Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 46

Ring ring…

The alarm clock blared, and Ji Tanyuan stretched out an arm to silence it.

Opening her eyes, she saw the morning light streaming through the gap in the curtains, falling precisely on the love bite on her arm.

Intimate.

Ji Tanyuan closed her eyes to gather her thoughts.

By the time Duan Huaixu called, Ji Tanyuan had already been lazing in bed for an hour.

He got straight to the point: “When are you getting divorced?”

Ji Tanyuan: “…”

“Are you crazy? Why are you suddenly asking this?”

Duan Huaixu’s voice carried the hoarseness of early morning, though it was actually the fatigue of a sleepless night: “Are you busy with both sides now? Qinghe Real Estate has caught Furong Real Estate’s attention.”

Ji Tanyuan hummed in acknowledgment, “I know. Rong Xi has been eyeing those two plots of land from Qinghe Real Estate.”

“I’d like to sell, it’s better to cash in on the real estate boom and get out early. While prices haven’t hit rock bottom yet, we can still get a good deal. But…”

Duan Huaixu finished for her: “But your father is sentimental. Is that what you wanted to say?”

Ji Tanyuan remained silent, tacitly agreeing.

Duan Huaixu took a sip of water and suddenly asked, “Isn’t your birthday coming up? You’ll be 24 after that.”

Ji Tanyuan found the question odd. “Yes, why?”

“Twenty-four, that’s not young anymore. Do you really believe a businessman can be entirely good? Is your father truly sentimental, or is it that the underlying risks are too dangerous to touch and need careful handling?”

“Huanghuang, I went to see your uncle yesterday. He’s living alone in the villa. You’re still angry with him, but he’s not having an easy time either.”

“Maybe he has his difficulties, but you shouldn’t sacrifice yourself for your in-laws…”

Ji Tanyuan sat up. “It’s not because of the Zhong family, it’s because of Uncle. Duan Huaixu, who are you to lecture me? His tolerance for Uncle comes at the cost of my grievances. Why shouldn’t I be angry?”

“You have such a temper with your family, yet you’re so gentle with outsiders. Isn’t it just because he’s your father?”

Ji Tanyuan scoffed, “Exactly! It’s precisely because he’s my father that I feel wronged. You just don’t understand.”

Duan Huaixu: “Huanghuang, stop acting like a child.”

Ji Tanyuan hung up the phone and closed her eyes. Duan Huaixu was six years older than her. Since she started her internship at 18, her father had asked him to mentor her at work.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had taught her everything he knew, and he deserved to be called her teacher.

She might listen carefully to his advice on other matters, but when it came to family affairs, Ji Tanyuan didn’t want to hear it.

Ji Tanyuan rolled over in bed, from one end to the other and back again.

She picked up her phone, the last call with her father was two weeks ago.

She set the phone down and closed her eyes, pretending to rest.

After a while, she picked up the phone again and dialed.

The call was answered instantly. Ji Tanyuan murmured softly, “Dad.”

Ji Qing hummed in response. “Just woke up?”

Ji Tanyuan hummed back. “Are you working?”

Ji Qing chuckled. “No. How have you been lately?”

Ji Tanyuan replied, “Pretty good. And you?”

“I’m doing fine too.”

Silence hung between them. As if afraid she would hang up, Ji Qing added:

“Huanghuang, don’t get involved in the Qinghe Real Estate matter, okay? Just stay in Yanjing and live your life well. I’ll handle the group’s affairs.”

Ji Tanyuan pursed her lips. “I want to know the reason.”

“Exiting the real estate market isn’t that simple. If you’re too closely tied to me, your in-laws won’t be pleased.”

Ji Tanyuan: “So, my marriage of alliance is useless?”

“Now you’re making me avoid suspicion? What did I arrange that marriage for?”

Ji Qing sighed, “Look at you getting angry again. Why are you so quick to anger lately?”

