Chapter 29: Grabbed His Hand
The man easily stopped her from closing the door.
Lian Li looked up in surprise.
Jin Shi Yue held the doorframe with one hand, lowered his gaze, and his eyes landed on her cheek.
She looked at him, her pupils widening, her almond-shaped eyes, as bright as if sprinkled with stardust, clearly reflecting his image.
She was the startled nightingale inside the door, and he was the unknown storm outside.
Lian Li’s eyes flickered, her gaze falling on his sharp jawline, and further up, his high nose bridge, and a pair of black eyes with cold, sharp, narrow outer corners.
Jin Shi Yue leaned on the doorframe with one hand, slightly bending over, his handsome face, full of aggression, drawing closer to her. Lian Li unconsciously tightened her grip on the door handle.
Jin Shi Yue lazily lifted his eyelids and said with a straight face, “Go get your identification card.”
At this height and angle, Lian Li felt his hot breath, diluted by the air, lightly and casually fall on her face from above.
Lian Li asked, not understanding, “What do I need my identification card for?”
After being serious for less than two seconds, Jin Shi Yue said lazily, “I’ll banish you to the frontier tonight.”
Tonight?
It was already dawn, what night was left? This Young Master was truly blind.
Seeing her standing there like a white jade sculpture, Jin Shi Yue tapped the door twice with his finger, “Hurry up and go?”
The Second Young Master Jin, born into a prominent family, had everything; he wouldn’t steal her identification card.
Thinking this, Lian Li released the door handle and said to him, “Please wait a moment.”
Jin Shi Yue raised an eyebrow at her words.
At a time like this, she was still so polite.
Lian Li went inside and rummaged through her bag for her identification card. As she passed a full-length mirror, she was startled by the disheveled girl inside.
She quickly tidied her hair. Most of it was smoothed down, but a few stray strands refused to lie flat.
It was fine if it wasn’t perfect; she didn’t have an idol complex.
Lian Li returned to the door. Jin Shi Yue was still leaning casually against the doorframe, exuding an innate nobility.
Lian Li handed him the identification card, “Here.”
Jin Shi Yue’s long, beautiful hand took it, lowered his gaze, looked at the front, and then flipped it over to look at the back.
The girl in the photograph was bare-faced, her face still youthful, her features delicate and small, as if meticulously drawn by a skilled artist.
Jin Shi Yue raised his eyelids to look at her, seemingly comparing her to the photo to confirm it was her.
Lian Li felt a prickle of unease under his gaze and reached out to snatch her identification card back.
As if foreseeing this, Jin Shi Yue swiftly cupped her identification card in his palm, and Lian Li ended up grabbing his hand.
The man’s hand was firm, strong, and burning hot. The moment she touched it, Lian Li flinched as if pricked by a needle and immediately withdrew her hand.
Jin Shi Yue’s expression remained unchanged, “You don’t like talking, you like using your hands. Junior Sister, your hobbies are quite unique.”
Lian Li simply didn’t want to talk to him, “I didn’t mean to touch you.”
Jin Shi Yue nodded in agreement, “You did it on purpose.”
“…” See, it was impossible to reason with him.
Lian Li felt like a scholar facing a soldier, unable to explain herself. These two brothers were only two years apart, yet their personalities were so different, like heaven and earth.
Lian Li raised her head, looking at him, her eyes like clear water, her tone calm, “Are you done checking?”
Jin Shi Yue said, “Hold out your hand.”
Lian Li did as he asked. Jin Shi Yue placed the identification card back into her palm, his fingertips tapping it twice casually.
The taps sent a tingling sensation through Lian Li’s palm.
The identification card still held the man’s body heat. Holding it in her palm, the warmth seeped into her skin at an imperceptible speed.
Lian Li looked at his long, straight legs, as sharp as weapons, then withdrew her gaze after three seconds, retreated inside, and closed the door.
The Second Young Master Jin, who was impossibly expensive, personally checking identification cards… it was unfathomable.
Lian Li suddenly remembered that recently there had been reports of wealthy young men in the Capital City using fake identification cards for illegal activities, causing quite a stir.
Fake identification cards…
Lian Li returned to her bed, hugged the soft quilt, and stared at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.
Her mother had used a fake identification card when she first met Lian Jingcheng.
Xue Shufan returned from her swim and found her Junior Sister still nestled in her quilt, asleep. She didn’t wake Lian Li; the most important thing when traveling was comfort, and the most basic comfort was eating well and sleeping well.
The imperial courtyard was fully equipped with an indoor cinema, gym, swimming pool, and hot spring room, along with complete meals, afternoon tea, and drinks.
Lian Li slept until she woke up naturally and went to the restaurant with Xue Shufan for a meal.
Hearing about the morning’s events, Xue Shufan found it incredible, “The Second Young Master Jin came to check identification cards?”
“Mm.” Lian Li bit on her straw, drinking juice, looking nonchalant, as if she weren’t the one being checked.
Xue Shufan put a piece of steak into her mouth with her fork, “The person you’re describing doesn’t seem like the Second Young Master I know.”
My Junior Sister isn’t someone who takes much interest in others, so Senior Sister preempted her question and revealed the answer, “In private, the Second Young Master is cynical and arrogant, but he is respectful and polite in front of elders and when dealing with important matters.”
Lian Li recalled the phone call Jin Shi Yue made in the car last time and fell silent.
“People in the circle, especially those in high positions, are all decisive and ruthless in their actions, with arrogance and coldness in their bones. The Second Young Master personally checking identification cards? The image alone is quite something.” Xue Shufan couldn’t imagine it and shook her head.
Lian Li was amused by her.
After that morning, Lian Li and Xue Shufan spent three days at the hotel and didn’t see Jin Shi Yue again.
Apart from Jin Yan Ting, she seemed to have no other connection with him.
In the past, when she often went to Wan Yi Hua Fu, she would occasionally run into Jin Shi Yue returning from the military region. Now that she didn’t go to Wan Yi Hua Fu, she naturally wouldn’t encounter him.
It wasn’t until Elder Mei’s birthday banquet that Lian Li and Jin Yan Ting arrived at Bai Hua Hotel, and Jin Shi Yue was already there.
Lian Li didn’t recognize the people surrounding him, but they were all influential figures from the Beijing Circle. They spoke to him with smiles, appearing relaxed yet restrained.
It looked like they were trying to curry favor with him.
In the hall, filled with symphonic music, there was revelry and merriment, with men and women in elegant attire and fine silks everywhere.
The number of guests at the birthday banquet wasn’t large, but each one was either from a distinguished background or had reached a high position through their own efforts.
As soon as Lian Li and Jin Yan Ting entered, they attracted the attention of many. After all, for such an important occasion, which was neither a social gathering nor a business event, for the Eldest Young Master Jin to bring her, it was undoubtedly extraordinary.
“Xiao Li.” Jin Yan Ting took a glass of champagne from the tray held by a waiter and handed it to Lian Li.
“Thank you, Brother.” Lian Li held the champagne glass with her fingers, and despite being watched by so many people, she showed no sign of nervousness.
As Xue Shufan had said, she always adopted a “lie flat” attitude towards others’ gazes, not caring at all whether they were well-intentioned or malicious.
“Elder Mei and Professor Lu are in the backyard; you can go directly there,” Jin Yan Ting said in a gentle voice.
“Okay.” Lian Li replied with a bright smile.
The moment she turned, someone passed by her. Jin Yan Ting, seeing this, put his arm around her shoulder, protectively shielding her.
Jin Shi Yue’s gaze swept over from across half the hall and paused briefly.
