Chapter 9

Chapter 9

*

Jin Mo and Cheng Shu, who was in the middle of speaking, both froze at his words.

The question came too suddenly, and she answered instinctively: "...I suppose so."

Yin Jihong didn't say anything more.

But he did glance up and sweep a cool look over Cheng Shu.

Just that one look made an inexplicable chill run down Cheng Shu's spine, and even his tone unconsciously tightened.

The driver soon pulled up in front of a well-known chain KTV in S City. Cheng Shu opened the door for them and said to Yin Jihong, "President Yin, Old Yang and I will wait for you down here. Just text me before you're ready to head out, and I'll come up to get you."

"No need." Yin Jihong waved him off. "You head home. Just have Old Yang wait in the garage."

Cheng Shu opened his mouth: "But..."

"You might as well take your parents back to your hometown tonight. There's gonna be way more traffic on the road tomorrow." Yin Jihong looked at him calmly. "While you're home for the New Year, why not have your relatives set you up with someone? Try to get out of the single life soon."

Cheng Shu: "This..."

"Also, I'm adding 'finding a partner' to your KPI this year. If you don't hit it, your year-end bonus is in serious jeopardy."

Before leaving, Yin Jihong suddenly flashed him a meaningful smile. "Your thoughtful boss wants you to go chase happiness first."

Cheng Shu stood there, blindsided and utterly bewildered: "...?"

-

As they rode the elevator upstairs, Jin Mo glanced sideways at the man beside her. "Does Shu not having a girlfriend really bother you that much?"

"Yeah." His gaze drifted across her face, feigning casualness. "He bothers me."

The elevator doors opened, and the KTV manager was already waiting respectfully, leading them all the way to the massive VIP room at the end of the corridor.

The second they stepped inside, Yin Jihong, who'd been radiating pure laziness, seemed to flip a switch.

He started by shaking hands with the big bosses of the two investment firms by the door, chatting them up like old pals, then walked further in to greet Peng He, Ning Wen, and Meng Yu one by one.

"Seeing this star-studded crowd before New Year's Eve—does this mean Yin Corp's stock is about to skyrocket again?" He shook hands with Peng He and the others politely yet warmly. "I've heard so much about all of you. We've only ever met in business settings, so it's great to finally just hang out."

"Also, I've brought someone with me today." He drew Jin Mo to his side and introduced her solemnly to everyone present. "This is my childhood friend Jin Mo. Don't treat her like an outsider. Because even if she didn't show up tonight, she'd know every word we said here by tomorrow morning anyway."

The whole room cracked up.

Meng Yu chuckled teasingly: "Based on President Yin's tone, does Miss Jin work for the CIA or something? Her intel network must be insane."

Jin Mo, after all, came from a solid background herself. Though she usually hated schmoozing, Jin Ping had dragged her to all the right events since she was a kid. She had the poise to prove it, and she didn't flinch in front of these big names.

"If I worked for the CIA, I wouldn't be allowed here." She gave a slight nod to everyone, speaking naturally. "I just twisted his arm a little—I made him bring me to meet a few of my favorite celebs."

Yin Jihong smiled indulgently, looking like putty in her hands: "See that, everyone? She actually dares to threaten me."

He said it casually, but everyone in the room was sharp enough to read between the lines—Jin Mo wasn't just some random girl—she was tight with him, and there were no secrets between them.

The two investment firm bosses were old foxes. The second they saw Yin Jihong walk in with a plus-one, they got it: the Young Master had only agreed to show up because of the stunning woman on his arm.

After all, no matter how they'd tried to pin him down before, he wouldn't budge. Given how untamable he was, even if Peng He and the others were there, if he didn't feel like showing up, he just wouldn't—he'd pulled that stunt before.

As the young chairman of Yin Corp, whose face had he ever actually cared about saving?

Outwardly smooth and charming, he was inwardly arrogant to the core. No one's goodwill had ever really meant anything to him.

So Old Nian, chairman of Longyang Group, immediately looked at Jin Mo with newfound respect. He clasped his hands together and said respectfully, "Miss Jin, thank you and President Yin for honoring us with your presence today. I hope you'll take care of us in the future."

