Chapter 55 Next Time Forever
If Jiang Yu's identity is not that of the current 'sole' heir of the Li family.
Lian Yi would be happy to grant his request; it would just be to dance. Back when Jiang Yu was still in Yunhai, he was often her male companion at banquets.
But it's clear that with the Li family's name in front of her, Jiang Yu will have a lot of positive influence on her.
Lian Yi's silence gradually dimmed Jiang Yu's eyes. He still maintained his smile, but his eyes showed a slight sense of loss. He said understandingly, "It's okay, don't feel burdened."
"It was my oversight just now. After all, he was your invited male partner. If I didn't dance the first dance with him, it would be easy for him to misunderstand."
"Hmm...you're absolutely right." Lian Yi looked at Jiang Yuwen gently finding the most suitable explanation for her, and inexplicably felt a little guilty.
Her gaze lingered for a moment, then she coughed lightly. "He was just helping me out temporarily... If there are similar occasions in the future, I will definitely attend with you."
Jiang Yu smiled slightly at her, "Yes, I'm looking forward to it."
"However... this might be a bit offensive, but if this student, Mr. Xie, has no prior experience attending banquets and dances, he might need some practice beforehand?"
"Huh? Yes." Lian Yi's eyes widened slightly. If Jiang Yu hadn't reminded her, she would have completely forgotten about it.
After all, she was only using Xie Ling to dispel the Lian and Gu families' intentions of acting as matchmakers. She didn't intend to embarrass Xie Ling at the birthday banquet, so there was no need to make a fuss about it.
In any case, all she wanted in the future was for Xie Ling's disgust for her to deepen, but she didn't want to trample on his self-esteem in front of so many people.
Lian Yi leaned forward slightly, getting closer to look at him, and smiled, "Little Jiang, you're so thoughtful!"
“Even if I don’t say it, you’ll figure it out.” Jiang Yu chuckled and lowered his eyes to think. “Why don’t I tell him some things to keep in mind? That way I can help him choose an outfit.”
"Since they are all male guests, my experience should be more helpful to him."
Lian Yi nodded readily, "Okay!"
But upon further reflection, I hesitated.
“...But now that you’re back in the Li family, you must have a lot of things to do. These are small things, you could just find someone to teach you. It seems like a waste of your talents to have you do them yourself.”
Jiang Yu chuckled and shook his head, "Right now, the businesses under the Li family's name are mainly managed by a distant relative of mine, so I have plenty of time, you don't need to worry."
"oh."
Lian Yi nodded, resting her chin on her hand, and couldn't help but be curious about Jiang Yu's current situation in the Li family.
Although the logic behind the information gleaned from Jiang Yu's account is somewhat absurd, it makes perfect sense within the context of these so-called powerful clans and aristocratic families.
But she still felt a little strange.
For more than a decade, even though the Li family chose to let him roam freely in the clouds because of a vague prophecy.
But it seems inappropriate to simply provide a place to live and a few servants to look after them, and then completely ignore them—
He was not brought back to the Li family for upbringing until he came of age.
"Lian Yi!"
As she fell into thought, Jiang Yu silently accompanied her with a smile, but suddenly a voice came from the far corridor.
Lian Yi looked up and saw Gu Xin leaning half her body out from the wall, looking in her direction. Despite being a stunningly beautiful woman with a grand appearance, her behavior made her seem somewhat furtive.
"...What?" She gave a slight, speechless twitch of her lips.
"Are you two done chatting? Come here, I have something important to tell you!" Gu Xin was still sneaking around, glancing at Jiang Yu's back, then winking at her, "Something really exciting!"
While this made her feel gratified, Lian Yi somehow had a bad feeling about it.
Lian Yi stood up and frowned slightly.
"Hmm... Let's set a time for passing on our experience when we get back. Let's go see what she has to say first."
“Okay.” Jiang Yu nodded slightly without any objection. As she stood up, he tidied up the pastry boxes on the table and repacked them.
"If you can't finish the remaining snacks, can you share them with them later? If they want some next time, I'll arrange for someone to buy fresh ones, okay?"
