In her previous life, she never allowed fans to send things. Every time fans mailed gifts, she would send something back. This time was no different. Most gifts had return addresses, so she had Xiaobo send back a gift and signature. Each gift came with a letter expressing that she received their kindness and hoping they wouldn’t send expensive gifts.
However, a few gifts had untraceable addresses, including several luxury handbags, a diamond necklace, and a few toy dolls.
“Have the addresses for those gifts been found?” Lin Xiaoman found it strange, as Xie Chi usually worked quickly.
“Not yet,” Xiaobo said. Since working with Xie Chi, his place had become their small workspace.”
He would go see Xie Chi every day and casually mooch some food and drink.
“Tell him not to force it,” Lin Xiaoman’s gaze fell on the gifts. She suddenly asked, “What gifts do men generally like?”
Looking at the gifts, she realized she had never given Ji Zhixian anything. From the moment they met, Ji Zhixian had been doing things for her. While she had been thinking about making things difficult for Ji Zhixian, he had been secretly considering acquiring her company to help her.
Indeed, someone like Ji Zhixian, who was thorough and cautious, had definitely investigated her situation thoroughly. She thought she could handle it herself, but Ji Zhixian had already taken action. Acquiring a company wasn’t something that could be resolved in a day or two. He must have planned this long ago.
“Giving a gift to President Ji?” Xiaobo immediately understood, smiling ambiguously.
“You should focus that quick wit on work.”
“President Ji is our boss. The relationship between you two is an important event I need to pay attention to,” Xiaobo said seriously. “You must maintain your relationship well.”
“So what do you suggest?
“When giving a gift, you need to consider what the recipient needs,” Xiaobo assumed a thoughtful pose. “What does President Ji need? He’s rich and famous. Gifts that money can buy definitely won’t interest him.”
“You seem to understand quite well.”
“I’m a man, of course I understand,” Xiaobo lowered his voice. “Xiaoman, for a man like this who has everything, even women throwing themselves at him, I think we might want to take a step back. Maybe this is the best way to get along with him.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow,” Lin Xiaoman thought that whoever chose to ask her was clearly brain-damaged, “I’ll handle this.”
After Xiao Bai left, Lin Xiaoman took a shower, changed into a low-key light-colored casual outfit, put on sunglasses and a hat, and went out.
It was getting dark early now, around six o’clock, with a dim sky. There was still a bit of light when she left, but by the time she reached the business center, it was completely dark, with flickering lights all around.
She went directly to the fifth floor, where men’s clothing was sold, with a clear target.
Just as Xiao Bai said, Ji Zhixian didn’t lack anything, and he had all kinds of valuable items.
With her current ability, she couldn’t afford anything too expensive, so she planned to pick out a tie that Ji Zhixian could use and that she could afford.
Ji Zhixian might seem quiet and cold, but he was actually quite flashy, with many clothes and ties. She spotted a silver-gray striped tie that would match well with the blue suit he had worn before, and as always, she quickly paid and left the store.
While waiting for the elevator, Lin Xiaoman felt like a gaze was fixed on her. She thought she had been recognized and looked around, but the passersby weren’t paying her any attention.
However, she had always been sensitive to gazes and felt it wasn’t an illusion. She looked around again but discovered nothing.
The feeling disappeared once she entered the elevator.
After getting out of the elevator, she vaguely felt uneasy and wanted to get home quickly.
Just as she was about to exit the mall, she heard a voice from behind: “Xiaoman.”
★ Chapter Forty-Seven: Fan
Yet someone had recognized her, and with a definitive voice.
She stopped, turned around, and saw a man in a crisp suit with a youthful, cute appearance standing in front of a dazzling jewelry counter. He was smiling, with sparkling star-like eyes that made the surrounding lights seem dim.
It was Xue Chenyan, whom she had met at the party with Ji Zhixian. She remembered that Xue Chenyan was the young master of Tianming Group, and the mall she was in was owned by Tianming Group. He seemed to be familiar with the mall’s operations.
As he walked towards Lin Xiaoman, several nearby girls began to whisper: “Is he an artist?” “He’s so good-looking!” “Isn’t that the person he’s calling Lin Xiaoman?” “Seems like it.” “Quick, take a photo!”
Xue Chenyan reached Lin Xiaoman, grabbed her hand, and winked, “Or you’ll be swarmed.” Lin Xiaoman hadn’t even reacted before being pulled out of the mall by him.
The street was crowded, with cheerful love songs playing in the mall. They ran against the crowd for a while, stopping in a corner. The boy turned, his face radiant against the backlight, with ink-black eyes like washed glass, sparkling: “Great, they didn’t follow us! It would have been hard to escape if they had.”
“Oh, sorry,” he noticed his hand on Lin Xiaoman’s and quickly let go, looking embarrassed, “Those girls can be persistent. I was just in a hurry…” With the shyness typical of youth, he was hard to scold.
Lin Xiaoman remembered their first meeting was similar – he was a shy child, and she suddenly felt mischievous: “You can’t hold a girl’s hand casually.” “Sorry, sorry, I was too rash…” His face turned even redder, his ears burning.
“I’m just teasing you,” Lin Xiaoman thought he might cry if she didn’t stop, “I appreciate you looking out for me.”
Xue Chenyan looked at her with watery eyes, as cute as a kitten.
Her heart softened.
“How about I treat you to coffee as a thank you?” Lin Xiaoman suggested.
“I’ll pay,” Xue Chenyan said, striding towards the coffee shop. Lin Xiaoman laughed watching his back.
When she entered the café, she saw the boy ordering coffee at the counter. She waved and sat in a corner.
Xue Chenyan quickly brought over her drink: “Here’s your white peach fruit tea. It’s late, and coffee might keep you awake.”
Lin Xiaoman stared at the tea in her hand, slightly dazed.
“I saw in an interview that this is your favorite…” Xue Chenyan seemed a bit embarrassed, “I’m your fan. I’ve watched every episode.”
He noticed Lin Xiaoman was still staring at the tea.
“Don’t you like it?” Xue Chenyan’s bright eyes filled with unease.
“No,” Lin Xiaoman looked up and smiled at him. “I really like it.”
“Really?” Xue Chenyan’s expression brightened.
“Really, someone likes me and I like them too,” Lin Xiaoman said seriously. “But, to maintain my beautiful image in my fans’ hearts, can I go touch up my makeup?”
“I think you look good no matter what,” Xue Chenyan immediately complimented.
Lin Xiaoman smiled, took her bag to the restroom, and applied lipstick. Then she took out an allergy medication from her bag.
She had always been allergic to peaches, but she loved eating them. Occasionally when craving them, she would take an allergy medication, so she always carried spare medicine with her.
After taking a pill, she returned to the café. The man waiting there watched her the entire time, laughing with extreme joy.
Zhang Chengxu looked at the photos from the marketing team, and the boss was unhappy. Recently, Ji Zhixian had acquired Star Company and was focusing on cultivating Lin Xiaoman as the first priority, instructing him to report any news about her immediately. Now, they had received photos of Lin Xiaoman having coffee with the Xue family’s young master.
