Volume Two: Shadows of the Past Chapter Fifty: Who Can Handle This So Early in the Morning!

Seeing that Ling Ruohan still hadn’t realized where she had slipped up, Chen Jing simply smiled without a word and pointed to the JK skirt she was wearing.

Ling Ruohan looked down at her skirt, glancing left and right, back and forth, but still couldn’t spot anything amiss. Pouting, she asked Chen Jing, “Come on, just tell me. Stop playing riddles.”

Chen Jing chuckled helplessly and said, “Have you ever seen anyone wear safety shorts when trying to seduce someone?”

Ling Ruohan was speechless.

Ah, so that was it. Indeed, success or failure lies in the details.

Muttering in dissatisfaction, Ling Ruohan said, “How could I not wear safety shorts under a short skirt? Otherwise, everything would be on display for all to see. Humph.”

Chen Jing sighed in resignation. Sis, isn’t the point of seduction to reveal some enticing scenery to catch people’s eyes? Wearing safety shorts just kills the mood. The worst invention in the world has to be safety shorts.

Having found the reason, Ling Ruohan felt a bit embarrassed. To ease the awkwardness, she turned to Chen Jing with a accusing tone, “Wait, I just came in, how did you know I was wearing safety shorts underneath? Tell me, did you sneak a peek under my skirt?” At these words, Ling Ruohan shyly lowered her head.

Chen Jing actually wanted to say that it was her skirt that was too short, so the edge of her safety shorts was accidentally visible. But on second thought, that wouldn’t sound right—after all, you’d have to be staring at someone’s legs to notice they’re wearing safety shorts. So Chen Jing wisely kept silent, not wanting to make things worse.

Just as the two of them were stuck in silence, the office door suddenly opened. Lin Zitan walked in. “Ah Jing, Liu Manqiang and the others are here—” She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Ling Ruohan pressed against Chen Jing, his hands holding hers tightly. Through the haze, she even caught a glimpse of Ling Ruohan’s lingerie beneath her clothes...

Ling Ruohan was speechless.

Chen Jing was speechless as well. If I said we were just joking around, would anyone believe it?

The three of them locked eyes, unsure of what to say.

In that moment, Lin Zitan’s mind instantly painted a dozen vivid scenes before she quickly snapped back and covered her eyes. “Sorry, I forgot to knock. You two are busy, I’ll just leave.” She turned to exit, intending to close the door behind her.

Seeing Lin Zitan reach for the door, both Chen Jing and Ling Ruohan panicked. If she closed the door now, there would be no way to clear their names.

Chen Jing quickly let go of Ling Ruohan’s hands and called out, “Wait, Zitan, let me explain.”

“Don’t close the door. Things aren’t what you think,” Ling Ruohan hurriedly pulled up her trench coat, gently pushed Chen Jing aside, and quickly explained, “I was just fooling around with Ah Jing. Nothing happened at all.”

Chen Jing also nodded and said, “Yes, Ling Ruohan’s latest album did well, so she came by to tell me. We were just casually playing around a little.”

Their explanation stopped Lin Zitan from closing the door. She lowered her hands from her eyes, glanced at them, saw their clothes were intact, and believed most of what they said. Still, she asked skeptically, “Really?”

Chen Jing gave a wry smile and nodded, “Really.”

“Then why were you dressed like that, Ling Ruohan?” Lin Zitan pressed.

Chen Jing froze. Well, that was a good question. He had no idea why Ling Ruohan was dressed like that. Could it be she really was trying to seduce him with that outfit?

Fortunately, Ling Ruohan answered promptly, feigning nonchalance: “Oh, this outfit? I saw it online and thought it looked nice, so I bought it to try on. I wasn’t planning to wear it out, just wanted you guys to see if it suits me, if it looks good.” She even opened her trench coat to show Lin Zitan her attire.

Their half-truths and white lies finally dispelled Lin Zitan’s doubts. Actually, Lin Zitan didn’t believe Chen Jing and Ling Ruohan were up to anything inappropriate that early in the morning. She knew Chen Jing’s character and knew he wouldn’t be fooling around with Ling Ruohan like that first thing, especially not in the office, with the door open!

Seeing Lin Zitan convinced, Chen Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief and shifted the topic. “Zitan, you said Liu Manqiang and the others arrived, right?”

“Yeah,” Lin Zitan nodded. “They’re waiting downstairs. Should I bring them up here?”

