Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 59

Ji Tanyuan snapped back to reality, then stared in disbelief. “Are you even making any sense?”

She immediately pushed him away, as if she could no longer endure the oppressive atmosphere.

Scrambling up, she stood barefoot by the bed. “Zhong Yan, do my words not count? Only yours do? You said we should be a married couple, but look at what we’ve become. Your grandfather is still lying in the hospital. Can’t you see the state we’re in now?”

Zhong Yan remained unfazed. “He’s not dead yet. Even my father, his own son, hasn’t blamed you.”

“…”

Ji Tanyuan felt a suffocating tightness in her chest, unable to swallow or spit out her frustration. How could they not blame her? It was just that they had no grounds to say it outright.

“I don’t want to play along with your family anymore.”

Zhong Yan hummed in acknowledgment. “Fine, don’t play along with them. Just play along with me.”

He patted the bed, propping his head up as he lay on his side, watching her. “Get some sleep.”

Ji Tanyuan turned and walked toward the door. “I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

Just as she opened the door, an arm wrapped around her waist, and she was lifted off the ground, “flying” back to the bed in one swift motion.

Startled, she found Zhong Yan now standing by the bed. “Let’s talk.”

Since unreasonable tactics hadn’t worked, he decided to appeal to her emotions and logic instead:

“Don’t you think being a couple in name only is even more troublesome? Do you think it’ll be fine if you return to Shanghai while I stay in Beijing? What if someone with ill intentions leaks the news and rumors of a marital rift start spreading?”

After saying this, Zhong Yan recalled what his assistant Liang had mentioned earlier:

“You know, the upcoming annual gala, business banquets, entrepreneur clubs, and chamber of commerce events, we’re both expected to attend.”

Ji Tanyuan brushed it off. “We can just send representatives.”

Zhong Yan clicked his tongue. That line sounded familiar. Still, he replied in a low voice, “Yes, that might have worked before. But now, our marriage has some impact on Zidian Technology, whether big or small. You’ve seen how the photovoltaic sector hasn’t been doing well lately. Tongji High-Tech’s new energy battery factory has just broken ground, and your new company’s raw material supply is just getting started, isn’t it? Which of these doesn’t require cooperation from government departments or maintaining good relationships?”

Ji Tanyuan looked up at him. “So?”

“Does living apart mean I’m no longer Mrs. Zhong? I only said I don’t want to be so intimate with you in private anymore.”

“…” You really have the nerve to say that.

This time, it was Zhong Yan’s turn to be left speechless. All he knew was that he couldn’t let Ji Tanyuan drift apart from him, reducing their relationship to a mere formality.

Zhong Yan insisted, “No, we’ll keep things the way they were before.”

Ji Tanyuan let out a cold laugh. “The way they were before? Putting on an act? Aren’t you tired of it?”

Zhong Yan reached out, cupped the back of her head, and leaned in to kiss her, pushing her down onto the bed. Her white loungewear loosened, and his fingers teased her skillfully, like playing a piano.

“I’m just being myself, and I’m more than willing.”

Ji Tanyuan had no choice but to accept his kiss. His refined features were so close she could see each distinct eyelash and the depth in his eyes.

After a while, Zhong Yan forced himself to pull away. He gently stroked her cheek and said, “I’ll sleep in the guest room. Get some rest early. From now on, don’t say things out of anger. Given the current situation, once you’re on the Zhong family’s ship, there’s no getting off. If you’re unhappy about something, say it. But a marriage in name only? Don’t even think about it.”

With that, he stood up and left without looking back, decisive and restrained.

Ji Tanyuan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind in a daze.

From the moment Zhong Yan had suddenly switched gears, she hadn’t been able to keep up. This man, who usually seemed indifferent and half-dead, had suddenly gone off the rails, and she hadn’t known how to react.

Last time she proposed a marriage of convenience, he was angry but not twisted. Yet just now, Zhong Yan’s icy expression and the dark desire in his eyes were unsettling.

Ji Tanyuan raised a hand to cover her eyes, things were getting more and more chaotic.

