"Li Li, please spare me." Xiao Yanzhi was almost in disbelief. "I'll buy you a hundred houses, but you still want to live with other men?"
"Yes. Is that not okay?" Seeing that he finally showed a reaction, she stubbornly stuck out her chin, pouted, and said defiantly, "After I get tired of other men, I'll consider whether it's your turn."
This should make him give up.
Sure enough, she felt the hand behind her loosen slightly. It was no longer gripping her tightly as before.
The next second, he should scold her for being shameless and promiscuous—
At this moment, Xiao Yanzhi was clearly struggling mentally. Finally, he squeezed out two words through his teeth: "Okay."
"I hope they'll be quickly eliminated by you, and then it'll be my turn right away."
He no longer hugged her tightly. Instead, he pleaded in a low voice, "Li Li, considering we've known each other for so many years, could you please be quicker? I'm afraid I can't wait."
Jiang Li couldn't describe her feelings at the moment.
She would rather believe that she was deaf.
She must be deaf, or maybe she was having an auditory hallucination.
Jiang Li stared blankly and asked, "Did you... did you say the wrong thing?"
"What should I say?" Xiao Yanzhi held her in his arms. When he touched the men's trench coat on her, he felt uncomfortable but still endured it. "What do you think I should say to be appropriate?"
"You should scold me for being money - worshiping. You should say I'm insatiable. You should..." Jiang Li blinked, and tears fell. "You shouldn't be like this. You weren't like this before."
"I was wrong before." He replied straightforwardly, "I admit I was a brute before, and the things I said were not human words."
He calmly self - reflected, "Half of the reason I said those things was to drive you away. The other half was to make the enemy relax their vigilance."
"Why did you want to drive me away?" Jiang Li stopped crying for a short time and looked up at him.
"I was afraid I couldn't give you what you wanted and would delay you." Xiao Yanzhi's voice was hoarse. "Before I was sure I could control my own life, I couldn't hold you back."
He knew it clearly in his heart.
Because of her original family, Jiang Li had suffered too much. What she wanted was a simple life with a loved one, having three meals a day together, living a peaceful and happy life.
It was not impossible to marry Jiang Li against his parents' wishes, but it would be too tough. Even if his parents agreed in the end, they would pick on Jiang Li in the future.
He couldn't bear to let her get involved in the complicated and contradictory family relationships again.
He wanted her to be happy.
Rather than that, it was better to drive her far away, set her free, and let her have her own life, even if she hated him for the rest of her life.
But how could he bear it?
Reason and emotion were like fire and water. The more rational a person was, the more crazy and shocking he would be when he became emotional.
"You're so contradictory." Jiang Li's nose was pink. It was hard to tell whether it was from the cold or from crying. "You want me to go and also want me to stay. You're being unreasonable!"
"You're being unreasonable too, Li Li." Xiao Yanzhi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I've been waiting for you to give me an answer. If you're willing to stay, I'll do my best to make you happy. If you're not willing, I'll give you a large sum of money and let you go to a far - away place to live a peaceful life."
"But you've never said whether you love me or not. You've always made me wonder if you just regarded me as a sugar daddy or something else."
Why would he say such a thing?
Jiang Li bit her lips, and her voice was a bit choked, "Shouldn't it be the girl's turn to say 'I love you'?"
She thought he should at least feel it.
"Why can't a girl say it?" Xiao Yanzhi countered, "If you don't say it, I'll be worried that all my efforts are in vain."
"What if you reject me after I take over the Xiao family from my father and gain the right to speak and absolute leadership in this family? What if you're not willing to be with me? What if you say you've always only regarded me as a benefactor? What should I do?"
"I need you to give me instructions first so that I can take the next step." He said calmly, "Otherwise, the risk is too great. It's not worth it."
"How is it not worth it?"
"For you, it's worth it."
The night was so quiet that when his voice faded, there was an echo in the empty surroundings.
"You're doing it wrong. Your way is wrong." Jiang Li's nose felt a bit sour. "Love is not like doing business. There's no need for instructions..."
His voice was low and humble, "It's my fault. I'll learn in the future, okay?"
He held her in his arms. As he smelled the fragrance of her hair, he suppressed his emotions again and again. It was hard for him to control himself for long, and finally, he kissed her.
He kissed her passionately and fervently.
When his kiss landed, she closed her eyes instinctively.
This time, she didn't dodge.
It seemed that many habits had penetrated deep into her bones, like marks engraved on her bones stroke by stroke.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Two lines of clear tears fell.
She felt that she was so humble and despicable. When she had nothing, she approached him in a despicable way. Now, when she was hurt all over by him, her body still uncontrollably accepted him.
Jiang Li's legs began to go weak from the kiss. She opened her misty eyes, and her hands involuntarily grabbed his arms, unconsciously showing her dependence.
She instinctively relied on him.
"Does my kiss feel the same as his?" His question was almost malicious. "What's it like to be kissed by two different men in one night?"
Jiang Li's vision was already blurry. She shook her head, "I didn't..."
"Didn't what? Didn't his kiss feel better? " His gaze was intense. "In which aspect was it not good? Or was my kiss not exciting enough for you?"
"Shut up!" Jiang Li's ears were so hot that they were almost on fire. "You're so vulgar!"
"I'm asking you, Li Li." He was unhurried and confident. "Am I better, or is he better?"
"Don't ask such questions." Her breathing was uneven, and she was on the verge of collapse. "I've never kissed Dr. Qiao. It's not what you think."
Hearing this, Xiao Yanzhi inexplicably felt a strange sense of pleasure.
Now, looking at the trench coat on her, he felt even more annoyed. So he reached out to take it off for her.
"I'm cold." Jiang Li noticed his movement. Worried that he might do something downstairs, she nervously tightened the collar of the coat and was very on guard.
"What are you cold for? You're wearing another man's clothes, being held in my arms now, and just being kissed by me. What are you cold for, huh?"
Although he said it casually, it still sounded as sour as if a vinegar jar had been overturned.