Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 44
Weighing
Even after the car had driven far away, Li Tingyan was still thinking about that kiss.
When Lin Chi kissed him, his eyelashes brushed against his face, making his heart feel as if it had been lightly scratched, giving him a floating sensation.
Li Tingyan sat in the back seat with a calm expression, but his fluttering eyelashes betrayed his inner turmoil.
He thought, he really couldn’t understand Lin Chi.
To fall in love with him so silently, without letting him know, and yet so fearlessly and boldly confessing to him.
And in the end, to face his hesitation with such grace and composure.
It was as if…
Li Tingyan’s fingers tightened unconsciously.
It was as if Lin Chi didn’t really want an answer from him.
Li Tingyan pondered this confusion all the way, until the car slowly entered the Li family’s old mansion, and only then did he slightly divert his thoughts.
The Li family’s old mansion was no different from when he left, still as quiet as ever.
The night staff wouldn’t talk much, just nodded politely to him as he headed straight to his room.
Shortly after dawn, he went downstairs again to greet the incoming guests as the host.
The Li family had many long-time acquaintances and frequent visitors. Among the guests was Chen Yilin, the second daughter of the Chen family, whom Li Zhengtao had mentioned. She was indeed as strikingly beautiful as in the photos, dressed in a light gray suit with her long hair tied up, her mannerisms crisp and efficient, much to Li Zhengtao’s liking.
Li Zhengtao specifically asked Li Tingyan to accompany her outside, saying that the younger generation should communicate more.
Even though there were clearly other young people present.
However, Li Tingyan didn’t feel he had much to talk about with Miss Chen.
And clearly, she felt the same.
Chen Yilin maintained a gentle and appropriate smile indoors, but once outside, it disappeared like a face-changing act in Sichuan opera.
They walked along the old street on the island, not far from the Li residence, a street filled with buildings from the Republic of China era, now housing many beautiful and interesting shops, though the prices were equally high.
Chen Yilin glanced at Li Tingyan, immediately understanding from his indifferent expression that this man had no interest in her.
And she had heard some things about Li Tingyan before this meeting.
At the entrance of a jewelry store, she took out a cigarette case, picked out a thin cigarette, and politely asked Li Tingyan, “Do you mind if I smoke?”
Li Tingyan shook his head.
“I don’t mind.”
Chen Yilin lit the cigarette.
Both of them knew well what their parents intended by arranging their meeting.
But neither spoke about it, nor suggested going elsewhere, instead entering a café at the end of the street in unspoken agreement.
Chen Yilin ordered from the waiter, “An Irish coffee, please.”
Li Tingyan glanced at her because Lin Chi also liked this drink.
It had whiskey in it.
According to Lin Chi, it satisfied two cravings at once.
Lin Chi.
The name again made Li Tingyan feel a slight annoyance.
He didn’t hide it, and Chen Yilin noticed as she received her coffee.
While sipping her coffee, with a bit of foam on her lips, she said to Li Tingyan, “Are you planning to stay this silent until we go back?”
This didn’t match Li Tingyan’s usual image.
At least, according to past rumors, when no interests were involved, he was mostly a gentleman.
Li Tingyan seemed to find her words amusing, “Do we have any special topics to discuss, Miss Chen?”
Chen Yilin was here for a matchmaking date with him.
And he wasn’t interested.
His willingness to come out at all was already polite enough; in fact, he was planning to go back and tell Li Zhengtao that there was no chemistry.
Chen Yilin understood and chuckled.
Alright, he really wasn’t interested in her at all.
She continued drinking her coffee, vaguely saying, “You really lack manners, though I didn’t fancy you either, but isn’t this attitude rather rude?”
Li Tingyan glanced at his WeChat, but Lin Chi hadn’t sent any messages.
He disinterestedly glanced at Chen Yilin, not even responding to that remark.
His indifference was evident.
Chen Yilin’s rebellious spirit was instantly triggered.
She stared at Li Tingyan in defiance.
After all, she was a beautiful woman, and not being interested in him was one thing, but treating her like air was another matter entirely.
She raised her eyebrows, seeing Li Tingyan looking absent-minded. Seeming to understand, she mocked, “Do you have a secret lover outside? Now that you’re out with me, you don’t know how to explain it to her. Is she throwing a tantrum? So you’re distancing yourself from me to show your loyalty?”
Li Tingyan was startled and looked back at her with a less-than-friendly gaze.
Chen Yilin, however, shrugged indifferently.
“If you didn’t have someone in your heart, how could you ignore a pretty and well-matched lady like me in front of you and be busy looking at your phone? It doesn’t make sense.”
She spoke confidently, without any embarrassment.
Li Tingyan put away his phone.
He looked down at Chen Yilin, while she looked up at him. Though it was their first meeting, there was a subtle mutual repulsion between them.
Li Tingyan said lightly, “I think you’ve guessed wrong, Miss Chen. I just have no plans to start a family for now. Meeting you is merely my grandfather’s wishful thinking. You’re not my type.”
Huh?
For a moment, Chen Yilin almost wanted to throw her coffee at Li Tingyan’s face.
If anyone told her again that Li Tingyan was a gentleman, she would definitely beat them up.
She sneered, “Oh really? That’s perfect. I’m not interested in you either.”
The silence between them grew heavier.
They sat in the coffee shop for half an hour before standing up simultaneously to leave.
But before getting into the car, Chen Yilin answered a call.
Li Tingyan politely stepped away, but not too far. At first, Chen Yilin seemed calm, but her voice grew louder.
“I told you I can’t!”
“Was it me who suggested breaking up?”