Chen Jing thought for a moment. “No need. Just have them go directly to the rehearsal room we arranged.”

“Okay,” Lin Zitan agreed and prepared to lead Liu Manqiang and the others to the rehearsal hall. Before leaving, she turned to Ling Ruohan and said, “Ling Ruohan, you look pretty good in that outfit, though... it’s a bit small, looks too sexy. Hehe.” With that, she left without closing the door this time.

“Uh, really? I thought so too, haha,” Ling Ruohan replied with a forced laugh.

After Lin Zitan left, only Chen Jing and Ling Ruohan remained in the office. They exchanged a glance, both feeling relieved.

Ling Ruohan, feeling guilty yet blaming, said, “It’s your fault—I almost got misunderstood by Zitan.”

Chen Jing rolled his eyes. How could he be to blame? Ling Ruohan was the one playing these games early in the morning. He was the victim here.

“Forget it, I’m not talking to you. I’m going to go change. It’s so embarrassing if Zitan sees me dressed like this.” Ling Ruohan buttoned up her trench coat as she spoke.

Chen Jing wanted to ask why she wasn’t embarrassed showing him, but wisely kept quiet to avoid getting punched.

“Ah, almost forgot,” Ling Ruohan suddenly clapped her hands as if recalling something. Then, undoing her trench coat again, she stunned Chen Jing by retrieving a bank card from between her ample curves.

Feeling Chen Jing’s gaze flickering over her chest, Ling Ruohan blushed like a blooming peach blossom but forced a casual tone. “Here! This card is for you.”

“Uh, what’s this?” Chen Jing asked, surprised as she handed over the card.

Ling Ruohan shrugged. “You want to make a movie, right? You even asked me if I wanted to invest. Well, this is the money I’m investing in your film!” This was actually the main reason she had come by this morning. She knew Chen Jing was preparing to shoot a movie but had no investors or funds, so she decided to give him some money.

As for this morning’s outfit, it was purely on a whim. She would never admit it was because she was a bit jealous that Snow Moon looked better than her in a cheongsam last time, and that she wanted to show Chen Jing she had a figure too.

Chen Jing naturally understood the meaning behind the bank card. After hesitating, he accepted it and smiled at Ling Ruohan. “When you want to nap, someone brings you a pillow. Nice. As expected, only Ruohan gets me. Don’t worry, this investment won’t lose. Just wait, I’ll help you make a fortune.” He was indeed short on cash, so he’d treat this as borrowing from Ruohan. If it lost money—no, that wouldn’t happen—he’d pay her back after earning profits.

Ling Ruohan basked in the praise. “Good, you know I’m good to you. I’ll be counting on you for my next album.”

Chen Jing rolled his eyes again. The current album had just come out and she was already planning the next. He asked with mock annoyance, “How much money is on this card?”

“Oh, not much, about twenty million or so. I don’t remember exactly,” Ling Ruohan said casually.

“Wait, what? Twenty million?” Chen Jing nearly choked on his saliva. He had thought there were only a few million.

Ling Ruohan was surprised by his reaction. “About twenty million. What’s wrong?”

After confirming the amount, Chen Jing smiled wryly. “Twenty million! Did you give me your entire dowry?”

“Oh no, just the money I’ve saved over the years,” Ling Ruohan said lightly. But Chen Jing knew she had given all her savings to him. Holding the card suddenly felt like carrying a thousand pounds.

Seeing Chen Jing hesitate, Ling Ruohan worried he might refuse, so she quickly added, “Oh, just take it and don’t worry. I still have money. Besides, I just released an album; next month’s royalties will bring in more. You think I’m so broke I have no money to spend? This money’s just sitting in the bank losing value. Better to invest in you, a promising prospect. Hehe. When you earn money, I can get back my dowry with interest. Isn’t that great?”

Seeing Ling Ruohan daydream happily, Chen Jing couldn’t refuse. “Alright, the money’s yours. If it all goes to waste, I’ll pay you back myself.”

Ling Ruohan coquettishly replied, “Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t want you.”

Satisfied that Chen Jing accepted the card, Ling Ruohan was about to button up again when she caught his lingering gaze. Suddenly inspired, she opened her coat wide and coquettishly asked, “By the way, Ah Jing, you haven’t told me if I look good like this yet.” She swayed her body slightly.

Chen Jing nearly burst a blood vessel.

Who could handle seeing that so early in the morning!