Wen Li suddenly awoke from her sleep, sitting up and massaging her temples, feeling a trace of dampness before she realized her forehead was already covered with cold sweat.
She hadn't expected to dream of Ji Tingyang while sleeping; he was not only persistent in reality but also relentless even in her dreams.
Just as she had told Ji Tingyang that day, if she had known he would one day confine her like a vengeful snake trapping its prey, she would have definitely stayed as far away from that corner as possible.
She wiped the sweat with the back of her hand, patted her flustered chest, and began to feel calmer when she caught a glimpse of the ringing phone on the bedside table.
Turning her body, she glanced at the caller ID—it was from Ji Tingyang.
She hesitated for a few seconds between hanging up and answering before finally picking up.
"Unless you're calling to tell me you'll let me go out tomorrow, then just forget it..."
"Lady Wen, I'm President Ji's friend. He's had too much drink at the club, could you come and pick him up?"
The caller's voice was loud and seemed to be slurred from drinking too much.
There had been similar incidents before; when Ji Tingyang got drunk outside, someone would always call her without asking to pick him up.
"I'm busy, please call the butler."
Wen Li declined as usual without waiting for a response and quickly hung up, then turned off her phone to prevent those people from calling persistently.
She then lay back in bed, pulled the covers, and buried her head deep into her bedding.
On the other end, the person was practiced; in no time, the butler's phone rang, "… Yes, thank you."
Lin Xu was just getting water in the kitchen when she came out and heard the butler's frantic, "I'll head over right away."
"Where are you going?" she asked casually.
The butler, who had not worked for the Ji Family for long and therefore did not recognize Lin Xu, had come to understand after a few days that President Ji treated her quite differently.
In front of this Miss Lin, President Ji's volatile temper always seemed to become very gentle.
He had speculated that maybe Miss Lin was Ji's new love interest, but their interactions did not resemble those of lovers, they seemed more like... relatives?
But whatever the relationship, he dared not neglect Lin Xu, and so he immediately replied: "Miss Lin, President Ji got drunk at the club, he asked me to go and pick him up."
Drunk?
Lin Xu stared blankly, "Is it for business?"
The butler looked at her and hesitated: "President Ji is probably, well, in a bad mood today..."
There had been several occasions before when Ji Tingyang and Wen Li had a huge argument, and he would end up drinking himself into a stupor at the club.
Remembering the quarrel between the two that afternoon, this time was likely no exception.
Lin Xu also thought of Wen Li upstairs and sighed inwardly.
----
In the club.
A few young masters continued to pour drink for Ji Tingyang, pushing the women beside them onto him.
"President Ji, there are so many women in this world, why pine for just one? Look at this flower, so delicate and tender, try her out and you're guaranteed to like her."
They all knew Ji Tingyang was throwing his life away over a woman who didn't appreciate him. They didn't normally connect, but whenever they were called out to drink, it was clear Ji Tingyang got hurt by his 'canary' at home and was drowning his sorrows.
They were curious about what kind of woman could drive Ji Tingyang to this state of utter despair.
However, Ji Tingyang kept that woman very closely protected; no one had ever seen her, only knew a name—Wen Li.
Though they were just fair-weather friends, they still tried to persuade Ji Tingyang not to hang himself over Wen Li.
In the midst of their talk, one young master pushed the woman against Ji Tingyang's arm.
Ji Tingyang's brows were tightly furrowed, and his gloomy, cold eyes swept over the woman before he spat out a chilling word: "Scram."
The woman was so frightened by his intimidating gaze that she felt a chill in her heart, her heart trembled, but she dared not get any closer.
"Worthless, you're useless even when given an opportunity," the young master disdainfully pulled the woman aside.
He turned his head and scolded the club manager, "Didn't you see that President Ji is dissatisfied with the women here? What other beauties do you have? Call them all over!"
"Yes, yes, I'll call them right away," the manager nodded and bowed profusely.
After a moment, a woman pushed the door open and entered.
The woman was wearing a form-fitting long dress, perfectly showcasing her exquisite figure.
She walked slowly in delicate white high heels, and her chestnut-colored long hair was casually draped over her shoulders, unstyled. Her delicate features were stunningly beautiful and luminous, her pale white skin appeared even more like creamy jade under the light, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
The eyes of the young masters in the private room brightened instantly, their faces full of eagerness.
Only one thought remained in their minds.
Such a beauty.
The young master nearest to the door had the advantage of proximity and quickly stood up to greet her. He reached out to embrace her slender waist, but she deftly avoided him.
Normally, he would have cursed a few words at her prudishness.
But now, he couldn't muster any irritation and even consoled himself.
It's alright, beauties are entitled to their caprices.
"Miss, may I ask how to address you?" he asked with a smile.
"My surname is Lin."
"Miss Lin, shall we have a drink?"
"No, thank you, I'm here for Ji Tingyang." She looked around the private room, and upon seeing Ji Tingyang, she walked straight over and took the wine glass from his hand. "Stop drinking, we should go home now."
"Home?" Ji Tingyang murmured, his consciousness was beginning to blur.
Where was his home?
His home had scattered twenty years ago...
Lin Xu's voice was soft as she stroked his head, "Yes, we're going home, I'm here to pick you up."
Ji Tingyang looked up, the person in front of him seemed blurry. He strained his eyes, trying to make out who she was.
Finally, he recognized the person from deep within his memories.
Ji Tingyang grasped her hand in disbelief, his voice as light as if a breeze could blow it away, "Mom?"
His grip grew tighter, as though he wanted to clutch her to him forever. His voice was so fragile, "Don't leave me behind..."
Don't leave the three of them alone in this world...
A sharp pain suddenly shot through Lin Xu's chest, as if it was being pricked by dense needles, and the corners of her eyes reddened.
"I'm sorry, I won't leave you behind again. I'll take you home now, is that okay?"
Ji Tingyang nodded and stood up obediently, but his hand still clung to her fearfully.
The young masters in the private room were dumbfounded by Ji Tingyang's compliant behavior towards this woman.
They hadn't heard Ji Tingyang's reference to Lin Xu; they only heard his plea for her not to leave him behind.
Could this person be his long-yearned-for Wen Li?
But the woman clearly stated her surname was Lin, so was Ji Tingyang drowning his sorrows in alcohol tonight because of another woman?