"I've always known... I've always known this day would come..."
Jiang Yi was at a loss and started muttering nervously, "How could Xiao Yanzhi stay with someone like you? You're just a cheap whore who's been used and discarded!"
Jiang Li frowned. Hearing these harsh words, her eyebrows sank slightly. "No matter how you scold me, I won't give you money anymore."
"Since you think I'm so dirty, just pretend you never had a sister like me from now on."
As she said this, her pupils trembled, but she quickly masked her emotions and remained cold and aloof.
Jiang Li stood upright. Her slender shoulders looked fragile but were proudly straight.
She was like a lonely island adrift on the sea, all alone.
She lowered her eyes and said nothing more, just glanced at the time. "I need to continue filming. Leave here quickly, or I'll call the security."
But before Jiang Li could take a step, Jiang Yi grabbed her.
"Sis, you've been in the entertainment industry for so many years. Haven't you met any other bosses?"
His eyes were eager, and his voice became hurried. He tightly grasped Jiang Li's hand. "You're so beautiful. There must be many people who want to sign you. You can just choose another one, right?"
What he meant was that there were plenty of rich men who wanted to sleep with her.
"Sis, if you can't make money in the future, how are we siblings going to live?"
He closed his eyes painfully and almost wailed. "If we can't pay off those debts, those people will beat us to death!"
"The debts aren't mine. They won't beat me."
Jiang Li coldly pried his fingers off one by one and said word by word, "You should think about how you're going to live after you can't suck money from me."
...
Jiang Li was always serious about filming. She returned to the set within the allotted break time. Her assistant quickly rushed over. "I was so scared, Sister Jiang Li. You were gone for so long. I thought something had happened to you."
Jiang Li nodded. Her expression remained as calm as ever, as if nothing had happened. "Is it time to start filming?"
"There's still three minutes. Let me touch up your makeup, Sister Jiang Li." The assistant smiled sweetly. Jiang Li also twitched her lips. "Then I'll trouble you."
After filming, she was exhausted and sat in the nanny car. Her mood was much lower than usual, and she seemed a bit absent - minded.
The assistant thought it was because the action scenes today were too tiring and kindly suggested, "Sister Jiang Li, if you're in a bad mood, you can go eat your favorite food. Your mood will get better right away."
Jiang Li lifted her eyelids and asked thoughtfully, "Will eating your favorite food really make you feel better?"
"Yeah." The assistant tilted her head, not understanding. "Every time I argue with my boyfriend, he buys me a small cake."
"He always picks my favorite flavor. The moment I eat the cake, I feel that being angry isn't that important. Being happy together is what matters most."
As the assistant talked, a happy glow involuntarily appeared on her face. Her baby - faced cheeks looked especially cute.
Jiang Li pursed her lips, and a hint of envy showed in the corners of her eyes.
What a simple and ordinary kind of happiness.
How she wished she could have it.
--
After returning from the filming crew, Jiang Li stopped by the supermarket and bought a large amount of fresh vegetables and meat.
Recalling what the assistant had said, she thought for a moment and finally took out her phone and called Xiao Yanzhi.
It took a long time for the call to be answered. The man sounded a bit impatient. His deep and cold voice came through the receiver. "What is it?"
From the violin music in the background, it could be judged that Xiao Yanzhi was probably in a Western restaurant.
If she guessed correctly, Qin Yaoyao was sitting across from him.
Before she could confirm her suspicion, Qin Yaoyao's clear and pleasant voice sounded. "Is it a work - related call?"
Xiao Yanzhi casually replied with an "um" and said indifferently, "I'm busy. Just say what you want."
Obviously, he didn't intend to avoid talking to Jiang Li in front of Qin Yaoyao.
Jiang Li lowered her eyes and stared at her toes. She heard her own voice, extremely humble, slowly saying, "Can you come back tonight? I bought some groceries."
"I'm eating." His simple sentence directly rejected her. "I can't eat anything else."
Jiang Li's breath caught in her throat.
The call wasn't hung up, and they just listened to each other's breathing. It was unbearably depressing.
"I'll wait all night until you come back." Jiang Li took a deep breath. After saying this, she immediately hung up the phone in a hurry.
She was afraid to hear Xiao Yanzhi's answer.
...
Although Jiang Li wasn't sure if Xiao Yanzhi would come back, she still cooked a table full of dishes and arranged them on the dining table.
The large table full of dishes looked extremely sumptuous, making people want to dig in.
Jiang Li sat in front of the chair and stared at the dishes. Her eyes gradually became blank.
She was waiting for Xiao Yanzhi.
She waited from seven o'clock until twelve o'clock.
The moment the clock struck midnight, Jiang Li twitched her lips and laughed at herself. She silently got up and picked up the plates.
Xiao Yanzhi wasn't coming back tonight.
She was decisive, without any hesitation, and directly dumped the food into the trash can.
In just an instant, the dining table that had been full of plates was now spotless, not even a single drop of oil stain.
It was as if that sumptuous meal had just been an illusion and never really existed.
Just like the feelings she thought she had.
After washing all the plates, Jiang Li couldn't tell if she was numb or sleepy. She stiffly stretched and was about to go back to her bedroom to sleep.
Just then, someone was entering the password at the door.
Jiang Li was startled. The moment the door opened, she turned around. When she looked up, their eyes met.
Xiao Yanzhi seemed to have rushed back all the way. There was still the chill of the night on his suit, and his cold aura instantly filled the whole room.
In that moment of eye - contact, Jiang Li's pupils fluttered, and she instinctively lowered her eyes.
"Didn't you say you wanted me to come back for dinner?"
Xiao Yanzhi's tone was lazy, and his expression was as cold as usual.
"I thought you weren't coming back, so I threw it away." She lowered her head and replied softly, "It's so late. I thought you should be full by now."
If you're full, you won't be able to eat anything else.
Xiao Yanzhi looked down at her, and it was hard to tell what emotions were in his dark eyes.
"Look at me, Jiang Li."
He took off his suit and rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing a strong forearm.
Jiang Li could clearly see the veins on his arm, which extended all the way to the back of his hand. The veins bulged slightly, exuding a sexual tension full of hormones.
"Did you deliberately throw away all the food and plan to let me starve?"