Chapter 59: Determined to Win
Xue Shufan, already frustrated with her bad luck and poor hand, saw Lian Li and immediately found an excuse to escape: “My Junior Sister is here, you guys play on your own.”
With that, she quickly got up and walked towards Lian Li. The Young Master who was supposed to take her place at the card table looked down at his dismal hand, which was comparable to being exiled to Africa, and called for Xue Shufan to return. Xue Shufan acted as if she hadn’t heard him.
“Lili, come eat some fruit.” Xue Shufan brought the fruit the waiter had brought over to Lian Li. “Did you get that calligraphy Zhong Yang lost last time skiing?”
Lian Li ate a strawberry. “I got it.”
She scanned the surroundings. The large VIP private room had about seven or eight people scattered sparsely. STAR Bar was located in a prestigious area, with both internal and external staff being professional and highly skilled. It was only open to noble scions; even rich second-generation individuals found it difficult to get in.
Places frequented by noble scions, even if originally ordinary, would be transformed to match their status if they took a liking to them. Their food, clothing, housing, and transportation all had to be superior.
Pei Qingji poured Lian Li a glass of wine and placed it in front of her. He tilted his head and asked Xue Shufan, “You got the experimental equipment too, right?”
“Not only did I get it, I’ve used it several times.” Xue Shufan spoke at length about the experiments she had conducted and how the experimental equipment had improved her efficiency. In the ten minutes she was talking, half of the wine glass and the plate of fruit in front of Lian Li were emptied.
“Wen Zhixing’s engagement party is next week, you can’t miss it again.” Xue Shufan’s topic shifted rapidly as she turned to gossip with Lian Li. “Chen Wei Qi has a new boyfriend, he’s also in the entertainment industry. It seems this Young Lady from Hong Kong is going to play through all the male stars in our Capital City.”
“Impossible, no matter how far Chen Wei Qi’s reach is, she can’t consume all the men in the entertainment industry,” a Brother beside them said nonchalantly. “There will definitely be a large group of male stars left selling their behinds.”
Xue Shufan glanced at him with disdain. “I’m cultivating our feelings for the new year with Lili, don’t interrupt.”
Gossiping was equivalent to cultivating feelings. Lian Li smiled.
Pei Qingji held his wine glass, swirled it, and looked at Lian Li. The eyes behind his glasses were gentle. “You needed my help last time, didn’t you? Have you thought about it?”
Lian Li rarely asked for help. One reason was that she didn’t want to trouble others, and another was that in their circle, being successful was always a two-way street. If she asked someone for a favor, it meant she had to pay a corresponding price.
Lian Li pondered for a few seconds and was about to speak when Zhong Yang’s voice rang out: “Li Mei, this is our first meeting this year.”
“Brother Zhong Yang.” Lian Li smiled and looked up.
Zhong Yang sat next to Pei Qingji. Pei Qingji asked, “Where is Shi Yue?”
“Young Master has a phone call, he’ll come in later.” Zhong Yang picked up his wine glass and took a sip of whiskey. He suddenly said, “It’s probably Auntie calling. You know, Young Master almost died at her hands, how could she…”
Before Zhong Yang could finish speaking, Pei Qingji placed the wine bottle on the table with a light but crisp sound. Zhong Yang immediately stopped talking, realizing he had said the wrong thing. He tried to attract attention with another topic: “How have you been lately, Li Mei?”
“Everything is as usual, quite good, no changes,” Lian Li replied.
“You must come to Wen Zhixing’s engagement party.” Zhong Yang, while chatting, suddenly told a joke: “Li Mei, out of the 365 days in a year, which day is the longest?”
“Which day,” Lian Li played along.
“The ninth day. Do you know why?”
“No.”
Zhong Yang said, “Because it’s ‘di jiu tian chang’ (eternal).”
Hearing this, Lian Li’s eyes curved slightly, and she smiled, seemingly amused.
Zhong Yang immediately looked triumphantly at Pei Qingji, who responded with a calm smile.
Lian Li was smiling when, at the moment she looked up, her gaze unexpectedly met an unforeseen one.
The smile on her lips froze for a barely perceptible moment.
Jin Shi Yue, walking in with long strides, took in her reaction and said slowly, “Seen a ghost?”
Something like that.
Lian Li said, “No.”
Jin Shi Yue occupied a sofa by himself. He rested his long fingers on his temple, leaning back lazily, and casually tapped the armrest of the sofa with his mobile phone.
To avoid appearing obvious, Lian Li stayed for a moment before taking out her phone to check the time. “My roommate forgot her dormitory key, I’m heading back.”
Xue Shufan wanted to say, “Don’t you have the dormitory auntie?” But Lian Li turned and met her gaze. Xue Shufan suddenly understood—her Junior Sister had an urgent matter to attend to, and that was just an excuse.
The winter night in Sijiucheng was bitterly cold, yet the lights were still brilliant. Towering buildings stood proudly, and vehicles flowed ceaselessly on the crisscrossing elevated roads.
Lian Li hadn’t worn a scarf when she went out. As she exited the bar, a cold wind blew, stinging her cheeks. She looked up at the lights and shadows of the tall buildings, put her hands in her pockets, and walked along the street.
While waiting for the traffic light, just as she stood still for four or five seconds, a large hand suddenly reached out from behind her and covered her mouth. Lian Li was instantly terrified and instinctively struggled, but her assailant was clearly prepared and incredibly strong. Taking advantage of her momentary reaction, they forcefully dragged her into a Porsche parked by the roadside.
Lian Li had almost no chance to resist. She also hadn’t expected anyone would dare to abduct her on a main road, under surveillance.
“Bang!”
Lian Li’s head hit the back of the seat hard. The car door was then slammed shut. She frowned, raised her hand to touch the back of her head. The carriage was dim, and her vision hadn’t adjusted yet, but she could clearly feel the car moving.
Where were they taking her?
Lian Li, enduring the headache, tried to push open the car door, but it was locked and wouldn’t open at all.
The front and back seats of the car were separated by a partition, so she couldn’t see who was driving.
Lian Li opened her crossbody bag and took out her mobile phone. She instinctively called her emergency contact, Jin Yan Ting, but it showed no answer. Just as she was about to call the police, the car braked suddenly. She lurched forward, her forehead hitting the partition, feeling like her skull was about to shatter. Her phone slipped from her hand.
The moment the car stopped, the driver’s seat door opened, followed by the rear door being opened. Lian Li immediately turned her head to look, and a familiar face appeared in her vision.
The car was parked in a secluded alley. There was no one in front or behind, and very few cars even passed by.
Zhao Lizheng closed the car door and turned on the interior light. His gaze roamed over Lian Li’s fair and delicate face, and he praised, “You’re becoming more and more womanly.”
A sense of foreboding washed over Lian Li, and her scalp tingled. She wanted to bend down to pick up her dropped phone and quickly make a call. Zhao Lizheng directly grabbed her hand, snatched her phone, and called the police, but unfortunately, the call was hung up by Zhao Lizheng less than a second after it was dialed.
Zhao Lizheng glanced at the recent call, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. “Trying to call Jin Yan Ting? He doesn’t have time to bother with you right now. The Jin Family and the Duan Family are preparing for a marriage alliance. You probably don’t know about this yet, do you?”
The marriage alliance between the Jin Family and the Duan Family was a done deal. Jin Yan Ting would definitely not pay attention to Lian Li anymore.
Having drunk quite a bit at the bar earlier and now seeing Lian Li, Zhao Lizheng could no longer hold back. He had abducted her here to do what he had long wanted to do.
