Chapter 178: Volume 1, Chapter 178 - Study Well, Progress Daily (22)

Outside the door, tense knocking sounded; it was Zhang Nan's voice.

"Boss, the old godfather has sent Allen over."

Li Wen Nian suppressed the negative emotions in his eyes, rose and stretched, then leaned over the girl sitting on the bed, whispering near her ear as if sharing a secret: "Zhizhi, kiss me once, and I'll leave, okay?"

Jiang Zhi: "Li Wen Nian."

"All right, I was just joking." Li Wen Nian tilted his head, his voice pitiful.

Jiang Zhi was about to lie back down and catch some extra sleep when a warm, soft touch landed on her cheek.

Before she could react, a pleased, triumphant laugh sounded from before her.

"Zhizhi smells good."

He licked the corner of his mouth and said excitedly.

A moment later, Jiang Zhi listened to his footsteps receding, lifted a finger to touch her cheek, and sighed helplessly: "How did he become like this?"

"777" said firmly: "He's grown up."

Jiang Zhi: "……"

After that day, Li Wen Nian became busy again; after the Ulysses Family's heir Lan Ze died, the old godfather fell ill for no reason, leaving only the two heirs, Allen and Li Wen Nian.

According to the plot, the villain Li Wen Nian is naturally the next godfather.

He had been laying plans for years, bit by bit breaking his biological father's left and right arms. Those who had bullied him in the past also received punishment; Li Wen Nian repays grudges with cruelty, his methods brutal, plunging the whole family into purgatory.

Now is his most critical moment, and it is Jiang Zhi's most comfortable time.

Although she cannot see, it does not hinder her happiness.

She has food and drink every day; Li Wen Nian presumably brought a radio for her entertainment, fearing she would be bored.

Living like a vacation, she finds herself somewhat reluctant to leave.

As the light dimmed, the maid entered to turn on the light for her, brought delicious food, placed it on the table, and glanced furtively at the boy leaning by the door.

He had a head of striking, eye-catching blond hair, his features extremely handsome, his brows and eyes hinting at a dangerous pressure, his thin lips slightly upturned; those fox eyes were full of starlight, fixed intently on the girl seated at the table.

Obviously, he did not want her to notice that he was watching her eat here.

The maid recalled her companions' words.

Of the two remaining heirs, only Li Wen Nian has never been with any woman, always keeping to himself. If she could catch his eye, she might one day become the mistress of the Ulysses Family.

The maid considered herself somewhat attractive, far better than that blind girl.

This opportunity must not be missed.

The maid lifted the tray, lifted her skirt, and walked over step by step.

As she passed beside the boy, she unintentionally tripped and fell toward him.

Li Wen Nian reached out an arm and supported her falling body.

The maid shyly raised her forehead, meeting his smiling, narrowed eyes.

Just as she was about to speak, the boy placed his thumb against his lips and silently shushed.

The maid quickly stopped speaking.

Following him out of the room, through the corridor, they came outside.

The sky began to dump heavy snow like goose feathers, covering the whole city, obscuring all color, leaving only pallor and stillness.

The maid's heart pounded like a drum; after stopping, she flicked a strand of hair from her temples.

"Nineteen… Nineteen Master." Her voice was soft and tender, like spring water.

Li Wen Nian gave a slight smile.

A few minutes later.

He came out of the washroom, wiped his hands dry with a gray handkerchief, and a bloodthirsty gleam still lingered in his pupils.

A subordinate approached respectfully and said: "It's already taken care of."

Li Wen Nian said offhandedly: "Find another maid who's a bit older and has a clean background."

The subordinate replied and left.

Li Wen Nian's gaze swept over the pure white snow outside the window, the corners of his mouth sinking slightly.

He hates snowy days the most.

"Zhizhi~"

His familiar laugh arrived first, a coquettish, affectionate sound falling into her ears.

Jiang Zhi was embraced from behind by him; the boy clung to her like a sloth, their bodies pressed tightly.

She struggled, her face cold, and said: "Let go."

"No." He buried his whole face in the side of her neck, inhaling her scent, his brows relaxing.

Jiang Zhi couldn't break free, so she could only let him hold her; thinking of something, she asked: "When can we go back?"

Li Wen Nian thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "We'll be able to go back right away."

Jiang Zhi frowned: "Are you lying to me?"

Li Wen Nian rubbed her neck skin, aggrieved, and said: "How could I lie to Zhizhi~"

Saying this, he raised his hand and swore: "I swear, if I lied to Zhizhi, I would… drop dead on the spot."

Jiang Zhi: "……"

She doesn't believe it, but the original owner would.

Suddenly a faint scent of blood drifted from him to her nose; Jiang Zhi sniffed carefully and asked: "Are you hurt?"

Li Wen Nian paused at the sound, then after a few seconds laughed and said: "No, Zhizhi, you must have smelled wrong."

Jiang Zhi couldn't see clearly, so her sense of smell was relatively sharp, but since he denied it, she didn't want to press further.

After accompanying her to finish the meal, Li Wen Nian was about to leave again.

This time, he took advantage of her lack of preparation, kissed her forehead, his breath scorching and unsteady.

Jiang Zhi's vision blurred, she could only let him take advantage.

At night, white snow fell pattering on the windowsill; as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard several gunshots from not far away outside.

