Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 38

The moment Ji Tanyuan thought of the Puppy, her heart softened.

“I need a couple of days. I haven’t even started my meetings yet.”

Zhong Yan clicked his tongue in annoyance. “If you don’t come soon, your dog’s going to get depressed. It barks all day long. If I get fed up, I’ll just send it away.”

Ji Tanyuan protested, “Don’t do that! It even calls you Daddy. You’ve already acknowledged it.”

She was genuinely afraid Zhong Yan would send the dog to a pet boarding facility. Because Puppy had been a lab dog before she adopted her, her digestive system was extremely sensitive. The slightest scare would cause her to vomit and have diarrhea. Places like that would easily make her sick.

“How about I have a pet sitter take her to stay in a hotel? That way, she won’t disturb you.”

Zhong Yan hadn’t expected this kind of reply. She was so unwilling to trouble him that she could say something so distant.

“Are you planning on never coming back? Have you really forgotten what we agreed on before?”

Ji Tanyuan had had enough of him too. “Are you insane? I already told you I’m busy these couple of days.”

With that, she hung up.

When Ji Tanyuan returned from the balcony, her expression was slightly off. Lu Ke noticed and remarked with a sigh, “Marriage really is a grind, isn’t it?”

Ji Tanyuan forced a smile. “No, it’s the insane people in it.”

The “insane person” after being hung up on, glanced at the dog wearing a little denim hat in front of him and said, “Hey, your mom doesn’t want you anymore.”

Puppy turned around, tongue lolling out in a grin. Seeing Zhong Yan’s unpleasant expression, she trotted back and rubbed against the man’s legs.

Zhong Yan crouched down and ruffled the dog’s head. The hat had been altered from one of Ji Tanyuan’s own, a rather expensive one. “Your mom really dotes on you, doesn’t she?”

When Chu He arrived, he saw his boss smiling at the dog.

It was downright eerie.

After all, the boss hated noisy things the most. The last time Chu He had disturbed his peace, he’d been banished to a suburban farm to dig potatoes.

Who would have thought he’d now be smiling fondly at a Beagle, one of the noisiest dog breeds? Could marriage really change a person’s personality?

If that were the case, then it was a good thing he’d gotten married. With a better temperament, Chu He wouldn’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing and getting exiled anymore.

Chu He stepped forward and greeted him, “Boss, walking the dog?”

Zhong Yan grunted in response. “What else? Is the dog walking me?”

Chu He chuckled awkwardly. “Never heard of a dog walking a person before.”

Zhong Yan looked up. “Chu He, I’ve decided you’d be better off as a mute.”

Chu He wiped his mouth and got down to business. “Boss, I’ve completed the task you assigned. I looked into the blood relations of the four Ji brothers, they’re all biological, same mom and dad.”

Zhong Yan stood up. “That’s strange. How is it that the first, second, and third brothers are all cut from the same cloth, while the fourth is like he won the genetic lottery?”

Chu He, despite his tall and sturdy build, was straightforward and outspoken, his mouth was like the gap between two front teeth, always letting things slip.

“What’s so strange about that? You and Young Master Zhong Jing aren’t the same either.”

Zhong Yan patted the dog’s head. “Puppy, come on, bite him to death.”

Chu He had no idea which part of what he’d said had upset his boss again. “Don’t be angry, Boss. It’s perfectly normal for a good bamboo shoot to sprout from bad bamboo.”

Zhong Yan nodded. “I thought there might be some big secret to uncover.”

Chu He scratched his head. “As you instructed, I also looked into the death of Madam’s older brother.”

Ji Tanyuan’s older brother, Ji Zhihe, was her twin brother who had passed away at the age of 11 due to drowning. It was said that at the time, Mrs. Ji only managed to rescue Ji Tanyuan, leaving Ji Zhihe swept away by the waves. By the time he was pulled from the water, he had already died. Since then, Mrs. Ji had suffered from severe depression.

Zhong Yan sat in his study, pondering what Chu He had mentioned during the day. He had never heard Ji Tanyuan speak of this brother.

There were no traces of Ji Zhihe in the Ji family, no photographs or anything else.

His wife’s family was truly quite peculiar.

Zhong Yan extinguished the cigarette he had taken only two puffs from and stood up to open the window. Below, there was a small flowerbed of Juliet roses, specially transplanted by Ji Tanyuan just two days before she left.

The roses were a gradient of warm pink, much like Ji Tanyuan herself, exuding an elegant, classical European nobility. It was this very quality that sometimes made him marvel at the fierce ambition hidden deep within her.

The charm of human nature often lies in its contradictions, and Ji Tanyuan had successfully captured his interest.

Zhong Yan picked up his phone and dialed his assistant Liang, who answered immediately.

“Arrange the plane. We’re going to Shanghai.”

After a brief exchange on the other end, Zhong Yan replied, “What do you mean, why? To see my wife. Is that not allowed?”

Ji Tanyuan had no idea that Zhong Yan was coming. She had left the company and headed straight to a dinner engagement.

It was a dinner arranged by Shen Xiling, who had come to Shanghai to celebrate a family elder’s birthday. Hearing that Ji Tanyuan was in town, he had invited her to join him for a meal.

It had been half a year since they last met, and Shen Xiling had grown noticeably thinner. With his sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and resolute features, he carried an aura of unwavering integrity.

Ji Tanyuan sat across from him. “Is work going smoothly?”

Shen Xiling nodded. “After a period of adjustment, it’s gotten much better.”

“And you?”

Shen Xiling looked at Ji Tanyuan. She had grown even more beautiful, her radiant cheeks revealing faint dimples when she smiled, her eyes sparkling brightly.

“Same as you, after a period of adjustment, it’s gotten much better.”

Shen Xiling’s grip on his cup tightened. He had been referring to work, but she was talking about a person.

“That’s good.” Shen Xiling said, swallowing his bitterness.

After a pause, he added, “I’m sorry I couldn’t help when the Ji family faced difficulties.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Ji Tanyuan replied. “I know you were in a difficult position. It was better that you didn’t help, if you had and someone used it against you, I would have felt even worse.”

“Fortunately, I’ve overcome the challenges now. But you, I heard from Lan Fengsheng that you were transferred to Shencheng because of conflicts with your family. Was that really necessary?”

Shen Xiling shook his head. “It was just a routine transfer. Don’t listen to his nonsense.”

Shen Xiling wanted to ask if her husband treated her well, or when she planned to divorce. But no matter the answer, he didn’t want to hear it.

He chose to seal his heart and remain silent, afraid that Ji Tanyuan would notice and distance herself from him again.

By the time dinner ended, it was nearly 10 p.m., and the two walked out together.

At the restaurant entrance, Ji Tanyuan turned to say goodbye. “I’ll head off now. You should go back too. Take care of yourself.”

After a brief pause, she added softly, “Take care.”

As she turned to leave, her arm was suddenly grabbed. “Huanghuang.”

Before he could say more, a blinding pair of high-beam headlights shone directly at them.