Hearing Bai He offer to visit Su Jialan on her own initiative, Qin Yaoyao couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart. Her expression looked a bit forced. "Hehe, you've just returned to the country. Don't you need to rest?"
Bai He shook her head, oblivious to anything amiss. "An elder in the family is hospitalized. It's only right for me to go and pay a visit. Besides, I don't have any plans for the time being."
Xiao Yanzhi's eyes swept across Qin Yaoyao's face and lingered for a few seconds. His voice grew deeper. "The doctor said she's been recovering well recently and there are signs that she might wake up."
With just this simple sentence, Qin Yaoyao almost lost her balance. She bit her lower lip repeatedly. "Really? That's great news."
Although she said so, there was an obvious look of panic on her face, and her complexion turned pale.
"Yaoyao, are you feeling unwell?"
Qin Yaoyao shook her head. She couldn't muster any other expressions on her face and tried hard not to let her true feelings show. "No. Maybe it's too late. I'm a bit sleepy."
While speaking, she didn't dare to look Xiao Yanzhi in the eye.
"Then let's go back." Xiao Yanzhi raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, his tone still calm.
Qin Yaoyao let out a sigh of relief in her heart.
She thought she had covered up her emotions perfectly, but her little actions had already given her away completely.
It was just that no one had pointed it out.
...
When they returned to their private room, Duan Yibo was counting the chips on the table with a beaming smile. His face was almost splitting with joy. "A Yan, Jiang Li still has such bad luck as always!"
They were playing for high stakes. The colorful chips on the table represented different amounts of money, ranging from a thousand to fifty thousand.
"How much did you lose?" Xiao Yanzhi walked over. There was no surprise on his face as he casually asked her.
Jiang Li answered sincerely. There was no trace of guilt on her face. "I just had really bad luck today. I lost it all. I'm sorry."
Xiao Yanzhi looked down at her from above, lifting his lips slightly. There was no blame in his tone, but if you listened carefully, there was a hint of indulgent helplessness. "You've never had good luck."
Jiang Li didn't answer. She just hung her head, looking down at her nose and nose at her heart.
Of course, her luck wasn't that bad.
She did it on purpose.
She deliberately spent all his money. If there was even a little left, it meant she hadn't performed steadily enough.
Jiang Li was like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank. The corners of her lips lifted slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Xiao Yanzhi didn't intend to hold her accountable either. He glanced at her, knowing what she was smiling about. He couldn't help but curl his lips.
Just then, Qin Yaoyao poked her head over most inappropriately and casually mentioned, "Sister Jiang Li's father and younger brother have been gambling for so many years. If they had good luck, they wouldn't have had to borrow so much money from A Yan."
After she finished speaking, she added jokingly, "Sister Jiang Li's bad luck must be hereditary, right?"
Qin Yaoyao knew a thing or two about Jiang Li's family.
The faint smile on Jiang Li's face began to fade away bit by bit. Her hands hanging on her legs suddenly clenched tightly. She looked at Qin Yaoyao with extremely cold eyes.
Almost instantly, an inexplicable sense of oppression suddenly descended. Qin Yaoyao's laughter stopped abruptly, and her smile began to falter.
"Is it that funny?"
Jiang Li's voice was as cold as an ice cellar. "Do you find it amusing to expose others' pain?"
Her tone was completely devoid of warmth. Qin Yaoyao couldn't help but shiver. "I was just joking. I didn't expect Sister Jiang Li to mind so much..."
"I don't like joking with people I'm not familiar with." Jiang Li's voice was calm, but her gaze was extremely sharp. "If there's a next time, I'll tear your mouth apart."
Although her tone was very nonchalant, it was extremely intimidating.
It made people feel a sense of fear from the bottom of their hearts.
The private room fell completely silent. Duan Yibo stopped counting the chips in his hand. His mouth, which always liked to crack jokes, hung open and didn't close for a long time.
Was this still Jiang Li?
Chen Siqi, sitting on one side, watched this farce quietly without any intention of mediating.
Jiang Li was very composed. After saying this, she got up and left the private room first. "Excuse me."
The aura she had just now was so strong that Qin Yaoyao was almost on the verge of tears.
It wasn't until Jiang Li had left that her timid eyes turned to Xiao Yanzhi. "A Yan, did I say something wrong just now? Sister Jiang Li seems really angry, but I was really just joking."
She pursed her lips and defended herself. "Besides, what I said is the truth."
Xiao Yanzhi squinted his eyes calmly and casually said, "She's just too sensitive. Don't worry about her."
Just now, Bai He had wanted to say something, but seeing her elder brother's obvious bias, the words she wanted to say for Jiang Li were eventually swallowed back.
It was obvious that her cousin really doted on Qin Yaoyao.
To the point of distorting right and wrong.
She felt sad for Jiang Li in her heart, but more than that, she felt it was not worth it for Yu Wan.
...
When the group came out of Jinhaili, Xiao Yanzhi scanned the area with his eyes but didn't see Jiang Li's figure. His eyes darkened slightly.
After Duan Yibo and Chen Siqi left, Xiao Yanzhi first asked the driver to take Qin Yaoyao home and then Bai He back to the Bai family.
Bai He hesitated to speak during the whole journey.
Just before getting off the car, Bai He took out a sticky note from her bag, wrote down a series of numbers on it, and handed it to Xiao Yanzhi. "Cousin, this is Sister Yu Wan's phone number."
"Her married life hasn't been happy, and she's been waiting for you to go to her." Bai He swallowed hard. "If possible..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Xiao Yanzhi folded the sticky note in his hand indifferently, tore it in half, and casually threw it away. "I don't have time."
What normal person doesn't even have time for a single phone call?
He just didn't want to get in touch.
"Cousin..."
Xiao Yanzhi tilted his head slightly. His elbow rested on the edge of the open car window. "Bai He, how do you think Yaoyao would feel if she knew you were trying to match me up with someone else?"
Bai He's face immediately changed slightly.
She regarded Qin Yaoyao as a good friend, but in her heart, only Yu Wan was the one who should be with her cousin.
This moment of questioning made her heart waver greatly.
"Go home quickly. Aunt is waiting for you." Xiao Yanzhi raised his hand and undid the collar of his shirt. His tone was nonchalant.
After Bai He got off the car, Xiao Yanzhi rubbed his temples and took a deep breath.
He took out his phone and dialed Jiang Li's number.
No one answered.
Xiao Yanzhi pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and impatiently loosened his tie. He made another call.
Still, no one answered.
The man's handsome, chiseled face was now extremely gloomy. His eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and his hand involuntarily tightened around the phone.
"Mr. Xiao, where shall we go now?" The driver sensed the cold atmosphere in the back seat and bravely asked.
Xiao Yanzhi's expression was cold.
He pondered for a moment and said coldly, "Immediately send people to search the whole city for Jiang Li's whereabouts. I need to know her location as soon as possible."