"Don't let your mind wander. I'll figure out a way to handle this. Just relax," Xiao Yanzhi's voice was so reassuring that one would unconsciously want to entrust their heart to him.
Jiang Li cleared her throat and said in a soft voice, "Then you'd better hurry. My dad said today that there are so many suitors for his daughter that they could wear out the threshold of the Sheng family."
Her coquettish tone made him chuckle.
"What are you laughing at? Don't you believe it?"
"I do," Xiao Yanzhi composed himself and said seriously, "Of course I do. Our Li Li is a famous celebrity adored by many. With the background of the Sheng family, I'm indeed facing great competition."
"What if there's someone I like better in the future?" Jiang Li asked him playfully, "Maybe I'll fall in love, get married, and have kids with someone else..."
Xiao Yanzhi hooked his lips, "Then I can wait for your divorce."
Jiang Li tightened her lips, "You might never get the chance. I'll only get divorced if I'm unhappy."
Xiao Yanzhi's voice was steady, "You'll only be happy if you marry me."
His tone was so certain.
"My dad said today that it would be great if I had grown up in the Sheng family since childhood," Jiang Li suddenly mentioned.
"It would be," Xiao Yanzhi replied.
"But if that were the case, we wouldn't have met," Jiang Li said, her voice tinged with either regret or hesitation, "And there wouldn't be any interaction between us."
"Maybe," Xiao Yanzhi agreed with her words.
Jiang Li's heart sank. She couldn't feel the slightest bit of his concern for her, "So, we wouldn't have these stories, and we wouldn't... fall in love with each other."
By the end, her voice began to choke.
Xiao Yanzhi paused slightly. He noticed something was wrong with her tone and said in a deep voice, "No, we'll have a new story."
"In the new story, I'll fall in love with you all over again."
It was as if someone had suddenly squeezed her heart and then slowly released their fingers. Her chest felt a tingling sensation, as if an electric current had passed through.
Like all girls in love, she would lie in bed with her phone in her hands, constantly asking, "Will you love me forever?" and never get tired of it.
And the answer was always yes.
"I'll love you forever."
In the northern city at night in January, the temperature was still very low, and the sky was dark blue.
It would be a new story, a new chapter, a new life.
But what remained unchanged was still each other.
...
Rarely having the chance to come back, Jiang Li decided to stay with her father for a few days to get closer to him and strengthen their father - daughter bond.
During the conversation, she learned that Sheng Jingxi had been busy taking over the company from Sheng Shuocheng recently. With so many things to do before the New Year, he was so occupied that he hardly had time to have a meal with them.
Jiang Li picked a time and tentatively called him. That night, Sheng Jingxi came back.
As soon as he came back, he clamored to take Jiang Li to a gathering, but was scolded by Sheng Shuocheng, who said he was not allowed to take his sister to inappropriate places.
"What do you mean by inappropriate?" Sheng Jingxi retorted immediately, "They are my friends who are into motorcycle and car racing. I've been so busy with the company's affairs that I haven't had time to catch up with them."
Sheng Shuocheng held the teacup without even raising his eyelids, "Just catch up. Why do you have to take your sister there?"
"I just want to introduce my sister to my friends now that I have one," Sheng Jingxi said casually, but it was hard to tell how much of it was out of pride.
Jiang Li didn't want to disappoint her brother. After they repeatedly promised to come back on time at night, Sheng Shuocheng finally gave his oral permission.
"Thanks to you, I'm still subject to a curfew at the age of 28," Sheng Jingxi said playfully.
Jiang Li pretended not to understand the joke in his words.
---
The occasion was noisier than she had expected. When they entered, the private room was already full of people, and everyone was in high spirits.
The noise inside only paused for a moment when they entered, and then resumed.
Sheng Jingxi led Jiang Li in and sat down.
Some people came over to greet them. When they learned that she was Sheng Jingxi's younger sister, they all said they wanted to get to know her.
A girl with sharp eyes recognized Jiang Li at once, "Are you that actress?"
Jiang Li just nodded with a smile.
The girl was afraid she might misunderstand and quickly explained, "Everyone here is a friend. Don't worry about any negative impacts."
Afraid that she might feel left out, she took the wine list and handed it over, "Order whatever you like. Don't be polite. Your brother is paying tonight."
Jiang Li smiled, looked down at the menu, and ordered a low - alcohol fruit wine.
When she looked up again, she found a young woman sitting beside her.
She was tall and slender, with long black straight hair hanging down her back. Her features were sharp. She was wearing a black windbreaker, leather pants, and knee - high boots, with metal accessories on her wrists and neck. She wasn't drinking, but just holding a glass of ice water in her hand.
She had the cool and sassy charm of a motorcycle girl.
Jiang Li looked up slightly and took a few more glances at her. When she looked back, her gaze happened to meet Sheng Jingxi's.
Like being caught in the act, Sheng Jingxi quickly averted his eyes and coughed uncomfortably, "Have you ordered? Give the list to the front desk. I'll switch seats with you."
How could Jiang Li not notice Sheng Jingxi's little secret?
She was just a bit surprised. She didn't expect that the usually carefree Sheng Jingxi would like this type of girl.
After sending the wine list over, Jiang Li came back and sat on the other side of the motorcycle girl. She smiled and said, "Hello. You look really cool. Can I have your contact information?"
The young woman was stunned for a second and then said with a smile, "You look very beautiful too. Of course, I'd like to."
Jiang Li quickly took out her phone from her pocket and exchanged contact information with the young woman. She also winked at Sheng Jingxi.
Don't worry, bro. I'll be your wingman.
"Jiang Li."
"Jiang Shi."
After chatting with Jiang Shi for a while, Jiang Li clearly felt that she was an ice - cold beauty who was hard to approach. She couldn't help but worry for her brother.
It seemed that she was not easy to pursue.
Her phone vibrated a few times. She took it out and just glanced at the message when Jiang Shi suddenly said in surprise, "Li Li, do you like Winnie the Pooh too?"
Winnie... the... Pooh...
Jiang Li was silent for a while. She silently turned over her phone case and saw the big picture of Winnie the Pooh on it. She hesitated for a long time before nodding, "... Yes."
Actually, this phone case was changed by Jingyi. She hadn't really paid attention to the pattern on it.
"I love Winnie the Pooh!"
Jiang Shi's eyes sparkled. She excitedly took out her phone to show Jiang Li.
Her phone case, wallpaper, and the charm on her phone were all soft and cute images of Winnie the Pooh.
Jiang Li looked down at Winnie the Pooh and then looked up at the sassy Jiang Shi in front of her. She really couldn't combine these two elements.
No wonder my brother has a crush on this girl, Jiang Li thought.