CHAPTER 194: CHAPTER 194: PROBING

"This is workable?"

Li Jing was astonished after hearing this: "Are these women looking for a man or just treating this as a business?"

"Yes, so once a boss runs out of money or stops giving gifts, they can kick him away without hesitation because, in their eyes, a man is merely a supplier of luxury goods. If he can’t provide luxuries, she won’t waste a single second on him."

Hearing this, Li Jing looked at Zhang Xinxin with a peculiar expression and asked tentatively, "If I ran out of money, what would you do?"

"Brother Jing, isn’t it too distrustful for you to ask that question?!"

Zhang Xinxin saw through his thoughts and immediately expressed her dissatisfaction: "Of course, I wouldn’t be like them, you can’t compare me to those women."

"Don’t be angry, I was just asking."

Li Jing looked into her delicate eyes and asked again, "I want to hear your honest answer. After all, I can’t always guarantee I’ll have money. If I truly ran out of money, what would you do then? Don’t tell lies."

Looking at Li Jing’s earnest eyes, Zhang Xinxin’s pupils slightly twitched. She knew she couldn’t just brush it off this time, so after a moment of reflection, she said, "I don’t know. This kind of thing hasn’t happened, so I..."

"Don’t change the subject. Just tell me your true thoughts, I won’t be angry."

Zhang Xinxin stared at Li Jing’s calm gaze and realized that not speaking the truth might arouse his displeasure even more. After a long period of hesitation, she asked uncertainly, "You really won’t be angry?"

"I won’t be."

"Alright then..."

Zhang Xinxin took a deep breath and, after carefully pondering for a moment, made up her mind, looked into his eyes, and said, "I don’t know."

"You don’t know?" Li Jing frowned.

"Yes, that’s my honest answer."

Zhang Xinxin’s expression turned a bit serious: "I don’t know whether Brother Jing has posed similar questions to An Tong, but my answer would definitely be different from hers.

Because I know her, she might not leave you. She is more easily satisfied than I am and doesn’t need that much money.

But I’m different. I’ve thought about living a rich person’s life, so I don’t know if Brother Jing were to run out of money, whether I’d leave you.

But what I can assure is that I wouldn’t be ungrateful, even if you were to lose all your investments or get into debt for whatever reason, I’d do my best to help you, but I can’t guarantee that I’d cling to you like I do now because I don’t want to live a poor life."

As her voice fell, and seeing Zhang Xinxin’s earnest expression, Li Jing didn’t rush to speak.

After a while, he slowly stated, "So if I ran out of money, you’d be willing to help me, but you wouldn’t keep an ambiguous relationship with me, wouldn’t be together anymore, right?"

Zhang Xinxin didn’t know what Li Jing was thinking behind his calm face, so she slightly bit her lower lip and nodded with some difficulty, "Yes. I’d do my best to help you, but I wouldn’t maintain this kind of romantic relationship."

As she spoke, she immediately added, "Because you wanted me to speak the truth, and I didn’t want to deceive you, that’s why I said this..."

"I understand."

Li Jing leaned back on the sofa, looking at her calmly: "So simply put, your answer is that if I ran out of money, you would leave me, right?"

"Ah, I..."

Zhang Xinxin’s expression slightly changed, wanting to explain a few words, but was interrupted by Li Jing’s indifferent voice, "If that’s the case, why should I still have you by my side?"

"Brother Jing..."

As her words fell, Zhang Xinxin trembled, looking at his expressionless face in shock.

Yet, Li Jing seemed not to notice Zhang Xinxin’s panic-stricken look and continued indifferently, "So you should leave, I don’t need a woman like that."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xinxin was stunned, immediately defending herself: "Brother Jing, you asked me to tell the truth, so I..."

"Indeed you spoke the truth." Li Jing looked at her: "But it doesn’t affect my decision to let you go, does it?"

Hearing this, Zhang Xinxin’s hands couldn’t help but tremble slightly, her mind filled with countless things she wanted to say, yet not knowing what to express, just feeling that everything came too suddenly.

In the end, under Li Jing’s silent pressure, Zhang Xinxin slowly stood up, looking somewhat lost, her face pale, eyes slightly reddened, and said quietly, "I’m sorry, I understand..."

