So Zhou Xingxing was feeling pretty down, but Li Changlin knew how to lighten the mood. He started by sharing with two beauties the kind of words one might say to confess their feelings, thinking it would surely pique their interest. However, as soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ruonan coldly snorted, "Shameless!"
"Shameless?" Upon hearing this, Li Changlin truly couldn’t stay calm.
He thought to himself and suddenly remembered that Lin Ruonan certainly knew about this!
Moreover, it was likely that Lin Ruonan had actually watched his livestream. Reflecting on it, it did seem shameless indeed, the way he’d deliberately triumphed over the "How Capable Are You" gang, only to then request those three to confess to him.
But then again, the idea for this debacle came from Brother Grape!
Speaking of which, Ruonan, what do you mean by this? Your accusation of shamelessness seems loaded. You’re not targeting me, are you?
Li Changlin felt a bit disconcerted, but fortunately, his experience as a host had taught him to think on his feet.
So without a change in his expression, he immediately nodded and said, "Absolutely, that ’How Capable Are You’ guy really is shameless. It’s one thing that he wiped my wealth value clean a few days ago, but who would’ve thought he’d have the gall to come into my livestream and declare his love? That’s just asking for trouble!"
"Pfft, Li Changlin, you’re overthinking it. Actually, the person Ruonan called shameless is you," interjected Qian Ziwei, who couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. Seeing Li Changlin still trying to sling mud at ’How Capable Are You’, she couldn’t keep it in any longer.
"Say, you’re calling me shameless?" Li Changlin pointed at his own nose in astonishment, wondering why, for what reason, how was he shameless?
This is truly tragic, Ruonan, what is this supposed to mean, are you trying to make me lose face?
"Yes, the one being discussed is indeed you." Lin Ruonan huffed lightly and then looked at Li Changlin with a cool expression, "Li Changlin, I’ve really seen who you are now. I wondered why you liked being a host so much, turns out you just want to spout dirty jokes online without a care in the world. You really are something. Tell me, have you used this tactic to deceive lots of girls before?"
"Deceived, deceived girls?" Li Changlin was utterly baffled, finally understanding why Lin Ruonan had called him shameless.
After all this time, it turned out to be that joke that caused the trouble. He thought he was just livening up the atmosphere of the livestream.
How awkward. Just when he managed to tell such a joke, Lin Ruonan mistakenly took it the wrong way.
"Changlin, don’t get too caught up flirting with Miss Lin. Why don’t you introduce this beauty first?" Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine immediately interjected to help smooth things over when he saw Li Changlin was at a loss.
That gave Li Changlin an out, and hearing this, Lin Ruonan also felt a bit embarrassed and quickly chuckled sheepishly, "Brother Grape, Brother Zhou, I’m really sorry for making you laugh."
"It’s nothing, it’s nothing. The food at Boss Qian’s restaurant today was just too delicious, and we even had Boss Qian treat us, we are really embarrassed." To aid his little brother in forging connections, Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine went all out.
"Ziwei, this is Brother Zhou Xingxing and this is Brother Grape. Speaking of which, Brother Grape, what’s your real name? It’s my fault for dragging Changlin off to the antique market this afternoon. I forgot to ask for your full name. Oh, and this is my good friend, Qian Ziwei." In such a situation, it was admittedly a bit awkward for Li Changlin to be making introductions for both sides.
So he gave Lin Ruonan a look, and true to their four years of camaraderie, they shared an incredible understanding. Lin Ruonan naturally guessed Li Changlin’s thoughts and took the initiative to introduce everyone.
"Haha, sorry, really sorry," Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine also felt a bit embarrassed and quickly laughed, "My last name is Zhao, with just one character for my first name – Pu, ordinary like the word ’common’."
"So, Brother Grape, your last name is Zhao, I’m really sorry." Li Changlin also felt quite awkward. Look at how things turned out; it’s not easy for Brother Grape to visit Jincheng, and he had actually forgotten to ask for his name. This was truly a sad oversight.
"What’s there to be sorry about? I like it when you call me Brother Grape," Zhao Pu said, waving his hand. He was a straightforward person and didn’t beat around the bush.
Like is like, dislike is dislike, everything is upfront and honest, and that’s just the way he lives.
"Here’s my business card, ladies, please take good care of it," Zhou Xingxing also fished out his business card and handed them one by one to Lin Ruonan and Qian Ziwei.
"Brother Zhou, aren’t you playing favorites here?" Watching Zhou Xingxing’s actions, Li Changlin felt a bit jealous.
"Haha, sorry, sorry, you’ve got one too." Seeing Li Changlin’s feigned pitiable face made Zhou Xingxing unable to hold back a chuckle. He immediately handed one to Li Changlin as well.
"Not bad at all, I hadn’t expected you to have a Ph.D., Brother Zhou!" The business card Zhou Xingxing handed out was his international one, with no title on it except for a Ph.D. Li Changlin felt that Zhou Xingxing deserved a thumbs-up for his modesty—it was really cool!
"Looks like I need to recharge myself too. If someday I could also play around with a Ph.D. title, that would be awesome." Li Changlin put away the business card while imagining a scene in his mind.
He fantasized about bragging about being a doctor during his live stream. It seemed like it would really have a sense of style.
After everyone introduced themselves, they got to know each other, and the initial barriers dissipated.
However, Zhou Xingxing was slightly disappointed that Qian Ziwei didn’t have a business card. He also felt it inappropriate to ask for her phone number right away, as they had just met; he didn’t want to come off as too frivolous.
The few people also started chatting happily. Since Lin Ruonan knew about Zhou Xingxing’s intentions, she thought about helping her friend make a connection, so she purposefully steered the conversation toward Zhou Xingxing, giving him a chance to shine.
Before long, someone knocked on the private room door, and several waiters came in with trays, delivering the dishes Li Changlin and the others had ordered.
The waiters arranged the dishes on the table and opened two bottles of red wine before they all filed out of the room.
Afterward, Li Changlin poured half a glass of red wine for everyone and stood up with a smile, "Consider this as an offering of borrowed flowers. Welcome to Jincheng, Brother Grape, and Brother Zhou."
"Thank you," Zhao Pu and Zhou Xingxing both raised their glasses in succession, and naturally, Lin Ruonan and Qian Ziwei also picked up their glasses and said some words of welcome.