Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 58

Cheng Gengxu’s gaze froze upon hearing this.

“So, Ji Tanyuan dragged me into this to make me stand by and do nothing when Rong Xi faces a crisis?”

Because Gengxu Capital had invested in Ji Tanyuan’s project, the amount of capital poured in had reached a point where it was impossible to withdraw quickly.

Zhong Yan tilted his head to look at him. “Old Cheng, you’re too narcissistic. Don’t overestimate your own importance, and don’t overestimate Rong Xi’s importance either. She did it to guard against me.”

Cheng Gengxu: “…”

His face turned cold, and he couldn’t help but retort, “Are you out of your mind?”

What the hell is this nonsense?

Zhong Yan, hands in his pockets, started walking out. “I’m just correcting you based on objective facts. Don’t take yourself too seriously.”

“I’m not competing with you out of jealousy. I have a woman. If you can’t understand human language, get lost.” Cheng Gengxu had always known that Zhong Yan was not normal, and after getting married, he had become even more abnormal.

After saying this, he turned his head and his eyes paused, his expression growing even colder.

Zhong Yan continued, “I’m telling the truth. She’s guarding against me fiercely, but I’m no saint either.”

Zhong Yan finished speaking but received no reply. Following Cheng Gengxu’s gaze, he saw him walking toward an unfamiliar man and woman. Taking a closer look, wasn’t that woman Xin Gan? Only celebrities cover themselves up so thoroughly. She was currently in a tug-of-war with a young man.

Well, now he didn’t even have a woman anymore.

Xin Gan was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and black pants, with a mask covering her face. Her waist-length hair was parted into two sections, falling over her chest, the ends slightly curled. She also wore sunglasses and a mask.

Cheng Gengxu recognized her because the outfit was all too familiar, as was her posture, it was unmistakably the same person who had woken up in his arms that very morning.

He stood not far away, close enough to overhear their conversation.

Xin Gan: “My life is really good now, don’t worry.”

“Tiantian, how can I not worry? You’re all alone. Your mother is worried about you too. It hurts her to see haters attacking you every day.”

Xin Gan lowered her head. “I’m really doing fine. Please stop bothering about me.”

The man reached out and grasped her shoulders. “If you’re suffering, talk to me. Or we can discuss it, okay? Isn’t that possible?”

“The company you’re with now only has you as their artist. Do you think that’s normal?”

Xin Gan retorted, “What’s wrong with a new company? And are companies with more artists necessarily safer? All entertainment companies are the same, it’s about who has the toughest luck. The benefits here are good, so I’m staying.”

“Nothing good comes for free!”

Xin Gan choked up, her voice muffled by the mask. “I know that, of course! This company is perfectly normal! The boss said that your roles depend on your abilities, and you have to earn them through hard work.”

That’s why, aside from her first tribute drama, all her other resources were appropriate for her current status, neither too big nor too small.

One had to admit, Ji Tanyuan knew how to arrange things. She called it steady progress, taking one step at a time, never assigning roles that were beyond her capabilities.

Cheng Gengxu’s expression was icy as he watched the two. The man wasn’t old, but he was older than Xin Gan. He seemed to know her family well, and Xin Gan’s attitude toward him was quite friendly.

“Xin Gan.”

The way he called her name carried no tenderness of lovers, it was just her name.

Every time Cheng Gengxu said her name, she could sense his mood. But now…

Xin Gan’s scalp prickled. She pushed the man in front of her away, turned around, and ran. She didn’t care about his well-being, she had to save herself first.

Cheng Gengxu sneered coldly. Where could she run off to? In the middle of the night, she claimed she was filming, but it turned out she was here meeting the boy next door. She was asking for trouble.

When Zhong Yan arrived home, it was already past midnight.

The November weather had turned chilly. The man, wearing a black overcoat and carrying a gust of cold air with him, pressed his fingerprint to unlock the door.

As he stepped into the courtyard, he thought he might as well head straight to the master bedroom.

Entering the living room, a faint glow from behind the screen caught his attention. A floor lamp cast a warm light, and someone was lying on the sofa.

Zhong Yan’s gaze paused. He walked over and saw Ji Tanyuan lying there.