As her words faded, just when Zhang Xinxin was about to turn and leave, Li Jing suddenly spoke, "So you still won’t change your previous answer, will you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xinxin took a deep breath, clutching her small bag tightly, biting her lip, and said, "That was my genuine answer, I won’t take it back, and I don’t want to lie to you."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Li Jing with reddened eyes, her voice sorrowful yet firm, "Brother Jing, I’m leaving..."

With that, Zhang Xinxin took her bag and just as she reached the door, she heard Li Jing’s voice behind her, now gentle and even with a touch of humor, "You’re really at the point where you won’t say a more pleasing answer to defend yourself..."

Confused, Zhang Xinxin turned her head, only to see Li Jing smiling as he sat on the sofa, frowning in puzzlement, "Brother Jing, what are you saying..."

Li Jing stood up, explaining with a trace of apology, "Sorry, I was just testing you earlier, though this behavior is a bit childish and unpleasant.

But hearing you talk about those women’s schemes, I suddenly thought of testing you.

Although you’re not like An Tong, your honest and straightforward character is far better than those women, and I apologize again for my earlier test."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xinxin paid no attention to Li Jing’s apology but rather asked, her voice gradually choking, uncertainly, "So, you’re not going to abandon me?"

Seeing her demeanor, Li Jing felt a pang of guilt, nodding, "Of course, your answer was sincere. If you had made me feel that you lied to me or weren’t honest, it would actually make me suspicious of you. But your previous answer, I think, is the best one."

"No..."

Zhang Xinxin remained motionless, just holding back the tears of grievances, fixing her eyes on Li Jing, choking once more, "I just want to know, you’re not going to leave me..."

Li Jing sensed her emotional fluctuations and wisely refrained from saying anything further, nodding earnestly, "Yes, of course, I want you..."

"Wah!"

Before his words finished, Zhang Xinxin turned and threw herself into Li Jing’s arms, unable to hold back her tears, she cried out loud.

"Sob... you are so mean, you scared me to death. I really thought you didn’t want me... sob sob sob..."

Zhang Xinxin cried with a face full of tears, extremely saddened, hugging Li Jing tightly, as if not holding him firmly could make him vanish.

Feeling her firm embrace, Li Jing could only endure and gently pat her back, not expecting such a big reaction from her, knowing he had indeed gone too far, he apologized, "I’m sorry..."

Human nature doesn’t withstand tests.

But this time, Zhang Xinxin endured Li Jing’s test.

This made Li Jing trust her even more.

After gaining wealth, Li Jing also had concerns, fearful of being blinded by appearances and letting a scoundrel approach, ultimately harming him and those around him.

But now he found that testing indeed wounds a person’s true heart, and it isn’t a good approach.

Nonetheless, throughout history, whether kings or leaders in various fields, they all seemed to regard testing as an important method to see through those around them...

This time, Zhang Xinxin cried for a long time, crying until her eyes were swollen and yet not stopping.

Li Jing understood that this time Zhang Xinxin was truly scared and genuinely hurt.

When she finally only let out slight sobs, Li Jing comforted her: "How about I take you shopping for some bags this afternoon, as an apology."

"I don’t want to..."

Zhang Xinxin slowly lifted her tearful and aggrieved eyes, looking at Li Jing, hoarsely said, "Today, I just want to hold you and not go out."

Li Jing was somewhat surprised that she didn’t even want a bag, and said again, "It’s fine, those words were just in jest, don’t take them to heart, I’ll buy you new clothes and a new bag for the New Year..."

"No..."

This time, Zhang Xinxin, hugging him firmly, closed her eyes, "I’m afraid you’ll leave, I don’t want to let go, today I just want to stay in your arms like this, is that alright..."

Hearing her hoarse voice from crying, Li Jing too felt a twinge of heartache, sighed, "Alright, then let’s just stay like this and not go out."

Thus, on the sofa, Li Jing held Zhang Xinxin in his embrace, sitting there for the vast majority of the day.

Moreover, it was on this day that Zhang Xinxin realized that the man she once approached for money, she now found herself unable to leave him...