35: Suspect

Chapter 35: Suspicion

Zhou Mengmeng’s face instantly flushed; her chasing Li Zhiyan?

“How can a girl chase a boy…?”

Zhou Mengmeng’s voice was very soft, and seeing her blush,

Liu Xiaoyan seemed to have discovered a new continent.

“Zhenzhen, look, Mengmeng is blushing.”

“A man like Yan Ge…”

“He’s so outstanding; I wonder how many girls around him want to actively pursue him.”

“If you take the initiative, there’s still some hope. If you don’t, there’s definitely no chance.”

...

“Brother… what exactly do you do?”

“You can even afford a Ferrari. My sister definitely doesn’t know you’re this rich, otherwise, she wouldn’t have divorced you.”

Li Zhiyan said, “I opened a company.”

“I’ve made some money recently, but I can’t tell you the specifics for now.”

Hearing this, Ji Zhiting didn't ask further.

However, her eyes were filled with starry admiration as she looked at Li Zhiyan.

“I’ll come again in a few days. Isn’t your dream to open a milk tea shop?”

“I plan to rent a shop near the school and open a big milk tea shop for you.”

Hearing this, Ji Zhiting was very pleasantly surprised.

“Brother, then I’ll transfer the money to you.”

“Xiao Ting, I know you’ve always treated me as family.”

“When you were willing to give me all the pocket money you’ve saved over the years, in my heart, you became the most important person in my life.”

“So, let’s not talk about money. Just know it in your heart.”

“This milk tea shop is mine, and it’s yours too. In the future, if I need anything from you, just don’t run away.”

Ji Zhiting nodded, her beautiful eyes also full of emotion.

“I understand, Brother. You’ll always be my closest person, just like our mom.”

“As important as our mom is, that’s how important you are!”

...

Li Zhiyan followed the navigation and stopped in front of a barbecue restaurant called Baishan Family Charcoal Barbecue nearby.

The ferrari 488 was still the center of attention here.

This restaurant, compared to the one they dined at last time, was much lower in terms of consumption and class.

After getting out of the car, Liu Xiaoyan eagerly went to the front of the Ferrari to take photos.

Li Zhiyan got out of the car and said, “You guys go take pictures inside the car.”

Li Zhiyan gave the car key to Old Sun, asking him to lock the car later.

Inside the restaurant, Li Zhiyan and Ji Zhiting sat down.

Zhou Mengmeng, dressed very plainly and conservatively, had a very red face.

Ji Zhiting noticed this and reached out to touch her, exclaiming, “Mengmeng, why is your face so hot? Do you have a fever?”

“No… no…”

She lowered her head and ran to the restroom, her face flushed.

After coming out of the restroom, Zhou Mengmeng washed her face several times with cold water before slowly returning to normal.

Not far away, a waitress carrying a kettle accidentally tripped over a stool and stumbled towards Zhou Mengmeng.

Li Zhiyan didn't have time to think, stood up, and blocked the waitress, standing beside Zhou Mengmeng.

He blocked the waitress, preventing her from falling, but a lot of warm water spilled all over Li Zhiyan.

“I’m sorry, sir, I’m sorry.”

The waitress apologized repeatedly.

Zhou Mengmeng’s vision was blurred. No one had ever stood in front of her so selflessly to protect her.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s hot, it’ll dry soon.”

Li Zhiyan didn’t mind and then pulled Zhou Mengmeng to sit down.

The barbecue ingredients were delivered one after another.

Zhou Mengmeng looked at Li Zhiyan, who was so gentle with her.

The incident just now kept replaying in her mind.

Li Zhiyan’s figure was so towering, exactly like the father she had imagined.

He could protect her very well…

...

More than half an hour later, the group left the barbecue restaurant.

Li Zhiyan was still driving Ji Zhiting.

“Brother, the cosmetics you gave me seem to be much more high-end than theirs.”

Looking at Ji Zhiting in the passenger seat,

Li Zhiyan pinched Ji Zhiting’s pretty face.

“Of course.”

