Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 54

When Ji Tanyuan caught up with the dog in her car, she could hear its barks from afar.

The sports car accelerated, screeched to a halt, and drifted sideways, blocking the black sedan in front.

Ji Tanyuan stepped out of the car and walked over to the other vehicle.

The driver got out and bowed slightly. “Madam.”

Ji Tanyuan opened the passenger door. The man inside was holding the beagle, frozen in place, not daring to move. He looked up at her, his eyes even more pitiful than the dog in his arms.

The dog in his embrace was busy chewing on a beef bone.

Without a word, Ji Tanyuan took the dog from him.

Without another word, she turned and walked away.

“Madam.”

“Get lost.”

“Ah, yes.”

The driver got back into the car and let out a sigh of relief. “This has nothing to do with us now, right?”

His colleague in the passenger seat muttered under his breath, “You have no idea, if anything had happened to that dog, I’d be dead.”

The driver sighed. “Better dead than having to fight over a dog with dignity.”

Internally, he grumbled, People with power and influence are just too ridiculous.

Ji Tanyuan postponed her return to Shanghai and sent someone to check on Qi Fu, offering compensation. She took the dog for a checkup and then brought it to Qin Yini’s apartment.

Qin Yini looked at her friend, whose complexion had yet to return to normal, and couldn’t help but curse, “Those old bastards.”

“Authoritarianism and feudalism, landlords and exploitation, they’ve shown it all in its full glory.”

Qin Yini watched as Ji Tanyuan applied her lipstick. “Where are you going? You’re not planning to add insult to injury, are you?”

She set the dog down. “Wait for me, I’ll go with you.”

Ji Tanyuan snapped her lipstick case shut. “No, I’m not going. I might only go when he’s headed for the crematorium.”

“Are you going to get a divorce?”

Ji Tanyuan slumped her shoulders. “I can’t stand his family anymore. Those two old folks are like hanging zombies, I’m even afraid of having nightmares.”

Being a daughter-in-law in such a prestigious family isn’t for everyone. She now had a newfound respect for Wen Yi’an.

Qin Yini remarked, “The more elite the family, the more psychological issues they have.”

“Honestly, I’d suggest you and Mr. Zhong live separately. That way, your personal relationship won’t affect the business ties between your families, and you can still maintain basic decorum. That’s the proper way to handle an arranged marriage.”

“I used to worry that your uncle’s family would hold you back, but now it seems Mr. Zhong’s side is no better.”

“So, under these circumstances, it’s better to live apart. Of course, I’m speaking from the perspective of the marriage’s practical purpose.”

Ji Tanyuan replied, “I suggested that before, but the Zhong family refused. They want all the benefits of the marriage, along with family harmony and face, both inside and out. As if I should be grateful and sacrifice everything for them.”

“They take my politeness for granted and keep pushing their luck.”

At this, Ji Tanyuan let out a cold laugh. “Zhong Yan, that bastard, he just ran off.”

For someone as refined as Miss Ji to resort to such sharp words, it showed just how terrible the Zhong family had been.

“What are you going to do next?”

Ji Tanyuan looked at Qin Yini. Her bright, gentle eyes, usually curved with laughter, were now red-rimmed, filled with a negativity that didn’t belong there.

Qin Yini had known Ji Tanyuan for years. Ji Tanyuan was even a few years younger than her, and she had never once seen her raise her voice. Elegance and politeness were inherent to her character. Yet, a single marriage had pushed her to this point.

Qin Yini walked over and hugged her in comfort. “Call your dad now. Whether you take his advice or not, you need to inform him, it shows you have family backing.”

“Don’t even think about handling this alone. Pushing the old man into the pond has to be dealt with properly.”

Although they were close friends and colleagues, and she was her legal advisor, she couldn’t offer advice when the other was prone to impulsiveness. Matters of marriage, especially those involving family affairs, were too private. How to handle them had to be discussed directly by the people involved.

Ji Tanyuan gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

Zhong Yan had just finished a meeting when he received a call from his brother.

Listening to Zhong Jing recount how Ji Tanyuan had pushed their grandfather into the pond, he could hardly believe it and insisted someone must have framed her.

Zhong Jing had had enough. “I saw it with my own eyes, and I was the one who pulled the old man out of the water.”

Ji Tanyuan had only left after seeing him jump in.

“You were involved too? Taking advantage of my absence…”

“Zhong Yan, I’m not joking. You need to come back immediately.”

Zhong Yan loosened his tie. “What about Ji Tanyuan? Is she hurt?”

“She’s perfectly fine. After pushing Grandpa in, she went straight to look for the dog.”

Zhong Yan let out a cold laugh. “So, Grandpa took the opportunity of my absence to bully my wife and used the dog to threaten her?”

