Chapter 41

Tang Ruan’s smile froze slightly, not expecting Ji Jing to press further on this topic.

Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way to explain herself and avoid being lectured or punished.

Her eyes darted around as she tilted her head back, flashing a bright smile at Ji Jing. She curved her lips into a grin and said, “Uh… well…”

“Well, what?” Ji Jing raised an eyebrow, curious to see what nonsense she might come up with this time.

Tang Ruan scratched her head and pointed in a direction. “The ‘old man’ I was talking about… I was referring to Butler Li,” she said, widening her eyes as if making an accusation. “Lately, he’s really been into young girls!”

After finishing her sentence, Tang Ruan silently apologized to Butler Li in her heart. For the sake of self-preservation, she had no choice but to throw him under the bus. There was no way she could admit in front of Ji Jing that she had been referring to him as the “old man.” She imagined what would happen if she confessed, and she doubted she’d make it out of the room alive.

Ji Jing raised an eyebrow, momentarily at a loss for words.

“You’re using Butler Li as a scapegoat. Does he know about this?”

Tang Ruan let out a playful “Oh, come on!” and, in an overly sincere tone, said, “I’m not lying! Butler Li has been watching a talent show recently. There are a lot of pretty young girls on it, and he’s been watching with great interest every night. You probably didn’t know that, right?”

She wasn’t entirely lying. Butler Li had indeed been watching a talent show lately as a form of entertainment. Tang Ruan had even introduced the show to him. She noticed that many of the girls on the show had impressive makeup looks, so she occasionally watched replays and discussed them with Butler Li and Xiao Lan. They had watched the show together twice when Ji Jing was working late.

Ji Jing: “…”

He genuinely hadn’t expected to hear this.

Tang Ruan coughed, feeling a bit guilty. She shuffled her feet and added, “It’s true. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Butler Li yourself. Ask him if he likes those young girls.”

Before Ji Jing could respond, Tang Ruan quickly darted forward, opened the door, and dashed into her room, shutting the door behind her with surprising agility.

Ji Jing stared at the figure that had just bolted into the room and couldn’t help but laugh.

His wife… bold, yet so quick to back down.

Ji Jing stared at the door for a moment but decided not to bother her for now—
After all, there would be plenty of opportunities later.
The matter of “the old man”? He wasn’t letting that one go.

—

Back in her room for quite a while, Tang Ruan didn’t hear any knocks on her door.
Curious, she leaned against the door to listen to the sounds outside. She could hear Ji Jing return to his own room and then come back out. Finally, there was a knock at her door.

“Wife.”

“Ah?” Tang Ruan responded hastily. “What’s up?”

Ji Jing chuckled softly, rubbing his temples. “Aren’t you having lunch?”

Tang Ruan hesitated. “…I’ll eat.” She thought for a moment. “Are you heading back to the office later?”

“Yes.”

He had only returned because of the matter with Li Zhen.

Tang Ruan thought about it, muttered an “Oh,” and slowly opened the door to look at Ji Jing. “What do you want to eat?”

“Anything’s fine.”

Tang Ruan nodded to indicate she understood. “Butler Li is probably cooking. I’ll head down to help out.”

“No need.” Ji Jing grabbed her and pulled her back. “Stay with me for a bit.”

It wasn’t often that he could steal some free time, so the idea of his wife heading off to the kitchen didn’t sit well with Ji Jing.

Tang Ruan poked his arm, exasperated. “Weren’t you supposed to be… courting me?”

She felt like Ji Jing wasn’t exactly “pursuing” her but instead enjoying all the benefits of their relationship. Though, given the nature of their relationship, courting didn’t really matter. Still, she couldn’t help wanting to experience being chased. Call it a little self-indulgence, but it was something she’d never had and deeply craved.

Hearing this, Ji Jing clasped her hand in his palm and asked in a low voice, “Isn’t this courting?”

Tang Ruan laughed, rolling her eyes at him. “Why don’t you go look it up on Baidu? How is this chasing someone? All you do every day is take advantage of me!”

Ji Jing raised a brow. “I can’t kiss my own wife?”

Tang Ruan: “…”

She realized that she couldn’t win against Ji Jing’s shamelessness, so she decided to let it go. In the end, she didn’t go to the kitchen to help. Instead, she obediently stayed with Ji Jing for a while, enjoying a rare moment of peace and relaxation.

—

After lunch, Ji Jing went back to the office. Tang Ruan thought about tagging along but decided against it. She had her own things to work on recently. Besides, even though she loved spending time with the man she liked, a little distance and mystery in a relationship could be a good thing.

As for the issue with Li Zhen, it quietly blew over that day. Ji Jing didn’t bring it up again, and Tang Ruan didn’t ask.

In this regard, Tang Ruan had no reason to doubt Ji Jing. He was such a straightforward man. If he had truly wanted to cheat or start something with someone else, he would’ve agreed to divorce when the original owner of her body had asked for it.

Butler Li did, however, come by to say a few words, assuring her that their young master would never engage in such behavior. He emphasized the strong family values of the Ji family.

Tang Ruan listened with amusement but found it convincing.

