Chapter 9: What lies beneath the seemingly harmonious facade is not love, but a greater entanglement of interests.
The two left at five o'clock in the evening, with Zhong Yan driving.
There was traffic congestion in Yanjing again on the way.
The Second Ring Road in Yanjing was jammed again and again. Zhong Yan exclaimed, "The traffic is still so bad. Luckily we left early."
Ji Tanyuan didn't speak, but Zhong Yan turned his head and glanced at her.
She's touching up her lipstick.
She looked at herself in the mirror from left to right, and her face was indeed very beautiful; the more she looked, the more amazed she became.
For some reason, Ji Tanyuan always gave him the feeling that she was so bored that all she could do was fuss over her face.
"Are you bored?" Zhong Yan finally asked during the traffic jam.
Ji Tanyuan closed the lipstick cap. "No, why do you ask?"
Zhong Yan: "You look pretty boring."
Ji Tanyuan: "..." How could you even tell?
She turned to look at him, "Then can I go back to live in Shanghai for a while?"
Zhong Yan turned to look at her, then looked back at the road, but withdrew his hand and pinched her cheek: "We can't go back."
"We agreed beforehand that we shouldn't go back too often, as it would have a bad influence and make people think that our marriage was unstable."
Ji Tanyuan's smile froze for a moment, then she said "Oh," and Zhong Yan ruffled her hair. "Be good, okay?"
Ji Tanyuan stopped talking. She suddenly remembered the message her father had given her six months ago.
——
At that time, the Ji family faced a crisis of confidence due to the financial failure of one of its subsidiaries, and was at risk of collapse, bankruptcy, and forced asset restructuring.
Then came the Zhong family, a powerful and influential family in the capital, who extended an olive branch, proposing cooperation and marriage. The marriage partner was not an old man, but three years older than her, good-looking, and said to have a very clean private life. All of these conditions were excellent, and the family's social standing was far superior to that of the Ji family, which had risen from humble beginnings. It was indeed a case of the Ji family climbing the social ladder.
Because the patriarch and eldest son of the Zhong family are involved in politics, this marriage cannot be a mere formality; it must be genuine.
The Zhong family didn't come to save the Ji family; they came to add fuel to the fire.
It remains to be seen how the Ji family will handle this situation.
If the Ji family accepts, it would be like sending charcoal in snowy weather, which could temporarily help them weather the crisis. However, disrupting the situation in the south and attracting northern capital would be another kind of trouble.
If the Ji family refuses, it will be like the funeral home going on fire, facing bankruptcy and restructuring.
The Ji family still has a sliver of hope if they cooperate with the Zhong family; if they refuse, they will be finished immediately and divided up.
Ji Tanyuan smiled, took a wet wipe and cleaned the black stains from her father's fingertips. "Don't smoke so heavily in the future. Mom is already like this. What will I do if something happens to you too?"
“They are well-off, and we are climbing the social ladder. This is a good thing. I like handsome guys so much, I might really fall for them. If I then side with outsiders, won’t you be furious? I will not go abroad. If my mother and I leave at this time, this family will be truly finished.”
But both father and daughter knew that there's no such thing as a free lunch. The Zhong family's arrival in Shanghai was not a good thing; it put the Ji family in the middle of the political divide, and their future path would not be easy.
“Let’s give it a try, Dad. This isn’t a dead end.”
Even if it's a dead end, she can fight her way out. If the Ji family really goes bankrupt, then she will truly be in a dead end.
Ji Qing had been smoking all night, and his voice was hoarse. "Sorry."
He started from scratch, without a substantial family fortune, but he couldn't afford to go bankrupt. When he was powerless and had no means of resistance, Ji Tanyuan might be the one who suffered. Those beasts in the circle were always fond of a rich girl who had fallen from grace.
However, he did not want to see such a marriage. Marriage should be based on matching social status. The Zhong family's social standing was higher than the Ji family's. If his daughter suffered any grievances in the future, the Ji family would find it difficult to resist.
~
Ji Tanyuan first met Zhong Yan at the company. He was wearing a black overcoat over a black suit, looking like he was walking a fashion show. In the misty air, his eyes and brows seemed to exude a gentle warmth, but it was just an illusion.
After that, Zhong Yan became aloof, dignified, and assertive.
This man is a man of his word; he discussed the prenuptial agreement like a business deal, with crystal clarity. His lawyer was very patient, explaining everything logically and clearly. The outcome of their arranged marriage was already predetermined.
After the prenuptial agreement was signed, the profits were divided, and the red and white threads were allocated, the lawyer left, leaving only the two of them.
Zhong Yan finally raised his noble eyelids, "Next, it's time for us to cultivate our relationship."
Ji Tanyuan exclaimed, "Actually, it's not necessary."
“Miss Ji,” Zhong Yan interrupted her, smiling.
“We are really getting married. If you want a marriage of convenience and then each go our own way, I advise you to give up that idea. Citizens must abide by the marriage law, you know that?”
“The Zhong family wants a virtuous daughter-in-law, and I think you are quite suitable. Of course, I can also try to change what kind of son-in-law the Ji family needs and what kind of husband you need.”
Ji Tanyuan nodded again, then looked at him and said, "I want to stay in Shanghai."
Zhong Yan stopped laughing and said calmly, "Were you daydreaming when the lawyer was speaking? You're in Shanghai, and the couple is living apart. What will people in the capital think? Besides, I hope you can keep a proper distance from some of your friends after the marriage. It's not good for the Zhong family's reputation."
Ji Tanyuan: "You can also stay..." on Hujiang.
The words of resistance stopped in the man's eyes.
Zhong Yan's cultivation of feelings is like playing a dating game, but he doesn't get immersed in it. It's just a formality for the outside world to see. Their marriage is a natural progression of their relationship, and no one can find fault with it.
Afterwards, they met each other's parents. The wedding was grand, with everything expected and even things that shouldn't have been. The villa, worth hundreds of millions, was transferred to her name as the wedding house. The betrothal gifts were shares in Zhongheng Group. Zhong's father gave her a courtyard house and cash, which made up for the temporary shortage of funds in the Ji family. Ji Tanyuan's dowry was also very generous. She brought Zhongheng Group to complete the sharing cooperation of microelectronic chip technology, plus a property in Shanghai.
What lies beneath the seemingly harmonious facade is not love, but a greater entanglement of interests.
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