Chapter 128: The Girlfriend Ran Away
The group had a meeting. After finishing breakfast, Jin Yan Ting chatted for a while and then left.
As he passed the sofa, he cast a barely perceptible glance at it. A pocket square lay in the corner, its texture soft and its color a saturated blue.
Jin Yan Ting lifted his eyelids and looked at Lian Li’s face. The gentle smile on her face was not much different from before.
Lian Li stood at the door and bid him farewell, “Brother, have a safe trip.”
Jin Yan Ting reached out, intending to pat Lian Li’s head as he always did. Just then, she turned her head and said, “Aunt Deng, I haven’t finished my milk yet. Please collect it later.”
Thus, he withdrew his hand with a natural expression, his eyes gentle, and said, “Mm.”
After seeing Jin Yan Ting off, Lian Li returned to the room, her peripheral vision catching the pocket square on the sofa.
How did Jin Shi Yue’s pocket square end up at her home? He didn’t seem like a careless person.
Lian Li walked over, picked up the pocket square, and put it in a drawer.
*
Lian Li’s holiday life each year was simple: either she was at home shopping with Xue Shufan, or she was at the orchestra preparing for a concert.
This year, Jin Shi Yue was an addition. Before heading to Shanghai, she sent him a message informing him that she would not be in Beijing for the next few days.
It wasn’t Lian Li’s first time on Jin Yan Ting’s business jet. The staff on board basically knew her and were aware that she was Jin Yan Ting’s younger sister.
She had stayed up late the previous night organizing the information Professor Lu had sent. Lian Li slept on the plane and woke up when it had already landed safely.
The hotel had been booked in advance. It was a top luxury hotel under the Chen Family’s brand, Yun Qi, which belonged to Chen Wei Qi. Lian Li always stayed at this hotel whenever she came to Shanghai; she was used to it and couldn’t be bothered to switch.
The Chen Family of Hong Kong
Therefore, the mainland’s business scope was more concentrated in Hong Kong, Macau, and abroad, with the mainland being relatively smaller. From the commencement of construction to its official opening, the Yun Qi Hotel in Shanghai was basically managed by people from the Jin Family. Although Yun Qi Hotel was still nominally under the Chen Family, it had effectively become the Jin Family’s.
Jin Yan Ting’s ambition was immense, far beyond what he currently possessed.
Over the years, he had secretly and openly absorbed the influence of many families, expanding the Jin Family’s power ever further.
For example, the Shen Family, which had fallen from power not long ago.
Although the reason for the Shen Family’s decline was the Wen Family’s intervention, the Jin Family had definitely played a role in exacerbating the situation.
The relationships between prominent families were intricate and complex, not something that could be explained in a few words.
Since its opening, the Presidential Suite at Shanghai’s Yun Qi Hotel had only ever been occupied by Jin Yan Ting, considered his exclusive room.
For security and to maintain the secrecy of his itinerary, Jin Yan Ting typically used He Shu’s or his secretary’s identification information for hotel check-ins.
Lian Li had always used her own identification for check-ins. This time, as she presented her ID card, the front desk informed her, “Mr. Jin has already instructed that the registration be completed.”
Lian Li paused slightly, “Whose information has been registered?”
“Miss Qin.”
Miss Qin was one of Jin Yan Ting’s secretaries.
Jin Yan Ting likely did this to avoid suspicion, fearing that Duan Shiqing might misunderstand.
After all, he hadn’t said anything when she previously registered with her own information.
Lian Li knew very well that she and Jin Yan Ting were innocent, and Jin Yan Ting only saw her as a sister.
It seemed Jin Yan Ting truly cared about Duan Shiqing, not wanting her to experience even the slightest hint of grievance.
Lian Li, however, was indifferent.
A younger sister naturally couldn’t compare to one’s beloved.
The staff delivered the luggage to the room.
While taking the elevator, Lian Li checked the concert schedule on her mobile phone. Jin Yan Ting stood beside her, his voice calm and steady.
