Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 36

Ever since the last incident, the old lady hadn’t been feeling well.

When word came from the Zhong family that Zhong Yan and the others weren’t to visit, she feared it might upset her to the point of illness.

Ji Tanyuan expressed a few words of concern, sent someone over with health supplements, and then “asked for leave” from her mother-in-law to go to Shanghai.

Zhou Yanyu had mentioned that the old lady wasn’t feeling well, and if Ji Tanyuan went back now, it wouldn’t look good.

But Ji Tanyuan shut that down with a single sentence: “I’m going back to fight for the family assets and weed out the parasites.” Normally, she might have played along, but when it came to major shareholder meetings about equity reform, even if her own father were in the ICU, she’d have to attend.

Upon returning to Shanghai, Ji Tanyuan first went to Zhang Zhang’s photography studio.

They were shooting a cover there, for Xin Gan.

Cheng Gengxu had money to burn. He’d paid to keep the photography team on retainer, making sure everything was perfectly arranged before letting Xin Gan start work.

When Ji Tanyuan arrived, Cheng Gengxu happened to be there to pick up Xin Gan.

She set a coffee on his table. “Senior.”

Cheng Gengxu’s heart skipped a beat, and he raised a hand to stop her. “Hold on, I can’t accept such respect from Mrs. Zhong.”

Ji Tanyuan smiled. “I have a project here, a company involved in upstream CMP consumables for the chip industry. Interested in investing?”

“You’re that short on cash?” Cheng Gengxu lifted his eyelids to glance at her, his expression implying that someone married into the Zhong family wouldn’t lack for bank loans. Why would she need to offer equity and let others take a share?

Ji Tanyuan spread her hands in a helpless gesture. “With so many companies under me, what if one day there’s a blowup and everything collapses? As people in finance, our top priority isn’t high returns, it’s risk management, right?”

Cheng Gengxu crossed his legs, looking completely at ease. “Tanyuan, you know you come from a finance background, so some aspects of business management shouldn’t be approached with a financier’s mindset.”

Ji Tanyuan leaned one hand on the white worktable, looking down at him. “Want to hear the truth?”

Cheng Gengxu smiled and declined. “No need. I have a feeling it’s a trap.”

Ji Tanyuan looked up at Xin Gan, who was being coached on posing.

“Xin Gan, ‘Sweetheart.’ She’s the kind of person you hold in the palm of your hand. If you do certain things, she’ll resent it, seeing it as under-the-table deals or loss of dignity. But if I do them, it’s like a talented horse meeting its discerning patron.”

Cheng Gengxu’s expression turned cold. “What are you trying to say?”

“Whether in Shanghai circles or Beijing circles, I have the status to give her resources. Whether it’s film or television, I know more people in the entertainment industry than you do. I can make her famous.”

Cheng Gengxu: “I don’t need her to be that famous. Understand? After all, once her wings are strong, she’ll fly away.”

Ji Tanyuan caught on immediately. “Then we’ll take it steady, build up her skills, and make sure any success is well-deserved.”

Cheng Gengxu: “She doesn’t need to work that hard. Work is just a pastime, keeping me company is the main thing.”

Ji Tanyuan rolled her eyes internally. What nonsense.

“Well, that’s not my concern. Whether she’s a swan, a canary, an eagle, or a duck, whether she can fly or not, that’s a matter of innate ability. Neither of us can control that.”

Cheng Gengxu uncrossed his legs, stood up, and extended his hand. “Pleasure doing business, Ms. Ji.”

Ji Tanyuan reached out and shook it. “Pleasure doing business.”

Once the work wrapped up, Zhang Zhang walked over and gave Xin Gan a warm hug. “Darling, you have such natural talent. I hope you never lose that spark, especially not over a man’s sweet promises. Your own hard work is what truly matters.”

Hearing this, Xin Gan instantly felt that this pink-haired editor was a kindred spirit.

She smiled, “Thank you, Sister Zhang Zhang. I’ll work hard.”

Zhang Zhang pursed her lips, “Honestly, I couldn’t bear to see you being suppressed by the industry, so I pushed through the opposition to wait until you had time for the cover shoot. If this goes well, I hope you seize the opportunity to switch agencies. Your current one is terrible, they completely fail to recognize your worth.”

Xin Gan nodded firmly and gave a determined “Mm,” “I will, don’t worry, Sister Zhang Zhang. I won’t let you down.”

Zhang Zhang looked into Xin Gan’s bright, sparkling eyes and patted her head. She truly was beautiful, the entertainment industry hadn’t seen someone so radiant and spirited in years. At 19, she was in the prime of her youth.

Meeting Cheng Gengxu was both a blessing and a curse, but at least he had somehow managed to preserve a trace of her innocence.

“Xin Gan.” Someone called her.

The light in Xin Gan’s eyes instantly dimmed, and she bid farewell to Zhang Zhang before walking over to Cheng Gengxu.

She noticed the woman standing beside Cheng Gengxu, stunning, with long, waist-length hair in smooth, glossy waves. Dressed in a blue shirt and white wide-leg pants, she wore sky-blue gemstone earrings that clearly weren’t cheap. The woman exuded a gentle, dignified aura, radiating warmth and approachability.

Ji Tanyuan smiled, “Hello, we met last time.”

Xin Gan remembered, this woman was part of Cheng Gengxu’s circle. Instantly, she saw her as a smiling tiger.

In Xin Gan’s eyes, anyone associated with Cheng Gengxu was no good.

But the woman was so gentle that Xin Gan couldn’t bring herself to respond coldly. She smiled back, “Hello, I’m Xin Gan.”

Ji Tanyuan replied, “I know. I’ve watched all your dramas. My mother likes you too, she thinks your dimples are especially sweet when you smile.”

Xin Gan smiled shyly, “Thank you, Sister, and your mother, for your support.”

Cheng Gengxu, standing nearby, rolled his eyes inwardly. What a fool.

After Cheng Gengxu and Xin Gan left, Zhang Zhang slung an arm over Ji Tanyuan’s shoulder, watching them go. “Da Huang, what are you scheming now?”

Ji Tanyuan snorted twice, “Cutting the ground from under their feet, learned it from Zhong Yan.”

With that, she crouched down suddenly and stepped aside, causing Zhang Zhang to lose her balance and stumble.

Ji Tanyuan scolded, “How many times have I told you? Don’t call me Da Huang! Are you asking for a beating?”

Zhang Zhang chuckled, “It’s cute! Only I can call you that, it shows how special our friendship is.”

On the first day Ji Tanyuan was in Shanghai, it was also Zhong Yan’s first day alone at home, though not entirely, as there was also a noisy dog.

He nudged the dog aside and answered Cheng Gengxu’s call.

“What do you want?”

Cheng Gengxu got straight to the point, “Ji Tanyuan called me ‘senior.'”

“Have you no shame? Just because she called you ‘senior,’ you come boasting to me? She calls me ‘husband,’ you know.”

“Can’t you grasp the main point? Don’t you want to know why she called me ‘senior’?”