The Destiny Villainess Wants Me To Work!-Chapter 108: Chu Jing’s Past - Part I

"Haha... Mr Lin is quite humorous," she said lightly, keeping her tone smooth and pleasant. "I wonder how you became acquainted with Chairman Chu?"

Lin Fan snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Someone finally asked this.

He had been waiting for this moment ever since Chu Zhenwu began introducing him around.

An arrogant smile slowly appeared on his face, confidence swelling as he prepared to deliver the explanation he had already rehearsed in his mind.

But before he could speak, another voice interrupted.

"I’m curious too."

Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward, his expression dark, his tone carrying unconcealed hostility.

"How did someone like you become my grandfather’s guest?"

Lin Fan turned his head slowly.

Behind Chu Zhiyuan stood Han Jie and Ye Ling, their gazes equally unfriendly.

Fan Biwang instinctively took a small step back, sensing the tension rising.

"Why aren’t you answering?" Han Jie sneered. "We’d also like to know how a nobody loser like you managed to trick Chairman Chu."

Lin Fan’s eyes turned cold.

"I’m not interested in talking to animals."

The words were calm, but cutting.

Han Jie’s face twisted instantly, anger flashing across his expression. Ye Ling’s eyes hardened as well, clearly offended.

Lin Fan’s gaze shifted to Chu Zhiyuan, pausing there deliberately.

"As for you..." His lips curved faintly, "was that slap earlier not enough?"

The memory hit instantly.

Chu Zhiyuan’s expression contorted, humiliation and anger mixing together as his fists clenched.

"You—!"

He took a step forward, unable to hold back any longer.

But before he could explode—

"Xiao Lin."

Chu Zhenwu’s voice cut through the tension once again.

"Come here."

"Elder Zhenwu?"

Lin Fan turned his head slightly, his expression shifting back to that calm confidence as he met the old man’s gaze.

Without sparing Chu Zhiyuan, Han Jie, or Ye Ling another glance, he walked over as if the earlier tension had never existed.

Only when passing Fan Biwang did he slow down just a fraction, giving her a faint, meaningful smile.

"Miss Fan, let’s chat later."

Fan Biwang returned a polite smile, but the moment Lin Fan turned away, the curve on her lips stiffened slightly.

Her eyes flickered once toward Chu Zhiyuan, then toward Lin Fan’s retreating figure. The atmosphere between those two was clearly not harmonious. One was the future heir of the Chu Family; the other was a man suddenly favoured by Elder Zhenwu.

For someone like her, who survived by navigating relationships, standing too close to either side at this moment was not wise. So without hesitation, she excused herself, her heels clicking softly against the floor as she left.

Behind her composed retreat, however, her thoughts were anything but calm.

This Lin Fan...

The way he looked at her earlier—she hadn’t misread it. It was direct and unrestrained. The kind of gaze that didn’t even try to hide desire.

Yet now, he stood among powerful figures without the slightest hint of nervousness or inferiority, as if such a position was natural to him.

One moment, he felt like a crude nobody.

The next... someone who didn’t need to lower himself before anyone.

That inconsistency made her uneasy.

Because people she couldn’t read... were the most dangerous and better be kept distanced.

---

"What were you chatting with Xiao Yuan?"

Chu Zhenwu’s voice carried a trace of scrutiny as Lin Fan approached. His eyes lingered briefly on his grandson in the distance, recalling the aggressive posture from moments ago.

Lin Fan didn’t seem bothered at all. "Nothing special. He was just curious about how I got acquainted with you."

Chu Zhenwu fell silent for a moment.

Of course, he understood. Xiao Yuan wasn’t curious; he was threatening Lin Fan.

That narrow-mindedness...

A faint disappointment surfaced in Chu Zhenwu’s eyes.

’It seems I need to have a proper talk with him,’ he thought inwardly. ’Lin Fan is the piece I chose for him. If he ruins this relationship out of jealousy... then he truly is not fit to shoulder the Chu family’s future.’

His gaze returned to Lin Fan, softening slightly.

"Xiao Lin... do you have a lover?"

Lin Fan was caught off guard for a brief moment. "No... but why is Elder Zhenwu asking?"

"That’s good."

A smile spread across Chu Zhenwu’s face, one that carried hidden calculations beneath its warmth.

"The thing is... I have a granddaughter."

---

Meanwhile, far away from the noise and calculations of the hall, the balcony stood quiet under the vast night sky. The city lights stretched endlessly below, flickering like countless stars fallen to the ground.

Chu Jing stood there, unmoving.

Her figure looked small against the wide skyline, her hands resting lightly on the railing, though the faint tension in her fingers betrayed the storm inside her.

"Sister Jing..."

Leng Shuang’s voice was softer now, almost cautious.

"It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?"

Chu Jing didn’t turn around. Her voice was calm.

Leng Shuang followed her gaze, looking out at the distant lights. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, Chu Jing’s voice broke the silence, her voice faint and hollow.

"Are you curious?"

Leng Shuang paused. She knew she shouldn’t get involved. This was unnecessary. This girl was nothing more than a passing figure in her mission.

But... something in that voice. That fragility, yet stubborn...made her stay and listen.

"...A little," she said after a brief hesitation.

Chu Jing smiled faintly.

"It’s been ten years," she began slowly, her soft voice carrying pain. "But that memory... It’s still as clear as yesterday."

Her hand moved, reaching into her pocket. She took out that small, old hairpin, holding it carefully between her fingers.

"You know... things weren’t always like this."

Her eyes lowered slightly, as if looking into the past instead of the present.

"My dad was an amazing man. When he took over the family business, the Chu family grew ten times compared to what my grandfather had built in just a couple of years."

There was a trace of pride in her voice.

"Grandpa didn’t hate him back then. In fact... he was also proud of him."