Chapter 154: Traveling All the Way into His Heart
Lian Li accompanied Jin Yan Ting to a highly private commercial dinner, held at a manor that was sumptuously decorated and brilliantly colorful inside.
The purple dress Lian Li was wearing was a custom business model from a top luxury brand, allowing for unrestricted movement, both elegant and magnificent.
The Business Maybach was the last to arrive at the manor, followed closely by three luxury cars.
Bodyguards efficiently held umbrellas, opening the back seat door to shield Jin Yan Ting from the rain.
Jin Yan Ting took the umbrella and let Lian Li link his arm as they alighted.
Lian Li held her skirt with one hand and the car door with the other, not touching him, “It’s fine.”
The dinner hosts came out to greet them, bowing and smiling, “Mr. Jin.”
The two unattainable noble young masters of the Jin Family; the eldest son, as the heir, controlled all the Jin Family’s connections, while the second son was not interested in the Jin Family’s existing power, having forged a new one—military industry.
The families of Sijiucheng updated and iterated, old families declined, and new families rose, only the Jin Family always stood at the pinnacle of power, unyielding.
Every dinner Jin Yan Ting attended was one where he was the center of attention.
Out of banquet etiquette, Lian Li gently linked her arm with his as she entered.
The banquet was grand, and several familiar faces greeted her proactively; she responded with ease.
Jin Yan Ting took Lian Li to the pastry area. Others, being sensible, did not approach to disturb them; Mr. Jin was accompanying his younger sister to have pastries, and it would be tactless to interrupt.
“Has the graduation ceremony been scheduled?” Jin Yan Ting asked.
“Not yet,” Lian Li mused, “It’s usually in June every year, so it should be in June this year too.”
The secretary from Jin Yan Ting’s office contacted Lian Li, helping her arrange her overseas trip and managing everything meticulously, so she only needed to show up.
Lian Li communicated with the secretary, learning new knowledge, encountering new things, and then choosing her own path.
“Yan Ting.”
Duan Shiqing, in high heels, had a tall and graceful figure, exuding both a cold, alluring charm and the sharpness of someone in a high position.
Business big shots passing by greeted her, “President Duan.”
She nodded in acknowledgment, perfectly embodying the demeanor of the Duan Family’s eldest daughter and CEO.
Duan Shiqing walked to Jin Yan Ting’s side, as if just noticing Lian Li, and smiled gently, “Lian Li, you’re here too.”
Lian Li replied calmly, “President Duan.”
“I visited Aunt Jin yesterday and mentioned that you don’t like sweets,” Duan Shiqing glanced at the pastry in Lian Li’s hand and said to Jin Yan Ting, “Your habits haven’t changed after all these years.”
“Is that so?” Jin Yan Ting leisurely adjusted his cuffs, his voice indifferent.
Duan Shiqing said, “Auntie knows you well.”
Jin Yan Ting’s expression remained unperturbed. Other business magnates who wanted to toast them, seeing Duan Shiqing chatting with Jin Yan Ting for a while, stepped forward one after another.
“President Jin, President Duan.”
Lian Li made space for others and, after listening for a while to their overt and covert praises of Jin Yan Ting and Duan Shiqing being a match made in heaven, walked to the bar counter and ordered a custom drink with interest.
The benefit of being wealthy and powerful was that everything was unique.
In the banquet hall, champagne clinked, suits and fine dresses adorned the guests, truly embodying the nobility and refinement of high society.
Although society today promotes equality, thousands of years of history and the practice of the law of the jungle meant that no matter how much equality was pursued, the distinct class divisions could not be concealed.
Everyone fawned over Jin Yan Ting, who remained composed and calm, with little emotional change. After a moment, as the others left, he said to Duan Shiqing, “The Jin Family will not enter into a marriage alliance with the Duan Family; you and I both know this.”
Duan Shiqing’s smile became noticeably stiff upon closer inspection.
Being intelligent people, how could she not understand Jin Yan Ting’s meaning?
