Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 5

The two returned to their villa at Yulong Guanzhi in Yanjing, located within a community on the Second Ring Road, a prime location where land was worth its weight in gold. The compound housed just over forty villas, including their marital home.

Spanning five floors, two underground and three above ground, each level covered 200 square meters, with a 600-square-meter garden, making it perfectly suited for the couple.

Upon entering the main gate, a scenic pond came into view, with a grassy flowerbed at its center and a one-meter-wide circular pond encircling it, featuring a circulating filtration system. The koi inside were plump and vibrant.

Further in was the semi-open first-floor living room, brightly lit.

The servants were not at home, as they had already clocked out.

The master of the house had expressed his dislike for interruptions during his private time, stating that if dinner needed to be prepared, he would call in advance.

Ji Tanyuan, however, was unaccustomed to this. She was used to having domestic help around, but Zhong Yan disliked having too many unrelated people in the house. Thus, they had reached a compromise: when Zhong Yan was home, the servants were off duty, and when he left, they returned to work.

Ji Tanyuan stepped inside, kicked off her shoes, tossed her bag aside, and padded barefoot across the floor toward the stairs.

Zhong Yan watched from behind as the young lady shed her belongings along the way, hesitating to speak.

He then gathered her high heels and placed them in the shoe cabinet, folded her shawl, and stood up to wash his hands and pour a glass of water.

On the other end of the phone was his assistant, Liang, who was still at work, organizing Zhong Yan’s schedule. Truth be told, Liang would have preferred his boss to work overtime, many tasks became twice as efficient with Zhong Yan present, but as the superior, Zhong Yan didn’t take orders from him.

“Mr. Zhong, there’s a meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m. regarding the acquisition of Qili Furniture. In the afternoon, we have the project meeting for the Huashi Real Estate Complex shopping center, followed by dinner with business partners in the evening.”

Zhong Yan responded with a noncommittal “Mm, got it.”

After finishing the work updates, Liang asked quietly, “Is Mrs. Zhong with you?”

Zhong Yan tapped his fingers against the glass, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed the cold water. “Go on.”

“Ji Group’s new energy company accepted a $2 billion investment from Convolution Capital but turned down our financing offer.”

In short, it seemed this son-in-law wasn’t cutting it, even after the marriage, he couldn’t get a slice of the pie.

Zhong Yan rinsed the glass and placed it in the drying rack. “Has the energy regulatory office approved it yet?”

“The process is still underway, but thanks to Mrs. Zhong’s influence, it’s moving quickly. Approval is expected within a week.”

This was the essence of their union, a marriage between north and south, leveraging connections to their advantage. Since Ji Tanyuan had become a member of the Zhong family, government project approvals had sped up as if on a rocket.

Meanwhile, Zhong Yan’s Zhongheng Group had secured a project collaboration with Ji Group’s microelectronics chip technology, successfully entering the southern semiconductor chip market.

After drying his hands, Zhong Yan picked up his phone and held it to his ear. “It’s no wonder Ji Qing is no ordinary man. I used to think my father-in-law had merely ridden the wave of the times to wealth, especially since his daughter seems rather… unremarkable. Look into whether he has any illegitimate children.”

“Also, arrange a meeting with the management of Huaxin Technology.”

“And contact the merger and restructuring team…” He paused mid-sentence. “Never mind, leave it for now.”

After finishing her wash-up, Ji Tanyuan opened her tablet to browse the items for tomorrow’s auction, which were predominantly jade pieces. Only when Zhong Yan came upstairs did she speak.

“Mom invited me to go shopping tomorrow. Is it for the auction?”

Zhong Yan was unbuttoning his shirt as he remarked, “You can handle such ostentatious matters yourself. Mom and sister-in-law won’t attend, usually, things are delivered directly to our home.”

Ji Tanyuan pouted. Wasn’t he just mocking her for acting like a nouveau riche? But his mother and sister-in-law’s behavior, while appearing low-key, was actually the height of ostentation. Being the exception was the flashiest move of all, wasn’t it?

The bedroom was decorated in black and white. Ji Tanyuan, who had been leaning against the headboard, gradually slid down onto the bed and fell asleep.

She woke up later from the pain.

Groaning softly, Ji Tanyuan raised her hand to push him away, complaining, “Are you even going to let me sleep?”

The man’s well-defined abs were evident as he braced his arms on either side of her, his biceps prominent from the exertion. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, breathing in her sweet fragrance, then placed a pillow beneath her lower back. “It’ll be over soon.”

“I’ll carry you to bathe later. Just sleep.”

Ji Tanyuan had had enough. “How am I supposed to sleep like this?”

Zhong Yan replied indifferently, “Then don’t sleep. Let’s see if I’m still premature.”

Ah, this topic, it opened up a whole other story.

It’s said that a man’s first time might not last long due to heightened nerves and excitement. But Ji Tanyuan hadn’t known that, nor had she known that Zhong Yan had no prior experience. During their first time together, it didn’t last as long as one might expect from a man of his stature. Ji Tanyuan was stunned.

What was she to do if her husband was all looks and no performance?

Zhong Yan’s expression had darkened, especially when she tried to comfort him by saying she wouldn’t hold it against him.

Then, the second time, Ji Tanyuan prepared for it to be over quickly again, only to find it wouldn’t end.

It went on until daytime, relentless.

Zhong Yan had held a grudge over that ever since, and it seemed it would never be forgotten.