Jiang Yu's eyes seemed to be smiling as she naturally and skillfully finished off the remaining pastries on the plate, her movements unhurried and deliberate. She then put the empty plate and fork into the bag.
"Today we were just in a rush, so we arranged for a helicopter to take us. It would have been much more convenient and faster to drive there and back. We won't do that again next time."
She blinked, pursed her lips, and said, "Okay."
She paused for a moment, then asked him, "Is it sweet?"
"Hmm?" Jiang Yu was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant. He looked at her with his clear black and white eyes and smiled gently. "Hmm, very sweet."
Lian Yi responded with an "oh".
"That's good."
It seems that although the Li family didn't care about him in the past, they have taken good care of him in the two years since they recognized him.
At least you won't lose your sense of taste from drinking bitter and sour Chinese medicine for a long time.
She unbuttoned her coat, took it off, and tossed it to Jiang Yu. "Put your clothes on before you go over. Even if you've recovered now, don't take yourself too seriously. Otherwise, if you're all sickly, I won't take you out to play anymore."
Jiang Yu caught the trench coat with his free hand, smiled with his eyes downcast, and put it on with one hand. "Okay."
When the two walked over, Gu Xin had been idly playing on her phone with her hands on her hips for a while. When she saw Lian Yi, she wanted to show a disgusted expression but restrained herself.
Although I was already mentally prepared for their way of getting along.
But this blatant familiarity that shuts others out is something that even Yi can remain calm and unperturbed about.
She hesitated for a moment, then finally deflated when her gaze fell on Jiang Yu, forcing a smile as she said, "Stop dawdling. Hurry up and come with me. Everyone's waiting downstairs."
"What exactly happened?" Lian Yi glanced at her and walked towards the stairs.
"Don't blame me for keeping you in suspense, you'll find out soon enough. Anyway, it's a good thing." Gu Xin caught up with Jiang Yu before she could, and when she noticed the slight pause in the person behind her, she snorted smugly to herself.
"I really didn't expect this, Lian Xiaoyi. You handled this matter so well. Some people said you had princess syndrome before, haha, they thought you didn't even have the ability to be patient."
As Gu Xin spoke, a mocking smile appeared on her face, her bright eyes flashing with sarcasm. "We told you, those people are just plain brainless. They like to fawn over their elders, and after kneeling for so long, they really think that kind of way of dealing with people is called high emotional intelligence."
"cough……"
Lian Yi's bad premonition grew stronger, and she looked at her suspiciously. "Is it about my lawsuit against those people?"
"I didn't say anything!" Gu Xin immediately shut her mouth.
Before coming up, she was chosen from among a group of friends to give the notification because she is usually tight-lipped and calm.
Everyone was looking forward to sharing the good news with Lian Yi.
If the person in question finds out first, wouldn't they be less happy?
"...It really is, what a big surprise." Lian Yi breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn't thought it was anything serious.
The act of overturning the table without giving any side any chance will naturally be met with disgust and contempt from some, and approval and satisfaction from others. Regardless of the viewpoint or attitude, it is perfectly normal.
Judging by the timing, the trial for the lawsuit against Chen Ziting should be about to begin.
Lian Yi didn't ask any questions after sending the money. She only wanted one outcome: those people would either die or be skinned alive.
The results are probably out now. Those who approve of her actions cheered, while those who don't could only hurl a few tired-of-hearing accusations of bullying others.
Lian Yi walked down the stairs and turned a corner to reach the cabin entrance.
Once inside, the warmth, mixed with various faint smells, hit you.
In the exquisitely decorated space, a few people sat around a table playing cards, while most others sat together chatting enthusiastically, clearly in high spirits, laughing heartily from time to time.
Even Xu Qingyao and Lian Suning had obvious smiles on their faces.
“Friends, I’ve finally invited Lian Yi!” Gu Xin stepped out from beside her and winked at Pei Tu’an.
Pei Tu'an stood up with a smug look on his face, leaning against the wine cabinet with his legs propped on the floor.
"Clap!" That was all he shouted.
But then the people at the other end of the card table turned their playing cards face down, and the entire cabin erupted in applause.
