CH 40.3

Li Xiaoxing looked at her quietly for a brief moment. “Do you think that I would be entertained by your act too?”

“No.” Ji Fanyin maintained a leisurely posture, but her eyes would drift naturally toward him every now and then to keep a close eye on his subtle facial expressions. “I know that you’re different from them.”

The two of them met eyes for several seconds before Ji Fanyin finally revealed a confident smile.

She was able to find a hint of wavering in the depths of Li Xiaoxing’s eyes, and that would be the key to her victory. “Mr Li, who do you think is more pitiful—a person who’s on the verge of drowning but is unable to get away, or someone who unknowingly drowns in a sweet dream?”

Li Xiaoxing’s placid eyes finally started to turn cold. 

“You’re different from the rest of them. You’re a smart man. You know that my younger sister is attempting to control you, but you can’t let go of the illusions she’s feeding you…” 

The more Ji Fanyin thought about it, the more interesting she thought it was. She couldn’t resist asking, “Wait a moment. Does my younger sister know about this?”

Li Xiaoxing didn’t say a word, but his expression turned even colder.

Ji Fanyin was able to figure out the answer from his response. “It looks like she doesn’t.”

She stroked her lower jaw contemplatively, only to abruptly break out into laughter the next moment. “Sorry, sorry. This is far more interesting than I expected. Give me a moment to calm down.”

The ball might have been in Li Xiaoxing’s hand at the start, but over the course of the conversation, the balance of power was clearly tilting toward Ji Fanyin’s side. 

After laughing her fill, Ji Fanyin resumed the conversation, “Based on our exchange thus far, it’s worth looking into your motive for approaching me today. You don’t want me to continue this job because you wish to guard her interest. In other words, you don’t mind maintaining the status quo and allowing her to continue deceiving you and the others.”

As she spoke, she tapped on the back of the passenger seat and said, “Divider, thanks.”

The secretary sitting on the passenger seat turned around to seek Li Xiaoxing’s opinion.

Li Xiaoxing was silent for a while before responding with a slight nod. The divider between the front and the back seats slowly began rising from the ground. 

“… It’s not deception,” said Li Xiaoxing. “She just needs love from many people.”

“She lacks love; that’s why she goes to great lengths to gather the affection and adulation from those around her. You’re aware of it, but you…” Ji Fanyin took her time to select an appropriate word choice. “… choose to help her?”

Li Xiaoxing calmly replied, “I chose to make her happy. Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, Cen Xiangyang… these people are her toys. They belong in her toy box.”

He looked at Ji Fanyin before continuing on, “And you’re taking away her toys.”

“Strictly speaking, I’m only borrowing those toys while the owner is away. I fully intend to put them back into the box.” Ji Fanyin raised a finger and defended herself. “I just want to ask: Have you really never thought of obtaining her full heart?”

“You’re her older sister. Shouldn’t you know better?” Li Xiaoxing replied with a question.

Ji Fanyin couldn’t empathize with Ji Xinxin, but she was still somewhat able to understand her.

The size of Ji Xinxin’s fishery corresponded to the void in her heart. She could only resort to this almost psychopathic behavior to temporarily satisfy her needs.

Over time, she might have already forgotten how to devote her feelings to a relationship and how it felt to truly like a person.

“Mr Li, you have to trust me when I say this, but even ‘King of the Seas’ have their own weaknesses too.” Ji Fanyin smiled confidently. “Shall we make a deal? If you don’t interfere in my work, I’ll teach you how to become the most important person in Ji Xinxin’s heart.”

“…” Li Xiaoxing didn’t respond to her offer. Perhaps it was because he was born with a face that lacked expressiveness, it was hard to find any cracks on his face.

However, Ji Fanyin wasn’t worried. She unhurriedly continued, “I won’t go so far as to say that you’ll be the only one in her heart, but she’ll become dependent on you. When a conflict occurs, she’ll unhesitatingly cast others aside for you… If you become the most important person in her heart, that's no different from ‘love’.”

Yeap… One has to be flexible in the corporate world. Crisis management.

If I could garner Li Xiaoxing’s support here, I’ll get lots of conveniences in the future. 

With such thoughts in mind, she offered a hand toward Li Xiaoxing and smiled amicably, “Deal?”