I'm a Villain! Why Are You Trying to Date Me? - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Tears Dripping Down—Did Shang Chan Stay the Night at Lin Tian’s Place?

The dinner was somewhat silent—at least for Lin Tian.

For Shang Chan, however, it was anything but. Every now and then, she could hear Lin Tian’s thoughts loud and clear.

[Why is she snatching my drink? What’s wrong with this woman? Also, how’s her alcohol tolerance? Hope she doesn’t get drunk and start acting crazy! I’ve heard that drunk women can be terrifying!]

[Sigh… honestly, Shang Chan is pretty pitiful. Used as a pawn by her family, sold off by her father to gain favor—she has no one to rely on. Born into wealth, but trapped like a caged bird… Beautiful, yes, but far from free.]

[Now, her last bargaining chip, Xinghai Group, is about to slip from her grasp. Soon, she’ll have nothing left to negotiate with—whether against her family or Jiang Yifeng. In the end, the only thing she has left… is herself. How miserable.]

[Wait, what the hell? Why are her eyes turning red? I swear I didn’t put that much chili in the food!]

Lin Tian watched in stunned silence as Shang Chan took bite after bite, sip after sip—until her eyes turned red…

At first, he thought it was because the food was too spicy. What he didn’t realize was that his thoughts had touched something deep inside her.

Just as Lin Tian had assumed, growing up in the Zhao family seemed like a life of endless wealth and smooth sailing. But in reality, Shang Chan had always been more like a perfectly calibrated machine, with every step of her life meticulously arranged by her family—by her father.

Xinghai Group was one of the few things she could truly rely on. It was her own achievement, something she had built from the ground up, forged through countless business battles. It was hers and hers alone.

To outsiders, Shang Chan was a prodigy, flawless, the pride of her parents, the “golden child” others could only dream of becoming.

But deep down, how could she not long for freedom? How could she not crave even a moment of indulgence?

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand hardship. In truth, from childhood to now, Shang Chan had always put in ten times the effort of her peers.

Even without the Zhao family behind her, her natural talent in business would have eventually shone through.

The usual cold and decisive demeanor Shang Chan carried was not just a part of her personality—it was a fortress, a thick wall she had built around herself since childhood.

But now…

Lin Tian’s thoughts were like a sharp blade, piercing straight into her heart, carving a crack into that impenetrable wall.

…

“P-President… What’s wrong? Was it too spicy?”

Lin Tian looked at her with concern, quickly grabbing a tissue and handing it over. At the same time, he reassured her, “This tissue is new… You can use it.”

Shang Chan stared at him in a daze.

He remembered that she had a cleanliness obsession, so he made sure her chopsticks, bowl, and even tissues were all new.

He knew she was trapped, helpless, lacking freedom.

He knew Ice Eye had schemed against Xinghai, knew she was Jiang Yifeng’s target.

But then… why didn’t he help her? Why was he just watching, letting her fight this battle alone?

Why?!

The more Shang Chan thought about it, the more wronged she felt.

And just like that—drip, drip—tears began falling from her eyes.

Lin Tian was completely dumbfounded!

“President, what’s wrong? Hey… don’t cry!!”

If Xiaoyun were here, she would have been absolutely shocked!

There was a secret that only a handful of people knew—

The moment Shang Chan touched alcohol, she became a completely different person!

To keep this secret, she had always abstained from drinking…

Yet now, she was drinking in Lin Tian’s home, alone with him in the dead of night?!

Xiaoyun knew about it, but Lin Tian didn’t.

Having never encountered this situation before, he could only hurriedly hand Shang Chan a tissue. She took it but didn’t wipe her tears—she just stared at him in a daze.

After a long silence, her voice came soft and trembling with sobs.

“Why… why won’t you help me?”

Lin Tian thought she was talking about his resignation.

He sighed inwardly—how did trying to quit his job end up making the female president cry?

“That… President, how about this? I won’t resign, but can I take a leave of absence instead?”

Lin Tian spoke helplessly. He really couldn’t bear to see a woman cry.

