Chapter 33

Jiang Muti knew her own situation well. She and Zhou Lu had no future to speak of, but outwardly, she maintained a positive attitude toward the marriage arrangement.

Even though Yun Cheng and Yun Duo were unaware of the situation, she and her brother shared a mutual understanding of the truth.

But knowing the truth was one thing, hearing it spoken so confidently by someone else made her pause for thought.

Ji Feishi clearly wasn’t speaking from the perspective of the possibility of her developing feelings for Zhou Lu, so—

Jiang Muti immediately became alert, though she didn’t show it. She simply frowned and asked, “Why are you so sure about this?”

At this moment, Jiang Muti was just focused on extracting some clue or piece of information from Ji Feishi.

Even the smallest indirect hint could add leverage to their success.

She didn’t notice that Ji Feishi’s eyes had already darkened, becoming an inky black, swirling like a vortex. If she had paid more attention, she would have felt the tingling, frightening intensity within.

Ji Feishi didn’t immediately respond to her question, instead leisurely watching her.

Her face, her eyes, conveyed an aggressive sharpness that struck directly at the heart, along with an exploration lurking behind her masked patience.

After letting the darkness envelop him, Ji Feishi suddenly felt a sense of clarity, as if his chaotic thoughts had been cut through with a sharp blade.

It was as if he had transformed back into the composed, in-control person he was known to be.

He curled his lips into a smile and said to Jiang Muti, “It seems you’re not completely unaware of your family’s situation. No wonder.”

“I take back what I said. Your actions have always been logical. It was my misjudgment.”

Jiang Muti felt something slipping out of her control, heading into an unknown direction. What made her uneasy was that she had sensed a clue, but it seemed that the one holding the reins wasn’t her.

She frowned. “Speak clearly. I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You should understand,” Ji Feishi said. “The development value of that land is enormous, and the Zhou family couldn’t handle it alone, so they turned to your Jiang family.”

“But the maneuvers in between, those public releases guiding the external narrative, and the coordination with officials to secure their endorsement—every step has been a dangerous gamble.”

“So, to ensure there’s no betrayal, the Zhou and Jiang families have set up layers of insurance, both legally and in terms of personal relations. That’s why there’s been talk of you and Zhou Lu getting engaged. Of course, from an objective standpoint, it’s not surprising that two young, capable people from similar backgrounds would consider such an arrangement.”

Jiang Muti gazed deeply at him, her eyes darkened. She suddenly felt relieved that her brother and she weren’t aiming for this, and thus, they needed to remain clear-headed in the face of such massive interests, even if it meant staying detached and cold.

But she couldn’t help wondering if her so-called ‘cheap’ father and the Zhou family would feel a chill down their spines if they heard this news.

They thought they were pulling all the strings, controlling the narrative, but in fact, it was all visible to those watching from above.

Her brother was right—no matter how cunning they were, it all paled in comparison to a policy from above.

Jiang Muti smiled faintly, her lips stiffened. “Can you just tell me like this? If it were some other young person saying this, my father and the others might think it’s just some naive youth who’s read a couple of newspapers and thinks they understand everything, making random guesses. But you, Ji Feishi—”

“As long as I tell my family that I don’t think highly of this, they might immediately take it seriously and reconsider whether to place their bet on that side. Then, they’ll know exactly where to push the others who are eyeing the cake.”

“It’s just those two places. Given the situation, even a slight clue will allow those old foxes to make an accurate judgment.”

Unexpectedly, Ji Feishi remained indifferent to this: “This policy isn’t targeted, whether your two families take action or not, it has nothing to do with it. The problem is the behavior of profiting from the policy.”

“While seizing opportunities is understandable, if you really think about it, there’s already a suspicion of disrupting the market and ignoring the rules. And now, both your families have already invested a significant amount of capital, so it’s impossible to pull out.”

“If the plan changes now, it’s like pulling a thread that unravels everything. Even if those above want to turn a blind eye, they can’t remain indifferent anymore, can they?”

“Don’t you understand? With you and the Zhou family, you’re already in a difficult position with no way out.”

