All the way to the restaurant in the car, Xiao Yanzhi wore a cold expression.
Qin Yaoyao sat quietly in the passenger seat beside him. Watching his tightly furrowed eyebrows, jealousy towards Jiang Li grew like wild grass in her heart.
Although Xiao Yanzhi doted on her now, when it came to dealing with problems, his first reaction was still to seek Jiang Li's help.
Qin Yaoyao's face looked very ugly. She secretly made up her mind that she must perform well when they arrived at Old President Sheng's place.
Sheng Shuocheng was the person in power of the Shengshi Group. Not only was he highly respected, but the power and capital he held were unparalleled in the entire North City.
If Xiao Yanzhi wanted to maintain a stable position in North City, he would surely need Sheng Shuocheng's support.
When the two of them rushed to the door of the private room in the restaurant, Sheng Shuocheng's assistant had been waiting there for a long time.
Seeing them coming, he glanced down at his watch.
"General Manager Xiao is quite punctual."
The man who spoke was Zhang Yi, Sheng Shuocheng's assistant.
Over the years, Zhang Yi had always been by Sheng Shuocheng's side.
He was highly regarded by Sheng Shuocheng for his efficient work.
Even though he was just an assistant, all the major bosses would give him some face.
"But this person... Did you bring the wrong one?"
As he said this, Zhang Yi's sly eyes fell on Qin Yaoyao beside them. The gentle look in his eyes just now instantly turned cold and sharp.
Qin Yaoyao's face instantly turned pale.
...
Xiao Yanzhi was refused entry and couldn't even enter the room.
With a cold and gloomy face, he took Qin Yaoyao out of the restaurant and got back in the car.
"A Yan, I'm sorry. I wasn't able to help you." Qin Yaoyao sat in the car with red eyes. As soon as she spoke, tears rolled down her face.
"It's not your fault." Hearing her sobs, Xiao Yanzhi felt a bit impatient and casually comforted her.
He propped his arm on the steering wheel, and his mind was still lingering on Zhang Yi's words just now -
"Sorry, General Manager Xiao. President Sheng has given instructions that if Miss Jiang doesn't come, there's no need for this meal. Please go back."
Pulling his thoughts back, Xiao Yanzhi impatiently pinched his fingers, and the joints made a crisp sound.
Qin Yaoyao could tell that Xiao Yanzhi was in a cold mood, and she herself was extremely annoyed.
On the way, she had thought of countless perfect strategies for dealing with the dinner party, but she never expected that Sheng Shuocheng would directly turn them away just because Jiang Li didn't come.
Resentment welled up in her heart.
Qin Yaoyao lowered her eyes as if in self - blame and whispered, "I originally thought I could be like Sister Jiang Li and share your troubles, but now it seems I'm still too useless. I don't have her connections, and I can't do anything well..."
Xiao Yanzhi was already annoyed. Hearing this, he suddenly narrowed his eyes, and his eyebrows slowly knitted together.
The Shengshi Group was a venture capital company. In the early years, its focus had been on investment and finance. Only in the past two years had it planned to invest in and acquire shares in film and television enterprises.
This was an opportunity for Xiao Yanzhi.
Although Jiang Li was a top figure in the industry, she was only limited to the film and television field and couldn't possibly have any connection with a venture capital boss like Sheng Shuocheng.
But Zhang Yi's attitude tonight was very clear.
If Xiao Yanzhi wanted to win over Sheng Shuocheng, Jiang Li was the key.
...
After driving Qin Yaoyao home, Xiao Yanzhi sat in the car, took out his phone again, and called Jiang Li.
This time, the phone was directly turned off.
Xiao Yanzhi's eyes were deep and pitch - black, bottomless. The tense lines of his face clearly showed his suppressed anger.
Jiang Li, you're really something!
He impatiently rubbed his forehead, threw his phone on the passenger seat, turned the car around directly, and stepped on the accelerator.
He headed straight for Ruiyuan.
At the door, Xiao Yanzhi was in a bad mood. He entered the password several times before he managed to open the door.
The moment he stepped into the apartment, his cold gaze fixed on the tightly closed bedroom door. "Jiang Li, come out for me."
There was no response.
Was she pretending to be asleep on purpose?
The look in his eyes grew colder. He quickly walked over to the bedroom door. Hearing no sound inside, he opened the door.
The room was quiet. Only the quilt on the bed bulged slightly, looking like a curled - up figure.
Xiao Yanzhi's cold gaze fell on it. Without hesitation, he walked over and was about to lift the quilt.
His slender fingers paused slightly the moment they touched the edge of the quilt.
She was shivering.
"Jiang Li?" He tried to call out, but the person in the quilt didn't respond to him.
His face turned ugly. He immediately lifted the quilt -
Jiang Li's cold sweat had soaked her clothes and the quilt. Her hair was also wet and messy, sticking to her forehead and cheeks.
She looked like she had just been fished out of the water. Her eyes were tightly closed, and her lips were extremely pale.
She looked weak and helpless.
"Cold..."
Her voice was so faint that it seemed to take all her strength just to utter a single syllable.
Xiao Yanzhi's face turned ashen. He immediately hugged her tightly in his arms, but she still kept shivering in his arms, and her breathing was extremely heavy.
Jiang Li's body temperature was very high. Holding her felt hot.
For a moment, Xiao Yanzhi suspected that she was about to collapse.
"Jiang Li, wake up." He directly carried her to the car, pressed her into the passenger seat, and didn't forget to fasten her seatbelt.
Throughout the whole process, Jiang Li was like a doll at others' mercy, showing no sign of life.
Xiao Yanzhi was so panicked that he could hardly control himself, but he still tried to keep calm. "I'll take you to the hospital. Don't fall asleep on me!"
"I'm cold... Xiao Yanzhi..."
Jiang Li struggled to lift her eyelids. Her drowsy head cleared up a little. Her voice became hoarse and weak. "I'm so cold..."
"You deserve to be cold." Xiao Yanzhi's voice was cold, but he took off his suit jacket and put it on her, tucking in the parts where the wind could easily get in.
When he started the car, he turned the heater up to the maximum.
Jiang Li's head was dizzy. She couldn't tell the difference between reality and dreams. She just felt that the jacket was very warm, and she involuntarily wanted to curl into it.
Finally, she buried her head in his suit.
Xiao Yanzhi rushed Jiang Li to the hospital at full speed. He registered for emergency treatment, got her a fever - reducing injection, and got a bunch of miscellaneous medicines. Then he drove her back to Ruiyuan.
After all the commotion, Jiang Li finally had her fever go down.
The frown on her face due to pain finally relaxed. Her breathing became even, and her burning body temperature finally dropped.
She even talked in her sleep.
The sound was too soft. Xiao Yanzhi had to get closer to hear it.
"It hurts." He heard her mumble two words vaguely.
Xiao Yanzhi's expression tightened. "Where does it hurt?"
Jiang Li: "My butt hurts from the injection."
Xiao Yanzhi: "..."