Chapter 40

In the living room sat a woman. Butler Li had informed Tang Ruan of her name earlier, and Tang Ruan realized she recognized her.

Of course—

The original “Tang Ruan” knew her.

Tang Ruan vaguely recalled the name from the novel but hadn’t paid much attention at the time. Still, she knew that this woman was someone deeply infatuated with Ji Jing. How infatuated? It was said that she had even followed him abroad in an attempt to win his heart.

Ji Jing had spent a few years overseas, and this woman had trailed after him the entire time. Yet, even now, she hadn’t succeeded in capturing his affection.

Tang Ruan thought back to the novel’s description: Ji Jing had no interest in women like her. In fact, the narrative implied that Ji Jing didn’t seem to have any romantic interests at all. At one point, Tang Ruan had even wondered if Ji Jing preferred men. But now, it seemed he simply had a unique taste—one that gravitated toward eccentric personalities like her own.

…

However, when it came to a woman who had come knocking—especially one who not only liked Ji Jing in the past but still harbored feelings for him—Tang Ruan didn’t feel inclined to be overly polite.

–

The woman introduced herself as Li Zhen. She had known Ji Jing since childhood and was two years younger than him. Supposedly, they had even attended the same kindergarten. Later, they ended up in the same elementary school. Although they didn’t attend the same middle school, they were reunited in high school.

In short, this woman had been pursuing Ji Jing quite persistently over the years.

Her family background was also quite good, though her taste in men seemed questionable—at least in Tang Ruan’s opinion. From her posture alone—natural, poised, and graceful—it was evident that Li Zhen had received an excellent education. She wasn’t the type to cause a scene like a spoiled heiress.

As Tang Ruan descended the stairs with Butler Li, Li Zhen turned her gaze toward her. Their eyes met briefly, both women wearing polite smiles.

As the host, Tang Ruan naturally took the initiative.

“Hello,” she greeted.

Li Zhen offered a faint smile, her tone measured. “It’s been a while, Miss Tang.”

Tang Ruan raised a brow and gestured for her to sit. “Indeed, it has.”

Li Zhen: “…”

After a brief pause, Li Zhen finally spoke. “I’m here today, but it’s nothing major.”

Tang Ruan nodded politely. “Go on.”

Li Zhen brushed her hair back, sitting upright and smiling faintly. “I just returned to the country and brought a gift for Ji Jing, so I thought I’d stop by. And,” she added with a sharp look, “I wanted to see what Ji Jing’s wife looks like.”

Her tone turned slightly provocative as she scanned Tang Ruan critically. Then, with a hint of disdain, she remarked, “Not particularly impressive.”

Tang Ruan maintained her smile, lounging lazily against the chair. She nodded in agreement. “You’re right—I’m not all that impressive. Ji Jing’s wife can’t compare to Miss Li in most ways. But there’s one area where I do have an edge.”

“And what might that be?”

“Age.” Tang Ruan’s smile grew playful. “You know how wealthy men are—always into young girls. Ji Jing is no exception. He just loves youth and beauty.”

Li Zhen: “…”

Butler Li: “…”

Tang Ruan’s ability to spin a tale so smoothly was truly remarkable. She continued with feigned sincerity, “In fact, Ji Jing constantly tells me I look like I’m sixteen—practically a minor. Between us, rich men are all about the thrill, you know?”

Li Zhen scowled, her expression indignant. “You’re spouting nonsense!”

“Ji Jing isn’t like that at all. He’s an extraordinary man,” she huffed, glaring at Tang Ruan. “Don’t tarnish his reputation!”

Tang Ruan stretched out a lazy “oh,” her tone light. “Really? Have you asked him? Did he tell you he was forced to marry me?”

Li Zhen sneered, her tone dripping with disdain. “You don’t deserve Ji Jing in any way.”

“And yet,” Tang Ruan said with a serene smile, “here I am, his wife. He just loves my youth and beauty.”

Li Zhen stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief. “You’re lying. Ji Jing isn’t like that!”

Tang Ruan raised an eyebrow, chuckling softly. “That just means you don’t understand men very well.”

She leaned forward conspiratorially, as if imparting sage advice. “Men are never as simple as they appear. Otherwise, why do you think, after all those years of you chasing after my husband, he never reciprocated? Could it be… he thought your age wasn’t quite right? Young men like older women, but older men? They adore young girls.”

Li Zhen bristled. “I don’t believe you!”

