After dinner, Jiang Li offered to have a talk with Sheng Shuocheng, so the two of them went into the study.
Jiang Li had just taken a seat opposite Sheng Shuocheng when his voice came over, "Here to plead for that brat's driver's license?"
Jiang Li was taken aback for a moment, not expecting him to guess. "…Yes."
Sheng Shuocheng wasn't surprised that she would intercede for Sheng Jingxi. With a smile on his lips, he said, "You two are about the same age. You seem to get along quite well."
"He helped me. I don't want to owe him a favor." Jiang Li tried to keep her tone polite. "Moreover, I think… Sheng Jingxi is a very delicate person. After this accident, he will surely pay attention to safety in the future."
"This really surprises me." Sheng Shuocheng raised his eyebrows. "No one has ever said this brat was delicate since he was a kid."
Jiang Li looked at him and smiled, her tone quite certain. "Maybe your son has a side that you don't know about."
That delicate and soft side.
Sheng Shuocheng looked up, staring deeply at Jiang Li. A few minutes later, he opened the drawer.
…
"How about it? Did you get my driver's license?"
After coming out of Granny Cheng's house, Sheng Jingxi was jumping around, his face full of anticipation as he said sweet words, "Jiang Li, Lili, little Lili…"
"Alright, alright." Jiang Li cleared her throat and looked serious. "I got the driver's license, but—"
"But what?" Sheng Jingxi looked eager for the rest.
"But you have to take me for a drive once, and then I'll consider whether to give the driver's license back to you."
Jiang Li had a good reason. "I need to confirm whether you'll really pay attention to safety from now on like you said."
"No problem." Sheng Jingxi readily agreed. "Wait for some time, and big brother will take you to the race track to go racing, to speed…"
Before he could finish his boast, he was intimidated by Jiang Li's cold stare, and he quickly changed his words. "Let you see big brother's determination to repent!"
"That's better."
The two walked a few steps, and Jiang Li glanced up and saw the familiar black car.
She paused for a moment and then quickly shifted her gaze. "I'm a bit sleepy."
Sheng Jingxi didn't suspect anything. Pointing at the car not far away, he snapped his fingers. "It's not safe at night. Big brother will take you home right away."
They had just taken two steps when there was the sound of a car door closing behind them.
Although she didn't turn around, Jiang Li still had an indescribable feeling and premonition.
She knew he was standing there.
Right behind her.
It was like having a thorn in her back.
Finally, she couldn't move her feet anymore. Her voice was soft. "No need to see me off. I'll go back by myself."
Sheng Jingxi was just about to say not to be so polite when he turned his head and saw the man standing there. He immediately understood.
This was time for lovers to talk in private.
"Okay. Call me when you get home." Sheng Jingxi told her and swaggered into his car.
It was said that men understood men best. Sheng Jingxi wasn't stupid. He could feel the man's hostility towards him.
He was always too lazy to explain, so it was better to leave first.
So there were just the two of them left again.
"Why?" He spoke first, his voice hoarse. "Why are you doing this?"
"I made myself very clear in the hospital." Jiang Li said politely. "I thought you should have understood."
"I don't understand." A dull pain spread in Xiao Yanzhi's heart. This pain was no longer just physical. "Jiang Li, I don't understand."
"Did I do something wrong? Wasn't it fun enough on the cruise ship that day? Were the fireworks I chose not beautiful enough? Or weren't you happy enough being with me?"
He was eager to know the reason. "If you don't want to be a rich wife, we can have a secret marriage. You can continue to be a star and do whatever you want, as long as you're willing."
"As long as you stay by my side."
Jiang Li shook her head.
Her problem wasn't this.
She of course knew that Xiao Yanzhi wouldn't stop her from doing anything she wanted.
"Xiao Yanzhi, I said I didn't want to step into a new cage. This doesn't mean I don't want to marry into the Xiao family or be a rich wife of the Xiao family."
"The kindness you showed me was real, but the insults and hurt you once caused me were also real. These two are intertwined, and I can't tell what kind of feelings I have for you. Maybe it's just because it's too profound, but it may not be love."
Xiao Yanzhi's heart tightened suddenly.
"Looking at it this way, we're not the best choices for each other. It's just that a momentary emotion clouded our minds. After this period, you'll realize that actually no one can't live without the other."
Jiang Li's breathing was uneven. Her voice became calmer in the wind. "I was born lonely and drifting. So don't let anyone be in a difficult situation because of me, and don't let your life be in a difficult situation."
She couldn't bear to let him make a difficult choice.
"Even without each other, we can still have a good life. Why do we have to be tied together?" Her voice was very firm. "Even if we're together, one of us will die first."
"If that's the case, it's better to say goodbye gracefully earlier. In this way, both of us will feel better."
She was talking nonsense.
How could both of them feel better after such a farewell?
But Xiao Yanzhi could tell that she was seriously saying goodbye to him.
This was different from her previous disappointment in him, and it wasn't an emotional tantrum either. It was a serious notice that she didn't want to be with him and didn't want a future with him.
Compared to being with someone, she wanted to be more free alone.
Xiao Yanzhi smiled and nodded as if resigning himself to fate. He said, "Sure enough, I don't have the right to be myself."
He used a self - deprecating tone, with too much helplessness in his words. "You once comforted me that 'life is not a set railway track but an endless wilderness', and I should have a small part that belongs to myself."
"But look, the two things in my life that belong most to myself have all been messed up."
"One is painting, and the other is being with you."
He smiled almost imperceptibly, looking into her eyes. "One by one, none of them went as I wished. How pitiful."
Jiang Li blinked, and tears slid down.
She opened her mouth, but her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton.
The two stared at each other in the air. The wind suddenly became very strong, blowing their clothes fluttering.
"Can I hug you one more time?"
Xiao Yanzhi opened his arms. His sleeves were blown wide by the wind.
Jiang Li looked at him, motionless.
Xiao Yanzhi suddenly walked up to her, hugged her tightly in his arms, and held her back so hard that he wished he could blend her into his body.
His chest was cold.
Jiang Li's breathing trembled in his arms. She knew better than anyone that this was the last hug between him and her.
"Jiang Li, I've never loved anyone because I knew I didn't have the right to love. But fortunately, there's you. You made me know that I also have the ability to love."
"Thank you."
Hot tears welled up in Jiang Li's eyes.
He stroked her back and pressed her tightly into his arms, not letting her see that hot tears were also sliding down the corners of his eyes.