"What?" Han Haoxuan's voice rose noticeably as he asked in shock. After calming himself down, he asked, "What was she doing at your school?"
“My aunt said she was passing by our school and decided to stop by to see me,” Xinyu said.
Actually, Xu Ling didn't just happen to be passing by and drop by to see Xin Yu. She came specifically to see the person her son liked, the one who could potentially become her daughter-in-law.
Unfortunately, when Xu Ling arrived, Xin Yu was in class, so she waited in Xin Yu's office.
When Xinyu saw Xu Ling, she was really surprised. Xu Ling first explained his identity. Xinyu was stunned for a moment before she hurriedly and warmly greeted him.
Looking at Xinyu, who was dignified, tall, and warm and generous, Xu Ling thought to himself, "It's only natural that my son would be captivated by a woman like her."
Previously, Xu Ling only had a general understanding of Xin Yu's family situation. This time, she came for two reasons: first, to see what kind of girl Han Haoxuan had taken a liking to, and second, to learn more about her family background. After all, someone from a well-off family like Xu Ling pays close attention to a potential partner's family background.
During the conversation, Xu Ling nodded frequently, a broad smile on his face. Xin Yu's speech and manners were impeccable, and Xu Ling was satisfied with her family's financial situation and background. Xu Ling also invited Xin Yu to go home with Han Haoxuan if she had time, and Xin Yu nodded in tacit agreement.
After seeing Xu Ling off, Xin Yu vaguely sensed something, but didn't dwell on it. Xu Ling seemed quite satisfied with her, which naturally made her very happy.
However, Han Haoxuan was not happy when he heard the news. He frowned slightly, his dark eyes becoming unfathomable. He felt that things were becoming increasingly complicated, and he didn't know how to sort them out.
After dropping Xinyu off at home, Han Haoxuan slammed on the gas pedal and drove off into the distance in the dark night.
Chapter Eighteen
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"Mom, why didn't you tell me you went to see her today?" When he got home, Han Haoxuan asked Xu Ling, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV leisurely, with a sullen face and a hint of anger.
"Who are you looking for?" Xu Ling hadn't quite caught up yet. After a moment's thought, she said as if suddenly realizing something, "Oh, you mean you're looking for Xinyu." She looked at Han Haoxuan and continued, "There shouldn't be any problem with you meeting my future daughter-in-law, right? Why are you looking so serious? You really didn't misjudge her. To be honest, Xinyu is beautiful and a university professor. Our two families are quite well-matched. You two should hurry up and find an auspicious day to get your wedding done..."
"Mom," Han Haoxuan interrupted Xu Ling, his handsome face seemingly shrouded in worry, and said in a slightly cold tone, "You don't need to worry about our affairs."
"If I don't take care of things, when will your wedding be held up?" Xu Ling said with a slight reproach.
She had put in a lot of effort; her son was always dissatisfied with the blind dates he went on, and she was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but could only watch from the sidelines. This time, she finally found someone her son was satisfied with, and the other party's conditions were also good, so Xu Ling naturally seized the opportunity.
"I understand." Han Haoxuan knew that Xu Ling would talk a lot about his marriage, and he was already tired of it; his ears were practically calloused. Before, he might have said a few more words, but later he just listened and responded.
Back in his room, Han Haoxuan lay back on the bed and suddenly thought of someone. He hadn't called Ruolin for several days since that slightly ambiguous and awkward incident. He picked up his phone from beside his pillow, found her number, and dialed.
After a few beeps, someone answered the phone, which was quite timely. Unlike the previous times he called her, no matter how many times he called or how many beeps she rang, no one answered, leaving him only able to feel anxious and angry on the other end of the line.
The other person's voice was fairly clear. Han Haoxuan asked, "Still not asleep?"
"Even if I'm asleep, you'll wake me up," Ruolin said irritably, her voice somewhat cold.
The two of them didn't deliberately forget the little incident at the restaurant last time, but they didn't deliberately remember it either. It was just buried by time, eventually turning into sand and drifting away with the wind.
"So busy at night? Did you go sketching during the day?" Han Haoxuan teased deliberately.
"Yes, and I also lead a class of students. They're very obedient, which makes me feel very accomplished," Ruolin chimed in, her tone languid. Since he already knew the truth, his deliberate question was clearly a sarcastic remark. To appease him, she might as well play along.
"Oh, really? Not many people continue to cover up their lies after they've been exposed!" Han Haoxuan chuckled, then asked, "Have you been busy with work lately? Want to take a break for once?"
“Lazy people will be eliminated by society, and I don’t want to become unemployed.” Ruolin didn’t want to talk to Han Haoxuan anymore, so she said bluntly, “If you don’t have anything else, I’ll hang up.”
"..." Han Haoxuan was interrupted by Ruolin before he could finish speaking. She said coldly, "You'd better not call me again. Let's go back to being strangers."
