Xiao Yanzhi stated expressionlessly. He put down the soda can in his hand and took out a cigarette from the cigarette case. "Mind if I smoke one?"
Jiang Li said softly, "Go ahead."
She keenly sensed that Xiao Yanzhi seemed different tonight. Compared with his usual self, he looked a bit more desolate and dejected.
The spark of the cigarette glowed and faded in the night. He took only one puff and then held it between his fingers.
Of course, he saw the surprise and disbelief that flashed across Jiang Li's eyes just now.
Yes, it was the Xiao family.
A prestigious family with a long - standing heritage that had close ties with the royal family. How could such a proper family be involved in the scandal of keeping a mistress?
His tone was calm, his emotions as flat as still water. He curled his lips into a smile. "When I first learned about all this, my reaction was stronger than yours."
More than surprise, he felt angry.
He couldn't accept that his father had an affair and was unfaithful to his marriage and family.
So he sent people to secretly investigate Xiao Yuanfeng's whereabouts. Then he came alone to Huacheng to meet this woman, just to find out what kind of woman was worth his father's hiding her away.
But when he saw that the woman had nothing and was lying sick in bed, he couldn't say a word.
As women of Xiao Yuanfeng, Su Jialan enjoyed wealth and glory and was always superior to others, respected and admired.
But this woman had nothing. Although they were of similar ages, she was on the verge of death and didn't even deserve a proper title.
Even when he coldly asked her to name her price, she just shook her head silently, and her eyes looking at him were even gentle.
He just couldn't bring himself to hate this vulnerable woman.
However, Xiao Yuanfeng was extremely wary of him. Every time this woman was mentioned, there would be endless arguments between father and son, and their relationship grew more and more distant.
It was the same today.
But Xiao Yanzhi didn't want to talk about these things with Jiang Li.
The cigarette in his hand had burned down a bit. Xiao Yanzhi tapped off the ash. "I have a friend. He has a background similar to mine. In such an environment, marriage is not really marriage but just a tool for family business."
"But he still fell in love with an ordinary girl. They had an ambiguous relationship for three or four years, and he helped her become a popular actress."
He paused for a moment and seemed to glance at Jiang Li. "He knew that he couldn't go against his family in the short term. He didn't want to expose his feelings for the girl and get her into trouble or affect her career. So he never revealed a single bit of his feelings to her."
Jiang Li listened to the story very carefully and even interrupted to ask, "And then?"
"The girl wanted a stable relationship and marriage. But the man was afraid of failing in the fight against his family and not being able to give her what she wanted in the end. So he once tried to drive her away, but then he regretted it."
"Why did he regret it?"
"Because he couldn't bear to part with her."
He took a puff of the cigarette and said in a flat tone, "But he still broke her heart and drove her away. Now he wants to win her back. What do you think - what should he do now?"
Hearing this, Jiang Li had already understood most of it.
What he was talking about was the story of him and Yu Wan, that once unforgettable love story.
It must have been that Xiao Yanzhi was not capable enough back then and was forced to separate from Yu Wan. He watched her marry someone else. Now that he saw her back in the country, he wanted to rekindle their old love.
Connecting this with what he had just said, every point seemed to match.
"He now has about 80% of the ability to negotiate with his family, but it seems that she doesn't like him anymore. He's very panicked now and doesn't know what to do."
Xiao Yanzhi said calmly. When waiting for her reply, he found that his fingers holding the cigarette had gone numb.
He never thought he would be nervous.
It was as if he had returned to his seventeen - or eighteen - year - old self, standing in the corridor of the classroom just after confessing his love, anxiously waiting for the reply from the girl he liked.
Jiang Li was stunned. She didn't expect that he would ask her for a solution. Her heart suddenly ached.
He was too much.
He was really too much. She had just told him her feelings during the day, and at night he came to ask her for advice on how to pursue another girl.
He really knew exactly where to hurt her.
She lowered her eyes and let out a short laugh. "I don't know. You can ask Miss Yu directly."
Xiao Yanzhi was instantly stunned. He didn't know why she suddenly mentioned Yu Wan.
In such a nice atmosphere, why mention an irrelevant person?
When he finally realized it, he was almost amused by her train of thought. How unconfident must she be to twist the story into being about him and Yu Wan?
He couldn't help smiling and decided to be straightforward. "Jiang Li, what I just told you wasn't about me and Yu Wan. It was about me and you."
"Me and you?" Jiang Li widened her eyes, and her mind went blank for two seconds.
She suddenly felt a bit at a loss.
Xiao Yanzhi smiled and replied, "Yes." Then he asked her curiously, "What did you think my relationship with Yu Wan was? She's already been married. My relationship with her is not what you think."
What she thought?
Jiang Li's heart tightened. She opened her mouth to ask "What kind of relationship?" but then felt it was inappropriate and forced herself to close her mouth.
It must be a trick.
He was used to playing these tricks to confuse her. He was always unpredictable, and no one knew what he was really thinking.
She had been deceived too many times. Even the stupidest person should have learned a lesson and not fall into the same trap again and again.
"Everything I just said is true. Now can you tell me what my friend should do? Or rather, what should I do?" He said calmly.
Jiang Li met his deep, bottomless eyes. Her hand holding the soda can tightened involuntarily. With a sudden squeeze, the unfinished cola inside spurted out and sprayed all over him.
Xiao Yanzhi: ...
She immediately stood up and panicked, trying to step forward to wipe him. "I'm sorry, sorry, so..."
Xiao Yanzhi frowned slightly. Too lazy to care about the liquid on his body, he directly grabbed her wrist and forced her closer to him. "Jiang Li, I'm asking you a question."
Her breath hitched.
The night was always quiet. At this moment, it was eerily quiet downstairs of the hospital. Even the sound of the wind caressing the leaves was faint.
After a long while, Jiang Li looked up at him and slowly and heavily closed her eyes. "This is unfair, Xiao Yanzhi."
"What's unfair?"
Her breathing became rapid, and her chest rose and fell. "Why should everything be decided according to your preference and judged by your standards? Whatever you say is true, it's true? Are you God or a judge?"
She rambled on with these metaphors, and tears rolled down her face. "I hate you, Xiao Yanzhi. You're the one I hate most in this world."