Yu Wan turned around as well and faced Xiao Yanzhi. Her voice was calm. "You came here so late. Are you looking for Jiang Li?"
She asked casually, as if it were just an ordinary chat between good friends.
Xiao Yanzhi sized her up with a nonchalant look in his eyes. His tone was equally indifferent as he replied, "What's the matter?"
"Do you still remember what I said last time?" Yu Wan took a step closer to him, pursed her lips, and said with a smile, "From the first time I saw you until now, I've always thought that you and Miss Jiang are well - matched."
Xiao Yanzhi raised an eyebrow. He seemed rather interested in this topic. "What are you trying to say?"
"Since we broke up, I've known that I owe you something, so I've always been very concerned about your situation."
As Yu Wan spoke, her voice was soft and gentle. "I sincerely wish you happiness and hope that you can find someone who will accompany you for the rest of your life."
"Jiang Li is indeed a good choice, but I don't want you to choose her because of our past relationship. It would be unfair to her."
By this point, her voice had taken on a solemn and serious tone. "Miss Jiang is a very good person. You can't hurt her by using her to replace me."
Xiao Yanzhi listened to her quietly, then just curled his lips. "Yu Wan, I think you might be overthinking things."
"The relationship between us is over. I respect our past very much, and there's no so - called 'debt' between us, nor the 'past relationship' you mentioned."
His tone remained unmoved, as cold as if he had never known her before. "Moreover, I've never regarded her as anyone else, let alone used her to replace someone."
This "her" naturally referred to Jiang Li.
Yu Wan listened quietly, but she didn't believe a word Xiao Yanzhi said.
Even though his tone was so cold, it was very likely just an act.
She had known and loved him for so many years and had never seen any emotional fluctuations in him, let alone at this moment.
He was inherently arrogant and would never admit that he still couldn't forget her. Everything he said now was just out of anger.
Men always cared about their self - esteem, especially a powerful man like Xiao Yanzhi.
So suddenly, her emotions flared up. She took a few more steps closer to him. A bitter smile appeared on her face as she said, "A Yan, why do you always disguise yourself?"
"If you've really let go of our relationship, then why did you get engaged to and then break off the engagement with a rookie in the entertainment industry with whom you had no feelings? And now you're acting so reluctant to part with Jiang Li in front of me?"
As she said these words, Yu Wan's eyes were filled with tears. She stubbornly raised her head to look at him, and her voice was trembling violently. "Is it really that hard to admit that you still love me?"
Xiao Yanzhi nodded slightly, his eyes half - lowered, and his gaze shifted away from her face. "Yu Wan, the only reason I've maintained a friendly relationship with you is that I don't want Bai He to keep pestering me."
When mentioning Bai He, he frowned slightly in annoyance.
If it weren't for his aunt, he wouldn't give Bai He any face at all.
In the empty and silent apartment complex, only Xiao Yanzhi's cold voice could be heard. "You know - I don't make friends easily, and I don't need any so - called friends."
In the last sentence, his anger was obvious.
"You're still being stubborn, aren't you?"
Yu Wan was crying and laughing at the same time. Her body involuntarily walked towards him, and she hugged his waist tightly. "A Yan, you should be more honest about your feelings. No one will laugh at you, and I definitely won't."
Caught off - guard by the sudden embrace, Xiao Yanzhi was stunned for a second. He instinctively wanted to push her away, but she hugged him even tighter.
"Don't be so cold and stubborn anymore. I'll feel heartache."
After saying that, she stood on tiptoe and tried to kiss his lips.
...
After the premiere, Jiang Li had to start practicing other repertoires and wait for the next performance.
She had a solid foundation in dance from her previous training. When performing some high - difficulty dance moves, she could still maintain a steady breath, which impressed everyone.
Just as the other members were cheering for Jiang Li to perform again, she nodded with a smile and said she would go get a drink of water and take a break first.
She walked to the rest area, picked up her water cup, and checked her phone while drinking water. She was surprised to find 99 + message alerts, all from the internal group of Jiang Entertainment.
Since the drama "Embroidery Lady" she had filmed hadn't been released yet, she hadn't announced to the public that she had terminated her contract with Jiang Entertainment and was planning to quit the entertainment industry. So only a few people really knew about it, and she hadn't had time to leave the group.
The last time this group was this lively was when Qin Yaoyao got engaged to Xiao Yanzhi.
Jiang Li finished drinking the water and clicked on the group chat. Right in front of her eyes was that eye - catching photo.
A man in a suit was leaning against a street lamp. A woman was standing on tiptoe, hugging his waist. Although the shooting angle was a bit awkward, it was obvious that the two were kissing passionately.
The group was so lively because everyone thought the woman in the photo was Jiang Li.
It was no wonder people made this mistake, because the woman in the photo was so similar to her in both figure and temperament.
It was she who resembled the woman in the photo.
But Jiang Li recognized who the woman was at a glance. Even though the photo was blurry and the light was dim, she could still tell.
Everyone was discussing excitedly and @ - mentioned Jiang Li one after another, asking her to send red envelopes.
Looking at the hundreds of messages @ - mentioning her, Jiang Li didn't know where to put her hands. Her heart tightened, and she felt a strange tightness in her chest. She swallowed hard.
She wanted to say that it wasn't her.
The woman kissing him wasn't her.
The person he had always wanted to see wasn't her either.
Jiang Li lowered her head. The scene that came to mind seemed so beautiful to her.
A summer night, the chirping of insects, two pounding hearts, and a passionate and lingering kiss.
It should have been beautiful.
But why did her heart ache so much?
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling completely relieved. She thought this was the best outcome and exactly what he wanted.
As long as it was like this, he would finally have a perfect ending, and he wouldn't pester her anymore.
The other members were already calling her over. She absent - mindedly put down her phone, forced a smile, and walked over. "What do you want to see?"
"The Hu Xuan Dance!" someone shouted. "I saw you perform the Hu Xuan Dance in a costume drama before. I want to see the live version!"
Jiang Li pursed her lips and replied with a smile, "Okay. Who can play the music for me?"
Someone was very obliging and immediately played the music of the Hu Xuan Dance on their phone, holding it high in the air. Everyone started cheering and invited her to start the performance.