Chapter 182: Lian Li, don’t get hurt again
“No.” Lian Li refused.
Jin Shi Yue stared at her, his eyes asking, “You want me to leave?”
Lian Li looked back at him, “Whether I want you to or not, aren’t you leaving anyway?”
Since he was leaving, her feelings were irrelevant.
Jin Shi Yue grabbed her hand and suddenly felt something unusual. He raised it and looked, seeing a Band-Aid on her finger.
“How did you get hurt?”
Lian Li said, “I accidentally cut myself while playing the cello.”
Her casual tone made Jin Shi Yue frown. “Lian Li, no more injuries.” He immediately felt his tone was too harsh and added, “Understood?”
Lian Li pulled her hand out of his. “You ask too much; I can’t do it.”
He wanted her to live to a hundred, not to mention breaking up, and now not to get hurt.
Lian Li was stubborn and refused. “It’s not you who gets hurt, so I’ll get hurt however I want.”
Jin Shi Yue, however, said, “How do you know it’s not me who gets hurt?”
Lian Li was stunned. Her heart fluttered like a boat on a river. Her luminous eyes shifted slightly as she said, “Because this is my body.”
“Is that so?” Jin Shi Yue smirked, his palm pressing against her back as he suddenly pulled her into his embrace. “Every part of you belongs to me.”
Lian Li practically crashed into his arms. She was held tightly, and she mumbled, “No, I only belong to myself.”
“Mm.” Jin Shi Yue didn’t argue. “You are the world.”
Lian Li pursed her lips and remained silent.
Just as she was about to push him away, she heard him speak softly in her ear, “Lian Li, don’t get hurt again.”
It wasn’t his usual domineering tone, but rather one of helplessness, or perhaps even pleading.
Lian Li remained silent, but her hands, which had been pushing him away, now wrapped around him in return.
They rarely had such quiet moments. The trivial matters that had been weighing on their hearts seemed to have no effect on them.
Only they knew that some seemingly insignificant things actually held a pivotal position in their lives.
After a long embrace, Lian Li softly asked, “God of Wealth is so smart, how did you train him?”
Jin Shi Yue replied, “Sent him to the military region for devilish training.”
Lian Li: “……”
His concise words sounded so tumultuous.
She suddenly felt a bit sorry for God of Wealth.
God of Wealth was crouched on the ground, his dark, round eyes looking at them with great interest.
Jin Shi Yue scooped her up and walked directly towards the Sofa. He had a lot of energy and always liked carrying her around. Lian Li didn’t mind, letting him do as he pleased.
She asked, “How many days are you going to Shanghai?”
“Two days.”
Lian Li nodded. “If you’re not here, I’ll go home for these few days.”
Jin Shi Yue parted her legs, letting her straddle him. It wasn’t a passionate encounter, just a pure conversation with gentle nips at her earlobe.
“Is there a ghost here? Do you need me to suppress it?”
“No.” Lian Li’s face felt a little itchy, and she nuzzled his Shoulder. “If you’re not here, I have nothing else to do here. I’ll go back to Qing Teng Road to live, so it doesn’t get moldy and dusty.”
Jin Shi Yue leaned back against the Sofa, saying casually, “You’re the female protagonist, why aren’t you worried about it getting moldy?”
Lian Li lifted her forehead from his Shoulder and met his gaze, communicating with her eyes.
Although there weren’t many servants who appeared here usually, every place was kept clean and tidy, with a fresh, light scent. There was no need for her to be present to oversee it.
“What are you thinking about me?” Jin Shi Yue glanced at her, lazily asking.
“I’m not thinking anything bad about you,” Lian Li denied.
She was merely stating a fact.
The girl sat on his lap, her eyelashes like butterfly wings, long and curled, fluttering and revealing the shimmering light in her apricot eyes.
Jin Shi Yue’s Adam’s Apple bobbed. The hand around her waist moved up, his palm tightening on her nape as he lowered his head and captured her lips.
He kissed her soft lips, slowly and gently, with a lingering tenderness.
Jin Shi Yue’s nose brushed against hers. “Want to go play around?”
