Tang Wan looked at the advertisement published under Ji Mingkai's name. Before publishing it, Ji Mingkai had specially arranged for it to be delivered to the Tang family mansion so that she could see it. It was the newspaper she had contacted for him.

That day, her mother heard her say that Ji Mingkai was having an affair. So she sent someone to inquire about the woman. Then she whispered in her father's ear, and he went to talk to Master Ji. Master Ji put pressure on Ji Mingkai, and afterwards, she came out and played the good guy.

Her relationship with Ji Mingkai is much better now than before. Ji Mingkai no longer objects to their marriage and has even moved back to live at the Ji family home.

But Tang Wan couldn't feel happy at all.

The farce orchestrated by Ji Mingkai ended in less than two days. It completely ruined the reputation of both the Ji and Tang families, and destroyed any remaining goodwill he had in literary circles.

Most importantly, Ji Mingkai's third brother returned from abroad these past few days. The Ji family patriarch now takes him everywhere and has even brought him into the company. It won't be long before he's handed over the Ji family's freight company to him.

But she hasn't even entered the family yet, and even if she did, the Ji family patriarch wouldn't let her touch that company. And Ji Mingkai is extremely aloof, as if touching money would taint him.

Unbeknownst to her, the reason he had been following her around recently, besides finding her outfit novel, was also because he hoped she could manage the Ji family business for him. Once he discovered he was just a woman, not as capable as he thought, he hesitated.

Just like her mother said, men still prefer to be with women they think they can control.

First Zhou Shaoqiu, then Yu Sisi, and who knows who will come next. Just like her father, he's married one concubine after another, and even at this age, he still has his eye on another one. If it weren't for the fact that his first wife lives in the countryside, he would have taken her in long ago.

Seeing Tang Wan in a daze, Tang Wu, the youngest daughter of the Tang family, raised an eyebrow at her aunt, let go of her aunt's arm, and ran to sit down next to Tang Wan. "Sister, are you so happy to see brother-in-law's notice?"

She seemed naive and innocent, taking the newspaper from Tang Wan's hand. "Brother-in-law truly lives up to his reputation as a romantic and talented man. Both of his articles are beautifully written. Even our teacher praised his writing style. It has the straightforwardness of vernacular Chinese while also incorporating classical Chinese. It's a pity that those old fogies at the school insist that he has a moral failing, otherwise he would be teaching us classical Chinese this year. If you ask me, they're doing it on purpose. Many people have two wives, but they're not as frank as brother-in-law."

Tang Wan didn't even bother to smile. "Little sister, where are you going with your aunt? You're dressed so beautifully."

"I saw you sitting here looking so beautiful, sister. You didn't know? Today is the movie premiere, and the press conference is being held together with the banquet. You must have sent me an invitation, right?" The fifth young lady covered her mouth, as if she had just learned the news.

"Ah! I see, this was hosted by the Zhou family. The Zhou family is so petty, but speaking of which, they're also my brother-in-law..."

"Alright," Tang Wan interrupted her, interrupting her as she had been thinking and hadn't quite thought things through. "Our family business isn't here. They gave you an invitation, so you can't be late. If you don't leave now, it won't look good if you're late."

The fifth young lady knew perfectly well that she was being told to leave, so she pretended to be sullen and got up, saying, "I was worried that you would be sad, so I wanted to stay with you a little longer. But since you say so, I'll be going now."

Not long after Miss Tang Wu and her aunt left, a servant came to tell Tang Wan that the car to pick her up had arrived.

Tang Wan walked out with a cold face. The night wind was a bit chilly, and she was only wearing a cheongsam. It looked good, but it was freezing. She regretted not wearing another layer. She wanted to go back for it, but the black sedan was already in front of her.

Tang Wan gave a self-deprecating laugh and opened the car door. Someone was already inside, and they reached out their hand to her.

"Why did you come in person? The Zhou family didn't invite you today."

Lin Qinghai didn't respond to her words. He looked at the cheongsam she was wearing and frowned. "Why are you wearing a cheongsam again? You look better in men's clothing."

Tang Wan paused, recalling a photo of her mother taken years ago, showing her with slicked-back hair, wearing a shirt and suspender trousers. Back then, her maternal grandfather hadn't yet gambled away all his family's wealth. Tang Wan's eyes were filled with complex emotions. They said they were from the same hometown; her mother had met Lin Qinghai back then, a man who worked as a errand boy at the casino.

Fortunately, she lowered her head when she got on the bus, so Lin Qinghai couldn't see her face.

Tang Wan sat down, and the driver didn't ask where they were going before driving off.

Lin Qinghai held her hand tightly. Tang Wan didn't pull away either, letting him stroke her hand intermittently while staring blankly out of the car window.

The car stopped at Hongji Restaurant. Tang Wan thought of the news she had inquired about that afternoon: Yu Sisi had married the head chef there. She would rather marry a chef than stay with Ji Mingkai. The person who had inquired about her was one of Lin Qinghai's men.

Tang Wan didn't know if Lin Qinghai had come here on purpose. She felt a little uncomfortable and her body grew colder.

Lin Qinghai didn't get out of the car, but gave the driver in front a wink. The driver got out of the car, but didn't leave; he stood outside and waited.

"The person you're meeting today is Feng Shaozhe's boss. If you have any grievances, say them now, don't show them in front of him later."

Lin Qinghai smiled and pulled her into his arms, coaxing her affectionately. Tang Wan wasn't in high spirits, her face cold as she glanced at him sideways, "Why did you choose this place?"

Her face was flushed with spring-like joy, and she had a girlish temper that Lin Qinghai loved most. He reached out and touched her face; it was smooth and silky to the touch. Youth was truly wonderful; none of his concubines could compare.

"Tell me why, what's so great about that Ji family boy? He's not even as good as a cook. What are you trying to achieve by going through all this trouble? What's wrong with following me? We've settled things today, and Feng Shaozhe will leave Shanghai. I'll give you the film company as a dowry, how about that?"

Tang Wan looked at him in surprise, "Feng Shaozhe left Shanghai? Where did he go?"

Lin Qinghai pinched her cheek and teased her, "You don't care where he goes. You think about so many people every day. When will you start thinking about me too?"

Tang Wan removed his hand from her face, twisted her body, and snuggled into his arms. "Who said I don't have you in my heart? But you said that the film company will be mine in the future."

"You only heard that the film company is yours, but what about what I said earlier?" Lin Qinghai turned her face to face, staring into her eyes. "What did you say?"

“I’m married, so what?” Tang Wan bit her lower lip. “I don’t want to be someone’s concubine.”

Lin Qinghai smiled and gently touched her red lips with his finger. "She's recovered. Let's go inside first. There's no rush. We have two more days. Think about it some more."

Hearing this, Tang Wan understood his meaning: as long as she didn't agree to become his concubine, he couldn't give her the film company. However, Tang Wan wasn't afraid. At most, things would be the same as before, with her and Young Master Lin managing it together. With Young Master Lin's intelligence, wouldn't she be the one in charge?

Tang Wan's gloomy mood, which had lasted for several days, finally brightened up.