“Accompany me to the club tonight?”
Lian Li looked up, meeting his gaze.
“Lu Hansheng will be there,” Jin Yan Ting said.
Lian Li obediently replied, “Okay.”
Her mobile phone suddenly vibrated. She looked down, and the screen clearly displayed the caller ID: Eldest Young Master.
Lian Li calmly turned off the phone screen without any change in her expression and put it back into her pocket.
She did not stay on the same floor as Jin Yan Ting, unlike before. When booking the hotel, Lian Li had specifically chosen a floor below.
The elevator doors opened, and she walked out under Jin Yan Ting’s gaze.
“Changed rooms?” he asked.
Lian Li responded flawlessly, smiling, “I was tired of that room, so I got a new one.”
Girls liked new things and got bored of the old; it was normal.
Lian Li swiped her card and entered the hotel room, calling Jin Shi Yue back as she walked inside.
A man’s indifferent voice came from the other end of the phone, “Did my call bother you?”
What a demanding person. He was unhappy if she didn’t answer his call.
If she were dating him, would she need to hire someone to constantly monitor her phone for his calls?
“The signal was bad in the elevator just now,” Lian Li said, her tone softer than casual. “Aren’t I calling you back now?”
Jin Shi Yue’s hostility lessened slightly, “Are you running to Shanghai to hide from me?”
“I’m here for a performance,” Lian Li said. “I sent you a message, didn’t you see it?”
“I saw it,” Jin Shi Yue asked, “For how many days?”
“Three days.”
Jin Shi Yue’s tone was drawn out, “Three days with Jin Yan Ting?”
Lian Li replied, “We just happened to be traveling together; he’s on a business trip to Shanghai.”
Jin Shi Yue said coldly, “Why don’t you ever happen to be with me?”
Lian Li logically reasoned, “Because you’re not on a business trip to Shanghai.”
Lian Li had only recently come to realize this.
Emotionally, she could let go.
However, over nine years, Jin Yan Ting had subtly influenced her social network. In the past six months, whether for personal or official matters, she inevitably had interactions with Jin Yan Ting.
In other words, her unrequited love, from beginning to end, had not affected their sibling relationship in the slightest.
Jin Yan Ting had been kind to her. He needed her to accompany him to certain events as his sister to handle social obligations, and Lian Li would agree as she always had.
The difference was that she knew her place and was no longer overly enthusiastic.
As for Jin Shi Yue, Lian Li would not give up the concert just because he exposed her dislike for the cello.
Her life would not change because of a limited-term relationship.
She hung up the phone.
At three in the afternoon, a staff member called to ask if she wanted afternoon tea delivered. Lian Li didn’t want to go to the restaurant, so she instructed them to send it to her room.
At that moment, Xue Shufan sent a WeChat message: “Babe, have you arrived in Shanghai? What are your plans for tonight?”
Lian Li: “Arrived.”
Lian Li: “ONE Club.”
ONE Club, with a total area of 7,000 square meters, housed an 18-meter-long shark tank filled with sharks, jellyfish, and exotic fish. Its members were all celebrities from home and abroad, exclusively for the leisure of the elite.
Lu Hansheng was still his usual sly and reserved self. Many young masters in Shanghai had been teased by him, first covering their front, then their back, fearing he might come out of the closet.
As the saying goes, every force has its counter.
Lian Li listened to Lu Hansheng calling her “baby” repeatedly, her expression unchanged, remaining calm and composed.
Jin Yan Ting sat in the main seat of the curved sofa, took an urgent document from his assistant, and elegantly signed it with a pen.
Lu Hansheng turned to Jin Yan Ting and asked, “Is your sister a robot?”
Jin Yan Ting glanced at Lian Li, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. He ignored Lu Hansheng and continued signing with composure.
Lian Li displayed the calculated balance to Lu Hansheng, her lips curving slightly, her voice soft and gentle, “Young Master Lu, pay me back.”
Lu Hansheng’s pupils reflected the numbers on the phone screen, “Why is it more?”
