Murong Xuan was, after all, a girl, and she hemmed and hawed for a long time without making her true intentions clear. Moreover, she wasn't very familiar with Zhang Wei, and she didn't know how he would view her after she said those words. 'It seems that Miss Murong isn't very happy about the arrival of this suitor,' Zhang Wei thought, feeling embarrassed for her. However, if he were in the same situation, asking a girl for such a favor, he might not do any better than Murong Xuan. 'Yes! He's my best friend's ex-boyfriend, and now that he's broken up with my best friend, he's turned around to pursue me, so I don't want to be harassed by him,' Murong Xuan said, pursing her red lips and mustering her courage to continue where Zhang Wei had left off: 'So I want you to pretend to be my blind date, to make that person back off.' After saying this, Murong Xuan lowered her head in embarrassment, a blush instantly rising to her cheeks, fearing that Zhang Wei would misunderstand or mock her. 'If I agree to pretend to be your blind date, your suitor won't get angry and hit me, will he?' Zhang Wei joked. 'No, he's a very refined gentleman, he would absolutely not do anything unbecoming of his status, you can be completely assured of that.'

"Murong Xuan said. Hearing Murong Xuan's words, Zhang Wei was also calculating the pros and cons. After two years of struggling in society, Zhang Wei was not a man with a soft heart. He would not easily agree to her request just because Murong Xuan was beautiful. Instead, he considered whether the outcome of this matter would be good or bad for himself. If Zhang Wei refused to agree to Murong Xuan, it would not only incur Murong Xuan's resentment but also lose a leasing order that was about to be obtained, which would be of no benefit to him at all. However, if he agreed to Murong Xuan, he could not only gain Murong Xuan's favor but also facilitate another leasing order, which would be killing two birds with one stone for Zhang Wei. As for whether he would offend Murong Xuan's suitor, Zhang Wei couldn't care less. After all, he didn't know that person, and at most, he would be cursed mentally by that man, which wouldn't cost him a penny. 'Alright then, I agree,' Zhang Wei said readily after considering the pros and cons. 'Really? Thank you so much!'"

Murong Xuan said gratefully, her only desire now was to get rid of Lin Hongwen and leave the Ziyun Pavilion Restaurant as soon as possible. Seeing that Zhang Wei had agreed to her request, Murong Xuan relaxed a bit and regained her usual composure. To prevent Zhang Wei's identity from being exposed, Murong Xuan shared some of her own background with him, and they got to know each other on a basic level. Half a quarter of an hour later, Lin Hongwen indeed found their private room, holding a bottle of wine in his hand. Upon entering and seeing Zhang Wei sitting next to Murong Xuan, he was taken aback for a moment. He had not expected that the friend Murong Xuan mentioned would be a man, and moreover, Murong Xuan was having a meal alone with this man. "Xuanxuan, this private room is very quiet! If it weren't for the waiter's guidance, I really wouldn't have found this place," Lin Hongwen remarked, addressing Zhang Wei. "Hello, my name is Lin Hongwen, a friend of Xuanxuan's from Hong Kong. It's a pleasure to meet you." "Hello, Mr. Lin. My name is Zhang Wei, and I've just met Miss Murong," Zhang Wei said. "Mr. Zhang, I apologize for the unannounced visit, I hope I haven't disturbed your meal!" Lin Hongwen said. "How could that be? I'm actually quite eager to meet more friends of Miss Murong," Zhang Wei replied.

