Phoenix A: Internet Sensation! ( GL , ABO) - Chapter 10
“A Hypocrite.”
The person Yu Mengning’s father had chosen for her arranged marriage was a doctor. His family also worked in the medical field, making them roughly equal in social standing.
Yu Mengning could understand her father’s reasoning. Since she had no interest in the medical industry, he was hoping to find a son-in-law who could take over the family business in her place.
Unfortunately, Yu Mengning had no intention of accepting that plan.
Her father was obsessed with finding someone to take over the company. He was even willing to sacrifice her marriage for it, which she found utterly ridiculous.
Why couldn’t he realize he was only in his fifties, still in his prime? Worrying about succession at this point was way too early.
Thinking of that made Yu Mengning angry. She sipped her apple juice and rolled her eyes.
She glanced at the time on her phone and couldn’t help but complain inwardly. Weren’t doctors supposed to be punctual? Why hadn’t her so-called arranged partner arrived yet? Points deducted immediately.
Just as that thought formed in her mind, a warm and gentle male voice reached her ears.
“You must be Miss Yu?”
So he finally decided to show up?
Yu Mengning thought lazily as she turned her gaze toward the speaker.
The alpha wore refined gold-rimmed glasses, looked cultured, and had a subtle, polite smile at the corners of his mouth. He didn’t seem as stiff as she had imagined.
To be fair, in some ways, this man did fit her aesthetic preferences.
But that was all. She had never lacked this type of admirer.
“Mr. Lin…” Yu Mengning tried to say his name but hesitated. No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t remember it.
Luckily, he didn’t seem to mind. He smiled and corrected her gently.
“My surname is Li. My full name is Li Yilin. The fact that you even remembered the ‘Lin’ part shows that you were trying.”
As he spoke, Li Yilin took off his suit jacket and handed it to the nearby waiter.
Even though she wasn’t interested in this blind date, it was rare to meet such a polite alpha. Yu Mengning couldn’t help but feel a brief moment of awkwardness.
But then she quickly reminded herself that her goal today was to ruin this meeting.
Any hint of embarrassment quickly vanished.
She looked at Li Yilin, who had already taken a seat across from her, and proceeded with her original plan. She sent a signal to Jiang Zhiwan, who had been waiting nearby in the corner.
Jiang Zhiwan came over quickly. Her gaze turned cold the moment she looked at Li Yilin.
In her past life, this so-called gentleman had deceived Yu Mengning into marrying him. In truth, he was nothing more than a controlling and abusive alpha with a deeply twisted personality.
Even if she felt disgusted inside, Jiang Zhiwan kept her expression calm and only appeared somewhat distant.
Li Yilin looked a bit confused by her attitude, but before he could say anything, Yu Mengning smiled and introduced her casually.
“I was nervous about coming alone, so I brought a friend. You don’t mind, do you?”
Although she was posing it as a question, the implication was clear. If he said yes, she would probably take the opportunity to leave.
Li Yilin understood perfectly. Still, he smiled gently.
“Since she is a friend of Miss Yu, then she is also my friend. Why would I mind?”
After a brief pause, he added, “Besides, hotpot is meant to be enjoyed with more people, don’t you think?”
His response was flawless. It even made Yu Mengning feel slightly more favorable toward him.
Having known Yu Mengning for many years, Jiang Zhiwan could instantly sense her emotions.
She lowered her eyes slightly. This was no good.
Li Yilin was excellent at hiding his true self. He knew how to act kind and polite. If she hadn’t already known how despicable he truly was, even she might have been fooled by this polished appearance.
Just in the time he had spent with Yu Mengning so far, he had already made a good impression. If Jiang Zhiwan let her guard down for even a moment, her friend might fall into the same trap again.
She had to think of a way to make his true nature come to light.
While Jiang Zhiwan was thinking through her options, Shen Nian was openly observing the man sitting across from them.
Li Yilin, male alpha, worked in the medical field. He was also a lead physician at a well-known private hospital.
Li Yilin looked polished and respectable on the outside, but inside he was anything but. His intentions behind this arranged marriage were long planned and deeply calculated.
To be honest, his family’s medical business was nothing compared to the Yu family’s empire.
Yu Mengning was the only heir, and not only was she an omega, but she also had no interest in the medical field. That meant whoever married her would naturally become the future successor of the entire Yu family business.
As a manipulative alpha with a twisted nature, Li Yilin would never let such an opportunity slip by, especially one that cost him nothing to obtain.
For instance, what Yu Mengning didn’t know was that the alpha sitting across from her had already researched her in advance. The reason he could effortlessly earn her initial favor was because he had secretly gathered all kinds of information about her preferences.
Unlike the typical flirty playboys she usually dismissed at a glance, Li Yilin was much more cunning. He excelled at pretending. As long as he hadn’t yet achieved his goal, he could maintain the facade of a gentleman for as long as needed.
Shen Nian thought for a moment and decided that this man needed to learn a lesson tonight.
At that moment, both Jiang Zhiwan and Shen Nian shared the exact same thought. Li Yilin needed to be completely removed from Yu Mengning’s life.
Yu Mengning, unaware of all this, happily continued ordering ingredients she and Jiang Zhiwan both liked.
Catching sight of Shen Nian from the corner of her eye, she didn’t hold a grudge from earlier and even ordered a small red bean dessert for her.
After selecting a few items, she motioned for the server to pass the menu to Li Yilin. Then, she quietly sent a message to Jiang Zhiwan under the table.
“Zhiwan, what do you think of him? He’s not exactly what I expected, but he’s kind of interesting.”
Jiang Zhiwan’s phone vibrated on the table. She picked it up, glanced at the screen, and frowned slightly before replying with just two characters:
“Heh heh.”
Yu Mengning peeked at the message, feeling a little surprised.
Only two words?
Was that heh heh the kind she was thinking of?
She didn’t understand the tone and couldn’t help but turn to glance at Jiang Zhiwan, trying to read her expression.
Because of that brief distraction, she completely missed the way Li Yilin carefully chose his dishes.
He had planned it all. Since he already knew her preferences, he intended to impress her with subtle signs of compatibility and shared taste.
But now it all went to waste.
His carefully planned gestures went unnoticed.
Although he felt disappointed, Li Yilin did not dwell on it. He knew there would be many more chances to impress her. Winning over a sheltered omega heiress like her would just take time and patience.
In fact, what caught his interest more now was Jiang Zhiwan, the omega friend Yu Mengning had brought along.
He realized it had been a mistake not to investigate the people around her.
Even now, sitting at the same table, Jiang Zhiwan had yet to remove her sunglasses. Only a faint outline of her face was visible, making it hard to tell what she truly looked like.
Something about her seemed familiar. Li Yilin felt like he had seen her somewhere before, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t place her.
His gaze remained on Jiang Zhiwan, and both women immediately noticed.
However, contrary to what he expected, Yu Mengning made no effort to introduce her friend. Instead, she looked at him and reminded him with a light tone.
“Staring at a stranger like that is really rude, you know.”