Chapter 15

Tang Ruan was at a loss for words. Backed against the wall, she felt a growing sense of danger.

She instinctively took a step back, pressing herself against the wall as she looked up at the man in front of her.

For some reason, Ji Jing’s presence now gave her a palpable sense of pressure. Perhaps it was his inherent aura as someone of status, or maybe there was something else altogether.

Suddenly, Tang Ruan blinked, her mind clearing in an instant. She quickly shifted tactics, flashing him a sweet smile as she playfully said, “Husband.”

Ji Jing raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting to see where this was going.

Tang Ruan scratched her head sheepishly and muttered in a small voice, “I just thought it was fun at the time. I didn’t actually mean it when I said I needed your pampering. It was… just a joke.”

“Really?”

“Yes!” she nodded quickly, lowering her head as she spoke in a soft, docile tone. “You don’t have to take it seriously.”

Ji Jing chuckled lightly, a smirk playing on his lips. He leaned in slightly and said with deliberate slowness, “Too late. I already took it seriously.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

Can’t he just pretend he didn’t take it seriously? She felt utterly speechless.

Left with no way to retreat, Tang Ruan instinctively shrank back, her body curling into itself. If it were any other situation, she might try to talk her way out of it. But right now, she knew she had been too careless—and she wasn’t fully awake. She was terrified that if she stayed around Ji Jing any longer, she’d end up saying something even more foolish.

Ji Jing studied her quietly, his deep gaze unwavering. Taking a step closer, he leaned in, his voice low and teasing as he asked, “What kind of ‘pampering’ do you want?”

Tang Ruan’s heart jumped into her throat.

Her eyes darted to the side, looking for an escape route. She was just about to slip away by squeezing past Ji Jing’s arm when he moved closer, cutting off her escape. His voice dropped another octave. “Why are you avoiding me?”

In the next moment, his hand brushed against the bump on her forehead. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he pressed against it slightly. “Does it hurt?”

Tang Ruan froze, her ears turning red as a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

“N-no… It doesn’t hurt.”

Ji Jing chuckled softly, his voice carrying a hint of mockery. “You’re an adult, yet you still manage to walk into walls.”

Tang Ruan had no comeback. If she hadn’t been half-asleep, with her head cluttered with thoughts, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.

“Come with me.”

“To do what?” Tang Ruan instinctively clutched at her clothes, her eyes wide with suspicion. “See? I was right, wasn’t I? You’ve been harboring feelings for me all along!”

Ji Jing shot her a cold glance. “Done acting?”

Tang Ruan gave an awkward laugh. “Not yet.”

“To apply some ointment.”

“Oh…” Tang Ruan blinked, stunned for a moment before hastily following Ji Jing downstairs.

–

The house was quiet as they descended the stairs one after the other.

Tang Ruan looked around curiously and asked, “Where’s Butler Li? He’s not here?”

Ji Jing nodded, heading toward one of the rooms. “It’s a weekend afternoon—he’s probably out taking a break.”

The household staff here didn’t work around the clock, especially not someone like Butler Li, who had been with the family for years. Most of the time, Ji Jing didn’t require much care. As long as meals were prepared, the staff had plenty of freedom. He never imposed strict schedules on them.

This was why everyone liked working for the Ji family. The treatment was excellent, the workload wasn’t heavy, and the owners were decent people.

Tang Ruan murmured an acknowledgement. She had never paid attention to such details before.

She glanced at Ji Jing’s back as he searched for medicine for her. The sight surprised her a little. Tang Ruan knew very well just how overboard the original host of her body had been. She had inherited all her memories, clear and vivid. Knowing this, she thought Ji Jing was an exceptional man. At the very least, his character and upbringing were impeccable, truly top-tier.

Tang Ruan had spent an entire month clamoring for a divorce, treating the house staff and Ji Jing with a terrible attitude. She had even tried to “put a green hat” on him—though unsuccessfully—which was infuriating enough. Ordinarily, a man would have been furious if his wife acted that way.

But Ji Jing wasn’t. While it was true he had been cold to Tang Ruan initially, their recent interactions revealed he didn’t seem angry or repulsed by her. This was a testament to his excellent upbringing but also subtly confirmed another thing—

Ji Jing likely didn’t have any feelings for her.

After all, no man could tolerate his wife being with another man unless he didn’t care for her.

As these thoughts swirled in her head, Ji Jing squatted in front of her, holding the small household medicine kit. He carefully applied some ointment to her forehead.

Tang Ruan blinked, her eyelashes fluttering. She winced and muttered, “Husband, be gentler.”

Ji Jing gave her a sideways glance but said nothing.

The entire process was conducted in silence. Only when he finished did he give her a faint look and say in a detached tone, “Be more careful.”

“Okay. Thank you, husband.” Tang Ruan smiled sweetly at him.

Ji Jing merely hummed in response and walked away.

Watching him go, Tang Ruan couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. If he had stayed longer, she wouldn’t have known what to talk about.

In such situations, putting on a contrived act didn’t feel right. But if she acted entirely like herself—

She wasn’t sure how to navigate that dynamic either.

–

After that incident, the relationship between the two of them seemed to ease somewhat.

For the next few days, Tang Ruan refrained from teasing Ji Jing. The reason was simple—he was away on a business trip.

