Chapter 7: The Joker

“Ugh…”

Chen Siye woke up groggily. The first thing he did was grope for his phone on the bedside table.

No missed calls, no accusatory texts—everything was eerily quiet.

This wasn’t right.

According to the script he imagined, by now his phone should be flooded with messages—Manager Wang’s, Xiao Li’s, maybe even a couple of furious voice notes from Miss Su Jin herself.

That was when he’d slowly reply, using his cutesy, coaxing tone to say, “Aiya, I’m sorry,” and so on.

Then he’d purposely ignore her for half a day, and only show up at her side by evening, watching Su Jin still simmering with anger yet reluctant to lash out at him—and he’d smile.

That was the game he controlled, the scene as he’d pictured it.

But what was happening now? Su Jin hadn’t even tried to contact him?

Chen Siye leaned against the headboard, lit a cigarette right there in bed, and as the smoke curled around him, he recalled the scenes of the past few months.

Su Jin, his benefactor—a beautiful, powerful woman, cold as ice.

She really had spent an uncountable amount of money on him, making him the top star of “Zuilu,” someone envied by all.

But only he knew there was an invisible gulf between them.

Every time she came, it felt more like she was following a set procedure: order the most expensive wine, then sip it while tapping away at her laptop, utterly ignoring him.

No.

Don’t.

She barely looked at him, seldom spoke to him, as if he was nothing but a breathing prop in the room.

She helped him boost his sales with surgical precision, like she was finishing a KPI, not the least bit emotionally invested.

The moves that would have had other women melting, those little acts of flattery—on Su Jin, they landed like stones thrown into a deep pond, not even stirring a ripple.

He couldn’t stand this chilling indifference.

He was Chen Siye—a host who could drive countless women mad, someone used to being watched.

But with Su Jin, his so-called charm seemed to fail completely. When she looked at him, it was no different than how she’d look at the sofa, or the lamp, just another object in the room.

So he planned this little “argument.”

After Su Jin told him to meet at the usual place, instead of responding obediently as usual, he stood her up.

According to Manager Wang, Su Jin seemed to have lost her temper in the club at the time.

Chen Siye had been a little scared then, but more than that, he felt a secret thrill.

He thought that meant he had a place in Su Jin’s heart.

Only by suddenly withdrawing his attention and making Su Jin realize how good he’d been to her would she become unable to stand it, and come after him, putting on a little “chase the man” act.

Then he’d return to her embrace and perfectly grasp the heart of this heiress.

It was a tactic, a test to draw them closer.

But now, it seemed to have backfired?

Chen Siye stubbed out his cigarette, took a deep breath, and forced down the growing sense of unease in his chest.

“Just wait a bit longer,” he told himself. “She’ll crack first, and when she reaches out, I’ll make the most of it. After that, our relationship will finally be different…”

But even by afternoon, Su Jin still hadn’t contacted him.

Unable to endure it any longer, Chen Siye took the initiative to send a message: “Jin-jie, are you still mad? I really wasn’t feeling well yesterday, I slept like a log…… Don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. An hour…

The message disappeared into the void.

This wasn’t right… Why wasn’t anything going according to plan?

As long as Su Jin had even a hint of affection for him, his “chase the man” act wouldn’t possibly fail!

Could it be… Su Jin really felt nothing for him at all?

No… Impossible! Something unexpected must have happened!

That’s it! Something unexpected, definitely an accident!

But what kind of accident!

***

Suddenly, something occurred to Chen Siye. He remembered that Manager Wang had mentioned Su Jin had casually brought some newcomer into the private room…

He needed to ask Manager Wang for details.

His fingers trembling, he opened the chat window with Manager Wang and called directly.

The phone rang for a long time before it was finally picked up. Manager Wang’s tone lacked its usual deference: “Hello, Siya, what’s up?”

“Manager Wang! What’s going on with Su Jin? Does she really have a new flame?” Chen Siye tried to keep his voice calm, but his hurried speech betrayed his anxiety.

“Oh, you mean Mr. Lin Luan.” Manager Wang sounded utterly placid. “Miss Su paid off his debts; he’s now officially Miss Su’s boyfriend. Siya, I told you before, don’t go playing with fire…”

“Boyfriend?!” Chen Siye blurted out, panicked. “Don’t be ridiculous! How could Su Jin fall for that kind of guy! She’s just using him to spite me! At…”

“Siya.” Manager Wang cut him off, his tone tinged with a hint of pity. “Miss Su opened two bottles of Romanee-Conti for Mr. Lin the other day, from her own collection here at the club.

This morning, her assistant came in and completed all the contract termination procedures, not a penny missing from the penalty. Tell me, do you still think she’s just acting?”

The phone slipped from Chen Siye’s hand and landed on the carpet with a dull thud.

He stood there, dazed, his mind buzzing.

