Genius Club

Chapter 134: Chapter 126 Trap
 

The bright incandescent light was shining down.

Casting its glow on the dark red invitation.

The seal’s reflection in the eerie red light made it hard for Lin Xian to discern the pattern on it.

Lin Xian, unflappable, looked at Zhao Yingjun:

“For me?”

“Yeah.”

Zhao Yingjun’s earrings reflected the light of the incandescent bulbs, sparkling as she smiled with a twinkle in her eye:

“Isn’t it a surprise?”

“It is quite unexpected.”

Lin Xian stepped forward and picked up the invitation.

As soon as he touched the material…

He understood.

This wasn’t an invitation from the Genius Club; it was completely different from the one Zhao Yingjun had.

This invitation felt more luxurious, with a plush texture unlike ordinary cardstock.

Lin Xian held it up to his face, eyeing the sealed wax blob embossed with a crest, and immediately spotted a familiar name.

Donghai Chamber of Commerce.

“I didn’t expect Chu Shanhe would also send you an invitation.”

Zhao Yingjun, elbow on the desk, propped up her chin, and regarded Lin Xian:

“The most grandiose event of the year, the [Donghai Chamber of Commerce New Year’s Gala], usually doesn’t extend invitations to those outside the Chamber.”

“Of course… that’s not absolute. In fact, every year Chu Shanhe does extend invitations to many socialites and bigwigs of Donghai, since after all, it’s his private banquet. He invites whoever he wants.”

“But your invitation…”

Zhao Yingjun chuckled and shook her head:

“I really don’t understand your invitation. Do you have any private connections with Chu Shanhe?”

“None.”

Lin Xian couldn’t figure it out himself.

Why would Chu Shanhe send him a dinner invitation?

He was neither a member of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce.

Nor was he any famous Donghai dignitary.

Moreover, he had no personal relationship with Chu Shanhe. Their only exchange had been at the MX Company’s celebration.

But even that was out of consideration for Zhao Yingjun’s face that Chu Shanhe deigned to exchange a few words with him.

That nominal standing surely wouldn’t qualify him for the invitation.

It couldn’t be…

Because of his recent leap over the overpass that had gone viral, could it?

Definitely not.

Lin Xian dismissed the ridiculous notion.

Chu Shanhe would never send an invitation to someone for such a reason; it would be ludicrous.

“I can’t make sense of it either.”

Lin Xian shook his head:

“Couldn’t be because of your good grace, could it?”

“How could that be, what are you thinking, Lin Xian.” Zhao Yingjun laughed softly, looking down:

“What sort of standing do I have with Chu Shanhe?”

“But regardless, the invitation was indeed intended for you. This afternoon, someone from the Shanhe Corporation specifically came to the office to deliver the invitations, handing me two and explicitly stating that one was yours.”

“Take a look at it.”

Upon hearing this.

Lin Xian lifted the wax seal and opened the fold.

Inside were the usual formalities of an invitation.

Detailing the time and place of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce New Year’s Gala.

The location was a private club owned by Chu Shanhe, and the time was the evening after tomorrow at seven o’clock.

At the top of the invitation, two characters were firmly penned in ink: Lin Xian. Lin Xian was unsure whether Chu Shanhe had written them himself, but the strokes were bold and strong, suggesting the writer had some calligraphy skills.

“Quite mysterious.”

Lin Xian closed the invitation.

He actually didn’t want to go.

Such galas were of little interest to him by nature, especially when it was an internal event of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce… he wouldn’t know a soul there, which could be quite awkward.

But earlier, to gain Zhao Yingjun’s trust, he had deliberately presented himself in front of her as someone eager for success, hoping to achieve something significant.

If he now appeared disinterested… it seemed inappropriate.

At this moment, he was just a step away from becoming Zhao Yingjun’s secretary, learning the password to the office’s secure door, and seeing that invitation from the Genius Club. He couldn’t falter now.

“But since Chu Shanhe took the trouble to send me an invitation, it would be rude not to go.”

Lin Xian twirled the invitation in his hand:

“Anyway, I don’t have anything else planned for the evening after next, so I might as well broaden my horizons.”

Zhao Yingjun nodded:

“It’s good to meet those important figures. It will certainly help your future career.”

“Then I’ll see you at the gala the evening after next.”

Bang.

After leaving Zhao Yingjun’s office, the double-layered security doors closed with a bang behind him.

Lin Xian curled his lip.

Was Zhao Yingjun still hesitant? When was she planning to announce his appointment as her secretary…? With the New Year almost upon them, was the chance to see that Genius Club invitation going to be delayed until after the holidays?

“It shouldn’t be.”

Zhao Yingjun was known for her efficiency and decisiveness.

Once she made up her mind, she would act on it quickly, and that would probably be in the next few days.

Ding————

A crisp sound.

The elevator doors in front of her slowly opened…

…

In the suburbs of Donghai City, at Linhu Villa.

