Chapter 237

Chapter 237: Have You Two Met Before? The next afternoon. Chu Tang received a phone call from Ruan Shaodong. The moment she saw the caller ID, her heart skipped a beat. Ruan Shaodong was strongly opposed to Chu Tang and Jiang Shixu being together, and the fact that they had reconciled had been kept a secret from him all along. Seeing him call, Chu Tang felt a wave of unease wash over her. Dad couldn't have found out that she and Jiang Shixu had made up and was calling to confront her, could he? Chu Tang's heart leaped into her throat. In that instant, her mind raced, thinking of countless ways to explain herself. However, when she picked up the phone, Ruan Shaodong's tone was perfectly calm. "Tangtang, there's a cocktail party the night after tomorrow. Come join us. I'll introduce you to a few of the company's business partners. Your law firm might have a chance to work with them." Phew. Chu Tang breathed a sigh of relief. So he was just introducing her to connections and resources. "Okay, Dad. What time in the evening? Send me the time and address." ... On the day of the cocktail party, Chu Tang wore an understated black strapless evening gown. The dress's design was quite conservative—nothing was exposed except her shoulders and arms. Ruan Shaodong introduced Chu Tang to several company presidents who partnered with the Ruan Group, all of them of her parents' or grandparents' generation. Amidst the drinking and laughter, she secured several major cases with legal fees in the tens of millions. After meeting those uncles and aunties, Ruan Shaodong brought Chu Tang to meet a man around her age. When Chu Tang saw Zhang Tingyi, she was slightly taken aback. "This is the second son of your Uncle Zhang's family, Zhang Tingyi. He just returned from Switzerland and is now serving as general manager of the family business." Zhang Tingyi was wearing a dark navy suit today, his hair combed immaculately, looking every bit the business elite. He raised his champagne glass toward Chu Tang and greeted her with a smile. "We meet again, Miss Ruan." "Hello." Chu Tang's expression cooled. What was her father up to? A blind date setup? Ruan Shaodong chuckled. "Have you two met before?" "Once," Zhang Tingyi replied. "We had dinner together at a gathering Qin Yan organized." "That's wonderful. You two chat—I have some business to attend to over there." With that, Ruan Shaodong left. Chu Tang felt a headache coming on. She had thought today was purely about expanding her network and landing cases, but it turned out this was what he had in store for her. Zhang Tingyi was Qin Yan's college classmate. Although he technically moved in the same social circles as Chu Tang, back in her university days she had rarely hung out with Qin Yan and his group. She had spent most of her time in the school library. During her free time, she went out with Chen Yuanyuan and Zhou Xueluo, and rarely attended those kinds of group gatherings. So Zhang Tingyi had never met Chu Tang before he went abroad. The first time he saw her was after he returned, at the private garden restaurant he had opened. "Miss Ruan, don't feel pressured." Zhang Tingyi smiled. "I heard from Qin Yan that you and Shi Xu are together. I'll keep it confidential from your father." Chu Tang hadn't expected him to say that. She paused for a moment before replying, "Thank you." Zhang Tingyi looked completely at ease and said frankly, "I'm sure you've figured it out—your father's intention is for us to get to know each other, to spend more time together. In plain terms, it's a blind date setup." Chu Tang nodded. "Mm." "My family wants the same thing." Zhang Tingyi gave a helpless smile. "But don't worry, I would never steal someone else's love. I'm just going through the motions." "That works out perfectly." "I heard Miss Ruan runs a law firm. We could get to know each other, maybe become friends." Zhang Tingyi said. "Last time we met was too rushed—I didn't get a chance to add you as a contact." The request was perfectly reasonable, and Chu Tang had no reason to refuse. They were in the same circle anyway; adding each other was completely normal. "Sure." After they exchanged contacts and put away their phones, Zhang Tingyi suddenly asked, "Miss Ruan, if you don't mind me asking—is your good friend Miss Zhou Xueluo single?" Chu Tang was taken aback. That topic shift came out of nowhere. Why was he suddenly asking about Xueluo? Chu Tang said, "She's single." Zhang Tingyi let out a relieved breath, a smile curling at the corner of his lips. Chu Tang looked at him suspiciously. "You and Xueluo..." "I saw her back when I was in college." When Zhang Tingyi spoke of Zhou Xueluo, his expression softened, and his voice grew gentler by a few degrees. "Once, Qin Yan and I went to Zhengan's place to hang out. She had just come home from school. To be honest, I was drawn to her the moment I laid eyes on her. But she was still in high school back then, so I tucked those feelings away." Chu Tang clicked her tongue inwardly, her eyes wide with shock. "Love at first sight?" "You could say that." Zhang Tingyi said. "But I didn't confess back then because she was too young. It wasn't possible at the time. Now that I'm back in the country and she's single, I want to pursue her." Chu Tang's gaze held a hint of doubt. "I didn't notice you liked her at that dinner last time." The man chuckled. "Seeing her again after so many years—on the surface I looked calm, but inside I was a nervous wreck." "Does Xueluo know you like her?" Chu Tang asked again. "I don't know," Zhang Tingyi said. "I'm not sure if she's single, and when we met last time, I realized she didn't remember me. It would be too abrupt to confess outright. I want to spend some time with her first and slowly build a connection." Chu Tang lowered her gaze, seemingly lost in thought. Zhang Tingyi asked, "Is there a problem?" Chu Tang looked up at him. "This might not be polite to ask, but as Xueluo's best friend, I still need to vet her potential partner. Mr. Zhang, may I ask how many relationships you've had before? And how many of those were physical?" Zhang Tingyi was taken aback. This was a very private question. Asking something like this right off the bat was indeed impolite. Chu Tang explained, "Xueluo is completely inexperienced when it comes to romance. If you have a rich romantic history, Mr. Zhang, I don't think you'd be a suitable match for her." Zhang Tingyi frowned slightly. "Don't worry, I'm not the type to be frivolous or unfaithful. In all these years, I've only had one girlfriend." Hearing this, Chu Tang's delicate brows furrowed. "So you're saying that even though you had feelings for Xueluo in your heart, you could still date someone else?" "You've misunderstood, Miss Ruan." Zhang Tingyi explained, "I did like Xueluo at first, and as I mentioned, she was just a child back then, so I had to keep my feelings to myself. Later, we went a long time without seeing each other, and those feelings gradually faded. Then I met my ex-girlfriend. When I was in that relationship, I didn't have anyone else in my heart—I took it seriously." With a sincere expression, Zhang Tingyi said, "Miss Ruan, I'm not the kind of person who is fickle or easily swayed. I don't treat feelings as a game." Chu Tang replied in a calm tone, "I was just asking. I can't control Xueluo's feelings anyway—whether she accepts you is up to her."