Tang Ruan feigned a look of deep understanding. “It’s true. My husband can’t bear to be away from me for even half a day. He’s always calling, texting, and video-chatting. If you stick around until lunchtime, you’ll see—he’ll definitely call me to check in. You see, older men just can’t stay away from their young wives.”

The living room fell into complete silence.

Tang Ruan glanced at Li Zhen’s visibly pale face. Just as she was preparing to land another blow, a calm, deep male voice sounded behind her: “Oh, really.”

…?

–

Tang Ruan turned to see Ji Jing suddenly standing in the living room. She was taken aback.

Looking toward him, she found herself locking eyes with Ji Jing’s deep, unreadable gaze. A flicker of guilt rose within her, but in Li Zhen’s presence, Tang Ruan quickly sprang to her feet, rushing toward him as she coquettishly called out, “Husband, you’re back! Were you missing me?”

Butler Li: “…”

Li Zhen: “…”

Cheng Mushi, who had just started descending the stairs, was so startled by Tang Ruan’s voice that she missed a step and stumbled down a flight.

Oh my goodness!

Was this the Tang Ruan she knew?

Ji Jing remained composed as he let Tang Ruan throw herself into his arms. She clung to his neck, nuzzling affectionately. He responded with a low, calm voice: “I’m back.”

Li Zhen, watching the scene unfold, still couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Senior Ji Jing,” she stammered, pointing awkwardly. “You… aren’t you supposed to be at work today?” She abruptly changed her tone, gesturing toward the gift beside her. “I recently returned from abroad and brought gifts for everyone. I thought I’d bring yours personally—see if you like it.”

Tang Ruan, standing beside Ji Jing, pinched his arm in protest, signaling her displeasure.

Ji Jing caught her restless hand, keeping it firmly in his grasp as he turned to Li Zhen. “I appreciate the thought, but my wife is very jealous. No gifts from outsiders are allowed in our home. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to take it back.”

Li Zhen froze, then glanced at Tang Ruan with displeasure. “She’s so unreasonable.”

Ji Jing frowned slightly, his expression turning cold. “Ms. Li, my wife’s behavior isn’t up for anyone else to comment on.”

Hearing this, Li Zhen awkwardly apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Ji Jing gave a slight nod and turned to Tang Ruan. “What have you been up to at home?”

“Just putting on makeup upstairs with Mushi. Why are you back?”

Ji Jing let out a low chuckle and repeated her earlier words back to her: “I missed my young and beautiful wife, so I came home.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

When no one else was looking, she shot Ji Jing a glare, her expression incredulous.

Her earlier remarks had been for the sake of antagonizing Li Zhen. Why was Ji Jing playing along?

Eventually, Li Zhen left in a huff, driven out by the couple’s antics.

Tang Ruan, seizing the opportunity while Cheng Mushi was leaving, followed her friend out to avoid the awkward atmosphere of the living room.

–

Standing in the courtyard, Cheng Mushi patted her chest and looked at Tang Ruan. “You’re bold, I’ll give you that.”

Tang Ruan guiltily scratched her nose and offered an awkward laugh. “I think I might’ve overdone it.”

She couldn’t shake the memory of Ji Jing’s expression when he looked at her earlier—it felt off. She had a sinking feeling that once they were alone, she’d be in for a scolding. Spouting nonsense about Ji Jing like that…

The thought alone made Tang Ruan’s spirits plummet.

Cheng Mushi chuckled, giving her a knowing glance. “I overheard what you said earlier, and I almost lost my footing from laughing. But your husband went along with it! I’m sure he doesn’t care about the nonsense you said. He’s been defending you the whole time. Just sweet-talk him a little, and it’ll blow over.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

It’s not just about sweet-talking anymore!

Cheng Mushi kept laughing and winked at her. “Honestly, I never imagined you’d act like this in front of your husband. You’ve really got guts.”

Tang Ruan let out a weak laugh and patted her shoulder in mock seriousness. “It’s a long story.”

Cheng Mushi burst into laughter. “Alright, there’s no one else around now. Stop performing for me. Your acting skills are next level! You’d win awards if you were in showbiz.”

The two of them stood at the door, chatting and laughing, while the atmosphere inside the house grew… increasingly tense.

–

Ji Jing had rushed home after receiving a call from Butler Li. Although he knew Tang Ruan could hold her own, she was his wife, and he didn’t want her to suffer even a slight grievance. He’d abandoned a meeting to make it back.

What he hadn’t expected was to walk in and hear Tang Ruan confidently spouting nonsense. Her words had sounded so convincing that Ji Jing almost believed them himself.

