Chapter 26 It doesn't hurt, but it's uncomfortable.

Zhong Yan got out of the car and entered the yacht, where several men were sitting on a white sofa.

Some were dressed casually, while others were in suits, having just come from a formal occasion. They chatted happily on the spacious luxury yacht.

Zhong Yan boarded the boat, and the yacht started moving, slowly sailing along the Bund.

When Zhong Yan came in, someone inside asked, "Why are you alone? We only brought our girlfriends because you said you were bringing your wife."

The speaker was Lan Fengsheng, the heir of the Lan family of Nanjiang. He met Ji Tanyuan in their overseas study circle, and the couple knew each other.

Zhong Yan said calmly, "She went back to her mother's."

Lan Fengsheng clicked his tongue, "I thought I'd get to see Ji Huanghuang."

Zhong Yan slightly raised his eyelids and chuckled, "You miss her?"

Lan Fengsheng exclaimed, "You're jealous? Well, you're in the wrong place."

Looking out the window at the lights of the tall buildings along the way, Zhong Yan slowly asked, "Then whose food should I eat?"

Lan Fengsheng didn't notice that Zhong Yan's mood was off, which wasn't his fault. Zhong Yan was usually like this, neither dead nor alive. He would sit quietly in the center listening to others talk, occasionally joining in. But often, in these kinds of situations, this kind of person is the most powerful.

So Lan Fengsheng started gossiping as usual. He was a chatterbox and sometimes a bit naive, especially when he was half-drunk.

"You don't know? Shen Xiling, the young master of the Shen family who was just transferred to Shanghai as a police officer."

My father was the director of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau and concurrently the deputy mayor. When the Ji family ran into trouble, the Shen family did not offer any help. The relevant departments did not intend to provide assistance either, because they all assumed that there was no value in helping and were all waiting for this whale to fall so that it would "benefit" other fish.

Who would have thought that the Zhong family of the capital would send a lifeline, a slow-burning remedy?

Of course, it could also be the last straw that broke the camel's back for the Ji family. Lan Fengsheng had long known that Zhong Yan wanted to come to Hujiang to reap the benefits of open finance. The arrival of the Zhong family was like a shark entering the sea, leaving the other fish around Hujiang dumbfounded.

That's the feeling, and of course, it also applies to Lan Fengsheng, but his family is in a traditional physical business, so they're doing a bit better.

Lan Fengsheng looked at his friend, "At that time, although Ji Tanyuan was abroad, she would definitely have dinner with Shen Xiling when she returned to China. The two had a very good relationship."

The person next to Lan Fengsheng kicked him, saying, "You really peed after drinking a little bit of yellow stuff, shut up."

Zhong Yan's expression remained unchanged. He suddenly remembered the encounter when he went to Shanghai.

I didn't feel it then, but now I feel like a needle has been stuck in my skin a long time ago.

It doesn't hurt, but it's uncomfortable.

Zhong Yan crossed his legs and said, "We couldn't be together even with such good opportunities before, so it's even less likely in the future."

Lan Fengsheng nodded, "That's right. If you ask me, Ji Tanyuan is really nice. I used to plan to pursue her, but this young lady ignores me."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yan looked up and asked softly, "And now?"

Lan Fengsheng felt a chill run down his spine under Zhong Yan's gaze, those eyes seeming to carry the weight of a thousand pounds of ice and snow, causing him to hiccup.

"No, no, no, I have a girlfriend."

As he spoke, he put his arm around his girlfriend's waist.

His girlfriend was originally invited to keep Ji Tanyuan company, but since the main character didn't show up, she's now become his savior.

Zhong Yan sneered.

Even though he knew beforehand that she had many people around her, and even though Ji Tanyuan is now his wife and has his label on her.

But now, upon learning in person that so many people were eyeing him, he felt somewhat displeased.

He leaned forward, took a cigarette, and then the waiter, with good judgment, stepped forward and lit it.

"Don't you not smoke?"

"Just half a cigarette." Zhong Yan held the cigarette between two fingers and didn't say anything more.

...

Ji Tanyuan spent the night with her mother.

the next day

Then I saw my father, who had come all the way to my house.

Ji Qing was sitting on the sofa on the first floor when he heard the sound and saw Ji Tanyuan coming down from upstairs.

The question asked was: "Where is your mother?"

"Still sleeping."

Hearing that his wife was still asleep, Ji Qing said, "You went a bit too far last night."

Ji Tanyuan glanced at the servants busy in the kitchen, then sat down. "Then how should I put it, Dad? I think this is the best way."

“Huanghuang.” Ji Qing frowned in disapproval.

“They are your family, and it’s never good for the company’s reputation if word gets out that they are killing each other.”

Ji Tanyuan straightened her hair, then smiled. "A bad reputation is temporary, but profits will continue to grow. Dad, the chip industry is about technology, patents, and talent, not backdoor connections or drinking culture. Did they get those patents by drinking?"

"Twenty years ago, seven out of ten of my country's richest people came from real estate, including your Qinghe Real Estate. Ten years ago, seven out of ten richest people came from the internet and e-commerce, including your chip and semiconductor business. Ten years from now, seven out of ten richest people will come from electricity and energy, including our new energy sector. I don't understand, for thirty years, you have seized every opportunity to capitalize on the opportunities of the times, so why do you still experience cash flow shortages, credibility crises, and near bankruptcy?"

"At the time, there was no time to reflect due to the crisis, but afterward, wasn't this lesson enough? You allowed your uncle and his associates to line their own pockets too much. The real collapse always starts from within."

Ji Tanyuan took a deep breath. "Actually, you understand the reasoning, but you value them, so you remained silent and neutral last night. I can't do that. I've already invested my marriage, I can't let it all go to waste."

As Ji Tanyuan finished speaking, she choked up a little. Zhong Jiaquan's uncle was a group of people who made her feel uncomfortable. She also felt wronged. Last night, she slept next to her mother, and her mother still hugged her. But she knew that everything was different now.

Her protective instincts and sense of responsibility outweighed the sense of security she felt under her parents' wings.

She has to hold on; if the Ji family falls, then she will truly be finished.

Ji Qing was also uncomfortable; if anyone was in a difficult position, it was the most difficult one.

"Do whatever you want."

"Anyway, the Ji family will be yours in the future. However, Huanghuang, your uncle and the others may be blinded by greed. There is no need to kill them all."

Ji Tanyuan thought to herself, "It's too late, it's already started."

His father did not receive excessive favoritism from his family of origin, but he was the one who gave back the most, simply because he was overly stimulated by his three NPD brothers and developed loyalty.

Ji Tanyuan suddenly remembered Zhong Yan.