"Who's out there?" Jiang Li called out, but there was no response.
Ruiyuan was a wealthy neighborhood. Although the security system was top - notch, it was still possible for thieves to break in.
Jiang Li carefully got out of bed. She didn't dare to turn on the light for fear of alerting whoever had entered the living room.
There were no handy self - defense weapons in the room. All she could find was a wooden hanger from the wardrobe. Then she quietly tiptoed to the bedroom door.
Just then, she heard someone's footsteps approaching and stop right outside her door.
Jiang Li's heart pounded so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of her throat.
The moment the door was opened from the outside, Jiang Li almost simultaneously raised the hanger in her hand. Her eyes turned cold and she swung it hard!
Although the other person reacted quickly, he still couldn't dodge it completely. The hanger hit the man's arm solidly.
"Hiss—" Xiao Yanzhi gasped in pain. Looking at her with a cold expression, he said in a rather unpleasant tone, "Can't sleep at night and deliberately set an ambush for me?"
Jiang Li was silent for a few seconds and then slowly explained, "I thought there was a thief in the house."
"A thief?" Xiao Yanzhi repeated the words and smiled indifferently. "Do you think this is still that shabby house you used to live in, where people could come knocking on your door to collect debts every now and then?"
He spoke casually, but Jiang Li's pupils trembled slightly.
Those were the darkest and most humiliating days of Jiang Li's life, so far in the past that she had almost forgotten them.
But every time they were mentioned, she could remember those days and nights filled with fear and unease, as well as her legs always ready to run.
It was engraved in her memory.
"What do you want?" Jiang Li had just woken up, and after the scare, her voice was hoarse and tired.
Xiao Yanzhi looked at her with a playful look in his eyes. "Jiang Li, you're getting more and more temperamental. Do you really plan to let Song Yu pay off your debts?"
Jiang Li pursed her lips and looked up at him. "This is my business. It has nothing to do with you."
Her tone was cold, clearly drawing a line between them.
Xiao Yanzhi strolled over and sat on the sofa. "Aren't you curious why I froze Jiang Yi's bank card?"
Jiang Li shook her head. "Not curious."
Most of the money in Jiang Yi's card was transferred by Xiao Yanzhi. What he did with it was his business. She really had no right to question him.
Her calmness made Xiao Yanzhi pause for a moment. His voice deepened. "Then I'm curious. Why didn't you follow Jiangyu's public - relations plan and cooperate to clear Qin Yaoyao's name?"
Jiang Li stopped in her tracks. The drowsiness from earlier dissipated, and her mind became completely clear.
So it was because she hadn't obediently helped Qin Yaoyao that he had frozen Jiang Yi's account as punishment.
He really knew how to strike at the vital point.
Jiang Li lifted her eyelashes and said in a flat voice, "Didn't you help her solve it?"
Xiao Yanzhi's dark eyes stared at her. Seeing her calm expression, he impatiently licked his back teeth with his tongue. He didn't dwell on this topic any longer and said another thing, "You finally decided to throw away the photo?"
He was probably referring to the photo in the frame that used to be on the shoe cabinet in the entrance hall.
She had asked to put it there back then, saying that she wanted to see it as soon as she entered the door.
Her expression was calm. She whispered, "I should have thrown it away a long time ago."
Yes, she should have.
Xiao Yanzhi's pupils flickered, and his eyebrows and eyes gradually turned cold. "Since you knew you should have thrown it away a long time ago, why did you keep it there like a treasure for so many years?"
Jiang Li lowered her eyes and said nothing, regarding it as his boring mockery and amusement.
---
The next morning, Jiang Li had to go back to Jiangyu to pick up something. As soon as she stepped through the company's front door, she sensed that something was off.
Every employee in the company was looking at her with strange expressions.
She felt a bit uncomfortable, but still maintained a calm expression and walked straight into her lounge.
Just before closing the door, someone suddenly said in a medium - volume voice, "Tsk, acting so high - and - mighty. She's just a deadbeat who refuses to pay her debts. What's so noble about her?"
Jiang Li leaned against the door. The moment she heard this, her pupils suddenly shrank, and her palms turned icy cold.
During her years at Jiangyu, she had never told anyone about her family. Among the entire company, only Xiao Yanzhi knew about her situation.
Even Sister Chen only knew that her family had some special circumstances, but didn't know the details.
That person's words had easily pierced through her most fragile and embarrassing disguise.
After she picked up her things and walked out of the lounge, those people looked at her with even more peculiar and even a bit of disgusted looks.
Jiang Li pursed her lips, lifted her chin high, and straightened her back. Her aura was as cold and aloof as ever, making her hard to approach.
It gave people the illusion that those facts were just rumors.
She was still that Jiang Li.
The Jiang Li who kept people at arm's length.
Just then, Qin Yaoyao suddenly trotted over and stood in front of her. "Sister Jiang Li, wait a moment."
Jiang Li squinted her eyes and looked at her coldly. Her tone was without warmth. "What is it?"
Seeing that Jiang Li still had a cold face, Qin Yaoyao nervously twisted her fingers, but still tried to smile generously. "Sister Jiang Li, since I learned about your family situation yesterday, I've been thinking about how I can help you."
Jiang Li's heart sank. A bad premonition slowly welled up. She forced herself to stay calm. "Help me with what?"
"I asked A Yan yesterday. He said your younger brother owes a lot of money. If he doesn't pay it back soon, he'll go to jail."
Qin Yaoyao's voice was just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Sister Jiang Li is also a part of Jiangyu after all. I was thinking about organizing a donation within the company so that everyone can contribute and help..."
"Did I say I needed help?" Before Qin Yaoyao could finish her sentence, Jiang Li felt like her head was about to explode. She couldn't hold back her emotions and couldn't help but shout, "What does my business have to do with you?"
Jiang Li's face was pale. For the first time, there was obvious anger in her charming and beautiful eyes. "Who gave you the right to interfere in my personal affairs without my permission?"
Roared at like this, Qin Yaoyao was instantly at a loss. She looked at Jiang Li blankly. In just a few seconds, her eyes went from being confused to filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Sister Jiang Li. A Yan and I just wanted to help you..."
Qin Yaoyao lowered her head aggrievedly, and big tears dropped to the ground one by one.
As soon as she cried, the looks from the people around became even more strange.
Jiang Li was extremely annoyed. With a cold expression, she walked past Qin Yaoyao without even bothering to give her a way out.
When Jiang Li found Xiao Yanzhi, his face was expressionless.
"Do you need something?"