The heavens set sail from the courtyard

When Xia Lin saw the pretty girl next to Lu Tao, her heart felt like it was blocked, and she remained silent for a long time.

"Lu Tao, what are you doing blocking the door!" Xiang Nan's voice came from outside, and Xia Lin was slightly surprised.

Xiang Nan nudged Lu Tao, revealing half of his head.

"It smells so good! Charlene, did you make something delicious?"

"Lu Tao, why didn't you say you'd bring guests home!" Xia Lin awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Didn't you say you were working the night shift? Why are you here?"

Lu Tao took two steps forward, stepped aside, and rushed in without any politeness, carrying two large buckets of fried chicken.

"Xia Lin, we came uninvited, will we be bothering you?" Xiang Nan placed the fried chicken directly on the table and also saw the dinner Xia Lin had prepared.

Xia Lin glanced at the girl next to Lu Tao and said, "Lu Tao has been working hard lately, and I was planning to cook him a meal to reward him."

Lu Tao noticed Xia Lin's gaze and quickly introduced, "This is Fang Lingshan, the daughter of Xu Zhisen's friend. It's her first time in the capital. Xu Zhisen asked me to show her around, and I saw that Xiang Nan was free, so I invited him along."

Xia Lin smiled at Fang Lingshan and said, "Hello, Miss Fang, welcome to the capital."

Fang Lingshan, speaking with a strong Taiwanese accent, said to Xia Lin, "You must be Sister Xia Lin! Brother Lu Tao often mentions you; you really are a great beauty."

The gloom in Xia Lin's eyes dissipated somewhat, and she smiled brightly, saying, "Everyone, don't stand at the door! Come in and sit down."

Lu Tao was still standing there like a wooden stake. Xia Lin complained, "If I had known you were bringing guests home, I would have cooked two more dishes."

Xiang Nan chuckled and said, "It's nothing. We bought KFC; we were planning to watch the game and drink beer."

Lu Tao explained to Xia Lin, "We were a bit tired after a day of sightseeing, so Ling Shan suggested we come to my house for a look. Her family is in the real estate business and is very interested in mainland architecture."

Xia Lin nodded, glanced at the stylish and youthful Fang Lingshan, and felt that the way she looked at Lu Tao was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
"Sister Xia Lin, you won't mind if I bother you, will you?" Fang Lingshan looked at Lu Tao helplessly with her innocent face.

Lu Tao was also a little uneasy at this moment, and kept observing Xia Lin's expression.

"How could that be? I'm more than happy to have you as a guest. It's just that the house is a bit messy, please don't mind." Xia Lin said magnanimously, adopting the air of a homeowner.

Xiang Nan then spoke up, "Can we eat now?"

Lu Tao said, "Yes, yes, everyone, sit down and eat first, and chat while you eat."

Charlene maintained her composure and said to Fang Lingshan, "Miss Fang, please don't be shy, just make yourself at home."

"Lu Tao, could you get me some bowls and chopsticks?"

“Okay, I’ll help.” Lu Tao quickly agreed and walked into the kitchen with Xia Lin.

Xia Lin's expression changed as soon as she entered the kitchen; her face darkened. Lu Tao, being perceptive, noticed that his girlfriend was angry.

"Are you upset that I didn't tell you beforehand before bringing him home?" Lu Tao asked cautiously.

"How could I blame you? This is your home, not mine." Xia Lin said expressionlessly, taking out a bowl and chopsticks and rinsing them with boiling water.

Lu Tao knew Xia Lin was angry, and said anxiously, "Let me explain. I didn't want to bring her home in the first place, but Fang Lingshan insisted on coming, and Xiang Nan was egging me on. I had no choice."

Xia Lin took out some side dishes from the refrigerator and asked seemingly casually, "When did you start accompanying Miss Fang on tours of the capital?" Lu Tao's face stiffened, and he looked bitter. He hadn't expected Xia Lin to be so perceptive and to grasp the key point so quickly.

