Hearing his father's growl, Xiao Yan suddenly raised his eyes. But he finished the call before looking up. "Do you even want to interfere in my relationships?"
A hint of disdain tugged at his lips, as if he were challenging authority.
"You!" Xiao Yuanfeng's eyes blazed with anger. He rose from the table, flung his sleeve, and turned to roar, "Xiao Yan, come to my study with me!"
Jiang Li kept her head down. Such scenes were nothing new to her.
For four years, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yuanfeng had never had a peaceful meal at the same table.
It was either a cold war or a quarrel.
In Jiang Li's memory, this father - son pair had never been at ease.
Their disharmony was not a recent thing, and the others were used to it. They continued to sit at the table and eat.
After finishing her meal with the help of the maid, Su Jialan gracefully wiped the corners of her mouth with a tissue. Then she said, "Jiang Li, would you be so kind as to take me back to my room?"
Jiang Li had no appetite anyway. Hearing this, she immediately put down her chopsticks, walked behind Su Jialan, and pushed her wheelchair back to the attic.
As they passed by the study, they could still hear the father - son's quarrel inside.
"If you keep fooling around outside, don't ever come back to this house!"
The door wasn't fully closed. Just as Jiang Li was about to quickly push Su Jialan past, she suddenly heard Xiao Yuanfeng's scolding voice from inside, "You'd better cut off your relationship with that Jiang Li as soon as possible. If necessary, just give her more money and send her away."
Jiang Li was stunned. Her eyelashes drooped slightly.
After following Xiao Yan for so many years, all she got was a sentence like "give her more money and send her away".
What a ridiculous and insignificant relationship.
Her hands pushing the wheelchair stiffened for a few seconds, but she quickly regained her composure and calmly pushed Su Jialan back to the bedroom.
"Mrs. Xiao, you should rest well. I'll leave now." Her voice was calm as she turned to leave the room.
"Jiang Li, from your Uncle Xiao's attitude, you should be able to tell," Su Jialan suddenly sighed. "It's not easy to be the daughter - in - law of the Xiao family. Moreover, A Yan has a special status. He's the only son of the Xiao family."
"You're a smart girl. You know what you should and shouldn't ask for, right?"
Jiang Li stood there blankly.
It took her a long time to nod stiffly. "I understand. Thank you, Mrs. Xiao."
---
When Xiao Yan came out of the study, his face was extremely gloomy, and a chill emanated from his brows.
To be precise, his mood had been overcast ever since he returned to the Xiao family.
He didn't want to come back, but he had to every time.
As he passed by Jiang Li sitting on the sofa, he simply uttered a word, "Let's go."
Jiang Li immediately got up and followed him.
From his quick pace, it was obvious that Xiao Yan was in a very irritable mood. Jiang Li had to jog to keep up with him.
When they reached the car parked outside the Xiao family mansion, the man finally stopped.
Jiang Li finally caught up. The intense exercise made her a bit out of breath. She stood behind him, slowly catching her breath.
Xiao Yan's jaw was clenched tightly. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, giving him a somewhat unruly look.
He took out a cigarette from his pocket and took a deep puff. The smoke blurred his narrow eyes for a moment.
He stuffed one hand into his trouser pocket and stared fixedly at her.
Standing in front of him, Jiang Li just quietly looked back at him.
Neither of them spoke first.
"Go back. Qin Yaoyao is still waiting for you," Jiang Li finally broke the silence.
Suddenly, Xiao Yan threw away his cigarette. He grabbed her wrist with one hand and pushed her against the car door.
The cold touch of the car door made Jiang Li shiver. She blinked her eyes, her face calm.
The veins on the man's arm bulged. His eyes were full of complex emotions. "What did my mother say to you?"
Jiang Li raised the corners of her eyes. "Mrs. Xiao said that I've worked hard following you all these years and that she won't treat me unfairly in terms of money."
"She also said that I should help you find some suitable girls and arrange for your early marriage."
She spoke frankly, but in her current position, she had almost no resistance and could only let him do as he pleased.
Xiao Yan gave a soft laugh, his voice full of mockery. "So, how much money do you want to be treated fairly?"
His voice was deep, with a special charm.
Jiang Li stared into his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly smiled playfully. Her charming eyes curved into crescents. "I have to think about it carefully. This is a big deal."
Seeing her lively expression, Xiao Yan suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips.
There was the taste of alcohol and tobacco between their lips and teeth. She frowned slightly in discomfort, but the man pressed closer and pried open her teeth.
Then his breath filled every corner of her mouth, plundering like a conqueror.
It was more like marking his sovereignty.
Pinned against the car door, Jiang Li instinctively tightened her palms. Xiao Yan used his other hand to clasp her waist and, while kissing her, led her into the back seat of the car.
Before Jiang Li could react, she was lying on the leather seat after a dizzying moment. In front of her was the man's handsome face.
He pressed himself on her. His long legs straddled hers as the kiss deepened.
He held her lips, and the big hand that had been clasping her waist slowly moved forward. When his fingertips touched her exposed white shoulder, she trembled.
"Don't... not in the car."
Xiao Yan's voice was hoarse. His eyes were full of uncontrollable desire. His fingertips pressed on her fair shoulder, quickly leaving a faint red mark.
"Just once."
His voice was so deep and pleasant that Jiang Li shivered. She closed her eyes and naturally wrapped her arms around his neck.
The moment their lips met, they both fell into the darkness.
---
The driver had lunch nearby. When he approached the car, he noticed that the car was shaking from time to time, as if there were people inside.
He took two steps, then suddenly realized something. He immediately lowered his head and walked away from the car. He didn't dare to disturb them at all.
On the way back, Jiang Li's face and neck were pink. She curled up in the man's arms and didn't dare to look at the driver in front of her.
Xiao Yan, on the other hand, looked pleased. He sat in the back row with her, took off his suit, and covered the woman with it, wrapping her tightly so that not an inch of her skin was exposed.
He didn't want anyone to see even a bit of her.
When they were almost back in the city center of Beicheng, the driver carefully asked, "Mr. Xiao, where shall we go now?"
Xiao Yan's voice was calm. "Take me to the police station first, then take Jiang Li back to Ruiyuan."
Jiang Li was curled up in his arms. Hearing that he was going to the police station, her body trembled slightly. The warmth in her body seemed to fade a bit.
After a few seconds, she softly said, "Can you go back to Ruiyuan with me?"