Jin Mo was about to shake her head and say she didn't have that kind of pull, when Yin Jihong drawled lazily: "That's right—don't you dare piss her off. If you make her mad, even I can't save you."

Jin Mo: "..."

Was he ever gonna drop this? Even after graduating and entering the real world, he still had to publicly paint her as some kind of dragon lady.

Wherever Yin Jihong was, the room never went dead.

Old Nian, getting into the groove, pulled a cigarette case out of his pocket.

Before he could even grab a cigarette, Yin Jihong had already swiped the case out of his hand.

Yin Jihong smiled at him warmly: "President Nian, if you need to smoke, please step outside. My nose has been a little sensitive the past couple of days."

His smile was friendly, but his tone left no room for argument.

Old Nian had no choice but to awkwardly pull his hand back, fighting the urge: "Sorry, sorry. I'll go outside for a smoke in a bit."

Old Sun, chairman of Bogen Group, took a sip of his drink and said, all casual: "Drinking's always more fun with more people around."

Yin Jihong immediately caught the hidden meaning in Old Sun's words. He raised his hand and waved over the manager by the door, murmuring a few quick instructions.

A few minutes later, a group of young, hot female PR girls with killer figures walked in.

Yin Jihong had the girls sit next to Old Nian and Old Sun, while he himself slid to the far edge, saying to Old Sun in a light tone: "President Sun, is this to your liking?"

Old Sun's droopy, lecherous eyes wandered over the PR girls, his voice barely hiding his excitement: "Of course, of course."

Jin Mo had been seated beside Ning Wen at the very edge of the booth, completely out of that old pervert Old Sun's line of sight. Though Yin Jihong had been constantly engaging the two bosses in business discussions, his attention never once strayed from her.

He kept walking over to her side—one moment asking the manager to bring her a coconut juice, the next worrying she might be cold and having a blanket sent over, carefully draping it over her knees and shoulders.

When he walked away again, Ning Wen couldn't help asking Jin Mo: "Are you and President Yin really just childhood friends?"

"Really." Jin Mo sipped her coconut juice, answering honestly. "I've known him since before I was born—our families live right next door to each other."

After chatting briefly with Ning Wen, Jin Mo found that she was exactly like her public persona—no trace of movie-star airs at all. She was the striking, radiant beauty type, with a straightforward, cheerful personality, easy to talk to and quick to laugh.

Ning Wen smiled and shook her head: "I'm not asking how you two met. What I mean is, your relationship seems much closer than ordinary childhood friends."

Seeing that Jin Mo still didn't seem to understand, Ning Wen glanced toward Yin Jihong's direction, then turned back with a knowing smile: "Do you really think someone would care for their childhood friend this much?"

Jin Mo was momentarily stunned.

"I have male childhood friends too, but our relationship is nothing like yours two." Ning Wen said bluntly. "Honestly, I don't think my ex-boyfriend ever treated me as well as President Yin treats you."

Now Jin Mo understood.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted to the other end of the room. Amidst the colorful, shifting lights, Yin Jihong's profile was sharp and breathtaking—so handsome it was hard to look away.

Not far from her sat Meng Yu, the hottest and most handsome male celebrity in the entertainment industry, famed for his "golden ratio face." Yet even he couldn't compete with Yin Jihong, his radiance gently overshadowed.

She looked away, lowered her gaze with a warm, gentle smile, and said softly: "That's probably because he thinks of me as his own little sister."

Ning Wen glanced at Jin Mo, a flicker passing through her eyes. Before she could say anything, Meng Yu beside her jumped in: "Yeah, they really do look like siblings."

Ning Wen and Meng Yu were clearly tight, because she shot back without missing a beat: "You're gay—what makes you think you can act like a know-it-all?"

Meng Yu shrugged: "Exactly because I'm gay, my eye's sharper. I catch things straight guys miss."

And with that, he made sure to wink at Jin Mo and gave a "shh" gesture: "Jin Mo, sis, you know what I mean."

Jin Mo obviously knew what he meant.

After all, the social climate here wasn't like it was overseas. This actor, red-hot at the peak of his fame with millions of devoted female fans, obviously couldn't let anyone find out about his secret sexuality. He figured Yin Jihong would tell her everything anyway, so he might as well own up to it in front of her and rope her into keeping the secret.

