Xinan immediately redialed the phone.
"Where are you?" Cheng Yi's magnetic and pleasant voice came through, but his tone was very cold.
Xinan shivered, her voice trembling a bit as she spoke, "I... I'm still at the hotel. I felt unwell this morning and went upstairs to sleep."
"Why didn't you answer my calls? Just look at how many times I called you!" His tone was irate and fierce.
Xinan was startled by Cheng Yi's voice, her body shrank instinctively, "I'm... I'm sorry."
There was a pause on the other end, then he spoke in an unquestionable tone, "Don't wander around. I'm coming over now!"
"Okay."
Xinan really hadn't wandered around; she just sat on the hotel room's sofa waiting for Cheng Yi.
Soon, there was a knock on the door.
Xinan straightened her clothes, then walked over to open it.
"Brother Ji Bai?" It wasn't Cheng Yi.
Han Jibai smiled slightly, "The guests have mostly left. I didn't see you in the lobby, thought you might still be resting, so I came to check on you. Did I disturb your rest?"
"No, I've been awake for a while," Xinan said, stepping aside to let Han Jibai in.
"That's good. Oh, this must be yours, right?" Han Jibai pulled a tasseled earring from his pocket, "The waiter gave it to me. It looks similar to the earrings you wore today."
The guests today were all VIPs; even a small accessory could be worth millions. The waiter found it while cleaning the lobby and didn't dare to misplace it, so he handed it to Han Jibai.
Xinan touched her ear; sure enough, one earring was missing, "Thank you."
"Let me help you put it on." Han Jibai walked to Xinan's side. Just as he reached out his hand toward her ear, a voice interrupted him.
"What are you doing?" The voice was like ice in winter.
Hearing Cheng Yi's voice, Xinan's heartbeat nearly stopped. She quickly stepped back, looking panicked toward the door, her voice trembling, "Cheng Yi…"
Cheng Yi arrived faster than she had expected.
Cheng Yi stood at the doorway, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, without a tie. The collar was slightly open, and his clothes were crisply ironed, making him look every bit the refined gentleman.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Xinan, knowing that there was nothing between her and Han Jibai, still couldn't help feeling flustered and subconsciously wanted to explain.
But Cheng Yi didn't give her a chance to explain, his cold voice coming again, "Xinan, I really underestimated you. I didn't expect that you wouldn't even spare a married man. I really admire that."
His words pierced Xinan's heart like a knife.
Han Jibai frowned, "Cheng Yi, don't go too far. Xinan and I are not your..."
Cheng Yi scoffed coldly, then slammed the door shut with such force it seemed he might shatter it.
Cheng Yi left without giving them a chance to explain.
Han Jibai quietly watched Xinan for a while, wanting to offer some comfort, but Xinan spoke first, "Brother Ji Bai, I'm okay. You should go back, or Sister Shasha might be looking for you."
"I'll take you home."
"No need." For some reason, Xinan was now very averse to contacting Han Jibai.
Han Jibai sighed, "Alright, Nannan, don't worry. I'll find a chance to explain everything to Ah Yi."
With a bitter smile on her face, Xinan said nothing. Her relationship with Cheng Yi was already unstable, and with this incident, it seemed he was even less likely to show her any kindness now.
—
Cheng Yi walked out of the hotel's main entrance with a stony expression. He drove through the streets of Jing City, driving quickly without rolling up the windows, letting the bone-chilling wind blow on his face as if it could calm him down a bit.
But the effect was negligible; the anger in his heart grew even larger.
He didn't return to Luming Academy but drove to a well-known club in Jing City instead.
When Cheng Yi arrived, the manager hastened to the door to greet him with a face full of obsequiousness.
Cheng Yi ordered a large pile of alcohol and drank alone for a long while, not speaking. The manager, struck by a sudden idea, approached Cheng Yi and whispered, "Mr. Yi, drinking alone is no fun. Would you like me to find a chatty lady to keep you company?"
Cheng Yi took another swig of his drink, his eyes narrowing as he replied, "Sure!"
The manager clapped his hands, and soon a girl wearing heavy makeup walked in. The manager instructed, "This is Mr. Yi."
"Hello, Mr. Yi," the girl called out.
Cheng Yi raised an eyebrow, then patted the sofa beside him, gesturing for the girl to sit.
Seeing this, the manager discreetly left the room, making sure to close the door behind him.
"Mr. Yi, I propose a toast to you." Perhaps because she was nervous, the girl's hand trembled slightly as she lifted her glass.
Cheng Yi asked indifferently, "Are you afraid of me?"
"I..."
Watching her hesitant appearance, Cheng Yi scrutinized her. He noticed that one of her hands was constantly tugging at her dress.
The dress was very short; a slight movement might expose her.
Seeing this, Cheng Yi asked, "Are you new here?"
The girl was slightly startled and answered, "It's my first day at work."
"Still in school?" His voice sounded somewhat careless.
"Mmm, in college."
Suddenly, Cheng Yi pulled out a cigarette, and just as he placed it in his mouth, the girl handed him a lighter.
He smiled faintly, bowed his head slightly to light the cigarette, and then exhaled a comfortable puff of smoke.
Cheng Yi casually asked, "Which college do you attend?"
The girl took back the lighter and answered truthfully, "Jing City Film Academy."
Cheng Yi's hand that held the cigarette trembled slightly. "Is that so."
"Go remove your makeup."
The girl didn't understand why Cheng Yi suddenly asked her to remove her makeup. Though perplexed, she still followed his instructions and went to the bathroom to wash her face clean.
When she returned to the private room, Cheng Yi was lounging with his legs crossed, smoking his second cigarette.
Lin Wei felt her heart suddenly quicken. Even smoking, the man was a delight to watch.
Lin Wei cautiously sat back beside Cheng Yi. Seeing that his glass was empty, she filled it again with alcohol.
"What's your name?"
"Lin Wei."
The man nodded, then continued drinking. Lin Wei just sat next to him, refilling his drink. Was he in a bad mood?
Of course, Lin Wei dared not voice such a question. The manager had already instructed her that in their line of work, one should speak less and do more, and not ask questions that shouldn't be asked.
She didn't know how long they drank, but the man was completely intoxicated and had fallen asleep on the sofa.
Lin Wei initially wanted to go out and call the manager, but as she got up, she suddenly heard the man murmur a few words. The voice was so low that she couldn't make out what was being said.
So she leaned in closer and finally heard what the man had said.
Nannan? Was that the name of the person he liked?