Using his status to gain benefits and advantages was acceptable, but not excessively so; one had to know their limits.
“But Yan Ting, we both know that I am the most suitable person to be your wife, aren’t I?”
Duan Shiqing admitted that after returning to the country, she had used him to establish herself, but he had implicitly consented to all of it.
Since he had implicitly consented, it was equivalent to him being interested in a reconciliation.
Unexpectedly, Jin Yan Ting said, “Whether someone is suitable or not, only I get to decide.”
His words carried an irrefutable sense of pressure, full of the coldness of someone in a high position.
The implication was that she was not suitable.
Duan Shiqing gripped her champagne glass, her face instantly turning unsightly, “Don’t you have any intention?”
“When have I ever had any intention?” Jin Yan Ting retorted indifferently.
Duan Shiqing’s fingertips trembled, and she suppressed a sob, “Then why did you help me…”
“Out of consideration for past affections and the Duan Family.”
The two of them were forced apart in their youth due to family discord, which caused her harm, hence he gave her benefits and compensation.
Duan Shiqing’s peripheral vision caught sight of Lian Li, and an absurd thought arose, “You like Lian Li?”
As the words left her mouth, she was astonished by her own question.
Jin Yan Ting liking Lian Li… how could that be possible?
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lian Li stood elegantly at the bar, taking a sip of fruit wine. Its taste was sweet and refreshing, meeting her expectations.
Halfway through her drink, she turned to look in Jin Yan Ting’s direction, and he happened to be walking towards her.
Lian Li put down her wine glass and walked towards him.
“What were you drinking?” Jin Yan Ting glanced behind her and asked gently.
The sweetness lingered on Lian Li’s taste buds, and she smiled, “Fruit wine.”
The two of them linked arms as a matter of etiquette. Viewed from above, they appeared to be chatting and laughing, creating a world of their own.
On the second floor, the brilliant chandeliers illuminated the figure of a man standing behind the railing, tall and slender. His simple black shirt and black trousers could not conceal his innate noble and cold aura.
Upon clearly seeing the faces of the man and woman below, the hardships and storms of life seemed to instantly color his eyes.
Lian Li wore a purple dress made of soft, smooth fabric. The hem of her skirt brushed against her slender, fair legs as she walked. Perhaps to avoid being too dazzling, she wore no jewelry, and her long black hair was loosely curled and cascaded over her shoulders.
Her features were flawless, with a light touch of makeup that diminished her youthful appearance, adding a mature gravitas.
Beside her, Jin Yan Ting was impeccably dressed in a suit, appearing gentle and refined. The two of them, hand in hand, were a perfect match.
Murmurs arose from downstairs, “Did anyone notice that the color of Mr. Jin’s tie matches his companion’s dress?”
“Indeed, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, standing together, they look so compatible and pleasing to the eye, like a perfect couple.”
“That girl is Mr. Jin’s younger sister. President Duan is Mr. Jin’s fiancée.”
“Ah? But I thought I saw Mr. Jin and President Duan having a rather unpleasant conversation just now?”
…
Jin Shi Yue held a glass of whiskey with his long fingers, the coolness penetrating the glass and traveling along his nerves into his heart.
The man standing openly beside her was not him.
When she was with him, she was nowhere near as happy as she was that day she went to see Jin Yan Ting.
After a moment, Lian Li subconsciously looked back. The railing on the second floor was empty. Only the whiskey glass on the flower stand was bubbling as the ice melted from being overfilled.
Her heart inexplicably tightened.
Seeing her expression change, Jin Yan Ting asked her what was wrong.
“Nothing.”
Lian Li smiled, her expression returning to normal.
A commercial dinner’s focus was on business. Jin Yan Ting worried she might find it boring, so after half an hour, he let her mingle freely.
He never worried about the young girl, as she was adept at handling social situations.
Lian Li moved through the banquet hall but frequently glanced towards the railing on the second floor.
