Jiang Li pursed her lips slightly and said with a smile in her voice, "It's cold these days. Assistant Xue has been running around, so it's inevitable that he might catch a cold or have a headache. We can't just stand up Mr. Yu because he's not feeling well."
At this moment, Xue An, sitting in the car, suddenly sneezed for no reason.
"This isn't the way Jiangyu Entertainment does things, and it's definitely not something Mr. Xiao would do," Jiang Li said slowly, deliberately putting on a straight face and pretending to be angry as she seriously asked, "Or does Mr. Yu think that I'm not qualified to be in charge of the cooperation between you and Jiangyu Entertainment?"
"Of course not," Yu Guangping, an older man who was a sucker for a girl's coquetry, immediately broke into a smile. "Miss Jiang is so eloquent and beautiful. She excels at everything."
As he said this, his hand began to move restlessly towards Jiang Li's hand.
Xiao Yanzhi's eyes darkened. He pressed his tongue against his cheek and coldly stared at the two people opposite him.
The moment Yu Guangping's palm touched Jiang Li's hand, her expression remained calm, but her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her smile grew wider. "Mr. Yu, you should eat quickly," she said, quickly pulling her hand out of his palm. Then she picked up her chopsticks and served him some dishes. "You need to eat your fill to have the energy to sign the contract."
Yu Guangping was so flattered by Jiang Li's attention that he nodded like a bobblehead. "Okay, okay, let's eat!"
Seeing that he was well-pleased, Jiang Li gave a slight smile and stood up. "I'll go to the restroom. You guys can keep chatting."
In the restroom.
The water from the faucet was running loudly. Jiang Li was frantically scrubbing the back of her hand that Yu Guangping had touched. Her pupils were bloodshot with hatred.
The skin on the back of her hand was rubbed raw, but she didn't feel the pain at all.
Yu Guangping was a lecher. After an accident, he had become even worse. His ways of molesting women were more perverted and disgusting, and he was well-known for his cruelty.
Just being touched by a man like him made her feel as if there were bugs crawling all over her body.
Standing in front of the mirror, Jiang Li could see her red pupils and her pale, haggard face.
She let out a long sigh and rummaged through her bag, trying to touch up her lipstick to boost her complexion so that she wouldn't look so tired when she went back.
Just as she finished applying her lipstick, another face suddenly appeared in the mirror.
"If you find it disgusting, then who were you acting so obsequiously for just now?" Xiao Yanzhi's voice was cold and his tone was casual. "One face in public and another in private. You're really good at acting."
"Would you even endure the nausea and accompany him if he wanted to sleep with you tonight?"
Jiang Li couldn't bear it any longer. She turned around and stared at him with bloodshot eyes. After a few seconds, a sob suddenly escaped from her throat. "Xiao Yanzhi, who am I doing this for?"
Her eyes were filled with tears. She bit her lower lip tightly, and her hands hanging by her sides clenched into fists. "If I had shown Yu Guangping my true feelings, would you have protected me like you protected Qin Yaoyao?"
The man looked at her and said indifferently, "No."
Hearing the expected answer, Jiang Li suddenly let out a laugh. She took two steps back and leaned against the sink.
She thought it was so ridiculous.
"If you wouldn't, then what right do you have to accuse me of being two-faced?" she said, trying hard to control her emotions so that her voice wouldn't tremble.
"Your purpose for coming here today was to secure the cooperation with Yu Guangping," Xiao Yanzhi said mockingly. "You were so confident before that you could handle the pressure. Now you're feeling wronged?"
He looked at Jiang Li with no emotion in his eyes. "Understand the reason you're here, instead of crying to me about how hard done by you are."
Jiang Li's eyelashes fluttered.
She bit her lower lip so hard that she could taste the blood.
It was a long time before she heard her own voice say, "I understand, Mr. Xiao."
Jiang Li looked up at the man in front of her.
This was the man who had once doted on her but now had abandoned her without a second thought.
Xiao Yanzhi had his hands in his pockets. His long fingers tightened slightly, but there was no trace of emotion on his face. His voice was cold. "Mr. Yu has just signed. We can wrap this up soon."
Jiang Li nodded woodenly. She seemed to be in a daze. She was just about to step out when a big hand stopped her.
"Do you want to go out looking like this?" the man said displeasedly. His thumb pressed against her lips. "Look in the mirror and see what you look like."
Jiang Li obediently looked up and saw that her hair was in a mess, her eyes were red, the lipstick she had just applied was smeared, and the corner of her mouth was in a mess.
But she didn't have the heart to tidy herself up.
Xiao Yanzhi's eyes darkened. Without hesitation, he took out her lipstick from her pocket.
His voice was steady. His Adam's apple rolled slightly, showing no sign of emotion. "Don't embarrass me."
Xiao Yanzhi held her chin and used a tissue to wipe off the smeared lipstick. Then he slowly traced the shape of her lips until the lipstick was full and alluring again.
Looking at the lips so close to him, Xiao Yanzhi found it hard to maintain his composure.
He let go of his hand, but his body inched closer.
"Xiao Yanzhi, what are you doing?" Jiang Li's eyes suddenly widened. She was all too familiar with this kind of atmosphere. But before she could say another word, his lips were about to descend -
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a woman's scream came from outside the restroom. Jiang Li clearly recognized that it was Qin Yaoyao.
In an instant, the ambiguity in Xiao Yanzhi's eyes disappeared, replaced by clarity. He stood up without hesitation and rushed towards the room at a brisk pace.
Jiang Li was still standing there.
She looked up blankly. When she realized what had happened, she came to her senses and ran after him.
In the private room, Qin Yaoyao was sitting on the floor, her clothes in disarray. She hugged herself tightly with her arms. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she was crying non-stop.
Xiao Yanzhi hugged her tightly and whispered softly in her ear to comfort her.
Opposite them was Yu Guangping, with his head bleeding from a bottle hit.
"Damn it! A bitch! Not only did she dare to scold me, but she also dared to fight back?" Yu Guangping held his head and rolled on the floor, groaning. "You're finished... You're finished! I'll never let you go!"
Even a fool could tell what had happened. It was probably that Yu Guangping had tried to make a move on Qin Yaoyao while Xiao Yanzhi was away, but luckily, they had arrived in time and nothing too serious had happened.
"Jiang Li, what are you standing there for!" Xiao Yanzhi held Qin Yaoyao in his arms. His expression was extremely cold. "Call an ambulance. Don't make me repeat myself."
His eyes were cold, like a sharp sword, piercing straight into Jiang Li's heart.
"Ayan, I'm so scared... I want to go home..." her voice trembled. She tightly grabbed the man's sleeve, and her whole body was shaking.
"Okay, we'll go home. We'll go home right away," Xiao Yanzhi's voice immediately became soft and gentle, a side that Jiang Li had never seen before.