Not wanting to make Jingyi sad, Jiang Li decided to go back and stay with them tonight. But she was going to have dinner with Xiao Yanzhi in the evening as a little compensation for him.
Hearing this, Xiao Yanzhi raised his eyebrows, showing no surprise at all. "Are you going to abandon me again?"
Jiang Li: "Come on... Don't make it sound so pitiful. It's just for one night."
Since Jingyi had said so, she really couldn't bear to dampen the little girl's enthusiasm.
Xiao Yanzhi nodded. "You're afraid of making her sad, but not me."
...What a moral kidnapping.
Anyway, Jiang Li had already promised Jingyi, and there was no way she was going to change her mind tonight. She even told him that he could book a room in the same hotel as hers so that they could still be together except when she was sleeping.
Hearing this, Xiao Yanzhi didn't insist anymore. He just responded with an okay and took her to a French restaurant as he had promised before.
True to his words, the food in this restaurant was indeed very authentic, and the atmosphere inside was also great. There was a violinist playing music.
To make up for the previous regret, Xiao Yanzhi even specially asked for candles.
Watching the waiter light the candles for them and smilingly say "bon appétit" in French, Jiang Li couldn't help laughing. "A candlelit dinner?"
Xiao Yanzhi looked at the woman across from him, laughing uncontrollably in the candlelight, and replied, "Try it and see how different it is from what I cook."
Jiang Li cut a piece of steak in a proper manner and tasted a piece of stewed meat. Then, holding back her laughter, she commented, "The difference is indeed quite big."
"Where's the difference?"
"The difference lies in these two candles."
Xiao Yanzhi nodded seriously. "When we get back, I'll ask Xue An to buy more candles so that it'll be the same in the future."
...
After dinner, Jiang Li said she wanted to go to the restroom first, and Xiao Yanzhi said he would wait for her outside.
After using the toilet, she touched up her makeup in the restroom.
Some of her lip gloss had been eaten off, making her look a bit less charming. She took out her lipstick from her bag, applied it to perfect her lip shape, and then turned to leave.
As she pushed open the door, she found that the wind in Lyon was colder than that in Beicheng. She couldn't help shivering and looked up to find the man.
The moment she saw him, her eyes trembled slightly.
Xiao Yanzhi was leaning against the car door, his eyes as gentle as the city's night lights.
He was wearing a black waistcoat suit and a straight black overcoat, looking extremely elegant and noble.
Standing on the French street, he seemed to have become a symbol of romance. The wind blew past him, but it didn't mess up his hair.
He looked rather nonchalant. He took out a lighter from his pocket and was lighting it absent-mindedly.
When Jiang Li walked over, he straightened up and put the lighter back into his overcoat pocket.
When she got closer, she stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his waist, saying softly, "No smoking. If you do, you're not allowed to kiss me."
It was a meaningless warning with no deterrence, but it was a very forceful act of coquetry.
He smiled casually. "I didn't. I was just bored."
Saying that, he hugged her even tighter. "I didn't smoke. Can I kiss you now?"
Jiang Li was stunned for a moment and regretted what she had just said out of bravado. "We're outside. There are people..."
Xiao Yanzhi didn't care at all if there were people watching them. He squeezed his leather shoes between her feet, leaned his upper body closer to her, and gently pressed on her head with his fingertips.
He forced her to get even closer to him.
His gaze on her was deep, and his kiss was fierce. He entangled her tongue, and there was still the lingering taste of red wine on his lips and teeth.
This was their first kiss in Lyon.
Although she had only drunk one glass of wine, Jiang Li felt dizzy. When they separated, she even staggered and was forced to fall into his arms.
He wrapped his arms around her. His eyes were unfathomable, and his voice was hoarse. "Are you really not going to stay with me tonight?"
It was an implicit invitation.
Jiang Li's heart was pounding. Looking into his deep, misty eyes, she almost agreed, but when she thought of Jingyi, she immediately sobered up.
"I have to go back. Jingyi has run a comfortable hot bath for me." She stubbornly found an excuse.
"There's hot water in my room too." He helped her into the car and sat her down, then his fingers landed on her thigh before he changed his position to hug her again. "Moreover, there will be something even more comfortable than hot water in my room."
Jiang Li felt her earlobes were about to burn. "There's someone else in the car."
Xiao Yanzhi pressed his lips against her earlobe and said in a deep voice, "Lili, he's French. He doesn't understand Chinese."
In romantic France, it's not rare for couples to kiss in the back seat of a car. Sometimes, the driver even sends them roses and cards to wish them a long-lasting love.
No matter how much Xiao Yanzhi tried to persuade her softly, Jiang Li was very determined to accompany Jingyi. Helplessly, he could only book a room next to hers in the hotel.
Jiang Li didn't get back very early. Jingyi got up to open the door for her. The first thing she said was, "You've finished your date with Mr. Xiao, haven't you?"
The word "date" sounded very ambiguous. A suspicious blush crept onto Jiang Li's face. "Jingyi, you're becoming so talkative."
"Isn't it?" Jingyi rubbed her eyes. "Sister Chen just told me that you and Mr. Xiao are probably in a relationship now. You two should be more careful not to be photographed by paparazzi, even though we're abroad..."
"Jingyi, you talk too much!" Jiang Li covered her hot ears and walked into the room.
After a whole day of traveling and a little red wine in the evening, she felt sleepy very quickly. After taking a hot bath, she was so sleepy that she could hardly keep her eyes open. She lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
Her phone vibrated a few times in the middle, but she didn't hear it.
Ten minutes later.
Jingyi yawned and opened the door again. When she saw the man standing at the door, she immediately woke up halfway. "Good evening, Mr. Xiao. Are you looking for Sister Jiang Li?"
Xiao Yanzhi nodded slightly and softened his tone. "Sorry to bother you. Is she asleep?"
"She should be. She seemed very sleepy today." Jingyi looked back at the room and whispered, "Are you going to kidnap her while she's sleeping?"
Xiao Yanzhi: "..."
Jingyi was no longer sleepy. She excitedly let him in and carefully opened the door. "Hurry up and take her away. Give her a surprise before she wakes up!"
Xiao Yanzhi thought that Jingyi would at least show some displeasure, but unexpectedly, her gossiping mind was stronger. "Shh, don't wake her up!"
At the same time, Jiang Li on the bed was extremely annoyed.
She was a light sleeper. She had already woken up groggily when someone knocked on the door and heard every word of their conversation clearly.
She never expected that Jingyi would sell her out so quickly.
Her ears sensitively caught the sound of footsteps stopping by the bed. Jiang Li turned over and pretended to be asleep with her back to him.
Jingyi tiptoed in excitedly and lowered her voice. "Hurry up and carry her away. She's yours tonight!"
Xiao Yanzhi: ...
Jiang Li: ...