Chapter 41: Come Protect Me
The day Lian Li went skiing and the day after, she felt nothing. On the third day, her back started to ache.
It took several days to recover.
Back at the dormitory, as Shang Lingyu climbed onto her bed, she noticed Lian Li’s unusual state and asked with concern.
Among Lian Li’s three roommates, besides Shen Huaining and Shang Lingyu, there was also a rich second-generation student, Meng Yi.
“The Shen family has fallen, and Shen Huaining has gone abroad early. She’s packed everything up and probably won’t be living here anymore,” Shang Lingyu said, pointing to Shen Huaining’s bare desk and bed, her tone dejected. “Meng Yi was supposed to be here too, but she recently got a boyfriend and moved in with him, so she’s not coming back either.”
Lian Li sat on the chair, opened her computer to read literature, and prepared for her graduation project. “How’s your recommendation for postgraduate studies going?”
“It’s about ninety percent certain,” Shang Lingyu said, her bed opposite Lian Li’s. She glanced back at Lian Li’s computer. “You can just use any of your previously published papers for your graduation project; you don’t need to spend so much time on it.”
Lian Li’s slender fingers lightly tapped the keyboard. “Professor Lu is quite strict.”
Although Shang Lingyu wasn’t in the same major as Lian Li, she knew of the famous and renowned Professor Lu Huier.
She shook her head and said earnestly, “Sister, keep up the good work.”
Lian Li curved her lips into a smile and continued looking at her computer.
Her laptop was logged into WeChat, showing over a dozen unread messages. Lian Li clicked in curiously to check.
Zhong Yang had added her to a group chat with over ten people. Looking at the members, it seemed to be people from their circle.
The group owner, Zhong Yang, tagged her: 「@1@Er, Master Yue Li Mei, are you guys counting off on WeChat? 」
Xue Shufan explained: 「Li Li was born in February, and Er is the uppercase Chinese character for the number two. 」
Zhong Yang: 「Is that so? Then I’ll have to change mine to three! 」
Xue Shufan: 「You were born in March? 」
Zhong Yang: 「No. 」
Xue Shufan: 「Then why are you joining the count? Just making up the numbers. 🙄.jpg 」
Then, they started bickering in the group chat.
Zhong Yang hadn’t mentioned it, but Lian Li hadn’t realized that Jin Shi Yue’s and her WeChat nicknames, when read together, sounded like counting off.
“I heard Meng Yi’s boyfriend’s family works in the Prosecutor’s Office. They have quite a strong background; even that dissolute Zhao Lizheng is wary of him,” Shang Lingyu gossiped while scrolling through her mobile phone. “Lian Li, do you know who it is?”
“No,” Lian Li replied. She only knew that Meng Yi had been persistently pursuing someone for over two years, but she had no interest in finding out who it was.
Shang Lingyu continued, “I ran into Meng Yi at a department store counter last time. She was carrying two new Hermès bags. I casually asked, and it seems she plans to get married right after graduation.”
Reaching the legal age, marriage wasn’t uncommon.
“Hey, Lian Li, what kind of man do you like? Someone like the Jin Family’s Eldest Young Master?” Shang Lingyu asked curiously. She had no ill intentions, just a natural inclination for gossip.
Mentioning Jin Yan Ting, Lian Li’s fingers paused on the keyboard for three seconds. After a moment of thought, she said, “It’s hard to say what kind I like; it depends on the feeling. What about you? What type do you like?”
“I like the domineering CEO type, like in the novels, cold and abstinent during the day, and wild and passionate at night,” Shang Lingyu fantasized.
Lian Li nodded. “You like someone who’s different on the inside and outside.”
“Yes, yes!” Shang Lingyu laughed carefree, then asked, “But have you really not thought about what kind of husband you want in the future?”
“I have,” Lian Li said.
“What kind?” Shang Lingyu eagerly pressed.
Lian Li said with mock seriousness, “A good nursing home.”
Shang Lingyu was amused, her dimples appearing as she laughed. “Then you could go and investigate the industry firsthand in the elder care sector.”
Lian Li smiled. “That’s also an option.”
After sitting for a long time, Lian Li stood up and stretched her limbs to improve blood circulation. Her gaze swept over a row of books on the desk, one of which was 《Nightingale》.
The mobile phone charging on the desk rang. It was Jin Yan Ting calling.
Lian Li unplugged the charging cable and answered, “Brother.”
“Xiao Li, where are you?” His voice was always a gentle, cultured Chinese tone, as if filled with emotion that could draw one in, yet seemingly devoid of warmth, maintaining a certain distance.
“I didn’t go to the orchestra today; I’m back at school working on the assignment Professor Lu gave me,” Lian Li explained.
It was quiet on the other end of the line; he was likely in his office. “When will you be done?”
“Probably this afternoon,” Lian Li said. “I can be back before dinner.”
“Come to my place tonight. The driver will pick you up,” Jin Yan Ting said.
Lian Li paused for two seconds before replying, “Okay.”
Before leaving the dormitory, Lian Li casually stuffed 《Nightingale》 into her bag and took it with her.
Jing University’s architecture was ancient and charming. White snow covered the red buildings, and Weiming Lake was also white, with mandarin ducks and black swans swimming by the shore.
Lian Li walked through a quiet path to the grand school gate, where the driver sent by Jin Yan Ting was already waiting.
It was rush hour, and the journey from the school to Wan Yi Hua Fu took an extra half hour compared to usual. Lian Li leaned back against the seat and slept for a while.
When she woke up, they hadn’t arrived yet. Bored, she opened her phone. The small WeChat group had somehow accumulated over twenty unread messages.
Lian Li scrolled through them one by one. After finishing, she checked the group members again.
She looked at the avatar that resembled a black hole and slowly tapped on it.
Her Moments weren’t blocked, but there wasn’t a single post. The background of her Moments was a sunset horizon shot from high in the sky, a brilliant orange and gold, magnificent and beautiful.
Time passed quickly while she was on her phone. Upon arriving at Wan Yi Hua Fu, it had started to snow. The snowflakes weren’t large, but they weren’t small either.
Lian Li got out of the car with an umbrella, tucking one hand into the pocket of her wool coat as she walked towards the row of villas.
As dusk settled, the air was a pale, ethereal blue. Luxury cars entering and exiting Wan Yi Hua Fu had a dusting of white snow on them.
The season was cold, and the snow was like winter’s salt, bringing everything to life.
As Lian Li passed the grand garden of Hua Fu, she saw a tall, sharp figure through the falling snow. The person was wearing black clothes and black pants, with a striking height and long legs, possessing a very unique aura.
Unique, and yet somewhat familiar.
Lian Li looked closely.
Jin Shi Yue stood leisurely, hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed.
In the sub-zero weather, he was only wearing a simple shirt and trousers, with no other cold-weather clothing, appearing somewhat solitary and forlorn.
He was truly resistant to the cold.
Lian Li, wearing a full outfit, still felt cold.
A large Tibetan Mastiff lay at Jin Shi Yue’s feet. Opposite the man and his dog was a miniature version of them.
The little boy, wearing a thick down jacket, was chubby. He raised his head and looked timidly at Jin Shi Yue.
The little boy’s puppy, similarly, looked timidly at Jin Shi Yue’s large dog.
Witnessing this scene, Lian Li had an epiphany.
The Eldest Young Master was bullying with his status, and his dog was bullying the other dog with its status.
Jin Shi Yue noticed and glanced at her sideways. “What are you watching over there? Come and protect me.”
Lian Li: …Protect who?
