Chapter 58: A Feeling Like Never Before
Jin Shi Yue might have seen her alone and pitiful, feeling sorry for her, and taken care of her out of consideration for Jin Yan Ting or Zhong Yang.
Or perhaps he found the trip to New York too boring and kept her by his side to tease her at any time.
What the answer is, doesn’t matter.
Lian Li’s decision to leave Jin Yan Ting, to a certain extent, represented distancing herself from Jin Shi Yue.
She didn’t want to have any contact with anyone from the Jin Family.
This thought had surfaced a long time ago, but back then, there was Jin Yan Ting.
At that time, Jin Yan Ting was the exception.
But now, there are no more exceptions.
Lian Li is not a girl who easily gets emotional or misunderstands situations.
She could take nine years to open her heart, get used to Jin Yan Ting, and accept him, and she could also take nine days to break free from his influence.
She still had to find her mother for Lian Jingcheng.
She couldn’t lose herself for anyone.
Going abroad impulsively to express her feelings and hoping for a reciprocal emotional response was an impulse she only needed to experience once.
Lian Li pulled her suitcase out of the airport, and a Rolls-Royce stopped in front of her. It was Tao Su, Jin Shi Yue’s subordinate.
“Miss Lian, I’ll take you back,” Tao Su said.
“No, thank you,” Lian Li politely declined. “I’ve already called a taxi.”
She wore a black coat without a scarf, her dark hair scattered over her shoulders by the cold wind. Her small face had a reddened nose tip, looking pitiful and delicate, yet her almond-shaped eyes held a tangible gaze, conveying an unyielding resolve.
Tao Su recalled Jin Shi Yue’s words and inwardly praised his boss’s foresight. He calmly said to Lian Li, “The money for the taxi will be repaid to you a hundredfold.”
“You won’t lose on this transaction.”
Not only would she not lose, but she would make a guaranteed profit.
Lian Li was a bit puzzled. Why were Jin Shi Yue’s subordinates as domineering and overbearing as he was.
“A transaction only occurs when both parties are willing to trade; a unilateral action can only be called robbery.”
A faint smile played on Lian Li’s exquisite face, and she spoke in a calm tone, “After robbery, you compensate with money. Nicely put, it’s a funeral pyre; crudely put, it’s giving alms to a beggar. I’m not interested in either.”
Tao Su was stunned for a second, then realized she was calling his boss a barbaric bandit.
The taxi Lian Li had called arrived. She pulled her suitcase over, and the driver got out to help her put it in the trunk.
Tao Su stood in place, watching Lian Li get into the car. He suddenly felt that Miss Lian was not an easy person to deal with.
Sharp as a hidden needle, killing without a trace.
The taxi’s destination was not the apartment that held memories of Lian Li and Jin Yan Ting, but Jingbei University.
As Lian Li gently pushed her suitcase through the door, Shang Lingyu, with her head full of colorful curlers, was curled up on the bed playing a game.
Shang Lingyu wasn’t wearing earphones, and the intense sounds of the game battle filled the dormitory. The person she had hired as a coach had a pleasant voice, sometimes praising Shang Lingyu, sometimes whispering gentle encouragements.
Listening to the gentle coaxing, Lian Li’s brain flashed with certain sensory memories.
She unconsciously pressed against someone… that person’s body was warm and firm, containing immeasurable strength.
An unstoppable force, wrapped in heat, penetrated her clothes and burned into her heart, making her temporarily forget many things.
She only remembered an unprecedented feeling.
…Where did this feeling come from?
This feeling was so foreign that she subconsciously thought it didn’t belong to her.
Lian Li frowned slightly, wanting to explore its origin, but found nowhere to look.
Perhaps she was sick, her mind feverish, and her memory was mistaken.
“Lian Li, why are you back?” Shang Lingyu finished her game, lifted the curtain, and suddenly saw Lian Li.
Lian Li pulled her thoughts back and pushed her suitcase to the desk. “I’ll be staying in the dormitory recently.”
Shang Lingyu assumed Professor Lu had given her a mission and didn’t ask further. She climbed down the ladder from her bed. “That’s great, it’s more lively with more people. It’s quite boring when I’m the only one in the dorm.”
After tidying up, Lian Li sent a message to Xue Shufan asking when she was free, as she had brought her a gift.
Xue Shufan didn’t reply, likely busy.
Lian Li took some time to return to the apartment. She packed the important items she needed daily; she planned to move the rest after finding a new place.
Many things in the apartment were bought for her by Jin Yan Ting. Lian Li didn’t take any of those items; she traveled light.
When her phone rang, Lian Li was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, counting her jewelry. She leaned to the side to reach for her mobile phone, which was on the sofa.
The caller ID showed Xue Shufan. Lian Li swiped to answer, put it on speakerphone on the carpet, and continued counting her jewelry.
“Lili!” Xue Shufan’s voice was noisy and deafening. She held her phone to her ear with her left hand and covered her ear with her right, shouting loudly.
In contrast, it was exceptionally quiet where Lian Li was. She carefully placed the sapphire necklace into a dark blue velvet box and asked, “Where are you? It’s so noisy.”
“I’m in the underground dance hall of the STAR bar. Do you want to come over!”
Lian Li deliberately said, “You have time to go to a bar, but not time to see me?”
“No, I’ve been up all night! Since last night!” Xue Shufan said. “Do you want to come over? If not, I’ll come find you later!”
Lian Li glanced at the time; it was already seven in the evening. Had she pulled two all-nighters?
She asked, “Who is with you?”
“No one, just Pei Qingji and me.”
“Alright, then wait for me. I’m coming over now.”
Lian Li closed the velvet box, stood up, and put on her jacket. Before leaving, she glanced back. In the darkness, the Xiao Mao robot flashed twice.
As if trying to make her stay.
Lian Li remained unmoved, closed the door, and left.
She didn’t want to be the one who was abandoned anymore.
She wanted to regain control.
To leave on her own.
The STAR bar was timeless. As night fell, the rhythm of the music and the fervor of souls stirred together, filling the air with the scent of alcohol and cheers.
Lian Li stepped onto the stairs, unhurriedly ascending to the second floor. At the corner of the corridor, a couple was kissing passionately. She glanced at them and paid no mind.
After taking a few steps, she suddenly remembered the accident in New York, the cool, soft touch.
Hidden in a dark private room, the smell of alcohol wasn’t strong. A faint mist of sandalwood wafted through the air. As soon as Lian Li entered, the fragrance hit her, and her nostrils twitched slightly.
A young master, impressed by Xue Shufan’s singing and dancing, asked Pei Qingji if Xue Shufan had a boyfriend. Pei Qingji, sitting on the sofa pouring wine, said directly, “Yes.”
Xue Shufan, who was playing mahjong behind him, heard this and turned to shout at Pei Qingji, “Pei Qingji, are you crazy? You can’t block my romantic prospects just because you’re a single dog!”
The young master, hearing there was a chance, immediately asked Xue Shufan, “How do you find me?”
Xue Shufan glanced at him and showed no mercy, “Forget it, being a single dog isn’t so bad.”
Everyone present burst into laughter at her words.
The young master wasn’t offended; they were all people who could take a joke and laughed along.
Pei Qingji smiled slightly, and his gaze fell upon Lian Li as he said, “Junior Sister is here.”
