Chapter 28: Did You Knock on the Wrong Door?
Lian Li’s heart was still beating a little fast, and she stared at him blankly, “Oh…”
Jin Shiyue glanced up at her, his dark eyes appraising her from top to bottom.
The wine-red cello case was large, making her slender and delicate figure appear even smaller, like a lifelike miniature figure.
“Were you out stealing?” Jin Shiyue looked at her, his expression appearing extremely casual, “What’s inside?”
He had helped her just now, so Lian Li didn’t bother arguing with him, “It’s a cello.”
Jin Shiyue put his hands in his pockets and said nonchalantly, “Stolen cello, where did you steal it from?”
Lian Li patiently and good-naturedly said, “I didn’t steal it, it’s mine.”
She didn’t want to argue with him anymore, so she said, “My Senior Sister is waiting for me, I’m leaving. Thank you just now.”
Jin Shiyue watched her walk past him, stepping on the deep red carpet and walking down the corridor.
Seen from behind, the cello case almost completely obscured her figure, making one worry that she would stumble at any moment.
Only after Lian Li disappeared did Jin Shiyue slowly retract his gaze.
Li Ye stood about two meters away, having witnessed the entire scene. If he might have been mistaken last time, he was certain this time.
The boss had clearly seen Miss Lian long ago, yet he hadn’t moved, waiting for Miss Lian to bump into him.
In ancient times, there was waiting by a stump for a rabbit; now, there’s the boss staging an accident.
In the hotel suite, as soon as Lian Li entered, her dear Senior Sister came to greet her.
“With your small frame, carrying that cello case all day, I worry you’ll get crushed by it one day.” Xue Shufan reached out and took the cello case from Lian Li, unable to resist nagging,
With the weight gone, Lian Li felt light and said with a smile, “The carrying pole is wide, the carrying pole is long, did the carrying pole crush me into a cello case?”
Xue Shufan glared at her, “You’re even gloating. You say other girls learn piano or violin, but you, you learned the cello. The cello is so heavy, carrying it is like carrying a giant stone. You deserve to be exhausted!”
“It’s not heavy.” Lian Li’s pupils sparkled as if with scattered light, and she said with a smile, “It’s really not heavy at all!”
Xue Shufan would believe her if pigs could fly.
But Lian Li’s smile was so sweet it drilled straight into one’s heart, comparable to candied arsenic, making it impossible to be angry with her.
Xue Shufan helped her Junior Sister put the cello away and turned to look for her.
Lian Li lay on the sofa like a salted fish, not moving at all.
Xue Shufan walked over and poked her back with her mobile phone, “Take a shower before sleeping.”
“You go first, I’ll go later,” Lian Li mumbled.
Xue Shufan went into the bathroom to shower. Lian Li remained in her prone position, resting her chin on her hands, gazing absently at the cello case.
Why did she have to choose the cello?
The initial reason was that Lian Jingcheng said her mother liked listening to cello performances, and later… it was because she felt bored when she was alone.
She wanted to find something to do, to numb her nerves, fill her free time, and stop herself from overthinking.
Lian Li buried her face in a pillow, lifting her head only when she was almost suffocating.
Xue Shufan, holding a hair towel and drying her hair, walked out of the bathroom and saw Lian Li with a flushed face.
“Oh my god, are you sick!?”
Lian Li raised her hands and rubbed her face, “No.”
Xue Shufan, “Then why is your face so red?”
Lian Li said, “Maybe I’m ripe, even cooked crabs turn red.”
Xue Shufan chuckled, “Why don’t you say you’re Spider-Man? Spider-Man turns red when he transforms because he wears a red suit.”
Crabs also turn red when cooked…
——“What did you eat to grow up, crabs?”
Lian Li shook her head, shaking the bad thoughts out of her mind.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Lian Li got up weakly, today had been too perilous, it had drained all her energy.
After a comfortable hot shower, Lian Li was fully revived. Wearing a bathrobe and with a hair towel wrapped around her head, she walked into the living room.
“The room service just delivered milk and fruit.” Xue Shufan heated the milk in the microwave and poured it into a glass cup, handing it to Lian Li.
A TV series was playing on the television, with constant voices and background music emanating from it, making the quiet suite lively.
After drinking the milk, Lian Li sat on the sofa, accompanying Xue Shufan as she watched the soap opera.
After watching for a minute, she found it extremely boring.
Lian Li opened the chat with Jin Yanting: 「I’m staying at the Bai Hua Hotel with my Senior Sister for the next couple of days, I won’t be back for now.」
She waited for three minutes, but there was no reply. She put down her phone and continued watching the TV series.
It was a popular family drama about a couple who had been married for seven years, breaking up and getting back together.
The beginning showed the female protagonist asking the male protagonist for a divorce, but even halfway through the show, they still hadn’t divorced.
Now it had reached the point where the female protagonist asked the male protagonist, “Did you ever love me?”
Xue Shufan opened a bag of potato chips, eating and watching with relish.
Lian Li rested her elbows on the sofa armrest, her palm supporting her chin, watching the TV, completely bewildered.
Xue Shufan explained to her, “The male protagonist’s gaze and his sense of brokenness always make the female protagonist feel that he loves her, but the male protagonist’s actual actions lack the substance of love. The female protagonist is probably trapped by this disconnect.”
Actual actions, huh.
Lian Li’s long eyelashes drooped, lost in thought.
Jin Yanting had many actions, each one making her feel as if he liked her.