Zhong Yang had recently mentioned in the group chat that many people would go on a Graduation Trip after graduating, similar to a honeymoon.
Lian Li hadn’t considered a Graduation Trip, but she planned to leave the Capital City. “Before I go abroad, I want to go back to Taipei to see.”
“When?” Jin Shi Yue’s long fingers hooked a few strands of her hair, twirling them around his fingertips.
“I’m not sure.” Lian Li rested her chin on his Shoulder. “Next month, perhaps.”
“Who are you planning to go with?”
“No one.”
“Hm?” Jin Shi Yue grabbed her Shoulder, pulling them apart. His dark eyes reflected her image. “What about your Boyfriend?”
Lian Li’s eyes curved into crescent moons, and she smiled joyfully. “I don’t know.”
Jin Shi Yue also smiled. “You really don’t know?”
Lian Li cupped his face with both hands, leaned down, and pecked his lips, smiling as she said, “I don’t know.”
A house, two people, in the spacious Living Room.
She straddled his lap, idly nibbling his earlobe as they chatted. When certain topics arose, their eyes would meet, and they would share occasional sweet kisses.
There was no lust, only pure intimacy.
Jin Shi Yue was flying to Shanghai that night and wouldn’t be at Xi Shang Yuan.
The next day, after breakfast, Lian Li, carrying her Cello, took Ling Yu’s car to the Wen Gang Orchestra.
The Wen Gang Orchestra was acquired by Jin Yan Ting for Lian Li. Initially, it was poorly managed and incurred heavy losses, but fortunately, it later became profitable.
The Orchestra was no longer what it used to be. It had now made a name for itself, with several musicians renowned domestically and internationally, truly a case of a canary turning into a phoenix.
Lian Li was going abroad at the end of August and planned to fully withdraw from the Orchestra after assisting Lu Dieyi’s Concert.
She no longer performed and was back today to pack her belongings.
In the Lounge, she opened her Storage Cabinet to clear out her items when someone approached her from the side.
Ruan Ning unlocked her own cabinet, pulled it open, and asked Lian Li, “Why didn’t you expose me?”
Ruan Ning had gained fame by posing as a Socialite at the Orchestra, and Lian Li knew about it but had never intended to expose her.
“Not interested,” Lian Li said dismissively.
If Ruan Ning didn’t know that Lian Li wasn’t interested in other people’s scandals, she would have thought Lian Li deliberately wanted to see her embarrassed.
People often engage in self-deception to make themselves happier. As long as it doesn’t involve harming others or committing crimes, it’s commonplace. Lian Li had also deceived herself.
Ruan Ning tilted her head. “What about you? They all say you’re Zhao Lizheng’s canary.”
Who would have thought that the Beijing Capital behind her wasn’t the Zhao family, but the Jin family!
Ruan Ning had inquired with Chen Wei Qi. Although Chen Wei Qi was spoiled and difficult to get information from, Ruan Ning could tell from Chen Wei Qi’s attitude towards Lian Li that Lian Li held an extraordinary position in Chen Wei Qi’s circle.
Definitely not a canary.
“Do you believe whatever they say?” Lian Li’s lips curved into a slight smile. “I’m just playing around with them.”
Even if she were Zhao’s canary, the people in the Orchestra only dared to gossip, and Lian Li still received the most special treatment.
For the past few years, Lian Li hadn’t revealed her relationship with Jin Yan Ting, thus concealing the Jin Family’s involvement while enjoying the benefits.
She didn’t care about gossip, but that didn’t mean she would suffer losses. Trading a meaningless Scandal with Zhao Lizheng for years of special treatment was not a loss.
For her, the mental victory method was unrealistic.
She wanted tangible benefits.
Advantages and disadvantages always coexist; utilizing them well leads to more advantages than disadvantages.
Lian Li closed the cabinet and left the Orchestra, leaving behind a belatedly aware Ruan Ning.
Lian Li didn’t have Ling Yu drive her and took a taxi directly to the Western Restaurant.
By the time she arrived, Pei Qingji was already there.
And in front of him lay a Document.