Especially someone like Shang Chan—a beauty of her caliber, with tears glistening like dewdrops on flower petals—who could possibly resist?

Hearing his words, Shang Chan’s eyes instantly lit up!

She wiped away her tears with the tissue, and it was as if she had switched personalities in a single second.

“Alright, I agree to let you take leave, but you have to promise me one thing in return!”

Her voice carried a delicate, almost endearing tone—something she herself didn’t even notice.

Lin Tian raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“What condition?”

“You have to agree first!”

Shang Chan’s eyes were still red, streaked with tear stains, making her look pitiful—like someone who had just been wronged.

Lin Tian felt himself caving…

“Alright, alright… as long as it’s not too much, I promise!”

In an instant, Shang Chan broke into a dazzling smile.

Her delicate features, arched brows, slightly upturned nose, and soft, rosy lips made her look breathtakingly beautiful.

Tear stains were still visible on her fair skin.

Yet at this moment, Shang Chan’s smile seemed to melt away all the coldness, leaving Lin Tian momentarily dazed.

In his trance, he vaguely heard Shang Chan say something and instinctively agreed.

Then, a second later, he snapped back to reality.

“Wait, what?! Go home with you? Why… why am I going home with you?!”

Lin Tian was so shocked that he nearly knocked over his bowl.

The original owner of this body was indeed a trusted aide of Shang Chan’s father, Zhao Dongyun. But ever since he was sent to Xinghai Group, he hadn’t set foot in the Zhao family home for years!

Going back now… wasn’t that like willingly jumping into the eye of the storm?

Moreover, according to the plot, tomorrow was exactly when the male lead, Jiang Yifeng, would visit the Zhao family.

At that time, Jiang Yifeng would accidentally expose his true identity, just as Xinghai Group fell victim to Ice Eye Group’s schemes—dragging the Zhao family down with it.

Helpless, Zhao Dongyun had no choice but to turn to Jiang Yifeng for help, practically selling his daughter in exchange for preserving Xinghai Group and barely keeping the Zhao family afloat.

However, becoming Jiang Yifeng’s harem was inevitable.

“Uh… President… I think I’ll pass on going back. I’ve got things to do. Can’t you just go back on your own?”

Lin Tian spoke with clear reluctance.

Hearing this, Shang Chan’s eyes turned red again, her small lips pouting.

“But you promised me…”

That soft, coquettish tone made Lin Tian’s scalp tingle.

[Crap, crap! Femme fatale alert!! What do I do? Jiang Yifeng is going to the Zhao family tomorrow—if I go back with Shang Chan, I’ll be walking straight into a death trap! No way, no way. If I want to survive, I either don’t go back, or I need to come clean about this whole thing!]

His mind raced with possibilities.

The next second, he looked at Shang Chan and noticed her gaze had already turned hazy.

Was her alcohol tolerance that bad…?

Lin Tian sighed helplessly.

After a long pause, he finally nodded.

“Alright, President, I’ll go back with you and explain everything to the boss while we’re at it…”

[Shang Chan really is a pitiful person… Sigh, I’ll just go back with her and see what happens. At worst, I’ll just make sure not to get involved with Jiang Yifeng!]

Through her hazy vision, Shang Chan heard Lin Tian’s thoughts and, satisfied, drifted into unconsciousness.

Lin Tian let out a startled cry and quickly stepped forward to catch her.

…

As night fell, downstairs in Chenghai Community, Xiaoyun sat in the driver’s seat of her Porsche, absentmindedly lost in thought.

Before long, she dozed off.

By the time she woke up, daylight had already broken.

Rubbing her eyes, Xiaoyun suddenly jolted awake, quickly glancing at the passenger and back seats—only to find that Shang Chan was nowhere in sight.

“The President… really spent the night at Manager Lin’s place?”

“This… are they actually living together now?”

She murmured in disbelief, utterly shocked.

At the same time, Shang Chan was just waking up in an unfamiliar bed.

“Wh-where am I…?”