Jiang Muti looked at his expression and eyes, then laughed: “And you knew all of this, yet allowed our two families to step in.”

Ji Feishi immediately understood, she had overheard the phone call during the private birthday celebration.

But despite the sting from her questioning, he still responded: “Do I have any reason to offer a kind reminder?”

Surprisingly, Jiang Muti waved her hand. “No, no, you misunderstood me. I’m not blaming you based on our delicate relationship.”

“Just—” Jiang Muti smiled again, this time truly sincerely, a stark contrast to her earlier shock at the Ji family’s overseeing of the chessboard.

“You are troubled by the uncontrollable turmoil inside, yet you execute the coldness and superiority of a qualified heir to perfection. It seems the adults’ sharp judgment is truly impressive.”

“Compared to Zhou Lu, who is still easily swayed by emotions and youthful naivety, in some sense, you’re truly invincible.”

At first, Ji Feishi thought she was still mocking him, a flash of confusion crossed his mind.

But that confusion was quickly drowned by darkness. The smile of this arrogant and brilliant youth now had an alluring and mysterious quality—

“Can meaningless anger and sentimentality change the current situation? At times like this, shouldn’t you think about what you can do?”

Jiang Muti raised her hand, signaling that she was ready to listen to his insight.

However, Ji Feishi casually lifted a strand of her long hair near her ear. The deep brown color shimmered with a rich, chocolate-like luster, resembling the finest satin.

And under the satin, a neck as radiant as white jade emerged, like opening a one-of-a-kind gift.

Ji Feishi’s breath caught, as if something had drowned out the clarity in his eyes.

He spoke softly, his voice invading her ears in the confined space of the car—

“You could try asking me.”

Jiang Muti felt like something was indeed wrong. If she had previously felt out of control, now it was completely derailed.

Yet this sensation of losing control made her feel as though she was being thrown into the clouds, an experience she had never felt in both her lifetimes.

But her words still didn’t falter, and she took a deep breath.

Lowering her head, as if in tired submission, she spoke: “I beg you—”

Then she looked up, just as Ji Feishi’s lips curved upward with a faint sense of triumph, and continued, “I beg you to continue watching coldly from the sidelines.”

The curve of Ji Feishi’s lips froze. He tried to find any sign of her putting on a brave front.

There was none. Absolutely none. In fact, the mockery in her eyes clearly spoke of her understanding of the situation.

It was clear that the words she overheard back at the club were not something she had simply brushed off.

However, she remained indifferent to this. It had already involved the interests of the family, which was completely different from her willingness to agree to a marriage for the sake of family benefit.

Ji Feishi’s mind flashed through countless speculations, ultimately ruling out the impossible ones, and what remained was particularly unbelievable.

He squinted, clearly in disbelief, but his tone was firm as he said, “This situation is exactly what you wanted.”

“You want your family to suffer a heavy blow—no, this won’t benefit you. Such a blow will definitely cause your family’s wealth to shrink, and the company might have to scale down just to protect itself. No matter what you’re trying to do, as a beneficiary, you wouldn’t want to destroy everything.”

He then smiled, “It seems you’ve already made good use of the information. So, by allowing those in power to make such a significant mistake, there can only be one purpose.”

“To bring the new powers into place.”

By secretly turning the tide, not only could the Jiang family quietly make a fortune, but they could also ^[1]“改朝换代” (gǎi cháo huàn dài) literally means “changing dynasties,”  it metaphorically refers to a major power shift within the family or company. change dynasties in one go—^[2]“Killing two birds with one stone” means achieving two goals with a single action.killing two birds with one stone.

Jiang Muti didn’t respond directly, but Ji Feishi had already understood that Zhou Lu and even the Zhou family were merely pawns in the Jiang family’s power grab.

The Zhou family sought various benefits, whether in business or in their son’s personal matters, trying to exploit the Jiang family for gain.

But weren’t they also being used by the Jiang siblings?

Jiang Muti raised an eyebrow and coldly remarked, “What a pity, I don’t currently have a need for your help. It seems you’ve used the wrong opportunity for your own benefit.”

