Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 12

Ji Qing’s voice carried a hint of laughter over the phone. “Homesick?”

Ji Tanyuan chuckled. “What’s this? Are you missing me?”

Ji Qing replied, “Yes, your dad misses you. Come back whenever you feel like it.”

Ji Tanyuan let out an exaggerated sigh. “So cheesy, Mr. Ji Qing. But I’m attending a banquet with Zhong Yan tomorrow. We’ll be back in a couple of days.”

We…

Her father paused thoughtfully before asking, “I just got a call from Yu Jiang. Did things get tense between you at the dinner?”

“I didn’t take his side, and I never will. Did he complain to you about me?” Ji Tanyuan said nonchalantly.

“When the Ji family’s cash flow ran into trouble, no one in the chamber of commerce stepped up to help. I understand, businesspeople chase profits. Now that you’re not siding with them, it’s not wrong, because we’re chasing profits too.” Ji Qing reassured her.

“Dad, they say marriages built on interests are unbreakable, but everyone overlooks one thing: interests, like emotions, are variables. So, don’t put too much trust in the Zhong family.”

“Have you… noticed something?” Ji Qing probed.

Ji Tanyuan closed her eyes. “No, I just think the future is unpredictable.”

As for how much she and Zhong Yan would gain from this marriage, it depended on his conscience and her skills.

After hanging up, Ji Qing stubbed out his cigarette and glanced at the documents on his desk. His temples were noticeably grayer, his face more haggard. He swallowed a painkiller and returned to work.

The middle-aged man coughed twice, seemingly unable to hold on any longer. He propped his head up with his hand. His daughter had married into a powerful northern family, how could she possibly adjust completely? He knew she only shared the good news, never the struggles, yet he was powerless to change it.

Not marrying would have led to even worse outcomes.

…

Zhong Yan returned home very late that night, long after the lights had been turned off.

As he entered, he saw clothes strewn across the sofa, high heels and stockings carelessly left nearby.

Ji Tanyuan was used to having household staff tidy up after her and had no intention of breaking her habit of leaving things in disarray. After all, the servants would organize everything when they arrived the next morning.

Zhong Yan, however, was somewhat fastidious. He disliked clutter and detested outsiders interfering with his privacy, especially in the master bedroom, which he hated anyone else entering.

He had lived alone before, managing everything easily on his own. Now, there was a Ji in the mix.

Since their marriage, his household chores had doubled.

Zhong Yan sorted her shoes, folded the clothes, washed his hands, and headed upstairs to shower.

After leaving the guest bedroom, he paused outside the master bedroom, his gaze fixed on the doorknob.

His eyes were lowered, his sharply defined features cold and unreadable.

Zhong Yan recalled what Old Cheng had told him earlier: the founder of Convolution Capital was Ji Tanyuan’s alumnus and senior. She had a background in finance, though no one knew how deep her expertise ran.

Then he turned and walked away, retreating to the guest bedroom.

Ji Tanyuan hadn’t shown her hand, and neither had he. At that moment, he was grateful he hadn’t prematurely revealed too many confidential documents in her presence.

The closest of relationships could also be the most distant. Between him and Ji Tanyuan, the closeness was a facade, the distance real. Once conflicting interests arose, the marriage would crumble.

…

The next morning, when Ji Tanyuan woke up, she noticed no one was beside her, meaning Zhong Yan had not returned home all night.

Ji Tanyuan got up to freshen up, then went downstairs, only to find a man standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, talking on the phone.

Dressed in a white shirt and black suit pants, he had his back to her while the housekeeper laid out breakfast behind him.

Aunt Zhang noticed Ji Tanyuan and greeted her warmly, “You’re awake?”

Ji Tanyuan gave a noncommittal hum, unsurprised by Aunt Zhang’s sudden deference. After all, she had covered up all the criminal evidence for her son.

What Ji Tanyuan didn’t know, however, was that after Aunt Zhang had asked Zhong Yan about the matter last time, he had casually ordered an investigation into her son, Qian Xiaobo. Fortunately, Ji Tanyuan had already handled the situation earlier, otherwise, it would have been disastrous.

Now, Aunt Zhang didn’t dare underestimate Ji Tanyuan anymore. It was clear this woman wasn’t as harmless or defenseless as she appeared.

Zhong Yan turned around at the sound of movement and saw Ji Tanyuan in her champagne-colored silk robe, her long legs on full display and the deep V-neck adding a seductive allure.

Ji Tanyuan yawned and said, “Auntie, I’d like an iced Americano.”

Zhong Yan was still on the phone. Ji Tanyuan picked up a fork, took a bite of her lettuce salad, and listened with her eyes lowered.

Halfway through, she started feeling a headache coming on. Forget it, I’ll stop listening.

Her top priority now was to return to Shanghai and bring Puppy over. Living alone in such a big house was just too boring.

Little did Zhong Yan know that the elaborate trap he had set for Princess Ji to expose her was like winking at a blind man, completely wasted. And worse, he was about to welcome a loud, big-eared donkey into his home, which meant household chores were about to multiply exponentially.