Chapter 103: President Guan, This Isn’t Quite Appropriate

Chapter 103: Mr. Guan, This Isn't Quite Appropriate

When it was time to get out of the car, the wind had stopped, but the snow was still falling heavily, mixed with hail pounding against the roof.

Guan Junshan was being insincere; he didn't insist Lin Haoda wait until the hail died down, but instead pretended to be rational and magnanimous, saying to him, "Hold onto the umbrella. The snow is deep, so watch your step."

Lin Haoda nodded, still looking a bit dazed from just waking up, and fished out the umbrella from the compartment. He turned back to look at him: "Good night."

Guan Junshan forced a faint smile and replied, "Mm, good night."

He should have opened the car door, but Lin Haoda remained motionless for two seconds. The light inside the car was very dim, like a hazy gray veil, making his eyes the brightest part, like a fresh star in the storm, clear and pure.

He thought for a moment, then finally made up his mind to thank Guan Junshan: "Thank you for helping out today."

Guan Junshan was taken aback, quickly seizing the opportunity: "I'm sorry."

Lin Haoda lowered the hand that had been reaching for the door. He knew what Guan Junshan was apologizing for. They'd been dancing around things, and he wasn't entirely blameless either.

There were things he hadn't clearly explained to Guan Junshan, and regardless of whether they would meet again, that wasn't right, and he needed to set it straight.

So Lin Haoda put the umbrella back down by his feet, turned his shoulders, and sat up a bit straighter.

Guan Junshan noticed this, looked at him, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Lin Haoda didn't turn his head, keeping his gaze straight ahead as the windshield wipers swept back and forth across the glass, casting two thin shadows across his cheeks.

He seemed to take a moment to recall, then slowly began to speak, "When I broke up with Pei Mingyi, it wasn't because of anyone else."

Guan Junshan stared at him for a few seconds, his lips moving: "Hao Da..."

But Lin Haoda didn't let him interrupt, continuing, "When we first started dating, I thought that given enough time, love could grow. But the longer we were together, the more I realized I was actually a coward—not only unable to see myself clearly but also dragging someone else down."

"Feelings are irrational; they have nothing to do with how you want them to happen. To stop wasting his time, I proposed the breakup."

"In any case, that's between him and me. I'm not telling you this to explain myself or justify anything." Lin Haoda paused, his tone very calm. "Guan Junshan, we've been apart for so long. No one's obligated to wait around. Relationships aren't a game of house, and I've never been some toy that got snatched away from you."

"I just hope you can show some respect."

The words were said. The temperature in the car was high, and Lin Haoda licked his dry lips, his eyes cast downward.

There was a slight rustle from Guan Junshan's side as he took his hands off the steering wheel, his cuffs brushing against the leather cover. Then, after what seemed like an endless five minutes, he finally decided not to find any more cheap excuses, and said to Lin Haoda, "I... understand."

And then he said "I'm sorry" once more.

The Christmas snowstorm finally cleared up by Wednesday, followed by the New Year holiday.

Tong Dong loved throwing holiday parties. Before the break, she started a group chat to brainstorm where to go.

First, someone suggested hiking, but the snow hadn't fully melted, and several nearby mountains had posted closure notices, so they changed it to hot springs. However, ticket prices skyrocketed during the holiday, and it was packed like sardines. After much discussion, all the exciting plans fell through, leaving only the ever-reliable fallback: the same time, same place—a hot pot meal at Lin Haoda's place.

Since there was no need to go out, Lin Haoda breathed a sigh of relief, though he tried not to show it too obviously, sighing now and then in front of Tong Dong, saying how unfortunate it was and that they really had to make up for it next time.

On the last workday before the holiday, before leaving, the two interns who had hitched a ride that day came to thank him, each holding a paper bag. Lin Haoda came out of a meeting and saw them waiting, so he walked over to exchange a few words.

He accepted the paper bags as a casual gesture; they were surprisingly heavy in his hands. Lin Haoda didn't really care what was inside, but the girl beside Lily took the initiative to say, "There are two sets inside—one for Teacher Lin and one for Brother Guan... they're different."

