You are the Jing Lihua I fell in love with
You are the Jing Lihua I fell in love with
The photo was deliberately captured from a particular angle, intensifying the promiscuous aspect of it.
With that blindfold, her overly exposed skin, thin nightgown, and her open hair, the photo looked very obscene.
Looking at the photo, it felt like the woman in the photo was a shrewd temptress luring men into her trap with her mask of delicacy.
Jing Lihua's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe it.
"Li Zhiqiang!" Jing Lihua made failed attempts to snatch the phone from him. "Hand it over!" Nevertheless, she didn't stop trying.
It was okay with Li Zhiqiang but if someone else was to see such a photo of hers, she would die of embarrassment.
However, against him, of course, she could never succeed. In frustration, she could only try to win against him with her words. "Li Zhiqiang, you! As the prestigious President Li, how can you be so shameless!"
"Tsk." Li Zhiqiang's teasing smile didn't falter. "You were doing the same a moment ago. Now you are accusing me of being shameless. President Jing, where is your sense of propriety?"
"But-But, the photo I took of yours was only funny! It was not... It was not..." Jing Lihua struggled to find the words. But in the end, only her face reddened in anger. She almost gnashed her teeth. With serious expression and fiery glare, she stared at Li Zhiqiang. "You would delete it right now, President Li!"
"And if I don't?" Li Zhiqiang playfully swirled the phone in his hands.
"If you don't then..."
"Yes? Then?"
"I would leak the specifics of our business transaction to the world!"
Li Zhiqiang showed an uninterested expression. "Oh. Is that so?"
That business transaction was a huge deal for someone like Jing Lihua. But for someone at a high
Jing Lihua thought hard. What was in this word that the great 'Devil' could be scared of? What could she use against him?
Did really no such thing exist?
Was he really omnipotent?
No, everyone has a weakness.
Suddenly a certain someone emerged in her mind.
Of course!
Why hadn't she thought of that earlier?
It was Jing Lihua turn to laugh wickedly. After a flash of evil glint across her eyes, Jing Lihua altered her expressions and she fabricated a sweet and innocent smile.
"Then... I will have no choice but to call Madame Bao." Her voice was light and playful.
After all, she remembered that once Madam Bao had told her that if Li Zhiqang ever bullied her, she could always ask out for her help.
Li Zhiqiang's hands paused; his expressions altered.
The phone that he was so confidently swinging a moment ago, slipped and fell down.
Seeing his whitening face, Jing Lihua couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Oh my God, Li Zhiqiang." She hardly controlled herself enough to say between laughter. "The great devil, President Li, haha... To think you could be scared till you pale from his mother... And not to mention a mother as sweet and loving as Madam Bao."
"Sweet and loving, huh. You don't know her well enough."
Jing Lihua was genuinely intrigued. "What sorts of things Madame Bao has done to you to make you fear her like this?"
If Li Zhiqiang was the great 'Devil' then Madame Bao was the only true 'Devil'. If she could subjugate him, she definitely deserved the title.
"You obviously do not know what had happened to the Wu family after your departure from Hong Kong." Li Zhiqiang trialed off.
"Wait... what? What happened? How did Madam Bao come to know of them?"
"There isn't a single thing in this world that my mother can't find out."
"Then... was she angry because of the Wu family?" Jing Lihua asked in a lightly disheartened tone. 'I had heard from Heng Bingwen back in Hong Kong that the Wu family shared a bond with Li family. If, because of me, Li Zhiqiang ended up doing up something bad to them, would Madame Bao blame me?'
Li Zhiqiang stared at Jing Lihua strangely.
"Don't scare me please." The nervousness in Jing Lihua's heart grew. What if Madam Bao really took grudge? What if she started to dislike her? Jing Lihua didn't know why it mattered to her so much. But she strongly wanted Madam Bao to have a good image of her. Maybe it was because of Li Zhiqiang. Or maybe for some other reason.
Li Zhiqiang sighed. "Contrary to that..." He coughed. "After my mother learned that Wu Junjie tried to harm you, she made it her goal to ruin whatever was left of that family."
Jing Lihua paused. "...What did she do?"
"It's better that you don't know."
Later that night, despite Jing Lihua's countless persuasion Li Zhiqiang didn't tell her. In the end, she gave up. Later at night, she cuddled into his arms on the couch.
"Is there something bothering you?" He suddenly asked.
Jing Lihua smiled lightly. "How could you tell."
"You have been giving me reluctant glances at intervals." He said. "If something's bothering you that talk it out."
Jing Lihua leaned her head against his chest. "It's about my lineage. I discovered a strange fact about something..." Jing Lihua narrated the whole incident to Li Zhiqiang. From the DNA testing, Heng Bingwen conducted prior in Hong Kong to the incident at the will hearing. In the end, with a sigh, she said. "Right now, my heart is very confused. I don't know anything anymore. What is the truth? Who exactly I am? How am I supposed to move forward without knowing who am I? I am... afraid to know the truth."
At that point, Li Zhiqing hand trailed down and enveloped Jing Lihua's small hand in its warmth. Looking up, Jing Lihua's eyes matched with Li Zhiqiang soft and encouraging eyes. A warmth permeated into her chest. "No matter what are the results," he said, "one thing you must know that it won't change you are Jing Lihua. It won't change the Jing Lihua who single-handedly defeated countless enemies. It wouldn't change the strong-willed Jing Lihua who had survived till today under such harsh circumstances. It wouldn't change the fact that you are the Jing Lihua I fell in love with."