Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 18

Zhou Yanyu raised a hand to rub her forehead, warning, “Ji Tanyuan…”

Ji Tanyuan stood there, looking utterly harmless, her words even carrying a tone of innocent curiosity.

It made people feel she wasn’t being sarcastic but genuinely sincere.

The old lady was on the verge of fuming, her authority severely challenged. She was about to speak when, unexpectedly, the old man tapped his cane and said, “I’ve had enough.”

“From now on, no one needs to kneel anymore. That’s it.”

He then turned to the incredulous old lady. “Nowadays, the younger generation values equality. They can’t stand us old folks anymore.”

Zhong Yan leaned against a pillar, watching the two elders lock eyes.

Though both were eighty years old, with a medical team constantly on standby, their health was robust.

They didn’t look eighty, more like in their sixties or seventies. The old man’s cane wasn’t just a cane; it was more like a weapon, a symbol of his elder status and a convenient tool for disciplining others.

The old lady’s heart condition wasn’t really a heart condition, it was merely a means to make others yield.

Zhou Yanyu felt a secret satisfaction, but it was quickly followed by a headache. Now she had to manage the old lady’s emotions again.

The old man’s expression was deep and fierce as he looked at Ji Tanyuan. Though he appeared gentle on the surface, there was still a hint of arrogance in his bones.

“Tanyuan, don’t play petty tricks.”

Ji Tanyuan remained unfazed and said calmly, “How could I? I wouldn’t dare show clumsiness in front of you.”

Zhong Yan had been observing from the sidelines the entire time. He straightened up lazily and said, “No matter what, she’s my newlywed wife, Grandfather. Rules shouldn’t be taught this way.”

Zhong Shuqing glanced at his younger grandson. Since childhood, Zhong Yan had always had a rebellious streak. Though usually well-hidden, it had never been completely eradicated.

But this family did not tolerate self-willed rebellion.

“Zhong Yan, I’ll only warn you once. This family isn’t something you can just leave as you please.”

A lone bird flying off on its own would only be attacked by enemies. At best, it would fall alone; at worst, it would drag everyone down with it.

Zhong Yan looked at the people downstairs, his ears filled with the old man’s low warning: “I’ve lived half a century longer than you and seen too many people. Your wife isn’t as innocent as she seems. Don’t be fooled into thinking she’s adorable while she’s selling you out. When that happens, you’ll be the one looking ridiculous.”

Zhong Yan pressed his lips together. “Understood.”

Downstairs, even Zhong Jing, slow as he was, could sense his wife’s unhappiness. He didn’t understand, did she actually like this?

Zhong Yan descended the stairs, speaking as he walked, “In a marriage, you have to communicate. She’s not a worm in your stomach, and sleeping together doesn’t mean your souls are connected. If you don’t speak up, how can anyone know? Isn’t that right, Big Brother?”

Zhong Jing remained silent, but Wen Yi’an, unusually, replied, “You’re no different.”

Zhong Yan smiled without responding. How could he be the same? His was a marriage of convenience. The conflicts between him and Ji Tanyuan would always revolve around power. If they operated their marriage on the principle of speaking out to resolve conflicts, what would they even say? Talk about scheming? That would only hasten the marriage’s demise, making everything even more chaotic.

In the end, no one ate. No one had an appetite.

Except for the second son and his wife.

Zhong Yan had always been indifferent to such dramas, his heart unmoved. His appetite remained unaffected.

Ji Tanyuan was the same. Even after the old man’s warning, she ate as usual.

After all, not having to kneel anymore was a tangible gain.

As for the old man’s psychological pressure, she couldn’t care less.

The more heartily the two ate, the more Zhou Yanyu felt her chest tighten.

“How can you even eat at a time like this?”

They looked up. Ji Tanyuan said, “We haven’t eaten. Zhong Yan wouldn’t let the housekeeper come to work, so we had to come here. Mom, aren’t you going to eat?”

Zhou Yanyu couldn’t take it anymore. “Tell Aunt Zhang to come back after you return.” She couldn’t stand the old lady any longer.

Ji Tanyuan smiled faintly. The head maid of Shoukang Palace was about to be recalled.

“Alright.”

