Chapter 234: Endless Passion
By this point, Xue Shufan had nothing left to hide: “Lian Li came to New York to find you, wanting to spend New Year’s Day with you, only to discover you were at a hotel with Duan Shiqing.”
Jin Yanting frowned, “She never mentioned that to me.”
“Lian Li doesn’t like to trouble others. Regardless of your reasons for being with Duan Shiqing, she wouldn’t butt in.”
Xue Shufan paused, then couldn’t help but question, “She was by your side for so many years, didn’t you realize her state was not right back then?”
Jin Yanting had noticed.
That’s why his expression wasn’t good then. He rushed after her, but by the time he reached the first floor, Lian Li had already left the hotel.
He called her, and she said she was already in the car with her Senior Sister. He felt relieved.
Jin Yanting’s shoulders suddenly sagged. He leaned back against the seat. The bright lights of the restaurant reflected in his eyes, but couldn’t hide the stillness within them.
If only he had let her stay then, at the hotel…
Xue Shufan spoke at length, hoping Jin Yanting would understand that Lian Li had never wronged him. He could choose not to support Lian Li and Jin Shi Yue, but please, don’t oppose them.
“President Jin, Lian Li deserves happiness more than any of us,” Xue Shufan stood up. “Although she hasn’t said it explicitly, I believe she truly hopes for your blessing.”
Jin Yanting’s hand, resting on the table, had distinct bones. His long fingers trembled uncontrollably. He lowered his eyes, his tone seemingly calm.
“Did she ever have me in her heart.”
Xue Shufan was startled, then regained her composure. “I think she never liked you. When Lian Li’s Father passed away, you happened to appear and filled the void of her family affection. She mistook that for love.”
Jin Yanting didn’t respond. His long, thick eyelashes obscured his eyes, making his emotions unreadable.
Xue Shufan picked up her bag, preparing to leave. She took a few steps forward, stopped to think for several seconds, then returned and said:
“Do you know why Lian Li always acts so obedient and well-behaved in front of you?”
Without waiting for Jin Yanting’s reply, Xue Shufan provided the answer: “Because she doesn’t feel love from you.”
Lian Li’s past struggles with whether Jin Yanting liked her might have given Jin Yanting false hope, so Xue Shufan hadn’t mentioned it.
Lian Li had suffered too many unfounded grievances at Jin Yanting’s hands.
A long time ago, Xue Shufan didn’t think Lian Li and Jin Yanting were a good match.
Lian Li deserved the best in the world.
A flawed relationship was not worthy of her.
After speaking, Xue Shufan felt much better. With the demeanor of a victorious general returning from battle, she left the restaurant in her high heels.
Jin Yanting clenched his fist, his hand wearing an expensive wristwatch. The blue veins on the back of his hand bulged, like the veins of distant mountains.
A subtle, dull, specific bitterness and a dull ache pressed clearly and sharply against his heart.
Fireworks bloomed in the sky over Victoria Harbour outside the window, dazzling and brilliant, as if celebrating something.
The night he confessed his feelings to Lian Li, he had also set off fireworks for her. Old Master Jin had almost gotten angry then, scolding him for being the same at thirty as he was before.
When he set off fireworks for Duan Shiqing in his youth, the Old Master had made him kneel in the study for three days to reflect on his words and actions.
Now, setting off fireworks for Lian Li, he wouldn’t be punished, yet he had no mood to appreciate them at all.
The Jin Family was under his control, and expanding his power was effortless, yet the most important part was missing.
One side was grand, the other was rotting.
–
Old Master Jin could still scold Jin Yanting a few times for setting off fireworks. But with Jin Shi Yue severely injured, Old Master Jin could neither hit nor scold him, because if he did, Jin Shi Yue would feel pain in his chest.
The Second Young Master was casual and careless, and rather defiant.
Since Jin Shi Yue’s injury, Lian Li hadn’t dared to lean into his embrace when sleeping at night, worried about accidentally touching his wound. She initially suggested sleeping in another room, but after being rejected, she proposed drawing a line on the bed, each occupying half, with neither allowed to cross it.
Jin Shi Yue looked at her hugging a pillow, feeling both annoyed and amused. He directly pulled her into his arms, held her tightly, covered them with the quilt, and went to sleep.
Lian Li feared that struggling would cause his wound to reopen, so she resorted to verbal persuasion. However, she always ended up being kissed.
She stopped talking.
Lian Li was preparing to go abroad. Besides attending Lu Dieyi’s concert, she had been staying at Xi Shang Yuan to accompany the injured.
Jin Shi Yue wasn’t idle while recuperating at home. People often sought him out, coming directly to the house.
Lian Li subtly observed the young man’s attire. He wore a military green jacket, resembling a flight attendant, but not quite.
The young man saw her and smiled brightly, “Sister-in-law.”
He looked older than her, so calling her Sister-in-law was rather strange.
Lian Li ignored it and calmly said, “You’re looking for Jin Shi Yue, right? He’s in the study.”
With that, she instructed someone to escort the man in the jacket to the study.
Lian Li crossed her arms and pondered for a moment before turning to ask Li Shuangjie, “Do I look very old?”
Li Shuangjie looked at her, “Not old.”
She had the gentle and precious look of a neighbor’s younger sister, incredibly youthful.
“Then why did he call me Sister-in-law?” Lian Li offered her an apple.
Li Shuangjie took it and said while peeling the apple with a knife, “He used to be one of the Second Young Master’s men.”
Lian Li sat on the sofa, her palm supporting her cheek, and asked, “Like you?”
“His rank is higher,” Li Shuangjie answered every question but didn’t elaborate.
Lian Li knew very little about Jin Shi Yue’s affairs in the Military Region. She didn’t ask Li Shuangjie further and bit into the apple, contemplating Jin Shi Yue’s work.
Aerospace, aviation, maritime, military uniforms, electronic information… He probably wasn’t on the front lines anymore, but in a behind-the-scenes role. Was the Military Industry Group considered behind-the-scenes? It didn’t seem so.
Before, the robots Jin Yanting gave her, the research team that developed them seemed to have some connection to the military industry.
Lian Li lowered her head and glimpsed the fading bite marks on her calf, unhurriedly pulling down her skirt to cover them.
She was about to go abroad.
During the day, they kept each other company, and at night, they expressed their reluctance to part.
Their affection fueled their young bodies; they desired each other so much, possessing endless passion.
Jin Shi Yue and the man in the jacket came out of the study, saying they had a meeting and needed to leave. He wouldn’t be back for dinner and told her not to wait for him.
Lian Li was used to this.
At night, she showered and went to bed, her bright apricot eyes staring unblinkingly at the white ceiling.
Her mobile phone on the bedside table lit up. She reached out, fumbled for it, picked it up, and glanced at it. It was a message from Lu Hansheng.
Ji Tan had been sad and dispirited for years. Her chronic illness made her frail and prone to sickness. She had been coughing incessantly lately.
Lian Li’s fingertip traced the message, and she placed the phone back on the bedside table.
She closed her eyes and went to sleep.
In her dream, she vaguely felt someone stroke her long hair and a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Lian Li became conscious but didn’t open her eyes, remaining in quiet contemplation.
After an unknown amount of time, the large bed dipped, someone lifted the quilt, and gently pulled her into a warm embrace, tucking her in properly.
Then, a man’s lazy voice, with a hint of a smile, sounded from above her head, “Pretending to sleep?”