The housekeeper, hearing the commotion, emerged from the servants’ quarters. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Zhong Yan. “You’re back?”

“Mrs. Ji wasn’t feeling well and went to the hospital this evening. Madam didn’t go, but she was worried, so she fell asleep here.”

Zhong Yan gave a noncommittal hum. “Why didn’t you call me?”

Xi Qian looked up, slightly puzzled. “I did call you, but the call didn’t go through.” The implication was that he hadn’t answered.

Zhong Yan’s eyes sharpened instantly as he turned to Xi Qian. “What did you say?”

Just then, Ji Tanyuan woke with a start. Opening her eyes, she was startled to see two figures standing there.

“What are you two doing here?”

Zhong Yan didn’t press the matter of the phone call at that moment. Instead, he turned and walked over to her, bending down. “Why did you fall asleep here?”

Ji Tanyuan fumbled for her phone between the sofa cushions and saw her assistant’s message assuring her everything was fine.

Still groggy, her eyes half-open, she murmured, “I accidentally fell asleep.”

“Go upstairs to sleep.”

Ji Tanyuan hummed in agreement but remained seated on the sofa, dazed and unmoving, clearly not fully awake yet.

Zhong Yan sighed, bent down, and lifted her by the armpits. Ji Tanyuan gasped in surprise. “Wrap your legs around me.”

Immediately, she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms encircling his neck, and rested her head on his shoulder.

Zhong Yan adjusted his hold on her and said to Xi Qian, “You can rest now. Thank you for your hard work.”

With Zhong Yan here, Xi Qian felt reassured and nodded before leaving.

Zhong Yan’s expression softened in the night. As he carried her upstairs, he said, “Next time something happens, call me.”

He wouldn’t ignore her calls.

Ji Tanyuan hummed again, clearly brushing it off without taking it seriously.

Zhong Yan didn’t press further. He simply tucked her into the bed.

“Sleep now, or your parents will worry.”

Ji Tanyuan closed her eyes but then opened them again, unable to fall asleep.

When Zhong Yan came out of the bathroom, he saw Ji Tanyuan with her eyes wide open. “Waiting for me?”

“I can’t sleep.”

Zhong Yan lay down on the bed. “Then let’s talk for a while.”

Ji Tanyuan closed her eyes. “No.”

Zhong Yan pried her eyelids open. “Furong Real Estate acquired most of Qinghe Real Estate’s disposed assets.”

Ji Tanyuan turned over, her back to him. “I don’t need you to tell me.”

Then she opened her eyes, still facing away, her gaze distant. “I don’t want to be a normal couple with you anymore.”

Silence filled the room.

Zhong Yan felt he had been obedient enough. She didn’t want him to come back, so he stayed out until midnight. Was it because he hadn’t answered the phone?

“I really didn’t get the call. It wasn’t intentional.”

Ji Tanyuan was confused. “What call?”

Zhong Yan grabbed her shoulder and forced her to face him. His expression was unreadable, devoid of any warmth.

“So, you’re listening to your mother now?”

Ji Tanyuan was frightened by his expression. Even when she had slapped him before, his face hadn’t been this severe. She instinctively shifted away from him.

Then, she was pulled back by Zhong Yan’s arm wrapping around her waist, his grip firm. “Miss Ji, it seems you still haven’t grasped the situation.”

The man’s cold, jade-like face seemed veiled in frost, every line of it taut and rigid, devoid of any trace of warmth.

His lowered eyes concealed the unfathomable turbulence beneath, his gaze fixed intently on her face with unnerving focus.

He reached out and touched her porcelain-like skin, tracing from her chin to her cheek, then up to her brow bone with meticulous care. The touch was light, yet carried an undeniable authority that sent a shiver down Ji Tanyuan’s spine.

Feeling the delicate texture of her skin beneath his fingers, Zhong Yan’s pale hand lingered gently on her brow bone, the motion tender and lingering. The room was silent, save for their restrained breaths, creating an eerie yet intimate tension. After a moment’s thought, Zhong Yan finally spoke:

“Let me make this clear to you, in our marriage, I have always been the one in control.”