But emotionally, she couldn’t seem to sense his affection.
Was the way a steady and composed man expressed his liking solely through actions?
Lian Li had once thought about confessing her feelings to Jin Yanting, but she hesitated. She wasn’t sure if he liked her or not; if he didn’t, her actions would be tantamount to pushing him away herself. She cherished the feeling he gave her, enjoyed being by his side, and liked him accompanying her for meals…
Her phone popped up with a message. Jin Yanting replied: 「Okay, be safe.」
Lian Li: 「Are you still working?」
Jin Yanting: 「Just finished.」
Lian Li: 「Then get some good rest and sleep early.」
Then she sent a cute goodnight sticker pack.
Lian Jingcheng had spent his life chasing after love, and Lian Li didn’t want to live solely in her own world.
She needed reciprocation when she liked someone.
That night, Lian Li slept poorly, having fragmented dreams. She dreamt of her childhood, of Lian Jingcheng, of Lian Jingcheng’s repeated hope and subsequent disappointment when he thought he had found her mother; she dreamt of Lian Jingcheng sitting on an old wooden chair in the middle of the night, the bright moonlight shining in, illuminating the tears in the corners of his eyes, like a brilliant galaxy… a galaxy that separated the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, preventing them from meeting.
In the real world, there was no magpie bridge, let alone miracles.
The next day, Lian Li groggily opened her eyes. Xue Shufan, dressed and ready, came into the master bedroom and said to her:
“Lili, I’m going for a swim. If you’re hungry, eat breakfast first.”
Lian Li mumbled an acknowledgment, hugging her quilt. Her eyelids were heavy, and soon, she fell back into a deep sleep.
She was sleeping soundly when she vaguely heard someone knocking. Lian Li thought it was Xue Shufan who had forgotten something. Her Senior Sister in life was very different from her Senior Sister in the laboratory.
Lian Li got out of bed, scratched her messy hair, put on her slippers, and went to open the door.
She hadn’t confirmed if it was Xue Shufan before opening the door. So, as soon as the door opened, her sleepy appearance was fully revealed to the person standing there.
Lian Li was wearing a bathrobe, the drawstring at her waist, tied tightly the night before, had loosened. Her neck and face seemed to be enveloped in a fragrant mist, her expression bewildered.
“Forgot something…”
Upon clearly seeing the man standing at the doorway, almost blocking half of it, Lian Li’s dark, round eyes widened, and the expression on her face froze instantly.
Jin Shiyue, dressed in a black shirt and black trousers, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, exuded a casual and sharp aura. Standing before the disheveled Junior Sister, he appeared exceptionally well-dressed.
He lowered his thin eyelids, his deep black pupils fixed on her.
She seemed unaware that, given their height difference, he could slightly lower his gaze and take in the expanse of soft, white skin revealed by her open neckline.
Lian Li was indeed unaware, but she felt a sense of caution for no reason. She raised her hands to tighten her robe, wrapping herself up securely.
“Did you knock on the wrong door?” Lian Li asked.
Jin Shiyue’s gaze slid from the two strands of hair sticking up on her head, down to her face, and he said lazily, “Am I blind?”
Who knew.
The man was relaxed wherever he was, possessing an arrogance as if heaven was on his side.
This was the first time she had spoken to him and lost money, Lian Li inexplicably felt he was affecting her luck, and she didn’t want to say more, thinking of a quick resolution to send this Eldest Young Master away.
She tilted her face up, her fingers gripping the cold door handle, trying to stay as clear-headed as possible.
“Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?”
Jin Shiyue raised his eyebrows meaningfully, “You want to invite me to eat?”
Lian Li suspected she hadn’t woken up, otherwise, why would she hear such absurd words?
“Hotel breakfast is free,” she stated a fact.
“Your tone sounds so regretful, I’ll make an exception today and charge you for breakfast,” Jin Shiyue leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, issuing a decree.
…An exception?
Whoever wants it can have it.
She didn’t want to waste money.
Lian Li tilted her chin up, meeting Jin Shiyue’s gaze, and blinked her long eyelashes under his condescending stare.
Then, politely and courteously, she asked, “Mr. Jin, is there something you need from me?”
Mr. again.
And Mr. Jin again.
Lian Li thought that Jin Shiyue shouldn’t find fault with her words, shouldn’t be able to misinterpret her meaning, and shouldn’t further damage her luck.
Unexpectedly, Jin Shiyue looked down at her, a half-smile on his face, and said leisurely, “Mr. Jin. Are you calling me, or are you calling Jin Yanting?”
Lian Li was shocked.
Was she not awake, or was he not awake?!
Mr. Jin could also be referring to your Father, Lian Li muttered silently in her heart.
“Mute again, are all misers like you and keep silent as gold?” Jin Shiyue raised his eyelids, glanced at her, his voice casual and unhurried.
“Since there’s nothing, please go back. I don’t need morning service here.”
In the early morning, the hotel was filled with a lonely quietness of people having left. Lian Li’s heart suddenly fluttered, and she felt a sense of danger. So she quickly retreated, preparing to close the door.
Jin Shiyue was faster than her. He raised his hand and propped the door open.
This chapter is an extra update, thank you to all partners who gave rewards, subscribed, voted, and commented~
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【Entertainment One-on-One】
One day later.
Reporter Moon: How did you manage to get to your position as a latecomer?
Jin Shiyue: By fighting and snatching.
