Chapter 4

So this was the man Dad had chosen for me: Tạ Tử Kỳ.

I'd never met him in my previous life. I'd only heard he was cold and aloof, and wouldn't let any woman within a meter of him. I'd even made fun of him, saying he must be gay.

But now that we'd met, those rumors were clearly wrong. This was supposed to be a man who had no interest in women? I could feel the warmth in his eyes whenever our gazes met.

He seemed to notice it too. He glanced away and politely invited me to sit.

After we'd talked for a while, I learned that he was the older boy who had lived next door when I was little. Our fathers were longtime friends. No wonder Dad felt comfortable entrusting me to him.

Since Dad had chosen him, I ought to give him a proper chance.

While we were talking, a commotion broke out in the corridor. I had always loved a bit of gossip, so curiosity got the better of me. I opened the door to take a look.

And there was Lục Bỉnh Kiệt again.

He was making a grand speech.

“The way you run this hotel makes no sense. Follow my methods, and your profits will increase tenfold!

“Give me just ten percent of the shares, and I'll tell you my secret!”

The guards tried to keep him outside, but they couldn't shut that booming mouth of his.

The lobby manager had never dealt with anything like it and didn't know what to do. He reluctantly invited Lục Bỉnh Kiệt into a room, then called the owner.

Seeing all that confidence, I couldn't help laughing.

He dared to do this because he had tried exactly the same thing in our previous life. Back then, the hotel owner had agreed to his terms. The shares had given him the money to start his company, and everything afterward had gone smoothly.

What he hadn't known was that the owner had agreed because the hotel belonged to the Lâm family.

Without my permission, he wouldn't even have made it through the door.

He'd wanted to start a business, but he had stubbornly refused to take my money. To protect his pride, I'd found this quiet way of funding him instead.

6

His ideas had been riddled with holes. None of his plans would have worked. Without me propping it up from behind the scenes, the hotel would probably have gone under.

Yet once the dividends started coming in, he'd smugly decided he was a business genius.

He saw me standing in the doorway, frowned, and looked me over with contempt.

“Just my luck. You're everywhere. Come to chase after me now? Forget it!”

At this spectacular display of self-importance, I pointed to myself.

“I need to chase you? Why? Is your face plated in gold? Covered in diamonds? What would I be begging for?”

Tạ Tử Kỳ had come up behind me. Smiling, he asked, “Tiểu Ngôn, who is he?”

His low, confident voice felt like a warm spring breeze washing over me.

Before I could answer, Lục Bỉnh Kiệt looked him up and down and sneered.

“Found yourself another pretty boy already? I wondered why you were treating me differently. So you've picked out your next target.”

I couldn't stand another word from that mouth. I slapped him across the face.

“If you can't say anything worth hearing, shut up. Stop stinking up the room.”

Instead of backing down, he laughed, pleased with himself. Pointing at me, he told Tạ Tử Kỳ, “You probably don't know this yet, but she can't live without a man. If you'd seen the way she used to cling to me, you'd run for your life!”

Then he sat down as though he owned the place, crossed one ankle over his knee, and settled back smugly.

I was so angry I nearly lunged at him and slapped him again.

How could a man be this petty and vile? He couldn't win me back, so he resorted to slander.

Tạ Tử Kỳ caught my hand. I turned to him and hurried to explain, afraid he'd believe what he had heard.

“That's not true. He was the one who asked me out. We were in a relationship, so of course I treated him well...”

Before I could finish, Tạ Tử Kỳ raised a hand to stop me. He smiled gently.

“You don't have to explain. To me, you're the best woman in the world.”

A second later, he strode over to Lục Bỉnh Kiệt and kicked him twice without hesitation.

Lục Bỉnh Kiệt curled up on the floor, clutching his thigh and howling. I stood there, staring.

Tạ Tử Kỳ brushed a finger over the ring on his hand and said coldly, “I can't stand men who don't respect women. You should feel lucky Tiểu Ngôn treated you well. You had something other people could only dream of.”