Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 20

Ji Tanyuan turned to look at the two behind her. Dressed in a black sleeveless dress, her hair cascading loosely, her chin not sharply defined but rather soft, her features gentle and elegant, even her eyes held no trace of excessive harshness.

Her demeanor was as mild as ever, yet she exuded an aura of unapproachability from within, even more so today. Hao Jiajia knew she was in a bad mood.

Hao Jiajia lowered her head. “It was Mr. Ji Ting who said it. At the time, he mentioned you had agreed, so we didn’t question it.”

Ji Tanyuan let out a helpless laugh. “He said it, and you just believed him.”

As Ji Tanyuan walked ahead, Tang Xin took a deep breath. It was over. Both he and Hao Jiajia had grown complacent, failing to verify the information firsthand and instead trusting someone else’s word.

It’s over, it’s over, a huge mistake.

Ahead, Tang Xin pressed the elevator button. “My apologies, it was my oversight.”

Ji Tanyuan stepped into the elevator. “Let it not happen again. Head to the 37th floor.”

Her network of informants within the company wasn’t limited to just these two. She had long been aware of her uncle’s maneuvers, but what truly displeased her was the lax attitude these two had shown over the past two months.

Tang Xin pressed the button for the 37th floor and let out a sigh of relief. For the first time, he felt the chill of the company’s air conditioning. Ji Tanyuan seldom lost her temper, usually easygoing and amiable, but when she did get angry, it sent a shiver down one’s spine.

Meanwhile, in the executive conference room on the 68th floor, Lu Ke, the CEO of Ji Corporation, sat alongside Zhong Yan. Lu Ke was not a member of the Ji family but the highest-level manager hired by the board of directors.

Ji Corporation’s main focus was on chips and semiconductors, with additional ventures in real estate and new energy. Lu Ke served as the CEO of the microelectronics division, which was the cornerstone of the Ji family’s business.

Lu Ke soon learned about the incident downstairs. His eyes darkened briefly before he smiled and said, “Tanyuan is here at the company. Would you like to go see her, President Zhong?”

Zhong Yan sat on the right side of the conference table, dressed in a black shirt and black suit pants. His handsome features, with their deep-set eyes, shifted from stern to gentle, exuding an air of nonchalance. “No need. She has her own matters to attend to.”

“Does Tanyuan serve as a vice president at Ji Corporation?” Zhong Yan then asked.

Lu Ke nodded. “Yes, she’s the young President Ji.”

Young President Ji. Zhong Yan had almost guessed the internal chaos within Ji Corporation, too many people with the surname Ji, leading to such complications.

“Who is the senior President Ji?”

Lu Ke replied, “Ji Ting, the head of Maosheng Real Estate under Ji Corporation.”

Ji Ting, Ji Tanyuan’s uncle.

With too many meddling relatives, all of whom were board directors, Lu Ke, as an employee, could only watch helplessly as this emerging conglomerate suffered from the chronic ailments typical of long-established enterprises. There were too many “old guards” acting like tumors, and the chairman was too sentimental, hindering significant progress.

“This is an internal issue for your company. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to intervene. But President Lu, what you should do now is cooperate with Ji Tanyuan to eliminate excessive unprofessional interference in the group. The first step is to acknowledge her position, she is President Ji.”

Lu Ke narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhong Yan. “Perhaps she isn’t professional either.”

Zhong Yan tapped the table, crossed his legs, and leaned back. “She is the heir. You are the professional. Working together this way is simple and efficient. Why not take advantage of it?”

Lu Ke did not take his advice. “I would be delighted if these words came from Chairman Ji himself.”

Zhong Yan didn’t press further on the topic. The gradual decay of the Ji family wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for him, it would allow him to seamlessly take over Shuwei Microelectronics, seizing the opportunity to snatch up shares while they were embroiled in internal strife.

But by then, whatever marital bond he shared with Ji Tanyuan would likely come to an end.

Watching Zhong Yan being escorted away, Lu Ke finally understood: their marriage was built entirely on interests. The faint trace of affection between them amounted to nothing more than a simple suggestion, nothing else remained.

Lu Ke entered Ji Tanyuan’s office, where she sat in her executive chair with an unusually serious expression.

Her fingers paused over the keyboard. “Now that we’ve weathered the crisis, it’s time to settle accounts. I’ve already had someone gather evidence against my uncle.”

With the Ji family overcoming adversity and narrowly escaping disaster, the first step in cleaning up the mess began with Qinghe Real Estate.