Lin Haoda smiled politely in response, "It was no trouble at all. You're too kind."

The young girl, with a clear and beautiful face and pale skin, smiled, revealing a shallow dimple at the corner of her mouth as her cheeks flushed: "Could you please pass the other one to Brother Guan?"

Lin Haoda sighed inwardly, thinking this might take ages, but agreed aloud, "Okay, I'll find time to see him."

The three of them were talking by the water cooler when Tong Dong happened to pass by, suddenly remembering the grocery shopping. She poked her head in with her cup and interrupted, asking Lin Haoda, "Can we go earlier tomorrow? There's a new shopping mall that opened in the city center. I want to check it out, and it's not far from your place."

Lin Haoda nodded and said, "Sure, ask Xiao Ye and the others what they'd like to eat."

Tong Dong hummed in response, turned around, and started messaging in the group chat. Lin Haoda turned back to find the two girls staring at him with eager expressions.

Lin Haoda caught on and quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand. Some colleagues are coming over for hotpot tomorrow."

With things having gotten that far, he couldn't keep pretending, so he went with the flow and asked, "Are you free? Want to join us?"

The gathering was set for the afternoon. Since young people on vacation generally wake up late, they decided to have brunch instead.

Around noon, Lin Haoda arrived at the newly opened mall and met up with Tong Dong. They planned to browse around, grab some snacks, then head to the fresh food market on the basement floor to buy ingredients for cooking at home.

The mall was recently built, connected to a park and a sunken plaza. It covered a large area, with two buildings linked together, offering a full range of dining, shopping, and entertainment.

The air had a distinct fragrance, and sunlight streamed through the massive glass dome, making everyone warm and cozy. After squeezing through the crowded lower floors, they took the elevator straight to the top, where a row of luxury brand logos lined the entire floor, looking much quieter than downstairs.

Lin Haoda had a modest income and knew his own worth. He always avoided such stores, going out of his way to avoid them. But he couldn't say no to her excitement, who insisted on going in.

"Just try it! It's not like trying is illegal!"

Lin Haoda was dragged in by her, and several sales assistants immediately gathered around. Tong Dong put on her usual client-facing act, pretending to be whatever was needed, and asked them to show a few pieces of the season's new jewelry.

Now that they were there, Lin Haoda didn't want to hold her back, so he took a seat on the sofa, occasionally pretending to help her decide if something looked good.

But in such a setting, with five- or six-figure jewelry displayed in the counters, how could anything look bad?

The spotlights above cast a soft glow, making the fully diamond-encrusted ring on Tong Dong's finger sparkle brilliantly, almost blinding.

On top of that, she was tall and pretty, and the sales assistants kept praising her, going on and on about how perfect it looked, how beautiful, and how great the price was.

Tong Dong, who usually never put a foot wrong, found herself in a tight spot. She wasn't satisfied with this piece and wanted to take it off, but the assistant immediately brought out an even more extravagant one, urging her to try it.

Flustered, she kept shooting pleading looks at Lin Haoda, but he was busy with another sales assistant who was pitching men's watches to him. He had his hands full and couldn't help her.

In a moment of desperation, Tong Dong decided to throw caution to the wind. She set her jaw and stomped her foot and yelled, "Honey! What do you think? Does it look good on me?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Lin Haoda.

Lin Haoda stood up from the sofa, holding his bag, looking like a henpecked husband. He hesitated and suggested, "It's just okay, not really your style."

"Sir doesn't like this one? No problem, we have a flower series, a fireworks series, and the one from the recent celebrity collaboration—it's been selling really well..." ...they just wouldn't let them escape.

Tong Dong took the chance to remove the jewelry, ran over clicking her heels, naturally hooked her arm through his, and pouted, "Let's check out other stores, honey."

Lin Haoda nodded quickly in agreement, completely unaware that the door to the VIP reception room behind him had opened. Guan Junshan walked out leisurely, followed by Yang Yue, and both pairs of eyes silently fell on him.

"Mr. Guan, this way, please," the sales assistant leading the way said softly. Guan Junshan stopped and raised a hand to signal her to be quiet.

