At the invitation of King Franser IV and Queen Tiana, Jiang Li wore a proper smile on her face, but inside she was overwhelmed with surprise.
From the time her performance was interrupted at the National Grand Theatre until now, she had been in a daze. She never expected to receive an invitation from the royal family out of the blue.
Although she seemed to be handling the situation with ease on the surface, in fact, she was extremely nervous, afraid that one slip of the tongue might touch a taboo of the royal nobles.
The appearance of Xiao Yanzhi greatly rescued her.
He was like a savior descending from the sky.
Facing the enthusiastic invitation of the two royals, Xiao Yanzhi merely half - closed his eyes and smiled. He only stared at Jiang Li, his voice extremely deep: "Do you want to come with me?"
Jiang Li bit her lower lip, straightened her back, and her eyes showed a look of pleading.
No words were needed; a single look was enough.
"Xerxes, you're breaking the rules." Tiana, with her delicate mind, guessed that Jiang Li was feeling uncomfortable, so she pretended to be angry and said, "Alright, alright, take your sweetheart away before I change my mind."
This meant she was giving in.
The tense string in Jiang Li's mind finally relaxed. She nodded slightly, gracefully and skillfully bid farewell to the two royals. Xiao Yanzhi asked the servant to take her to the car first while he wanted to have a few words alone.
Jiang Li obediently followed the servant out of the royal castle and got into the car parked at the entrance.
The car was filled with the familiar cold, woody scent of his overcoat, which made her feel secure, like returning to a safe haven.
She didn't have to wait long. Xiao Yanzhi opened the car door and got in, bringing with him the chill and moisture of the late - night air.
Xiao Yanzhi leaned back wearily on the seat, closed his eyes, and ordered: "Now go back to the hotel."
Just as he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something. He turned his head to look at Jiang Li and asked politely, "Do you want to go back with me or to your own hotel?"
Jiang Li was stunned. She didn't expect him to be so polite as to ask her this. Judging from his usual style, he would most likely just take her to the hotel directly.
Out of female reserve, she said, "I'll go back to my place."
Xiao Yanzhi nodded and then instructed as she wished, "Okay, take you back."
Jiang Li thought that he was being overly polite and gentlemanly.
It wasn't until they reached their destination that she realized she had thought too much. Since Xiao Yanzhi had booked the same hotel as her, no matter how she chose, she would end up with him.
The car was quiet. Jiang Li had so many things she wanted to ask, but she didn't know where to start.
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Xiao Yanzhi half - closed his eyes. "I thought you'd have a lot of questions."
She did.
Since he had given her the chance to ask, she didn't hold back: "You seem to have a good relationship with the Fransers."
"Years ago, the Xiao family had some business cooperation with the Viennese royal family. We got to know each other by chance and got along quite well."
Jiang Li fell silent. She always felt that the man in front of her was more profound than she had imagined.
Connections, money, status, identity, and most importantly, ability were all there to support his ambition.
There was such a vast distance between him and her.
A sudden sense of desolation welled up in Jiang Li's heart. She didn't know if it was because of the gap between them or their completely different lives.
She gathered her emotions and asked her second question.
"Why is your English name 'Xerxes'?"
That night, Jiang Li had heard this name repeatedly. It was only later that she realized they were talking about Xiao Yanzhi.
"It's nothing special. Franser gave it to me. He said it suits me well." Xiao Yanzhi closed his eyes and patiently replied, "I don't really care about these things. It's just a simple name."
Jiang Li didn't think so.
"Xerxes" was a Persian word meaning "ruler".
To be given such an English name meant that he had such qualities.
To be fair, he really did seem like a dictatorial ruler, high and mighty, looking down on everyone, never bowing his head for anyone.
"Why do you ask? Do you think it sounds bad?"
Jiang Li shook her head and answered sincerely, "I asked because I think it sounds nice."
Xiao Yanzhi laughed. Rarely did he hear her praise, so he replied calmly, "As long as you like it, you can call me that from now on."
As long as she liked it, it was all good.
Jiang Li's heart skipped a beat.
"Also, Queen Tiana told me that this necklace was a piece of jewelry personally designed by her mother. Why would such a precious gift be given to me?"
When Tiana had told her about the origin of the necklace with a smile, Jiang Li felt as if the skin on her neck was about to burn. She even wanted to take it off immediately.
Years ago, the Xiao family had once given Tiana's mother a famous painting as a gesture of goodwill. This personally - designed and exquisitely - crafted necklace was the return gift.
It represented the friendship between the Xiao family and the royal family, as well as the Viennese royal family's blessing for the marriage of the Xiao family's descendants.
"Since Xerxes gave it to you, it means he thinks you're the rightful owner," Tiana said with a faint smile on her face. "He has chosen you."
"Love Duet" meant "a duet of love".
"The music of love should be composed by two people together," said Tiana, a romantic, in a charming tone. "Only the right partner can play out a romantic melody."
Tiana even enthusiastically taught Jiang Li how to properly appreciate the necklace.
Apart from its value, when viewed under a magnifying glass, each diamond on it had a musical note micro - carved on it. Together, they formed a piece of music.
"Which piece?" Jiang Li asked curiously.
Tiana deliberately kept her in suspense: "You'll have to ask Xerxes to tell you the answer."
-
Jiang Li was extremely curious. She couldn't help but ask everything in one go: "And which piece of music is carved on the diamonds?"
Xiao Yanzhi still had his eyes closed and said flatly, "Tiana really told you everything."
Tiana told her everything, while he told her nothing. He deliberately kept her in the dark and waited for her to ask.
"I gave it to you because I thought it looked best on you," Xiao Yanzhi lifted his eyelids and glanced at her. "Don't you already know its name?"
A blush appeared on Jiang Li's face.
Thanks to Tiana, she did know the name now and understood the meaning of the necklace, but she still didn't know which piece of music it was.
"I'll play it for you in the future," he said firmly.
Jiang Li was insistent: "But I want to know now."
Xiao Yanzhi's voice was steady as he firmly refused her: "Not now."
It wasn't the right time yet.
Jiang Li didn't get the answer she wanted. It felt like a cat's paw was scratching at her heart. She opened her mouth to ask again: "But..."
"Li Li, I'm a bit tired," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "From last night until now, I've slept for less than three hours in total."