I'm a Villain! Why Are You Trying to Date Me? - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Holding Her Close, Holding Her Tight! A Shy Shang Chan and a Flustered Lin Tian!

Lin Tian supported Shang Chan as they exited through the side door.

Outside, he looked helplessly at Shang Chan, who frowned without saying a word, and sighed inwardly.

[She’s grown-up and still doesn’t know how to be careful!]

Hearing the voice in Lin Tian’s heart that sounded like both scolding and concern, a faint smile crept onto Shang Chan’s lips.

[But after tonight, the Jiang Yifeng and Zhao family conflict will be in full swing… That guy’s got plenty of cards up his sleeve. I wonder if Shang Chan can hold her ground. Even if the Zhao family completely hands over power to her, dealing with Jiang Yifeng won’t be that simple…]

Shang Chan’s brows raised slightly, then she casually said, pretending it was nothing, “Lin Tian, the gift I gave you tonight… did you like it?”

Lin Tian’s mouth twitched slightly, and he put on an innocent face. “Gift? What gift? I didn’t see any gift.”

[Gift? More like a jump scare! If you’re going to go to war with Jiang Yifeng, at least give me a heads-up so I can get out of the blast zone! But seriously, how did Shang Chan suddenly know there was something wrong with that proposal? And even dragged out Zhao Dongshan and Zhao Dongshui… Tsk, too many variables.]

Listening to the words coming out of Lin Tian’s mouth, completely different from what was going on in his head, Shang Chan pouted slightly.

This man didn’t say a single honest word!

But maybe, just maybe, it was because she could hear Lin Tian’s true inner voice that she’d subconsciously begun to rely on him… and feel closer to him.

In the past, let alone a twisted ankle—even if she’d fallen flat on her face—she would’ve never let another man touch her. Much less pretended she couldn’t walk just to have Lin Tian support her.

What she hadn’t realized yet was that around Lin Tian, she was slowly becoming someone else.

Outwardly, she still looked like that cold, commanding CEO, the unshakable powerhouse of a woman.

But little details—and the soft places in her heart—were already quietly being changed by Lin Tian.

…

“Hmph, like it or not, I gave you the gift anyway!”

Shang Chan let out a coy little huff, her delicate nose wrinkling just slightly. That fleeting charm in her expression left Lin Tian frozen in place for a moment!

In the past, Shang Chan was always the decisive and authoritative CEO of Xinghai, the unquestioned heiress of the Zhao family. But at this moment, she looked more like a girl playfully pouting—innocent, lively, and adorable.

Even though Lin Tian had warned himself countless times, he still found himself dazed for a few seconds.

It wasn’t until Shang Chan gently tapped him that he snapped out of it.

[Nope, nope, this woman is way too dangerous—she’s practically a siren! Does she even realize what she’s doing? Damn it, if this keeps up, I really might have to resign. With a temptress like her so close, who could keep their composure… Jiang Yifeng’s already enraged. His focus should be on the Zhao family, but no way he’ll ignore Shang Chan!]

[If I get too close to her and piss him off, it’s nothing for him to crush a small fry like me! Tsk… come to think of it, even the position of Investment Manager at Xinghai might not be low-profile enough…]

Lin Tian’s mind was spinning with thoughts, so much so that he completely missed what Shang Chan had just said.

“Lin Tian, were you even listening to me?”

Shang Chan feigned annoyance, but her usual cool demeanor didn’t hold a trace of real anger. When she was truly upset, she was always distant and calm, not like now—with her pouty lips and that delicate little frown on her refined face, laced with playful vexation.

Lin Tian let out a soft sigh.

“Sorry, I zoned out just now… what did you say?”

“I asked, are you still thinking about resigning?”

Shang Chan looked at him with a trace of unease in her eyes. She had heard Lin Tian’s inner thoughts just moments ago, and she could guess—he must know something, some information that made him deeply wary of Jiang Yifeng. So much so that he was willing to give up a high-paying job at Xinghai, even give her up, just to stay far away from the storm.

Shang Chan couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling.

On one hand, she knew Lin Tian wasn’t wrong. Jiang Yifeng’s background definitely wasn’t simple. Just those black-clad operatives from earlier—she couldn’t tell at all what faction they belonged to.

In the looming war between the Zhao family, the Bai family, Jiang Yifeng, and possibly even other major families of Licheng, Lin Tian really was just one man, completely alone. If he got caught in the crossfire, the consequences could be disastrous—utter ruin with no way out.

As the Zhao family heiress, no one understood the power of these old families better than she did.

But on the other hand, from Shang Chan’s own perspective—she truly didn’t want Lin Tian to leave Xinghai, or to leave her.

Setting aside the fluttering thoughts of a young woman, the information revealed through Lin Tian’s inner voice had been incredibly helpful to her.

