Chapter 1045: Chapter 281: Li Jie’s Guilty Conscience

Chapter 281: The Guilty Li Jie

(Happy New Year! Best wishes to my readers!)

Zheng Tian saw that the ones who had knocked down his son were two girls. Initially, he wondered if they were some emotional entanglements from the mainland he’d gotten himself into, then thought perhaps he’d offended someone. But when he noticed Li Yan’s movements, he understood. Although his attitude when he came out had explained everything, the bodyguards were still following orders and might not necessarily listen to Li Yan without confirming the safety.

He quickly stepped forward and said, "Calm down," signaling the bodyguards to pause. Then he looked at Li Yan with a smile and asked, "Your friends? Here to ’rescue’ you?"

He found it funny; did Li Yan really need rescuing? But he immediately understood that Li Yan’s skills were definitely kept secret from them, and of course, he couldn’t reveal them.

Li Yan released the security guard and said irritably, "You guys brought me here with so many people without any prior notice, obviously my friends would think you were kidnapping me."

Without further addressing them, he walked up to the two girls. "Xiaodi, Li Jie, are you okay?"

"We’re fine! It’s nothing for us!" Yu Xiaodi said with a playful wink, indicating for him to look at the fallen Zheng Yucheng on the floor.

Li Jie didn’t speak, just used her eyes to inquire.

Li Yan surely didn’t need to ask why. Xiaodi must have seen him being taken away and followed out of concern. But worried she couldn’t help, she’d summoned Li Jie. She followed from afar, evidently from the elevator lights indicating they went to the top floor, unable to pinpoint the exact location. When Li Jie arrived, they grouped together and waited on the top floor for an opportunity.

Knowing they were worried, Li Yan reassured them with a sentence, "I’m fine, it’s just a misunderstanding."

With this being an inconvenient place to talk, noticing the bodyguards had helped Zheng Yucheng up, he said to Zheng Tian, "Let’s go have a late-night snack first!"

"Please!" Zheng Tian didn’t mind at all that his son got shocked and kicked.

As they arrived at the hotel restaurant, Zheng Tian’s men greeted them and led them to a private room, where several others were waiting. Yu Xiaodi finally understood why they had dispersed; otherwise, she and Li Jie would have struggled against so many people.

Once in the private room, Zheng Tian immediately instructed his men to notify the restaurant to serve the dishes. He had pre-arranged their signature dishes, which needed time to prepare, so as to avoid waiting.

"I had them prepare some of the signature dishes beforehand; they should be almost ready. But I don’t know your preferences, so feel free to order anything else you like!" Zheng Tian invited Li Yan and the others to sit.

Originally planned for just him and Li Yan, the room wasn’t large, avoiding it appearing too empty. Adding two more people didn’t matter, and the pre-arranged dishes were enough for more guests, not appearing insufficient.

Li Yan casually had them sit down, then noticed Zheng Yucheng hadn’t joined them, while others were standing at the door, and a bodyguard sat in a corner inside the room.

"Mr. Zheng, I have to say... You went all out, but for us the atmosphere feels a bit formal, making us uneasy and pressured, hard to enjoy the meal."

"Uh..." Zheng Tian also sensed it.

Just as he was about to send everyone away, Li Yan suggested, "Since you’re treating me to a late-night snack, at your age, worrying about cholesterol and such, you wouldn’t eat much anyway, having you here makes us uneasy. How about you and them find another private room instead? We’ll manage ourselves, just make sure to cover the bill."

"Cough..." Zheng Tian didn’t expect him to be so blunt, but compared to the generous deals from earlier negotiations, it was nothing.

Feeling only slightly embarrassed, he quickly stood up, smiling, "True, I’m an old man now; dining with you young folks can be inconvenient. Take your time eating and chatting, order anything you want, don’t mind me!"

"No worries, I’ll have them serve the pricey dishes and drinks, and if we can’t finish, I’ll pack them up, right?" Li Yan handed him the car keys; Zheng Tian naturally had someone bring the car over.

Opt for the expensive dishes, pack leftovers... Zheng Tian was a bit puzzled, but he understood it was a joke; even with 100,000 International Coins worth, it’d be enough to stuff and make one sick, barely a fraction of what he had waived earlier.