"Snap!" Han Haoxuan heard a loud slam on the other end of the phone, and then everything returned to an unprecedented silence, a silence that was somewhat eerie.
If he remembered correctly, this was the third time she had hung up on him!
Han Haoxuan threw his phone hard to the other side of the bed. Luckily, it didn't hit the ground; all that could be heard was the dull thud of the phone hitting the blanket.
Han Haoxuan had never felt more annoyed than he was now; his thick eyebrows furrowed, and his heart grew heavier.
After hanging up the phone, Ruolin felt that what she had done was somewhat cruel to Han Haoxuan, but she had no better options.
If Ruolin knew that Xinyu liked Han Haoxuan and still maintained contact with him, that would be truly inappropriate. Love can be cruel sometimes, and she didn't want to engage in a love war with her best friend, ending up battered and bruised—that would be far too much of a loss. Therefore, she decided to nip this potential romance in the bud and never have anything to do with Han Haoxuan again.
She had her doubts before making this decision; she had even considered being just friends with Han Haoxuan, but she knew that was unlikely. She understood the complexities involved, so she chose to withdraw.
Besides, Ruolin didn't want to fight for something that didn't belong to her, let alone the luxuries of love.
Ruolin's words actually worked; Han Haoxuan didn't call her for several days in a row. She was a little disappointed at first, but gradually she got used to it and stopped thinking about it.
But life is always so interesting; just when she was about to forget about Han Haoxuan, he would reappear at just the right time.
Whether Qin Tianyi proactively recommended Han Haoxuan to the magazine or the editor-in-chief himself included interviewing Han Haoxuan in the interview plan, the next issue of "Fang Ling's Appointment" features Han Haoxuan!
The women in the office were very excited when they heard the news, and they chattered about it whenever they had a spare moment:
"It's said that Han Haoxuan is a legendary figure. His father is a media tycoon, but he didn't follow in his footsteps. Instead, he started from scratch and built his current company. Most importantly, I've heard he's very handsome, a real heartthrob..."
"However, he never gives interviews to the media, so why did he agree to an interview with our small magazine this time?"
"Yes, I also find it strange..."
...
Ruolin didn't participate in their conversation; she simply sat quietly at her desk, letting her thoughts wander.
She guessed that Han Haoxuan probably wouldn't agree to their magazine interview just for her; she wasn't that charming.
When Fang Ling walked out of the editor-in-chief's office, she had a stern face and slammed the door shut with unusual loudness, drawing everyone's attention.
Everyone stared at Fang Ling with bewildered expressions: she was the only lucky woman besides the photographer who could have close contact with Han Haoxuan, she should be happy, so why was she making such an expression? It was as if someone owed her a million dollars.
Fang Ling did not walk towards her desk, but instead walked towards Ruolin.
"Shen Ruolin!" Fang Ling's loud voice was truly something else, startling Ruolin who was engrossed in her work. She looked up at Fang Ling with a puzzled expression.
"What tricks did you use to win over the editor-in-chief? I don't blame you for being able to interview Qin Tianyi last time, I only blame myself for having something come up. But you can't just steal this opportunity to interview Han Haoxuan, can you? Are you trying to steal my job in the end?" Fang Ling's voice wasn't quiet, and everyone in the office must have heard her.
"I..." Ruolin was still completely confused and didn't understand what Fang Ling was talking about.
"Fang Ling, go back to your seat if you don't want to lose this job," the editor-in-chief's stern voice rang out.
Fang Ling wanted to argue further, but seeing the editor-in-chief's sharp gaze, she knew she couldn't say anything more and could only walk angrily to her seat.
"Shen Ruolin's opportunity to interview Han Haoxuan is largely due to her own efforts. It was because Qin Tianyi was very satisfied with her previous interview with him that he strongly persuaded his good friend Han Haoxuan to accept our magazine's interview, specifically requesting Shen Ruolin to write it. As everyone knows, Han Haoxuan rarely gives media interviews, so we owe this opportunity to Shen Ruolin. We hope everyone will maintain a positive attitude and not let this affect the relationships between colleagues. Since we're all working together, we should have a sense of teamwork. Although 'Fang Ling's Appointment' is a column started by Fang Ling and primarily based on her, it ultimately belongs to the magazine. Therefore, any member of the magazine who has the ability can join and contribute to this column. From now on, Shen Ruolin will be one of the column's reporters..."
When the editor-in-chief said these words, the office was completely silent; so quiet that Ruolin could hear her own heartbeat.
She could hardly believe that she had gone from being a process editor to a columnist for the magazine's well-known column "A Date with Fang Ling"!
Although the news announced by the editor-in-chief was good news for her, she couldn't be happy because she had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Moreover, she is now starting to worry about how to face Han Haoxuan during interviews.
