That evening, Mo Yu had booked a private room at Tianwaitian Club. By the time Li Zhenmian arrived, the other four captains were already there.
“Am I late?”
Yan Susu smiled and waved her over. “No, you’re just in time.”
Li Zhenmian took a seat beside her.
Yan Susu: “Can I call you Amian?”
Li Zhenmian replied with a faint smile. “Of course.”
“Today is to celebrate Amian officially joining our base.”
“The introduction this morning was a bit rushed, so let me formally introduce myself—I’m Yan Susu. You can call me Susu.”
Li Zhenmian nodded. “Susu.”
Xiao Jiying wore a warm, gentle smile. “Hello, Amian. I’m Xiao Jiying.”
Jiang Cheng: “I’m Jiang Cheng. From now on, in Andu, just drop my name and you can walk sideways—I’ve got your back.”
He patted his chest with a cocky, carefree air.
Yan Susu rolled her eyes and shot him a look of utter exasperation.
Li Zhenmian’s expression remained indifferent. “No need. I’m not a crab, so I don’t walk sideways.”
Yan Susu: “Amian, ignore him. He’s got a few screws loose.”
“Damn it, Yan Susu, what’s that supposed to mean?! You looking for a fight?”
Yan Susu lifted her chin slightly and gave him a disdainful glance.
“Training ground tomorrow.”
Mo Yu watched the two bicker helplessly and let out a soft cough.
Yan Susu snorted coldly at Jiang Cheng, then turned away and linked her arm through Li Zhenmian’s.
“Amian, want a drink?”
Li Zhenmian shook her head gently. “I don’t hold my liquor well.”
Yan Susu thoughtfully handed her a glass of juice.
“No problem, then have some juice.”
Li Zhenmian nodded. “Thank you.”
Before long, the sound of Yan Susu and Jiang Cheng squabbling filled the room again.
Mo Yu and the others occasionally chatted with Li Zhenmian about base matters.
On the other side, Jiang Cheng started singing, and the whole private room was lively and boisterous.
Yet the noisy clamor gave Li Zhenmian a sense of reality, as if she had known them for a long time.
She curled up on the sofa, quietly watching them, a faint smile in her eyes.
Xiao Jiying looked at her, his expression unreadable in the dim light. No one knew what he was thinking. He picked up his glass and took a sip.
In the private room next door sat several handsome men. The two who had been abruptly summoned by Qi Siyan were both confused.
Then they watched as Qi Siyan drank glass after glass, with the reckless air of someone who didn’t care about his life.
Ji Yuheng whispered to Su Pei beside him, “What’s gotten into Brother Yan?”
Su Pei gave a silent, bitter smile. He said nothing, but he could roughly guess the reason.
Even he had felt a bit dazed when he saw Li Zhenmian today—she looked far too much like Jiang Zhi.
Ever since Miss Jiang’s death, they hadn’t even dared to utter the name Jiang Zhi in front of Qi Siyan.
But Li Zhenmian’s appearance made it impossible not to think of Jiang Zhi.
Sigh. The boss must be missing Miss Jiang too much.
The last time he drank like this, throwing caution to the wind, was the year Miss Jiang died—using this method to numb himself.
Seeing Su Pei’s hesitant expression, Ji Yuheng and Jiang Huai exchanged a glance and already understood.
Other than that person, who else could make Qi Siyan lose control like this?
Which reckless fool had mentioned Jiang Zhi in front of Qi Siyan?
Both had questions but didn’t dare utter a single word.
Qi Siyan leaned back against the sofa, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Half-light, half-shadow fell across his refined features. His long lashes drooped low, and the influence of the alcohol lent a hint of intoxication to the man’s usually cold, aloof eyes.
Setting down his glass, Qi Siyan suddenly rose and left, leaving the three men in the room exchanging bewildered looks.
A tall, elegant figure stood by the window in the corridor.
Li Zhenmian, who had stepped out for some air, was walking back when someone suddenly grabbed her at the corner. The person pulled her and shoved her against the wall.
A body radiating an intensely aggressive presence pressed over her. Li Zhenmian caught the faint scent of alcohol. Her expression shifted slightly, and she instinctively raised her leg to kick. The man seemed to anticipate her move and stepped back. Li Zhenmian looked up and saw the man’s face clearly.
“Qi Siyan?”
That handsome face suddenly closed in. Unlike the cold, indifferent gaze from this morning, his dark pupils were filled with emotions Li Zhenmian couldn’t read—the tenderness and obsession at the bottom of his eyes were nearly overflowing.
“Zhizhi…”
Hearing that name, Li Zhenmian frowned. Who was Zhizhi?
Qi Siyan repeated the name in a low murmur by her ear.
Li Zhenmian reached out, pressing her hand against his chest to push him away, but the man’s grip on her was too strong—she couldn’t budge him at all.
“Mr. Qi, you have the wrong person.” Her cool, clear voice cut through the air.
He buried his head against the side of her neck, and the drunken man spoke softly, “Zhizhi, I miss you so much.”
Li Zhenmian began struggling with force, and finally, catching the man off guard, she broke free. She sidestepped to put distance between them.
“Mr. Qi, look carefully. I am not the person you’re talking about.”
Her voice carried extreme coldness, tinged with a hint of anger.
The unfamiliar voice made Qi Siyan furrow his brows tightly. She wasn’t his Zhizhi.
Just as Li Zhenmian was about to leave, Qi Siyan suddenly reached out and grabbed her by the throat. The face that had been full of deep affection moments ago was now entirely cold and ruthless.
“Who are you? Who sent you?”
Li Zhenmian was almost amused into laughter.
The hand around her neck began to tighten, and the lack of air brought involuntary tears to her eyes.
When Su Pei came out, what he saw was Qi Siyan choking Li Zhenmian.
What the hell is going on?
He hurried over, shouting Qi Siyan’s name at the top of his lungs.
Li Zhenmian’s hands gripped the man’s arm, her nails digging deep into his flesh from the force. Qi Siyan seemed to feel no pain, not easing his grip in the slightest.
“Qi Siyan, let go!”
Su Pei paced anxiously on the sidelines, only to see Li Zhenmian pull out a dagger and slash it toward the man’s arm.
His pupils contracted. “Sir!”
Just as Li Zhenmian was about to stab, Qi Siyan released his grip on her neck and swiftly caught her wrist that held the dagger.
Li Zhenmian swung her other fist at the man before her. Qi Siyan stepped back to dodge, completely releasing his hold on her. Her fist landed on the corner of his mouth with a gust of force.
The window in the hallway was half-open, and the night breeze drifted in with a hint of chill. Qi Siyan narrowed his eyes. The cool wind and the pain at the corner of his mouth brought the man back to his senses, and he worked his jaw.
Qi Siyan stared at the woman before him. A conspicuous red mark marred her fair, slender neck, and her beautiful eyes brimmed with fury.
Qi Siyan pressed his brow to ease the headache.
“I apologize.”
Li Zhenmian let out a scoff. “Mr. Qi is quite amusing. Next time, if I accidentally kill you, I’ll go to your grave and apologize.”
“If you want compensation, you can talk to Su Pei.” His low voice was utterly flat.
“No need. Just stay far away from me from now on, Mr. Qi.”
Li Zhenmian shot him a glare and turned to leave.