The Young Lady Who Came to Interrogate Her

Back at the hotel, Lin Ran carefully put away the banners he had carried all the way, one of his biggest gains from this trip to London.

He unfolded the banner and looked at it. It was embroidered with the words "A beautiful piece of writing opens up a realm of wisdom, a good medicine saves a life in danger." The workmanship was quite exquisite, and it was obviously made by a reputable shop.

People always prefer to feel at ease.

Lin Ran always considered himself an ordinary person. Although he had a lot of minor flaws, he still couldn't bear to see all kinds of suffering in the world. However, unlike those men who couldn't bear to see suffering, he would just let the suffering not happen under his nose.

He can't learn the skill of blindfolding someone and making the world peaceful.

Therefore, according to Mencius's theory that human nature is inherently good, these gentlemen are not human and can be directly expelled from the human race.

In his past life, although he did not have the ability to save all living beings, he would always do his best to help when he saw suffering. This may be the inherent nature of every Chinese person.

Just like encountering a beggar on the street, even knowing that in today's society, most beggars probably earn more money than themselves, Lin Ran in her previous life would still hesitate for a moment after passing by, then turn back and hand over the spare change she had on her.

It's not that I want someone's gratitude; I just don't want to think about this in the middle of the night and make myself uneasy.

This is a kind of kindness cultivated by thousands of years of Chinese culture. It may not be great, but it makes people feel very at ease.

"At that moment, I was filled with joy and made a vow: if I am ever able to benefit and bring happiness to all sentient beings, please let my whole body immediately sprout a thousand hands and a thousand eyes..."

In the living room, Tomoko Suzuki was tidying up the food that had been brought in. Seeing Lin Ran muttering to herself as she walked out of the room, she teased, "What's wrong? Little Ranran, are you trying to steal your godmother's spot?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Lin Ran rolled her eyes at her and went over to help take out the food from the lunchbox and arrange it properly: "A thousand prayers are answered in a thousand places, and ten thousand calls are answered in ten thousand directions. The thousand hands and thousand eyes of the Bodhisattva are not a status, but rather the thousand eyes that see all the suffering in the world and the thousand hands that help those suffering in the world."

"Then it's my narrow-mindedness." Tomoko Suzuki clasped her hands together, her eyes smiling. "Please forgive me, godmother, for the sake of your precious son."

Lin Ran glared at her again.

Is that your godmother? Just call her that.

Tomoko Suzuki gave him a captivating, alluring glare: "If you're willing to accept my previous address and admit you're a moth, then I'll call the Bodhisattva 'older sister' right now. Do you dare?"

Lin Ran: "..."

He really didn't dare.

The young man was a little speechless: "You always act so noble and elegant in front of others, like a queen, but when you're in front of me, you don't care about your image at all."

"I've used the image of Suzuki Tomoko for decades." Suzuki Tomoko picked up a piece of stir-fried pork, chewed it with her red lips, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction. Then she picked up another piece and held it to Lin Ran's lips, smiling as she said, "You won't even let me relax a bit in private as Lin Tomoko?"

Lin Ran didn't want to talk to her.

He opened his mouth and took the piece of stir-fried pork from her hand. It tasted really good. The pork slices were thinly cut, with a good balance of fat and lean meat. It was stir-fried with green peppers and fermented black beans to perfection. With one bite, the meat juice burst in his mouth, with a fresh and spicy flavor and a hint of sweetness.

The two sat down in the living room, chatting and bickering, eating a home-style stir-fry prepared by a professional chef team on call 24 hours a day. They really looked like a couple who had just finished a busy day and were coming home for dinner.

After dinner, Lin Ran went back to her room to take a shower.

Lin Ran doesn't have that ability. He's okay at writing books and doing research, but when it comes to business, he's completely clueless. The only good thing about him is that he knows to let professionals do what they're good at.

For example, entrusting the Xinghai Group entirely to General Manager Ayako.

"You make being a hands-off boss sound so nice, you're really something..." Lin Ran muttered to herself as she dried her hair.

The phone rang at that moment.

Lin Ran picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID. Seeing that it was Yuanzi calling, she wasn't surprised at all.

He was already quite surprised that the young lady had waited until now to call, considering that his interview in the morning had already been all over the world by the afternoon.

