sjar Chapter 104 Younger men are best at winning hearts and minds
Chapter 104 Younger men are best at winning hearts and minds
Li Tingze's fist arrived, though late.
Just as he was about to throw another punch, Lin Zhi grabbed his arm and whispered, "Li Tingze, that's enough."
Li Tingze's eyes darkened instantly, filled with anger.
Jiang Nan kissing his wife in public was tantamount to humiliating and provoking him, and he couldn't let that go.
"Li Tingze!"
Lin Zhi realized he wasn't going to stop. When he let go of her hand to continue, she hugged his arm tightly and said in a low voice, "The people here just want to see the Li family make a fool of themselves. If you really want to give them a good show, I won't stop you, but please show some of your usual rationality."
Li Tingze's tense arms relaxed slightly.
Jiang Nan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said innocently, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. I was reckless just now. If I hadn't lost the game, I wouldn't have dared to risk being beaten to death by Brother Tingze by doing that to you. If you think that I'm sorry isn't enough to appease you, then hit me or scold me as you please."
Li Tingze's eyes turned cold: "Hitting you and scolding you is too lenient for you. Believe me or not, I'll cripple your hands right now!"
Jiang Nan lowered her head, looking like a puppy who knew she had done something wrong and was waiting to be scolded.
Everyone in the banquet hall turned to look this way.
Lin Zhi didn't want to be the center of attention, so she said to Jiang Nan, "Mr. Jiang, I hope this won't happen again, otherwise I won't accept your apology so easily."
Seeing that he had the upper hand, Jiang Nan decided to stop and headed towards the direction of the second-generation rich kid.
Li Tingze grabbed Lin Zhi's wrist and dragged her into the quiet corridor.
He pushed her against the wall, trapping her between himself and the wall with his arms. He looked down into her eyes, his tone cold and restrained: "Lin Zhi, have you figured this out? Jiang Nan is Li Hongyu's son from his affair. Not only do you not avoid him, but you also give him the opportunity to get close to you. Do you know you're walking a very dangerous path?"
"Li Tingze, do you want to listen to what you're saying?" Lin Zhi was speechless. She reached out to push Li Tingze away, but couldn't. She could only look away and say, "The interactions between people in this world are not necessarily as black and white as you say."
To be honest, the constant arguments left her feeling physically and mentally exhausted.
Even though they had signed a divorce agreement, he still liked to control everything about her.
His desire to control her never faded.
Is it really only by leaving Beijing and completely disappearing from his world that one can achieve true freedom and self-realization?
Li Tingze stared at Lin Zhi with intense, burning gaze.
Lin Zhi guessed what he was going to force her to do next.
Before his lips could touch hers, she pushed him away forcefully and ran off toward the banquet hall.
Li Tingze watched her departing figure, clenched his fist, and slammed it hard against the wall. The pain from his fist made his already confused mind even more bewildered.
How can he get her to willingly come back to him?
……
When Lin Zhi returned to the banquet hall, Jiang Anran came to her with two glasses of champagne.
Jiang Anran smiled brightly and spoke in a calm and unhurried voice: "Lin Zhi, thank you for coming to my homecoming banquet. Thank you for not making a fool of myself as soon as I returned to the Li family. I will do my best to help you in the future."
As she spoke, she handed a glass of champagne to Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi took the wine glass, but did not drink it.
Jiang Anran raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're not drinking? Are you still blaming me for not being able to persuade Hongyu that day, causing him to misunderstand?"
Lin Zhi gently shook her head.
She didn't drink it, not because she held a grudge, but because she was carrying a little life inside her and had to be responsible for the baby.
Alcohol poses a risk of birth defects to fetuses in early pregnancy.
She doesn't need to take any risks.
“My stomach problems have flared up, and the doctor said I can’t drink alcohol.” As she spoke, she brought over a glass of orange juice from the side and said calmly, “Ms. Jiang, if you don’t mind, I’ll drink orange juice instead of alcohol.”
Jiang Anran clinked glasses with Lin Zhi in a generous manner. While drinking, he deliberately watched Lin Zhi finish the orange juice in her glass, a smug smile appearing on her lips.
After exchanging a few words, Jiang Anran went to chat with the other wealthy women.
Lin Zhi was a little tired, so she left the stage first.
Before going back, she went to Grandpa Li's room, but he was still lying down and she couldn't see him.
For some reason, she felt inexplicably uneasy as she walked towards the main gate.
It was as if something bad was about to happen.
Suddenly, she bumped into a wall of flesh.
Looking up, all I could see was Jiang Nan, her eyes wide with clarity.
Jiang Nan didn't give Lin Zhi a chance to speak. She pulled Lin Zhi to a secluded spot and, while Lin Zhi looked confused, grabbed her neck and forcefully tried to choke her.
Lin Zhi's throat was irritated, and she immediately vomited up the orange juice she had just drunk.
Jiang Nan handed her the bottled water and, under her scrutinizing gaze, said in a low voice, "My mother put something in the orange juice you drank that will kill the baby in your belly."
