Chapter 16

Ling Yiran's body froze. Whenever she heard the names of those two people, she felt as if she were having a nightmare! She knew about the six-carat diamond ring, as she had seen it in the news. Even if she had tried to avoid reading the news about the two of them, she would see mentions of it when she used her mobile phone to search for information. Back then, when she and Xiao Ziqi were in the jewelry shop, she had seen the pink diamond. Xiao Ziqi had told her, "Yiran, if you like it, I'll buy it for you as our marriage ring." However, Xiao Ziqi and the diamond ring did not belong to her. "Yiran... are you going home?" A man's bashful voice resounded in Ling Yiran's ears. Ling Yiran lifted her head and saw a man of about 30 years old smiling shyly at her. He had short hair and wore the uniform of the fleet. Ling Yiran was taken aback. Suddenly, she recalled that he was Guo, from the Sanitation Service Center's fleet. "Yes," Ling Yiran replied. "I'm free. Let me send you home," Guo Xinli said, mustering up his courage. Ling Yiran remembered Sister Xu telling her that Guo was interested in her. "Is Guo trying to woo me?" However, Ling Yiran had no intention to get into a relationship. "You don't have to." Ling Yiran turned him down. "It's all right. I have a car. It's convenient for me to send you back," Guo Xinli said immediately as he made a second attempt. "Huh! Your car is too cheap. She wants to sit in a luxury car. If you could buy her a six-carat diamond ring, she would let you send her back," Fang Qianqian from the Department of Tools said with envy. Guo Xinli's face immediately turned red, not knowing what to say. Ling Yiran glanced at Fang Qianqian and said, "In that case, if someone wishes to send you home and you turn him down, it must be because it's not a luxury car and there's no six-carat diamond ring! Or, will you accept anyone who wishes to send you home?" "You..." Fang Qianqian was rendered speechless as she glared at Ling Yiran. Ling Yiran turned to Guo Xinli and said, "Thank you. However, I live nearby and I'm used to walking home." After saying that, she turned to leave. On the way home, Ling Yiran bought some lean meat and vegetables. After she returned to the rental apartment, she cooked vegetables and lean meat porridge and had dinner with Yi Jinli. "Did you still have gastric pain today?" Ling Yiran asked out of concern. "No. It's no longer painful," Yi Jinli replied. "Take the medicine for another day to stabilize your condition. In the future, you must eat your three meals on time. You can't be distributing leaflets for a living. Go get a more stable job." Ling Yiran continued, "Shall I help you check on the Internet to see if there are any suitable jobs for you?" "It's all right. I will look around," Yi Jinli said. "If Sister wants me to get a stable job, I'll do that." "Good boy!" Ling Yiran lifted her hand and touched Yi Jinli's head, smiling happily. She felt that it was wonderful to have a younger brother. Yi Jinli was shocked. As he looked at her, there seemed to be a layer of fog over his eyes. When Ling Yiran touched his head, he felt that she was treating him like a kid. No one had touched his head in a long time. It was only when he was very young that his father had touched his head, telling him, "Jin, you must be strong. You must be stronger than anyone and not be a weakling like me." "That's right. I must be strong and ruthless. Only by doing so can I get what I want and not end up like my father." Currently, Yi Jinli controlled the entire Yi Group, standing on the peak of this city. He had everything that he had wished for, but he wasn't content. There was something that he desired. He desired for... his gaze... was fixed on the person standing before him... Ling Yiran's mobile phone suddenly rang. She moved her hand away to pick up her mobile phone. Yi Jinli felt the warmth leaving him, and he frowned, feeling uneasy. He seemed to covet more of her warmth. It was an unfamiliar number. When Ling Yiran answered the phone, a stumbling voice was heard on the other end of the line. "Is it Yi-Yiran? This is Guo Xinli. I would like to... tell you not to take to heart what Fang Qianqian has said. I know that you're not a materialistic girl. Although I'm driving a domestic car, I'll work hard and get a better car in the future!" Before Ling Yiran could reply, Guo Xinli had ended the call. Ling Yiran looked at her phone, appearing troubled. She was wondering if she should reject Guo Xinli flatly so that he would not waste his time and feelings on her. "Who called you?" A cold voice suddenly resounded in the room. "A colleague from the Sanitation Service Center," Ling Yiran replied as she put down the mobile phone. Yi Jinli glanced at the mobile phone and asked, "A male colleague?" Although she had not put the call on speaker, he could hear the voice as he was sitting close to her. "Yes." "Does he like you?" Yi Jinli's gaze indistinctly turned grave. "Maybe," she replied. "What about you, Sister. Do you like him?" Ling Yiran replied, "If he finds out that I've been to prison before, he will stay away from me. Thus, it's not important whether I like him or not." "Is there something wrong with you being in prison before? If he truly likes you, he will not mind that," Yi Jinli said. Ling Yiran smiled bitterly when she heard that. Many people in this world did mind such things. It was similar to the true love that she had thought she had back then. Once she got into trouble, true love became worthless. "What if that guy accepts that you were imprisoned before? Would you like him then, Sister?" Yi Jinli asked again. Ling Yiran was stunned. "If someone is willing to accept me, knowing that I'm an ex-convict..." Yi Jinli looked unhappy when he saw her in a daze. He took her hand and bit her fingertip gently. "Ah!" Ling Yiran shouted. She came back to her senses, looking into the pair of beautiful Amorous Eyes. "Would you like him, Sister?" He was determined to get an answer from her. "No," Ling Yiran replied, "I'd treat him like any other colleague." Moreover, she had no intention to get into a relationship. When Yi Jinli heard what she had said, he smiled. He was good-looking, and when he smiled, his eyes glittered, making them look flirtatious. Suddenly, she was captivated by him, unable to shift her gaze away from him. Yi Jinli was in a good mood. He licked the fingertip that he had just bitten, saying, "In that case, Sister, continue to treat him like any other colleague."