Deep Fog Kiss

Xiang Xinyao was so dizzy from the beating that she glared fiercely at Jiang Li, looking as if she wanted to skin her alive.

"Isn't this what you asked for?" Jiang Li tilted her head and smiled. "When you plotted against me yesterday, you should have known that I'm the kind of person who holds grudges."

"Jiang Li! You should have been homeless and starved to death when you were a child!" Xiang Xinyao yelled. "We wouldn't even feed you the food we give to the dogs!"

"If it weren't for that old hag He Biyu insisting on taking care of you, you would have gone to see the King of Hell long ago, just like your father—"

"Snapped!"

"Slap! Slap!"

Before Xiang Xinyao could finish speaking, two loud slaps rang out in her ears.

She was knocked back a few steps, her head buzzing.

Su Ruolan's scream and Xiang Yaojie's roar rang out at the same time, but Jiang Li seemed not to hear them.

"If you swear at Grandma again, I'll slap you." Jiang Li raised an eyebrow slightly. "Try it."

Xiang Xinyao was terrified after being beaten. Her hair was disheveled and her cheeks were red and swollen. She stared at Jiang Li without daring to utter a sound.

"Jiang Li! You little bitch! You heartless woman!"

Su Ruolan's mouth was covered, and she shouted incoherently, "You dare hit my daughter? I'll skin you alive!"

Jiang Li glared at her, strode up to her, and grabbed her hair.

"You think I'll let you off the hook?"

"Ah—" Su Ruolan cried out, her face turning pale with pain.

Xiang Yaojie shouted, "Jiang Li! Stop it right now!"

"I told you not to be so loud." Jiang Li pulled Su Ruolan's hair hard, turned to look at Xiang Yaojie, and smiled slightly, her smile innocent and pure.

"Uncle, I've secured the cooperation with the Tang family for you, so shouldn't you be a little more polite when you talk to me?"

After saying that, her eyes hardened. "Give me the stuff, and you can have the contract. We're even."

Xiang Yaojie's face was ashen with rage. If it weren't for the contract, he would have strangled Jiang Li!

He glared fiercely at Jiang Li, shook off the man's restraints, snorted coldly, and walked into the house.

When he came out again, he was holding an envelope in his hand.

Jiang Li stood by the car, the contract on the hood, a pen twirling between her slender fingers.

Looking at what Xiang Yaojie was holding, her breathing became heavy.

Xiang Yaojie walked up to her, glanced at the contract, and sure enough, it was a big cooperation deal from Tang's Real Estate!

It was something he desperately wanted!

Jiang Li opened the contract and lightly tapped twice where Tang Yi had signed and stamped it.

"President Tang personally signed and stamped it; you should recognize him, right?"

She held out her hand. "Give me the things, and you sign them."

Xiang Yaojie wouldn't admit his mistake, but he couldn't believe that Jiang Li had just gotten off Tang Lin's bed and the marriage arrangement wasn't even settled yet, so how did she manage to get her hands on the contract?

Where did she get such great skills?

He snorted coldly, threw the envelope in his hand to Jiang Li, grabbed the pen from Jiang Li's hand, and quickly signed the contract at the bottom.

The pen was suddenly snatched from my hand as soon as I finished writing the last stroke.

Jiang Li gripped the pen tightly, and without hesitation, plunged the pen tip into the back of Xiang Yaojie's hand.

"what!"

Xiang Yaojie couldn't avoid it, and the pen tip pierced his flesh.

Jiang Li exerted a little more force, but with a sweet smile on her face, "Everyone goes their own way. From now on, your Xiang family has nothing to do with me."

Jiang Li threw the contract on the hood of the car onto the ground, opened the car door, got in, and drove away.

Inside the villa, earth-shattering cries of Su Ruolan and her daughter echoed.

"Xiang Yaojie! You coward! Look at how badly that bitch bullied you, and you're still worried about your contract!"

"Without a contract, what will you eat and use? Where will the money come from to support you? What status will Yao'er have to marry into those wealthy families and live a good life?"

Xiang Xinyao slumped to the side, her eyes filled with tears, her palms clenched tightly.

She will definitely return those slaps to Jiang Li without missing a beat!

