Jiang Li smiled charmingly, the kind of smile she reserved for other guests in the world of fame and fortune. It was both cheap and insincere.
"Or, if President Xiao is truly sincere, why not spend some money to jump the queue?"
Her smile, though beautiful, was like the flyers handed out on the street, available to everyone. "As for how much, it depends on President Xiao's sincerity."
The implication was obvious.
She wanted to be a complete money - worshipper in his heart, or a vain heiress, so that he would loathe her.
No man liked such a woman.
Jiang Li watched as his face darkened and his eyes narrowed. She had a premonition.
If nothing unexpected happened, his next words would probably be to mock her for being greedy and self - righteous.
Or perhaps even more unpleasant and harsh words. She was already used to it.
It didn't make much difference if he said one more.
However, Xiao Yanzhi just remained silent for a while.
Jiang Li wasn't in a hurry. She put her hands in the pockets of her trench coat, and the smile on her face still lingered.
After smiling for so long, her face began to feel a bit stiff.
Xiao Yanzhi stared at her for a while and suddenly asked, "How much?"
"Ah?"
Jiang Li had anticipated all the possible things he might say, but she never expected these three words.
Xiao Yanzhi pressed on, "Is one billion enough?"
He asked so seriously that Jiang Li was stunned for a moment.
Why wasn't he playing by the rules?
Jiang Li's expression was stiff, and her heart started to thump uneasily. "… Not enough."
"Two billion?"
As he spoke, he seemed to be seriously considering the feasibility. "As long as it's within five billion, I can mobilize the funds quickly. If it's more than that, I'll have to find assets for temporary mortgage. There are still several valuable factories in North America, and there are more business partners in Europe. But even so, it will take some time to do an asset inventory. You can wait for me…"
Xiao Yanzhi's serious tone was just like that in a business negotiation. Every word was real.
He wasn't lying.
"Enough."
Jiang Li's hands trembled slightly. She looked at him in disbelief. "Xiao Yanzhi, you'd better be talking nonsense."
"I'm not talking nonsense."
He hardly hesitated. "If you want these, I'll give you all I have."
"Of course, this is all I have." After saying that, he smiled relievedly. "If this can buy me a qualification, that would be great."
Was he going to use his tens of billions of assets to buy a qualification?
A qualification for what? To be one of the countless candidates she just mentioned?
Jiang Li felt a brief ringing in her ears.
This was not real.
He must be lying.
Jiang Li seemed to regain some sanity. She forced a smile. "Do you think I'm a child and will believe these fairytales and dreams you've woven?"
"If you don't believe me, we can go to the bank directly tomorrow."
He looked into her eyes.
"If nothing unexpected happens, we can handle the transfer procedures for 50 million tomorrow. The remaining 450 million will need to wait for the bank to raise the funds."
At this point, he sighed helplessly. "Lili, you know it takes time."
No matter how rich he was, it didn't mean the bank could come up with so much money in a short time.
"Tomorrow is Sunday. The bank won't handle the procedures."
"They will handle it for me." Xiao Yanzhi said coldly. "I'm rich enough. They will do it for me."
In the tense atmosphere, Jiang Li couldn't help but be amused. She sighed, "You seem like that unreasonable upstart."
"So, do you like it?"
He gritted his teeth. Before seeing Qiao Jinrun kiss Jiang Li, he had never been so distraught.
He used to be patient.
But he always felt that if he was any later, his rose would be picked by someone else.
His palms were tightly clenched. The edges of the lighter were digging into his palm painfully. "Do you like it like this?"
This was a result Jiang Li had never expected.
She could accept him mocking her, despising her, or even treating her with the most vicious and mean words. Maybe she could even use that as an excuse to leave freely. She had even prepared her sarcastic remarks in her throat.
But he suddenly asked, "Do you like it?" She didn't know how to answer.
It was like the teacher had given the key points in advance, but in the exam, there was a completely different paper. She sat in the exam room, feeling extremely at a loss.
This behavior was so bad.
She was so lost in thought that when Xiao Yanzhi suddenly pulled her into his arms, she forgot to react at first.
"Xiao Yanzhi, stop being crazy." Jiang Li struggled and said, "I don't have time to listen to your nonsense here at night."
"You'll know if it's nonsense or not when dawn breaks tomorrow." There was confidence in his tone. "If possible, I could even take you to the bank right now."
"Just tell me if I still have a chance in this lifetime." His breathing was a bit rapid, but he still asked calmly.
His palm held her head, not allowing her to move an inch. She was forced to look into his eyes.
She wanted to push him away, but his strength was obviously overwhelming.
"No chance." Jiang Li blurted out. "I've changed my mind. You don't have a chance in this lifetime. You'd better wait for the next one."
"Why? Isn't it because I'm not rich enough?" he asked doubtfully. "Although I don't think you can name a figure I can't reach. Even if you can, there are too few men who can."
Jiang Li: …
She had never thought that one day Xiao Yanzhi would discuss the issue of money with her so seriously.
"It has nothing to do with how much money there is." Jiang Li insisted stubbornly. "Whether you're rich or not, you have no chance. You've been passed over, eliminated, and rejected. Do you understand?"
Her tone of rejection was so firm that his breath caught. "Don't you like money? Isn't this what you want? Is there something else?"
"Roses or jewelry? I remember. You once said you wanted a house where two people could live happily together… Where do you want the house?"
He was so flustered that his ability to organize his language became clumsy. "Is one house enough? I can buy you a hundred. You can change whenever you get bored."
He didn't scold her for being money - worshipping or mock her for being cheap. Instead, he sincerely asked if one house was enough.
Jiang Li watched his clumsy attempts to please her. She laughed until tears fell, and her tone was filled with determination. "Really? Can I live with someone else? Even if that person isn't you?"
"… Lili, please have mercy on me." After hearing this, he felt dizzy. He couldn't help but repeat, "I'll buy a hundred houses just for you to live with other men?"