With that, Zhong Yan hung up and immediately made another call to have someone hack the surveillance system and scramble the video footage.

He tossed his phone onto the sofa, removed his tie, and tried calling Ji Tanyuan, but she didn’t answer.

He then called Qi Fu to ask and learned that she had been injured while chasing the dog and Ji Tanyuan had already sent someone to check on her.

Zhong Yan said, “I’m sorry. I’ll arrange for someone to take care of you during your recovery and have compensation issued.”

“No need, no need. Madam has already taken care of it. I’m the one who should apologize.”

“It’s not your fault.”

After hanging up, Zhong Yan tried Ji Tanyuan again, but she still didn’t answer.

The black Maybach swiftly weaved through traffic, heading toward the airport.

Zhong Yan sat in the back seat, expressionless.

Autumn had arrived, it seemed his marriage was about to turn cold as well.

Liang, his assistant, and Chu He sat in the front, not daring to utter a word.

Ever since their boss got married, his emotional swings had become extreme.

Before marriage, he was as detached as someone about to renounce the world; after marriage, he became someone whose happiness and anger were both unmistakably intense.

Assistant Liang asked, “Should I gather the team to prepare for risk control?”

At this point, Ji Tanyuan had completely torn face with the Zhong family.

At first, he couldn’t believe it either, thinking that Madam, poor thing, had been framed.

But now, Assistant Liang had to give Princess Ji a thumbs-up, she was absolutely incredible, practically a legend.

Usually, she seemed harmless, but once she made a move, she went straight for the mastermind without a single wasted word. She acted decisively, almost recklessly.

That’s why Assistant Liang asked if they were prepared for a fallout, after all, the two were tied together in too many ways.

Zhong Yan raised a hand to press between his brows, lowering his head as silence filled the car.

His refined features were shadowed with gloom, his finger adorned with a wedding ring. The problem he now faced was how to secure the least loss and the greatest gain in a marriage on the verge of collapse.

“Prepare for it, just in case.”

Zhong Yan had no intention of seeking out Ji Tanyuan. He would face the Zhong family on his own, it was likely Ji Tanyuan would refuse to come back, no matter what.

To be honest, he didn’t feel much about it. Now that he had calmed down and thought it over, it was actually within expectations. He had always said that Ji Tanyuan appeared elegant on the outside, but deep down, she had a reckless, untamed spirit. Before, she had been as docile as a quail, but now she had erupted like an eagle.

He went to the hospital and found a family sitting in the hallway.

His parents, his elder brother and sister-in-law, and the hospital director, among others.

Zhong Yan stepped forward and stood in front of his father.

“Whatever it is, take it out on me.”

Zhong Fangqi asked the others to leave. Once only family remained in the hallway, his hawk-like eyes fixed on his younger son. “Take it out on you?”

“If Zhong Jing had been even a moment later today, it could have cost someone their life.”

Zhong Yan lowered his head and said, “No, she wouldn’t have done it if she hadn’t seen my brother nearby.”

“Zhong Yan!” Zhong Fangqi roared.

He raised his arm and slapped him hard across the face. Zhong Yan’s head snapped to the side instantly.

The others were startled. Zhong Jing stepped forward. “Dad, this isn’t A-Yan’s fault.”

“He already obediently agreed to the arranged marriage.”

Zhong Yan’s brows twitched slightly, and he pressed his tongue against his numb cheek. “It’s my fault.”

“I shouldn’t have dragged an innocent person into our family’s mess just to satisfy your so-called ‘happy family’ facade. A marriage of convenience is actually better, at least she won’t be tormented.”

He chuckled softly at this, then added, “From now on, no matter what happens between me and Ji Tanyuan, if she doesn’t want to come to the Zhong family, she doesn’t have to.”

Hearing this, Zhong Fangqi grew even angrier. The regret he had felt after impulsively slapping his son vanished instantly, replaced by an urge to strike him again.

“But I’m still a Zhong, and she’s still Mrs. Zhong. This is just to avoid unnecessary trouble affecting our fundamental interests.”

“Compared to so-called filial piety, what our marriage really needs is a facade for the outside world. We can’t put the cart before the horse, can we?”

Zhong Fangqi sneered. “Putting on an act, is that it? Ah, you young people sure know how to play games.”

“What else can we do? Get a divorce?”

“How dare you!”

Zhong Fangqi raised his hand again, but this time Zhong Jing reacted swiftly and stopped him, urging, “Dad, Dad, he’s just trying to provoke you.”

Just as Zhong Fangqi was glaring furiously at Zhong Yan, his secretary called to say that Ji Tanyuan’s parents had arrived.