Chapter 50: Jealous of Herself

When Qin Jin entered, Yan Jin was utterly stunned. She stared at Xiao Yunchen, lying on the floor, his face covered in blood. She froze for a second or two, and just as she was about to pull out her phone to dial emergency services, Qin Jin patted her on the shoulder.

“Miss, please rest for a moment. Leave this to me,” he said.

Yan Jin watched as Qin Jin summoned two burly men who promptly took Xiao Yunchen away. The next second, she stopped Qin Jin and asked, “Who are you?”

Qin Jin made no attempt to conceal his identity. “I am Assistant Qin Jin to Mr. Li. Mr. Li is dining here tonight and does not want any unnecessary complications.”

“Li…”

Yan Jin swallowed the rest of her words. She had arrived late and hadn’t seen Li Jingche, but she hadn’t expected his assistant to still be present.

Seeing Qin Jin about to leave, Yan Jin grabbed his arm again. “Assistant Qin, could I trouble you with something?”

Qin Jin glanced at her hand on his arm, which she awkwardly withdrew. He turned to her with a distant smile. “Go ahead.”

“Assistant Qin, the man who was beaten is my best friend’s ex-boyfriend—a notorious scoundrel, as you may have heard. I hope that this matter… that you won’t mention it to Young Master Li. My friend and I are minor figures in these circles; we wouldn’t want to leave a bad impression on him.”

Yan Jin was adept at reading situations. As she spoke, she pulled a red envelope from her bag—originally prepared as a tip for tonight—and slipped it into Qin Jin’s hand with a cautious smile.

Qin Jin glanced at the bulging envelope, at a loss for words—after all, it had been Li Jingche himself who had beaten Xiao Yunchen.

Yan Jin and Jian Qing were indeed close, and though this incident had little to do with Yan Jin, she was willing to take a risk for her friend.

Qin Jin declined the envelope. “You can rest assured. I will make sure that no unfavorable rumors arise from any event Mr. Li attends. As for anything else, I won’t say a word.”

In the end, Qin Jin did not accept Yan Jin’s envelope. Watching Xiao Yunchen being taken away, Yan Jin’s heart was in turmoil.

Beating Xiao Yunchen—well, so be it. Yan Jin and Jian Qing both despised him. But if Li Jingche found out, that would be a different matter entirely.

Yan Jin returned to the neighboring private room. The lively atmosphere remained undisturbed; Yan Ni and Du Yu were chatting amicably. Yan Jin, uneasy, approached her sister and greeted Du Yu.

“Sorry, Mr. Du, something has come up at home. I need to take my sister and leave.”

Du Yu nodded and rose to see them to the door. “I had hoped everyone could meet Jingche tonight, especially with the tender opening in a few days, but he’s quite busy.”

“Thank you, Mr. Du, for your thoughtfulness,” Yan Jin replied, exchanging a few more pleasantries before leaving. Once they were in the elevator, she noticed Yan Ni’s gaze lingering on Du Yu. As the elevator doors closed, Yan Jin cleared her throat.

“Nini, what are you looking at?”

Yan Ni coughed awkwardly and shook her head. “Nothing. Sis, this Mr. Du seems quite nice. Haven’t you thought about pursuing something with him?”

“My marriage will be arranged by Father. Whoever he chooses, I’ll marry. I don’t have any say in the matter.”

Yan Jin seemed untroubled by it. The elevator doors opened, and once they were in the car, she gently stroked Yan Ni’s head.

“Nini, I hope you’ll find someone you truly love in the future.”

Yan Ni’s smile did not reach her eyes.

As the car started, Yan Jin made a call. Yan Ni glanced at her phone where she had just added Du Yu as a contact on WeChat, and tentatively messaged him:

“Brother Yu, we’ve left. I hope next time I can meet you again in Jingjiang City, just like your girlfriend did.”

She had hoped to let Yan Jin pursue Du Yu, who claimed to have a girlfriend, so that when he found himself torn, she could become the confidante he turned to. But seeing that Yan Jin had no such intentions, she would have to take matters into her own hands.

After a while, Du Yu replied with a simple: “Haha.”

Yan Ni’s expression darkened. Turning to Yan Jin, the latter, visibly anxious, said, “Qingqing, this is a disaster. Your little model beat up Xiao Yunchen, and Li Jingche’s assistant found out!”

At that moment, Jian Qing—just returned to her bedroom, placed on the bed by Li Jingche—froze. Hearing this, she stiffened completely. “Li Jingche’s assistant found out? What happened?”

Hearing her own name from Jian Qing’s lips, especially from a third-person perspective, gave Li Jingche a peculiar feeling. He sat quietly at the edge of the bed.

Yan Jin explained everything that had happened, finally adding, “Let’s hope his assistant isn’t a blabbermouth, but if Li Jingche finds out, it could affect our future business.”

Jian Qing nodded in understanding. Just one word from the young master of the Li family could make half the people in their circle refuse to work with her. She was acutely aware of the consequences.

Her face grew grim as she ended the call.

“What’s wrong?” the man beside her asked, folding a warm towel and gently wiping her hands.

Her hands were soft and delicate, entirely at odds with her enchanting nature—more like those of a well-bred young lady.

“It’s nothing,” Jian Qing replied, shaking her head. After all, Number 33 had only acted on her behalf today. She wasn’t one to forget loyalty; if trouble came because of this, she would bear the consequences herself.

Li Jingche was not so easily placated. He caught her hand. “Just now, you mentioned Li Jingche. What about him?”

Jian Qing brushed her hair back; her long, dark locks cascaded like a waterfall, half-veiling her face. Her delicate features were clouded with worry.

“Xiao Yunchen was taken to the hospital by Li Jingche’s assistant. I’m afraid if the assistant tells him what happened, it’ll damage the Jian family’s reputation in his eyes, and that could affect our business in the future.”

“Maybe he won’t care at all,” Li Jingche offered, hoping to comfort her—since, after all, he was the one who’d done the beating.

Jian Qing shrugged. “The Xiao family is in construction and still does some business with the Li family. If he mentions it to them, I’m finished.”

Li Jingche raised an eyebrow. He’d heard of Xiao Nan but had little impression of Xiao Yunchen.

“So—what do you plan to do?” he asked, a hint of tension in his voice, remembering Jian Qing’s distaste for deception and distrust. He’d already broken her first rule; if his identity was exposed, what if she broke up with him?

After a long moment, Jian Qing sighed and leaned back. “The day after tomorrow is his birthday banquet. I’ll go and sound him out. If he doesn’t know or doesn’t care, all will be well. But if he does…”

“What then?” Li Jingche pressed, intentionally leaning close until their noses nearly touched, his eyes searching her face for any sign.

“What if he wants you to repay him with your body?”

“Huh?” Jian Qing stared, startled.

“I said, if he asks you to pay with your body, would you agree?” Li Jingche’s face was so close, one hand pinning her wrists above her head, his breath hot against her skin.

At that moment, a strange feeling welled up inside him.

He wanted Jian Qing to refuse, to hear her say that she belonged only to him.

Even though he was fully aware he was, in essence, jealous of himself.

He kept his expression calm, but inside, waves of emotion crashed.

“Would you?”