Chapter 288 287: An Opportunity

Throughout the meal, Mu Lin was all smiles and conversation, but he never once mentioned the illness.

Xue Xi was anxious. Mu Lin's attitude toward Liu Yifang put her in an impossible position.

Mu Lin was her brother's colleague, while Liu Yifang was her best friend. She couldn't afford to offend either of them.

'What a difficult situation.'

After the meal, Mu Lin said, "Miss Xue, I'll take you home first. Otherwise, your brother is sure to worry."

Disappointed, Xue Xi said, "Alright."

Liu Yifang remained seated, realizing Mu Lin hadn't mentioned her at all.

'So he really is ignoring me. When he said everything was fine, he didn't mean it.'

'It probably means he wants nothing more to do with me.'

Liu Yifang sat for a while longer before getting up to pay the bill, then headed for the elevator to go downstairs.

The elevator doors opened, and a man's voice called out her name. "Liu Yifang?"

Liu Yifang looked up, a little startled.

"Jiang Ting?"

The man was dashingly handsome and carried himself with the air of a Western elite.

Jiang Ting looked Liu Yifang up and down. "Long time no see. You've gotten even more beautiful. Are your legs better now?"

Liu Yifang said, "More or less. But what are you doing here?"

Jiang Ting said, "I'm here on business. I just finished dinner, actually. This is a rare opportunity, how about we catch up?"

But Liu Yifang wasn't in the mood. "Maybe next time. I'm really tired."

Jiang Ting narrowed his eyes, his mind drifting back to his school days with Liu Yifang.

He had been a big name at their school, excelling in everything he did.

Countless people flocked to him, filled with admiration.

Their relationship had been neither close nor distant. Many people assumed they would get together, but they never did, always keeping that same level of friendly distance.

What most people didn't know was that Jiang Ting had once confessed his feelings to Liu Yifang, only to be gently turned down.

Jiang Ting studied her more closely and asked, "Fangfang, you look like you're about to cry. Who bullied you?"

Liu Yifang shook her head. "It's no one. It's not what you think."

She stepped into the elevator, where several people greeted her, introducing themselves as friends of Jiang Ting.

When the elevator reached the first floor, the others stepped out.

Liu Yifang said, "Let's catch up some other time! I'm heading home to rest."

As Liu Yifang walked away looking exhausted, Jiang Ting's eyes remained locked on her, a fire igniting in the pit of his stomach.

In the past, when Liu Yifang had been confined to a wheelchair, she possessed a kind of tragic, flawed beauty in his eyes.

But now that she could stand, her beautiful legs amplified her allure exponentially.

When Liu Yifang reached the entrance, she found Xue Xi still waiting for her.

"Xue Xi, why are you still here?"

Xue Xi said, "Mu Lin told me to wait for you so we could all leave together."

A thrill went through Liu Yifang. 'It seems the rift between me and Mu Lin isn't as big as I thought.'

"Really? After how I treated him, why would he still..."

"I asked him directly, and he's the one who told me to come get you. How could it be fake?"

Hearing this, Liu Yifang finally felt at ease. 'It looks like Mu Lin hasn't really given up on me after all.'

"Xi'Er, thank you, really," Liu Yifang said to Xue Xi.

Xue Xi waved it off. "It was nothing. I don't know what happened between you two, but it's always good when you can resolve a conflict. Don't be too hard on Mu Lin, either. He's not a saint; he has a temper, too."

Liu Yifang nodded and followed Xue Xi to Mu Lin, who was waiting by a taxi he had hailed.

Liu Yifang gazed deeply at Mu Lin, her eyes rimmed with red. 'No matter what,' she thought, 'it's a good thing that he's willing to accept me.'

When Mu Lin saw her red eyes, he asked, "What's wrong, Miss Liu? Why are your eyes red? Did something happen?"

Liu Yifang hurriedly shook her head. "No, no! It's a misunderstanding!"

Mu Lin didn't bother arguing. "Get in."

Just then, Jiang Ting emerged. Seeing Liu Yifang standing next to Mu Lin, he walked over. A closer look revealed, to his surprise, that her eyes were completely red.

He understood at once. 'Mu Lin is the one who made her cry!'

"You were bullying Yifang, weren't you?" Jiang Ting demanded, pointing at Mu Lin.

Mu Lin frowned. 'Who is this guy? Where did he come from?'

