Chapter 237: Aren’t You Going to Marry Him?
“Overseas industries,” Li Shuangjie replied, sparing no words.
Lian Li broke the seal, pulled out the documents from the kraft paper, and flipped through them. They were contracts for a villa near the school and a Chinese restaurant. As long as she signed, they would be hers.
Li Shuangjie took out a pen and a seal from the storage box and handed them to her. “The Chinese restaurant is doing well overseas, and its taste is authentic. It should suit your palate.”
Although the villa’s housekeeper could cook Chinese and Western food, the Chinese restaurant held a different significance. Besides everyday meals, she could also bring friends there for dining during her social events.
Jin Shi Yue’s people were meticulous and thorough. Lian Li didn’t need to scrutinize the contract terms. Since Jin Shi Yue had chosen her last time, her life had basically followed his arrangements.
Lian Li signed and pressed her fingerprint without any hesitation.
If it was given to her, she would take it.
Li Shuangjie looked at her decisive and straightforward demeanor, not surprised.
Miss Lian was not a coy girl; she could accept things and was not worried about losing them one day.
In other words, she had the courage to start from scratch and face anything.
After Lian Li finished signing, she handed the contract back to Li Shuangjie and turned her head to look out the window. Night had fallen, lights were on, and the city’s neon lights transformed into a brilliant spectacle.
She opened her mobile phone and sent a WeChat message to Jin Shi Yue, telling him she would go to the clubhouse first.
The location was not the Glorious Harbor Clubhouse.
It was another private clubhouse, smaller than Glorious Harbor, with a more luxurious and elegant layout, built by a lake, and in a secluded location.
When Lian Li arrived, Xue Shufan was sitting at the bar counter, singing.
It was a Cantonese song. Her pronunciation wasn’t perfect, but her voice was beautiful, and her pitch landed precisely on the melodious rhythm.
Li Shuangjie went to the assistant reception room to enjoy a massage chair and a seafood feast.
Lian Li didn’t bring her bag, holding only her mobile phone as she entered. The playful crowd turned their attention to her as she appeared.
The girl was wearing a linen dress, her shoulder and neck lines were exquisite, and her posture was elegant. Her thick, dark hair was tied up with an ivory and navy blue printed scarf.
Her stunning beauty, combined with the gentle aura of her delicate features, made her seem very approachable.
Lian Li was accustomed to other people’s gazes. She looked around, unable to find Zhong Yang.
Someone kindly reminded her, “Young Master Zhong is upstairs playing billiards.”
Lian Li realized: “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You must be Lian Li, nice to meet you.”
After entering, Lian Li met several new faces, most of whom she had heard of but couldn’t place.
She walked around and sat at the bar counter to listen to Xue Shufan sing. A waiter poured her a glass of Butterfly Orchid Rosé wine.
Lian Li’s gaze inadvertently swept upwards, and she saw Pei Qingji standing by the white jade railing on the second floor, looking down at Xue Shufan, who was sitting on a high stool and singing.
Under the bright lights, the dark blue diagonal stripes on his tie became distinct.
Lian Li had heard Xue Shufan mention some things about her relationship with Pei Qingji.
More than ten years ago, the Xue and Pei families were close. Later, the Xue family declined while the Pei family grew stronger. Pei Qingji went abroad, and Xue Shufan lost contact with him.
After that, Grandma Xue passed away, Xue Shufan severed ties with her family, and ventured out on her own. Then, Pei Qingji returned, and the two rekindled their friendship.
Did going abroad mean losing contact?
Lian Li thoughtfully sipped her wine.
Xue Shufan handed the microphone back to the professional singer and walked towards her Junior Sister. “How are you feeling?”
The relationship between a Junior Sister and Senior Sister didn’t need frequent meetings to maintain.
Lian Li thought for a moment. “Just the usual back-to-school mood, pretty much the same as before.”
The only difference was that she and Jin Shi Yue would be in different places.
“How did you and Brother Qingji lose touch?” Lian Li asked curiously.
Xue Shufan asked the waiter to mix a cocktail and mused, “At first, we messaged every two days, then once a week, once a month, once every three months… gradually, we stopped contacting each other.”
Lian Li said, “Then Jin Shi Yue and I sometimes don’t message each other for two days.”
“He’s back in the Military Region, that’s normal.”
After speaking, Xue Shufan suddenly realized the analogy was off and immediately corrected her Junior Sister, “You are lovers, and Pei Qingji and I are friends. These are fundamentally different and cannot be compared!”
Lian Li smiled. “Aren’t you going to marry him? The conditions he offered are quite tempting. Research projects need funding, and he happens to have a lot of money.”
“Are you selling your Senior Sister just because he has money?” Xue Shufan raised her fist, feigning fierceness. “I’ll hit you.”
“No, no,” Lian Li said. “My Senior Sister is priceless.”
Xue Shufan lowered her fist. “That’s more like it.”
She was still her beautiful and sweet-talking Junior Sister.
Zhong Yang was wiping chalk powder on a billiard cue when he suddenly heard that Lian Li had arrived. He immediately handed the cue to a nearby attendant.
As he went down the stairs, he saw Pei Qingji and asked, “Old Pei, aren’t you coming down?”
Pei Qingji didn’t answer and instead asked, “Shi Yue isn’t here?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the lively atmosphere suddenly froze for a few seconds.
Zhong Yang and Pei Qingji looked downstairs and saw the person they were talking about appear with composure.
Zhong Yang chuckled nonchalantly. “Speak of the devil, Young Master should just change his name to Jin Cao Cao.”
The atmosphere returned to its previous state within seconds, and the momentary pause felt like an illusion, but everyone present knew it wasn’t.
The man was in a sharp black suit, uncharacteristically wearing a tie. The dark, cool tones accentuated his sharp, cold demeanor.
Lian Li sat on the high stool with her legs crossed. She caught a glimpse of Jin Shi Yue out of the corner of her eye and wanted to stand up. As she was about to get off the stool, her shoe slipped off her heel. She hooked the wobbly high heel with her toes and turned to look at her Senior Sister.
Xue Shufan glanced down at her Junior Sister’s shoe, then up at her Junior Sister’s boyfriend, and finally picked up her wine glass, drinking as if nothing had happened.
Lian Li turned her head back, and a shadow flickered before her eyes unhurriedly.
Jin Shi Yue bent down, cupped her ankle with his hand, and put her shoe back on.
Lian Li lowered her eyelashes, watching his dark, neat hair as he bent down. Her eyes curved slightly, and she smiled with delight.
“You’re wearing a tie today.”
Jin Shi Yue extended his arm, allowing her to link her arm through his, and helped her off the stool.
“The occasion is rather formal.”
Lian Li understood and stood steadily on the ground. Behind her, Xue Shufan’s face was full of smiles, looking very pleased and relieved.
Pei Qingji waited on the second floor. Zhong Yang came down to greet Lian Li and Jin Shi Yue, and also asked Xue Shufan to stop singing and join them upstairs.
The farewell banquet was all about relaxed fun, without any formalism.
The young masters and ladies gathered on the second floor were mostly from the WeChat group, including Wen Zhixing, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Meng Yi had also arrived and was on the terrace making a phone call. She wore a celestial Chinese-style dress with a halter design that generously exposed her fair shoulder and neck skin. The white satin material was adorned with three-dimensional floral embroidery.
The stunning beauty was still as radiant, but no longer as cold as before.
Xue Shufan leaned her shoulder against Lian Li’s and informed her Junior Sister, “She’s pregnant.”