“You’re truly family, so your treatment is naturally different from theirs. Otherwise, why wouldn’t I give them a milk tea shop?”

Ji Zhiting was very happy in her heart.

“Brother, then please don’t forget to come in a few days.”

“Of course.”

Li Zhiyan pinched Ji Zhiting’s face again.

...

After dropping them off at school, it was already past 8 PM when Li Zhiyan drove the Ferrari home.

“I wonder if I can return to the past tonight, but I should prepare anyway.”

Li Zhiyan went to the study and reviewed the previous materials.

At nine o’clock…

A WeChat message arrived from Haoye Law Firm.

It was a document.

Because they had cooperated before, they now directly sent the documents.

“These are the details of the important figures in this district.”

Li Zhiyan began to read carefully.

“Also, I need to prepare the connections in Ting’s district as well. That way, it will be much more convenient to handle things at school.”

Li Zhiyan then sent over the information of another person he needed to investigate.

And he sent the commission.

The other end quickly sent back an OK gesture.

This time, the speed was very fast; the information was sent in just two hours.

Li Zhiyan also read it carefully.

When he closed his computer, intending to return to the past,

A WeChat video call request popped up.

It was from Zhao Manman. Li Zhiyan wasn't surprised; Zhao Manman had indeed been interacting with him much more recently.

Soon, Zhao Manman’s pretty face appeared on the screen.

“Mom, it’s so late. Is something wrong? How’s the beauty salon doing?”

“The beauty salon still relies on you. It’s now officially open, and many wealthy ladies are having treatments there.”

“After a while, Mom will come to see you.”

Li Zhiyan nodded, but he noticed.

Zhao Manman still seemed to have something on her mind.

“Mom, do you still have something to say? If so, you can tell me. There’s no need to distinguish so clearly between elders and juniors.”

Zhao Manman remembered that day on West Lake; she indeed felt more relaxed than ever before.

And Li Zhiyan was very filial to her, massaging her ankle for so long without getting tired.

“Alright… then Mom will tell you.”

“Mom feels that Uncle Ji has been acting a bit strange lately.”

Li Zhiyan’s heart skipped a beat. Was it discovered after all?

Could Zhao Manman bear it now?

“What’s wrong?”

“Recently, he often doesn’t come home.”

Li Zhiyan was silent for a moment, then said, “Perhaps his business is just busy.”

Zhao Manman shook her head.

“His business used to be busy, but he would usually still come home.”

“But ever since you left last time, he hasn’t returned home.”

“I suspect he might be having an affair.”

Thinking about it, she then felt it was impossible. It’s true that a normal person might cheat, but clearly, Ji Yunhai is not a normal person.

Could he also cheat…

“If, I mean if, Uncle Ji cheated, what would you do?”

Hearing this, Zhao Manman fell silent.

Her pretty face showed some confusion and helplessness.

Clearly, she hadn’t thought about what she would do if that happened.

Li Zhiyan could see some clues from Zhao Manman’s expression.

This blow to her would undoubtedly be very severe.

He still needed to plan this matter carefully.

There were some things Zhao Manman couldn’t bear right now.

She needed time to slowly digest it, letting her suspect gradually.

In her heart, she would naturally have some psychological preparation.

“If he cheated, I definitely wouldn’t tolerate it. I absolutely cannot tolerate such moral issues.”

Li Zhiyan comforted Zhao Manman.

“It’s okay, Mom. Don’t think so much. Just observe slowly. In fact, things might not be as bad as you imagine.”

Zhao Manman nodded gently.

“Then you go to bed early. It’s already very late.”

“Young people shouldn’t stay up late, otherwise it’s bad for your health.”

Li Zhiyan: “I understand, Mom.”

...

In dormitory 102, Zhou Mengmeng kept thinking about the events of the day.

Li Zhiyan's back, standing in front of her, was so towering.

So tall…

It made Zhou Mengmeng feel a sense of security she had never experienced before.

“Liu Xiaoyan.”

After a soft call, Liu Xiaoyan, who had just been about to climb into bed, stopped in her pajamas.

“What’s wrong, Mengmeng?”