......

A red sports car stopped by the roadside, its window rolled down.

A burly man in black stood beside the car, smiling respectfully. "Miss Jiang, we've moved your things into your car. Are you satisfied with the service?"

Jiang Li sat in the driver's seat, nodded and smiled, "Thanks."

"You're too kind. Look at our brothers, they're all tall and strong. Just standing there, they intimidate people into silence. You've come to the right place to have us back you up." The man chuckled. "If you're satisfied, let's settle the bill. It'll be fifty thousand in total."

"Isn't it 30,000?" Jiang Li stopped smiling and glanced at the other person.

"It was originally 30,000, but you only said to bring a few more people to help with moving things." The man smiled awkwardly, "You just had us detain people and gag them, making us look like gangsters. If the other party comes after us, this tens of thousands of yuan won't be enough to cover the damages. So, add another 20,000 yuan, consider it a tip for our brothers."

Jiang Li didn't haggle with the other party and transferred 50,000 yuan directly.

"They won't pursue this."

If we were to investigate, what happened last night would be exposed, and Xiang Yaojie would keep his mouth shut for the sake of his business.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Jiang Li smiled politely and started the car.

"Miss Jiang!" Seeing how readily she paid, the other party smiled and said, "Come back to us next time you need anything!"

......

Beishan Villa.

Sunlight streamed into the western-facing guest room, illuminating the girl's delicate, fair face.

In the bright light, two tear streaks were faintly visible on her cheeks.

A dark red wooden box sat beside her legs, its lid open, revealing a few old clothes inside.

Several dark cotton shirts had faded and turned white from washing, and the edges were worn.

There was a thick cotton coat, with several patches sewn and mended inside and out.

Despite the passage of time, I can still smell the scent of my grandmother.

A faint scent, like the fragrance of osmanthus in autumn.

Jiang Li's eyes reddened, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Seeing these objects brought back memories, and at this moment, her longing for her grandmother was about to overflow from the bottom of her heart.

She always knew that her grandmother had a hard time living in the Xiang family and couldn't provide her with a good life, otherwise she wouldn't have let the Gu family take her away.

If it weren't for her grandmother's decision, she probably would have ended up sleeping on the streets and starving to death under a bridge, just as Xiang Xinyao said.

only--

While she was enjoying a life of luxury at home, her grandmother was suffering.

He eventually died far from home, and I didn't even get to see him one last time.

The farewell when I was ten years old turned out to be forever.

Her only remaining family member in the world is gone.

A soft sound came from the doorway.

Jiang Li quickly wiped away her tears and said, "Please come in."

The door opened, and Zhong Qiuwen stood in the doorway holding a phone.

"Miss Jiang."

She looked at the girl, whose beautiful eyes were slightly red and then gently curved upwards.

Her smile was sweet, yet it also seemed as if she had been crying.

She handed over the phone. "It's Mr. Gu on the phone."

The three words "Mr. Gu" were like a ray of light, dispelling the haze in Jiang Li's heart at that moment.

She took the phone and held it to her ear.

Chung Chiu-wen closed the door and left.

"Are you home?" The man's voice on the phone was cold and indifferent, neither loud nor soft, and sounded devoid of emotion.

Upon hearing his voice, Jiang Li suddenly felt inexplicably wronged.

At this moment, she longed to see him, even if it was just to see him.

Just like when she was a child, whenever she missed her father or grandmother, Gu Zhishen was always within her sight.

She can see it as long as she looks up.

Seeing him makes me feel at ease.

It's as if there are still people in this world who want her.

She is not an orphan, and she is not alone.

She was like a dying fish, knowing full well that Gu Zhishen didn't love her, yet still yearning for his vast ocean.

She pursed her lips and gave a soft "hmm," her voice tinged with a hint of tears.

The sound reached the other side and was noticed by the man. "What?"

Tears streamed down Jiang Li's face. "You can come back and stay with me—"

"Zhishen, the time and place for dinner tonight have been arranged."

Suddenly, a cheerful, laughing voice interrupted Jiang Li's unfinished sentence on the other end of the phone.

Her hand gripping the phone tightened suddenly, and her eyes trembled slightly.

It is Yu Wanqing.