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41.1% Table for Two [Completed] / Chapter 104: The Favour (7)

Chapitre 104: The Favour (7)

When Lin Kang's young secretary assumed her boss was deep in thought about work, she was only half right. Lin Kang was deep in contemplation, that was true but he was hardly thinking about business and work, his mind was almost wrapped up over his earlier negotiation with Joann.

In retrospect, the whole incident felt like an out-of-body experience for Lin Kang because he barely recognized himself anymore. It was as if he was watching his former self and habits operate without his will and he had difficulty reconciling himself to the person who negotiated with Joann. Now, he wished to take back or clarify certain things he had said but it was too late for that already.

Then again, Lin Kang was not sure he could identify with the man he had become either. He was stuck in that twilight zone of unwilling to let go of the comforting past and the reluctance to move forward into the unknown future.

As hard as it was to believe, Lin Kang's proposition was aimed to help Xiu Ling. He noticed how alone and without ally Xiu Ling was at Lin family ever since Mrs. Xiu's departure. Since Joann was already such close friend with Xiu Ling, he'd figured they would be able to look out for each other if they were together.

Yes, the thought was understandably twisted but for a man who previously saw women as mere commodity, should that come as any surprise?

If anything, this should be considered an improvement already, at least the man had gained the hindsight to realize where he had done wrong. Something that could not be said for other men in his position.

In any case, the negotiation was not all that bad, at least Lin Kang walked away with the realization that he cared about his wife more than he was willing to admit before. While he had not fully accepted that as the truth yet, he was slowly moving towards it.

While he could not fix the past, he could work hard in the future to compensate for his mistake and that was what Lin Kang got down to do.

However, he had something more urgent to do first.

Lin Kang pressed the button on his intercom and seconds later, the door to his office opened again to reveal his vixen of a personal secretary.

The young woman's blouse was pulled even lower compared to before and her cleavage was plain for all to see. The young woman was very excited when she saw the light lit up on her machine. In her mind, it meant that her boss had finally found the use for her.

She began with a seductive smile on her face, "Yes, boss. How can I help you?"

She padded into Lin Kang's office and when she was next to Lin Kang's table, she bent forward, flashing her 'equipment' at Lin Kang.

Lin Kang felt annoyed at such a crude attempt at seduction. He turned his head back to his computer, not making eye contact with the young woman's face or any other part of her body.

Then, he ordered, "Go find me a list of potential male secretary."

The young woman was baffled by this order of his. She asked innocently, "Boss, are you hiring a second secretary?"

"No, I'm replacing you." Lin Kang answered in a straightforward manner. When he realized the young woman had not moved from her perch, he finally turned around to meet her eyes. To her dumbfounded face, Lin Kang said, "Yes, that means you're fired. Finish this last job I have for you and you don't need to report to work anymore tomorrow."

"Now, go!" Lin Kang ordered and the young woman moved to do his bidding.

In the Lin family mansion's dining room sat Xiu Ling and Lin Xi. Both Elder Lin and Mrs. Lin had already retired to their bedroom and Lin Kang had not returned from his company.

Xiu Ling was still sitting in the dining table because her mind was otherwise preoccupied. She ate slowly and the food did not have much taste to her mouth. She was merely repeating the motion of chewing and swallowing.

Lin Xi sat in his booster seat quietly next to her. The boy had finished his dinner but he did not seem like he was in the rush to go anywhere so he just sat there to keep his mother company.

She was still disturbed by what she heard from Joann that afternoon. When Joann came to find her, she assumed it was merely for a friendly get-together even though they had just returned from a trip together. Then again, Xiu Ling was not going to complain about spending more time with her best friend.

She welcomed Joann into her home with open arms and she was shocked by what Joann had to tell her. Initially, when Joann began by explaining the situation with Xu Corps, Xiu Ling volunteered to talk to Lin Kang on her behalf.

However, that was not why Joann was there, well, not 100 percent why she was there. Joann continued to explain that she had already gone to see Lin Kang. When Xiu Ling asked her about how the meeting with her husband ended, Joann revealed the horrible trade Lin Kang had offered her.

Xiu Ling was greatly appalled by what she heard. She had a hard time believing Joann but she also knew her best friend would not lie to her. Furthermore, Xiu Ling was reminded of the man her husband was and the advice Joann had given her during their trip together, 'a tiger doesn't lose its stripes that easily or sometimes, not at all.'

Perhaps Joann was right, the man had not changed at all. Then again, perhaps it was her own wishful thinking that had blinded herself to the truth before her. She had read too far into Lin Kang's actions with her own interpretation and Xiu Ling now understood how dangerous that could be.


