Chapter 131 - Things never change.

"Is that wish all for what you brought me here?" Li Zhiqiang easily guessed.

Jing Lihua: "..."

"Don't make that face. Or could it be you forgot I can read minds? From the moment you first flirted with me over the phone I already knew you were up to something."

"I didn't flirt with you!" Jing Lihua just couldn't stop herself when she was with him. Countless times, she had tried to persuade her that bickering him with was a totally useless thing. But every time, she ended up doing the same. "Forget it. That doesn't matter."

"Of course that matters. You had gone as far as to cheat for that purpose. It must matter a lot."

Jing Lihua froze: "You knew? How did you realize." Looked like there was no way to fool the tycoon.

"Hah! So you really cheated? How shameless of you Jing Lihua. I was just testing right now with my words."

Jing Lihua: "..."

"Remember you had used the same trick on me when I brought the cat for you." Li Luxian laughed and sat across her. "It doesn't matter. It was just a little game. The thing that matters was that we were able to spend time together. And one way or other I was able to make you laugh. Even if that was by bullying me."

"Stop it." He was making her feel guilty about what she was going to ask of him.

Li Zhiqiang sighed and pulled his chair closer to her. He grabbed her hands in the chilly winter. "Tell me what is it about."

"I might need to go with Su Liwei on a trip." Jing Lihua slowly said; keeping her voice low.

Li Zhiqiang froze. For a moment his eyes darkened. Before he could say anything, Jing Lihua grabbed his hands tightly. "It is for my company's sake. I want to get away for some time. Only then, they would make a move and I would be able to point out the spies in our ranks. I must go Li Zhiqiang; to bait them. I wouldn't if it wasn't absolutely necessary."

"Whoever it is you know that I can eradicate them for you with a single command." Li Zhiqiang's voice was light.

"I know that Li Zhiqiang. But since the beginning, I have told you I don't want to rely on you. For what they did to me, I want to be the one to do the same to them. Li Zhiqiang, do you not trust me?"

"It's not that I don't trust you." Li Zhiqiang sighed. "I can't bear the thought of leaving you in the company of another man. What if he tried something on you?" Even the thought of that happening made Li Zhiqiang blood boil.

Jing Lihua smiled at him: "Do you really think that I can be bullied that easily?"

"Jing Lihua you do understand how I feel about you, don't you?" At the moment, he wanted to tell those words to her. He wanted to say those three words that had been stuck in his heart for the last five years. But at the last moment, he couldn't get himself to say them. Something there stopped him. Perhaps it was the fear of being rejected. Or perhaps he didn't want to trouble Jing Lihua.

Nevertheless, it wasn't the right moment.

"I know." Jing Lihua's voice was soft and gentle."That's why I am asking for your permission. If you do not want me to go, I wouldn't Li Zhiqiang." Jing Lihua had realized by now, between revenge and Li Zhiqiang if she had to choose one thing then that would choose Li Zhiqiang. He was far important to her than anything else.

The importance he held in is heart even scared her sometimes. After she was reborn, she had thought she had gotten over all of her fears. She could move forward without caring for any consequence. But after she met him, things changed. A new fear arose in her heart. She was scared of losing him.

Li Zhiqiang thought for a long time. "Fine." He knew that he couldn't tie her to himself forever. She was a free bird and he wanted to see her fly; to see her standing on her feet on her own. That would not be possible if he didn't let her face any dangers on her own. "I won't mind it. But you must take some precautions. Take some sprays with you and I'm also going to teach you some defense moves in case he tries something on you."

"Thank you, Li Zhiqiang." Jing Lihua threw her arms around him. She was happy. "I never thought you would agree so easily. Thank you for being so understanding."

"I've not fully agreed you know. How about you bribe me with a few favors to make me agree 'wholeheartedly'?" Li Zhiqiang winked at her. Jing Lihua punched him playfully.

That night they had a very good time together. Laughing and joking around, it was not until midnight Jing Lihua returned back to her apartment. Exhausted, she fell asleep quickly without even changing.

In the morning, she quickly got dressed and headed straight for the Mealor mansion. As her destination drew closer, a strange trepidation arose in her heart.

In her last life, she had visited the manor once. And that didn't turn out to be a very good experience. Back at that time, she had gone there looking for Su Liwei. She was thrown out. She was humiliated. She was demeaned in every possible way. Not even the servants of the mansion respected her.

However, this time things were different. Jing Lihua wasn't going to step in without any security. The car passed through several layers of security around the manor. After that followed a long field of greenery. Su family was known to enjoy their extravagant lifestyle. Despite taking the Tang empire to second place in Beijing, Jing Lihua still stayed in an apartment far lesser than what she could easily afford.

While the Su family was a different story.

When Jing Lihua stepped out of the car, no one came down to greet her. Her lips curled up. "Some things don't ever change."