Chapter 91: Wealthy Families Are Full of Troubles
Whenever Lian Li appeared, Jin Shi Yue’s gaze never left her, sometimes obviously, most of the time subtly.
Men understand men best, especially brothers of over twenty years.
The way Jin Shi Yue looked at Lian Li was how a man looks at a woman.
Extremely aggressive.
“The chemistry between you two has been different from everyone else’s from the start,” Pei Qingji said unhurriedly. “One of you must be off.”
Hearing this, Jin Shi Yue gently swirled the wine glass with his slender, bony hand. The amber liquid inside rippled against the glass. He scoffed, “Couldn’t it be that she likes me?”
Pei Qingji turned his head to look at him and, feigning ignorance again, asked, “Who was it that took Junior Sister to Teacher’s birthday banquet last time?”
The two met each other’s eyes and inexplicably fell into an awkward silence.
Lian Li’s attitude towards Jin Yan Ting and Jin Shi Yue was distinct. It was less that she liked Jin Shi Yue, and more that she liked Jin Yan Ting.
The latter was more likely.
Jin Shi Yue’s thin lips curled into a mocking smile. He crossed his long legs on the coffee table, then switched them, putting the left one down and crossing the right one.
“Is Zhong Tai’s corporate culture just asking pointless questions?”
“How many nine-year periods are there in a lifetime? Feelings built from spending every day together are accumulated drop by drop, deep and stable, not something that can be easily shattered in a few months.” Pei Qingji twisted the knife in Jin Shi Yue’s chest. “Junior Sister doesn’t seem like a girl who easily gets emotional. The person in her heart is probably very important to her.”
Jin Shi Yue recalled what Lian Li had said during the day.
—Even if he doesn’t like me, I still like him.
Pei Qingji took a sip of wine before telling Jin Shi Yue, “She asked my Mother to help her appraise some jade.”
Jin Shi Yue’s mind flashed to the bracelet on Lian Li’s delicate wrist. “Those two red jades?”
“Mm,” Pei Qingji replied.
Although Madam Pei was not a formal jade appraiser, she had considerable achievements in jade appraisal.
“She considered asking for my help for a long time. That jade is probably very important to her.” Pei Qingji subtly probed Jin Shi Yue. “Since you like her, you must know the origin of that jade.”
Although Jin Shi Yue had a cold and heartless appearance, his every move, even the most casual gesture, exuded a debonair charm. Women who racked their brains to gain his favor were never-ending, and his charm never needed to be demonstrated by how many women were infatuated with him.
Only men with no merits whatsoever would try to package themselves by how many women chased them or how many they had slept with.
There was a lot of gossip about Jin Shi Yue domestically, but it was all speculative by entertainment reporters. For instance, when a high-ranking official from the city television station hosted him at Rui Kong Ju not long ago, the entertainment reporters, unable to write about important secrets, could only fabricate sensational anecdotes that the public was interested in.
Pei Qingji had known Jin Shi Yue for many years and knew he had many quirks; he couldn’t stand strong perfumes and was uninterested in men or women.
Normally, when Zhong Yang and the others brought up women, he would appear uninterested.
Yet, regarding Lian Li, he had brought up the topic himself multiple times.
And he would almost immediately grasp any information he heard.
Pei Qingji looked at Jin Shi Yue, awaiting his answer.
However, Jin Shi Yue’s lips pulled into a smirk. “Who said I like her?”
“It’s merely brotherly concern for a sister. Get those dirty thoughts out of your head.”
*
Lian Li visited Elder Mei with Professor Lu Huier in the afternoon. By the time the visit ended and they returned to No. 21 Qing Teng Road, it was already dark.
Below the residential building, the Maybach was parked in the dim night. The interior light was bright. In the back seat, Jin Yan Ting, while flipping through contract documents, listened to He Shu say:
“The people Madam sent to monitor you and Miss Lian at the apartment have all withdrawn. Should I inform Miss Lian and have her move back?”
“No need,” Jin Yan Ting’s voice was calm.
He Shu: “President Duan’s celebration banquet officially starts at 7:30 PM and is expected to end at 10 PM. I’ve allocated two hours and will arrive around 9 PM.”
Jin Yan Ting nodded.
He Shu looked at President Jin, who exuded an aura of a Big Shot, and felt a sense of strangeness and confusion.
Sometimes President Jin was so good to Miss Lian that it didn’t seem like sibling affection, but if it were romantic affection, it was even less so.
Many people knew about the relationship between President Jin and President Duan, and since President Duan returned to the country, President Jin had never refused her, essentially tacitly allowing her to flirt with him.
Because Jin Yan Ting valued Duan Shiqing, those around him also valued Duan Shiqing.
As for Lian Li… because he seemed to not care much about her, the people around him also treated her unfavorably.
He Shu speculated about President Jin’s thoughts but felt it wasn’t necessarily so.
In the Beijing Circle Assistant group chat, he often saw other assistants complaining about their CEOs who first abused their wives and then humbly pursued them. Some assistants in the group adopted a condemnatory attitude: “This is clearly conditioning women! Abuse me a thousand times, then ask for my forgiveness in the name of love, and I’ll forgive you. It’s practically emotional abuse! Emotional drugs!”
Of course, online discussions were one thing, but at work, they still had to follow the CEO’s instructions and help him pursue his wife.
For no other reason than he gave too much.
Wealthy families had many troubles, and a lot of money.
As He Shu was contemplating payday this month, a figure flashed past the car window.
“President Jin, Miss Lian is back.”
Hearing this, Jin Yan Ting looked up and out the car window. Lian Li was walking up the steps leisurely, holding a bag of chestnuts and eating them.
The weather was cold, and the warm, soft chestnuts were very pleasing to Lian Li. She walked inside, waited for the elevator for a moment, and entered the car. As she pressed the floor button, someone stepped into the elevator.
Lian Li first saw a pair of shiny leather shoes, then straight suit pants and a custom-made suit, and finally her gaze settled on Jin Yan Ting’s face.
“Brother.”
“Haven’t eaten?” Jin Yan Ting stood beside her, looking at the items in her hand.
“I have.” Lian Li no longer actively sought opportunities to spend time with him.
She reciprocated by asking, “Have you eaten?”
Jin Yan Ting, accustomed to his high position, possessed the self-control of someone in power. “There’s a banquet tonight.”
With a banquet, he must be here for a routine visit.
The elevator arrived. Lian Li reached her apartment door. She had just changed the lock and directly entered the password to open it.
Even though they weren’t biological siblings, Lian Li felt at ease with Jin Yan Ting in her heart.
Jin Yan Ting was gentle and refined. While he possessed the domineering and ruthless nature of a CEO, he wouldn’t bully women at his core.
Lian Li took some Longjing tea leaves from the kitchen, went to the living room to brew tea, and poured a cup for Jin Yan Ting.
He held the tea and asked her, “Why did you move the award certificates?”
Moving the award certificates when she was only staying out for a month or two was quite strange, but Lian Li couldn’t abruptly tell him, “I like you, but you have a fiancée, so I need to stay away.”
“The study room was a bit empty, and the award certificates were perfect for decoration, so I moved them over.”
Jin Yan Ting’s deep gaze fell on Lian Li’s face. “Next time you need something for decoration, contact He Shu.”
Lian Li nodded and said, “Okay.”
Jin Yan Ting asked her about a few more things. After half an hour, He Shu came up to call him.
After Lian Li saw Jin Yan Ting off, she took out her mobile phone and sent a message to Xue Shufan: 「 Have you arrived? 」
After she sent it, just as she was about to enter the bedroom, the doorbell rang.
Did Jin Yan Ting forget something?