Yet Ji Feishi’s inner turmoil was not as gloomy as before. Although he wasn’t entirely clear-headed, the main issue had been resolved.

He nodded, “Hmm, I won’t misjudge the situation next time.”

Something felt off though—was this an addiction to coercion? Or had this person truly gone bad?

Just then, he spoke again, “Let’s go have dinner. I’ve made a reservation at a nice place.”

This time, it was Jiang Muti who was incredulous. “After just plotting something dangerous, you still dare to casually ask me to dinner? Are you shameless?”

Then, she suddenly remembered how this guy had narcissistically assumed that she liked him before—forget it, not going there.

As they spoke, the car arrived at their destination. Ji Feishi helped her out of the car and said, “If you go back too early, your family might ask too many questions, right? It’s better to go back later. I’m sure Zhou Lu knows what to do by now.”

That seemed somewhat reasonable, but when she looked around, Jiang Muti realized the place Ji Feishi had booked was the same one she had dined at with Zhou Lu earlier in the afternoon.

It seemed the chef’s charm was indeed remarkable. Dinner should have been harder to reserve than lunch, but that wasn’t much of a problem for them.

Jiang Muti had the fortune to taste it at lunch, and she’d gladly do so again.

However, during lunch with Zhou Lu, both of them were absorbed in their phones. Now, it wasn’t clear whether the dangerous topic from earlier was still lingering or what.

There seemed to be an endless stream of things to talk about.

Moreover, after that crossing-the-line test, it felt as if many topics could now be discussed without restraint.

In any case, time seemed to fly by, and it felt like only a few words had been exchanged before the head chef came out to personally serve the dishes.

To Jiang Muti’s surprise, the chef even remembered her.

Of course, Jiang Muti’s eye-catching appearance was one reason, but another was her experience in the service industry, which made her excellent at recognizing faces.

The chef was initially quite pleased to greet her: “Hey, beautiful girl—”

But as the conversation continued, she realized that the man sitting across from her was not the same as the one from noon.

This chef was known for his upright character and his devotion to his wife. Naturally, a person of his stature was not afraid of offending others.

Therefore, the old man’s expression immediately became less friendly, though he didn’t go so far as to ask the customers to leave.

While serving the dishes, he said, “Young man, focus is a virtue.”

Jiang Muti felt as though a pot of hot water had been poured over her head. Seeing Ji Feishi deep in thought, her anger surged.

She lashed out, “Thanks for making me look like someone who’s ^[3]“Straddling two boats” (脚踩两条船) is a Chinese idiom that means being involved with two different sides at the same time, often in a deceitful or opportunistic way. It’s commonly … Continue readingstraddling two boats and still dares to bring people to the same place, a scoundrel.”

Ji Feishi immediately understood, realizing that she and Zhou Lu must have met here at noon, and felt a bit frustrated.

He remained silent for a while, then muttered, “Let’s forget about this time.”

“Forget about what?” Jiang Muti cut a piece of steak, its perfect color and rich juices, though it nearly choked her, it didn’t detract from the deliciousness of the dish.

Ji Feishi said, “Let’s forget that this is our first time dining alone. Next time, I’ll pick a better place.”

Jiang Muti’s face flushed with embarrassment. “You—are you ignoring the objective facts just to pursue the sense of ritual?”

Then she suddenly realized, “There’s going to be a next time? With your opportunistic nature, any other girl would have slapped you by now. Only I have the patience.”

“This is the funniest joke I’ve heard today,” Ji Feishi laughed. “Good-natured Miss Jiang.”

After dinner, Jiang Muti decided to go home. To be honest, while the day hadn’t been full of twists and turns, it had still been exhausting.

Seeing her like this, Ji Feishi offered to drive her home. The road to the Jiang family’s house was one he had passed countless times while escorting Yun Cheng back, so he was very familiar with it.

Halfway there, Ji Feishi suddenly said, “I don’t like this.”

He turned to look at her, and Jiang Muti returned his gaze. Once again, their eyes locked.

