Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day, I took the initiative and sent him a good morning text. Lin Yue replied with a good morning too, then left a message asking me to meet for lunch.

I got myself ready and, right on time, climbed into his Bentley.

“Not bad today,” I said with a smile, looking him over. “You replied to my WeChat promptly, took the initiative to ask me out, and the car you drove gives me plenty of face. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“You really should get your hair trimmed.” After staring long enough, I politely shifted my gaze away.

For the first time in his life, Lin Yue experienced the “female gaze.” A little panicked, he touched his hair, and for the rest of the ride he kept glancing at the rearview mirror, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with his hairstyle.

The truth was, a gaze was a form of power.

Men were always appraising women. Their eyes set the rules for women-what counted as beautiful, what counted as sexy.

So when I sized Lin Yue up without the slightest restraint, it was merely to show him who held the power between us.

Later, at the dining table, I kept that same energy going.

“The restaurant is lovely, the food is delicious, and you’re very much a gentleman. But I feel like you don’t really know how to make a girl happy-when you’re with Sister Xu, are you this quiet too?”

Lin Yue coughed, looking slightly nervous. “I’m not really sure what to talk about with girls.”

“Compliment me.” I leaned forward and looked into his eyes.

He froze for a moment, a faint blush rising to his face. “…You look very pretty today.”

“Go on.”

He turned his head away. “Your outfit is very simple and pure.”

“A little more detail. Better than a vague compliment. What else?”

He struggled for a long time before finally saying, “Your lipstick shade looks good.”

Seeing that he really couldn’t squeeze out anything more, I lowered my head and cut into my steak. “Were you busy this morning?”

“Not too bad.”

“Tell me something about your company. I’m really curious. I’ve never met any other CEOs. You’re the only one I know.”

I rested my chin on my hand and looked into his eyes with absolute sincerity.

Lin Yue began talking about his work, and I was responsible for guiding the conversation and praising him. Before either of us realized it, he’d told me quite a lot.

At the end, I gave him some guidance. “See that? You need to lead the other person into talking about themselves, then keep complimenting them. That way, they’ll want to share with you, and you’ll deepen your understanding of each other.”

Lin Yue immediately applied what he’d learned. “Then what were you doing this morning?”

“Thinking about you,” I said without missing a beat.

His eyes flickered. To hide it, he turned his head away, his handsome face flushing slightly.

I lowered my eyes and leisurely continued cutting my steak. “Just a little conversational technique.”