Chapter 24: Breathing in His Scent
Lian Li’s heart leaped in surprise, and she instinctively dodged, her back almost brushing against the car door.
Jin Shi Yue rested one hand on the back of her seat, leaning forward, an oppressive aura mixed with the wildness of male hormones washing over her.
“How long do you plan on hogging my clothes?”
The light outlined the man’s features, his brow bone high, his pupils dark. He looked at her, a hint of amusement lingering at the corners of his eyes.
What did he mean by her hogging his clothes?
Lian Li found it quite unbelievable, but she didn’t want to get into a debate to prove herself. She directly solved the root problem and returned the jacket folded on her lap to him.
“Suits can be folded to avoid wrinkles.”
Jin Shi Yue reached out, his long fingers hooking the suit jacket and tossing it onto the back seat. He asked casually, “You have so much experience, do you often fold clothes for Jin Yan Ting?”
Lian Li glanced at the arm he rested on the seat back, where firm muscles were faintly visible, containing an immeasurable explosive power.
Seeing her silence, Jin Shi Yue leaned forward slightly, his dark eyes fixed on her face, pressing the issue: “Hmm? Speak.”
In the confined space, the distance suddenly closed, and Lian Li was forced to breathe in his scent, which seemed to be fir, mixed with a very faint scent of bitter orange leaf. It was crisp and clean, yet inexplicably warm, as if baked by the sun.
Complex and strange.
Lian Li raised her eyelashes, her gaze drilling into his sharp eyes without wavering, and said calmly:
“Jin Yan Ting is your brother, you can ask him if you want to know.”
Jin Shi Yue raised an eyebrow: “Isn’t he your brother too?”
My brother and your brother are not the same.
He clearly knew she liked Jin Yan Ting, yet he still asked. Wasn’t this obviously teasing her?
However, Lian Li was very much in a ‘lie flat’ mood and had no interest at all, only saying: “I don’t discuss my brother with people.”
Jin Shi Yue returned to the driver’s seat, leaning back lazily against the leather seat.
Lian Li also sat up properly, gripping the seatbelt with her fingers and giving it a slight tug, fastening it in a comfortable position.
The car engine started, and Jin Shi Yue’s long fingers controlled the steering wheel, his peripheral vision casually glancing over.
Lian Li looked down at her mobile phone, chatting with someone, her expression calm, a faint smile blooming at the corners of her eyes.
The man’s indifferent voice drifted over slowly: “It’s forbidden to use your mobile phone while driving.”
Lian Li froze for three seconds, then belatedly realized he was calling her out: “I’m not driving.”
Jin Shi Yue smirked meaningfully, issuing a decree: “I’m driving, and no one is allowed to use their mobile phone.”
Lian Li: “.”
She had never encountered such an absurd rule.
Truly overbearing.
Lian Li put her mobile phone back into her bag, her gaze falling on the center console, where a box of custom cigarettes and a lighter were placed.
The lighter had a vintage style, its metal casing felt exquisite, and the gold-plated exterior was adorned with a special emblem, clearly indicating its high value, sharp and cold, exuding nobility.
She had seen this type of lighter with Jin Yan Ting.
The design of the top and bottom covers mimicked the primer of a bullet, and the side was engraved with a unique serial number. The distinctive design was striking; it was a military lighter.
The car drove away from the courtyard on the mountain and merged onto the road. The intersection not far ahead was cordoned off.
Just as Lian Li was about to turn her head to remind Jin Shi Yue, the personnel guarding the intersection recognized the license plate, quickly moved the obstacles, and then stood at attention, saluting the car.
Jin Shi Yue’s expression remained unchanged as he drove through with a commanding posture.
Lian Li’s impression of the military was one of solemnity and grandeur. It was hard to imagine the unruly Second Young Master exhibiting a serious and stern side.
Many young masters in the Capital City were decadent and extravagant, acting recklessly due to their family’s power, and fearing no consequences for their misdeeds.
For example, Zhao Lizheng of the Zhao family; once he set his sights on a girl, he would have her by any means necessary.
Regardless of the girl’s willingness, he would resort to forceful acquisition, coercion, and enticement… using all sorts of insidious tactics to make her his bed partner or lover.
Under the influence of power and money, forceful acquisition was infinitely beautified.
