Chapter 38: Quite Arrogant, Junior Sister
Lian Li won with only one thought: sports that involve using her brain are more suitable for her.
“The last time I saw so many chips was at Young Master’s place,” Zhong Yang said spiritedly, generously pushing a stack of chips to Pei Qingji. “Good brothers share the fortune, don’t be polite with me.”
“Who’s your brother?” Pei Qingji pushed the chips into his own territory, his refined mouth speaking cold words. “The chips were won by Junior Sister, what does it have to do with you?”
“Of course it has something to do with it. If I hadn’t discovered this gem, Li Mei, where would you all have had the chance to witness such a grand occasion?” Zhong Yang said.
Everyone stared intently at this stunningly beautiful girl who seemed so easy to get along with, never imagining she could be so ruthless at the card table.
She’s f*cking amazing.
“Speaking of grand occasions, who can be as impressive as Second Young Master Jin?” someone suddenly said. This was followed by a chorus of agreement.
Zhong Yang, immersed in his joy, finally remembered the elusive Jin Shi Yue: “Where is Young Master?” he asked, turning his head. “Have you seen Master Yue?”
The onlookers looked around, and at the opportune moment, someone shouted: “Brother Shi Yue!”
All eyes turned in that direction, Lian Li included.
Jin Shi Yue walked over with a composed and steady stride. The light from the crystal chandelier cast a thin layer of cold glow on him, highlighting his broad shoulders and long legs, reflecting his elegance and composure, exuding a distinguished and noble aura that made him incredibly eye-catching wherever he went.
“Master Yue!”
“Calling my name?”
Jin Shi Yue walked casually to the card table with his hands in his pockets. Immediately, someone pulled out a chair for him, swiftly handed him a cigarette, and lit it for him.
Lian Li glanced at his slender, bony hand holding the cigarette, showing no particular reaction.
“Second Young Master, would you like to play a few rounds?” the young master who had vacated the seat asked deferentially.
Jin Shi Yue extended his arm to flick ash into the crystal ashtray and raised his eyelids to glance at the man, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness. “Are you all here watching a circus performance?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the people gathered around the card table immediately touched their noses and awkwardly dispersed.
With most of the crowd gone, the air felt much more breathable.
Zhong Yang remembered the last time Lian Li lost a hand and, fearing this man might crush her confidence, said kindly, “Are you tired, Li Mei?”
“I’m tired as soon as you arrive?”
Jin Shi Yue’s tone was very light, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. He raised his eyelids and glanced at Zhong Yang.
Lian Li didn’t hold a grudge against Jin Shi Yue for tricking her out of her New Year’s Money, but that didn’t mean she was happy to be around him.
Because of their first impression, she felt a sense of resistance.
Lian Li said, “Even if you weren’t here, I’d be tired.”
Jin Shi Yue lightly raised his eyelids, his gaze slowly falling on her face, his eyes holding an unreadable expression. “Quite feisty, Junior Sister.”
Pei Qingji looked at Lian Li on his left, then shifted his gaze to Jin Shi Yue on his right, a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of his mouth.
The others stared at Lian Li, dumbfounded.
A newborn calf fears no tiger.
She even dares to talk back to Second Young Master Jin, this girl is really something!
“Tired? If you’re tired, then rest well. Health is the capital of revolution, you can’t overexert yourself,” Zhong Yang rambled on. “Did you hit yourself somewhere while skiing today? Should I call a doctor?”
Young Master is a man, after all, and a man from the Military Region. No matter how good his skiing skills are, it doesn’t change the fact that there’s a natural barrier between him and girls.
Li Mei has delicate skin. After Young Master’s devilish teaching, she might shed a layer of skin.
Zhong Yang realized this belatedly and was very regretful: If only he had invited his aunt to teach Li Mei!
Lian Li shook her head. “I’m fine. I’m going to find Senior Sister.”
Zhong Yang: “Okay, okay. If you need anything, remember to call your Brother Yang.”
Lian Li: “Mm.”
Under Jin Shi Yue’s strong presence, Lian Li left the card table and walked towards the ballroom.
Pei Qingji, fiddling with his cards, asked Jin Shi Yue, “Did you upset her?”
