Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 47

By October, it was evident that Ji Tanyuan had become increasingly busy.

October 10th was her birthday.

Zhong Yan specially arranged for someone to acquire a diamond tiara from overseas. The tiara, crafted in the shape of laurel leaves, was made of platinum and diamonds. At its center hung a 12-carat teardrop diamond pendant, while the laurel leaves were adorned with neatly arranged smaller diamonds. It was said that all the diamonds originated from the same rough stone.

In addition, many friends sent gifts to Ji Tanyuan.

Ji Qing also gave her a gift, a transfer of company shares. Originally, Ji Qing held 51% of the shares in the Ji family enterprise. After the transfer, combined with the shares her mother had given her, Ji Tanyuan now held 30%, while her father retained 30%.

At that moment, Ji Tanyuan stared at the agreement for a long time. The lawyer said, “For the subsequent procedures, you will need to return to Shanghai to complete them in person, or you can appoint a representative to handle it on your behalf.”

Ji Tanyuan closed the document and replied, “I understand.”

She placed the file in a drawer and went downstairs to find Zhong Yan.

Since the incident where Zhong Yan had clashed with his family over the caregiving issue, the couple had been ignored for two months. No one bothered them about anything, leaving the young couple to live on their own.

Neither Ji Tanyuan nor Zhong Yan seemed the least bit flustered. They simply carried on with their lives as usual.

Even the Monday family dinners no longer required them to wake up early.

This time, Gu Beiming had a new girlfriend and was hosting a dinner gathering.

By the time the couple arrived, the atmosphere inside was already lively.

Surprisingly, Qin Yini was also there. Ji Tanyuan exclaimed in surprise, “Nini!”

“You’re not… Gu Beiming’s…?”

Qin Yini laughed, “What are you thinking? I’m a friend of the woman he’s dating. I even introduced them.”

Ji Tanyuan glanced at the couple sitting together. The woman was a lawyer with short, ear-length hair, delicate features, and a red teardrop mole. She specialized in civil and commercial law, and her name was Tang Weici.

Rong Xi was also there. The sight of Rong Xi made Ji Tanyuan’s teeth itch with irritation. Rong Xi, with her wavy long hair, sat in a corner of the sofa chatting with Cheng Tingyu, who was Cheng Gengxu’s sister.

Noticing Ji Tanyuan’s gaze, Rong Xi looked over and smiled, “You’re here?”

Then, in a tone that was neither warm nor cold but audible to everyone, she added, “Because of you, Beiming and Shu Yun haven’t made up yet.”

Ji Tanyuan retorted, “Your words are so misleading. If they argued because of me, and my husband is standing right here, don’t create misunderstandings.”

Gu Beiming interjected, “It’s fine now. Shu Yun had to go abroad for work unexpectedly. We’ve already made up.”

He had simply stopped trying to persuade her. If Shu Yun insisted on clinging to Zhong Yan like a lifeline, and Zhong Yan pretended not to notice, why should he bother worrying about it?

Outside the door, Zhong Yan was speaking with Cheng Gengxu. Cheng Gengxu put away his phone and asked, “You said you want to be my largest Limited Partner?”

Zhong Yan nodded, “Money shouldn’t all be kept in one basket.”

Cheng Gengxu agreed, “Alright, I’ll talk to you another day.”

As Zhong Yan walked inside, he added, “No matter what happens in the future, standing by Ji Tanyuan means standing by money.”

The two men were of similar height. Zhong Yan, looking relaxed, had the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, one hand in his pocket and the other holding Ji Tanyuan’s bag.

Cheng Gengxu, in contrast, wore a sharp, well-tailored black suit, one hand holding his phone and the other wrapped in white gauze, a wound inflicted by Xin Gan with a broken glass.

Zhong Yan noticed the injury and couldn’t help but advise, “Letting go is also an act of love.”

Cheng Gengxu fell silent for a moment before replying, “I did let go. But that girl was so angry she came back and slashed me again.”

Zhong Yan: “…”

“I’m saying let her go, there are better ones waiting for you.”

Cheng Gengxu didn’t accept this suggestion. “As of now, I think she’s the best.”

“What if…” Cheng Gengxu started again but didn’t finish.

Zhong Yan cut him off. “The situation between me and Ji Tanyuan is completely different from yours with Miss Xin. You can’t make assumptions.”