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhi's face turned pale, and she involuntarily vomited again. Only after the bitter taste of bile came out did she take a sip of purified water.
Still shaken, she asked, "Why are you telling me all this? Aren't you afraid I'll call the police and have your mother arrested?"
A glimmer of light flashed across Jiang Nan's face in the darkness, and he sighed helplessly.
He then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi couldn't stand the smell of tobacco and immediately covered her nose.
Jiang Nan quickly stubbed out her cigarette and said in a very low voice, "I know that, whether in your heart or in the hearts of the entire Li family, my mother and I must have had ulterior motives for returning to the Li family, and I am eyeing the Li Corporation covetously. To be honest, over the years, I have long been used to these speculations. Just because my mother was not my father's lawfully wedded first wife, I have suffered cold looks and insults from those around me since I was a child, being called an illegitimate child."
“I know I can’t change how others see me, and I can’t control what my mother does. She’s targeting you because she’s afraid the baby in your belly will threaten her position in the Li family. Over the years, she’s been criticized, so she especially longs to become the mistress of the Li family and stand tall as someone of high status.”
“But I’m not like my mother. I’ve never thought of taking anything from Tingze, let alone using you to gain anything. I’ve always hoped for a win-win situation through cooperation. I long to be recognized by Grandpa and Tingze, and to truly become good brothers with him. You are innocent, the child is innocent, and I genuinely like you as my kind and understanding sister-in-law.”
……
Lin Zhi was speechless.
She could not empathize with Jiang Anran, who destroyed Song Ya's marriage, nor could she empathize with Jiang Nan, who was an illegitimate child.
The pain that Li Tingze endured was no less than that of anyone else.
"Thank you for your honesty, but I haven't decided on the collaboration yet. If you are truly interested, you can participate in the competition, and I will choose the best option to collaborate with."
Lin Zhi eventually softened.
She wasn't sympathizing with Jiang Nan's situation, but rather didn't want to owe him a favor.
Of course, Jiang Nan did not disappoint her.
At the cooperation planning meeting a week later, Jiang Nan's cooperation plan was perfect, without any flaws, and the cooperation method was exactly what Lin Zhi wanted.
Adhering to the principles of fairness and impartiality, Lin Zhi ultimately chose Jiang Nan as the best candidate.
Jiang Nan excitedly shook hands with her and promised, "Sister-in-law, believe me, within six months I will definitely help you reach the top of the design world."
Lin Zhi just smiled.
Jiang Nan painted such a rosy picture for her, but she dared not take it all at once.
The two signed a cooperation agreement in the presence of Qi Wei.
Jiang Nan hosted a banquet at a Chinese restaurant near Lin Zhi's studio. The dishes were all light and simple, showing that he had prepared them with care for Lin Zhi.
During the meal, he considerately served food to Lin Zhi and also shielded her from a lot of drinks.
On the contrary, it made Shen Mubai seem like a decoration.
After the banquet, Jiang Nan made a great effort to personally escort Lin Zhi home.
Halfway there, Lin Zhi received a call from the hospital.
The hospital said that someone impersonated a hospital staff member and sneaked into Lin Wanxin's ward. During the night shift change, they took Lin Wanxin away.
Lin Zhi's hands trembled uncontrollably.
With a hoarse voice, he shouted that he wanted to go to the hospital.
Jiang Nan was confused, but he could tell from Lin Zhi's emotions that the situation was serious. He disregarded traffic regulations and sped all the way to the hospital.
Lin Zhi rushed into the ward, looked at the empty bed, and slumped weakly onto the sofa.
Lin Wanxin is already in a vegetative state, so why won't those people let her mother go?
The doctor hurriedly said, "Our hospital has never had such an incident of stealing patients before. Our medical affairs department had already reported it to the police before you came, and the police have already started an investigation."
Lin Zhi tried to calm herself down.
Just as she was trembling and about to stand up, a cup of hot water suddenly appeared in her hand.
She looked up blankly and saw Jiang Nan's bright face.
Jiang Nan said gently, "Sister-in-law, calm down and don't panic."
Lin Zhi felt the warmth coming from her palms, and her icy limbs gradually warmed up.
After a long pause, she composed herself and said calmly, "Right now, the person most likely to steal my mother is Wen Rongbin."
“We also suspected it was Mr. Wen, but the police said…” The doctor’s expression darkened, and he said seriously, “Mr. Wen has been in custody recently, so there is no possibility that he committed the crime.”
Lin Zhi was stunned.
If it's not Wen Rongbin, could it be Sun Meng?
Lin Zhi suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen.
At this moment, her first thought was to call Li Tingze. Only he could use his supreme power to find Lin Wanxin as quickly as possible and ensure that nothing bad happened to her.
The more anxious she became, the more flustered she became. She took out her phone and tried several times before she finally managed to dial Li Tingze's number.
The sound of beeping...
Those few short sounds felt incredibly long to Lin Zhi.
After finally getting through, a woman's voice came from the other end.
On the phone, a woman's soft voice said, "Is there something urgent that you need to see Mr. Li? He's taking a shower right now..."