"Go to bed early. I'll come to see you in a few days. Be good."
His gaze turned a bit heavy as the burning desire within him gradually faded away.
He lowered his eyes and stared at her for a while, then gently brushed the stray hairs from her forehead. "This room is warm enough. You won't catch a cold here."
"Are you leaving?" Jiang Li tilted her head and asked.
"Why? Can't bear to part with me?" Xiao Yanzhi smiled, his slender fingers caressing her cheek. "Your bed is too small for two people."
His eyes then fell on the sofa, and he remembered the night he came out and saw the woman curled up on it, looking so tiny.
His eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Tell Sister Chen to talk to the director when you start filming tomorrow. Don't overwork yourself."
Before leaving, he planted a kiss on her forehead.
Xiao Yanzhi came and left in a hurry.
Jiang Li sat alone on the sofa. The tense emotions that had been weighing on her finally eased, and she let out a long sigh of relief.
She had lied.
Jiang Li's period had always been regular, neither early nor late. She just didn't want to have a physical relationship with Xiao Yanzhi, so she came up with this excuse on the spot.
She couldn't think of any other reason that would make this man back off.
Any reason would do, as long as it could make him leave.
---
The next day, Jiang Li's assistant came to pick her up and take her to the filming set.
She casually grabbed the cake and put it in the car, then stuffed it into the assistant's hands. "Share the cake. I'm treating everyone."
She didn't want to eat the cake Xiao Yanzhi had given her.
There was plenty of space in the back of the nanny car. The assistant, who hadn't had breakfast, was immediately attracted by the cake. She quickly untied the ribbon and cut a slice. After taking a couple of bites, she noticed something was off.
"This cake tastes different from the usual ones."
Only then did Jiang Li remember that Xiao Yanzhi had said the cake didn't contain any dairy products that would cause her allergies, so she could eat it without worry.
"Um..." Jiang Li thought for a moment and casually explained. "Maybe the baker made a mistake and left out some ingredients. But it should still taste okay."
The assistant didn't suspect a thing. She just took out her phone and took a photo. "The taste is okay, and the cake looks beautiful. There's a rose on it. It looks so realistic!"
The assistant even posted the photo on her WeChat Moments to share her daily life and show off that Jiang Li was treating everyone to cake.
Jiang Li didn't pay much attention.
It was just a cake. Who ate it didn't really matter.
...
In the CEO's office of Jiang Entertainment, Xue An stood across from Xiao Yanzhi, trembling nervously. He couldn't figure out what was going on in his boss's mind.
If he had known he would get caught slacking off, he wouldn't have taken out his phone. But by chance, he saw the photo the assistant had posted on WeChat Moments.
That cake was the one Xiao Yanzhi had driven over an hour to buy the night before. He never expected Jiang Li to share it so easily with her colleagues.
The atmosphere in the office was tense.
Xue An was trying to come up with an excuse on the spot. "Mr. Xiao, maybe Sister Jiang Li just doesn't like cake. Don't think too much about it. She definitely didn't mean to reject your gift."
Xiao Yanzhi: ...
You might as well have said nothing.
Xiao Yanzhi held Xue An's phone and lowered his eyes slightly. "Is there really a girl who doesn't like cake?"
He clearly remembered someone saying that eating something sweet could improve one's mood.
He didn't want to believe that Jiang Li was the exception.
"Everyone is different. Even if 99% of girls in the world like cake, Sister Jiang Li could be the 1%."
Xiao Yanzhi fell into deep thought.
Xue An noticed that the atmosphere had eased a bit. He let out a sigh of relief and continued to comfort his boss. "If you want to make Sister Jiang Li happy, you could try giving her something she likes."
This seemed like a safe answer.
But unexpectedly, Xiao Yanzhi's face darkened. "So, what does she like?"
Xue An: "..."
This question stumped him.
Although Xue An had known Jiang Li for a long time, their relationship was purely professional. They had never really gotten to know each other.
If Xiao Yanzhi, who had been with her for so many years, didn't know what she liked, how could Xue An?
Even though he asked the question, Xiao Yanzhi knew Xue An couldn't give him an answer.
Only now did Xiao Yanzhi realize that he seemed to have never really known Jiang Li.
Although they were physically close, he didn't know her preferences, her dislikes, or what she really cared about.
He was always so proud that he never thought about taking the initiative to get to know someone.
But now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember ever seeing Jiang Li really like something.
She seemed indifferent to everything.
Seeing his boss deep in thought, Xue An felt sorry for him and gave him a suggestion. "How about sending her flowers? I'm sure no girl can resist flowers."
"Sister Jiang Li is starting filming today. If you send her a big bouquet of flowers, I'm sure..." Xue An got more and more excited as he spoke.
"No." Xiao Yanzhi flatly rejected the suggestion. "There are too many people on the set. The media might take pictures."
Xue An: "..."
He really wanted to ask Xiao Yanzhi why he wasn't worried about the media when he went to Qin Yaoyao's birthday party.
But for the sake of his job, he didn't dare.
The man was silent for a long time. Finally, he let out a frustrated sigh, his Adam's apple bobbing. He decided to drop the subject. "You can leave now."
Xue An had been waiting for this moment. "Yes, Mr. Xiao."
Just as he was about to leave, Xiao Yanzhi called him back. "Go to the hospital later and pick up Mrs. Xiao's medicine."
Su Jialan had to take her medicine on time every month. Because she had trouble walking, Xiao Yanzhi usually took the medicine to the Xiao family mansion himself.
In this regard, he was always a filial son.
...
When Xue An returned from the hospital with the medicine, Xiao Yanzhi gave him some work to do at the company. Then he drove back to the Xiao family mansion.
Of course, he made sure to go when Xiao Yuanfeng wasn't there.
The father and son had always been at odds. They could never have a conversation without arguing, and it always ended up in an unpleasant situation.
Over time, Xiao Yanzhi didn't like going back to the Xiao family mansion very much.
When he did go back, it was only to visit Su Jialan.
---
At the Xiao family mansion.
As soon as Xiao Yanzhi entered the house, he saw Su Jialan sitting in her wheelchair in the yard, just like she did every day, tending to the flowers and plants. She seemed to enjoy it very much.
She didn't have many hobbies, but she loved pruning flowers and plants. She said it helped her calm down.
Compared to before, there were now two maids standing behind her.
This was because after she had a sudden cerebral infarction and fainted last time, Xiao Yuanfeng had arranged for the maids to take care of her, saying that he was worried she might have another accident.
Seeing his mother engrossed in her work, Xiao Yanzhi stood at a distance and waited for a while. He didn't want to disturb her.
Finally, the wheelchair turned around, and the woman on it caught sight of Xiao Yanzhi standing at the door. Her eyes lit up a little. "Ah Yan, you're here. Why didn't you say anything?"