Pretending to Be a Submissive O: My Fiancee Is a Little Pup - Chapter 20

Hearing this, Ji Yahan’s brows knitted slightly.

“President Song, our project already has a signed contract. There were no prior stipulations regarding other matters. Isn’t your handling of this a bit too arbitrary?”

The contract was in black and white and legally binding. Even if her younger sister’s act of fleeing the wedding was immoral, Ji Yahan could not simply agree to cancel the business partnership. Feelings were feelings, and business was business. When the Ji family signed this contract with the Song family, they intentionally left out the marriage alliance specifically to avoid this kind of risk.

“Then how does President Ji intend to handle it?” Song Weishuang had expected her to say this. She let out a cold snort, her attitude showing no sign of backing down. “President Ji came here today to apologize, but surely you didn’t just come to convince me to be the bigger person and forgive your sister?”

The person who had failed Song Yi was Ji Yaran, yet Song Weishuang only discussed the grievances with Ji Yahan.

As the heir to the Song Group and a leader among the younger generation in the business world, she looked down on someone like Ji Yaran, a useless “vase” who relied on her family for everything.

Now that this vase had humiliated the Song family, wouldn’t it be a huge loss if she didn’t squeeze some benefits out of the situation?

Furthermore.

She had already found a better buyer for this deal, someone willing to pay a larger sum to take over the project’s internal technology and reach a partnership. If she could use this incident to cancel the cooperation with the Ji Group, the Song Group could make an even bigger profit. Why wouldn’t she do it?

“President Song, I know you are dissatisfied with the wedding abandonment, but in business, we talk business. This is a finalized cooperation, how can it be canceled just by a word from you or me? If President Song pities the Third Young Lady and feels resentful, wanting some compensation, I, Ji Yahan, will not dodge that responsibility. However, as for the method of compensation, I hope President Song will reconsider carefully.”

Song Weishuang sneered, saying contemptuously, “This project was negotiated by the two of us back then, and the condition was that your sister marry my third sister. You know very well that given the relationship between our two families, I might not have agreed to work with you without that marriage alliance.”

Ji Yahan asked unhurriedly, “Then may I ask, President Song, have you already found a more suitable partner?”

Everyone present knew that Song Weishuang was not someone who acted on impulse. Being so eager to terminate the contract with the Ji Group meant there had to be a reason, and Ji Yaran’s flight from the wedding simply gave her a high-sounding excuse.

“That is not something President Ji needs to worry about for me.”

“I only hope President Song doesn’t make things too difficult for others.”

“Make things difficult?” Song Weishuang repeated, laughing softly. “If your sister hadn’t embarrassed the Song family, how would I even have the chance to make things difficult?”

“And what if we don’t agree?”

Ji Yaran’s voice broke the stalemate.

As soon as she spoke, the entire hall suddenly went silent, and every gaze shifted toward her.

“If we resolutely refuse, does President Song plan to forcibly breach the contract?” Ji Yaran asked calmly.

Song Weishuang hadn’t expected Ji Yaran to say something so shameless. She replied with a cold smile, “Ji Yaran, you failed my sister, and now you want to shirk your responsibility?”

“True, as you said, I did fail the Third Young Lady. Therefore, if we are to discuss compensation, I think I should ask for her wishes in person.”

“You…” Song Weishuang’s pupils contracted slightly. She clearly hadn’t expected Ji Yaran to be so sharp-tongued. She hissed angrily, “You still have the face to see my third sister?”

“Is President Song so unwilling to let me apologize to Miss Song in person?” Ji Yaran could see it now, this Miss Song Yi was purely a tool used to generate profit for the Song family. Song Weishuang was making things hard for the Ji family today not out of genuine indignation for her sister, but because she was struggling to find a way to extract benefits from the Ji family through this incident.

Thinking of it this way, perhaps that Song Yi didn’t actually want to marry her either.

Ji Yahan mentioned she had never seen Song Yi, and even after something as big as the wedding escape, she hadn’t been able to apologize to Song Yi personally. In Ji Yaran’s eyes, this wasn’t protection of Song Yi, but control over her. The Song Group simply didn’t want Song Yi to have too much contact with Ji Yahan.

“My sister doesn’t want to see you,” Song Weishuang said coldly. “The marriage is off, so I ask the Second Young Lady Ji to stop insulting my sister.”

“Since President Song is unwilling to discuss the marriage, then we won’t,” Ji Yaran said, sticking to the facts. “President Song is a business person, and this is about maximizing interests. Now that the project has started, President Song wouldn’t want the Song Group to gain a bad reputation in the industry, right?”

“Bad reputation?” Song Weishuang couldn’t help but find it funny. “Doesn’t Second Young Lady Ji think that the Ji family running from a wedding is the real bad reputation, a sign of untrustworthiness?”

“If President Song feels that people care more about baseless promises than legally binding contracts, then you are free to act according to your own thoughts.”

“You…” Song Weishuang’s face changed. She had used the wedding escape to pressure Ji Yahan, hoping to force the Ji Group to take the initiative to cancel. But a wedding escape, after all, wasn’t like a company project with a contract as proof. If she forcibly terminated the contract, it would look like she was acting on emotion, and it would cause financial loss for the Song Group. Therefore, she didn’t actually hold the advantage.

She thought she could use Ji Yahan’s guilt to push her, but she hadn’t expected the culprit of the wedding escape to be so thick-skinned.

Ji Yaran took in her expression, knew what she was thinking, and gave her a bright smile as her attitude softened.

