Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 70

As the year drew to a close, Zhong Yan spent a week in Shanghai.

He left early and returned late, working overtime and attending dinners.

Glasses clinked, and many industry bosses gathered for meals during this time.

Some banquets were unavoidable. After all, making money often required doing things one didn’t enjoy, just to prove how hard-earned it was.

This was how Mr. Zhong consoled himself, and it was also how he consoled Ji Tanyuan.

Today, the two left work together. Ji Tanyuan had just spent hours arguing with some uncles from the Ji family, and her expression was grim. She complained that she had been infected with their stuffiness.

Staring into the mirror, Ji Tanyuan lamented her unfortunate fate.

“Making money, if it comes too easily, you’re in danger.”

Zhong Yan sat across from her. “Did your father not get involved?”

Ji Tanyuan shook her head. “Since I returned, he’s hardly attended any meetings I’ve been part of.”

Zhong Yan turned to look at her. “What exactly is your father thinking?”

Ji Tanyuan fell silent. “I don’t know. He gives in to his elder brother at every turn.”

“But the most critical shares are still in your and your father’s hands. Currently, you hold 30%, your father holds 30%, while your uncle and his side don’t have much in original shares, right?”

Zhong Yan remembered the equity change announcement released by the Ji family on Ji Tanyuan’s birthday. She now held the same stake as her father.

Ji Tanyuan turned to him. “What do you think he’s saving the other 30% for?”

Zhong Yan was speechless. “He’s not my father, how could I guess?”

“Even with my resources, I can’t dig that deep into your family affairs.”

Ji Tanyuan: “Then why are you asking about our family matters?”

Zhong Yan: “I’m just here for the drama.”

Ji Tanyuan: “…”

She turned to look out the window, deciding to ignore him.

Zhong Yan took her hand. “Don’t be angry. Can we attend your family’s ancestral ceremony?”

Ji Tanyuan looked at him in shock. “You want to go?”

Zhong Yan hummed in agreement. “I think it’ll be quite lively.”

“Then you might be disappointed. I’ve never even been.”

“You don’t want to go?”

Ji Tanyuan was even more exasperated. “Why would I go somewhere I’m not welcome?”

Zhong Yan tutted. “That’s where you’re wrong, you should go just to annoy them.”

Ji Tanyuan pressed her lips together. “I can’t stand them. Besides, not going doesn’t affect me. As you said, the shares…”

At this point, it struck her, her father’s 30% stake might very well end up with other family members.

Ji Tanyuan looked up, her eyes wary. “This isn’t just about watching the drama anymore, is it? It’s starting to sound like meddling.”

Zhong Yan choked, seemingly hurt by her assumption. “How could your affairs be considered someone else’s business?”

“So, you’re up to no good.”

Ji Tanyuan immediately pulled her hand back. Zhong Yan hadn’t expected her to view him in such a light.

“You think I have ulterior motives?”

Ji Tanyuan didn’t reply, which was confirmation enough. Wasn’t it obvious?

Ji Tanyuan reminded him, “We signed a prenuptial agreement. Assets and shares were clearly divided. Others might not know, but how could you not?”

“Of course I know. I’ve never had any interest in the Ji family, not from the start. Only my grandfather did.”

“Then why did you agree to the marriage alliance?”

Zhong Yan: “As I’ve said before, I wanted to enter the southern market.”

Zhong Yan had no reason to lie about such matters. He was only interested in the Zidian project their families were collaborating on. As for real estate, freight, and new energy sectors, Zhongheng Group didn’t need to acquire companies to compete for market share.

Besides, he had other matters to attend to later and had already declined his grandfather’s proposal.

Ji Tanyuan waved her hand, not wanting to dwell on it. Her main concern now was the situation at home.

Zhong Yan leaned closer to Ji Tanyuan and pinched her cheek. “There’s another reason. Want to hear it?”

Ji Tanyuan opened one eye to look at him, signaling her interest.

Zhong Yan chuckled and gently brushed his lips against hers. “You.”

Ji Tanyuan closed her eye again, ignoring him.

Zhong Yan clicked his tongue in mild annoyance. At this point, Ji Tanyuan had clearly adopted the attitude of treating him as her husband only when she needed something and ignoring him otherwise.

Did she really think he had feelings for her?

The thought made Zhong Yan frown. He didn’t even know whether he liked her or not.

In fact, when people had previously joked about him falling for Ji Tanyuan, he had always brushed it off.

He understood better than anyone how dangerous affection could be in a marriage of convenience among wealthy families, especially since his father was about to settle certain matters with the Shen family, which would inevitably affect the Ji family to some extent.

Zhong Yan snapped back to his senses and fell silent. He needed to do his best to protect Ji Tanyuan in the coming storm, if only because she was Mrs. Zhong.

And yet, what had he been doing just moments ago? Encouraging her to fight for the family inheritance, even though he knew she disliked returning to Shanghai frequently.

For the first time, conflicting emotions stirred unease within him. He remained silent for the rest of the journey.

Ji Tanyuan, unaware of Zhong Yan’s inner turmoil, was preoccupied with how far Ji Ting’s collaboration with the Shen family had progressed.

Although Ji Ting didn’t hold a large share of equity, his high level of authority made it easy for him to influence the company’s direction through partnership decisions.

Ji Tanyuan tapped her fingers lightly. At this point, the only thing that gave her a sense of security was the equity her father had transferred to her. No matter how bad things got, the ownership percentage was tangible. Moreover, with Lu Ke and Yu Yanna, one as CEO and the other as CFO, two key executives of the group were on her side.

Yet, her father had allowed Ji Ting to wield unchecked power within the company.

She simply couldn’t understand it.

…

“Tell me, is it possible that my father is pitting me against my uncle so that when my brother returns, he can reap the rewards?”

Three days later, Ji Tanyuan posed this question to Lu Ke.

Lu Ke adjusted his glasses and coughed twice. “It may sound like a cliché, but it’s not impossible.”

In wealthy families, melodramatic, twisted, and bizarre occurrences were far from rare.

The more Ji Tanyuan thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

“Ji Zhihe has been hidden away too well. I can’t find him.”

Nor could she eliminate him.

A trace of dissatisfaction flickered in Ji Tanyuan’s eyes. By nature, the young Miss Ji was not an intimidating figure, especially today, dressed in a tailored, waist-cinching little black dress, her hair softly curled and half-tied, she looked every bit the idle socialite.

Her words, too, were purely a complaint.

But Lu Ke knew his boss well enough, the unspoken part was the most telling.

Unable to control him and unable to eliminate him.

In his experience, Ji Tanyuan and her father, Ji Qing, had the most peculiar parent-child relationship he had ever seen.

There was affection and care between them, it wasn’t fake, but there was also a clear divide.

He couldn’t decipher Chairman Ji’s intentions, but he knew Ji Tanyuan didn’t fully trust her father.

In fact, she was deeply suspicious of him.