Lian Yi: "..." She really couldn't help but doubt the mental state of her friends.
"It's been so long, but everyone is still so welcoming," Jiang Yu said with a soft laugh behind her.
Lian Yi closed her eyes, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
It's clear they received the news at the last minute; otherwise, they probably would have had to prepare fireworks, or even more extravagant ones.
Is this trivial matter really something to get excited about?
They are probably the only ones who would be happy for her like this.
Lian Yi complained, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she laughed and scolded, "You guys really look like those brainwashed people at self-help sermons."
Wearing a floral shirt, Pei Tu'an smiled enthusiastically and led the applause the most enthusiastically. When he heard Lian Yi's words in the gaps between the applause, he almost choked on his saliva.
Gu Xin and the others burst out laughing and clapped even more enthusiastically.
Even the usually gentle and composed eldest sister cooperated with a smile.
"...So, can a normal person tell me what's going on?" Lian Yi was speechless at the scene they had created. She wanted to laugh but held back, and really didn't want to join in.
"Cough cough."
Pei Tu'an stopped what he was doing, stretched out his hands, and pressed his palms down.
"Xiao Hai, set up the screen mirroring." Gu Xin nodded knowingly to Xiao Haiyang, who was sitting on the sofa.
OK!
Xiao Haiyang nodded, took out his phone, and the young man next to him picked up the remote control on the table and pressed a few buttons. The TV, which was almost the size of an entire wall, lit up.
The others looked on with anticipation.
Seeing how serious everyone was, Lian Yi frowned, feeling that something was amiss.
Until two obviously hastily spliced comparison images appeared on the big screen, along with numerous screenshots of comments on the right.
Lian Yi's expression stiffened slightly.
"Hahaha, those people still won't give up. They want to use public opinion to force you to drop the lawsuit?" Pei Tu'an sneered.
"However... I didn't expect such a trivial matter to attract this person's opinion. Tsk, this is really bad. Originally, it was just a matter of responding to a lawsuit and that would have been over, but now it's probably going to be difficult to handle."
On the big screen.
On the left are articles published by current affairs news accounts, alluding to the case of dozens of students being prosecuted.
The text consistently emphasizes the family background of the students being sued. Despite the various vague backgrounds, it is not difficult to find the source of the matter based on this information.
The text focuses on the pressure faced by dozens of students as the college entrance examination approaches, as well as some 'rumors' about students who are determined to sue.
Lian Yi was not surprised at all when she saw these contents.
She could foresee the impact these news stories would have after they were amplified.
This was expected, so it's not surprising.
The picture on the right is just a screenshot of a selfie video of a kind-faced elderly woman. She has gray hair, wears silver-rimmed glasses, and seems to be chatting casually with the screen.
A subtitle was added below.
"If education only focuses on teaching and forgets the importance of nurturing people and neglects the importance of character, and only knows how to read but does not know why to read, it is undoubtedly destroying the foundation and building a castle in the air."
"Those who are complacent about this cannot be considered teachers; they are merely scheming individuals and are unworthy of being called teachers."
None of the people present had heard of this older woman's name or status before.
It wasn't until people searched her name—Song Huaiyu—that they understood the weight of her words from those heavy and awe-inspiring experiences and titles.
The screenshot is from a video recently posted by Ms. Song. The elderly woman is very trendy and likes to occasionally post videos to answer fans' questions or share her recent reading insights.
She never claims to be a life mentor, but modestly describes herself as an ordinary old lady chatting and talking with young friends.
An elderly woman with immense social influence shows no 'prestige' about her status, thus she is not only a revered figure in temples but also a beloved neighborly grandmother in the hearts of the public.
In the video, Ms. Song did not explicitly mention the incident, but only gave a brief overview, and even her comments were very casual.
However, when talking about the school suppressing one person's wishes for the sake of everyone, her kind face seemed to have a hint of coldness.
Xiao Haiyang swiped through the images on his phone, another picture comparison. Before the comments under those news accounts could even ferment in the direction they expected, a large number of people had already emerged who were thinking and analyzing from a rational perspective.