“I know this matter is a thorn in your side, President Song, but we cannot agree to the conditions you’ve set. I believe you aren’t so arrogant as to bet all your chips on this one condition. If you have other ideas and are willing to take a step back, why don’t you say them so we can talk properly?”

Song Weishuang’s brows furrowed slightly, and a flash of extreme displeasure crossed her eyes.

Even if she disliked Ji Yaran, she had to admit that Ji Yaran had accurately grasped her mindset.

The other party had turned the tables, making her the passive one.

After a moment of silence, she said, “Second Young Lady Ji, I happen to have a hot potato on my hands, a project I took over from someone else. It’s been three months, and we haven’t overcome the technical hurdles yet. If the Ji Group can assist in solving these technical difficulties, then I can write off the wedding incident on my sister’s behalf.”

“What kind of project is it?” Ji Yahan asked.

“New energy,” Song Weishuang said. “I know Xinyuan Technology under the Ji Group has been researching new energy for a long time and has recruited many talents in this field over the past two years. If President Ji is willing to help with this, we can consider cooperating with the Ji Group on future projects in this area.”

New energy was one of the Ji Group’s core industries. They had established many subsidiaries over the years and were leaders in the field. Meanwhile, the Song Group had been focusing on traditional industries, and their investment in new energy was far behind the Ji Group’s. Proposing this condition was nothing more than coveting the Ji Group’s more mature technology.

However, Ji Yahan had indeed heard that Song Weishuang had taken over a new energy project. It was said the core technology was very advanced, something never seen before domestically, making improvements a major headache. If it could actually be accomplished, it would be a great breakthrough for the Ji Group’s research as well.

After weighing the pros and cons, Ji Yahan made up her mind and nodded. “Then, President Song, it’s a deal.”

On the way back, Chen Peihui drove while Ji Yahan stayed on the phone, likely coordinating the project details.

Ji Yaran sat in the back seat, texting Song Qingxue.

[Ji Yaran: I’ll probably be back tonight.]

[Song Qingxue: Then sister, I’ll wait for you so we can have dinner together.]

[Ji Yaran: It’s getting late, let’s just eat near the hotel.]

[Song Qingxue: Then sister, I’ll wait for you at the restaurant across the street.]

[Ji Yaran: Okay.]

After sending the last message, her phone suddenly received a Weibo notification.

She clicked it and found news regarding Xue Yan: [Top male star suspected of being detained for harassing an Omega, film crew forced to replace actor.]

Although much of the online gossip was speculation, the narrative was not far from the facts Ji Yaran knew.

She shared the link with Song Qingxue.

Song Qingxue replied quickly.

[Song Qingxue: Sister, I’ve been at the hotel these past two days. I heard the crew has already replaced the lead actor.]

“Yaran, your brother-in-law and I need to go back to the office tonight,” Ji Yahan’s voice came from the passenger seat, sounding a bit low. “Are you going home or back to the film crew’s hotel?”

“I’m going back to the crew.”

“Okay, Peihui will drop you off at the entrance in a bit.”

“Thanks, sis.”

All along the way, Ji Yahan and Chen Peihui discussed the company project. Although Ji Yaran couldn’t help with the technical side, she at least hadn’t caused any more trouble for the family. If they could overcome the technical hurdles of the project Song Weishuang proposed, it would be a win-win for both parties.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Ji Yaran pushed the door open to get out. “Sis, be careful on the way back.”

Ji Yahan: “You too.”

Ji Yahan waited until Ji Yaran entered the hotel lobby before letting out a long sigh. “Peihui, don’t you think… Yaran is a bit different from before?”

Chen Peihui gave a light smile. “Why? Your sister has become more sensible, shouldn’t you be happy?”

“It’s not that I’m unhappy,” Ji Yahan paused, her tone a bit complicated. “I’m a little worried…”

“Worried?”

“Yaran hasn’t suffered much since she was a child. Seeing her suddenly change like this, I’m really afraid she suffered some grievance while she was with that Yu Shi.”

“Stop overthinking it. I think her state of mind is great since she returned this time. Even if she did suffer, they’ve already broken up. Could that person still make things hard for her?”

“Heh, you have a point.”

There was only one Chinese stir-fry restaurant across from the hotel. Although the shop wasn’t large, the environment was good, without a strong smell of cooking oil.

As soon as Ji Yaran entered, she saw Song Qingxue sitting by the window, waving at her.

She walked past the tables and sat opposite Song Qingxue. “How long have you been here?”

Song Qingxue blinked. “I’ve been waiting a long time. Sister, I’ve been waiting for you the whole time.”

Her voice sounded a bit delicate, yet it didn’t sound like a complaint. Instead, it felt like she was showing off her patience and acting spoiled.

Ji Yaran said apologetically, “The traffic was bad, I’m a bit late.”

“It’s okay,” Song Qingxue handed her the menu and poured her a glass of water. “Sister must be hungry, let’s order first.”

“Okay.” Ji Yaran took the menu and looked through it. They were mostly home-style dishes. She randomly picked a few stir-fried items and handed the menu back to Song Qingxue. “You choose the rest.”

“I already chose them.” Song Qingxue smiled as she took the menu and handed it to the nearby waiter.

“What did you order?”

“Celery with lily bulbs and tomato clam soup.”

Ji Yaran nodded.

Those were the light flavors typically favored by Omegas.

“Sister,” Song Qingxue rested her chin on her hand, her slightly upturned fox-like eyes studying her. After a long while, she asked slowly, “Did you see that beautiful fiancée of yours today?”

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