Chapter 213: Is There Still a Need to Continue?
Except for the accidental encounter with Jin Shi Yue in New York, Lian Li had always dealt with her physical discomforts alone.
Although she knew that couples generally supported each other, she and Jin Shi Yue were currently having a conflict… or rather, let’s call it a conflict for now.
Hearing his voice, Lian Li paused.
The family doctor prescribed medication and gave Jin Shi Yue instructions on precautions. Once everything was settled, Li Ye escorted the doctor out.
In the spacious room, only the two of them remained. Lian Li glanced at Jin Shi Yue; the recent conversation had displeased him and worsened the discomfort in her stomach.
Lian Li pulled the quilt up, covering herself. She didn’t want to lie to him, nor did she want to see him.
He made her feel pressured.
Lian Li had always thought her stress tolerance was very high, but at this moment, she realized it wasn’t as strong as she had imagined.
Jin Shi Yue stood by the bedside, gazing down at her for a moment before saying indifferently, “Take your medicine and rest.”
“Put it here, I’ll take it myself later.” Lian Li feigned sleep, not opening her eyes.
“Lian Li,” Jin Shi Yue called her name, his voice low and hoarse.
“What is it?” Lian Li’s tone was weak; she didn’t really want to face him. Analyzing her innermost thoughts to someone repeatedly was an unprecedented difficulty for her.
Lian Li didn’t receive a reply and felt the bed sink downwards – Jin Shi Yue had sat down.
She finally slowly lifted her eyelids and looked at him.
Jin Shi Yue didn’t ask if she could get up on her own. He directly picked her up gently, opened the medicine, and brought it to her lips to feed her.
Lian Li blinked her long lashes, opened her mouth, and swallowed the medicine with warm water.
Her taste buds, already somewhat bitter, became even more so.
She drank half a cup of water before the bitterness slightly subsided.
After taking the medicine, Lian Li lay down again and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. Jin Shi Yue saw through it but didn’t expose her. He pressed the remote control to close the curtains and then turned to leave.
Lian Li was alone in the room again. She opened her eyes, and her hand under the quilt rested on her lower abdomen, her mood inexplicably chaotic.
If she were actually pregnant…
Lian Li forcibly blocked the thought, not daring to dwell on it.
Jin Shi Yue had placed her mobile phone on the bedside table, so she didn’t need to go downstairs to look for it.
Lian Li reached for her mobile phone. Xue Shufan had messaged her half an hour ago asking if she had arrived in Taipei.
Lian Li replied that she had.
Xue Shufan: 【 Have fun! 】
Xue Shufan: 【 Same as always, remember to take lots of photos for me, and bring back a gift too. 】
Lian Li sent a sticker pack: 【 Of course.jpg 】
Her original plan for her two-week stay in Taiwan was to spend the first seven days exploring other places and the last seven days living in Coastal Village.
Now, Jin Shi Yue might re-examine their relationship.
If it was destined to end badly, was there any point in continuing?
Whether the two of them separated depended on him, but she wouldn’t just wait for fate.
Lian Li decided to plan her subsequent accommodation, transportation, and itinerary in case they separated.
She didn’t dwell on it; her world had no miracles, and reality always took precedence over personal feelings.
Always be prepared to be alone at any moment; it wasn’t the first time she had been abandoned halfway.
Lian Li browsed through hotel information.
The weather was hot this season, so there weren’t many people in Taipei, and hotels were plentiful.
Lian Li looked at the map again. Her current location was not far from New Taipei Jiufen, so she could go for a walk there tonight.
She scrolled through her mobile phone and, while scrolling, unconsciously fell asleep.
On the other side, Jin Shi Yue was on the first floor taking a call from Jin Yan Ting.
It was about the Zhong and Lu families involved with Lian Li’s mother, and past secrets of the Ji family.
The Lu family of Shanghai knew they had wronged Lian Li and said nothing, but the cunning old fogeys of the Zhong family were not so easy to deal with.
Ji Tan no longer called herself Zhong Tan and had left the Zhong family registry. With only Zhong Yingyi alone, she couldn’t stabilize all the Zhong family members.
