Chapter 153: Everything Was There, Except Lian Li
At the Magnificent Blue Bay Club, Jin Shi Yue leaned lazily against the billiard table, tapped a cigarette from his cigarette case, and held it between his lips.
The sound of steel wheels grinding echoed as a pale blue flame flared to light the cigarette, dissipating into a hazy mist that obscured the view.
Zhong Yang bent down, aiming for the red three ball, chewing gum as he swung his cue for a shot.
“Making games is either a complete loss or a massive profit. The costs are all incurred during the initial development phase. Once it’s released, the cost is basically zero. This is what we call lying dormant for three years and then soaring to the heavens.”
Zhong Yang, who started his game company at a young age, celebrated the explosive success of his new game, developed over three years, immediately after its release by inviting his friends over.
Jin Shi Yue didn’t respond, slowly and deliberately rubbing chalk powder onto his billiard cue.
With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his shirt stretched taut with the movement of his lean body, revealing well-defined muscles. His shots were precise, fast, and powerful.
Zhong Yang watched in disbelief as two balls dropped into the pockets, their trajectories carrying an unspoken aggression.
“Who dared to upset you?”
Jin Shi Yue removed the cigarette from his lips with his long fingers, reached for the black rock ashtray, and casually flicked the ash: “You.”
Zhong Yang, inexplicably branded a sinner, cried out in protest: “Don’t frame me! I haven’t even seen you lately.”
Pei Qingji, holding a billiard cue in one hand and his mobile phone in the other, replied to Xue Shufan’s message during his leisure time.
He put down his mobile phone and asked Jin Shi Yue, “You returned to the military region recently; was there something important?”
Jin Shi Yue glanced at him lazily and said with a lighthearted tone, “Mercenaries crossed the borderline and infiltrated. It’s not a big deal.”
Zhong Yang’s face contorted in shock upon hearing this: “That’s not a big deal!? Those mercenaries are your old enemies from a previous mission, right? Are these armed desperadoes infiltrating to seek revenge? And you’re still out here hanging around? Where are your special police, your military special forces? Why didn’t you even bring a bodyguard? Master Yue, you truly are my master; your heart is as vast as the heavens, daring to snatch a life from Yama.”
Zhong Yang, with his garrulous nature, couldn’t stop talking once he started.
Jin Shi Yue ignored him, his dark, placid eyes fixed on the billiard table, his shots swift and fierce, his demeanor sharp.
Second Young Master Jin had navigated dangerous borderlines in the military region years ago, facing constant peril, and many international mercenaries had suffered losses at his hands, making their hatred for him commonplace. However, few had survived to seek revenge.
Pei Qingji didn’t know what he was thinking but knew he had his own considerations, so he didn’t press the topic. Instead, he asked, “While you were back in the military region, didn’t you look for Junior Sister?”
Jin Shi Yue’s dark eyes froze for a second, the momentary distraction vanishing as he took a slow drag from his cigarette and said coldly, “What would I look for her for?”
He had been completely rebuffed by Lian Li.
Having known Jin Shi Yue for so many years and rarely seeing him flustered, Pei Qingji found it quite amusing: “Did you break up?”
Jin Shi Yue offered no comment, removed the cigarette from his lips, and extinguished it in the ashtray, his brow displaying an indifferent casualness.
Zhong Yang was still lost in the mercenary incident and only realized their conversation a moment later, his eyelids suddenly twitching.
“Break up? When did you get together with Li Mei!”
Jin Shi Yue glanced at him sideways: “Calling her Li Mei all the time, don’t you have your own younger sister?”
Zhong Yang choked, then righteously condemned: “Li Mei isn’t just our younger sister; she’s also your elder brother’s younger sister! You beast! How could you do that.”
Jin Shi Yue lazily swiped his mobile phone with one hand; it was empty, with no messages or calls, and his chest felt constricted again.
He tossed the billiard cue to Pei Qingji, his long fingers hooking the suit jacket hanging on the back of the sofa and casually draping it over his shoulder.
As Zhong Yang looked on in surprise, Pei Qingji asked, “Where are you going?”
“We didn’t break up,” Jin Shi Yue said, walking steadily towards the door. “I’m going to find my girlfriend.”
Watching his retreating figure, Zhong Yang was utterly bewildered: “Hey, what’s going on between him and Li Mei?”
Pei Qingji leaned Jin Shi Yue’s billiard cue against the table, picked up the chalk powder to rub his cue, and smiled elegantly: “It’s just as he said.”
In a short span of time, Zhong Yang had been shocked twice. He walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of Remy Martin Louis XIII, and tried to calm his nerves.
After taking a couple of gulps, the faces of Li Mei and that scoundrel flashed in his mind. Zhong Yang exclaimed in disbelief: “No, my Li Mei!”
Pei Qingji picked up the wine bottle, poured Zhong Yang a full glass, and corrected him: “His Li Mei.”
*
It was raining heavily at night, the water streaming down the windshield, blurring the neon lights of the bustling metropolis into a chaotic mix of red and green.
Jin Shi Yue returned to Xi Shang Yuan.
The lights flickered on instantly, illuminating the surroundings. The living room, bedroom, study room… everything was there.
Only Lian Li was missing.
The spacious villa was empty and silent, so quiet that even the sound of breathing was incredibly clear.
A pure black Rolls-Royce sped down the road, finally stopping steadily below a residential building in the Qing Teng Road 21 residential area.
In the driver’s seat, Jin Shi Yue’s wrist rested lazily on the steering wheel. Dim light reflected into the carriage, illuminating the bulging veins on his pale white hand, hinting at an immeasurable strength.
Lights were on upstairs. He watched for a few seconds, deliberately not opening his umbrella, and walked into the residential building in the rain, familiar with the route, taking the elevator to the ninth floor.
He entered the password: 100109.
Correct.
The lock clicked open, but Jin Shi Yue didn’t go in. He raised his hand and pressed the doorbell.
Less than a minute later, the door opened from the inside, but the person who opened it was not Lian Li.
Ling Yu, holding a yogurt and nut cup, his eyes lit up upon seeing the noble young master outside, and he instantly stood at attention.
Jin Shi Yue frowned: “Where is Lian Li?”
“She went to a banquet,” Ling Yu stated firmly. “She’s very safe with the Young Master!”
Jin Shi Yue’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly, and he said coldly, “You’re staying at her place?”
“No! It was raining heavily today, so Miss Lian asked me to come up and stay, and also to guard her home,” Ling Yu reported truthfully. “Without your orders, I wouldn’t dare to leave my post.”
Ling Yu couldn’t follow Lian Li when she was with Jin Yan Ting.
Tracking people from the Jin family would get him arrested as an illegal element in an instant.
Jin Shi Yue’s shoulders and hair were damp with rain, making his originally indifferent face appear even colder. The oppressive aura was intimidating, making him look like a merciless god of death.
The memories of being beaten all those years ago were still vivid. Ling Yu felt a sudden fear and stammered, “Brother, why don’t you come in for a bit?”
Jin Shi Yue ignored him, took out his mobile phone, and dialed Lian Li. After a few rings, it switched to a notification.
“Hello, the user you have dialed is busy. Please try again later…”
Ling Yu observed Jin Shi Yue’s expression, feeling uneasy, and thought he might be beaten black and blue tonight.
Jin Shi Yue’s well-defined fingers held the mobile phone. He slightly raised his eyelids, his dark eyes sweeping into the room.
Lian Li was not there.
The phone was also unreachable.
His gaze was extremely calm, like the quiet before a storm, making him particularly frightening.
Ling Yu trembled, desperately needing Li Ye’s help.
