She was in no mood to get mad at his indirect attack on her IQ so just she replied in a quiet manner, "I noticed. But it"s not noteworthy compared to what you lectured. You know, you rarely do something befitting of your job description, Tutor Jing.""Well, since you"re aware of who I am, then you should be aware I just disliked you and wanted to make life a bit difficult for you."
"Do you still dislike me now?" When she was about to ask that question, she suddenly couldn"t summon the courage to say it.
Jiang Li saw through her though. And he laughed. "Stop making faces. I don"t hate you anymore. Anyway, you seem pitiful in your own way. Otherwise, why would you pretend to be your brother? Your mom is the usual utilitarian. Your whole family is, probably apart from the old man. There"s also your fiance not talking to you at all earlier due to the girl by his side."
"I don"t know him so I don"t care who he brings here." Her wrinkled nose showed how much displeasure she was feeling for being told something as random as that last one. "By the way, I have to say." She raised her head, eyes blinking innocently. "I also don"t hate you anymore. You... are saner than expected."
"Sane?" He snickered. "Not good?"
"I"m being considerate by not giving you a good guy card, Mr. Jiang." She amusedly reasoned.
"Oh? Then thanks?"
After remembering that it was a concept popularized in the modern era, he shrugged. Those given that "card" where suitors girls rejected. It was mostly from the phrase, "You"re a good person but..." which would definitely end up with the guy getting friend-zoned, hence the concept.
If he was to be asked though, he had been a bit villainous in the past so he was okay being addressed with that so-called good guy this time. It wouldn"t affect him since he was not courting her, yet.
Well, if he wasn"t, then he"s fine with that too. What"s important was that deep inside him he knew he was leading an "honest" life per the Original"s wish.
Yup. So far, apart from hypnotizing an internet cafe owner on his first day in this world, he hadn"t done anything illegal or dishonest, Even when he was teasing Ye Xinya, he used unreasonable logics and jokes to infuriate her. As for how he ended up a filthy rich man"s son, well, he didn"t blackmail anyone.
Ridiculous. As if a self-made billionaire was somebody he, a student with neither background nor money, could blackmail?
Obviously not. So all he did was a.n.a.lyze the memories he received, then forward some key information and helpful "predictions" to that middle-aged guy.
It was a bonus that the person was the employer of that dude who bought his program last time. He also probably got amazed that a 16 years old kid from an eastern nation managed to hack directly into his private account.
And oh, it seemed the remnant of the real Jing Mo did not attack his soul because the hacking was not for bad intentions, but to save an important company from a huge loss in the future. Or maybe the good side of this action just offset the bad side so Jiang Li did not get punished by the Original.
No matter the case, apart from having the right to be his son in name, he was able to get three favors from that man. And speaking of the adoption... Now he remembered why he was making this talk with Ye Xinya.
He laughed then announced, "Let"s talk about a more serious matter."
"Yes?" A few strands of the girl"s hair framing her face fluttered gently in the wind when she turned her head to him.
"I haven"t informed your parents but I will be going abroad next week to meet that man. Everything has already been settled by his people. It"s just me who postponed it for some issue to settle first here."
"..."
She went silent, digesting the meaning. In a sense, it was actually quite bad news since it meant if her family back out from the talk with the Hans yet there was n.o.body to explain or catch her from the fallout, she would end up in a pitiful state.
What should she reply to in a situation like this? In all honesty, it was her who owed Jing Mo for that incident in the forest. The favor had not even been returned yet since it seemed the man never needed a source of income. In short, she was not in a position to ask for a favor or anything.
It was quite a whirlwind of events for her. An hour ago, she realized she had feelings for the guy, but now, she learned he would be leaving.
"It"s only been a month... They said feelings are fleeting so maybe I could go back to normal after a few days? Anyway, what do the memories we shared with each other in such a short span of time amount to?"
"Tch." That single clicking of the tongue from the man awakened her from her stupor. She looked up and saw he was actually looking at the direction of the hall. Four or so girls in different but nearby locations were watching him.
"d.a.m.n, creeps."
While he complained, she was busy digesting the answers that popped up in her head for the questions asked a while back. Not long after, she raised her head to him. Appearance-wise, he was already eye-catching so it was not really questionable if girls fell for him.
"Should we change locations?" he asked her with a frown on his face.
See, even the frown was attractive. Ye Xinya suddenly banged her head on the bal.u.s.trade, to the guy"s surprise. Alright. She just actually looked down and buried her face in her hands as if she was about to cry. Her actions appeared just weird to Jiang Li.
Five seconds after knitting his brows at her, he once again asked, "I said, should we change locations? Or simply go home? Anyways, we already greeted the senator so there should be no problem even if we leave. So?"
Hearing his suggestion, she slowly lifted up her face and then nodded.
"I"ll inform my mom we"ll have Grandpa Li to take us back."
"Fine."
The girl did contact her driver while following behind the guy back to the main hall. They would have to pa.s.s by it if they want to go to the parking lot.
Once done sending the message, she lifted her head up only to meet eyes with a familiar girl heading to intercept Jiang Li.
Wasn"t she the one standing near her that time and was instructed by her mother to get close to Jing Mo? She looked around and saw that there were many others like her.
Hate and insecurity instantly drowned her. Sometimes in a fit of strong emotion, people could just do things that they never imagined they would ever do in their lives.
Ye Xinya might be pretty bright but she grew up like a caged bird whose actions and decisions were directed. She had less experienced in some matters and was still a bit immature. She didn"t know how to handle herself once everything bottled up. This was why when she could no longer stand the feeling in her chest and the annoying sultry stares from the other girls directed at the person she liked, she ended up doing what she never thought she would ever do.
She began it by yelling his name while taking large strides toward him. "Jiang Li!"
The man who was also dialing up a number on his phone halted his steps and turned his head to her. There was a bit of surprise in his face. No, he actually looked very stunned, as if he just heard something very unbelievable.
"She called me Jiang Li, and not Jing Mo?"
The guy had almost become accustomed to being called names the system just borrowed for him. This was the first time in the current and the previous two worlds that she called him using his full name. He thought he would remain indifferent to this since it was simply another two words that could be used to address him. However, he ended up falling into a trance since the words were uttered by her.
Nonetheless, the surprise for tonight seemed not yet finished. All of a sudden, while he was still in a daze for being called out, she appeared in front of him.
He blankly stared at her when she suddenly tiptoed and brought her face nearer to his... And before his mind totally blanked out for some time when she planted her lips on his, one thought popped up in it.
So as long as they are in a modern setting, his girl would be proactive?