Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 60

Ji Tanyuan sat on the armrest of the sofa, the curve of her waist and hips fully accentuated, her demeanor gentle and composed.

Zhong Yan lounged on the sofa, appearing indifferent as he lowered his gaze, his emotions unreadable.

Both of them seemed to be in a state of “go ahead and speak, we’re listening.”

Ji Tanyuan crossed her legs, perched higher than the others seated on the sofa, observing the varied expressions around her.

Indeed, where there are people, there is drama.

That Zhao fellow was always stirring up trouble. Whether the Ji Group had a pharmaceutical company or not, it hadn’t hindered his business in the slightest.

From the moment Ji Tanyuan first met him, she knew he was her adversary. And Rong Xi, both of them, with their cunning minds, had dragged Shu Yun into this just to annoy her.

Ji Tanyuan raised her hand and rested it on Zhong Yan’s shoulder beside her. “Darling, say something.”

“…” Zhong Yan’s smile froze.

The word “darling” felt like a distant memory. Ever since Ji Tanyuan had started ignoring him, she hadn’t uttered a single word to him in private, let alone a sweet “darling.”

He then spread his hands and sighed. “They’re richer than I am. What can I do?”

“We’re quite broke right now, raising funds, making investments, and still having to haggle with raw material suppliers. Rong Xi, pay up sooner, so I can enjoy the perks of being a kept man.”

Rong Xi felt a strange unease upon hearing this. Broke? How could Zhong Yan possibly be broke? Zhongheng Group’s annualized returns grew year after year, with money flowing into their accounts unabated. Major banks and financial institutions were scrambling to invest in them, how could they be short on funds?

All this talk was nothing more than a clear declaration to everyone that he and Ji Tanyuan were a united front, sharing the same interests. There was no question of him abandoning her in her time of need.

But then, why hadn’t he taken a slice of the lucrative Qinghe Real Estate market in Shanghai? Direct capital injection and asset restructuring would have been more straightforward. Why hadn’t he done that?

Unless there was one explanation:

Qinghe was a trap, and he wanted no part of it.

Rong Xi looked up at the pair across from her. “Why isn’t Huashi Real Estate getting involved?”

Zhong Yan let out an indifferent “oh.”

“Huashi isn’t entering the Shanghai market.”

He had long shifted his focus away from real estate. If Rong Xi wanted to seize the last glimmer of the industry’s glory to make a fortune and position Furong as the leader during real estate’s twilight years, she was free to do so. But the risk of getting trapped in it was substantial.

…

Ji Tanyuan left the banquet midway and returned home. Her presence was merely a formality.

Once Ji Tanyuan was gone, Zhong Yan felt like leaving too.

After pondering for a while, Rong Xi directly stopped him. “What did you mean earlier?”

Zhong Yan glanced at her sideways. “Nothing much.”

After a pause, he added, “It’s just, Rong Xi, you overthink things. While that can be a good trait, it needs to be applied in the right places.”

“You brought Zhao Qingye into our circle. His petty schemes are too obvious, and his methods are too crude. Have you caught his stupidity?”

Two consecutive remarks, delivered without any courtesy, arrogant, cold, and dripping with disdain.

Rong Xi’s face turned pale. “What do you mean?”

Zhong Yan smirked, but his eyes were icy and bone-chillingly cold.

He looked down at Rong Xi. “Last time, when I criticized Shu Yun, it wasn’t really about her, was it?”

“You used that fool as a pawn and treated Wen Yi’an as your informant. It’s not that I didn’t know, I just couldn’t be bothered to intervene.”

Rong Xi let out a bitter laugh, her eyes reddening. “So, you’re stepping in now? Because your wife is at risk?”

“Zhong Yan, should I be flattered that you used to be so lenient with me?”

Zhong Yan frowned and made to leave. “You couldn’t affect me before, but now you can. Ji Tanyuan is my person. It’s quite bizarre how you keep watching us every day, trying to sow discord between a married couple.”

Rong Xi took a step back in shock. “How can you say that?”

Zhong Yan grew impatient. “Then what should I say? That you’ve been driven mad by Furong Real Estate? That you once thought of marrying me to take over Huashi? Or that you finally set your sights on Qinghe Real Estate, only to miss the chance when the Ji family arranged a marriage with me? Now that you’ve succeeded, you think it’s a trap?”

Having said that, he couldn’t be bothered to look at Rong Xi any longer and turned to leave. “This isn’t how you play the role of a behind-the-scenes manipulator. Your methods are crude and tasteless. Let this be the last time. Wherever I am, Zhao Qingye won’t be present. You’d better watch your step.”

His words were harsh and mocking, yet delivered in such a calm tone that it felt as if he were talking about a clown.

Rong Xi felt her dignity had been trampled into the dirt.

Her fingers dug into her palms as resentment surged within her. How dare he stand there so self-righteously and accuse her? From start to finish, it was the alliance of vested interests, one after another, that had pushed others into a corner, and now he had the audacity to call her methods crude.

“You consider her your person, but does she see you as one of her own?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhong Yan replied, “That’s none of your business.”

Rong Xi blinked, her expression shifting abruptly to reveal a sharp, ruthless glint. She murmured under her breath, “Then don’t blame me.”

She took out her phone and called Zhao Qingye. “Come out.”

…

Zhong Yan got back into the car and loosened his tie. Rong Xi’s words had left a knot of irritation in his chest, though he couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

Only he knew that he didn’t entirely regard Ji Tanyuan as one of his own. The stakes between them were too high, tied to immense interests. If he let his guard down completely, he stood to lose both his wife and his fortune. So, even if Ji Tanyuan was wary of him, he had no right to blame her.

Yet, he found himself growing weary of their current dynamic. He wanted to break down some of the barriers between them.

On the surface, Ji Tanyuan appeared lazy and carefree, but behind the scenes, she was like an octopus, spreading her influence far and wide. Take Zidian Technology’s chip industry, for instance, a joint venture between their two families. Her influence extended to upstream supply chains through her Shengjie Electronics and holdings in Jinglong Shares’ Shengda Group. And these were just the known connections.

Suddenly, he spoke coldly, “Do you think she’s planning to secure all the critical resources now so she’ll have more leverage to fight me for Zidian after we divorce?”

Liang, his assistant in the passenger seat, nodded. “It’s possible.”

But that wasn’t the whole story, wasn’t she also in it for the profit?

He knew his boss was narcissistic, but to extend that narcissism to relationships… wasn’t that a surefire way to end up single?

Oh, wait, his boss wasn’t single anymore, but he might soon be again.

Zhong Yan fell silent for a moment before addressing Liang. “From now on, have someone keep a close watch on Ji Tanyuan.”

Liang’s heart skipped a beat. Did the boss say the wrong name? Shouldn’t they be watching Rong Xi?

Why monitor the wife?

Zhong Yan repeated, “You heard me right. Ji Tanyuan, the one I married.”