Liu Yifang never thought Jiang Ting would appear, and he was clearly here to make trouble.

'I finally have a chance to smooth things over with Mu Lin. If he shows up and makes a mess, what am I going to do if Mu Lin gets angry?'

"Jiang Ting, stop talking nonsense!"

Mu Lin shot Jiang Ting a look. "You're saying I bullied her? What's that supposed to mean?"

Mu Lin scanned Liu Yifang. She was perfectly fine. 'To insist I bullied her, this guy must be nuts.'

Jiang Ting said, "Yifang, don't be afraid. You don't have to be scared of his threats. My family is very well-connected. I'll protect you!"

Liu Yifang was furious. "Jiang Ting, are you delusional? I told you, Mu Lin is my friend! Stop making things up! Nothing is going on!"

Jiang Ting narrowed his eyes. The situation wasn't what he'd thought. It seemed Liu Yifang had some kind of complicated, unspoken feelings for Mu Lin.

'Is this some kind of joke?'

'How could I let Mu Lin get an opportunity like this?'

Still, he decided to keep up appearances so as not to truly anger Liu Yifang.

He smiled faintly and gave Mu Lin a slight bow. "My apologies, friend. Yifang and I are old classmates, and I thought you were giving her a hard time. It's a complete misunderstanding!"

'That's not what you said a moment ago,' Mu Lin thought. 'What a hypocrite.' But he didn't say it out loud, only replying blandly, "Oh, okay. It's fine. You were just looking out for her."

Jiang Ting nodded eagerly. "We should all have dinner together sometime!"

With that, he turned and left.

Liu Yifang said to Mu Lin, "Mr. Mu, please don't get the wrong idea. I had nothing to do with that, and I don't know why he acted that way."

Mu Lin nodded. "I know. You're not that kind of person. But I have to warn you, he's bad news. There's a malevolent energy about him, deep down."

Liu Yifang's expression changed. "That can't be right. He was a model student in school, with excellent character and grades. He was incredible!"

They had known each other since elementary school and were very familiar with one another. He'd always seemed like a cheerful, upstanding guy.

Mu Lin's words made her very uncomfortable.

But she had to maintain her relationship with Mu Lin right now, so she couldn't argue. She could only bite her tongue.

Mu Lin could see that Liu Yifang didn't agree with him, but he let it go. It was her social circle, after all, and not his place to interfere too much.

'Even if he isn't a decent person, what if he treats Liu Yifang well? What could I do then?'

'If I get too involved, Liu Yifang will just think I'm being nosy.'

"Let's go," Mu Lin said, getting into the front passenger seat. Xue Xi and Liu Yifang sat in the back.

Before they pulled away, Mu Lin glanced at the car behind them in the rearview mirror, feeling that something wasn't right.

He didn't say anything, though.

Not long after Mu Lin and the others had driven off, the window of a luxury car slowly rolled down, revealing Jiang Ting's face.

Jiang Ting's face was a vicious snarl, all traces of his earlier polite demeanor gone.

"Young Master Jiang, let me handle this. I can take them all out..."

"Do it. Kill him for me. Use a death curse—make him wish he could die but keep him from it!"

The middle-aged man with the thin mustache smiled faintly.

"That's easy enough. And the woman? Do you want her?"

Jiang Ting narrowed his eyes. "What do you have in mind? What's the best way?"

The middle-aged man said, "When we crossed paths in the elevator, I managed to get a few strands of her hair. I can make her your dog."

Jiang Ting's eyes glinted. "Then do as you say!"

For years, everything had gone smoothly for him—his studies, his business, it was all smooth sailing. And in reality, it was all because of this middle-aged man.

He had everything he could want now, yet he still couldn't have Liu Yifang. The thought alone was enough to drive him mad.

He had no desire to spend the rest of his life with Liu Yifang; he just wanted to finally satisfy that unfulfilled longing from years ago.

With that thought, he turned and stepped back.

Mu Lin decided to take Liu Yifang home first. A little over an hour later, they arrived at the Liu Family residence.

Liu Yifang bit her lip. "Mr. Mu, please come in for a while. My father and grandfather are very eager to see you."

Mu Lin said, "I still have to take Xue Xi home. Just remember what we discussed before... if you don't want to end up paralyzed again."

A shadow fell over Liu Yifang's face, but there was nothing she could do. It was clear Mu Lin was determined to keep his distance from the Liu Family.