“Then why are you still calling me?”
The blurred sound reached Li Tingyan, who glanced in her direction.
Chen Yilin, apparently furious, hung up and looked up to meet his subtle gaze. She sneered, “What are you looking at? Never seen a breakup before?”
He had.
But it was still annoying.
Li Tingyan thought, without answering her question, he walked to the car, opened the back door, and said, “Can we leave now?”
….
On the way back, there was another stretch of dead silence.
Almost at the Li residence, Chen Yilin coldly asked, “You won’t blab, will you?”
Actually, she just wanted to confirm that Li Tingyan wouldn’t.
Li Tingyan, driving, replied, “I don’t speak on matters that don’t concern me.”
Chen Yilin snorted again.
But Li Tingyan saw a trace of melancholy on her face in the rearview mirror and suddenly asked, “Was that your secret lover who called you?”
His question was abrupt, blunt, like a boomerang hitting directly.
Chen Yilin nearly choked with anger.
But looking into Li Tingyan’s eyes in the mirror, she seemed deflated.
“Yes, what’s so strange about that?”
She replied coldly, “I suggested he continue being my lover after marriage, he refused. But now he won’t leave me alone and keeps pestering me.”
Li Tingyan raised his eyebrows slightly, stopping at a red light, “You wanted him as your post-marriage lover?”
Chen Yilin found his question laughable, “Isn’t that normal? Do you really think marriages among people like us are for love?”
Li Tingyan stared at the countdown of the red light without answering. In their circle, such marriages were indeed countless.
Even his parents married this way.
No one would blame him for having a lover outside of marriage.
But if he gave up a well-matched marriage for that lover, he would be a joke.
However, just before the green light, he casually asked.
“Since you’ve figured it out and broken up with your lover, why are you so uninterested in me?”
Li Tingyan’s voice was flat, stating a fact, yet it was another boomerang, “Among your potential matches, I should be at the top.”
No reply followed.
Li Tingyan didn’t press further, took a turn, and headed towards the Li residence.
Before entering the mansion, he heard a soft sigh from the back.
“Because once I really get married, he will truly leave me.”
Li Tingyan’s hand paused on the steering wheel, looking through the rearview mirror, meeting Chen Yilin’s clear and transparent eyes.
Her words clearly referred to herself.
Yet he inexplicably felt a shock in his heart, as if a heavy feather fell, causing pain.
In his mind appeared Lin Chi’s figure, looking at him from the corridor.
They didn’t say another word.
Back at the old Li residence, they were polite but distant, showing through actions that they had no interest in each other.
Both parents were a bit disappointed but didn’t show it, keeping a harmonious chat inside.
Since the first blind date didn’t work out, Li Zhengtai didn’t rush. It was New Year, after all, and he couldn’t push his grandson too hard.
On the second day of the new year, Li Tingyan played chess with Li Zhengtai, attended a gathering of old comrades with him, and then returned to his own villa.
Though he had only been away for a day and a half, seeing his house from afar, Li Tingyan felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
He parked the car outside the garden, not entering immediately.
For a moment, he wondered if Lin Chi would still be there when he walked in.
Lin Chi’s last kiss and “Happy New Year” gave him an ominous feeling.
But he didn’t hesitate for long; he drove in. After the doorman took the key from him, he slowly walked into the villa.
The house was as warm as spring.
As soon as he walked in, he saw someone sitting on the sofa in a floral bathrobe, showing off their beautiful, slender legs. Their hair was a bit fluffy and disheveled, their profile smooth and attractive, and their eyelashes unbelievably long.
They were engrossed in a fashion magazine, studying a ruby ring with rapt attention.
Li Tingyan approached slowly, without making a sound, but the person seemed to sense his presence and looked up.
Their eyes met.
Lin Chi recognized Li Tingyan’s face.
He smiled and said, “You’re back?”
“Mm.”
Li Tingyan was inexplicably pleased by those words.
He looked at Lin Chi, finding no trace of gloom or displeasure on his face.
It was as if the confession from the night before was just a dream—once awake, it left no trace.
“I’m a bit late and didn’t come back yesterday. Sorry.”
Li Tingyan lowered his head and placed a kiss on Lin Chi’s forehead.
He also noticed the magazine Lin Chi was holding; the entire page was dedicated to the luxurious ruby ring.
He asked Lin Chi, “Do you like this?”
Lin Chi paused for a moment, then turned the page of the magazine. “Not really.”
In the following days, it seemed like they had forgotten about the confession. Lin Chi didn’t press for it, and Li Tingyan didn’t bring it up.
They interacted just as they usually did.
Li Tingyan took Lin Chi outdoor rock climbing, which exhausted Lin Chi so much that he lay down on the ground, giving Li Tingyan a middle finger from afar.
They also visited Li Tingyan’s estate to soak in the hot springs. It was snowing heavily, and they drank a bit of sake while enjoying the snow view. Lin Chi even asked for two onsen eggs to cook himself.
But after cooking them, he ate them all himself without sharing with Li Tingyan.
Li Tingyan smiled helplessly and placed the peeled king crab in Lin Chi’s bowl.
However, by the fifth day of the New Year, it seemed like there was no more delaying.
In a few days, Lin Chi would be flying abroad for work.
Li Tingyan also had to go abroad to oversee a project’s progress.
Li Tingyan, wearing a bathrobe, stood by the bed looking at the garden, holding a cup of red tea with steam obscuring his eyes.
He knew very well that if he didn’t give an answer soon, Lin Chi probably wouldn’t be so tolerant anymore.
That afternoon, he went to meet Xu Mu.