Chapter 57

Despite his casual attitude, Tang Ruan was still stunned by his brazenness.
Yes, intimacy was normal for a married couple, but just thinking about everyone knowing made her uneasy.

“Who’s shy?” she scoffed with forced bravado. “Let’s go down and eat. I’m not embarrassed at all.”

Ji Jing laughed under his breath, smoothing her hair before taking her hand and leading her downstairs.

To her surprise, it wasn’t as awkward as she had feared. The living room was empty—no sign of the servants or even the ever-present Butler Li. Tang Ruan glanced around curiously and cleared her throat. “Where’s Butler Li?”

Ji Jing smirked but didn’t elaborate. “He’s busy.”

He had anticipated his wife’s nature. Though she often appeared bold and unrestrained, she was, in truth, a shy little woman at heart—perhaps even more easily embarrassed than most. So, earlier that morning, he subtly hinted to Butler Li to give them some privacy, and the butler, ever perceptive, had dismissed the staff for a half-day break.

Seeing the empty house, Tang Ruan relaxed visibly. She turned to Ji Jing with a playful glint in her eyes. “What’s for lunch?”

“I already picked up breakfast.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

After their not-quite-early meal, a sudden thought struck her. “Where’s Lingling?”

She hadn’t seen Ji Ling all morning and wondered where the girl had gone.

“She ran off.” Ji Jing’s tone was brief and matter-of-fact.

…

Ji Ling had woken up that morning, memories of her brother’s dark expression flashing in her mind. Terrified, she bolted out of bed, sneaking away at dawn. By six a.m., she was already huddled in a cab heading toward the metro station, taking the train back to school to avoid facing her brother’s wrath.

She guessed she wouldn’t be answering his calls—or daring to visit her sister-in-law—anytime soon.

But, of course, fate had a way of catching up.

–

Tang Ruan blinked at Ji Jing, incredulous. “Did you scold her?”

“No.” He handed her a glass of soy milk before adding, “By the time I got up, she was already gone.”

“Did you call to check where she went?”

Ji Jing took a sip of his drink. “She’s not picking up.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

She thought about Ji Ling’s personality and sighed, feeling a mix of sympathy and amusement. “It’s your fault for being so intimidating. No wonder she’s scared.”

Ji Jing said nothing, content to let her have the last word. A well-fed man is often agreeable.

Tang Ruan pondered for a moment, then asked him to fetch her phone. She sent a message to Ji Ling, asking if she was at home or back at school.

The reply came quickly, along with a crying emoji.
Ji Ling: Sis-in-law… I’m back at school. Is my brother mad? Is he going to cut my allowance next month?

Tang Ruan: …

Ji Jing squinted at her phone and let out a low chuckle. “Call her.”

Tang Ruan grinned. “Don’t scold her. She’s already down.”

“I’ll be reasonable.”

She gave him a skeptical look but dialed the number anyway.

…

When her phone rang, Ji Ling was standing in her university courtyard, her face flushed as she exchanged awkward glances with a boy across from her.

“What do you want to say?” she asked.

The boy opened his mouth to reply just as her phone lit up. Seeing the contact name, Ji Ling hesitated before picking up. Skipping her brother’s calls was one thing—ignoring her sister-in-law was quite another.

“Sis-in-law?”

“Ji Ling,” came her brother’s cold voice from the other end of the phone.

Ji Ling froze.

Her hand trembled, nearly dropping her phone.

“Bro…” Before Ji Jing could speak, Ji Ling swiftly gave in, her words tumbling out in a rush. “Brother, brother, I really didn’t mean to interrupt you and sister-in-law last night! It was a moment of impulsiveness—I just wanted to check out the bar because I wasn’t in a great mood. I didn’t have any other intentions! I got drunk, and that’s why I acted up… You know I’m usually super well-behaved. I swear I wasn’t doing it on purpose. Heaven knows how much I hope you and sister-in-law are happy together! Please don’t be mad, and please don’t cut my allowance…”

Her voice softened as her confidence faltered, ending with a pitiful plea: “I’m already broke this month.”

Ji Jing: “…”

He hadn’t even said a word, and she had already confessed everything.

By the end of her speech, Ji Jing couldn’t help but laugh, rubbing his forehead as he met Tang Ruan’s concerned gaze. He shook his head and asked, “Did I say I was going to cut your allowance?”

“…You’re not?”

Ji Jing cleared his throat, deciding it was time to assert some older-brotherly authority. “Is five thousand not enough for you?”

Ji Ling hesitated. “…Do you want the truth or a lie?”

Ji Jing remained silent.

