194 Love Trap 2

"What in the world?" Fan Shixin blurted in bewilderment upon receiving the instruction.

Nevertheless, he proceeded to do as he was told and gathered all of his subordinates before instructing them sternly, "The task for each one of you is to come up with a tip for wooing girls. It has to be the type which is sure to make a girl fall head-over-heels in love. Each tip has to be different from the rest, and you are to submit them to me during lunch."

"Chief Fan… is there a girl you fancy? Is that why you need our help?" Xiao Huang asked in curiosity.

"It's not me, um…" Fan Shixin stuttered, remembering not to reveal that it was Jin Qingyan who had asked.

"Who is it then?"

"It's me indeed… I've begun to fancy this girl, but she doesn't feel the same way about me, so…"

Everyone seemed to have a tacit understanding and empathy towards his predicament. As the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work. There was bound to be a few useful tips out of the many ideas contributed by the team.

Looking at the list of ideas Fan Shixin handed him, Jin Qingyan asked, "Did they ask about what these tips were to be used for?"

"Yes, they did. But of course, I didn't mention your name. Instead, I claimed that there was a girl I adored and got them to come up with the ideas. Young Sir, look how thoughtful I am," said Fan Shixin.

"Not bad, I shall reward you with a big bonus at the end of this year. Let me ask you, after knowing An Xiaoning for the past few months, what do you think of her?" asked Jin Qingyan.

"Ms. An? I think she's a clever woman," Fan Shixin answered after some hesitation.

"How were you able to tell?"

"From that time when Ms. Chi drugged you."

Jin Qingyan found that he had indeed made sense and continued to ask, "What else?"

"Hmm, I also find her to be a very decisive and opinionated woman. She's not all-forgiving and knows clearly what she wants. On top of that, she's also very driven and capable herself. For example, she's determined to learn every life skill which would aid her in protecting herself in times of danger and threat. Young Sir, aren't these the very reasons why you love her? Ms. An is the most independent girl I've ever met, she's very unique and different from other girls. Actually, I can tell she likes you a lot," Fan Shixin answered slowly.

Fan Shixin's words struck a spot in Jin Qingyan's heart. "You think… she likes me a lot?"

"That's for sure. Think about it, Young Sir, Ms. An would've left long ago after taking the 100 thousand dollars for treating your mother back then if she didn't like you. Why do you think she agreed to marry you? If it were other women, then I'd say they were probably just after the highly-coveted position of being the Young Madam of the Jin Family. But I doubt Ms. An was enticed by the superficial advantages of being your wife. So, I reckon she must've married you because she had some feelings for you back then," Fan Shixin answered, giving his honest opinion.

"You're right, continue…"

"Hmm, although you and Ms. An have only been married for less than half a year, you two do get along rather well, in my opinion. I suppose you feel that way too. All in all, I think Ms. An definitely has feelings for you. She must've insisted on a divorce only because she was too disappointed in you and your family."

"True, women just love to say one thing and do another. She said that she doesn't blame us, but well, that doesn't mean she's not disappointed," said Jin Qingyan, thinking to himself that the miscarriage must have played an important part in influencing her decision to get a divorce.

"Young Sir, I'm all for you making Ms. An fall in love with you again. Because I know that you're genuinely fond of her," said Fan Shixin, raising a fist in the air.

"I already told her today that I'd be wooing her all over again."

"How did Ms. An react?"

"Just like her usual self, she was very calm and composed. She said that she wasn't interested in playing such silly games with me. That darned anonymous mastermind! It's all his fault. I'm going to skin him alive once I get a hold of him," Jin Qingyan answered with his eyes closed.

"I'm afraid it won't be soon before we find out who he is. But we've constantly been investigating on this, though. I believe we'll definitely discover some clues, sooner or later."

Jin Qingyan began to feel his eyelids getting heavier and thus gestured for Fan Shixin to leave. "Stay alert at all times, don't let go of any chances. Alright, you may go down."

He had been suffering from insomnia and sleepless nights ever since the divorce.

Life without a woman was indeed torturous.

Why is it so difficult to resist the urges once you've had a taste of coital bliss? Just how did I survive the past 20-odd years of being single? Jin Qingyan wondered to himself.

He wanted to get intimate with her every single day.

Jin Qingyan snapped out of his thoughts and quickly picked up the list of ideas provided by his bodyguards.

One of the many tips on the list caught his attention.

It read: "The way to a woman's heart is through her body."

Jin Qingyan burst into laughter upon reading it.

What a great idea, he thought.

——

"I've been wanting to ask you all day, what did Commander tell you at the rooftop after the dismissal?" Lin Mingxi questioned.

Pursing her lips, An Xiaoning answered, "Go ask him yourself if you're curious. Besides, why are you so interested to know about this? Did you sign up for the boot camp just for him?"

"So what if I did? I came here just because of him. You two are divorced anyway. Since you're already divorced, stop talking to each other so often. Can't you just act like strangers?" Lin Mingxi retorted, with no intentions to hide her ulterior motive.

Amused at how unashamed Ling Mingxi was, An Xiaoning scoffed, "It's up to me to decide how I want to treat him. Likewise, it's also his choice to decide if he wants to treat me like a stranger or not. Tell me what to do when you've actually become his girlfriend or wife."

"I just… I just thought that it wouldn't be very appropriate for you two to continue talking so frequently since you're already divorced. Don't think I'm unaware that you signed up for the boot camp precisely because you knew he would be here."

An Xiaoning was speechless at how ridiculous Lin Mingxi was.

"Ms. Lin, not everything you see is true. Must you really jump to conclusions and come up with such frivolous rumors? I suggest you get your facts right and check when I signed up. Mind you, I signed up way before he was here."

"Ha. The boot camp academy was acquired and bought over by the Jin Corporation, though I'm unsure when that happened. But I'm very certain you decided to sign up because you were aware of that right from the start," Lin Mingxi sneered.

"Can't be bothered to argue with you."

Mei Yangyang returned to the room after dinner with a lunchbox in her hands, containing some food which she had brought back for An Xiaoning.

"Sis, I packed you some rice and your favorite fermented beancurd. There's also some sliced meat and vegetables," said Mei Yangyang.

"Alright." An Xiaoning put on her bedroom slippers and sat down on the chair, after which she picked up a pair of chopsticks and began digging in.

"Boss, someone is calling you again!" An Xiaoning turned to Mei Yangyang and said, "Help me answer the call."

Mei Yangyang reached out to pick up An Xiaoning's phone which was sitting on the bed. After taking a look at the caller display, she said, "It's from Mr. Gu."

"Answer it for me and tell him I'm having my meal."

"Alright." Mei Yangyang swiped on the screen to answer the call. "Hello, Sis is eating."

"…"

"Right now?"

"…"

"Alright, I'll let her know."