“It was fine earlier when I thought everything with you and Zhou Lu was just a ^[4]smokescreen is something that is used to hide the truth or distract people from the real issue. It can be a literal cloud of smoke used in battle to obscure visibility or a metaphor for deception, … Continue readingsmokescreen. But only a few hours later, I’m no longer satisfied with that.”

His gaze became even deeper. “I realize that even the way you fake cooperation in front of others is extremely unpleasant.”

Jiang Muti smiled, a hint of subtle malice in her smile. “So? My mood isn’t within your scope of indulgence.”

“If you’re really so uncomfortable, we can just appear at fewer places together, reduce the chances of meeting. That should solve the problem at its source, right?”

“Oh, by the way, about your birthday party—I don’t have to go, right?”

Jiang Muti stared at him, watching his expression turn dangerous. His lips parted slightly, his breathing deep, as if holding something back, yet there was a sick pleasure in her heart.

Ji Feishi’s voice grew low, “If you don’t come—”

Before he could finish, the car jolted, then made a sharp turn.

The two, who had unconsciously gotten quite close while talking, suddenly found their lips meeting due to centrifugal force.

Jiang Muti’s heart skipped a beat, and in her dazed state, she seemed to hear the sound of a string snapping. Her heart sank, realizing that something was wrong, then she was overwhelmed by the cold, sharp breath coming towards her.

At first, she could still feel the intense sensation of her lips and tongue being violated, but after a while, the lack of oxygen and the currents of electricity running through her body made her mind go blank.

Jiang Muti didn’t even know how long had passed before she finally breathed in air again.

Still dazed, she sat up, glanced at Ji Feishi, and instinctively slapped him across the face.

“Why are you so good at this? — No, why are you so shameless?”

Ji Feishi raised an eyebrow, showing no sign of remorse: “Really? Then why don’t you take your hand out of my shirt first?”

Jiang Muti looked down and saw that, without realizing when, her hand had somehow slid inside his shirt and was gripping his solid waist.

Jiang Muti was about to stomp her foot in frustration, and she quickly explained, “I grabbed it instinctively when the car shook earlier, I didn’t even realize.”

Ji Feishi nodded: “Instinctively, you reached inside my shirt.”

“Well, I can just pull it out, right?”

She tried to withdraw her hand, but he grabbed her wrist.

Ji Feishi’s face turned red, and he conceded, “Well, I won’t stop you.”

The atmosphere in the cramped, enclosed space began to feel like one where children shouldn’t stay for long, and just as the car stopped, they had arrived at the Jiang family’s house.

Jiang Muti quickly pulled her hand free, grabbed her small bag, and, still angry, pushed him lightly before getting out of the car.

As soon as she closed the door, the car window rolled down, and Ji Feishi’s face appeared.

He emphasized once again, “You have to come to the birthday party, or I’ll be upset.”

“Pfft! Get lost! Keep stalling, and my dogs will bite you. We have three dogs at home.”

Ji Feishi, afraid of making her truly angry, complied, though on the return trip, his index and middle fingers kept rubbing his lips, his heart lifting with excitement.

When Jiang Muti entered, she found that everyone was already there—her brother, and even Yun Cheng and the others were waiting for her.

As soon as they saw her, they came over to greet her. Yun Cheng, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed, “What happened to your lips? They’re all red and swollen, like you were slapped.”

Jiang Muti cursed Ji Feishi in her mind but casually replied, “Oh, I had some spicy hot pot for dinner, and it was extra spicy.”

At this moment, Jiang Yunjuan came over, “I just got a call from the Zhou family. They said you and Zhou Lu separated in the afternoon. Why didn’t you come back? Who were you with?”

At this point, Jiang Muti could only feel deep disdain for Zhou Lu, thinking, “He can’t even hide such a small thing.”

But she figured it was likely because his parents had asked someone to keep an eye on him, especially since the incident with Li Xi wasn’t over. They were probably afraid that he’d ditch the marriage contract and go after that girl, which would offend the Jiang family.

Since they already knew, Jiang Muti didn’t hide it: “I ran into Ji Feishi along the way. We argued and raced cars, and by the time I came to my senses, we had already parted ways.”