Chapitre 105: The Favour (8)

The man Xiu Ling hoped Lin Kang had become was different from the man he actually was. Then again, hope was hope because it was not reality. It was Xiu Ling's own fault for falling for her own false hope.

Lin Xi wiggled in his booster seat as if bored that he was trapped in there for so long. He wanted to get down and move around.

Xiu Ling caught her son's movement from the corner of her eyes. She turned to look at the child that she shared with the monster whom she called her lawfully-wedded husband.

Lin Xi smiled innocently at her and the feeling of hopelessness and powerlessness Xiu Ling felt at the beginning of this contractual marriage came surging back to her. Right then, she did not find it hard to believe that the new image of a better Lin Kang was nothing more than a dream she had conjured up for herself to survive in this loveless marriage. In other words, they were a manifestation of her self-defense mechanism.

With this news provided by Joann, Xiu Ling was forced to pull back the cognitive blinders and face the truth. Xiu Ling did not blame Joann for yanking her out into the harsh reality, if anything, she was thankful that her best friend was there to help her see the truth.

However, if Xiu Ling was truly honest with herself, if given the choice, she would rather continue to slumber in the fairytale she had constructed around her. Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss.

After all, one only built a false reality when the real world alternative was much harder to deal with.

Xiu Ling reached over and pulled Lin Xi out from the booster seat and into her own embrace. Her son's physical presence gave Xiu Ling the comfort that she needed at that moment.

'No matter what, at the end of the day, I have you out of this whole sick arrangement and that is everything I could have asked for.' Xiu Ling held Lin Xi close to her heart.

Right at that moment, Xiu Ling heard the front door open. She was sitting facing away from the front door but from the way her son wiggled and tried to escape from her grasp, Xiu Ling knew that Lin Kang had returned home.

The maid moved to set up the place setting for Lin Kang. As Lin Kang took his place at the front of the table, Xiu Ling stood up from her seat and prepared to move away.

She was making it obvious that she did not wish to share the table with Lin Kang.

This defiance irked the man and when Xiu Ling almost reached the door of the dining room, Lin Kang cleared his throat audibly. The maids froze before quickly retreating.

Xiu Ling stopped at the threshold of the door, holding Lin Xi in her arms.

Just as she was debating whether to turn back to the table or just walk away, Lin Kang questioned from behind her, "Where are you going?"

Xiu Ling turned to face Lin Kang and smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes. "I wish to retire to my bedroom already." Xiu Ling did not mean it that way but her following sentence sounded like a challenge to Lin Kang's ears, "Is there a problem?"

'Yes, there is a very big problem so sit down and listen to my explanation!' was what Lin Kang wanted to say but he realized raising his voice at Xiu Ling was not going to solve any problem. That was a healthy improvement on Lin Kang's part. At least he had learned to see things from his wife's perspective.

Therefore, Lin Kang chose to move to a more neutral ground. "But you have not even finished your dinner yet."

Lin Kang pointed at Xiu Ling's dinner plate that still was three quarters full.

"I don't have the appetite." Xiu Ling answered. 'The thought of eating at the same table with you makes me lose the little appetite that I have,' was the answer that she did not finish.

Being spurned by his wife made Lin Kang lose his patience and he was already not a patient man to begin with. The man did not like being challenged or ignored, that was simply his nature. Screw tact, he was going to go for aggression.

From this angle, Joann was right, a tiger doesn't lose his stripes that easily, at least not overnight. Love was not some kind of miracle potion, it did not change a person's personality just a snap of the finger. Real life did not work that way.

As mentioned before, Lin Kang was working towards accepting the truth and working was the operative term here, he was a work in progress.

And being given the cold shoulder by Xiu Ling definitely did not help his progress, if anything, it had nudged him several steps back.

"Why? Is it because of me?" Lin Kang challenged openly.

Xiu Ling knew her husband was trying to get a rise out of her. If this was yesterday or any day before the big revelation by Joann, Xiu Ling would have gone back obediently to her seat and continued to fulfill her role as the submissive wife.

However, the combination of her disgust at Lin Kang and the expose of his real behavior via Joann drained Xiu Ling. At least in that moment, she was tired of pleasing the man.

Xiu Ling knew going against the man came with serious repercussion but this time, she decided to throw caution to the wind. If the man dared to make such revolting proposition to her best friend, then she had the courage to go against the man.

"You…" Xiu Ling started to say when Lin Xi in her arms started to cry. Xiu Ling was reminded of the reason why she had persevered for so long. She was close to wasting all of her effort on an urge to get even with the man.


L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
Lonelytree Lonelytree

Get the time to write an extra chapter. Enjoy, please don't forget 'em power stones <3

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