“Do you think boys all like this kind of leg-baring outfit? Isn’t it too revealing?”

Liu Xiaoyan sat down, her voice becoming very quiet so as not to disturb others’ rest.

“Mengmeng, this kind of clothing really isn’t revealing. It’s a very normal outfit.”

“You’re so bundled up that even dogs would dislike it. It’s so hot, and you’re dressed so conservatively.”

“It’s not hot. You need to actively change yourself.”

Zhou Mengmeng nodded…

She remembered when Li Zhiyan looked at her legs before.

At that time, his gaze was indeed drawn to them.

“Xiaoyan, I want to learn makeup…”

“Can you teach me?”

Liu Xiaoyan surprisingly pulled a stool and sat beside Zhou Mengmeng.

“Seriously, Mengmeng, you’re finally willing to wear makeup?”

“Mm… I feel like I can’t be like this my whole life.”

“Every girl nowadays wears makeup, so I should start too.”

Liu Xiaoyan said excitedly, “I’ve wanted to see you with makeup for a long time, but you’re so fair, makeup actually won’t make much of a difference. I’ll send you some music videos I’ve saved later. Watch them a few times.”

“Then learn well. Tomorrow after military training, I’ll teach you hand-in-hand. I believe you’ll make progress in just a few days.”

“I’ll send them to you right now.”

Looking at the cosmetics and new clothes on the table,

Zhou Mengmeng suddenly remembered something.

“Xiaoyan, how much do these cosmetics and clothes cost approximately? Yan Ge told me it was a thousand yuan.”

Liu Xiaoyan glanced at Zhou Mengmeng’s clothes.

“He’s definitely fooling you. Only a kid like you would believe it. These cosmetics, while not big brands, are at least two thousand yuan a set. Adding the clothes, it would be at least four thousand yuan.”

“Yan Ge is really taking care of you, buying you beautiful clothes. I’m so envious. It feels like he treats you like a little sister.”

Hearing the price, Zhou Mengmeng’s heart began to feel uneasy.

Over four thousand yuan, how long would it take her to pay that back…

“Alright, I’m going to sleep first. You can watch these introductory videos for now. I’ll teach you tomorrow.”

Liu Xiaoyan, who was very sleepy, climbed into bed and went to sleep.

After a while, Zhou Mengmeng sent Li Zhiyan a WeChat message.

“Brother, you lied to me. Those things are worth four thousand yuan, right?”

“My living expenses aren’t much, so I’ll give you five hundred first.”

“I’ll pay you back the rest on time every month.”

[Transferred 500 yuan].

“Oh, by the way, can you tell me where you live?”

Li Zhiyan had treated her to two meals.

So, Zhou Mengmeng wanted to repay him. However, she knew she couldn't afford such expensive meals, but cooking for Li Zhiyan and delivering it could make her feel more at ease.

Next, she anxiously waited for Li Zhiyan to reply.

However, after more than half an hour, even after she lay down in bed, Li Zhiyan still hadn't replied to her message.

“Could it be that he dislikes me…?”

“Or is it because I asked him where he lives, and he thinks I’m impolite?”

Zhou Mengmeng started overthinking. One characteristic of a people-pleaser is that they tend to overthink easily.

After a long time…

She sent Li Zhiyan a message.

“Dad.”

...

Soon, Li Zhiyan returned to the past again.

As before, he opened a temporary card.

Then he went to an internet cafe, logged into QQ, and sent a message to Xiao Li.

“Have you returned from Zhejiang?”

In a few seconds, Xiao Li’s message replied.

Xiao Li: “I’m back, Brother Li. The scenery at West Lake is indeed beautiful.”

“However, I’m still eager to make money now.”

“Although I already have a lot of money, it’s still far from what truly rich people have.”

Li Zhiyan said, “This time, we’re going to the futures market to make money.”

There will be more updates tomorrow and the day after. I’ll be bold for once… Everyone who’s following, please cast your recommendation votes. Li Zhiman will try his best to write a few female leads who aren’t stereotypical and have their own thoughts.