She hurriedly got up, threw on her outer garment, and moved to the window to listen to the outside.

It rang several times, until hurried, heavy footsteps approached this way.

Jiang Zhi sensed danger instinctively, feeling her way out through the back door.

But before she could take two steps, a person appeared behind her, aiming and injecting a drug into her arm.

Jiang Zhi fainted.

When she woke up, she heard two unfamiliar voices.

「@#￥」

「￥$&」

It was the language of F Guo, which she could not understand at all.

Jiang Zhi said to the system, "Brother Seven, can you translate?"

777 hesitated and said, "Can machine translation work?"

Jiang Zhi immediately agreed: "Yes."

At a time like this, who still cares whether it's machine or human translation?

Soon she could hear their conversation clearly.

"Her value is not ordinary; Li Shijiu treasures her and hid her in such a concealed place, it seems he is deeply devoted."

"Li Shijiu killed Prince Lan Ze; we should exchange her for his dog's life!"

"This is not for us to decide, Number 23; you should know that we now serve Prince Ai Lun, not Prince Lan Ze."

At that moment, the sound of the door opening rang out.

"Prince Ai Lun has come over."

With a steady footstep, he entered the room, and those who had been speaking all left.

That person stood by the bedside, speaking to her in broken Hua Guo language: "Open your eyes if you're awake."

Jiang Zhi knew she couldn't hide from this person, so she opened her eyes and said, "Why have you captured me?"

Ai Lun's expression was cold, his gaze scanning the calm, unperturbed girl before him; after a moment he said, "What is your relationship with Li Shijiu?"

Jiang Zhi said, "Just friends."

"Friends?" Ai Lun sounded as if he'd heard a joke, he snorted coldly and said, "He doesn't consider you a friend."

He is eight years older than Li Shijiu; one could say he watched him grow up, has no interest in anything, and for good things he only thinks of destroying them. His eyes hold only slaughter, devoid of human feeling.

But this girl before him is an exception; Li Shijiu not only did not destroy her, but hid her in a place unknown to everyone, assigning the Imperial Guard to watch over her.

If it weren't for him attacking while the Imperial Guard was lax, he probably wouldn't have discovered that such a person existed.

Jiang Zhi didn't understand his meaning, repeating her first question to him.

Ai Lun said, "Capturing you is naturally to deal with Li Shijiu."

Facing the weak, he did not conceal his purpose, for he never regarded her as important.

Jiang Zhi calmly said, "He won't come to rescue me."

Ai Lun neither affirmed nor denied.

Suddenly fixing his gaze on her eyes, he asked puzzledly, "What's wrong with your eyes?"

Jiang Zhi replied, "Blind."

Ai Lun's cold expression held a hint of regret.

Her eyes were her most beautiful feature, yet the pupils were dim, devoid of any gleam.

What a pity.

Ai Lun soon left the room.

The door was bolted from outside, with someone still on guard to prevent her escape.

The room had no heating; Jiang Zhi could not withstand the cold, huddling under the blankets, shivering, listening to the sound of snow outside.

After a night passed, her fever persisted.

The doctor came several times; only by the next morning did her fever finally subside.

Ai Lun ordered his subordinates to install heating in the room, walked to the bedside, and looked at the pale-faced person lying on the bed, his brows furrowed.

He had not imagined a person could be so fragile, as easily blown about as a goose feather.

"Jiang Zhi."

He pronounced those two words with difficulty.

At the casino, he had seen her once; at that time she was embraced by Nineteen, and he thought she was a girl Lan Ze had casually picked up, not expecting her to be a classmate of Nineteen.

Back then, Lan Ze already knew she was Nineteen's soft spot.

But not long after, Lan Ze died.

Li Shijiu would never let anyone who schemed against a girl go unpunished.

He withdrew his gaze and left the room.

Jiang Zhi, who only woke up at noon, drank the bitter medicine, had no appetite at all, lay weakly on the bed, like a salted fish without dreams.

The room wasn't cold anymore; probably the heating had been installed.

After lying there a while, the door was pushed open and Allen walked in.

He held a tablet in his hand and said to her, "Can you get up?"

Jiang Zhi heard the voice, propped herself up and sat up, leaning against the head of the bed, her voice hoarse from illness: "What's wrong?"

Ai Lun said: "I will have a video chat with Li Shi Jiu next."

Jiang Zhi couldn't see the tablet placed in front of her; the fingers resting on the soft blanket gradually clenched, and she obediently said: "Okay."

Outside the window, the white snow reflected a faint light that fell on her brows and eyes; she slightly lowered her gaze, her butterfly-wing-like long lashes trembling lightly, her lip color paling, her beautiful face shrouded in an illusory, real halo.

Ai Lun suddenly somewhat understood why Shi Jiu cared so much about her.

The girl was like a slant of light falling into a dark corner, drawing people near.

At the moment the video call connected.

A familiar voice came from the tablet.

"Big brother, you're really scheming."

Ai Lun gave a fake smile, "Same to you."

On the screen appeared Li Wen Nian's excited smile, his blond hair dazzling; those foxlike eyes suddenly narrowed, fixedly staring at the displayed image.

"Ai Lun, what did you do to her?!" The voice gradually grew heavy with resentment.