Jin Shi Yue extinguished his cigarette, a casual smirk on his thin lips. “She holds grudges. Who dares to provoke her?”
“Li Mei has such a good temper, she wouldn’t hold grudges,” Zhong Yang said convincingly. “You definitely won’t find another girl with a better temper than Li Mei in all of Sijiucheng.”
Jin Shi Yue remained noncommittal.
There were quite a few people in the ballroom. Xue Shufan was sitting on a high stool, her slender hands holding the microphone as she sang.
People are complex, and this is fully displayed in Xue Shufan. She is cautious and meticulous in the laboratory, adventurous in the tropical rainforest, carefree in her daily life, spirited on the ski resort, and sings quietly in the ballroom…
Lian Li sat on the L-shaped sofa, listening to her Senior Sister sing while eating her apple pie.
A gentle voice suddenly sounded in her ear: “May I sit here?”
Lian Li looked up and saw Gu Sheng, dressed in white clothes and gray pants, holding a box of strawberry cake.
“Yes.”
Gu Sheng sat beside her and opened the cake box. Lian Li glanced over; besides strawberries, the fruit decorations also included blueberries.
Gu Sheng cut a piece and placed it on a dish, handing it to her. “Try it?”
Lian Li’s obsidian-like eyes flickered. Her gaze swept over his face, her expression unchanged. She took it. “Thank you.”
Lian Li was highly vigilant and placed the cake on the coffee table, continuing to eat her apple pie.
Gu Sheng looked at the untouched cake and asked softly, “Don’t you like cake?”
“It’s okay,” Lian Li replied.
Seeing that she seemed uninterested, Gu Sheng changed the subject. “Xue Shufan sings very well. It’s a shame she didn’t debut.”
He expected Lian Li to agree, but she calmly said, “It’s not a shame. Her achievements in scientific research are far greater.”
Gu Sheng’s face showed a hint of embarrassment, which he quickly brushed off with a smile.
“Are you also in scientific research?”
“No.”
“Then what do you do?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Gu Sheng: “……”
The young girl seems quite smart, but how can every sentence she says kill the conversation?
Lian Li didn’t eat food given by others; she found her own. After drinking quite a few beverages, she waved to Xue Shufan, signaling her to go to the restroom.
Xue Shufan nodded and made an OK gesture.
It was eleven o’clock at night, and the party was nearing its end. Some people were leaving the villa to start their next round of nightlife, while others were lost in their drunken revelry here.
When Lian Li came out of the restroom, she saw a man and a woman engaged in a French kiss in the corridor she had come from. She paused and decided to take another route back.
In the courtyard, planted with a hundred flowers and green trees, a few solitary lights were on. As Lian Li reached the end of the bluestone path, she unexpectedly saw Jin Shi Yue leaning against the wall.
The dim light made him appear mostly in shadow, as if cloaked in a layer of cold frost.
Lian Li said, “What are you doing here?”
Was he going to play ghost and scare her again?
Jin Shi Yue raised his eyes and appraised her with interest for a few seconds. “Are you very familiar with Gu Sheng?”
“Not familiar.”
“Not familiar, yet you had so much to say?”
Lian Li said, “I’m not familiar with you either.”
Yet we still have quite a lot to say.
Jin Shi Yue glanced at her, his clear almond eyes, from the arch of his brows to the corners of his eyes, looking pure and innocent no matter how you looked at them. He suddenly pulled at his thin lips. “Not familiar, yet you’ve touched me more than once. You’re quite open-minded.”
He was practically saying I have a generation gap with you.
But a generation gap usually refers to the younger generation disliking the older one, right?
He’s twenty-seven, and he’s disliking her, who’s twenty-one?
Lian Li didn’t understand his logic. “I haven’t touched you more than once.”
“You haven’t,” Jin Shi Yue looked down at her, his tone sounding like he was coaxing or placating her. “The one who touched me was a national treasure, a little panda.”
Lian Li felt he was mocking her and was about to retort when a strange sound suddenly reached her ears.
Lian Li turned her head towards the source of the sound. Before she could see clearly, a large palm suddenly gripped the back of her neck, forcefully pulling her into a warm, solid chest.
