119: Uncle Lin

She leaned forward slightly, her slender, pale fingers lightly tapping the tabletop.

"You make it sound so easy."

"If your ex-girlfriend knew that you could casually close a deal worth over ten million now, with a commission of over a hundred thousand alone..."

She arched her elegant brows, her eyes shimmering with a hint of subtle mischief.

"Do you think she'd be green with regret?"

Lin Chao shrugged disdainfully at the remark.

"Whether she regrets it or not is none of my damn business."

His tone was as indifferent as if he were discussing a weather forecast.

"Does it have anything to do with me?"

"From the day she made her choice, she's been no different from a stranger to me."

He spoke decisively, without a hint of hesitation.

Shen Zhixia gave him a deep look and didn't pursue the topic further.

Lin Chao raised his wrist and checked his watch.

"It's getting late. If you don't have anything else, Director Shen, I'll head out."

"I have a date tonight."

"A date?"

Shen Zhixia repeated almost subconsciously, her pitch a bit higher than usual.

Lin Chao clicked his tongue and glanced at her sideways, a playful smile on his face.

"What?"

"Is there a new situation?" There was a hint of inquiry in Shen Zhixia's tone that she didn't even notice herself.

Lin Chao intentionally drew out his words.

"Just a friend, having a casual meal."

He looked Shen Zhixia up and down with a mischievous grin.

"I never would have expected our cold and aloof Director Shen to be so gossipy."

"You!"

A faint blush instantly colored Shen Zhixia's cheeks, and she immediately regained her cool directorial demeanor.

She coughed unnaturally, picked up the water glass on the table, and let her gaze drift elsewhere.

"I was just asking casually."

Seeing her stubbornness, Lin Chao chuckled inwardly and stopped teasing her.

"Alright then, Director Shen, you carry on. I'm off."

He waved, turned, and coolly left Shen Zhixia's home... Back at home, Lin Chao took a shower and opened his wardrobe.

He had received his salary this morning.

His salary and commissions from this period had all been credited to his account.

Without hesitation, he transferred 3% of the commission directly, as he had promised Lan Qingyu.

As soon as he put down his phone, Lan Qingyu's wechat exploded.

A string of "Ahhhhhhh"s and screaming emojis almost burst out of the screen.

[Lan Qingyu: Lin Chao, Lin Chao! You are my god!]

[Lan Qingyu: I received the money! I love you so much!]

[Lan Qingyu: I've already booked the restaurant—top-tier Japanese cuisine! I've sent you the address. You must be there on time tonight so I can give you a proper welcome!]

Lin Chao shook his head with a chuckle and changed into a clean set of casual clothes.

Getting into his unassuming but high-performance flying fox, he stepped on the gas and sped toward the address Lan Qingyu had sent.

Lan Qingyu had booked a private room in a very elegant Japanese restaurant.

When Lin Chao pushed the door open, the room was filled with the silver-bell-like laughter of two girls.

Besides the youthful and beautiful Lan Qingyu, who was dressed in designer brands, another girl of similar age and equally fashionable attire sat beside her.

Lin Chao guessed at a glance that this must be the high school classmate Lan Qingyu had mentioned, Wu Xiuxiu.

Seeing their flushed, excited faces, it was clear they had already finished "dividing the spoils."

"Lin Chao, you're here!"

Sharp-eyed Lan Qingyu was the first to notice him and immediately stood up to wave enthusiastically.

Lin Chao walked over with a smile.

Lan Qingyu grabbed his arm and pointed at the girl next to her, introducing her excitedly.

"Xiuxiu, this is the Lin Chao I told you about!"

Then she turned back to Lin Chao, looking proud.

"Lin Chao, this is my best friend, Wu Xiuxiu!"

"Hello." Lin Chao nodded to Wu Xiuxiu.

Wu Xiuxiu also sized up Lin Chao curiously and gave a sweet smile: "Hello."

Lan Qingyu immediately added: "Lin Chao is friends with my mom, they have a very good relationship!"

"So Xiuxiu, don't be formal, just call him Uncle Lin like I do!"

Lin Chao's mouth twitched violently.

Uncle?

He couldn't help but sigh, feeling as if an arrow had pierced his heart.

"Um... I think I'm only five or six years older than you guys, right?"

Lan Qingyu blinked her large, innocent eyes and said matter-of-factly.

"That's still an uncle!"

Lin Chao was completely speechless.

Whatever, uncle it is. He wasn't losing out anyway!

Seeing Lin Chao's defeated expression, Wu Xiuxiu couldn't hold back anymore and burst into giggles, quickly covering her mouth with her hand.

Lan Qingyu, completely disregarding her image, slapped the table with a loud crack in her amusement.

"Hahaha! Uncle Lin, that's what you get for acting like an elder in front of me before!"

She pointed at Lin Chao, laughing until tears nearly came out.

"Now you know how it feels to be called uncle, right?"

Lin Chao's mouth twitched again. Looking at the two girls laughing hysterically, his eyes darted around as a plan formed in his mind.

He slowly picked up his teacup, blew on the steam, and asked as if casually.

"By the way, now that the college entrance exam is over, which universities did you two get into?"

He paused, his gaze carrying a perfectly timed look of scrutiny.

"A 985?"

"Or a 211?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the silver-bell-like laughter in the room came to an abrupt halt.

The smiles on Lan Qingyu and Wu Xiuxiu's faces seemed to have been hit by a pause button, freezing instantly.

The pride and excitement on their faces quickly faded, replaced by visible guilt and awkwardness.

Lan Qingyu's face fell, and her gaze became a bit evasive.

"Well... although our high school is a private elite school and the teaching staff is quite strong..."

Her voice grew smaller and smaller.

"But... but there aren't many who can actually get into a 985 or 211..."

"As for Xiuxiu and me, we got into local universities in Linhai City. They're close to home and... well, they barely count as Tier 1!"

After speaking, she still glanced guiltily at Lin Chao to see his reaction.

She met Lin Chao's eyes, which were half-smiling and looking at her with a slight squint.

The meaning in that look was self-evident.

Lan Qingyu's guilt was instantly ignited, turning into embarrassed rage as she slapped the table again.

"Hey! What kind of look is that!"

She glared at Lin Chao like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"We did quite well, alright!"

Wu Xiuxiu, beside her, quickly chimed in, nodding like a chick pecking at grain.

"Yeah, Uncle Lin!"

"In our school, those who can get into a 985 or 211 are mostly Top students admitted through special recruitment!"

"For students in ordinary classes like us, being able to get into a Tier 1 university is already considered very impressive!"

Hearing the term "Special recruitment students," scenes from those idol dramas that were popular a few years ago immediately popped into Lin Chao's head.

He was instantly intrigued and looked at the two of them curiously.

"Oh? Those admitted through special recruitment should be underprivileged students from families with poor conditions, right?"

He leaned forward slightly, looking full of gossip.

"Then in your school... do those idol drama plots happen?"

"You know... like School bullying where people use their family background to pick on others?"