He turned to Butler Li and asked quietly, “Did she say anything outrageous?”

Butler Li meticulously recounted the entire exchange, sparing no detail.

When Ji Jing heard about Li Zhen’s comment that Tang Ruan “Not particularly impressive,” his brows furrowed with displeasure. But when Butler Li reached the part about Tang Ruan claiming he preferred underage girls and constantly praised her for looking sixteen…

Ji Jing laughed out of sheer exasperation.

Tang Ruan…

She really dared to say anything.

He waved dismissively, shaking his head in mild disbelief. “That’s enough. Let’s leave it at that.”

Ji Jing added, “In the future, don’t let anyone who isn’t family into the house. No need to upset her.”

Butler Li nodded in agreement. “Understood.”

He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you think the young madam will be angry?”

Ji Jing shook his head. “She’s not that type of person.”

If Tang Ruan were truly angry, she wouldn’t have been cracking jokes and spewing nonsense. When she reached her limit, she tended to go completely silent instead of engaging in verbal sparring.

As they spoke, Tang Ruan walked in from outside. Ji Jing glanced at Butler Li, who took the cue to excuse himself from the living room.

Tang Ruan tried her best to avoid Ji Jing’s gaze, sidling toward the stairs. “Husband, I… I’m a bit tired. I’ll head upstairs to rest, okay?”

“Tired?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Ji Jing nodded knowingly. “Perfect timing, I’m feeling a bit tired too.”

…?

Tang Ruan turned her head to look at Ji Jing, blinking her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Ji Jing smiled faintly, lowering his gaze slightly to meet hers. “Resting together with my sixteen-year-old underage wife.”

He deliberately emphasized the words sixteen, underage, and rest.

Tang Ruan felt her legs weaken at his words, but she forced herself to hold steady. “R-really? Then… let’s rest together.”

Ji Jing raised an eyebrow, surprised she could follow through with the banter.

The two of them headed upstairs, one after the other.

Matters in the room—

Better to keep that conversation private.

–

As soon as they reached the bedroom, Tang Ruan gave up her act and turned to Ji Jing, clinging to him as she began to plead, “Husband, I didn’t mean to ruin your reputation earlier! It’s just… you were being too much!”

Ji Jing: “…?”

Wait, how was he the one being too much?

He hadn’t said or done anything, had he?

Tang Ruan gave him a sidelong glance, poking his shoulder with her finger. “Explain this—where did you leave behind unresolved ‘romantic debts’? To the point where people show up at our home to provoke me?”

As Ji Jing listened, he couldn’t help but feel as though everything was being blamed on him.

He gazed at Tang Ruan, reached out, and gently pinched her earlobe. In a low voice, he asked, “So that’s why you… started spouting nonsense?”

Tang Ruan blinked at him. “I wasn’t spouting nonsense.”

…?

“You don’t like me?”

Ji Jing froze for a moment, then replied, “No.”

Tang Ruan spread her hands, her talent for twisting logic shining through. “See, I wasn’t wrong. You like me, and I’m naturally young and beautiful. So when I said you liked my youth and beauty, it wasn’t a lie, was it? Doesn’t that make sense?”

Ji Jing: “…”

Tang Ruan pressed on. “Don’t I look young? You even said last time that I dress like a high school student. And that makeup I wore when we visited Ji Ling’s school—those students thought I was a high schooler. So, technically, I wasn’t wrong there either, right?”

…?

…???

Ji Jing had never realized a single statement could be deconstructed and justified so thoroughly.

He looked at Tang Ruan, both amused and exasperated, feeling as though she was an endless source of surprises. Somehow, everything became lighthearted and humorous in her presence.

“Anything else?” he asked.

“What?”

“The part about me not being able to go a whole morning without you.”

Tang Ruan made a small sound, then remarked with mock regret, “Actually, it wasn’t even a whole morning. You left for the office at eight, and now it’s just past eleven. Doesn’t that mean you couldn’t bear to be away from me?” She beamed at him. “I get it—it’s because I’m just that irresistible.”

Ji Jing let out a soft, choked laugh and patted her on the head. “Mm.”

Tang Ruan smiled, hugging him tighter and continuing to coax him. “Right? I wasn’t wrong about anything I said.”

Ji Jing raised a brow, toying with her earlobe as he leaned closer. “Then one last question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Who’s the ‘old man’ you mentioned? Hmm?” He lowered his voice, the question whispered directly into her ear. The tone, paired with the phrasing, carried an unmistakable edge of danger.

Tang Ruan: “…”

QAQ Oh no, she was doomed.