Zhang Wei smiled. Zhang Wei's initial impression of Lin Hongwen was quite good; he was elegant in demeanor, eloquent in speech, and had a hint of Cantonese accent. However, addressing Murong Xuan as 'Xuanxuan' upon meeting showed the closeness of his relationship with Murong Xuan, which could also be seen as a probe into the relationship between Zhang Wei and Murong Xuan. 'Mr. Zhang, I heard that Xuanxuan was having dinner with friends, and I happened to have a bottle of 1996 wine, so I thought I'd invite you to taste it. I'm not sure if you'll like it?' Lin Hongwen said, raising the bottle of wine in his hand. 'Hongwen, please sit down before you continue!' Murong Xuan, seeing Lin Hongwen continuously initiatiating conversation with Zhang Wei as soon as he entered, and fearing that Zhang Wei might inadvertently let something slip, immediately interrupted Lin Hongwen. 'Xuanxuan, why did you suddenly come to the capital?' Lin Hongwen asked. 'As you know, I've always wanted to open a large chain of restaurants, and Beijing is my first pilot project.' Although Murong Xuan didn't like Lin Hongwen calling her Xuanxuan, she couldn't directly correct him in front of Zhang Wei. 'Oh, is Mr. Zhang your partner?' Lin Hongwen once again steered the conversation back to Zhang Wei. 'No... Mr. Zhang is a 'friend' specially introduced to me by my good sister, and today is actually our first meeting.'

Murong Xuan deliberately emphasized the word 'friend' to highlight her relationship with Zhang Wei, believing that a smart person like Lin Hongwen would surely catch the implied meaning behind her words. Although Lin Hongwen had a vague guess, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable upon hearing Murong Xuan openly admit it. He couldn't help but size up Zhang Wei across from him, trying to get a clear picture of his rival in love. After carefully observing Zhang Wei, Lin Hongwen concluded that he was neither a handsome man nor dressed in designer brands. Feeling reassured that Zhang Wei was not his equal, he breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself, 'Even if the two really hit it off, Xuanxuan would definitely not be interested in him. Perhaps Xuanxuan is afraid of being harassed by him and deliberately asked me to play the role of her protector, to make him back off.' 'What does Mr. Zhang do for a living?' Lin Hongwen thought to himself, straightening his back a bit more, casting a meaningful glance at Murong Xuan, and nodding at her as if he had already concluded that Murong Xuan wanted him to be her protector. 'I work for a real estate company,' Zhang Wei replied with a soft smile. Using his mind-reading skills, Zhang Wei easily saw through Lin Hongwen's thoughts. He didn't expect the other man to feel so self-satisfied, thinking that Murong Xuan had asked him to be her protector, when in fact their roles should be reversed. 'The real estate industry is great! It's the hottest industry of the twenty-first century. Among the top ten wealthiest Chinese people in the world, the top five are all in the real estate business,' Lin Hongwen said. 'Zhang Wei, I would like to ask a feng shui master to check the feng shui of my store this afternoon. Do you have time to accompany me?'

Murong Xuan interrupted Lin Hongwen's words again and said, 'Well, I'm also very interested in the Feng Shui of Hong Kong and have been thinking about having the opportunity to see it.'

Merchants in the Guangzhou and Hong Kong regions have a strong belief in Feng Shui. Generally, when renting or buying houses, they will have a Feng Shui master look at the house's Feng Shui. Murong Xuan chose to rent a storefront in this area based on the advice of a Feng Shui master, and after renting the storefront, she would also have the Feng Shui master check the layout of the store and place some decorations to enhance her wealth.

Hearing the conversation between Murong Xuan and Zhang Wei, Lin Hongwen was once again confused, secretly thinking, 'Did Murong Xuan ask me to come over just to be her protector? Why would she also like Zhang Wei to accompany us to see the Feng Shui? Could it be that she also wants me to go with them?'

'Perfect, I have time this afternoon too, I'll accompany you as well, Xuanxuan,' Lin Hongwen said.

'No need, Zhang Wei works nearby, he's very familiar with this area, having him accompany me is enough. You, as a high-level executive of a company, are always busy with important matters, I wouldn't dare to delay your work time, haha,' Murong Xuan said with a coquettish laugh.

Lin Hongwen finally felt that something was not right. It seemed that Murong Xuan did not dislike Zhang Wei, but rather it was himself who seemed to be neglected. He roared inwardly, 'Damn it, what on earth is going on here?'