Left alone at home, Tang Ruan spent her time relaxing. She would occasionally go out shopping, buying things she fancied. Initially, it was enjoyable—spending money freely without worrying about her bank balance. But after a while, she started feeling bored.

Tang Ruan wondered if she should find something meaningful to do.

She had once harbored big dreams, but for various reasons, they had never materialized.

Reflecting on it, she thought perhaps it wasn’t too late to revisit those aspirations. Tang Ruan glanced at her hands. If she remembered correctly, the original host of her body had studied art—specifically theater, film, and literature. It had been a passion project, and no one had tried to dissuade her, letting her pursue what she loved.

The original host might have been flawed in many ways, but she was undeniably smart, excelling in academics and possessing considerable talent.

However, Tang Ruan wasn’t particularly keen on diving into that field. It seemed too complex and not quite suited to her current circumstances. Instead, she had a different passion—makeup.

Back then, when she couldn’t afford expensive cosmetics, Tang Ruan would often use her creativity to come up with unique alternatives. Now, with access to all the tools and products she could ever want, she considered pursuing makeup artistry professionally. Perhaps even becoming a beauty vlogger.

It was her long-held dream job—trying out countless looks, experimenting with an endless variety of products, and owning as many lipsticks, blushes, and eyeshadow palettes as she liked. She adored all of it.

In the past, the most expensive brow pencil she could afford was a twenty-yuan hexagonal pencil from Shiseido. Now, she could casually use pencils worth hundreds or even thousands. The gap was staggering. In any case, Tang Ruan was determined to develop this passion of hers into something meaningful. It would allow her to do what she loved while adding some excitement to her life.

After all, when she eventually divorced Ji Jing, she couldn’t live off him forever.

With that thought in mind, Tang Ruan began researching how to start live-streaming. Although she had looked into it before, she’d never put it into practice.

–

By the time Ji Jing’s plane landed, it was already late at night.

He had been working non-stop for half a month, flying from one country to another. Being the head of a family business wasn’t easy, especially when every detail of each project needed meticulous attention. This was the only way to ensure the business could continue to thrive. His schedule was packed, leaving almost no room to relax.

Ning Ming, the driver who came to pick him up, nodded politely and asked, “Heading back to the villa?”

Glancing at Ji Jing, he hesitated before adding, “President Ji, would you like to rest for a bit?”

Ji Jing rubbed his temples, his expression betraying no signs of exhaustion, and shook his head. “Give me a report on the company’s recent matters.”

“Understood.”

On the way back, Ning Ming and Ji Jing discussed business matters. It wasn’t until they reached the villa’s gates that the conversation paused.

Ji Jing stepped out of the car and turned to Ning Ming. “Take the rest of the weekend off.”

“Yes, sir.”

Watching Ji Jing’s tall, upright figure, Ning Ming couldn’t help but sigh. “Truly worthy of being the boss.”

The driver in the front seat, an old acquaintance of Ning Ming’s, chuckled and said, “People always talk about how great it is to be the boss, but they don’t know how hard it actually is.”

“Most only see the surface-level glamour, not the effort behind it.”

It was a common sentiment, one they had grown accustomed to.

–

Late into the night, the light in Tang Ruan’s room remained on.

She was a woman of action. Once she decided on something, she was determined to see it through.

A couple of days ago, Tang Ruan recorded a video of herself doing makeup, but she felt the result wasn’t very good. She thought… maybe she should find a model to work with. She wouldn’t appear on camera herself, just use her hands to do makeup on someone else. But finding someone was a bit tricky for her. The original host had many friends growing up, but after the family went bankrupt… those friends drifted away. Later, when the Ji family took her back in, while those people did come around again, she had already lost any interest in them.

That was when Tang Ruan began to grow sharper.

She had no friends.

The thought made Tang Ruan sigh deeply, unable to control her emotions.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, giving her quite a shock.

Tang Ruan was holding an eyeshadow palette when the sudden noise startled her, and the eyeshadow fell onto the floor.

She stared at it, feeling frustrated, and turned towards the door, walking angrily to open it. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night, Li Guan…? How come you’re back?” She froze in surprise when she saw Ji Jing standing outside, her confusion making her question whether she was hallucinating. “Husband?”

Ji Jing didn’t care about the tone of her words. His gaze was deep as he looked at her and asked, “Aren’t you asleep yet?”

He had noticed the lights in her room still on from the yard and thought he should check in, just in case.

Tang Ruan nodded. “Not yet.”

She looked at Ji Jing for a moment before asking, “Did you just get back?”

“Mm.”

Tang Ruan furrowed her brows and glanced at the time. “It’s… two in the morning. Why are you back so late?”

Ji Jing gave a soft sound, raising his chin to point at her meticulously done makeup. “Why are you doing your makeup at two in the morning? Are you going out?”

“No.” Tang Ruan touched her face, then suddenly remembered the eyeshadow that had fallen earlier. She looked at Ji Jing with a pitiful expression. “You need to pay me back for something.”

“Something?” he asked.

“My treasure.”

“…??”

Author’s Note:
Ji Jing: ???? I’ve been away for half a month, and now you…?

Tang Ruan: No, no, I mean my eyeshadow treasure.

Ji Jing: That’s your treasure? Then what am I?

Tang Ruan: You’re my big benefactor.

Author: Ji Jing isn’t too pleased with that answer.

Readers might not have expected the heroine’s career to be a makeup artist… Haha, only as a makeup artist can you buy more stuff to use and not waste it!!