"I'm sorry, my wife isn't really into it," Lin Haoda explained to the two sales assistants serving them. "We'll come back next month for our wedding anniversary."

Anyway, at this point, making up a few more lies wouldn't hurt.

He was holding Tong Dong's hand, just as they were about to head for the door. "Hao Da!" a voice that was all too familiar called out from behind him.

Lin Haoda's steps faltered. Tong Dong's fingers slipped from his grasp, and he didn't manage to catch them. After a moment, he turned his head slowly.

Guan Junshan, tall and long-legged, walked over to him in two or three steps. His tone was light, as if casually discussing the weather: "What a coincidence, running into you here."

A coincidence? Lin Haoda felt a dull ache in one of his ribs, he could barely catch his breath. He stared blankly at Guan Junshan's face and forced a faint smile.

"So, this is your... 'partner'?" Guan Junshan glanced at Tong Dong, nodded by way of greeting, but didn't expose them on the spot.

He shifted his gaze back to Lin Haoda, stepped half a pace closer, and lowered his voice with a faint smile: "Out shopping together today?"

"...Yes." Lin Haoda's throat was dry. He nodded with difficulty, knowing that Guan Junshan had witnessed the ridiculous scene just now. He explained helplessly, "We were just..."

His face flushed, unsure where to even begin explaining this absurd situation. He licked his lips, unable to bear the stares of everyone in the store and continue chatting casually. In a low voice, he pleaded, "Let's talk outside first."

"No rush. Give me two minutes," Guan Junshan said quietly to him. Then he took a soft handkerchief from the inside of his suit jacket and offered it over. "It's too warm inside. You're sweating a lot."

Lin Haoda reached up and touched his temple, feeling the damp, slippery beads of sweat. His eyes flickered twice, inevitably landing on the large hand hovering in mid-air.

The handkerchief was incredibly soft, carrying a hint of elegant, subtle fragrance. Lin Haoda had smelled it many times before; it was all too familiar.

He thanked him quietly, pressing the corner of the handkerchief to his temple. Afraid that standing too long might trigger his low blood sugar, Tong Dong pulled two fruit candies out of her bag.

Meanwhile, Guan Junshan strode over, exchanged a few words with the sales associate who had been attending to him, and swept his gaze across the several pieces of jewelry still laid out on the velvet tray that hadn't been put away yet.

One of the bracelets was one Tong Dong had tried on multiple times; the sales associate had brought out three different colors. Guan Junshan's eyes paused on it for half a second, then he pointed to the platinum one and said, "Wrap this up for me."

He took out his card from his wallet and paid quickly. Yang Yue, standing nearby, made a call to the driver.

Another sales associate brought over a cup of warm water. Lin Haoda took the paper cup, still holding the candy in his mouth, and mumbled his thanks.

When they stepped out of the store, the two of them had become four. Standing in the afternoon sunlight, the diamond brooch on Guan Junshan's chest glittered brightly.

He handed the gift bag to Tong Dong, his voice gentle: "Nice to meet you. A small gift."

Tong Dong seemed startled, stepping back half a pace. She turned her head to look at Lin Haoda's expression.

Lin Haoda's emotions were subdued, but he made a quick decision. He flatly refused on Tong Dong's behalf: "No need."

Tong Dong chimed in, "It's too expensive. I can't, I really can't accept it."

"It's nothing." Guan Junshan's hand still held out. With his handsome face and gentle demeanor, he smiled and coaxed her to reconsider: "Take a look at the price tag – it's a basic model."

Tong Dong quickly did the math in her head. The basic model... It was indeed not too bad compared to the other styles she had tried on, but it still amounted to two or three months of her salary.

"Besides, I have a discount card here." Guan Junshan continued fabricating without batting an eye.

"...Don't." Lin Haoda, who had been silent for a while, looked up at Guan Junshan and addressed him politely: "President Guan, this isn't appropriate."

"Alright." Guan Junshan chuckled. After a pause, his tone turned somewhat subdued, with a dim expression: "Actually, I... have a small personal matter to ask of you both."