Xiao Yanzhi let out a cold laugh and slightly raised his chin. "What right did you have to show up at the Swan Mansion last night?"
Jiang Li spread her hands, looking helpless. "You should ask Mrs. Su this question."
"She tells you to do something, and you just do it?"
Xiao Yanzhi took a step forward. His deep and cold voice rang in Jiang Li's ear. "What benefits did she give you that you're so obedient to her?"
The two confronted each other, with half a meter of distance between them. The cold night wind blew through the space.
Under the apartment building, the dim light shone down from above, outlining the man's jawline sharply.
His tone was casual, with a hint of nonchalance. "Jiang Li, you need to understand one thing: the only person you should be currying favor with now is me."
Jiang Li lowered her eyes and kept silent, looking as docile as a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Xiao Yanzhi's eyebrows twitched slightly. His expression was cold. "Now that Ruiyuan is already yours, when do you plan to move back?"
Hearing this, Jiang Li paused for a moment before slowly speaking. Her eyes were calm. "I'll move back after some time."
Jiang Li was actually lying.
She had no intention of moving back to Ruiyuan at all.
Even though the villa was already under her name, she would rather leave it idle.
She didn't want to set foot in it.
Xiao Yanzhi stared at her intently. Then he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it nonchalantly. He exhaled a long puff of smoke, which obscured his face. It was hard to tell his mood.
Jiang Li also stood there, silently counting the time in her heart.
A hint of mockery flashed in Xiao Yanzhi's eyes. He let out a low laugh. "You can lie to others, but you can't lie to me."
Jiang Li was slightly stunned.
He held the cigarette between his fingertips and suddenly walked over. The hand still holding the cigarette grabbed her slender waist. Jiang Li couldn't help but let out a surprised cry. All the nerves in her body were tense, but she didn't dare to struggle at all.
She was afraid that the burning cigarette end would burn her.
"So you really don't want to move back, huh?" His voice was very deep. "Didn't you like that house?"
At this moment, Jiang Li didn't even care what he was saying. All her attention was on the hand on her waist. She subconsciously softened her tone. "Please let go first."
Xiao Yanzhi half - squinted his eyes. "Are you that afraid of me?"
Jiang Li bit her lower lip. Ignoring the man's playful look in his eyes, she said in a low voice, "You have a cigarette in your hand. I'm afraid the cigarette end will burn me."
Actually, Xiao Yanzhi had already thrown away the cigarette in his hand the moment he hugged her.
But now it seemed that she didn't know about it. She looked so nervous, looking extremely cute.
He suddenly became playful and calmly said, "Don't move around. It's about to burn your waist soon."
Jiang Li was really a little scared and didn't dare to move at all. Her bright eyes glared at him angrily, but she didn't dare to anger him.
The man was greatly amused. He used his other hand to pinch her fair chin and knead her lips wantonly.
The fingerprint on his thumb was a bit rough, and the strength of pinching her increased little by little until her lips gradually turned red.
"You clearly knew what my intention was when I took Yaoyao back last night, yet you deliberately joined hands with my mother to make things difficult for her." His voice was nonchalant. "Do you really want to be Mrs. Xiao that badly?"
Jiang Li frowned slightly and then relaxed it quickly. She showed a beautiful fake smile. "My little thoughts were still discovered by President Xiao."
After saying that, she lowered her eyes as if acting. "Even if I can't marry President Xiao, I don't want to watch others marry you with my own eyes."
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a complex look in the man's eyes. He looked at her meaningfully and rarely didn't mock her. "You're quite honest."
His gaze softened a bit, and the corner of his lips curled into a smile.
Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he frowned. His tone was displeased. "Don't let me catch you getting into another man's car in the future."
His tone was cold, as if he was warning her.
Then, he let go of his hand.
Jiang Li quickly took two steps back to a safe distance in an instant.
Only then did she notice that Xiao Yanzhi's hand was empty, and the cigarette end was nowhere to be found.
His cuffs were also rolled up to his elbows. There was a relaxed and lazy look in his nonchalant eyebrows.
"If you don't want to move back, then don't."
Xiao Yanzhi nodded. He didn't seem to want to argue with her about this anymore. "Starting next month, your work focus will shift to Huacheng. You won't be able to stay there for many days even if you move back."
Hearing this, Jiang Li suddenly looked up at him.
Feeling her gaze, Xiao Yanzhi said in a flat tone. "Do you have any objections?"
He wasn't discussing the future work arrangements with her. It was just a notice.
Jiang Li still had a smile on her face, and her tone was as gentle as ever. "Thank you, President Xiao. If you came here specifically to tell me this, you could have actually asked Sister Chen to convey the message."
"It wouldn't have been so much trouble for you to come here in person."
Her tone was considerate and natural. Xiao Yanzhi didn't think much of it. He just curled his lips and smiled. "It's not really a trouble."
The corner of his lips lifted slightly, and there was a hint of smile in his tone. "If you're really sincere, why don't you invite me upstairs for a cup of tea? I'm a bit thirsty."
When a single man and a single woman were alone in a room, "drinking tea" didn't just mean drinking tea.
How could Jiang Li not understand the hint in his words?
Her expression remained unchanged, but the smile on her face became even brighter. "President Xiao, I've run out of tea at home. It's not very convenient."
This was a rejection.
The hint of smile in Xiao Yanzhi's eyes suddenly disappeared. His voice was cold. "Jiang Li, I don't like playing hard - to - get."
"I'm not playing hard - to - get." Jiang Li tightened her palm and tried to sound as calm as possible. "Since you've already decided to be with Qin Yaoyao, you shouldn't always provoke another woman."
Xiao Yanzhi frowned. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something and then happily relaxed his eyebrows. He said, "Are you jealous?"
Jiang Li:...
She didn't want to waste any more time trying to figure out how abnormal this man's thought process was. She just followed his words. "Yes, I'm jealous."
"But what's the use of being jealous? The Xiao family won't let me marry into it. I know I don't have the ability."
Jiang Li closed her eyes and enunciated very clearly. "Since that's the case, President Xiao might as well keep a distance from me earlier to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."
The more she said this, the more Xiao Yanzhi thought she was just being petty. He couldn't help but laugh. "You clearly understand so much. Why don't you be a good girl?"
His voice was steady, but obviously much gentler and more patient than before. "Lili, as long as you're good and obedient, Jiangyu will still be under your control."
"Don't be petty and don't have any unnecessary thoughts. Do you understand?" His voice was low as he coaxed her softly. "As long as you're obedient, everything will still be yours."