The Ji family, though wealthy and influential, had never had any scandals about infidelity—at least among the direct family members. Old Master Ji, Ji’s father, and Ji Jing himself all had a reputation for being upright. Of course, the same couldn’t be said for some of the extended family and distant relatives.

Tang Ruan nodded to show she understood and assured him she wasn’t upset.

“You’re really not mad, Madam?”

Tang Ruan laughed and looked at the worried old man in front of her. “I’m really not. Li Zhen is just a junior from his school. Why would I mind that?”

Butler Li, still indignant, replied, “The young master absolutely doesn’t have any improper intentions. I’ll make sure no strangers come in again. I apologize for today, Madam.”

Butler Li had initially let Li Zhen in because she had shown up at the door, and there were some business collaborations between her family and the Ji family. It seemed impolite to turn her away.

Tang Ruan shook her head. “It’s fine. I didn’t take it to heart.”

“Just make sure you don’t argue with the young master,” Butler Li sighed, looking worried. “Our young master is good at everything, but his emotional intelligence is a bit low.”

Tang Ruan chuckled, nodding. “Alright.”

In her heart, though, she didn’t think Ji Jing was low in emotional intelligence—quite the opposite. That man was sharp and intuitive, even mastering the art of romance without needing any lessons.

—

Ji Jing, on his end, claimed not to care about the incident with Li Zhen, but he still dealt with it privately. He sent a clear message to the Li family: stop showing up uninvited, and don’t disturb his wife. His wife was busy and didn’t like dealing with unnecessary socializing.

Though his warning was directed at the Li family, everyone in their circle understood the subtext. It was a statement not just for Li Zhen but for anyone curious about his wife or anyone harboring intentions toward him. Ji Jing wanted to make it clear: he was loyal to his wife and wouldn’t tolerate anyone trying to disrupt their relationship.

When Gu Tian heard about this, he immediately called Ji Jing.

“Hey.”

“Ji Jing.”

“What is it?”

Gu Tian chuckled. “What’s with that warning to the Li family? Are you sending a message to other people with wandering eyes?”

Hearing this, Ji Jing sneered. “Do you think there are few people coveting that position?”

It wasn’t just Ji Jing’s looks and talent that attracted people. Many women had their eyes on the title of “Mrs. Ji.” When he and Tang Ruan first got married, no one thought it would last. Even after the wedding, many people would invite Ji’s mother out for tea or meals, trying to introduce new women to her.

Ji Jing had always understood their intentions, as had his mother. But they both consistently told everyone that Tang Ruan was the wife chosen by Old Master Ji, and no one could interfere.

Still, even with this stance, women continued to approach Ji Jing. He had always ignored them—neither provoking them nor warning them off. But now, he made it clear: stay away from his wife and don’t even think about stepping into her space.

But now, things were different. He liked Tang Ruan and wouldn’t tolerate anyone who might disturb her.

Gu Tian scoffed and grinned. “Well, what can you do? The mighty Ji family has an empire.”

Ji Jing didn’t respond immediately. After a pause, he asked, “Let me ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“How do you chase someone?”

Gu Tian froze for a moment, thinking he’d misheard. “What did you say?”

…

Ji Jing’s voice was cold. “You heard me. Do you know how?”

“Of course, I do!” Gu Tian puffed up with pride. “Chasing a girl is easy. Wait, who are you chasing? Little sister-in-law?”

“Mm.”

“You two…” Gu Tian thought about it and realized this might just be some playful couple banter. He laughed, “Fine, chasing your wife. I don’t understand you two.”

“Get to the point.”

Gu Tian pondered for a moment. “Flowers, bags, money, dinners, maybe take her to see fireworks. You could even make a grand declaration of love in the sky. Best of all, book every billboard in the city. Women love this stuff.”

Ji Jing: “…”

“Well? Not bad advice, right?”

Without a word, Ji Jing hung up the phone.

What… utterly ridiculous advice.

—

A moment later, Gu Tian called back. “Ji Jing, why did you hang up on me? You don’t agree with what I said?”

“Idiot.”

Gu Tian wasn’t offended. Instead, he snorted, “I’m serious. Women love surprises. The more surprises you create, the better.”

“Mm.”

“Oh, by the way.”

“What?”

“Is little sister-in-law interested in An Xun? She seems to have been asking about An Xun a lot lately.”

Ji Jing paused briefly before asking, “When does Tang Dynasty start filming?”

“Why? Is your company investing in it?”

“She probably wants to apprentice under An Xun.”

Ji Jing rarely paid attention to the makeup and products Tang Ruan played with daily, but he knew she was someone with her own aspirations. Ji Jing had seen her videos and followed her social media, though she had no idea.

As an outsider, he didn’t know much about makeup artistry beyond “pretty” or “not pretty.” Yet, from observing her, he could sense her passion.

Based on his understanding of Tang Ruan, she must want to learn, and her target was undoubtedly An Xun.

Recently, her casual mentions and thoughts had all been centered on this.

Gu Tian: “…” He was momentarily stunned. “You’re kidding, right?”

Ji Jing remained silent for a while before replying softly, “She loves makeup.”

Gu Tian was still dazed and reflexively asked, “So, if Tang Ruan wanted to join a production crew and be away for months to learn, you’d agree?”