Accompanied by the faint sound of bearing rotation, the intricately crafted and expensive mahogany double doors were pushed open by a pair of dry, wrinkled, elderly hands.

Inside the room, the fair-skinned boy sat in front of a floor-to-ceiling window that dominated the front wall, moonlight spilling beside him, the computer screen’s glow lighting up his slender face, making the boy seem like an ice sculpture, covered in frost.

“…”

Seeing this scene, the old man was rather speechless:

“I think the game of cat and mouse doesn’t need to be played anymore… You have won, Ji Lin, won thoroughly. If the mouse doesn’t leave its house, even the most powerful cat can’t catch it.”

“The only thing you need to worry about is… mice are short-lived creatures, are you trying to outlive that cat, or do you intend to wait until my old bones are buried before you’re willing to step outside and bask in the sun?”

“You’ve come at the perfect time, Arrogance,” Ji Lin didn’t look up, still staring at the laptop screen, his right middle finger continuously scrolling the mouse wheel:

“I need you to do something for me.”

“What is it?”

“I need an… invitation to the Donghai Chamber of Commerce’s New Year’s Eve banquet. Are you familiar with the president of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce, Chu Shanhe?”

The old man shook his head:

“Such a small fry… is beneath my notice.”

“Don’t say that, Arrogance, didn’t you also start and prosper from Donghai City back in the day?”

“Haha, even so, when I was making it big in Donghai City, Chu Shanhe was just a little brat, we were not on the same level.”

“In any case, I need an invitation to the Donghai Chamber of Commerce’s New Year’s Eve banquet.”

“Alright, that’s not difficult.”

The old man answered with ease, not taking it seriously at all:

“Though a dragon should not oppress the local serpent, an invitation to a mere banquet is nothing challenging. Leave it to me.”

“It’s rare for you to ask me for help… I suppose this time you’re truly planning to leave your burrow to catch a mouse?”

“Pretty much,” Ji Lin put down the mouse, stretched his arms, and smiled:

“At least, it’s time to send a greeting.”

“That’s good.”

The old man was very satisfied:

“Then I can leave Donghai with peace of mind. The next time we meet, it might be several months from now… I hope to hear some good news from you by then.”

“Why are you going away for so long this time?” Ji Lin raised his head:

“Are you going back to Brooklyn again?”

The old man nodded:

“The New Year is coming, and I indeed need to visit Brooklyn once more, but besides that, I have other things to deal with abroad. The historical chaos triggered by Xu Yun’s published research material is considerable… I have a lot of work on my hands.”

“Brooklyn, you really like that place.”

“Because there… I have old friends,” the old man adjusted his hat brim:

“I always need to pay tribute to them.”

“It’s been many years, hasn’t it? Ever since I can remember, you go to Brooklyn every year around this time.”

“Indeed, many years…”

The old man’s voice was hoarse, laden with the scars of time:

“Much earlier than you think, Ji Lin… The summer of 1952, it’s been so long, far too long.”

“Over the years, I’ve actually forgotten what they looked like, but I still remember the feeling of being with them… Whenever it comes to mind, it makes me nostalgic, as if it were just yesterday.”

Ji Lin looked at the sorrowful old man:

“I rarely hear you talk about friends; I always thought Xu Yun was your only friend.”

“People should have a few friends, and so should you, Ji Lin.”

The old man’s dry hands opened the mahogany door, and the warm yellow light from the courtyard flooded in, enveloping the old man in a glow.

Next to a Lincoln sedan stood a driver in a black suit with white gloves. The car had not turned off, indicating the old man never intended to stay long, just came to say goodbye.

“By the way, Ji Lin, there’s something else I need to tell you.”

The old man turned back, the warm yellow light illuminating his contours, outlining him with a golden edge:

“I’m leaving for so long this time, and I’m really worried about you, which is why I asked Jealousy to assist you.”

“Assist or supervise?”

“To assist, Ji Lin. Although I always say you’re lazy, most of that is just my frustration speaking, honestly, I’m quite satisfied with you in many aspects.”

“Thank you for your recognition.”

Ji Lin placed the Rhine Cat Doll on the table, leaning it against the cabinet facing the door:

“Can you send someone else then? I don’t like Jealousy.”

“That’s good.”

The old man chuckled:

“Jealousy doesn’t like you either and said the same about you. But that’s your job, try to be friends.”

Ji Lin yawned, scratching his hair:

“Where is Jealousy then?”

“I wasn’t talking about right now… Jealousy will come to Donghai to find you after the New Year.”

“After the New Year?”

Ji Lin couldn’t help but laugh:

“Our evil organization even has New Year holidays? Why does it have to be after the New Year?”

“If only you were this conscientious all the time, Ji Lin,” the old man stepped outside the door:

“Jealousy is going back home to Hang City for a while.”

The dry, wrinkled hand closed the door:

“To attend a… class reunion.”