The car pulled up in front of the Xiao family mansion, bringing the conversation to an end.
Xiao Yuanfeng glanced at his wristwatch. "I'll ask the driver to take you back."
The Xiao mansion was a bit out of the way, and it was inconvenient to hail a taxi here. Jiang Li didn't decline. She got out of the car with Xiao Yuanfeng and politely saw him off.
As soon as she got out, she happened to see another black Maybach parked across the street, and the person in the car was just getting out.
It really was a fateful encounter.
When their eyes met, Jiang Li managed her expression well and put on a polite smile.
Xiao Yuanfeng spotted Xiao Yanzhi at a glance. "A Yan, it's getting late. Could you take Jiang Li back?"
Xiao Yanzhi, who had just stepped out of the car, was taken aback. He seemed surprised to see Jiang Li here. He paused for a moment before saying, "It depends on her. I'm okay with anything."
He stood there as if waiting for her reply.
Jiang Li held her breath for a moment.
After waiting for about a few seconds, Xiao Yanzhi said slowly, "It seems she doesn't need me. Then I'll just ask the driver..."
Jiang Li suddenly spoke up. "Let's go together. I... I'll be a bit bored by myself."
In the evening in Beicheng, the temperature began to drop.
Xiao Yanzhi told the driver to turn up the air - conditioning in the car, and the whole car instantly became warm.
After giving the instruction to the driver, he didn't say anything else.
The car fell silent again.
Driving back along the same road they came, although in a different car, Jiang Li felt even more cramped than on the way here.
Xiao Yanzhi was wearing a dark - brown sweater. His lazy figure leaned against the back of the seat, exuding a cold and silent aura.
It seemed as if he had reverted to the old Xiao Yanzhi.
Only this time, he wasn't as cold as before, just simply not very talkative.
Jiang Li remembered what Xiao Yuanfeng had said just now.
He just wanted to fight for the qualification to be with her.
After a while of silence in the car, the man finally took the initiative to speak. "How long do you plan to stay in Beicheng this time?"
It was just an ordinary greeting.
"It depends on Director Ying's arrangement." Jiang Li turned her head to answer him. "If there's no other work, I should go back in a couple of days."
"Got it."
He rubbed the area around his eyes and casually asked about her future life plans.
"I'll continue acting in stage plays. After the movie is released next year, I'll follow the crew for promotions. In the future, I'll focus on stage plays."
This was also her plan.
It was obvious that Sheng Shuocheng intended to hand over the drama troupe to her. She had always loved acting, and it would be a good choice to spend the rest of her days in the drama troupe.
Xiao Yanzhi gave a soft "hmm" and then asked her another question. "Do you think this movie can win an award?"
His question was sudden but not out of place. Jiang Li replied casually, "Judging from the theme and plot of this movie, it shouldn't be difficult for it to win a movie award."
She thought he was simply asking for her opinion on the movie. "Moreover, the theme of this movie is peace during war. There won't be much misunderstanding about this cultural connotation, so it might win an award."
"What about you?"
"Me?" Jiang Li pointed at herself and then shook her head. "I'm not sure... The criteria for evaluating actors abroad are different from those in China. Besides, I've already left the entertainment circle, so whether I win an award or not doesn't matter much."
Xiao Yanzhi asked her seriously, "Don't you want to be a movie queen anymore?"
There was a hidden meaning in this question.
But Jiang Li didn't catch it. She just laughed. "Of course I do, but in this world, you can't always get what you want."
She was very open - minded. "There are excellent actresses every year. It would be unworthy for me to be a movie queen. I'm already very satisfied that this movie can be successfully released."
If Ying Chengqi won an award because of this movie, that would be great. As for whether she herself could win an award, she didn't have too many expectations.
Xiao Yanzhi said calmly, "If you could become a movie queen, what would you most like to do?"
She blinked and thought seriously for a while before answering, "What would I most like to do... Maybe there's nothing in particular, but there would be no more regrets in my life."
She answered very briskly, without any hesitation.
Xiao Yanzhi closed his eyes.
She had forgotten.
A kind of subtle pain spread from his chest little by little.
After that, the conversation didn't go any deeper. It was just some superficial greetings and small talk.
It was really strange. Although the Xiao family mansion was far away, time passed so quickly. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the hotel where Jiang Li was staying.
The car came to a slow stop. Xiao Yanzhi had the driver turn down the temperature in the car in advance to avoid a large temperature difference between inside and outside the car, which might make Jiang Li catch a cold.
She tightened the collar of her coat and raised her hand to tidy her hair. "Thank you for taking me back."
Her thanks were rather distant, in the tone of an acquaintance.
Xiao Yanzhi stared at her. It took him a long time to say slowly, "I've been trying to quit smoking recently."
His random words caught Jiang Li off guard. "That's good. It's good for your health."
"Let's just let all the past things go." He looked directly into her eyes and said in a deep voice, "Let's act as if none of it ever happened."
All the love and hatred of the past should be forgotten with a smile.
Jiang Li suddenly felt a pang of emptiness in her heart. She looked at him blankly. "What do you mean?"
"From now on, everything starts from scratch." Xiao Yanzhi slowly parted his lips. "I want to ask you something without any other emotions."
"Ask."
As if he had thought for a long time and finally gathered the courage to ask, his voice was tinged with a barely noticeable nervousness. "Do you like him?"
Jiang Li paused.
"Do you mean Sheng Jingxi?" Jiang Li quickly adjusted her state and smiled. "He's okay. He's very handsome and his family is wealthy. Also, I have a good relationship with Uncle Sheng. If..."
"Do you like him?" Xiao Yanzhi's voice was low, and he asked again. "I just want this answer, Jiang Li."
When he asked the question, his face looked nonchalant, but in fact, his heart tightened. He was waiting for her answer like a man waiting for execution.
There were already fine beads of sweat on Jiang Li's back.
She actually knew how to answer. She could also sense the significance of this question to him. As long as she said "like", he would choose to let go and never pester her again.
This was also the result she wanted.
But at this moment, her lips seemed to be glued together. She couldn't even utter a single sound of those two words. "Li..."
Before she could say the second word, the next moment, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Suddenly being so close, Jiang Li could feel his slightly cold aura.
It wasn't cold in the car, but his palm was ice - cold.
His breath was right next to her earlobe, making the hairs on her body stand up and all her nerves tense.
"… You've changed your heart so quickly, Lili."