Noble Marriage
Chapter 311: Call My Name

Chapter 311: Chapter 311: Call My Name

Even pretending was out of the question.

Qiao Yiyang seemed not to have noticed her stiffness; he pulled out a chair for her and courteously invited her to sit down.

He sat down next to her, and although there were no seats separating them, the distance was just right—not too close to make one feel embarrassed or have wandering thoughts.

"Let’s order first, then we can talk while we eat," he said as he handed her the menu, and Lin Xinlan didn’t hesitate, choosing a few dishes before handing it back to him to order.

Qiao Yiyang selected several dishes with good flavors, then called the waiter to serve the food.

Lin Xinlan rested her arms on the table and slightly bowed her head, silent. She didn’t know what to say to him.

Qiao Yiyang also fell silent for a moment, and then gave a self-deprecating smile, "Have I caused you trouble? You obviously don’t like me, and yet I went against your wishes and confessed my feelings, putting you in a difficult position, didn’t I?"

Lin Xinlan looked up to meet his gaze, showing a faint smile, "Not at all, you’re overthinking it."

"Is that so?" His eyes were deep and probing, uncertain if he believed what she had said.

"Xinlan, I’ve gone bankrupt, you probably know that," he suddenly said.

Lin Xinlan felt a slight shock and nodded to indicate she was aware.

He smiled again, his smile somewhat bitter, his dark eyes unable to hide the tiredness and desolation.

"Running a company isn’t easy; it takes a lot of time. But destroying a company happens overnight, so fast that it catches one off guard."

"..."

"I always knew Rong Shaoze wouldn’t let me off and would target me, I just didn’t expect him to act so quickly." He gave a slight smile, his words devoid of any hatred.

"But I don’t regret declaring my feelings for you in front of him. Even knowing that the result would be the destruction of my hard work, I would have done the same."

Lin Xinlan blinked, realizing that it was indeed Rong Shaoze’s doing.

She looked at him and tentatively asked, "Do you think he targeted you because of your feelings for me?"

Doubt flashed through Qiao Yiyang’s eyes, "Isn’t that the reason? I’ve never clashed with him in the business world, and we didn’t have any private grudges. I’ve racked my brain and can only think that my confession to you is what enraged him."

Lin Xinlan stroked her arm and asked lightly, "Mr. Qiao, did you invite me here today to find out why Rong Shaoze wants to target you?"

Qiao Yiyang cracked a smile and candidly admitted, "Yes, that’s part of my intention. Knowing the reason, I can try to avoid him in the future. After all, I still need to make my way in B City; offending him would make things difficult. But that’s just one of the reasons. I also genuinely wanted to invite you for a meal. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, and I wanted to catch up with you."

Seeing his sincere smile, the doubts in Lin Xinlan’s heart instantly disappeared.

Perhaps, Qiao Yiyang had not done anything to trap them.

"Mr. Qiao, may I..."

He interjected, "Didn’t I ask you to call me by my name? By calling me Mr. Qiao, are you purposely trying to keep your distance? It’s okay if you don’t accept me. We can still be friends," Qiao Yiyang said earnestly.

It would be too pretentious for her to keep calling him Mr. Qiao after he had said that.

Lin Xinlan smiled faintly and corrected herself, "Qiao Yiyang, may I ask you a question?"

At that moment, the dishes were served, and he gestured for her to wait.

After the waiter had finished setting the dishes and left, he smiled and said, "Let’s eat first, then we can talk. By the way, do you want to drink alcohol or juice?"