Chapter 382: Chapter 382

Chapter 382: Chapter 382: Lin Zhiyi, Do You Want to Come with Me?

Liu He was helping Lin Zhiyi close the suitcase when she heard her question and accidentally pinched her own hand.

"Ah! That hurts!"

Liu He’s fingers turned red, and her face looked visibly upset.

Lin Zhiyi quickly fetched an ice pack from the fridge and pressed it against her hand.

"Mom, what’s wrong? You seem distracted."

"Nothing. She’s probably referring to another colleague who used to work with us. She quit long ago. You know in our line of work, we rely on youth.

When headquarters sends young and pretty girls over, there’s not much we can do."

Liu He pressed the ice pack against her hand, keeping her head low, making it impossible to see her expression.

Lin Zhiyi didn’t think much of it and knelt down to lift the suitcase herself.

Liu He was startled: "Don’t! You’re not even three months along yet. Lifting heavy things like this could cause problems."

"It’s not heavy," Lin Zhiyi explained.

"No way, let me do it," Liu He insisted.

She grabbed the suitcase and carried it into the room.

Then, Liu He’s voice echoed from inside the room.

"Why is there a locked cabinet? Do you want to check what’s inside?"

Lin Zhiyi froze for a moment and casually replied, "No need. I’m not taking anything from inside."

Liu He responded with an "Oh."

Once everything was packed, Liu He prepared to leave.

Lin Zhiyi handed her a small box: "Mom, after I’m gone, can you give this to him for me?"

Liu He paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

Lin Zhiyi tidied up her mother’s hair: "Mom, when I’m not around, you need to be careful with Wen Qing. Pretend to keep taking that herbal medicine.

At least that way, she won’t think of other ways to harm you."

"Got it. I’ll head back now. You take care too."

Liu He reluctantly hugged Lin Zhiyi before leaving.

...

The engagement banquet.

Lin Zhiyi and Sang Li’s engagement was even more low-key than before, with only a few close acquaintances attending.

However, to ensure the Gong Family heard about it, Sang Li still deliberately leaked news of the engagement.

When describing his fiancée, he mentioned her as the daughter of Gong Shiyan and Liu He.

With this, everyone only knew she was the second household’s adopted daughter from the Gong Family. Although she had previously used this identity to create tabloid scandals about secret affairs in an attempt to leave the Gong Family, her photos had been pulled off the internet almost immediately.

Few people knew who she really was.

But the Gong Family did.

And that was enough.

Sang Ran, still recovering from surgery, didn’t attend the banquet but asked Sang Li to bring a gift on her behalf.

At that moment, Lin Zhiyi was in the dressing room doing her makeup, with Sister Zhou helping her adjust her gown nearby.

Sang Li entered with a box in hand.

"From Xiao Ran."

Sister Zhou eyed the lace-covered box curiously: "It’s so pretty. What’s inside?"

Lin Zhiyi accepted the box and opened it. A black lace, seductive nightgown was openly displayed for everyone to see.

The makeup artist and Sister Zhou couldn’t help but stifle their laughter in the mirror.

Lin Zhiyi quickly closed the box, her expression pale.

A gift like this might be playful in private, but it was absolutely unacceptable to bring such an item openly to an engagement banquet.

Especially in a family like Sang Li’s, where proper etiquette was highly valued.

Even jokes had their limits.

Others might not grasp the deeper meaning.

But Lin Zhiyi understood it instantly.

A warning.

Sang Li understood too.

He took the box and set it aside, explaining, "She’s really gone too far with this joke. She’s becoming less aware of boundaries."

"It’s fine," Lin Zhiyi replied with a faint smile.

Sang Li placed his hand gently on her shoulder, reassuring her, "Everything will be alright."

"Mm."

Lin Zhiyi didn’t want the engagement banquet to encounter any additional issues, so she merely smiled it off.

Sister Zhou, noticing the time, urged, "Mr. Sang, you should head out to entertain the guests. I’ll help Zhiyi change into her gown."

Sang Li glanced at the gown and then at Lin Zhiyi: "It suits you perfectly."

"The auspicious hour is approaching. Save your sweet moments for later," Sister Zhou teased.

Only then did Sang Li leave.

Once Lin Zhiyi was dressed, both Sister Zhou and the makeup artist were stunned.

