Since her outfit remained the same before and after, it meant that Jiang Li and Xiao Yanzhi had spent an entire night alone on the cruise ship.
Yu Wan flipped through the photos expressionlessly, gradually gripping her phone tightly.
In the photos, the man's hand was firmly clasped around the woman's waist. Their bodies were intimate, and even in the dim light, the watch on his wrist was clearly recognizable.
Wildberry Club.
Yu Wan pushed open the door of the private room and frowned slightly at the smell of smoke in the air.
Inside the private room, Shang Zewen was sitting with gorgeous supermodels on both sides. The cigar in his hand was billowing smoke, creating a scene of luxury.
"My sweetheart, you're here." He half - closed his eyes and gently patted the butts of the two women. "Girls, make room for my sweetheart."
The two women giggled and left the room.
Yu Wan was already used to this. She sat on the sofa, keeping a distance from Shang Zewen.
"Oh, my sweetheart, don't sit so far away from me." Shang Zewen laughed softly and, in a nonchalant tone, pulled her onto his lap. "This is your exclusive seat, honey."
As soon as she got close to Shang Zewen, Yu Wan couldn't help but tremble, and her teeth chattered. "Let me go!"
Feeling her body tense up, Shang Zewen smiled. "Honey, relax. Weren't our times together happy?"
Then he sighed regretfully. "I thought you'd miss those days too."
What he was referring to, of course, were the days when he had abused her and trampled on her dignity.
Miss those days? She wished Shang Zewen would die!
"Let me go first. We can talk properly." As long as she was near this man, she felt her nerves were so tense that they might snap at any moment. She tried to control her emotions and spoke calmly.
Shang Zewen saw her struggle and let her go. His lingering eyes scanned her from head to toe. "Sweetheart, you're much less fun than before."
"Aren't you already hunting new prey? Stop bothering me." Yu Wan lowered her eyes. "You should focus on her."
Mentioning this, Shang Zewen laughed and spread his hands. "It's more difficult than I thought. Xiao is protecting her well now."
As he spoke, Shang Zewen threw out the same set of photos that Yu Wan had seen.
"What does this have to do with me?" Irritation flashed across Yu Wan's face. "This is your problem to solve."
Shang Zewen shrugged. "Sweetheart, did you forget what you promised me? Don't act like it has nothing to do with you. I'll be hurt."
The implication in his words made Yu Wan's heart skip a beat.
Only by helping him get Jiang Li would he completely let her go.
"The cage is ready." Shang Zewen tapped the table with his finger and looked at Yu Wan meaningfully. "I just haven't decided who to lock up this time."
Yu Wan clenched her fists. Her chest heaved with each breath, and a fine layer of sweat had already covered her back.
After a long while, she finally spoke, offering her last bargaining chip. "I was Xiao Yanzhi's first girlfriend. I can give it a try."
First girlfriend?
Shang Zewen seemed surprised by this relationship. He was silent for two seconds, then suddenly laughed. "What a coincidence."
He suddenly lowered his voice and said playfully, "Since you two were in a relationship, why did you still keep your virginity until—"
"Enough." Yu Wan interrupted him. Images of the man's restrained hand in the photos and the fact that they had spent a night on the cruise ship flashed through her mind. She closed her eyes tightly.
A deep sense of shame and anger washed over her.
Her virginity was taken by Shang Zewen, not by Xiao Yanzhi, with whom she had once been in a relationship.
She had tried. During their relationship, she had hinted or even explicitly suggested that they could take their relationship to the next level.
But he remained unmoved, as gentlemanly as if he had no desires. He was abstinent and lofty, not succumbing to any worldly desires.
She once thought he was a Platonist.
But why did his eyes when looking at Jiang Li show so much possessiveness and greed?
Why wasn't it her, Yu Wan, who awakened the beast in his heart?
She couldn't accept it!
—
On the last day of the Vienna Golden Music Drama Festival, the organizers held a closing ceremony and awarded prizes to some outstanding dramas of the year.
Jiang Li wasn't among the performers, so there were no awards for her. She just sat in the audience and sincerely applauded the excellent actors.
When the event ended, she was about to get up and leave when a staff member of the organizers stopped her and invited her to take a group photo.
Jiang Li was surprised. She didn't understand why she was on the list of those invited to take the photo, but she just followed the staff member absent - mindedly.
According to the staff member's explanation, she was representing Sheng Shuocheng. Given his status, it was only natural for her to take a photo with everyone.
Although she obediently took the photo, she still felt like she didn't deserve it.
After leaving the theater, she specifically called Sheng Shuocheng to thank him for the opportunity.
"Those people always like to drag me into taking photos. I try to avoid them every year." Sheng Shuocheng said with a kind smile. "I guess they saw you were a young girl and deliberately took advantage of you."
It wasn't really taking advantage.
Such a group photo would be a great addition to a star's resume. They could even exaggerate and claim to be a rising star in the drama world.
Sheng Shuocheng was clearly gilding Jiang Li bit by bit.
She was truly grateful.
...
After the event, Jiang Li returned to the hotel to pack her luggage.
Jing Yi was bustling around beside her. She came over with her phone and asked which day's flight they should book.
"Book it for tomorrow." Jiang Li said, then thought of something. "Wait, don't book it yet. I'll go ask..."
She originally wanted to say she'd ask Xiao Yanzhi, but the words got stuck in her throat.
Jing Yi was confused. "Ask what?"
Jiang Li said, "It's nothing. Book it for tomorrow."
She thought that she didn't have to report everything to Xiao Yanzhi.
They weren't even officially together yet!
So when Xiao Yanzhi called Jiang Li and learned that she had already returned to China, he was stunned.
He had been busy with the port trade recently and had forgotten to contact her. Before he knew it, the little girl had already flown back to China.
His voice was a bit helpless. "Lili, why didn't you tell me in advance that you were going back to China?"
Jiang Li was sitting in the drama troupe, applying her eyebrows while answering him defiantly. "You didn't ask me."
It sounded reasonable, but it was clearly being unreasonable.
Xiao Yanzhi took a deep breath. He didn't blame her. Instead, he sighed. "So you just left me alone in Vienna."
The word "left" was well - chosen. Jiang Li's hand paused slightly while applying her eyebrows. She felt a strange sense of guilt, but still stubbornly said, "We weren't together anyway."