She told him not to contact her, but then she went to see him herself because of work? Is this fate or a cruel joke played by God?
Chapter Nineteen
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Although Ruolin tried to negotiate with the editor-in-chief to cancel the interview, she was unsuccessful after several attempts. Helpless, Ruolin had no choice but to agree.
After accepting the interview assignment, Ruolin first called Han Haoxuan's secretary to arrange the interview time and place.
Ultimately, the interview took place in Han Haoxuan's office.
As expected of a difficult interviewee, putting on such an air of superiority, even refusing to go to "Ueshima Coffee," the magazine's go-to spot for interviews. Does she really insist on the principle of "my territory, my rules"? Ruolin scoffed inwardly.
Actually, interviewing Han Haoxuan was quite difficult for Ruolin. Even without the blind date incident, she still didn't know where to begin. There was so little information about him; the results from Baidu searches were just vague statements, either "it is said" or "according to a friend of Han Haoxuan," which were completely unreliable.
Ruolin's understanding of Han Haoxuan was limited to the superficial things she had learned from her interactions with him during this period.
When she told Xinyu about wanting to interview Han Haoxuan, Xinyu burst into uncontrollable laughter: "What a small world! Your editor-in-chief really picked the right person to have you interview Han Haoxuan. Everyone knows each other, so it'll be easier to talk to him, right?"
Ruolin didn't see it that way. Precisely because they knew each other, she felt even more awkward asking readers gossip-filled questions. For example, "How many relationships have you had?" or "What are your criteria for a marriage partner?"
"How about you help me with the interview?" Ruolin said half-jokingly.
"Great! As long as your editor-in-chief doesn't mind me using pictures instead of words, I can perfectly capture Han Haoxuan's facial expressions when he speaks. Haha!"
"Seriously, what questions do you think would be best to ask him?"
"I think you should ask him if he has any quirks, like whether he likes wearing t-backs, or whether he prefers a light peck or a deep French kiss..."
"Xinyu!" Ruolin hurriedly interrupted Xinyu.
“Okay, I’m not kidding anymore. You could actually ask him if he’s had any girlfriends before, and what his ideal partner is like. To be honest, I’d love to be his type.” Xin Yu’s tone became serious.
"..." Ruolin did not answer.
"Hey, are you listening? Ruolin. Remember to ask him this question for me!"
"Okay," Ruolin said, somewhat absentmindedly.
Han Haoxuan's company is located on the eighteenth floor of a very impressive office building.
Ruolin was nervous until she stepped into the elevator. She looked down on herself and wondered how she would start the conversation when she saw Han Haoxuan.
The elevator stopped on the eighteenth floor. After getting out of the elevator, Ruolin took a few deep breaths before walking towards Han Haoxuan's company.
Because of the appointment, the receptionist quickly pointed out the location of Han Haoxuan's office to Ruolin. Ruolin thanked her and went straight to the room with the sign "General Manager's Office" on the door.
Ruolin gently knocked on the door, and heard that familiar and melodious voice say, "Please come in."
Ruolin pushed open the door and entered upon hearing the sound.
At this moment, Han Haoxuan was sitting on the sofa in a formal suit. He was not surprised to see her at all. He simply gestured for Ruolin to sit in the chair opposite him and said, "Please sit down."
"Thank you." Ruolin could feel her palms were sweating a little.
"Brew me a cup of Pu'er tea and bring it to my office as soon as possible." Han Haoxuan picked up the phone and dialed the internal line.
There was a moment of silence in the room.
Han Haoxuan's secretary was very efficient and quickly brought over a cup of Pu'er tea.
"Mr. Han, may we begin the interview?" Ruolin asked, taking a sip of tea.
"Has our relationship become so distant after just a few days?" Han Haoxuan was genuinely surprised that Ruolin would call him "President Han".
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. I know you’re busy with official duties and your time is precious, and I don’t want to take up too much of your time. So, let’s hurry up and do the interview.” Ruolin kept her head down as she said this, not daring to look Han Haoxuan in the eye, afraid of revealing her true thoughts.
"My time doesn't seem as valuable as Reporter Shen's, does it? I heard you almost turned down this interview, and even your editor-in-chief had to persuade you for a long time before you agreed to interview me. Do you dislike me that much?"
Ruolin was momentarily at a loss for words. When the editor-in-chief assigned her this task that others envied, she had indeed tried to decline it several times in private. When the editor-in-chief asked her why, she only said that she didn't want to embarrass Fang Ling, without revealing the crux of the matter: she didn't want Han Haoxuan to re-enter her life.
However, she didn't know how Han Haoxuan found out that she had wanted to turn down the interview.
"What? Is it inconvenient for you to answer? Are you afraid of stealing your friend Xinyu's chance, or are you afraid of facing your true feelings?"