She gently covered her ears: "It's too noisy in here—I didn't hear anything."

Meng Yu cracked up, a faint dimple showing at the corner of his mouth as he held out his hand for a high-five: "You're a real one, sis. No wonder I liked you the second I saw you."

Ning Wen took a couple sips of her drink and teased, "Like she hasn't heard tons of juicy gossip from President Yin. Yours is basically kid stuff."

Meng Yu instantly leaned toward Jin Mo, all eager: "Sis, what other bombshell industry gossip has President Yin dropped on you? Wanna share some with us?"

She hadn't expected these two A-list stars to be so down-to-earth. For a second, Jin Mo almost felt like she was back at the office, gossiping with Sister Zhu and Sister Wang. She was about to say something when a familiar, lazy voice floated over from behind her.

"What're you all talking about? Having that much fun?"

She turned and saw Yin Jihong holding a wine glass, leaning over slightly, standing there all casual behind her.

"You done talking?" she asked him in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Yeah. I knew what those two old farts wanted from the start—I'd already got a plan ready that'd make all three sides happy." As he said it, he gave her shoulder a light pat, signaling her to scooch over.

Seeing that, Jin Mo obediently shifted over to make room.

Yin Jihong sat down next to her and clinked glasses with Ning Wen and Meng Yu one by one.

Ning Wen and Meng Yu looked at the Young Master of the Yin Family—who currently had the whole industry in his palm—with real admiration in their eyes. Even though he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he was nothing like greasy old foxes like Nian and Sun. He had his own style—wild and brash, but not off-putting.

Plus, he was young, sharp, and knew the unwritten rules of how people moved in this circle. That's exactly why the backers behind them and their mentor Peng He all wanted to work with Yin Jihong, and they were fully on board with it. When they heard he'd be showing up today, they both made time to come.

They all had big hopes for Yin Jihong and the Yin Corporation.

"President Yin, every time I've run into you before, it's been at meetings, banquets, or award shows. You're always swamped by a crowd—hard to even get a word in edgewise." Meng Yu laughed. "Today I finally get to have a proper conversation, and you're actually a bit different from what I imagined."

"Oh?" Yin Jihong's lips curved slightly. "Different how?"

Ning Wen glanced at Jin Mo beside him and smiled: "At least I didn't expect you to bring your childhood friend instead of a date."

Yin Jihong took a small sip of his drink and raised an eyebrow lightly: "I've never brought a date to any occasion."

Jin Mo listened quietly, her head lowered, her fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of her glass as the coconut juice inside swayed gently.

His tone was light and casual, and Ning Wen and Meng Yu couldn't quite tell if he was being serious. They exchanged a glance: "Really? The ones crowding around you—they all just approached you on the spot?"

Yin Jihong smiled faintly: "What do you think?"

Meng Yu's eyes widened in surprise: "President Yin, don't tell me... you're still single?"

Those two words seemed to strike a nerve in Yin Jihong.

He curled his lips, his tone still as languid as ever, but with an indescribable edge of irritation: "What, is that so surprising? Is being single a crime?"

——————————

Author's Note:

Red packets continue to drop randomly—66 of them! Please keep hitting me with your bookmarks, comments, and nutrient solutions~ Love you all! Also, feel free to bookmark my column! Seeing everyone's comments every day makes me so happy!

President Yin (getting angrier the more he thinks about it): Stop bringing up what shouldn't be brought up. Did being single eat your rice?? The woman I love isn't even into my type—where am I supposed to go to plead my case?? Shut up!! Nobody say a word! "Real siblings" my ass!!!

The Young Master loves Jin Mo like his own life, yet to this day he's still playing the good big brother without any official title. Yesterday a reader astutely commented: President Yin carries himself like the rightful wife but has the demeanor of a concubine—I nearly died laughing hahahahahahaha

The explosive updates everyone's been waiting for will come after the VIP chapters, but there are still a few days until then. I want everyone to enjoy more free chapters first haha

Although I laugh at President Yin, there's no denying he spoils her to death. I really love him. I'm going to temporarily set aside War God and Ke for now.