BDB Chapter 10

The night breeze felt slightly cool, and stray strands of hair were blown across her earlobe, covering her small, delicate ear.

At that moment, she finally turned her head. However, the expression on her face wasn’t the timid look he had imagined. Instead, it was calm, like a still well, with a faint hint of annoyance. “Shall we talk privately?”

Li Jueyan’s heart instantly sank.

But in the next moment, he realized her voice still carried the same soft, gentle tone he had heard from a distance.

His heart, which had felt almost lifeless, suddenly began to beat warmly and excitedly again.

Of course, he had to agree.

The closest onlooker, Ruan Nuo, looked somewhat dumbfounded.

She didn’t know who this person was, nor how much the clothes he wore cost. But just by looking at his aura and the fact that over a dozen bodyguards followed him, she could tell that he was not an ordinary person.

And this person actually knew the woman sitting next to her—did that mean…

Just then, a gentle hand rested on her head. “I’m sorry, little sister. Maybe we’ll meet again.”

The stars sparkled in the night sky.

That beautiful face smiled at her with extraordinary warmth.

Her heart felt as if it had slammed into a corner of a wall, but the wall was wrapped in soft foam. Not only did it not hurt, but it also brought her a moment of relaxation.

Jiang Rao had actually apologized for having to leave abruptly, but Ruan Nuo thought she was apologizing for hiding her true identity.

She quickly shook her head.

There was nothing to apologize for. Celebrities often denied their identity to avoid being harassed.

But for Jiang Tang to apologize to her over such a thing—her character must be truly admirable!

…

If Li Jueyan had known what Ruan Nuo was thinking ten minutes later, he probably would have scoffed at it.

By now, the sky had completely darkened.

However, the interior of the extended Lincoln they were sitting in was illuminated as brightly as daylight.

His gaze slowly trailed down from her profile, and he finally noticed that she wasn’t dressed as flamboyantly as usual today.

Strangely enough, the light gray tracksuit perfectly hugged her graceful figure, and it was even more likely to make a man’s throat tighten than those slightly tacky outfits that showed off arms and legs.

Although he didn’t care much for the heavy makeup on her face, today’s look made her resemble the delicate beauty in his dreams by at least fifty percent.

For some reason, he suddenly had the urge to light a cigarette.

As he thought of it, he acted on it. But just as he was about to pull a cigar from its box, the hand of the person next to him gently pressed it down.

Her delicate, slender fingers appeared before his eyes.

“Young Master Li,” she said softly.

His hand, which was holding the cigar, trembled slightly.

He had heard her speak in this tone only four times before.

The first three times had already stirred something within him, but at that time, there had been noise, and a certain distance remained between them.

This time was different.

The car doors blocked out all external sounds, and besides the driver, who neither saw nor heard anything, it was just the two of them in this enclosed space.

He suddenly thought of the pleasant dream he had a few days ago.

Every night, she would cry and plead by his ear, saying, “I don’t want this, let me go,” yet her voice was always sweet, soft, and tender.

Did she really not know, or was she just pretending? Who the hell could have resisted the way she said those things in that tone?

Their eyes met, and his heart pounded like a drum. “What’s the matter?”

In her previous life, Jiang Rao had always hated the smell of smoke; just a whiff would give her a headache and make her nauseous.

After transmigrating into this book, her new body was even more sensitive, like the princess from The Princess and the Pea. She couldn’t tolerate any discomfort, and any sensory irritation caused by outside stimuli would make her feel unwell for quite some time.

So, she had no choice but to stop the male lead. “In such an enclosed space, it’s basic courtesy and common sense not to subject a lady to secondhand smoke, right?”

When she addressed him as “Young Master Li” earlier, she hadn’t fully prepared herself and had used the original owner’s natural voice. However, she was aware of how much this carnivorous male lead loved the female lead’s voice. The backseat of the car was spacious, and with so few people, she feared he might lose his reason due to her voice.

So, with the next sentence, she imitated Jiang Tang’s manner of speaking, adopting a more pretentious tone.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately noticed the male lead’s expression beginning to shift.

Sure enough, in the next second, he asked, “What’s wrong with your voice?”

Jiang Rao wasn’t frightened by his sudden change of expression.

Although she didn’t understand why the male lead suddenly seemed to care so much about her, she knew that the thought process of a domineering CEO in a typical old-fashioned novel was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like her.

On the way here, Jiang Rao had already thought of an explanation. “I’m a celebrity. Naturally, I can’t reveal my identity in crowded places. I’m also an actress, so of course, I have good vocal skills. If Young Master Li finds it impossible for someone to speak with two different voices, you should look into the voice-acting industry. There’s nothing surprising about it.”

Li Jueyan narrowed his eyes, staring at her intently for a long moment. “So, what do you want to talk to me about?”

Jiang Rao thought about Jiang Tang’s character and replied, “It’s not about what I want to talk about. I want to ask why, after you just warned me not to show up in front of you, you suddenly decided to show up in front of me?”

The last trace of a smile on Li Jueyan’s face vanished.

He abruptly grabbed her chin, pulling her close, and said, “Do you know where the last person who dared to speak to me like that is now?”

Although Jiang Rao didn’t know who had spoken to him like this before, she could guess their fate.

In old-fashioned novels, there were no moral standards, no laws. Those who offended the male lead either ended up dead or disabled, and their families were usually left bankrupt.

Apart from her, no one was more pitiable in this world than the supporting characters!

Yes, except for her!

