiang Tianyi frowned slightly and complained softly, "I didn't know he was so domineering."

Lin Haoda actually wanted to agree, but out of professional courtesy, he explained, "Maybe Mr. Guan had asked Assistant Yang to ask me before, and I forgot."

Jiang Tianyi looked up at him and asked, "Have you known each other long?"

Just as Lin Haoda was about to answer, Jiang Tianyi's assistant called out from behind, "Mr. Lin." She was holding the car door open, ready to get into the driver's seat. "There's no room in the front car."

Lin Haoda was standing by the car, reaching out to open the door for Jiang Tianyi, when his movement suddenly paused. Jiang Tianyi said "Thank you," then bent down and got into the car, sitting in the backseat to Guan Junshan's right—the same seat Lin Haoda usually occupied.

Lin Haoda was dazed for a couple of seconds, then came to his senses and closed the door for them.

Yang Yue was discussing the route with the driver up front. Jiang Tianyi lowered the rear window a little and said, "See you in a bit."

"Okay." Lin Haoda waved at her, then added, "Goodbye, Mr. Guan."

Guan Junshan's profile was blocked by the car roof. Lin Haoda couldn't see his expression, but a faint pang of loss settled in his chest.

Although he himself didn't get where this feeling of loss came from, luckily, Lin Haoda quickly found a reason to comfort himself: it was reasonable for Jiang Tianyi to sit there, as she would eventually become the rightful occupant of Guan Junshan's front passenger seat; he was the one overthinking about such a trivial thing.

Soon the car started, the dark-tinted windows rolled up, and Lin Haoda turned around, slowly walking toward the car behind him.

Jiang Tianyi's assistant was already sitting in the front passenger seat, searching for the destination on the in-car screen. She turned to remind him, "Mr. Lin, seatbelt."

"Oh, sorry."

Lin Haoda fastened his seatbelt and took the initiative to ask, "Do you need me to help set up the navigation?"

"Please, thank you."

Jiang Tianyi's assistant, a straightforward person, stepped on the accelerator and said, "I'm afraid there might be traffic on the road later, wasting time."

Lin Haoda received a WeChat reply from Yang Yue, selected the location on the navigation, and agreed, "Indeed, this road has always been a bit tricky."

"Do you often ride in Mr. Guan's car, Mr. Lin?"

As they drove out of the parking lot entrance, she suddenly asked abruptly, "I noticed you instinctively walked toward that seat earlier."

Lin Haoda said, "Not really," then after a moment's thought added, "Sometimes Mr. Guan asks the driver to give me a ride if it's on the way."

Jiang Tianyi's assistant nodded, glancing at him in the rearview mirror for some reason, "Just like now, riding in the front passenger seat?"

The car suddenly fell silent. In the wind that kept blowing in, Lin Haoda paused for a moment, then let out an "mm-hmm" and said, "Yeah."

He smiled, as if half-complaining, half-joking with her, "Mr. Guan's personality is too cold; probably only Assistant Yang dares to sit in the back with him." Although he had no idea what she was probing or suspecting, Lin Haoda lied with practiced ease.