The Zhong family members had all submitted petitions to Old Master Jin, forcefully accusing your Jin family’s Second Young Master of acting recklessly and abusing his power to benefit the lover by his side.
This had caused great harm to the Zhong family, affecting their interests and reputation.
Old Master Jin protected his own externally, skillfully dealing with the Zhong family and calmly resolving the people from the Zhong family who came to him. However, internally, he was equally strict, even showing a hint of disappointment.
Jin Shi Yue was doing well in the Military Region, but he insisted on leaving. After leaving, he expanded the military industry and took control of it. Old Master Jin could turn a blind eye to that. Who would have thought he wouldn’t be content and would cause trouble again.
As if afraid others wouldn’t find fault with him.
Jin Shi Yue’s lips curled, and he said sarcastically, “Those old guys didn’t dare to confront me, so they went to find the Old Master. They’re all toddlers who run to their parents at the slightest disturbance.”
Jin Yan Ting had just learned that Lian Li’s mother was not Zhong Yingyi but Ji Tan. He couldn’t help but feel regret, but for someone of his status, regret was a rare emotion.
“How is Xiao Li?” Jin Yan Ting asked.
Lian Li had been searching for her mother. Now that she had found her, whether it was Zhong Yingyi or Ji Tan, it brought Lian Li more pain than joy.
Thinking of Lian Li, Jin Shi Yue knitted his brows.
His tall figure stood by the window, and he chuckled lightly, “How can she be? With me by her side, would I mistreat her?”
Jin Yan Ting said calmly as usual, “Xiao Li is just a younger sister. No matter how mature she is, her age is there. Her views are different from ours. Pay more attention to her.”
Another man was telling him to pay attention to his girlfriend, and moreover, a man his girlfriend used to like.
Jin Shi Yue’s already unpleasant mood worsened. “No need to worry, I will definitely take good care of my girlfriend.”
Jin Yan Ting was momentarily speechless.
Lian Li was Jin Shi Yue’s girlfriend, not his.
After a pause, Jin Yan Ting said, “What are your plans recently? The Old Master tried to contact you but couldn’t get through. Did you turn off your phone?”
“Busy accompanying my girlfriend, didn’t notice the messages.” Jin Shi Yue’s tone was indifferent and slightly casual. “I’ll pay my respects to the elder another day when I return to the capital.”
The phone call, neither too long nor too short, ended with both brothers feeling extremely complicated and none of them having a smooth sailing mood.
Jin Shi Yue looked down at the city view, took a cigarette from his case, and held it between his lips. He struck a lighter, and as the flame flickered, he remembered his girlfriend was unwell and didn’t light the cigarette.
Old Master Jin’s exception in allowing Lian Jingcheng into the Jin family back then was likely because he saw the jade pendant bracelet Lian Li was wearing and knew it came from the deceased Old Madam of the Zhong family.
He had long suspected Lian Li was related to the Zhong family and had secretly prevented Jin Yan Ting from investigating Lian Li’s mother, but he hadn’t expected Jin Shi Yue to appear out of nowhere.
During mealtime, a private chef came to cook. Some dishes were local cuisine based on Lian Li’s taste, and others were light food prepared according to Jin Shi Yue’s dietary habits.
Lian Li woke up hungry. The room was dim. She rubbed her tired eyes, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and went downstairs to find something to eat.
As she descended the stairs, she saw the man on the sofa. He was still wearing the expensive black shirt he had worn when he left in the morning, looking dashing and handsome, with a hint of weariness in his brows.
As Lian Li looked at him, Jin Shi Yue cast a knowing glance her way.
Their eyes met in mid-air. After seven or eight seconds, Lian Li averted her gaze and looked around.
Mutual liking doesn’t mean everything is worry-free, for example, being hungry.
Affection alone cannot sustain you; it might even cut off your water source.
Jin Shi Yue looked Lian Li up and down and, seeing that her complexion had improved significantly, his worried heart temporarily settled.
Her eyes darted around, as if searching for something.
“What are you looking around for, like a thief?” Jin Shi Yue’s tone was leisurely.
Lian Li withdrew her gaze, ran a hand through her disheveled hair with a muddled mind, and said nothing.
Jin Shi Yue’s thin lips curved into a sneer, “Are we strangers again?”