Ji Ling groaned dramatically. “Of course it’s not enough! You don’t understand how terrible some of my classmates are. There’s this one girl in my year who keeps mocking me, saying I look poor and that my bag costs only ten bucks from a street vendor… It’s winter, and all I want is to eat hot pot every day.”

She then doubled down on her flattery. “Oh, how I long to be an aunt! Brother, I swear I had no intention of disrupting your romantic evening with sister-in-law! You understand, right?”

The phone was on speaker, so every word reached both Ji Jing and Tang Ruan’s ears. Tang Ruan’s face turned crimson as she listened.

Ji Ling… truly had no filter.

By the time she finished, Ji Jing had a headache. Despite his outward sternness, he genuinely cared for his sister, even if he wasn’t great at expressing it.

After a long pause, Ji Jing finally spoke. “Your allowance will be doubled from now on.”

“Really?”

“And… your classmate has terrible taste. All your clothes are custom-made. How could anyone think they came from a street market?”

Ji Ling giggled. “That girl just has no sense. Thanks, Bro! I’ve got something to do now, so I’ll hang up. Oh, and before I forget—could you transfer the money today? I want hot pot tonight!”

Ji Jing: “…”

–

After ending the call, Ji Ling turned back to the boy waiting nearby. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Senior, is there anything else you need? If not, I’ll head back.”

Shen Mo raised his eyes lazily, his expression indifferent. “You went to a bar last night?”

Ji Ling pressed her lips together and nodded. “Yes… I think I saw you there, too.”

Shen Mo explained flatly, “I was picking someone up.”

Her heart sank a little more. Shen Mo had always been the type of guy she secretly liked—handsome, talented, and everything one could admire. Even though she had grown up surrounded by outstanding siblings, her feelings for him were different.

Her childhood wish had always been to find a boyfriend as accomplished as her brother. It wasn’t a romantic obsession with her brother, just a personal standard for choosing someone kind and capable.

But Shen Mo wasn’t quite like that… yet, she couldn’t help liking him.

When he added, “I was picking up my cousin,” she stared at him, shocked.

“The girl with you last night… was your cousin?”

Shen Mo raised a brow. “You saw me?”

Ji Ling: “…”

She averted her gaze, trying to find a way out of the conversation when her phone buzzed. One glance made her eyes sparkle—Ji Jing had transferred twenty thousand yuan to her account.

Her face lit up as she sent her brother a thank-you emoji. Then, turning back to Shen Mo with newfound enthusiasm, she asked, “Senior, are you hungry?”

Shen Mo: “…?”

“Want to go eat hot pot?”

…

Meanwhile, after transferring the money, Ji Jing received a flurry of “thank you, boss” emojis from Ji Ling. The matter, for now, seemed settled.

Tang Ruan was nearly in tears from laughing. She had always found Ji Ling entertaining, but this level of sweet-talking was beyond her expectations. She even felt a little sorry for Ji Jing.

Her husband had his hands full—not only was his wife quirky, but his sister was equally troublesome.

…

“Finished eating?”

Tang Ruan nodded with a grin. “How much did you send her?”

“Twenty thousand.”

She chuckled. “Honestly, five thousand a month was way too little for your family.”

Ji Jing gave a small nod. “Initially, it was to teach her to manage money better and fit in with her peers. We didn’t want her to be too extravagant.”

They both understood the importance of balance. Spending too much could isolate Ji Ling from her classmates and prevent her from experiencing an ordinary student’s life. While not everyone was materialistic, it was better to avoid unnecessary divides.

Maintaining a reasonable allowance was beneficial for Ji Ling, not necessarily to teach frugality, but to prevent wastefulness. While their family was wealthy, every bit of their fortune was earned through effort and careful planning, not something that simply fell from the sky.

The Ji family had always emphasized good values. Ji Ling, despite her pampered upbringing, had no spoiled temperament—her personality was even rather endearing. Overall, she was a good kid.

Tang Ruan nodded in understanding. “How about we give her ten thousand from now on? Many university students from well-off families already get five thousand a month. A little more for a girl isn’t a bad thing.”

Ji Jing cast a meaningful glance at his wife. “She already has several cards with millions in them, but she’s too frugal to touch the money.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

She realized she had worried too much.

The Ji family would never neglect the only daughter of their household.

Though their conversation was simple and everyday, it felt sweet and warm.

After finishing their meal, Ji Jing asked if she wanted to go out or rest at home. Without hesitation, Tang Ruan chose to stay in. She wasn’t in the mood for an outing—rest was all she wanted.

Right now—

All Tang Ruan wanted was to crawl back into bed and sleep some more.