Ji Tanyuan sat curled on the bed, head bowed, fingers tracing circles on the silk duvet. “Dad, don’t worry about me. I’m really doing fine.”

“Alright, and you don’t worry about me either.”

After Ji Qing hung up, his assistant sighed. “Why didn’t you tell Miss? Maybe she could help.”

Ji Qing gazed out the window. “That day, she cried saying she felt wronged by the arranged marriage.” He said nothing more, then added, “Continue applying. Wherever we’re blocked, improve the application.”

“But they’re deliberately making things difficult. Even if we revise it a hundred times, it won’t help.”

When a corporation goes up against government departments, there’s really no winning.

“Schedule a meeting with Chen Gui.”

Meanwhile, Ji Tanyuan hung up her phone and stood up.

While changing clothes, she called Lu Ke. “Has anything happened at the company recently?”

Lu Ke said no. Ji Tanyuan’s voice turned cold. “Lu Ke, remember whose side you’re on.”

After Lu Ke said a few words, Ji Tanyuan’s expression completely chilled. “Stop my father from handling this. I’ll resolve it. Also, hand over the asset integration of Qinghe Real Estate to me. If Rong Xi dares to block my procedures, I’ll make sure she regrets it.”

She spent five minutes washing up, ten minutes applying light makeup, then went downstairs and left without breakfast.

Ji Tanyuan’s newly established tech company focused on the domestic CMP consumables market, completing the upstream extension of Zidian Microelectronics.

“To put it simply, your wife has almost monopolized the upstream and downstream of both Zhong and Ji family projects.”

“If you ever try to cut her out later, she could strangle your operations in minutes.” said Shen Que, CEO of Zhongheng Group.

Zhong Yan actually laughed. “Ah, that’s good news.”

Seeing the chairman’s reaction, Shen Que said, “This isn’t according to our plan. What’s going on with you?”

The original plan was for Zhongheng to revive Ji Corporation, enter the microelectronics industry, then assist SASAC with capital injection, achieving 100% nationalization through backdoor listing.

However, only Zhong Yan’s core team knew about this plan, almost no one else was aware.

If Ji Corporation’s goal was to maintain corporate independence and flexibility, then acquisition would be difficult.

Then again, working for someone else is always different from being your own boss.

Zhong Yan: “Actually, what I’m doing is practically like taking advantage of a family with no heir.”

Shen Que broke into a cold sweat. “Don’t say that. Acquisition involves payment. If successful, Ji Corporation would retain decision-making power.”

“Besides, you wouldn’t gain much advantage either.”

It wasn’t about getting something for nothing, it was about facilitating the acquisition.

“But my father would benefit. It counts toward his political achievements.”

Zhong Yan tapped the table. “Actually, I suddenly don’t feel like cooperating anymore.”

Shen Que fell silent. “Is this for love?”

“No, I simply discovered that Zidian Technology is too profitable. Would you choose fixed payments or endless profit streams?” Zhong Yan asked.

Assistant Liang advised from the side, “Boss, are you betraying your father?”

“If that happens, it won’t just be the Ji family falling, we could all become targets.”

Liang Zhufu felt like just an employee who’d gotten dragged into these powerful families’ conflicts as cannon fodder. His salary wasn’t worth this level of risk.

Sure enough, Zhong Yan fake-smiled: “You want a raise?”

Assistant Liang thought, We’re on the same wavelength!

“Is that possible?”

“Sure, just have Chu He hand over his potato-digging position to you once he takes office. You can sell as many as you want.”

“…”

Zhong Yan swiveled his office chair, gazing at the skyscrapers outside the window. No matter how tall they stood, they could never surpass the sky.

“Hold on for a moment. I have a feeling my wife is even more formidable than her father.”

If Ji Qing understood the principle that commoners shouldn’t challenge officials and knew when to bow and yield, Ji Tanyuan, with her seemingly gentle and delicate appearance, might not. She possessed the audacity unique to the young, a fearless boldness that knew no bounds.