Wiping the corner of her mouth, Ji Tanyuan said softly, “Mom, why don’t you sit down and have something to eat?”

Zhou Yanyu sneered, “Who could eat like you two after causing such a scene?”

Zhong Yan remarked, “It should’ve been like this long ago. That teacup was an eyesore.”

Zhou Yanyu observed them: the man appeared nonchalant and somewhat indolent, yet an innate nobility emanated from his seated posture; the woman had a graceful figure, gentle eyes, and naturally rosy lips that needed no embellishment, radiating vitality.

Without another word, she turned and left.

Resting her chin on one hand while stirring the spoon in her bird’s nest porridge with the other, Ji Tanyuan said slowly, “Let’s go to my place, husband. Our home doesn’t have so many complications.”

Because there was simply no one there.

Zhong Yan: “…”

Zhong Jing pulled Wen Yi’an into the car. He drove himself, planning to drop Wen Yi’an off at her workplace before heading to his own.

Wen Yi’an’s face remained cold throughout the journey.

“Sorry, in the past…”

“You didn’t stop it back then, right? You could have, you could have stepped up and pulled me out of it, but you waited until now. Until now.”

Wen Yi’an could no longer control herself. Her voice trembled with tears she couldn’t hold back, and even speaking those words took immense effort.

It sounded easy to say “speak up about everything,” but when the words reached her lips, they wouldn’t come. Reliving the grievances weakened her ability to articulate.

He truly hadn’t considered intervening. It was Zhong Yan who reminded him this time. Originally, Zhong Yan had intended to step in, but halfway there, he turned back and stood before him. After a moment of contemplation, he said:

“Brother, you know how much I hate these formalities. Although Ji Tanyuan and I aren’t close, she’s the closest to me in this family. If I don’t stand by her now, it’s just not right. Even though our marriage was arranged for the family’s sake, she’s still my wife. No one educated in modern science would enjoy this. On our wedding day, during the tea ceremony, Ji Tanyuan’s parents removed the kneeling custom, they couldn’t bear to see their daughter kneel. If this absurdity reaches my father-in-law’s ears, what will he think? What if it escalates into a real mess?”

Zhong Jing asked, “What are you trying to say?”

Zhong Yan replied, “I’m saying Sister-in-law is highly educated too, she must dislike it as well. You can’t take her silent endurance for granted.”

Zhong Jing truly didn’t know how to respond. For the first time, he reflected on it, because he had always assumed such compromises ensured family harmony and subconsciously believed it wasn’t a real hardship, since his mother had gone through the same.

“Aren’t you going?” he asked.

Zhong Yan scoffed, “They don’t like me. Since you’re the sensible one, your actions would have a better effect. If I do what you’ve never done, Sister-in-law will be disappointed in you too. Besides, with all the schemes I’m plotting, doing this now would just make me feel hypocritical. So, you go.”

As he spoke, Zhong Yan’s expression showed neither joy nor sorrow, detached as an observer, much like his role in this family.

Now that it was happening to him, Zhong Jing couldn’t tell whether he saw things clearly or had long been too deeply entangled to extricate himself. Thinking of his grandfather’s and father’s plans, he hoped it was the former.

Zhong Jing snapped out of his reverie.

He seemed unsure of how to console someone and could only say, “This won’t happen again in the future.”

Faced with his apology, Wen Yi’an felt nothing but exhaustion. He would never understand what truly mattered to her. His reserved and silent nature had gradually revealed the conflicts between them in their daily lives.

Coupled with the issues involving his family, their feelings for each other had been worn down significantly.

She said softly, “I’ll be home late tonight. I’ve made plans to have dinner with a friend.”

“Alright.”

When they arrived at the office building, Wen Yi’an didn’t take the breakfast he offered. Clutching her bag, she walked away without looking back.

She called Rong Xi and said, “Let’s go out for drinks tonight.”

Rong Xi readily agreed, seemingly accustomed to her being in a bad mood half the time on Mondays. “I’ll invite Shu Yun too. It’s been a while since the three of us got together.”

Wen Yi’an hummed in agreement. “If only Shu Yun were my sister-in-law. Things wouldn’t be so complicated then.”