Zhong Yan went straight to the study and opened his phone to check the call log. It clearly showed that Xi Qian had called him. Had he missed the call because he didn’t hear it, or had someone hung up for him? If he had answered the call and returned earlier to comfort Tanyuan when she was at her most vulnerable, would their relationship have improved significantly?

Zhong Yan put down his phone and closed his eyes to rest. Unfortunately, there were no “what-ifs” in life.

Still, Ji Tanyuan was unlikely to seek a divorce easily. No one understood better than him how much everything gained through power relied on that very power. Ji Tanyuan had gained efficiency and convenience in procedural approvals through the Zhong family, so she wouldn’t end this marriage hastily. There was no need to panic.

…

Sheng Wan and Ji Qing were discharged from the hospital the next day. After a simple meal with Ji Tanyuan, they left. Ji Tanyuan didn’t ask any further questions. Her father had told her not to worry, so she wouldn’t. Since childhood, she had never been forced to mediate her parents’ conflicts. She never had to hate her father because of her mother or distance herself from her mother because of her father. Growing up without being caught in the middle of their disputes, she knew this was their only tacit way of loving her, so she accepted it obediently.

Ji Tanyuan never visited the Zhong family again and didn’t spare Zhong Yan any face, often skipping routine family gatherings. Zhong Yan didn’t seem to mind, and their relationship settled into another kind of strangeness. To Ji Tanyuan, it felt even more like acting than before.

For instance, at the Zhongheng Group’s year-end gala in mid-December, the two hadn’t spoken a moment before, but the moment they stepped out of the car, Ji Tanyuan leaned against Zhong Yan with a soft smile. To others, they appeared intimate and affectionate, but only Zhong Yan felt that Ji Tanyuan’s act had reached new heights of insincerity. Her pretense used to be somewhat endearing, but now it just made him uncomfortable.

Ji Tanyuan wore a champagne-colored mermaid gown, her hair elegantly styled in an updo. Her figure was graceful, and her fair skin glowed with a rich, luminous sheen, exuding an air of nobility. She danced the opening dance with Zhong Yan.

Assistant Liang had no idea what had gotten into the boss, making him suddenly decide to attend the gala. “If you’re going to come, at least crack a smile,” he thought. “You’re acting as if Zhongheng won’t make it to next year, it’s just bad luck.” The most unlucky person in the entire company was the big boss himself! He regretted persuading him to come; it would’ve been better to just let Princess Ji attend alone.

However, Shen Que was the first to notice something off between Zhong Yan and Ji Tanyuan. Having been through a divorce himself, he had the experience. He ventured to ask, but Zhong Yan shot him a disdainful glance. “Don’t give me advice from your divorced perspective. I’m not listening.”

Shen Que’s face darkened. He shouldn’t have come. Zhong Yan was just asking for trouble. Even though he was the boss, Shen Que wished the boss’s wife would give him a hard time, until he learned to keep his mouth shut and stop being so sarcastic.

As Ji Tanyuan stepped out of the restroom, she spotted Rong Xi, who was attending the gala as a corporate partner. Rong Xi noticed her too and smiled. “Tanyuan, long time no see.”

Ji Tanyuan nodded with a faint smile. “Long time no see.”

Zhao Qingye, having heard about recent events, chimed in, “A-Yan, I heard Qinghe Real Estate was acquired by Furong Real Estate. Why didn’t you step in to help your wife? Such a good real estate company, gone just like that.”

“Tanyuan, don’t be upset. After all, you’re Mrs. Zhong, what’s one company to you?”

“As long as there’s money involved, it’s fine.” Ji Tanyuan replied with a light laugh. “Acquisitions aren’t done without payment, after all.”

Zhao Qingye’s smile stiffened. Was that really the point? Shouldn’t the focus be on Zhong Yan not helping her?

But it didn’t matter. He hadn’t been speaking for their benefit anyway, his words were meant for the ears of those around them.

By the next day, rumors of the couple’s strained relationship would already be spreading.