pdf-ebookys Chapter 154 Appeasing Li Zhiyao
Chapter 154 Appeasing Li Zhiyao
He leaned down, his forehead gently touching hers, his voice so soft it could melt hearts, "How could I possibly betray you, betray our child?"
"Besides, Li Zhong will be here in a couple of days." Yan Shuo's tone turned serious, a hint of concern in his eyes. "He is Zhixing's personal adjutant, so his eyesight is definitely exceptional. Your belly isn't fully showing yet. If you get angry and it gets out, and it reaches Aunt Shen and Uncle Li's ears, they'll be heartbroken for you and will be talking about me."
These words struck a nerve with Li Zhiyao. She hadn't dared to tell her parents, Shen Manqing and Li Yanshan, about her pregnancy. Firstly, she was afraid they would worry, and secondly, she wanted to wait until things were more stable before telling them. But Li Zhong would arrive in two days, and with his keen observation skills, he would surely notice something amiss. Sooner or later, her family would find out.
Her expression gradually softened, and she gently placed her hand on her still flat stomach. The anger in her eyes was completely replaced by grievance and heartache: "I didn't mean to make trouble. I was just afraid... afraid that you would think I'm too heavy and troublesome now, that I'm not as young and pretty as Liu Yan, and even more afraid that you would be burdened by these worries, afraid that something would happen to you."
"Silly girl, you're always thinking nonsense." Seeing this, Yan Shuo felt a little relieved and gently stroked her hair. "You're someone who can call Aunt Song and Uncle Jiang. You're my woman, carrying my child. I'm too busy doting on you to find you troublesome. As for Liu Yan, she's just a pawn in my game to keep things in check. She's no match for you."
"From now on, I will try to have as little contact with her alone as possible, and I will report everything to you. I will also keep a close eye on the bar's security cameras. If she shows any disloyalty, I will deal with her immediately and without mercy."
His tone was firm, yet tinged with a hint of indulgence, "Also, you have to keep this a secret from headquarters for me, otherwise we'll both be punished, okay?"
"Also, when Li Zhong arrives, let's keep him calm, and keep Aunt Shen and Uncle Li at ease. Once your pregnancy is stable, we'll go back and talk to him in person, okay?"
Li Zhiyao pursed her lips, looked at him for a long time, and saw that his eyes were full of anxiety, sincerity and helplessness. In the end, she softened her heart, nodded gently, reached out and held his hand, and placed it on her lower abdomen: "Then you must keep your word. You are not allowed to really have feelings for Liu Yan, you are not allowed to let others gossip, and you are not allowed to get into trouble."
"I promise, I promise." Yan Shuo nodded quickly, took her hand in his, and said in a doting tone, "From now on, I'll discuss everything with you, and I won't let you suffer any more grievances or worry unnecessarily, okay?"
"Mmm." Li Zhiyao responded softly, leaning on his shoulder, tears still falling uncontrollably. But this time, they were no longer filled with anger and grievance, but rather with relief and heartache.
Yan Shuo gently patted her back, comforting her in a low voice, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He was determined to go to the bar later to find out who dared to spread rumors and disturb his people.
At the same time, he must keep a close eye on Liu Yan. If she makes any unusual moves, he will not tolerate it. After all, he can tolerate it for a while, but he will never raise a tiger to cause trouble.
After comforting Li Zhiyao and seeing her gradually calm down as she leaned against the headboard, Yan Shuo turned and walked out of the inner room. His face instantly darkened, and he coldly shouted at the door, "Su Ling, come in!"
Upon hearing the sound, Su Ling immediately rushed in and saluted, "Captain!"
"Did you hear what Yao Yao was saying just now?" Yan Shuo's tone was cold and hard, without the slightest bit of politeness. "Who in the bar was gossiping about me and Liu Yan having an affair? Investigate them immediately!"
Su Ling's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head: "Captain, I'll investigate right away! I'll check the surveillance footage from the office entrance and the bar right now; we'll definitely find out who was talking nonsense!"
Yan Shuo's eyes were filled with malice. "After finding the person, throw them directly into the mine and never let them return to Shanghai. If they dare to say another word, deal with them on the spot!"
"Yes! I'll take care of it right away!" Su Ling didn't dare to delay and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Yan Shuo called out to her, his tone softening slightly as he instructed, "When you come back after the investigation, talk to Yao Yao and comfort her. Don't let her dwell on things anymore. She's pregnant, so don't let her think about worries all the time. Talk about something lighthearted, like funny stories from the team. Don't bring up gossip or Liu Yan's matter to upset her."
Su Ling nodded quickly, "I understand! I promise I won't talk about anything that bothers me, I'll try my best to make Sister Yao Yao happy, and I'll spend a lot of time with her!"
"Go on, hurry up." Yan Shuo waved his hand, his gaze falling on the door of the inner room, full of concern and impatience. These gossipy people were disturbing his peace and quiet.
Su Ling responded and quickly retreated, all the while planning in her mind to find the person who had spoken out of turn as soon as possible, and then come back to have a good talk with Sister Yao Yao to cheer her up.
Inside the room, Li Zhiyao leaned against the headboard. Although she stopped crying, there was still a hint of grievance in her eyes. Hearing Yan Shuo's scolding voice from outside, she felt both warm and bittersweet.
A short while later, Su Ling returned after checking the surveillance footage and went to the outer room to report to Yan Shuo: "Captain, we found out. It was two new employees at the bar who were gossiping about you and Manager Liu Yan in private. They even dared to secretly talk to Sister Yao Yao's maid. I've already arranged for them to be dragged away and sent to a mine in another city."
Yan Shuo said coldly, "Deal with them cleanly. Anyone who continues to talk nonsense will be executed."
"Understood, subordinate." Su Ling replied, picked up the warm bird's nest soup from the side, turned around and went into the inner room, her face changing to a gentle and smiling expression, "Sister Yao Yao, please drink some bird's nest soup to nourish your body."
Li Zhiyao looked up at her, took the bird's nest, and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble. I'm afraid he'll get sick from being angry."
"Look at you, this is what we should do." Su Ling sat on the edge of the bed, smiling and comforting him. "Don't worry, the captain's heart is only for you and the child, he has no time to think about anything else. By the way, let me tell you a funny story from the team. Yesterday, Li Gang went to buy steamed buns, and in his haste, he bit his tongue. Zhou Hu laughed at him all afternoon, and now the whole team knows about it. Now he avoids Zhou Hu whenever he sees him."
Upon hearing this, a hint of a smile finally flashed across Li Zhiyao's eyes. He pursed his lips and said, "This Li Gang is still so impulsive."
"That's right." Su Ling pressed on while the iron was hot, and said with a smile, "And there's Sister He Qiao. Yesterday, she was making soup for Lin Xiao and almost burned the clay pot. She was so flustered that she was in a panic. It was only because her teammates reminded her that she didn't do something that would make people laugh their heads off. She's still embarrassed to mention it now."
As she spoke, the grievance on Li Zhiyao's face completely disappeared, and she chuckled softly, "This team is quite lively."
"It's lively, isn't it? With these lively characters around, there are far fewer worries," Su Ling said with a smile. "Sister Yao Yao, you should try to think more about happy things in the future and not let those gossips affect you. Only when you are healthy can the captain be at ease, and we can all feel at ease too."
Li Zhiyao nodded, took a sip of bird's nest soup, and her tone became much lighter: "I understand, thank you for keeping me company."
Outside, Yan Shuo heard Li Zhiyao's laughter coming from inside. His tense expression finally relaxed completely, and he leaned back in his chair, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.