Chapter 005: Dinner

XM Foundation, where Zhen Hao worked, and Masse, where Lin Luoyou had just finished her interview, were both located in the same business park—though one was in Phase One and the other in Phase Three.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Lin Luoyou finally spotted the building glowing with the XM Foundation logo.

“I’m downstairs at your building!” she texted. “Are you finished with work?”

Zhen Hao replied almost immediately. “Just wait a moment—my mentor needs to see me about something. I’ll be down right away.”

Compared to Masse, the lobby of XM Foundation’s building was much simpler. Lin Luoyou found an empty seat in a corner, looking around idly until her gaze settled on the giant screen outside the elevator bay.

That screen displayed real-time information from stock, securities, and futures markets worldwide. At the moment, it was scrolling through updates and quotes from the domestic and British markets.

Lin Luoyou had spent three years exposed to this kind of information, but two of those years had been marked by reluctance.

If today’s interview didn’t go well, she thought, she’d probably end up as just another office worker in this building.

She imagined herself joining the foundation, her days filled with data—endless conference calls, research reports, industry updates, new investments, or adjusting existing accounts.

The thought alone was enough to make her uneasy.

Heavens, please let Masse offer me a position!

“How long have you been waiting?” Zhen Hao emerged from the elevator bay and immediately spotted Lin Luoyou tucked into her corner.

“What are you looking at?” Following her gaze to the big screen, he teased, “Have you gleaned any secrets from all those numbers?”

She shook her head, pulling her eyes away. “I’m just watching for fun. Unlike you, I can’t make sense of all that.”

Zhen Hao chose to ignore her self-effacing words. If she was an “outsider,” then there really weren’t many “insiders” at their school.

“You’ve waited long enough. Let me treat you to a good meal for a change!” He didn’t pursue the topic any further. Instead, he naturally took her hand and led her out. “There’s a new restaurant nearby—I think you’ll like it.”

She glanced at their joined hands but didn’t pull away. After all, she’d held his hand often enough as a child; this was nothing new.

Before they reached the restaurant, Lin Luoyou’s eyes caught sight of a milk tea shop. She stopped in her tracks like a child, unable to move forward.

Feeling the tug on his hand, Zhen Hao stopped as well. When he saw what had caught her attention, his brows furrowed in mock seriousness. “Let me guess, you’ve had your fair share of this stuff back at school, haven’t you?”

Lin Luoyou’s sheepish grin said it all. She could only offer a guilty laugh—there was really no way to argue.

“Come on, let’s eat first. If you still want milk tea after, I’ll buy you some.”

“But there’s no way I’ll have room for milk tea after dinner!” Lin Luoyou protested as he gently nudged her forward. “Zhen Hao! You’re doing this on purpose!”

“Oh? Seems you’ve gotten sharper while I was away on business!”

“I’ve never been slow, you know! It’s just you and my brother who act like I am.”

Zhen Hao feigned disbelief. “When have I ever thought that? If I did, your brother would probably show up just to box my ears.”

He wasn’t wrong. He and Lin Luming, Lin Luoyou’s older brother, had grown up together and were the best of friends. Because he’d spent so much time at the Lin house as a child, he’d known the little girl who used to trail after her brother, calling “Brother, brother!” all day long.

Lin Luming was the eldest son of the Lin family and his mother’s constant source of pride. In high school, he’d been accepted straight into the best school in the province, though it was a boarding school and he could only come home once a week.

That nearly broke the heart of young Lin Luoyou, who was so attached to her brother that she often threw tantrums to keep him from leaving for school.

Fortunately, she eventually came around. Once a mischievous child, she buckled down and, a year later, was admitted to the same school.

Yet, when Lin Luming was in his final year, he made the sudden decision to apply to a military academy. Fearing his family would object, he didn’t tell anyone in advance—only after the acceptance letter arrived did anyone find out.

Lin Luoyou had wanted to follow him to the military academy, but she was a little thing who’d be winded after just a few steps, and her parents watched her too closely for her to get away with it. In the end, she gave up and obediently enrolled in the finance department at A University.