Take this recent incident—if it hadn’t been for what she heard from Lin Tian’s thoughts, she wouldn’t even dare imagine what the situation would be like right now.

She might have ended up as some villain’s concubine;

The Zhao family might have become his vassals.

Her father, her grandfather—who knew if they would’ve been stripped of power. In the end, would the Zhao family even still bear the Zhao name?

With such a complex tangle of emotions, Shang Chan herself didn’t know what kind of answer she was hoping to hear from Lin Tian.

Nervous. Hesitant. Flustered.

If anyone else knew that these emotions were swirling inside Shang Chan, their jaws would probably hit the floor…

This was the same woman who, when Xinghai was on the brink of bankruptcy, remained calm as a mountain. With cold analysis and brilliant business acumen, she had dragged a hundred-billion-level enterprise back from the edge of ruin.

Yet now, her heart wavered—because of a man.

…….

Lin Tian steadied his mind and carefully supported Shang Chan, doing his best to avoid glancing at the flawless figure just inches away.

But that faint, alluring fragrance kept wafting into his nose—what was he supposed to do, stop breathing?

Aside from silently wailing in his heart that this woman was a total enchantress, there really wasn’t much else he could do.

After a moment, he let out a long sigh and said, “I… I guess I don’t have to quit. But, can I change positions?”

Shang Chan immediately understood what he meant—this was what Lin Tian had just been thinking. He felt that being the General Manager of Xinghai’s Investment Department was still too eye-catching.

“So, what position do you want to switch to?” she asked with curiosity, her tone essentially already agreeing.

After all, as long as Lin Tian didn’t leave Xinghai—as long as he was still with her—she was already happy enough.

Lin Tian thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, “How about… the Security Department? Ahem… I feel like I’d be pretty well-suited to be the Head of Security!”

Upon hearing that, Shang Chan was momentarily stunned.

Then, she suddenly burst into laughter, letting out a light “pfft.” Reaching out her fair, slender hand, she pressed it against Lin Tian’s chest and teased, “Lin Tian, with how scrawny you are, how are you even remotely suited to be the head of security?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than both their bodies stiffened in unison!

Only then did Shang Chan realize—far too late—that the position they were in… might be a little too intimate!

Lin Tian had already been supporting her with one arm. Now, with Shang Chan turning toward him and placing a hand on his chest, from an outsider’s perspective, it looked like Lin Tian was trying to make a move, while Shang Chan was half-heartedly pushing him away in that classic, ambiguous “resisting yet yielding” posture…

Lin Tian felt his heartbeat speeding up like mad.

[What the hell… Shang Chan, what are you doing? Move your hand already!!]

He wailed inwardly. Shang Chan, hearing the cry in his heart, recoiled as if she’d been shocked by electricity, yanking her hand away instinctively.

Heaven knows—this really was her first time doing something like this, and it was totally unconscious…

But in her haste to step back, she overdid it—stumbling backward with too much force. Lin Tian, who had still been holding her for support, instinctively grabbed her—one arm wrapping around her waist, the other catching her back.

Lin Tian stood frozen, absolutely stunned!

[What the actual hell—this kind of ridiculously cliché romance drama nonsense is actually happening right now? Damn… not bad, Shang Chan.]

At this moment, Lin Tian and Shang Chan’s posture was practically straight out of a tango performance—the kind where the female dancer leans dramatically backward, while the male dancer holds her firmly in place.

Feeling the warmth of those large hands supporting her back and waist, Shang Chan felt dizzy, lightheaded.

Strangely… she found herself liking that warmth.

“Uh… Lin… Lin Tian, you…”

“I’m helping you up.”

Lin Tian was internally groaning in agony.

He really didn’t want to get involved with Shang Chan—the number one female lead. Even if she’d already turned against Jiang Yifeng, she was definitely still his number one target going forward.

Getting too close to her was like painting a bullseye on your back—sooner or later, Jiang Yifeng was bound to come after you.

And yet somehow, things just kept spiraling out of control…

Once she was standing again, Lin Tian subtly took a step back. Still lost in a daze, Shang Chan didn’t notice.

Her cheeks were flushed, that creamy white neck tinged pink with blush, lashes fluttering, eyes shimmering as though on the verge of tears.

That bashful allure—it practically doubled her charm on the spot!

Lin Tian immediately closed his eyes, silently chanting the Clear Heart Mantra.

Shang Chan, catching the inner voice in his mind, couldn’t help it—she burst out laughing again.

A shy, beautiful woman, her smile breathtaking… yet in that moment, no one was watching.

Not even Lin Tian, who had squeezed his eyes shut.

He suddenly remembered a scene from Journey to the West—when the Queen of the Women’s Kingdom asked Tang Monk, “Holy monk, why won’t you dare look at me?”

Perhaps, at that moment, the Tang Monk was just like him—eyes closed, lips sealed.