Lian Yi gritted her teeth slightly as she looked at the comments that even praised 'her' for daring to be unrestrained.
"Yi-yi, don't you like these comments?" Behind her, Jiang Yu's eyes held a slight questioning look, his gentle voice a little hesitant.
"..."
Facing the expectant and happy gazes of the crowd, Lian Yi gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "I like it, how could I not like it?"
Jiang Yu slowly lowered his eyes behind her, seemingly letting out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
"Hahaha!"
The crowd, who had initially thought her reaction was less than expected, immediately burst into laughter.
"It's all thanks to Lian Xiaoyi's composure. If you ask me, those school leaders at Wanghai must be frantic right now."
"I'm sure I'll regret it!"
"Even a fool can see that someone is trying to manipulate public opinion, waiting for Lian Yi to be exposed. Ha, now that's good, expose her, expose her as much as you can, expose her and see who's embarrassed!"
The boisterous and excited atmosphere made Lian Yi seem rather calm in comparison.
"Lianyi, why aren't you smiling?" There really was that simpleton who shouted at her cheerfully.
Lian Yi chuckled softly, the thought of her well-laid retirement plan being delayed flashing through her mind—
Why do you think I'm not laughing?
"You guys don't know anything!"
The short-haired girl, named Chu Sui, snatched the champagne from Pei Tu'an as he approached and shook it vigorously. Then, with a whoosh, she opened it, letting the foam spray everywhere.
She raised an eyebrow at Lian Yi triumphantly, "I told you long ago, everything is under Lian Yi's control, you still don't believe me, do you?"
"I told you, only I figured it out! You still don't believe me?"
"If we're going to do something, we're going to do it big, right, Lian Yi!"
She usually seems very calm and composed, but she can be quite wild at times. In lively situations, she gets more excited than anyone else, randomly waving the champagne bottle at the crowd, causing people to laugh, yell, scream, and dodge.
The atmosphere, on the contrary, became even more lively and cheerful.
Watching them almost come to blows, Lian Yi's lips curled into a smile.
"Little Jiang..."
"Hmm?" Jiang Yu, standing behind her, keenly sensed that Lian Yi's mood didn't seem very high, and a slight doubt appeared in his eyes.
"never mind……"
Lian Yi sighed inwardly. Of course, she couldn't have predicted such a highly accidental event.
But hearing that her friends completely agreed with Chu Sui's statement, and even wondered how she managed to get Ms. Song to speak out...
Lian Yi couldn't hold back any longer. She turned around without regard for Jiang Yu in front of her, made a fierce expression, gritted her teeth, and let out a series of impotent and furious "Ah!"
When Jiang Yu saw her like this, he was first stunned and then smiled and his eyes curved.
She's still as adorably awkward as ever.
"Have some water first. Everyone is just happy for you." Jiang Yu knew Lian Yi's personality well. Whatever she did, she cared more about the outcome than the reputation it brought.
It's not a question of whether it's worth doing, but whether you want to do it.
He walked to the water dispenser, filled a cup six-tenths full with boiling water, then took out ice cubes from the freezer and tested the temperature by adding ice.
Lian Yi likes to drink ice water, or hot water that is hotter than warm water.
Jiang Yu walked up to her with the cup in his hand, bent down slightly, and presented the cup to her. "I met this elderly lady once before. She is indeed a very wise and insightful elder."
"She will probably attend Grandpa's birthday banquet."
"One by one." He paused, but didn't finish his sentence.
Lian Yi instantly understood, and angrily lowered her voice, saying, "I'm not shy!"
"Okay, why don't you drink some water first?" Jiang Yu knew she would be thirsty after eating so many pastries.
"..."
Lian Yi gritted her teeth slightly, "I will drink it, but!"
Jiang Yu looked at her with a gentle smile.
"Never mind." She suddenly felt a wave of weariness.
This awful world!
With a fierce expression, Lian Yi reached out, grabbed the cup, tilted her head back, and downed it in one gulp.
He then wiped his mouth, casually slapped away Jiang Yu's hand holding the tissue, and gave a soft hum.
One failure can never overturn all her years of hard work.
It's okay, I'll definitely be able to next time.
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