Holding the phone a little further away, Lin Ran answered the call, and a deafening, girlish roar came from the other end: "Lin Ran!!!"

"Tsk~" Lin Ran was glad he had foresight, otherwise he would have had to go to the hospital to see a doctor about his perforated eardrum.

Lin Ran placed her phone on the desk, turned on speakerphone, and then sat down leisurely, saying, "I'm here, I'm here. Keep it down, your mom just fell asleep, don't wake her up."

"???"

The young lady was bewildered. What did she mean by "my mom just fell asleep, don't wake her up"? She felt like her whole body was radiating a green light.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Sonoko roared. "Don't tell me my mom's in your bed, lying right next to you, and you two shameless people... just... just finished doing that?"

"Sonoko, if you want to die, I can grant your wish right now." Lin Ran forgot to close the door, and Suzuki Tomoko's voice drifted from the living room.

Sonoko was startled and fell silent instantly.

The eldest daughter was still quite intimidated by her mother's authority. After all, compared to her obedient and sensible older sister, she had been beaten quite a bit since childhood. Suzuki Tomoko's "bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork" was one of her most vivid childhood memories.

Lin Ran went over and closed the door, then came back and asked with amusement, "Are you calm now?"

Sonoko looked aggrieved: "Didn't you say my mom was asleep?"

"If I didn't say that, would you be able to calm down with your aggressive attitude, Miss?" Lin Ran said with a smile.

Distracted like this, Sonoko's carefully built-up momentum instantly crumbled, and she said aggrievedly, "Then I'll ask you something, and you have to answer honestly."

"Okay, go ahead and ask."

"What exactly is your relationship with my mom?"

When Sonoko saw the interview in the afternoon, she was completely stunned. Lin Ran said in front of the whole world that her mother was his "most respected and beloved person". There was nothing wrong with the words themselves, but when paired with his gentle eyes and Suzuki Tomoko's smile, it just didn't look right.

"Didn't your mother tell you?" Lin Ran asked back.

"My mom didn't tell me anything!" Sonoko's voice rose several octaves. "When I asked her, she just said, 'Children shouldn't meddle in adult matters,' and then hung up! What do you mean, 'Children shouldn't meddle in adult matters'? I'm eighteen! And that's my mom! She and you…"

Lin Ran heard a series of frantic "Ahhh!" sounds coming from the other end of the phone, along with the dull thud of a pillow being hit against the wall.

He smiled slightly and said, "Then I'll be honest, I do really like Auntie."

"Don't talk nonsense, or my mom will hear you." Sonoko pouted on the other end of the phone. Lin Ran was so honest, she felt that maybe there really wasn't anything between them.

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow: "Is it possible that your mother also knows I like her?"

"Of course!" Sonoko hummed. "You two are so close, anyone who didn't know better would think you're the biological daughter, and my sister and I were adopted!"

"And what's with this accusatory look of yours?"

"Because I was jealous!" the young lady said matter-of-factly.

Who is her mother? The head of the Suzuki Group, a figure who has dominated the Japanese business world for decades. What kind of men hasn't she seen? How could she possibly be interested in a boy who is almost twenty years younger than her?

Besides, Lin Ran isn't that kind of person.

If he really had something going on with his mother, he wouldn't have been so open and honest during the interview today, saying, "She is my editor and the person I respect most." It's precisely because he's upright and honest that he dared to say it in front of the whole world.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner about the tips my mom gave you back then? I always thought I was the first to discover your hidden gem, but it turns out my mom had already done it before me."

The young lady's tone carried a hint of sour resentment, which was the real reason she had come to confront him.

She always thought she was the one with discerning eyes who recognized a hero; that she was the one who spotted Lin Ran in the crowd, that she was the one who brought him into her circle, and that she was the one who took a liking to him first.

I only found out today that experience truly matters.

"I only found out later," Lin Ran sighed. "Why do you think your aunt didn't tell you? It was for your sake."

"For me?"

"Think about it, what's your mother's status? She's the head of the Suzuki Group. If she publicly said, 'I gave a reward to a young writer,' what would people outside say?"

Lin Ran thought for a moment and then improvised a line on the spot: "Besides, she also wants to give you more leverage. Think about it, if you stand next to other girls in the future and they say, 'I've known Lin Ran for so long,' you can say, 'My mom discovered him before he became famous.' This confidence is the path that your aunt has paved for you in advance."

