Xue An finally heaved a sigh of relief.
It seemed to be a misunderstanding. The necklace with special significance was not something General Manager Xiao had deliberately intended to give to Qin Yaoyao.
When handing the necklace back, Qin Yaoyao's eyes turned red. Tears welled up in her eyes and were about to fall.
"Xue An, drive." Xiao Yanzhi seemed not to notice at all. With obvious impatience, he was a far cry from before.
After watching the car drive away, Xiao Yanzhi frowned deeply. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, cupped his hands and lit one.
He bit the cigarette and waited until it was all finished. Then he crushed out the cigarette butt and threw it into the trash can.
---
The New Year was over. They would have to go back to work after the seventh day of the first lunar month.
Jiang Li said goodbye to Sister Chen and Xixi, then returned to her own place. The house, which she hadn't seen for a few days, was already covered in dust. She started to do a simple cleaning of the place.
The vegetables she had put in the fridge before the New Year hadn't been finished yet. Since she didn't eat much, she just made herself a bowl of egg noodles and sat at the dining table to eat.
She had just eaten a little when she received a call from Sister Chen. Sister Chen said that Director Zhang's movie had been a great success. To express gratitude and celebrate, there would be a movie press conference tomorrow. All the leading actors had to attend to support the movie.
"I know."
Jiang Li responded casually. She poked the few remaining noodles in the bowl into several pieces with her chopsticks. "Arrange the brand activities later as well. We should take advantage of the popularity during the New Year."
The movie's success meant that her popularity would also reach its peak. This was the best time to accept brand endorsements.
Sister Chen was still chattering on the phone. "By the way, it seems that Qin Yaoyao went to the airport to pick up General Manager Xiao. I just saw the photos sent by the paparazzi. They were cuddling with each other. They looked so intimate."
Jiang Li didn't ask any more questions. She said in a flat tone, "Do you have any other work arrangements?"
Hearing that she didn't want to continue this topic, Sister Chen didn't say anything else. She just sighed and said, "Sure enough, there's not a single good man."
Hearing this, Jiang Li couldn't help laughing. "Sister Chen, you've known this for ages."
Sister Chen had been busy running the family in the early years, thinking that with her husband around, she could rest easy. But it turned out that not only did the man live off her, but he also cheated on her behind her back.
Sister Chen was straightforward. She immediately filed for divorce, got the custody of Xixi and quickly ended the marriage.
Sister Chen sighed and said with emotion, "Yes. It seems that men are all the same, whether they're rich or not."
Jiang Li propped her chin up. Her tone was much more relaxed. "Yes. Men are all the same."
Either they whore or they gamble.
Those with the ability do both.
Rich men are like this, and so are poor men.
Poor men like her father and Jiang Yi; rich men -
Like Xiao Yanzhi.
In this flashy era, living a simple, healthy and happy life has become the most expensive luxury.
Only then did she realize that what she really wanted was so out of reach.
After chatting with Sister Chen for a few more sentences, Jiang Li hung up the phone, saying that she was going to do the dishes. Just as she was carrying the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen, there was a knock on the door.
Jiang Li put the bowls in the sink. Hearing the knocking, she walked out of the kitchen and towards the door.
Because she was thinking about something else, she was a bit absent - minded. Her first reaction was that Song Yu had come back from celebrating the New Year at the Song family.
"Song Yu, you're back so early..."
Jiang Li had just opened the door halfway. The moment she saw the man's face at the door, her face changed instantly. She subconsciously tried to close the door.
But the man had anticipated her move. He quickly put his hand against the door crack to prevent her from closing it.
The man's strength was far greater than the woman's, making Jiang Li's attempt to close the door look so ridiculous.
She tried twice but failed. Finally, she gave up, took two steps back and looked at him expressionlessly. "Happy New Year, General Manager Xiao."
Six words in total, not a single one sincere.
Seeing that she didn't resist anymore, Xiao Yanzhi took a step forward and leaned against the door frame. He put his hands in his pockets and stared at her deeply.
Jiang Li lowered her eyes. She could feel the coldness in the air and the aggressive smell of tobacco on the man.
He had smoked a lot.
The man's eyes scanned her from head to toe. Then he said in a thought - provoking tone, "Are you really that eager to see Song Yu?"
From just this short sentence, Jiang Li could read many meanings.
There was mockery, interrogation, and more of a blame.
"General Manager Xiao has come back after a long and tiring journey. You should go back and have a good rest." Jiang Li replied casually. Her tone was also very distant. "I also need to rest. I have work tomorrow."
The implication was that she was seeing him off.
Xiao Yanzhi's gaze fell on her face. His eyes darkened slightly. "The necklace I gave you. Why was it in Qin Yaoyao's hands?"
He was asking something he already knew.
Jiang Li had long guessed that he would come to blame her. His uninvited visit seemed reasonable.
His tone was calm, but she could tell that this was just the calm before the storm.
He was like a predator waiting for its prey.
Or waiting for her final explanation.
Under Xiao Yanzhi's gaze, Jiang Li finally couldn't bear the pressure. "I gave it to her."
"That was something I gave you." Xiao Yanzhi's tone was hard to tell whether he was angry or not. "I don't think I need you to give away what's mine to please others."
Xiao Yanzhi's tone was calm, but it was obvious that he was extremely angry.
Jiang Li raised her head. Her palms were tightly clenched. "General Manager Xiao, I told you on the phone."
"If I can't afford the price of that necklace, then I'd rather not have it."
She didn't want his charity.
Xiao Yanzhi stared into her eyes. His voice was lazy. "When I gave it to you, you didn't say you didn't want it."
"But I didn't say I wanted it either, did I?" Jiang Li slightly raised her eyelashes. Her voice was very cold, and the corner of her lips curled up disdainfully. "It was General Manager Xiao who insisted on giving it to me. Did I have any room to refuse?"
"Don't you always do things as you please?"
The man remained silent. The moment he heard this sentence, he twitched his lips and repeated her words, as if squeezing them out from between his teeth. "As I please?"
Jiang Li didn't comment.
Wasn't he always like this?
Doing things his own way.
"Since you know that I don't take you seriously at all, it's just a necklace. You made such a big deal out of it and gave it to Qin Yaoyao. What do you think you're doing?"
Although she had known from the beginning that Xiao Yanzhi didn't give her the necklace with any special meaning, when she heard him say these words with her own ears, she still subconsciously tightened her palms.
"I think that since you like Qin Yaoyao so much, you might as well give her all the good things."
Xiao Yanzhi seemed to have heard a joke. He stared at her with cold eyes. His thin lips parted slightly, and his tone was extremely sarcastic. "Do I need you to remind me?"