Chapter 169: Graduation Ceremony
Jin Shi Yue released her wrist and wrapped his strong arms around her waist, saying in a low voice, “Xu Jingxi is my friend’s fiancée. My aunt and that friend’s parents know each other, so out of affection for him, she treats Xu Jingxi like a daughter and asked me to give her a ride to the tea house.”
It was rare for him to say so much useful information at once.
Lian Li’s eyelashes fluttered.
Jin Shi Yue added, “They aren’t giving me anything to eat, and I’ve been hungry all day. Could you do me a favor and come eat with me?”
Who would dare let the Second Young Master Jin go hungry?
Knowing he was faking it, Lian Li still asked, “You have hands and feet, can’t you eat by yourself?”
Jin Shi Yue’s lips curved upwards silently, his voice lazy and alluring, “Of course, food tastes better when eaten with you.”
Lian Li leaned back slightly, looking up at him, and asked suspiciously, “Could that friend you’re talking about be yourself?”
“Can’t you say something nice to me?” Jin Shi Yue was almost amused to anger. He placed his palm on her slender waist and squeezed it gently.
Lian Li sensitively dodged, “Don’t squeeze me.”
Jin Shi Yue’s dark eyes glinted with amusement as he took her hand and idly squeezed it in his palm, “Are you still jealous?”
“I wasn’t jealous in the first place,” Lian Li said.
She just didn’t want to be deceived.
Jin Shi Yue clasped her delicate wrist and pulled her towards the elevator.
The Eldest Young Master was used to being domineering, and Lian Li didn’t resist, letting him lead her away.
While taking the elevator, Lian Li looked at him in the mirror, “Aren’t you busy?”
Jin Shi Yue lowered his gaze to her, and her expression clearly conveyed the words ‘you’re so idle.’ He simply admitted it, saying lazily, “Have you ever seen a prodigal son who was serious about his work?”
The wealth accumulated by prodigal sons was enough to last several lifetimes, let alone the Second Young Master Jin. For some scions of powerful aristocratic families, not causing trouble was probably considered being serious about their work.
Lian Li blinked, “Oh.”
Finally, she spoke again, “Brother Zhong Yang isn’t organizing a trip to an island resort recently, why haven’t you gone if you’re not serious about your work?”
“If you’re not there, why would I go?” Jin Shi Yue said casually.
Though it seemed like a casual remark, it made Lian Li look up at him, “Will you come with me wherever I go?”
Jin Shi Yue put one hand in his trousers pocket and glanced at her sideways, “Where could you possibly go?”
“I don’t know,” Lian Li said seriously, “Maybe the moon, maybe Mars.”
Upon hearing this, Jin Shi Yue’s lips curved into a casual smile, “Why not say you’re ascending to immortality?”
He leaned down, his broad frame blocking the camera, his deep features approaching her, his dark eyes staring directly into hers, “Hmm? Junior Sister.”
His voice was low, hoarse, and magnetic, pleasant and alluring.
Lian Li’s heart trembled slightly. She averted her gaze, pretending nothing had happened, and stopped chatting with him.
Exiting the elevator, the two arrived at a VIP private room.
The manager enthusiastically recommended dishes to the Second Young Master Jin. Lian Li listened from the side and realized that most of the dishes Jin Shi Yue ordered were her favorites.
They had been living together for some time, so it wasn’t strange that he knew her preferences.
Last month, Meng Yi and Wen Zhixing got married. Lian Li didn’t attend, partly because her relationship with Meng Yi was just average, and partly because the Meng family was wealthy, but the Wen family was not just wealthy; their wedding guests were far from ordinary.
Lian Li wasn’t close to the bride or groom, and attending the wedding would have been a mere pastime. So, when Jin Shi Yue asked her to go, she firmly refused.
Lian Li opened her mobile phone and scrolled through it casually. In a small WeChat group, she saw wedding photos posted by others.
She clicked on them and browsed idly, only to discover familiar figures.
Jin Shi Yue and Xu Jingxi.
Perhaps to avoid overshadowing the bride, Xu Jingxi wore a relatively elegant rose-grey dress and had light makeup. It reminded Lian Li of the description people gave of her online: a rose grown in ruins.
This was merely praising Xu Jingxi’s spirit as a war correspondent, not her upbringing.
As the daughter of the Director of the Municipal Station, Xu Jingxi had undoubtedly grown up surrounded by adoration.
Children who grew up surrounded by love always seemed to be more likable.
They weren’t overly cautious or prone to suspicion, and it didn’t matter if they made mistakes, as someone would always back them up.
Lian Li, sensitive during her adolescence, had briefly felt self-pity, much like the protagonist of Maupassant’s short story “The Necklace,” considering herself extraordinary, harboring resentment, and being dissatisfied with her surrounding environment.
However, her pity wasn’t for external conditions but for internal emotions.
She envied others being picked up by their parents after school, envied others going to Disneyland with their parents during holidays; she felt embarrassed when asked about her parents and this embarrassment led to various negative emotions.
As Xue Shufan had said before, when girls encountered problems, they always tended to look for fault within themselves.
Lian Li had also wondered in the past if it was because she wasn’t good enough that her parents had drifted away from her one by one.
Later, she broke free from the prisoner’s dilemma and stopped doubting herself.
Lian Li faced life with a different mindset, largely shielding her emotions and perceptions.
When she saw Jin Shi Yue and Xu Jingxi standing together, a subtle, indescribable feeling suddenly arose within her.
Oddly, she hadn’t felt this subtle feeling when she saw Jin Yan Ting and Duan Shiqing together.
She couldn’t pinpoint the reason.
Lian Li exited WeChat and checked the calendar. Princeton’s opening date was at the end of August.
Jin Shi Yue ordered a cup of hot milk for Lian Li. When the waiter brought it, she was looking at her phone thoughtfully. He tapped the table twice with his finger.
“Lost in thought, what are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” Lian Li put away her phone.
She hadn’t considered a future with Jin Shi Yue. As long as he didn’t provoke anyone else during this time, she didn’t care about his future.
Jin Shi Yue’s gaze, dark and unreadable, fell on Lian Li’s face. She was clearly distracted and hadn’t noticed his look at all.
If Lian Li’s earlier tantrum had made him happy, her current calmness made his heart sink to the extreme.
With their own thoughts weighing on them, the meal was unusually quiet.
Although they usually ate in silence, silence could be eerie or normal.
Were they arguing? No.
Was there conflict? It had been resolved.
That evening, back at Xi Shang Yuan, Lian Li was in the study preparing her graduation ceremony speech. After typing, she stretched and went to her bedroom to get ready for bed.
The floor-to-ceiling window in the room was open, and a gentle night breeze blew in, causing the curtain to flutter and brush against the corner of the Italian-style lounge chair.
Jin Shi Yue leaned back lazily in the lounge chair, a cigarette held between his lips, and took a casual puff.
Through the wisps of smoke and white mist, Lian Li couldn’t clearly see his expression.
Undeniably, she had a good impression of him that couldn’t be explained by other means, even though she didn’t know him very well.
Lian Li walked over, closed the window a little, and asked him in a normal tone, “Aren’t you going to take a shower?”
Jin Shi Yue didn’t reply. He reached out to the ashtray to extinguish his cigarette, then grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Lian Li was caught off guard and fell directly onto him, her eyes bewildered, “What are you doing?”
Jin Shi Yue stared at her without blinking, his voice deep and cold, “Did you invite Jin Yan Ting to your graduation ceremony?”