Cheng Gengxu chuckled lightly. Life is long, who knows what might happen?

He was waiting to see how their drama would unfold. The role Ji Tanyuan had arranged for Xin Gan actually included a kissing scene, and there was even an off-screen CP pairing. Was the management team completely useless?

When Zhong Yan entered, he saw Ji Tanyuan sitting at the mahjong table, happily collecting her chips.

As she gathered them, she said, “You can’t complain about losing to me, I’m really skilled.”

Looking at the chips in front of her, Ji Tanyuan thought she should buy a lottery ticket to scratch on her way out.

Cheng Tingyu sat beside Ji Tanyuan. “Sister Tanyuan, I’ve lost all my chips to you.”

“No worries, your brother has plenty.”

Hearing this, Cheng Gengxu narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at his sister. “Lost everything?”

Cheng Tingyu blinked innocently.

“Useless. Move, I’ll take over.”

Cheng Tingyu immediately gave up her seat.

Thus, the mahjong table lineup changed: Gu Beiming’s girlfriend, Ji Tanyuan, Cheng Gengxu, and Rong Xi.

Ji Tanyuan found Cheng Gengxu’s hostility toward her utterly baffling.

After playing for two hours, he actually managed to win a bit.

But Rong Xi and Gu Beiming’s girlfriend lost everything.

While putting away the tiles, she asked, “What’s gotten into you?”

Cheng Gengxu smiled. “Mrs. Zhong, I invested in you because I trusted you.”

Ji Tanyuan glanced down at his injured hand, understanding that he wasn’t referring to this company but to Xin Gan’s film studio.

The underlying meaning was: I trusted you enough to hand Xin Gan over to you.

The well-being of his precious was directly tied to the investor’s substantial funds, and Ji Tanyuan expressed her utmost concern and worry about this.

“What happened to Xin Gan?”

Nothing should have gone wrong, if it had, she would have been notified.

“Did you not know she has a kissing scene?”

Ji Tanyuan: “…”

Ji Tanyuan stared at Cheng Gengxu’s stern, unsmiling face.

Good grief.

“It’s camera angles.”

Cheng Gengxu: “Who knows if that’s just an excuse and they actually kissed for real?”

“Since when do you have any say over someone else’s lips?” Ji Tanyuan retorted.

Cheng Gengxu threw down a tile. Ji Tanyuan tried to reason with him, “You have to understand that some things are unavoidable, but it’s definitely just camera angles. The broadcasting authorities are strict now, anything too explicit wouldn’t get approved.”

“What about the CP pairing?”

Ji Tanyuan: “That’s something the fans create themselves. I can’t control that.”

“Xin Gan doesn’t need fans.” Cheng Gengxu interjected.

Ji Tanyuan gave a strained smile. Xin Gan doesn’t need you.

“I know you want to say she’s pursuing an acting career, not chasing popularity, but so what? Should I issue a notice banning CP discussions or threaten legal action? Don’t be ridiculous. There’s just too big of a generation gap here.”

Cheng Gengxu felt unexpectedly criticized, it was the first time someone had spoken to him so bluntly.

Ji Tanyuan sighed. “Let me tell you, when my in-laws found out I started a film company, they criticized me for not focusing on my proper duties. Do you have any idea how much pressure I’m under because of this?”

“But I don’t regret it. I really like Xin Gan too. Do you know how beautiful her eyes are when she earns her paycheck through hard work? She says it gives her peace of mind.”

Zhong Yan happened to overhear the latter part as he approached.

Cheng Gengxu pressed his lips together. He had seen Xin Gan’s eyes sparkling brightly before, but never for him.

He stood up and said before leaving, “I hope you remember these words, don’t launder money under her name.”

Ji Tanyuan paused briefly while wiping his hands but did not respond.

Zhong Yan, sitting in his chair, looked at Ji Tanyuan and asked, “Have you ever seen Xin Gan’s eyes light up at the sight of money?”

Ji Tanyuan replied, “Of course not. That’s nonsense. Who wouldn’t feel at ease when they see money?”

Zhong Yan glanced toward the lonely figure sitting in the corner of the sofa, nursing a broken heart.

He reached out and ruffled Ji Tanyuan’s hair. “Ji Tanyuan, you’re really something.”