“As for you, without Miss Su Jin, it’s going to be very hard for you to hit your targets next month. You’d better…”

Manager Wang’s voice was still coming from the phone, but Chen Siye could no longer hear it.

He thought Su Jin couldn’t do without the emotional value he provided, couldn’t leave his face and those skills he’d honed so carefully.

He thought that, in this game, he was the one holding the kite string.

But at this moment, the string had snapped, and he realized in terror that he had never been the one flying the kite. He himself was the kite, tugged along by money and vanity.

A wave of unprecedented fear enveloped him.

If this went on, he wouldn’t just lose his biggest benefactor—he’d become a laughingstock in the circle!

Those people who used to flatter him, the next time they met, would no doubt put on sneering faces just to mock him!

He couldn’t let that happen!

Chen Siye lunged to pick up the phone and desperately dialed Su Jin’s number.

“Doo… doo… The user you dialed is busy……”

He’d been hung up on.

He called again, but now it was: “The number you have dialed is powered off.”

Chen Siye slumped helplessly to the floor, coming to a realization.

He was finished.

***

As evening approached, a trace of the warmth of daily life drifted from an old apartment building.

Lin Luan, wearing an apron printed with cartoon puppies, was busy in the kitchen.

The apron was faded from many washes, the little cartoon dogs already losing their color.

A pot simmered with tomato beef brisket, steam rising in gentle bubbles; on the other stove, the steamer puffed out white clouds, within which was a silky smooth egg custard.

Lin Luan deftly drained the freshly washed greens, preparing to stir-fry them.

These were all Lin Wan’s favorites. He’d forgotten to cook for her yesterday, so today he had to make it up to her properly.

Beside the cutting board, his old model fruit phone’s screen glowed, displaying all the publicly available information about “Su Jin.”

【Eldest daughter of the Su Group, current CEO of up-and-coming tech subsidiary ‘Jinse Technology’……】

【Graduate of an Ivy League university, majoring in finance and management…】

【Once drew attention for sharply critiquing traditional industry models at a business forum…】

A few news photos accompanied the text.

In the pictures, Su Jin wore an elegant evening dress to a banquet, her smile poised and perfect.

Lin Luan raised his brow. The woman in these photos looked nothing like the one who’d used her toes to lift his chin.

He wasn’t looking these things up out of curiosity, but professionalism.

His sister Lin Wan’s tuition, the future expenses for this home—all of it now depended on Su Jin’s whims. He had to take this woman seriously. There could be no slip-ups.

He needed to know everything about Su Jin—from her company’s performance right down to the temperature of her bedtime milk.

Lin Luan had to know it all, leaving Su Jin not the slightest reason for dissatisfaction.

“Clack.”

A door opened.

That was Lin Wan coming home.

“Ge, it smells so good! Did you make tomato beef brisket today?” Lin Wan’s voice called from the doorway. She came to the kitchen, following her nose, backpack slung over her shoulder.

Lin Luan quickly switched off the phone screen.

“You’ve got a sharp nose. Go wash your hands, it’s almost time to eat.” He answered gently as he tossed the greens into the wok.

The sizzle as the hot oil hit water sounded out—“zzzz.”

“Okay!” Lin Wan chirped, dropped her bag, and ran off to wash up.

Dinner was soon on the table. The beef was meltingly tender, the broth rich. Lin Wan ate with her head down, mumbling praise, “Ge, your cooking is the best in the world!”

Lin Luan smiled as he picked out food for her, his eyes full of affection.

“By the way, Xiao Wan, if my work gets busy later and I can’t always be home at night, do you think you can take care of yourself? I’ll prepare food in advance or leave you some money…”

Lin Wan looked up. “Ge, don’t worry! I’m in my second year of high school, I can take care of myself. Your work is important, don’t keep fretting over me.”

She paused, her voice dropping a little.

“It’s just… don’t overwork yourself, take care of your health.”

A warmth filled Lin Luan’s heart. He ruffled her hair. “Got it.”

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Lin Wan put down her chopsticks and spoke carefully: “Ge, um… our school has a parent-teacher meeting the night after tomorrow. The teacher said it’s best if parents can attend.”

She looked at Lin Luan anxiously after speaking, knowing her brother had just found a new job and that time was money in sales…

But selfishly, she still wanted her brother to come to her parent-teacher meeting.

That way, those kids at school would stop making fun of her.

Lin Luan didn’t hesitate, agreeing immediately: “The night after tomorrow, right? Okay, I’ll be there.”

“Really?” Lin Wan’s eyes lit up at once, but then she worried, “It won’t affect your work, will it? If you’re too busy…”

“No matter how busy I am, nothing’s more important than you.” Lin Luan placed a piece of meat in Lin Wan’s bowl.

“The parent-teacher meeting—I’ll definitely be there. Xiao Wan’s matters are the most important thing.”

Lin Wan’s eyes turned red.

“Ge, you’re the best!”