"So what?"
Hearing this, Jiang Li couldn't believe her ears. She stared at him in disbelief and said, "But this is your engagement banquet."
"It doesn't have to be if I don't want it to be."
Jiang Li: "..."
She had no idea what this man was going crazy about. She didn't want to stay in the same room with him any longer. "Even if you don't want it, you should at least give an explanation to the guests waiting outside."
"Who are they for me to give them an explanation?" Xiao Yanzhi said casually with a nonchalant tone, "They can leave if they want. No one will stop them."
After saying that, he looked at Jiang Li. His long and narrow eyes stared at her, and the look in his eyes was as dark as ink. "You're so eager, as if you're more anxious than the one who should be. Do you like being a good Samaritan so much?"
Jiang Li was left speechless by his words.
If it weren't for Xiao Yuanfeng threatening her, she wouldn't have cared even if there was a huge mess tonight.
But in Xiao Yanzhi's eyes, she seemed to be meddling.
Not getting an answer from her, Xiao Yanzhi continued, "Or is it because you don't want me to be with Qin Yaoyao from the bottom of your heart?"
He slowly raised his eyes, as if he had seen through her. There was a faint smile on his lips. "Jiang Li, give me an answer."
Jiang Li suddenly raised her head. There was a flash of surprise on her face. "What are you talking about?"
"If that's not the reason, then why did you call me?" Seeing her strange reaction, the smile on Xiao Yanzhi's face gradually faded, and he became expressionless.
Jiang Li met his gaze. She took a deep breath, folded her hands together, and answered without hesitation, "Your father secretly took photos of you and me. He threatened me to find you, or else he would..."
Listening to her explanation, Xiao Yanzhi's face became darker and darker. "So, you just came to find me to avoid getting involved yourself?"
Jiang Li answered firmly, "Yes."
"For no other reason?"
"No."
Xiao Yanzhi tightened his jaw. It was obvious that he was getting impatient.
Having been by Xiao Yanzhi's side for so many years, no one could detect his emotional fluctuations more subtly than Jiang Li.
She raised her eyes and met his.
"Do you want me to compromise and complete the engagement banquet smoothly?" His voice was deep. "Show some sincerity."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yanzhi grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the room.
Jiang Li staggered and was pulled in. The door behind her closed with a bang. She was forced to be very close to him.
She could not only hear his breathing but also see the dark emotions surging in his eyes.
The air pressure around him was very low.
"Do something to please me, and I'll consider your request." He snapped his fingers lightly, and his eyes fell on her smooth neck.
The skin there was fair and flawless, extremely bright and moist, making people want to kiss it.
Jiang Li subconsciously took a step back.
"Xiao Yanzhi, you're an adult." Jiang Li tried to persuade him. "Don't be unreasonable. Do what you're supposed to do, okay?"
Xiao Yanzhi glanced at the clock on the wall and laughed. "Is this the time they gave you to educate me?"
His tone was very calm, and he asked casually, "How much time is left? Half an hour or twenty minutes?"
It turned out that he could guess everything.
Jiang Li closed her eyes tightly. Her fingers hanging by her side tightened, and the joints were turning white. "Do as you please."
Now, as long as she told others the room number of Xiao Yanzhi, someone would come to find him and force him to complete the engagement on time. Why should she bother to persuade him?
Just as she turned around to leave, the man behind her laughed. "Do you think you can leave?"
Sure enough, before she could touch the doorknob, someone outside started knocking on the door. "Miss Jiang, are you in there?"
Xiao Yanzhi stared at her stiff face. He folded his arms across his chest and asked her in a voice only she could hear, "Guess if there are any media reporters outside. What will happen if they see the two of us in the same room?"
"Such a big commotion has happened tonight. Do you think the Xiao family won't use you as a scapegoat even if you do as he says?"
Xiao Yanzhi laughed suddenly. "I've never seen a stupider woman than you, Jiang Li."
Jiang Li suddenly shivered.
Her voice trembled, and she tried to calm herself down. "You knew all this. Why did you answer my call?"
He clearly knew everything. He had seen it all through.
He knew that she had no ability to defy Xiao Yuanfeng. He didn't answer anyone's call but hers.
He knew what she was afraid of but still made her bear the blame for ruining the engagement banquet!
Once she was considered to be seducing Xiao Yanzhi openly at the engagement banquet, she wouldn't be able to prove her innocence, let alone stop the gossips.
There were countless examples of women being forced to bear the blame while men could easily get away. That kind of destructive blow wouldn't even give her a chance to defend herself.
Jiang Li's eyelashes trembled slightly. A sour feeling rushed into her nose. She gritted her teeth and said, "Why?"
Why did he miss the engagement banquet? Why did he hide here and not come out? Why did he make her the target of public criticism?
Why?
Xiao Yanzhi looked at her with a dark and unclear look in his eyes. He restrained his breath and said coldly, "Because you make me lose my mind."
Jiang Li didn't understand what he meant.
But there was no time for her to figure out the meaning of this sentence. There were more and more people outside. "Miss Jiang, are you in there?"
"Someone saw you coming this way just now. Could you please come out and give us a response?"
The light in the room was very bright, making Jiang Li's face extremely pale.
The suite was very small, and she had nowhere to hide.
"So, have you figured out what to do?" Xiao Yanzhi's smile was cold and hardly reached his eyes. "Offer the chips you can afford, and I'll help you solve it."
"You know, I can handle all this well, and I can also mess it all up."
Jiang Li had lost the ability to think. She asked him blankly, "Then what does Mr. Xiao want?"
...
A few minutes later, the door was opened.
The media reporters' eyes lit up. Just as they were about to rush in, the tall man leaned against the doorframe and scanned everyone's faces with a cold look in his eyes.
He showed no emotion but was extremely intimidating.
"Mr. Xi..." The leading reporter only said one word and was scared into silence by his cold face.
At this time, Xue An quickly pushed through the crowd and came over. He said respectfully, "Mr. Xiao, Madam asks you to go to the hospital immediately."
Xiao Yanzhi nodded. "Does Father know about this?"
"I've reported it to Mr. Xiao. He said that everything should be prioritized according to Madam's situation, and the engagement banquet will be postponed for the time being."