Free Web NovelChapter 17: Chapter 11: It’s Not a Waste if It’s You
The room was filled with a sensual air. The small boat tossed and turned on the waves, a bumpy ride from start to finish.
Jiang Li opened her eyes and found herself looking directly into Shen Yanzhi’s deep, bottomless black irises. She couldn’t help but shoot him a playful glare.
’I clearly told him to stop,’ she thought. ’But not only did he ignore me, he just got more and more persistent.’
Shen Yanzhi licked his dry lips. "Are you okay?"
Jiang Li’s face flushed, and she tugged at the blanket. "You’re so annoying!"
Remembering she had to go to the office today, she grabbed the glass of water Shen Yanzhi had left on the nightstand the night before and downed it in one gulp. Then, she looked at Shen Yanzhi, a little surprised.
She had expected it to be cold, but it was warm.
’How thoughtful of him.’
She yawned and asked, "What time is it?"
Shen Yanzhi threw back the covers. "Seven-thirty."
Seeing Shen Yanzhi getting dressed right in front of her without any sense of modesty, Jiang Li’s face flushed red once more.
Especially when she saw the bright red scratches on his fair back. It made her want to dig a hole and crawl into it.
’Was I really that vicious last night?’
The stare on his back was so intense that Shen Yanzhi felt as if his skin had been seared.
Fastening the last button on his shirt, Shen Yanzhi turned around and stared intently at Jiang Li. "Xiao Li, if you keep looking at me like that, neither of us will be leaving anytime soon."
Jiang Li turned her head away, the tips of her ears burning. "Then just get me my nightgown."
Shen Yanzhi had torn that black nightgown to shreds last night, making Jiang Li wonder if Jiang Manshu had bought some shoddy, low-quality product. How else could it have been so fragile?
If Jiang Manshu knew what Jiang Li was thinking, she would probably be laughing to herself.
After all, isn’t sexy lingerie practically designed to be a low-quality product?
After changing and freshening up, she went downstairs. Only two housekeepers were in the living room, cleaning.
Jiang Li paused and asked doubtfully, "Aren’t your parents eating breakfast?"
Shen Yanzhi glanced at his wristwatch. "They’re probably still asleep at this hour. Don’t worry about them."
Hearing them, one of the housekeepers stopped her work and said respectfully, "Mr. Shen, Miss Jiang, breakfast is ready for you in the dining room."
Shen Yanzhi gestured with his chin. "Come on, let’s go eat."
Jiang Li shrugged. She wasn’t in a hurry, so having breakfast wouldn’t make her late for anything.
Shen Yanzhi must have given instructions in advance. Breakfast was her favorite seafood congee, along with hot and sour shredded potatoes and a sweet and sour kelp salad.
Seeing how seriously Shen Yanzhi was eating, Jiang Li bit her spoon, tilted her head, and remarked, "I can’t believe that after all these years, you still remember what I like to eat."
Shen Yanzhi nearly choked. He shot Jiang Li a meaningful look. "If you don’t focus on your food, I don’t mind switching to a different activity."
Even though Shen Yanzhi hadn’t said anything explicit, Jiang Li’s mind had already jumped to a very specific scenario.
She shot him an exasperated look and went back to eating with her head down.
’She really didn’t want to get into an R-rated conversation with Shen Yanzhi this early in the morning.’
After breakfast, Shen Yanzhi drove Jiang Li to her company. "When do you get off work? I’ll come pick you up."
Jiang Li shook her head, declining. "No need, I’ll just take a taxi back."
She was only going to the office to have it out with Zhao Sinian, not to actually work, so she had no idea when she’d be done.
Besides, ever since discovering she could get cashback for spending money on other people’s husbands, all she wanted to do was quit the rat race and just coast.
After all, she wasn’t some ambitious career woman who was passionate about her job.
The light turned red, and Shen Yanzhi turned to look at Jiang Li, demanding, "Am I so shameful that you can’t be seen with me?"
Jiang Li blinked in confusion. "How did this escalate to you being shameful?"
It was probably the first time she’d seen such a strong emotional reaction from him, so Jiang Li explained patiently, "It’s mainly that I don’t know when I’ll be leaving, and you have to go deal with the business registration. There’s no need to waste your time on me."
Shen Yanzhi sat up straight and started the car again as the light changed. "If it’s for you, it’s not a waste of time."
Jiang Li was taken aback by his directness. ’Is this really the same aloof, untouchable man I used to know?’
If he kept this up, she was going to start suspecting that what Zhong Mufeng said was true—that Shen Yanzhi actually liked her.
’But that’s impossible.’
’If he really liked me, he wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye all those years ago, and he wouldn’t have cut off all contact since then.’
The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Neither of them spoke again, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.
When they arrived at her company building, Shen Yanzhi stopped the car. "Call me when you get off work. If I have time, I’ll come and get you."
Jiang Li wanted to refuse, but she was afraid of causing another unnecessary fuss, so she just nodded. "Okay."
Jiang Li worked as a copywriter at an advertising agency, with regular hours from nine in the morning to six in the evening.
Breakfast had taken some time, and the drive over had added to the delay. By now it was the peak of morning rush hour, and Jiang Li ran into many of her colleagues on her way in.
If there had been anyone last night who didn’t believe Zhao Sinian’s story, seeing Jiang Li get out of a luxurious Porsche 911 with their own eyes was enough to convince them. They all shot her looks of disdain.
Jiang Li felt a headache coming on. Why had she let Shen Yanzhi drop her off right at the entrance? Now she felt like she was hopelessly stuck in the mud, with no way to clear her name.
"You know, some people act all high and mighty, but behind the scenes, they’re doing all sorts of filthy things. Already engaged and about to get married, yet they can still be so faithless and shameless."
"I know, right? Girls these days have no shame. They’ll do anything for money."
"Poor Zhao, though. Not only did he waste years of his life, but he got cheated on too. If I were him, I’d make that shameless woman pay back every penny."
The moment she stepped into the elevator, she was met with a chorus of pointed comments.
Every word, spoken and implied, was about her and Zhao Sinian.
Jiang Li wasn’t the type to take insults lying down. She balled her hand into a fist and slammed it against the elevator wall twice.
Once she had everyone’s attention, she said with a grim face, "If you have something to say, then say it to my face and use my name. Stop being so passive-aggressive, and stop letting someone else lead you around by the nose."
She finished with a cold snort. "You believe every little thing Zhao Sinian says? What’s the matter, don’t you have brains of your own to figure things out?"
Everyone was startled by her outburst. One of the older women put her hands on her hips, stuck out her neck, and retorted, "We all saw it with our own eyes. You showed up in a Porsche 911 today."
Jiang Li almost laughed out of sheer anger. "What, so riding in a Porsche 911 proves I cheated?"
’What kind of twisted logic is that?’
She rolled her eyes. "If your logic holds up, then couldn’t I say the same about all of you? That you’re all cheating on someone?"
’It’s the classic case of taking one picture and making up the entire story.’
’What’s so special about a Porsche 911 anyway?’
’If Shen Yanzhi had driven an even more expensive sports car, would they have assumed I’d already moved on to a new sugar daddy?’