If she didn’t play Jiang Tang’s role well, the male lead might discover her true identity. With his obsession for pure beauties, she could easily end up as his caged canary, doomed to be tormented both physically and emotionally until the supposed happy ending arrived.

If she played Jiang Tang too well but failed to control the situation, she could end up in awkward scenarios like the one she was currently facing.

She really wanted to shout, ‘I don’t want to be the female lead anymore!’ But no matter how detached she felt, no one in their right mind would choose death while still living well.

As she pondered how to respond, she suddenly felt a warm breath brush against her earlobe.

“You wanted to know why I came in front of you, didn’t you? I’ll spare your life. Now, go wash your face and show me.”

Reflexively, Jiang Rao shoved his head away.

His head hit the car door with a loud thud, and Jiang Rao froze. Though she hadn’t done it on purpose, the satisfaction of what had just happened still made her feel a bit relieved.

Coincidentally, at that moment, her cell phone suddenly rang from inside her bag.

But just as she raised her hand to retrieve it, the male lead grabbed her other hand, holding both firmly.

Their eyes locked, and after the phone had rung three times, Li Jueyan chuckled. “I’ll give you one last chance. Are you going to wash your face or not?”

His eyes were slightly red, and the madness within them was unmistakable.

The bump on his forehead from hitting the door seemed not to faze him in the slightest—his sole focus remained on her removing her makeup.

It was just makeup removal; Jiang Rao had nothing to fear.

However, to stay in character, she still gave him a faint glance and asked, “Is it because you want to see what I look like without makeup?”

That was the only reason she could think of for why he was so insistent on her washing her face.

“Will wiping it off with a wet wipe suffice?”

A wet wipe was still wet, after all.

Li Jueyan didn’t see much difference between that and a wet towel for washing one’s face.

In the Lincoln, everything was provided, including wet wipes.

His eyes burned with anticipation as he watched her tear open the packaging. He stared unblinkingly as she pulled out a white wipe and placed it over one eye.

After a moment, she gently rubbed her eye and removed the wet wipe, revealing a smear of brown eyeshadow and smudged black eyeliner on it.

When he looked back at her eyes, the excitement in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a cold indifference.

Jiang Rao breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she had managed to get through this situation!

Since the day the male lead had barged into her room, showing interest in her makeup, she had been cautious. She applied a thin layer of waterproof light makeup first, followed by a heavier layer of makeup that looked just like her usual bold style but used less durable products.

Even when using makeup remover, it took her several rounds to remove the waterproof layer entirely. A wet wipe? That wouldn’t even come close to wiping it all off.

By now, her phone had rung at least ten times. Li Jueyan finally released her chin and arms. “Get out of the car.”

He threw a card at her and said, “Take it. The password is six sixes.”

The typical old-fashioned male lead, indeed, always used money to make up for his mistakes.

Jiang Rao thought she should have thrown a fit based on Jiang Tang’s character, but when she saw the black card with gold embossing in her hand, she fell silent.

There must be at least hundreds of thousands on this card, right?

If she didn’t continue her role as the substitute wife and Madam Bai refused to pay her the remaining balance, this money would be a considerable sum for her, right?

After all the pain and suffering the male lead had caused her, tormenting her physically and emotionally every night, was it too much to take some compensation for her mental distress?

She got out of the car and noticed a nearby Construction Bank.

She inserted the card and entered the password. Staring at the string of zeros following the balance, she fell silent once more.

The night breeze was gentle, and her cell phone, which had been quiet for some time, suddenly rang again.

When she answered the call from Madam Bai, she heard the woman say, “Why haven’t you sent money to your mother yet? She’s been calling me nonstop, and it’s driving me crazy. If I had known, I would’ve just given the money to her directly instead of going through you. What a mess!”

Yes, what a mess.

Jiang Rao’s expression remained calm. “Fortunately, Madam Bai, you didn’t do that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Otherwise, you might have heard a convoluted story about how your daughter ran away during her marriage and was eventually found in a sanatorium in Country M. By the way, I suggest you read up on contract law.”

“What did you say?”

Jiang Rao was sure her words were exceptionally clear.

Madam Bai had heard them but didn’t understand. Still, since she wasn’t speaking in an ancient language or foreign dialect, Jiang Rao believed any normal adult could figure out her meaning within half an hour.

She had more important matters to attend to now, so there was no time to waste on Madam Bai.

As for those important matters…

Half an hour later, just after Li Jueyan returned to the yacht, he heard a knock on the door.

“Enter,” he said.

Xiao Zhang entered with a freshly received fax in hand. Upon entering, he saw the president seated by the window, gripping a bottle of red wine tightly.

There was a corkscrew and a cork lying on the floor near the large window, evidence that the wine had just been opened.

Yet the bottle was already half empty, meaning the president had drunk a considerable amount.

Xiao Zhang wasn’t sure if he should report the news right now. After some hesitation, he decided that given the sum involved, it was best to speak up. “President Li, your bank card just received a few transaction statements.”

Li Jueyan turned his head slightly, “Since when did I need to review every simple transaction?”

The assets of the Li family, even if not the largest in China, still totaled in the billions.

The properties they owned—ranging from houses, cars, estates, and more—required substantial funds for upkeep. If he had to go through every statement personally, it wouldn’t be long before he worked himself to death.

Xiao Zhang dutifully replied, “It’s because the bank card was just issued last month, and it had a balance of ten million. Today, nearly 4.98 million was spent all at once.”

Li Jueyan’s mind instantly turned to one person. “Did Jiang Tang spend it?”

“Yes.”

“What did she buy?”

“Houses. …Five houses.”

——