Another Day of Pretending for the Wealthy Couple - Chapter 9

The two set out at five in the evening, with Zhong Yan driving.

On the way, Yanjing was congested again.

The Second Ring Road in Yanjing was jammed in endless circles. Zhong Yan sighed, “The traffic is still this terrible. Good thing we left early.”

Ji Tanyuan remained silent. Zhong Yan glanced sideways at her.

She was reapplying her lipstick.

She examined herself left and right in the mirror, her face was indeed beautiful, growing more captivating the longer one looked.

For some reason, Ji Tanyuan always gave him the impression that she was utterly bored and could only fuss over her appearance.

“Are you very bored?” Zhong Yan finally asked during the traffic jam.

Ji Tanyuan snapped the lipstick cap shut. “No, why do you ask?”

Zhong Yan: “You just seem really bored.”

Ji Tanyuan: “…” Could he actually tell?

She turned to look at him. “Then can I go back to live in Shanghai for a while?”

Zhong Yan turned to meet her gaze, then looked back at the road, but reached out to pinch her cheek. “You can’t go back.”

“We agreed from the start, don’t go back too often. It gives a bad impression and makes people think our marriage alliance is unstable.”

Ji Tanyuan’s smile stiffened, then she murmured, “Oh.”

Zhong Yan ruffled her hair. “Be good, alright?”

Ji Tanyuan fell silent. She suddenly remembered what her father had told her half a year ago.

…

At the time, the Ji family faced a crisis when one of its subsidiaries imploded, triggering a credibility crisis and the risk of bankruptcy, forcing asset restructuring.

Then, the powerful Zhong family from the capital extended an olive branch, cooperation and a marriage alliance. The proposed partner wasn’t some old man but someone three years older than her, handsome, and reputedly clean in his personal life. By all measures, the conditions were excellent. The Zhong family’s status, compared to the Ji family’s self-made standing, was immeasurably higher, it was indeed the Ji family marrying up.

Because the Zhong family’s patriarch and eldest son were in politics, this marriage alliance couldn’t be merely symbolic, it had to be real.

The Zhong family wasn’t there to save the Ji family; they were there to add fuel to the fire.

How the Ji family handled this fire would determine everything.

If the Ji family accepted, it would be a fire that provided warmth in a snowstorm, temporarily easing the crisis. But it would disrupt the southern landscape, allowing northern capital to enter, which would bring its own set of troubles.

If the Ji family refused, it would be the fire of a funeral parlor, facing bankruptcy and restructuring.

Cooperating with the Zhong family would give the Ji family a chance to catch their breath. Refusal would mean immediate collapse and being carved up.

Ji Tanyuan smiled, took a wet wipe, and cleaned the black residue from her father’s fingertips. “Don’t smoke so heavily from now on. Mom is already like this, if something happens to you too, what will I do?”

“Their conditions are good, and we’re the ones marrying up. That’s a good thing. I’ve always liked handsome men, maybe I’ll genuinely fall for him. If I end up siding with outsiders, would you be furious? I won’t go abroad. If Mom and I leave now, this family would truly be finished.”

But both father and daughter knew that pies don’t fall from the sky. The Zhong family’s arrival in Shanghai was no blessing. They were placing the Ji family on a stove, caught between northern and southern factions, and the road ahead would not be simple.

“Let’s give it a try, Dad. This isn’t a dead end.”

Even if it were a dead end, she would fight her way out. If the Ji family truly went bankrupt, that would be her real dead end.

Ji Qing had smoked all night, his voice now hoarse. “I’m sorry.”

He started from scratch with no substantial family backing, yet he couldn’t afford to go bankrupt. Without the strength to resist or any leverage, Ji Tanyuan might also face difficulties, those vultures in their social circle had a particular taste for fallen heiresses.

But he didn’t want to see such a marriage alliance either. Matches were meant to be between equals, and the Zhong family’s status surpassed the Ji family’s. If his daughter were to suffer in the future, the Ji family would struggle to stand up for her.

…

Ji Tanyuan first met Zhong Yan at the company. He wore a black overcoat with a black suit underneath, as if walking a runway. In the misty haze, his features seemed to radiate a gentle warmth, but it was merely an illusion.

The Zhong Yan that followed was aloof, dignified, and assertive.

This man was resolute and uncompromising. Discussing the prenuptial agreement felt like negotiating a business deal, clear and methodical. His lawyer was patient, articulating every point with precision. The outcome of their arranged match had long been predetermined.

Once the prenuptial agreement was signed, with assets and boundaries clearly defined, the lawyer left, leaving only the two of them.

Zhong Yan finally lifted his noble eyelids. “Next, it’s time for us to cultivate feelings.”

Ji Tanyuan hesitated, “Actually, there’s no need.”

“Miss Ji,” Zhong Yan interrupted her with a faint smile. “We are truly getting married. If you’re thinking of a marriage in name only, where we each go our own ways, I advise you to dismiss that idea. Citizens must abide by marriage laws, you know.”

“The Zhong family expects a virtuous daughter-in-law, and I think you fit the bill. Of course, whatever kind of son-in-law the Ji family needs, or whatever kind of husband you require, I can try to adapt.”

Ji Tanyuan nodded again and said, “I want to stay in Shanghai.”

Zhong Yan’s smile faded as he replied coolly, “Weren’t you paying attention when the lawyer was speaking? If you stay in Shanghai while I’m elsewhere, how would that look to those in the capital? Moreover, I hope that after marriage, you’ll maintain some distance from certain friends, it wouldn’t reflect well on the Zhong family’s reputation.”

Ji Tanyuan began, “You could also stay…” in Shanghai.

But her words of resistance died under his gaze.

Zhong Yan’s approach to “cultivating feelings” was like playing a dating game without ever immersing himself in it, merely going through the motions for appearances. Their marriage had to seem like a natural progression of affection, with no room for fault.

Later, they met each other’s parents. The wedding was grand, complete with all the expected, and unexpected, extravagances. A villa worth hundreds of millions was transferred under her name; the betrothal gifts included shares in Zhongheng Group, a traditional courtyard house from Zhong’s father, and cash that temporarily filled the gap in the Ji family’s cash flow. Ji Tanyuan’s dowry was equally lavish, facilitating a shared collaboration in microelectronic chip technology with Zhongheng Group, along with properties in Shanghai.

Beneath the facade of harmony and happiness lay not love, but even greater entanglements of interest.