Xiao Yanzhi could sense that Jiang Li was in a bad mood. He stared at her silently for a few seconds and said in a low voice, "Why didn't you tell me in advance?"
He was referring to the matter of Jiang Li being threatened by Yu Guangping.
Under Xiao Yanzhi's arrangement, Xue An worked very efficiently. With the intentional help from Sheng Shuocheng's side, they directly retrieved the hotel surveillance footage, found the cleaner, and got the truth out of him.
The truth was finally revealed.
The surveillance footage clearly showed that as soon as Jiang Li came out of the restroom, she threw the pill into the trash can. It seemed that she had no intention of drugging anyone at all.
The glass of fruit wine mixed with various high - concentration alcohols was actually prepared for herself.
Since she didn't follow Yu Guangping's plan to drug Qin Yaoyao, she would surely become his next target.
All the prominent figures in Beicheng were present tonight. If something happened to her at the dinner, the whole city would be on high alert for at least some time.
She was gambling with her life.
Gambling that she could escape from Yu Guangping's clutches without harming Qin Yaoyao tonight.
She won, but also lost.
Jiang Li was lying on the hospital bed. Her stomach still felt faintly uncomfortable. Her voice was hoarse, and she looked a bit haggard and sickly. She said word by word very slowly, "I asked for your help before."
Hearing this, Xiao Yanzhi frowned and asked, "When?"
"The last night in Huacheng."
That night, she had pinned all her hopes on him, but he didn't even want to listen to an extra explanation.
It was as if she had made a ridiculous and unreasonable request.
Xiao Yanzhi thought for a few seconds, and his expression remained unchanged. "You deliberately angered Yaoyao at that time. It was normal for me not to agree to your request."
"Moreover, why didn't you tell me in advance that Yu Guangping was threatening you?"
"If you had told me earlier, you wouldn't have had to sacrifice yourself to protect Qin Yaoyao." As he spoke, he glanced at her.
The man's jawline was cold and hard. His deep eyes squinted slightly. "Do you think it's very noble to sacrifice yourself to save others?"
"Being self - righteous is really stupid."
Jiang Li's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
She wasn't trying to sacrifice herself to save others at all. She was just trying to save herself.
Jiang Li still remembered the question she blurted out when talking to Yu Guangping about the cooperation -
"If I anger Yu Guangping, will you protect me like you protect Qin Yaoyao?"
His answer was no.
Never.
Since no one would protect her, she had to figure out a way on her own. Even at the risk of going all out, she just wanted to escape from the tiger's mouth.
The ward was very quiet. There was only the faint ticking sound of the liquid in the drip.
The atmosphere was so dull and depressing.
Jiang Li closed her eyes, but her chest felt extremely sour. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the wetness around her eyes spreading little by little.
Xiao Yanzhi stared at her. He originally wanted to say something more, but finally stopped.
Did she still need his concern?
Jiang Li didn't want to see Xiao Yanzhi. She had deliberately closed her eyes at first, but then she fell asleep.
Finally, Xiao Yanzhi got up to tuck in the quilt for her and left silently.
...
This time, the alcohol burn was very serious. It wasn't until the third day that the doctor allowed Jiang Li to eat some liquid food. During this period, Sister Chen took care of her daily life.
"Thank you, Sister Chen. You've worked so hard." Jiang Li watched Sister Chen bustling around and feeding her spoon by spoon. She couldn't help but smile. "I'll treat you and Xixi to dinner after I'm discharged from the hospital."
"Come on." Sister Chen rolled her eyes at her and said in a bad mood, "You keep causing me trouble all the time. I think I'd better not be your agent anymore. I might as well be your full - time nanny."
"It's not a bad idea." Jiang Li said with a smile. Her heart was filled with warmth.
While eating, Sister Chen casually mentioned to Jiang Li, "That Mr. Yu who threatened you was arrested and sent to jail yesterday. It seems that he was sentenced to several years."
Hearing the news about Yu Guangping, Jiang Li was stunned. "What happened to him?"
"Mr. Xiao dealt with him."
When Sister Chen mentioned the gossip in the entertainment circle, she immediately looked mysterious. "I heard that Mr. Xiao talked to him about cooperation before, aiming to get the evidence of his illegal business operations."
"Coupled with the big commotion you caused this time, even the old Mr. Sheng was alarmed. He said that he felt guilty for not entertaining you well, so he directly joined hands with Mr. Xiao to send Yu Guangping to jail."
"Now, Mr. Sheng has directly taken over that artist incubation company and merged it into Jiangyu Entertainment."
Jiang Li remained silent.
It turned out that Xiao Yanzhi had planned to bring down Yu Guangping for a long time. Sooner or later, he would send Yu Guangping to jail with his own hands. No wonder he had said she was self - righteous that day.
Jiang Li couldn't help but laugh at herself.
The current Xiao Yanzhi was no longer the Xiao Yanzhi of the past.
He was very calculating, and every move of his was unpredictable.
Especially to her.
However, it was good that Yu Guangping was dealt with. At least after she was discharged from the hospital, she didn't have to live in fear anymore.
While feeding her, Sister Chen continued, "The photos of you spitting blood and fainting that day couldn't be suppressed. They've spread like wildfire everywhere, and there are all kinds of rumors on the Internet."
"Now that Mr. Yu is in jail, everyone is saying that Mr. Xiao went all out against Yu Guangping to avenge you."
Speaking of this, Sister Chen seemed to be trying to find some silver lining in the situation. She sighed and said, "Although you've suffered so much, at least it can keep that Qin Yaoyao in line for a while."
Hearing this, Jiang Li just lifted her eyelids slightly and said indifferently, "The speculations from the outside world don't matter. What the people involved really think is what's important."
Xiao Yanzhi didn't do it for her.
He had probably set his eyes on the benefits in Yu Guangping's hands for a long time. And by avenging Qin Yaoyao who was molested at that time, he could kill two birds with one stone.
And she was the most unnecessary sacrifice in the plan.
After lunch, Jiang Li asked Sister Chen to go back and rest for the afternoon. She was recovering quickly and didn't need someone to accompany her all the time.
The winter sun was scarce, making the ward warm. Soon, she felt sleepy.
Jiang Li half - closed her eyes, on the verge of falling asleep.
Just as she was half - asleep and half - awake, there was a gentle knock on the door. The knock woke her up, and she immediately opened her eyes.
Two people walked in, a man and a woman.
"Sister Jiang Li, are you feeling better?"
Qin Yaoyao was wearing an off - white coat. She looked at Jiang Li timidly, holding a thermos in her hand. "I cooked some stomach - nourishing porridge for you. I came here specially to see you."
Xiao Yanzhi's tall figure stood beside her, with a calm expression on his face.
Jiang Li raised her hand and pressed her brow slightly. She said in a calm voice, "Thank you for your kindness, but you should go back. I'm going to sleep."
Xiao Yanzhi pursed his lips. His cold and sharp eyes swept across her eyes. "Is this how you treat the people who come to visit you specially?"
Qin Yaoyao quickly waved her hand and said in a softer voice, "It's okay, A Yan. Sister Jiang Li needs to rest now. Let's go."
She pulled Xiao Yanzhi out. Before leaving, she bowed to Jiang Li. "I know Sister Jiang Li was trying to protect me at that time. I misunderstood you. I'm really sorry!"