"This fringe gown looked so plain at first glance, but it looks incredible on you!"

If she hadn’t helped Lin Zhiyi change, Sister Zhou wouldn’t have believed the gown she brought earlier was the same one.

The long, grayish-purple tasseled slip dress appeared dim when it was in her hands.

But on Lin Zhiyi, it fit like it had been custom-tailored, showcasing her figure impeccably.

Taking a simple step, the shimmering fringes came to life, sparkling effortlessly.

The makeup artist finally remarked, "From 2D to 3D."

Lin Zhiyi blushed softly, a hint of shyness showing.

Sister Zhou steadied her. "Let’s go. We don’t want to keep everyone waiting."

Lin Zhiyi nodded and slowly walked out of the dressing room.

There was only one dressing room on that floor, so Lin Zhiyi had to walk down the hallway to reach the reserved private room.

She and Sister Zhou laughed as they walked forward.

As they passed a private room with a partially open door, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside.

She fell into the man’s arms.

Sister Zhou was about to call for help, but once she saw who it was, she quickly covered her mouth and mumbled, "I’ll wait outside."

The door quietly shut.

The dim room was thick with layers of smoke.

Lin Zhiyi had no idea how long Gong Chen had been smoking in there.

She slowly raised her gaze, staring at the man’s faintly visible features, and smiled softly.

His eyes, as dark as ink, revealed no emotion. His lips moved ever so slightly: "Lin Zhiyi, will you leave with me?"

"It’s too late," she replied.

She wasn’t talking about the time.

Everything—every matter—had come too late.

They were never meant to belong to the same world.

Forcing it would only leave both of them scarred and ruined.

The man lowered his gaze, his long lashes trembling in the shadows: "You always go against me. Is he that good? So much so that you insist on being with him?"

"Yes." Lin Zhiyi nodded, unable to meet his eyes.

This time, he didn’t force her to look at him and repeat it like before.

"Do you hate me?"

"I do."

Lin Zhiyi pressed her lips together, each breath slicing her chest with dull pain.

Gong Chen’s eyes dropped slightly: "Is he so stingy that he couldn’t even get you a decent piece of jewelry?"

Before she could respond, something cold and heavy draped around her neck.

A Colombian emerald ribbon necklace now adorned her collarbone.

The main gemstone, wrapped in glinting diamonds, appeared to be at least sixty carats.

Its value was beyond Lin Zhiyi’s ability to fathom.

Before she could refuse, she was shoved out of the private room.

When she turned around, the door gently closed. The man in the hazy smoke disappeared little by little, as if he had never been there.

"Zhiyi," Sister Zhou called out, staring in shock at the jewelry resting on her neck.

"Let’s go," Lin Zhiyi said quietly. Her lips curved slightly into a smile, but her eyes burned with dry pain.

When they entered the private room, Sang Li noticed the necklace but didn’t say a word.

"It’s beautiful," he remarked.

Then, he took her hand and led her in front of everyone.

The engagement banquet progressed smoothly, with everyone enjoying their time.

At the end of the banquet, Lin Zhiyi got into Sang Li’s car amid Liu He and Gong Shiyan’s words of advice.

The car started moving forward.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gong Chen standing by the car, dressed in a black suit, smoking a cigarette.

He appeared vague and emotionless.

But she knew he was watching her.

"Zhiyi, should I stop the car?" Sang Li clearly noticed as well.

Lin Zhiyi gently touched the necklace around her neck and shook her head. "No need. Let’s go."

As the car gradually drove away, the figure behind them grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely.

And just like that, everything was over.

On the way, Lin Zhiyi’s phone vibrated.

Sang Ran had sent her a message.

"Zhiyi, congratulations on your engagement. Have you reached my brother’s villa yet?"

Lin Zhiyi looked at the message and smiled bitterly to herself.

"Almost there. Thank you for the gift, I really liked it."

"Then I won’t disturb you."

Sang Ran added a teasing emoji full of implication.

Reborn to Outshine My Ex and His White Moonlight Chapter 381: Who is the Third Person?

Rebirth of a Village Girl Chapter 1123 - 286: Retribution, Recognizing Each Other_3 Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress Chapter 828 - 825: Prosperous Mountains and Rivers