Zhao Lizheng first saw Lian Li at Jingbei University. He was sending a girl back to school when he encountered Lian Li and developed impure thoughts. But he didn’t expect Lian Li to not only be no pushover but also to be protected by Jin Yan Ting.
Although Jin Shi Yue had his share of scandals, he was fundamentally different from Zhao Lizheng.
The former was dissolute and unruly, while the latter was rotten to the core.
Old Master Zhao doted on Zhao Lizheng, while Old Master Jin… Lian Li didn’t understand the Jin family’s relationships. She only overheard Jin Yan Ting mention once on the phone that Jin Shi Yue had gone to the borderline.
National territory is inviolable, and the borderlines between countries have always been extremely dangerous.
Did Jin Shi Yue choose to go to such a dangerous place himself, or was he sent there by Old Master Jin’s military order?
It was impossible to know.
The main reason Lian Li remembered so clearly was that every time she heard Jin Shi Yue’s name, she felt a financial crisis.
When he tricked her into playing cards when she was little, winning her New Year’s Money… it was still vivid in her memory.
The car stopped at the building where the Wen Gang Orchestra was located. Lian Li unbuckled her seatbelt, got out, and closed the car door, her movements swift and decisive, without any hesitation. She waved to Jin Shi Yue in the car:
“Goodbye, have a safe trip.”
Then she darted into the building without looking back, disappearing like a nimble fish.
The Wen Gang Orchestra is primarily composed of four instrumental sections: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
Once everyone was assembled, the conductor stood on stage and directed the ensemble’s performance.
The piece they were practicing today was 《Por Una Cabeza》.
Lian Li placed the bow on the strings. As the bow drew across, the cello’s rich sound poured out…
During the intermission, the leader provided tea and pastries.
Lian Li sat by the window in the break room, slowly eating a hazelnut cream cake. Opposite her was Lu Dieyi, a violinist who had graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music.
Both were focused on eating, neither speaking.
Unlike their quiet demeanor, a group of people sitting around the long table were discussing the group photo on Ruan Ning’s mobile phone.
“Wow, Ruan Ning, I’m so envious of you, growing up with such handsome guys.”
“Yeah, he’s much more handsome than Chen Siyang!”
“Is the Second Young Master Jin even more handsome in person than in the photo? But the photo is already so good-looking, is he going to be devastatingly handsome?”
“His physique and proportions look so good, how tall is he? Taller than Chen Siyang?”
Ruan Ning smiled charmingly, a hint of shyness in her voice: “Mm.”
Chen Siyang, who was eating a honeydew melon: “?”
If you want to praise someone, can you just praise them directly? Must you drag him down repeatedly?
Everyone gathered around Ruan Ning, chattering, many envisioning the future. They suggested Ruan Ning ask the Second Young Master Jin to acquire the Wen Gang Orchestra, reduce training, increase income, and distribute gifts and money on holidays… and so on.
“Ruan Ning is so lucky, living next door to the Jin family and growing up with the two Jin young masters. She might even marry into the Jin family in the future and soar to success,” Lu Dieyi whispered to Lian Li.
Lian Li raised her cup and clinked it against Lu Dieyi’s, smiling: “I wish you soaring success.”
Humans are a species that lies even when writing diaries. It’s common to lie and create a persona to make oneself happy.
Lian Jingcheng had told countless lies, saying her mother loved them, father and daughter, very much.
Very, very much.
After afternoon tea, they returned to the practice room for training.
In the evening, after practice ended, everyone left, but Lian Li hadn’t. She flipped through the sheet music, playing 《Hong Yan》, which she had long memorized, over and over again.
The hour hand on the clock hanging on the wall pointed to 8:00 PM, and the sky had completely darkened.
Lian Li returned to the lounge and took out her mobile phone from the storage cabinet to check it. There was a missed call from Jin Yan Ting.
…It wasn’t Assistant He.
She was a little dazed.
“Lian Li, you’re still here?” Ruan Ning, wearing a white tracksuit, walked to the cabinet next to Lian Li. Her hair was still damp, looking as if she had just showered.
“Back to get something?” Lian Li closed the storage cabinet and locked it.
“Mm, I left my necklace.”
Ruan Ning hesitated for a moment, then asked nervously, “Do you know anyone from the Jin family?”
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