"Huh?"

Listening to Lin Ran's words, Yuanzi, sitting on the bed on the other end of the phone, changed her expression from anger to hesitation, from hesitation to doubt, and from doubt to... guilt.

Although my mom is very strict, she is absolutely wonderful to her daughter. From childhood to adulthood, no matter what trouble my daughter gets into, my mom is always there to clean up the mess. My mom never shortchanges her when it comes to what she wants.

Even when it comes to pursuing men, her mother personally takes charge and keeps an eye on things for her.

"Could it be... that I really misunderstood?"

"What else?" Lin Ran breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that her unconventional approach had succeeded.

When dealing with a woman, the more you deny it, the more suspicious she becomes; the more you take the initiative to admit it, the more she will start to reflect on whether she has misunderstood.

This is called the art of war, which is based on deception. Therefore, when you are capable, pretend you are incapable; when you are active, pretend you are not active; when you are near, pretend you are far; when you are far, pretend you are near.

Most importantly, everything he said before was the truth. As for the young lady's misunderstanding, taking it as affection for an elder, then he can't be blamed.

Sonoko also felt that her wild thoughts were a bit too absurd. Originally, she didn't take those nonsense media news seriously, but seeing the two of them being so intimate in front of the whole world made her a little jealous. After all, she had never been like that with Lin Ran.

"Lin Ran," Yuanzi called to him.

"Um."

Were you... angry just now?

"No." Lin Ran's tone was indifferent.

"You clearly did!" Sonoko snapped. "I already said I was wrong! Why are you being so petty!"

See? That's what women are like.

Even if they know they are wrong, they can still immediately find fault with you.

Lin Ran looked helpless: "I'm not angry."

"You have it!"

Sonoko first hummed, then her voice softened with a touch of coquettishness: "I'm sorry... I just missed you so much. It's your fault for going to London twice without taking me with you. Please don't be angry, okay?"

"We'll see," Lin Ran said dismissively, but the corners of her mouth were already curving into a smile.

"Stop saying that! Just say you forgive me now!"

"Alright, alright, I forgive you."

"Hehe, I knew you were the best!" Sonoko immediately perked up. "So when are you coming back to Japan? I'll pick you up from the airport!"

"It's still uncertain in a few days. I might stay and do some research to find inspiration for the next Harry Potter movie."

"Alright, I'll have Ran come along. We, the three tyrants of Teitan, will throw you a welcome-home party!"

"Okay," Lin Ran replied, hung up the phone, and leaned back comfortably in her chair.

What does it mean to turn the tables and take the lead?

"It's illegal to fool idiots~" Hearing the voice behind him, Lin Ran tilted his head back and saw that the bedroom door had been pushed open at some point. Suzuki Tomoko was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, looking at him with a half-smile in her phoenix eyes.

Lin Ran remained unfazed: "They say a tiger mother won't have a dog daughter, and that daughters are fools, so what are mothers then?"

Tomoko Suzuki was speechless.

She rolled her eyes at him, feeling somewhat embarrassed that her silly daughter had been dealt with so easily. She closed the door and returned to the living room to continue watching the news.

The little man stretched happily.

The young lady is quite useful after all!

After all, she's her own daughter; if her daughter embarrasses her, the mother will naturally feel ashamed too.

Having settled things with the young lady, Lin Ran breathed a sigh of relief and took out the manuscript of "Spring Snow" from her bag. She hadn't written anything for several days, so to avoid getting rusty, she took advantage of the free time to write a couple of chapters.

Flip through a book, calm your mind, and pick up a pen to write.

He wrote for several hours. During this time, Tomoko Suzuki pushed open the door to take a look. Seeing that he was doing something important, she stood at the door for a while, then went back to watch the news, turning the volume down.

It was past 12 p.m.

Lin Ran, who was engrossed in writing, suddenly felt something strange beside her. When she looked up, she saw Suzuki Tomoko standing next to her. Her noble and aloof face was flushed with excitement, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye was twitching slightly.

He paused, then, as if remembering something, asked, "Are the first-day statistics for Harry Potter out?"

"Um!"

"How many?"

"Guess."