Lu Ke nodded. “Your biggest challenge still lies within your own family. Your uncles have been entrenched in the group for years, with their own people in the shadows. If they unite against you, things could get difficult.”

Ji Tanyuan smiled faintly. “It was bound to happen sooner or later. Keep your distance from me for a while, don’t let those lowlifes cause trouble for you because of me and disrupt the company’s project progress.”

Internal conflicts shouldn’t interfere with making money.

She added, “Just focus on managing the collaboration with the Zhong family. Replace both upstream and downstream partners with those we’re familiar with, especially when it comes to the raw material supply chain.”

Lu Ke couldn’t help but chuckle. “You and your husband are really guarding against each other, huh?”

Ji Tanyuan raised an eyebrow. “Hey, you’ve got it all wrong. Even brothers keep clear accounts. We’re just staying true to the essence of our marriage alliance, putting interests first.”

…

At six in the evening, Zhong Yan was to have dinner with Ji Tanyuan and her family. Once again, he came to pick her up.

A gleaming Rolls-Royce Cullinan was parked at the curb outside the building.

Seated in the back, Zhong Yan gazed out the window toward the building, his strikingly handsome face betraying no emotion. He remarked abruptly:

“Liang Zhufu, do you believe men can have a sixth sense?”

Assistant Liang was used to being put on the spot, his boss often had these unpredictable, cryptic moments. He replied, “Yes, I do. Have you noticed something?”

“I’ve always had a feeling that my wife’s family is quite troublesome, a blessing and a curse.”

Assistant Liang said, “Then it’s a perfect match, isn’t it?”

What does this have to do with a sixth sense? Still as eccentric as ever.

And it’s not like your own family is any better, who are you to look down on hers? Assistant Liang kept a straight face but couldn’t help but complain inwardly.

Zhong Yan continued, “When we got married, her uncles gave me the vibe of nouveau riche thugs, while her father struck me as refined and scholarly. It’s as if they weren’t born to the same mother.”

Assistant Liang picked up his phone, feigning casual conversation. “I thought so too. Maybe they really aren’t. Back in those days, many families in rural areas couldn’t afford to raise all their children, some were abandoned or even trafficked.”

“Find a way to get a paternity test done.” Zhong Yan ordered, tapping the back of the front seat with his foot.

Assistant Liang choked back a sigh. If only I’d kept my mouth shut. Now, not only did he have to worry about the Zhong family’s affairs, but he was also expected to meddle in his boss’s in-laws’ business?

Receiving no immediate response, Zhong Yan kicked the seat again. “Did you hear me? If you won’t do it, I’ll send Chu He instead.”

Chu He was Zhong Yan’s bodyguard, who had previously been banished to the Zhong family’s farm to dig potatoes after angering his boss.

“Then let’s give him a chance to redeem himself and send him.” Assistant Liang quickly suggested.

“But boss, didn’t you say we shouldn’t meddle in other people’s family affairs?” Assistant Liang deliberately remarked.

He thought Zhong Yan would retort as usual with, “Is my wife considered ‘other people’?”

Unexpectedly, Zhong Yan casually responded, “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.”

“Lu Ke is exceptionally capable. If Ji Tanyuan recruited him from abroad, then the people under her command are quite formidable.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a stunning sight appeared before them.

His wife approached, stepping gracefully in high heels, wearing a black gown with a cinched waist that accentuated her slender figure and soft curves. Her long, wavy hair cascaded down to her waist, shimmering like black silk.

She wore oversized sunglasses that covered half her face, her red lips strikingly vivid.

Zhong Yan opened the car door. When Ji Tanyuan saw him, she immediately broke into a smile, revealing her dimples. Her demeanor shifted instantly from aloof and distant to sweet and endearing.

She walked toward him, her voice as refreshing as chilled lemon water on a humid summer day, neither too cold nor too cloying, but perfectly soothing:

“Have you been waiting long?”

Zhong Yan wrapped an arm around her, gently smoothing her slightly disheveled hair from walking. The fragrance that enveloped her, her soft, fair, and radiant cheeks, her innate elegance and delicate charm had become even more pronounced since returning to Shanghai.

A sense of belonging, she felt it here.

But such is marriage, leaving one home for another.

He kissed her forehead. “No, I just arrived.”

Assistant Liang, who had been waiting by the car door to open it for his boss’s wife, now found himself with nothing to do. Standing aside, he watched the strikingly handsome couple with a sense of numbness.

Seriously, you two are really hamming it up, performing everywhere you go.