After all this back and forth, Jiang Li felt that most of the alcohol in her had worn off and her mind had become clear. So she shrugged. "I've really lost the mood. It seems tonight isn't suitable for romance."
When she said this, there was not a shred of extra emotion in her eyes and her expression was extremely calm, as if she didn't care about anything.
Whether they did it or not didn't matter to her.
Xiao Yanzhi looked up at her.
A few minutes later, the driver was called back into the car to continue driving.
As the driver started the engine as ordered, he secretly glanced at the rear - view mirror, unable to help but speculate in his mind: How could the boss have finished so quickly?
It seemed like something exciting should have happened, but the car hadn't even shaken. This made him doubt.
Compared to before, the temperature inside the car seemed to have dropped below zero, making people afraid to even breathe loudly.
When getting out of the car, although Jiang Li held an umbrella, the rain was so heavy that she inevitably got wet and her hair was damp.
After getting home, Jiang Li took a shower, dried her hair, and then lay down.
She stared at the ceiling, her mind filled with what had happened in the car a few hours ago.
She still remembered the calm and composed look on Xiao Yanzhi's face when he was explaining his past with Yu Wan to her. It didn't seem like he was lying.
He didn't have any reason to lie either.
Strangely enough, even though all the contradictions and misunderstandings had been cleared up, she felt an increasing sense of emptiness and loneliness in her heart, and she couldn't even find the reason.
On the one hand, she didn't want to have any more ties or connections with Xiao Yanzhi. But on the other hand, she didn't want to admit that her attention and emotions still fluctuated with him.
Because she had once fallen in love with him, his existence seemed so special and unforgettable.
After dropping Jiang Li off at home, Xiao Yanzhi frowned tightly. Looking at the two calls from the same person, his eyes instantly turned cold.
He impatiently pressed his tongue against his teeth and called the number back.
"Xiao..."
"Xue An, you'd better have something important to say."
...
Ever since the drama troupe received the script from Shang Zewen, Jiang Li had been kept busy.
Apart from the existing plays, the newly introduced play needed to be studied and rehearsed intensively. She also had to adjust the plot and content according to the actors' conditions.
Jiang Li had once acted in movies, so she was very experienced in script - adaptation.
She almost spent the whole day in the drama troupe, giving advice and guidance to the actors who had been assigned roles. She even demonstrated the actions herself, constantly setting examples to achieve the best performance.
After being busy for more than half a month, during this period, she also saw some entertainment news about Yu Wan. Yu Wan had received some well - known endorsements and scripts, but she didn't use her real name. Instead, she went by the stage name "Wanwan", which was quite strange.
But Jiang Li didn't have time to think too much about it. Her focus was all on the drama troupe.
There was an actress in the drama troupe named Liu Qin. She was the young girl whom Jiang Li had once coached for a Republic - era script. She was two years younger than Jiang Li and had just graduated.
On normal days, the two of them would have lunch together. From their conversations, Jiang Li learned that apart from acting in plays, Liu Qin would also work part - time as a painting model on weekends to earn some extra income.
Jiang Li asked her if being a painting model was an easy job. Liu Qin shook her head like a rattle. "Not at all. As a model, you have to hold a pose for one or two hours. It's really torture."
She then asked Jiang Li if it was the same when she was an advertising model. Jiang Li explained that she didn't need to hold a fixed pose. Usually, the staff would arrange the pose and the photographer would just take the pictures.
After chatting for a few words, Jiang Li suddenly became interested in being a painting model.
Liu Qin was very enthusiastic. Seeing that Jiang Li wanted to know more, she invited her to go to the studio on the weekend to experience it once, saying that the studio was always short of models.
Jiang Li thought for a while and agreed.
On the weekend.
After meeting up with Liu Qin, the two took a taxi to the studio she had mentioned.
The studio was very large and had several rooms. It was decorated in a very artistic style. There were already quite a few art students and painters inside, and some of them had already set up their easels.
Liu Qin was very familiar with this place. She led Jiang Li to find the person in charge of the studio. "Brother Li, this is my friend, Jiang Li. Do you need models today? Could you arrange one for her?"
Jiang Li politely reached out her hand. "Hello."
"Hello, hello."
The moment the person in charge saw Jiang Li, his eyes lit up and he couldn't take his eyes off her. "Qin Qin, your friend is very beautiful and has a figure that's very suitable for being a model. Why didn't you introduce her earlier?"
Liu Qin stuck out her tongue. "Sister Li is just here to experience it. She doesn't usually do this kind of work."
The person in charge had thought he had found a treasure at first, but when he learned that she didn't plan to work as a model long - term, there was a look of regret in his eyes. But he didn't force her. He smiled and said, "Well, I hope the two of you can come and play often."
After Brother Li walked away, Liu Qin whispered in Jiang Li's ear. "Sister Li, I didn't expect that just by bringing you here once, you're going to steal my part - time job."
Jiang Li laughed and coaxed her softly. "I'll treat you to dinner with the money I earn today."
Liu Qin's eyes immediately turned into crescent moons. "Then I won't decline. I want to eat barbecue later."
Liu Qin was a regular life model in the art class. She gave Jiang Li a few instructions, saying that Brother Li would come to arrange things for her later and told her to just wait patiently.
Jiang Li nodded and told her to go about her own business and not worry about her.
Liu Qin then changed her clothes and walked into one of the rooms.
Jiang Li stood at the back door and looked inside. She saw Liu Qin sitting among the students, posing very seriously.
It was obvious that she really liked this part - time job.
She didn't have to wait long before Brother Li came to find her. He politely told her the precautions and then led her to another studio, saying that the guests who came to paint had already arrived.
"Are they also a group of students?" Jiang Li asked.
Brother Li waved his hand. "Not all the people in our studio are students. Occasionally, there are some social people who are painting enthusiasts. They're usually either rich or powerful—you know what I mean."
Jiang Li understood.
For ordinary people, time is money; for the rich, time is for entertainment.
She followed Brother Li inside until they reached the door of the room.
"The two guests who came for indoor sketching are already inside." Brother Li's voice also softened. "The people inside have a high status. You should talk as little as possible and never offend them."
Before Jiang Li could even ask, the door was pushed open.
The studio room was furnished in a very simple style. One person was sitting on the sofa and the other was standing, admiring the paintings on the wall.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, gentlemen."
Brother Li smiled and pushed Jiang Li inside. "This is our new part - time model today. She's beautiful and has a great temperament."
Jiang Li didn't realize anything at first. But when she walked in and saw the people inside, she immediately stopped in her tracks.