CHAPTER 489: CHAPTER 489: OVERT CONFLICT AND COVERT STRUGGLE

Chen Bin’s words hit the nail on the head, Ni Bo’s face turned green with anger.

Just as he was about to lose it, Lan Hui stopped him with a single look.

So he could only snort coldly and turn his head to the side.

At this moment, Lan Hui spoke politely.

"Chen Tai, you should know that Ni Baige is a very talented singer-songwriter, she just lacks a stage to showcase herself. Why don’t you give her a hand?"

Nodding slightly, Chen Bin smiled and replied.

"If it were someone else, I definitely wouldn’t agree. But since Lan Tai is asking me to arrange it, then there’s no problem at all."

Hearing this, Ni Bo seemed elated.

Lan Hui, on the other hand, was visibly surprised.

In her mind, there was no way Chen Bin would give her any face.

The only reason he seemed to agree was to placate Ni Bo and get him to leave.

But now Chen Bin outright agreed, which clearly meant he was up to some new schemes.

Regardless, as long as she didn’t lose face in front of Ni Bo, that was enough.

"Ni Tai, you really have to thank Chen Tai for giving you this opportunity."

Ni Bo immediately stood up, grinning, and looked at Chen Bin.

"Chen Tai, on behalf of my daughter, I want to thank you. She will definitely not waste this precious opportunity."

"Just have her prepare properly at home, and then wait for the station’s notice."

Saying this, Chen Bin turned to look at Lan Hui.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first. There’s still plenty of work I need to take care of."

By mid-July, Chen Bin made another trip to the Imperial Capital.

The purpose of this trip was the same as the last—to find a few well-known singers to attend the evening gala.

This time, however, he wasn’t alone; Liao Ruoji went with him.

The two were both in Tianhai, so they met relatively often.

But they both knew their relationship hadn’t returned to how it used to be.

At best, they were now just good friends—not even close to being lovers.

After arriving in the Imperial Capital, Chen Bin originally planned to go directly to find Niu Kuipeng.

But he was dragged to her house by Liao Ruoji instead.

What was even more unexpected was that just as they sat down on the couch to catch their breath, the doorbell rang.

Liao Ruoji opened the door and was surprised to see Liao Ruoli standing there.

"Why are you here?"

Ruoli responded with a sly smile.

"Dear sister, are you not happy to see me?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course, I’m happy to see you!"

Talking as she pulled Ruoli into the house.

"I just got home, so I was a bit surprised to see you show up."

Ruoli ignored her and fixed her sharp gaze on Chen Bin.

"What? Am I interrupting something between you two?"

Chen Bin seized the moment to joke.

"If I said you were, would you turn around and leave?"

"Keep dreaming!"

Changing into indoor slippers, Ruoli walked straight toward Chen Bin.

She turned to Ruoji on the way and said, "Sis, get me a glass of water. With ice, I’m dying of heat!"

Frowning slightly, Ruoji eventually turned toward the kitchen.

As Ruoli sat on the couch, Chen Bin noticed her thin short-sleeved top.

It was so sheer that the black undergarments underneath were visible at a glance.

She paired it with ripped jean shorts, her pale thighs peeking through the tears.

"Oh my god, why are you dressed like that?"

Rolling her eyes, Ruoli retorted displeasingly.

"What, does it offend your eyes?"

"Not really. I’m just saying that if you dress like that, what if you run into danger?"

"If I run into danger, that’s my business. What does it have to do with you?"

Just then, Ruoji returned from the kitchen with a glass of cola topped with ice.

Ruoli took the glass, drained it in one go, and let out a satisfied sigh.

The three of them chatted for a while. In the evening, Ruoji suggested they go out for barbecue together.

Neither Chen Bin nor Ruoli objected.

So the three of them grabbed a cab and went to a small restaurant near a residential block.

After the meal, Ruoji mentioned that she was feeling sleepy.

Pointing to a building across the street, she said, "Ruoli, isn’t your apartment over there?"

Only then did Ruoli realize why Ruoji insisted on coming here for barbecue.

It had all been planned from the start!

After a brief pause, Ruoli nodded in reply.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I’m feeling a bit sleepy too. Why don’t you both walk me home?"

"It’s just a few steps away; do you really need company?"

"Sis, you’ve been living in Tianhai all these years, so maybe you don’t know? There’s a serial killer roaming the Imperial Capital lately, specifically targeting women who live alone. If you two don’t come with me, I won’t dare go solo."

Being twins and having spent years together, Ruoji immediately saw through Ruoli’s lie.

Just as she was about to refuse, Chen Bin, oblivious to the subtext, chimed in.

"Ruoji, let’s just walk her back. It’s dangerous for a young woman to walk alone at night."

Biting back her words, Ruoji reluctantly nodded.

Once the trio reached the building, Ruoli said she didn’t dare go up alone.

Ruoji, longing for a moment alone with Chen Bin, didn’t want Ruoli tagging along.

To avoid getting pulled into Ruoli’s apartment, Ruoji decided to wait downstairs and let Chen Bin escort her up.

At her door, Ruoli suddenly pulled Chen Bin inside and slammed the door shut.

This left him utterly baffled as he blurted out, "What are you doing?"

Ruoli ignored him, gripping his shirt collar tightly with her delicate hands.

"Tell me! Back in Tianhai, have you already started living with my sister?"

Seeing the fiery temper ignite within her, Chen Bin rushed to explain.

"Absolutely not! I’m super busy with work, and I only occasionally meet with her. Coming to the Imperial Capital this time was all about business."

Ruoli locked eyes with Chen Bin and asked.

"You swear you’re not lying?"

"Why would I lie to you? To me, you’re the one who matters most."

As he spoke, Chen Bin spread his arms and pulled Ruoli into a hug.

She didn’t resist, but her tone was commanding when she said.

"If you really like me, then you’re staying here tonight. You’re not going anywhere!"

"What about your sister?"

Breaking free from his embrace, Ruoli walked to the balcony and glanced down at Ruoji with a smirk.

"If she’s willing to wait, let her wait."

"Come on, you just said it yourself—this area isn’t safe recently. Isn’t it dangerous for your sister to stay downstairs alone? How about letting her come up?"

After some thought, Ruoli eventually called Ruoji.

"Sis, Chen Bin says he’s too tired and will stay here for the night. Are you heading home, or coming upstairs to stay with us?"

Ruoji had no intention of going up, but she feared leaving might mean losing Chen Bin to her sister.

She reluctantly replied, "It’s a bit far for me to go back. I’ll stay at your place tonight."

When Ruoji came upstairs, Ruoli allocated their sleeping arrangements.

After freshening up, the three retreated to their respective rooms.

As Chen Bin entered his room, he noticed something odd on the bed.

Turning on the light revealed none other than Ruoji lying there!

He quickly turned the light off and whispered, "Ruoji, what are you doing in my room?"