In fact, Lu Tao had started taking Fang Lingshan on a trip a few days ago, but he had chosen to keep it a secret from Xia Lin, just in case she misunderstood!

Xu Zhisen's company has a lot of people, and if he really wanted to take care of Fang Lingshan, there were plenty of people he could choose from. However, he had his son Lu Tao accompany her personally. Anyone with eyes could see that he wanted to matchmake Lu Tao and Fang Lingshan.

Although Lu Tao clearly stated that he had a girlfriend, in Xu Zhisen's eyes, only a woman who could bring benefits to both him and Lu Tao was the most suitable for his son.

Fang Lingshan's family is very wealthy. Xu Zhisen's foray into the mainland market will require the Fang family's assistance. If Lu Tao and Fang Lingshan really become a couple, that would be a win-win situation.

As for Xia Lin, Xu Zhisen didn't consider her feelings at all. She was just an ordinary person working in a nightclub, not good enough for Lu Tao, and she shouldn't even think about becoming his daughter-in-law.

Lu Tao and Xia Lin could both sense Xu Zhisen's attitude, especially Xia Lin, who knew from the beginning that Xu Zhisen didn't like her.

Therefore, she felt a huge threat as soon as she saw Fang Lingshan!
Xia Lin snatched Lu Tao from Mi Lai, so naturally she was afraid that someone else would take her boyfriend away. Perhaps from the very beginning, Xia Lin lacked confidence in Lu Tao!
However, she has a strong sense of pride and would never admit it verbally, but Lu Tao understands her and knows that she is angry now.

"Xia Lin, believe me, Fang Lingshan and I are completely innocent. I even plan to introduce Fang Lingshan to Xiang Nan." Lu Tao grabbed Xia Lin's hand and said:

"I called Xiang Nan here today to create opportunities for them."

"I noticed it a long time ago, and I guess Miss Fang noticed it too, but I feel like she's not interested in Xiang Nan," Xia Lin said, pursing her lips.

Lu Tao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "So we'll help Xiang Nan out later. You don't know, he's been really into horny lately, and he keeps talking about finding a girlfriend."

Charlene asked curiously, "Logically speaking, Xiang Nan's conditions aren't bad, so why is he still single?"

Lu Tao sighed and said, "Xiang Nan did take a liking to your friend Yang Xiaoyun before, but it seems she has her eye on Gao Qiang?"

"Huh?" Xia Lin, having been successfully distracted by Lu Tao, asked, "How do Xiang Nan and Gao Qiang know Yang Xiaoyun? I've never heard her mention me!"

Lu Tao glanced at Xiang Nan outside and whispered, "I heard from Xiang Nan that it was Mi Lai who introduced them, but Yang Xiaoyun took a liking to Gao Qiang. Xiang Nan has been very upset about this and hasn't spoken to Gao Qiang for a while."

Charlene couldn't help but think of what happened that afternoon, and said, "I thought Gao Qiang was pursuing Mi Lai. They seemed quite intimate this afternoon."

Lu Tao asked in astonishment, "You saw Mi Lai and Gao Qiang?"

Xia Lin told Lu Tao what happened at the supermarket that afternoon, and Lu Tao's face immediately darkened.

"Hmph! I knew it, Gao Qiang harbors ill intentions towards Mi Lai!" Lu Tao said coldly, "Otherwise, he wouldn't have argued with me like that!"

Charlene said sourly, "You and Mi Lai have already broken up. It's none of your business who she wants to be with!"

Lu Tao said angrily, "I'm angry at Gao Qiang. He probably had his eye on Mi Lai back in school, when she was my girlfriend."

He dared to covet his brother's woman! He deserves to die!

Charlene glanced at Lu Tao and said, "Regretting breaking up with Mi Lai? Go back to her now, it might not be too late!"

Lu Tao was taken aback, and then realized that he had said the wrong thing.

(End of this chapter)