“Ji Feishi?” Jiang Yunjuan, though displeased that his sister had gone out with Zhou Lu for some routine family obligation, wasn’t happy to hear that Ji Feishi had taken her away during the middle of it.

To him, it didn’t matter who she was with, it was all the same if she was with some random brat.

Yun Cheng burst out laughing, “Hey, no wonder you’re my buddy, so sharp. He must’ve seen the desire in your heart at that moment.”

“This is a good idea. We can’t really do anything, but Feishi is different. Next time, if you go out with Zhou Lu, we’ll do the same.”

He cheerfully pulled out his phone. “I’ll talk to Feishi right now and get him to help with this long-term.”

Help with what?!

Is this guy planning to be his buddy’s spy hidden in the house? Today was already frustrating enough, and he’s still coming back for more?

Before she could speak, Yun Cheng had already walked out.

Jiang Muti only felt a headache coming on and said to her brother, “I’m going to bed now.”

Jiang Yunjuan could see she was really tired, so he swallowed his usual advice and told her to get some rest first.

After showering and lying in bed, just as she was about to close her eyes, the phone rang.

Jiang Muti irritably reached for her phone, surprised to see her mother’s number on the screen.

As soon as she answered, her mother started scolding without giving her a chance to speak.

The gist of it was her mother’s dissatisfaction with her leaving in the middle of the day. Jiang Muti set the phone aside and let her mother ramble on.

When it seemed like her mother was done, she picked up the phone again and soothed, “It was just an accident, right? We were already halfway through hanging out, what’s the problem?”

“Alright, I understand it wasn’t ideal this time, but it won’t happen again.”

Jiang Muti’s mother said, “This is the last time. By the way, your aunt and them are coming back next week. They’ll stay at our house for a few days. You remember Xuanxuan, right? She’s about your age. You better take good care of her.”

“Who?” Jiang Muti asked, confused.

Jiang Muti’s mother was displeased. “How can you not remember her after just a few years? She’s your aunt’s daughter!”

Jiang Muti felt overwhelmed and, following the principle of avoiding trouble, immediately pretended to understand. “Oh—oh! Auntie, I remember her! How could I not remember my aunt? I just didn’t hear it clearly.”

“Her name is Xuanxuan, right? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her when she arrives. Alright, I’m going to bed now.”

Jiang Muti’s mother emphasized, “It’s Xuan—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the call was already ended, leaving her frustrated to the point of a headache.

Jiang Muti sighed after hanging up the phone, and began to rummage through her memories. She realized that the original person didn’t have a strong impression of her aunt’s family.

Jiang Muti’s mother came from an ordinary family, but her maternal side had few people, and besides her late grandparents, the only close relative left was her younger sister, her aunt.

However, with one person rising to success, the entire Jiang family became wealthy. Naturally, the close relatives lived a good life too.

Her aunt’s family had moved abroad many years ago. Jiang Muti had seen them a few times when she was very young, but her memories of them had faded over time.

Given the original person’s introverted nature and the fact that the family was not even close to each other, there was little chance of maintaining contact with relatives from across the ocean. In any case, only Jiang Muti’s mother kept frequent contact with them.

It wasn’t a big deal for relatives to visit, so Jiang Muti didn’t think much of it.

After sorting through her thoughts, she closed her eyes, planning to sleep, but despite being so tired earlier, she just couldn’t fall asleep.

After tossing and turning for almost half an hour, she suddenly threw the covers off and clicked her tongue in irritation.

It took a while for her to calm down before she lightly touched her lips with her fingertips.

Her lips were beautiful, just like in her previous life—delicate and full. When her index finger pressed against them, it felt like the full elasticity would bounce it back.

She gently licked her lips and sighed narcissistically—

“Sure enough, even I can’t resist them, let alone someone who’s interested in me.”

After calming down, she realized she had lost control a little. It was almost as if she had been provocatively teasing, and in the end, things had gone a bit too far.

Next time, she must remember not to push it that far.

However, what Jiang Muti didn’t know was that losing control once would lead to a second time.

Even if there wasn’t a second time, the catalyst had already been set in motion.