...
Two minutes later, Li Yan drove out of the house again.
He had just learned from Aunt Liu that Zhang Yurong left half an hour ago, but she didn't know where she went.
This piece of information made Li Yan even more suspicious. It shouldn't take half an hour to get to the father-in-law's house from here. If it was about her father, she should have arrived at home by now, so why doesn't she have time to pick up the phone? Even if she didn't want to answer it, she should have hung up, right?
His phone was still ringing, and just as he drove out of the residential area, Zhang Yurong finally answered the call.
"What's up? I'm driving," Zhang Yurong said with a hint of annoyance.
Hearing her usual tone, Li Yan felt relieved. "I got back and saw you weren't home, so I was just checking in. Where are you now? Is your dad..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Yurong interrupted, "What are you talking about! My dad's fine."
Li Yan was puzzled, "Did the company catch fire?"
Zhang Yurong couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, "Li Yan! Did you call so urgently just to jinx me?"
"Uh... how could it be. You've never gone out alone this late, so I thought something happened at home or at the company. It's good that nothing's wrong. Where are you now, do you need me to come over?" Li Yan slowed down, thinking if she was just out for a gathering or social event, he wouldn't question it, especially since he was out drinking just now and she hadn't asked him.
Hearing his words, Zhang Yurong paused, initially wanting to say, "You often go out playing late, why do you care where I go?" But seeing how urgent he was to call repeatedly when he got back, it somewhat showed he cared, so she softened her tone a bit.
"I have something to do at the Ginza Hotel, I'll be back later."
"Oh." Li Yan responded and stopped the car. "Then that's fine, have fun."
After hanging up the phone, Li Yan laughed at himself for worrying for a few minutes, thinking something major had happened to her. It seemed she was just out having fun. If something serious happened, surely she'd let him know. Was he just overthinking?
Though there wasn't much affection between him and Zhang Yurong, and they didn't interact much, he couldn't ignore the discomfort of the idea of his wife going to a hotel in the middle of the night.
Should he head back to sleep or return to the nightclub, maybe stay out until morning... As he hesitated, Zhang Yurong's call came through again.
Li Yan hesitated for a moment before answering.
"What's up?"
"I know you don't care," Zhang Yurong said, slightly out of breath, "but I have to clarify, I'm meeting a client at the Ginza Hotel near the airport, not the messy thing you imagine!"
She felt he was being a bit neurotic when he hung up earlier, inexplicably. After a while, she realized that hearing his last words, "have fun," might have made him think she was out with a lover. That felt like quite a wrongful accusation!
Although she didn't feel the need to explain or report to him, she couldn't stand such a misunderstanding, as it concerned her reputation.
Li Yan frowned slightly, "What kind of client requires a midnight meeting at a hotel?… Is it safe?"
He started the car again and gradually accelerated.
Hearing his concerned tone, Zhang Yurong considered that after all, he was her husband and had the right to inquire; she had the responsibility to reassure him. Just like every time he went out, she could ask him, even if she chose not to.
"It's fine. Mr. Xu isn't a bad guy. He's been abroad and just returned to attend a conference in Cloud Island. He flew here specifically to sign a contract with our company, only staying a few hours before rushing to Cloud Island overnight. We've already discussed all the details; I'm just going to sign the papers." Zhang Yurong wasn't concerned whether he believed her or not, as she was telling the truth.
Hearing this, Li Yan was even more certain. No one would label themselves as a bad guy when doing something bad. To gain Zhang Yurong's trust and have her go to sign a contract alone at this hour, Mr. Xu must not be simple, and considering Zhang Yurong's stunning looks, it was hard to believe there's such a purely good intentioned person.
Calculating the time, Zhang Yurong should almost be at the airport. Li Yan instantly said in an undeniable tone, "I'm coming over now! You must wait for me to go up together with you! If you don't wait, don't blame me for causing a scene at the hotel and embarrassing you!"
After saying that, he hung up and pushed the little QQ car to its fastest speed, thinking about the quickest route to the airport in his head.
"Lunatic..." Zhang Yurong couldn't help but mutter softly after being hung up on again. She was indeed near the airport. She had just gotten off the highway when she answered the call. Waiting for him to arrive would take at least another half an hour, which not only wasted her time but also Mr. Xu's. Mr. Xu was a busy man, and delaying his time would affect many others.
"Why should I listen to you? I'm the CEO here! Threatening to cause a scene and embarrass me, so what if I lose face, I don't recognize you, you can get arrested for all I care!"
Zhang Yurong mumbled to herself, as if still on the phone.
More than ten minutes later, she parked at the Ginza Hotel, but hesitated when she got to the entrance.
Should she really not wait for him? Besides wasting more time, how else could he help? He might just cause trouble!
However, hearing his tone, it seemed he was on his way driving over. If he came and didn't know the room number, causing a scene here… that'd be quite troublesome; she really couldn't just ignore him.
Looking at the time, she estimated that if Li Yan was coming, it'd take another twenty minutes at the fastest. At a quick pace, that time should be enough to complete the signing, handle everything, and block him from entering. But if it's slower? Mr. Xu was so busy, only staying in S City for a few hours conferred various projects, who knew if other companies were involved too? Waiting around and causing a commotion could end up ruining the business deal.
Forget it, no matter what, it's just half an hour's delay, better not complicate things further.
Waiting was a frustrating thing, especially when important matters are involved, waiting for someone inconsequential can be even more frustrating. Luckily, Zhang Yurong was someone who could immerse themselves into work mode at any time, so she wouldn't waste this time. Since she drove herself here, she had to stay focused and not think too much about details, now she could use this time to organize her thoughts, consider the other party's position and mindset to avoid failure in the final negotiation. In the business world, even when everything is agreed upon, it's commonplace to have last-minute surprises when signing contracts.
In less than ten minutes, a green figure swiftly turned around and headed directly towards Zhang Yurong at the hotel entrance. Startled while contemplating matters, Zhang Yurong's pupils contracted and she instinctively backed away two steps.
The car stopped just in front of her, and she saw Li Yan get out.
"All right, now we can go in."
Amazed at the sight of Li Yan before her, Zhang Yurong scolded in a low voice, "Why were you driving so fast? You scared me!"
"Aren't you going to meet a client? Let's go." Li Yan walked directly inside, casually tossing the keys to the doorman.
The hotel doorman didn't look down on him because of the cheap car; seeing a micro car driven like a sports car already left him impressed.