"I’m glad you can be comfortable with me! I’ll switch rooms then."

Before the private room door closed, everyone was surprised that the boss was cheerfully dismissed by Li Yan and promised unlimited billing, leaving them curious and slightly frustrated. But since Zheng Tian didn’t say anything, they dared not speak up, secretly guessing what kind of background this man had.

The most frustrated was Zheng Yucheng, compared to others, he was shocked and kicked to the ground; yet this grudge evidently couldn’t be avenged. He silently decided to ask his father about his thoughts later that night.

...

Li Jie had not seen Li Yan for a while, and since returning from the Yu Family, she found it difficult to face Li Yan.

Back then, Li Yan mentioned their relationship made her feel guilty towards Xiaodi, incredibly uncomfortable; if Yu Xiaodi knew of her selflessness, she would also feel bad; losing either of them was troubling for Li Yan. Since separating made all three miserable, but together three would be happy, why not stay together? Li Jie sarcastically said, wouldn’t ten or eight be even happier? Li Yan openly agreed.

After cooling down, Li Jie felt guilty, suggesting Li Yan make excuses, but he formally reminded her of the promise, saying she couldn’t back out and could confirm with Yu Xiaodi by phone.

After Li Yan left that day, to keep his word, she’d truly have to go along with him, not caring how many girlfriends he had. She regretted oversimplifying the situation...

Of course, she didn’t dare call Yu Xiaodi for confirmation afterward, nor did she call her at all, even worried if Yu Xiaodi called, sensing something’s off, she’d be the first suspect, and a call would mean questioning her.

Tormented by emotions for the first time during New Year, she not only tried avoiding Yu Xiaodi but Li Yan as well. Whenever Li Yan called, she’d claim unavailability, simply avoiding him to prevent him from bringing up that impulsive agreement.

Even today, when Yu Xiaodi called, she felt guilty. But Yu Xiaodi’s anxiety and tension made her oblivious to Li Jie’s reactions, as she immediately mentioned Li Yan might be in danger, asking her to help.

Upon hearing Li Yan was in danger, Li Jie quickly asked for the location and rushed over immediately. Though she rationalized on the way that even if he were in danger, she might not effectively help, with Yu Xiaodi unable to offer much aid, both needing to be on-site trying to solve the problem, it was mandatory for her to go.

Seeing only four people surrounding Li Yan when he came out, there wasn’t time to think further; they acted quickly. But upon discovering it was a misunderstanding, Li Jie’s guilt deepened. She wasn’t sure how to face Yu Xiaodi or Li Yan. If she suggested leaving now, it might seem too obvious, like having a guilty conscience. So she stayed silently by their side.

However, since she usually carried a cool demeanor, Li Yan and Yu Xiaodi didn’t notice her guilt, nervousness, or unusual behavior.

...

The signature dishes Zheng Tian prepared were more than enough for the three of them. Yu Xiaodi and Li Jie couldn’t eat much, and they didn’t order additional dishes.

Gradually, the dishes were served, the private room door closed, Yu Xiaodi couldn’t hold back her curiosity: "Uncle, what’s really going on? Weren’t you kidnapped by them? Though not upfront, I faintly sensed you were surprisingly led into their car. They had several people and vehicles, it looked like you were being escorted, and these guys clearly didn’t seem good. What really happened?"

Li Yan chuckled, "Misunderstanding, he’s a Cloud Island boss, very appreciative of my skills. He even attended the film premiere today. Listening to me telling the producer about investing in five films, two of which are major productions worth billions, probably shocked him, wanting to collaborate."

"Collaborate on films?" Yu Xiaodi was dubious, "Could they be exploiting you?"

"Maybe! But I’m not losing out anyway." Li Yan casually brushed it off.

Luckily, Yu Xiaodi and Li Jie weren’t familiar with such matters, so they felt it possible. If Zhang Yurong or Wen Qianyi were here, it wouldn’t be so easily dismissed. (To be continued, for more details, please visit www.qidian.com, more Chapters available, support the author, support legitimate reading!)