Chapter 9

At Ji Corporation.

After returning to the office, Ji Jing immersed himself in the backlog of tasks from the day. His efficiency seemed to have skyrocketed after being “pushed to his limit.”

Assistant Ning Ming entered and exited the office, delivering documents. At one point, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity anymore.

“President Ji, why did the young madam come to visit today?”

He had almost failed to recognize her.

Ning Ming had met her once before when he delivered their wedding documents. Back then, she was adamant about keeping the marriage a secret due to her reluctance to admit to being married at such a young age. The two had only registered their marriage, postponing the wedding indefinitely. Ji Jing, unbothered, had used work as an excuse to delay it further.

Seeing Tang Ruan here today left Ning Ming momentarily stunned, as if he were dreaming—or hallucinating.

Ji Jing paused mid-signature, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “She’s had a change of heart.”

“Ah?”

Ji Jing handed over a document. “She likely finds it amusing. Don’t overthink it.”

Ning Ming nodded, somewhat perplexed. “Understood.”

As the assistant left, Ji Jing’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID before answering.

“Butler Li.”

“Young Master,” Butler Li’s anxious voice came through. “Young Madam had a little accident at home.”

Ji Jing frowned instinctively, his voice low. “What happened?”

“She tripped on the stairs,” Butler Li said, panting slightly. “But don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. She just bumped her forehead, and it’s a little swollen.”

Ji Jing: “…”

She managed to injure herself just by walking up the stairs?

“Which part? Have a doctor check on her at home.”

Butler Li chuckled awkwardly. “Young Madam said she’s fine. It’s just her forehead. I think she was too excited, which is why she tripped.”

Ji Jing: “?”

Butler Li muttered, mostly to himself, “How else could she have fallen right after hearing her things were moved to the young master’s room?”

Before Ji Jing could respond, Butler Li added quickly, “Young Madam said she wanted some sweet soup, so I’m off to prepare it. Young Master, do come home early!”

Ji Jing: “…”

Hanging up, he rubbed his temples in exasperation. Remembering Butler Li’s earlier words, he unconsciously curved his lips.

Excited?

More like horrified.

–

Tang Ruan genuinely felt like her luck was down.

First, she was thrust into this bizarre marriage, spending every waking moment scheming her way to a divorce. If that wasn’t enough, the male lead refused to follow the script, leaving her utterly frustrated.

Wasn’t he supposed to hate wasting time, dislike being interrupted at work, and detest pretentious women? She’d done her best to be insufferably pretentious, so why was Ji Jing still going along with everything without a single rejection?!

Seated on the couch in her room, Tang Ruan touched the bump on her forehead, fuming silently.

If the male lead wouldn’t follow the script, what was she supposed to do?

She glanced around her nearly-empty room. Most of her belongings had already been moved to Ji Jing’s bedroom, leaving only an empty shell behind.

But there was no way she could share a bed with Ji Jing.

She wasn’t about to sacrifice her dignity for the sake of a divorce.

Sprawled out on the couch, Tang Ruan sifted through her memory of the original storyline, trying to devise a plan to make Ji Jing initiate a divorce and kick her out of the house.

No matter how hard she thought, nothing seemed to align with her current predicament.

–

“Young Madam.”

Tang Ruan let out a small “Ah,” cleared her throat, and said, “Butler Li, come in.”

Butler Li smiled warmly at her, his tone kind. “The sweet soup is ready, Young Madam. Please come downstairs and have some.”

Tang Ruan paused, looking at the kindly old man before her. Hesitantly, she nodded. “Alright, I’ll come down in a moment.”

She couldn’t find it in her to refuse this adorable Butler Li. From what she remembered, he had been with the Ji family since he was young and had watched Ji Jing grow up. After she and Ji Jing got married, Butler Li had naturally been assigned to take care of the young master’s daily life.

In many ways, he was like a senior member of Ji Jing’s family.

After all, Ji Jing never treated him like a mere servant.

As the two walked downstairs, Butler Li softly reminded her, “Young Madam, watch your step. You wouldn’t want to fall again and make the young master worry.”

Tang Ruan awkwardly smiled and replied, “Alright.”

Sitting in the dining room and sipping on sweet soup, she felt all eyes on her, smiling warmly. She wished she could find a hole to hide in.

She and Ji Jing had nothing going on, but the ambiguous looks from everyone made her wonder if something had indeed happened between them. Shaking off the thought, she decided to finish her soup quickly and retreat to her room to figure out her next steps.

Sharing a room? Not in this lifetime.

–

When Ji Jing returned, Tang Ruan was curled up in her almost-empty room, reading. She was browsing a website, trying in vain to find a novel she had read before, but no matter how much she searched, she couldn’t locate it.

A knock on the door startled her. She instinctively looked up and unexpectedly locked eyes with the man standing there.

For a moment, she froze. Quickly regaining her composure, she smiled warmly and walked toward him. “Hubby, you’re back! Are you tired?”

Ji Jing’s gaze lingered on her bare feet. Her dainty toes seemed to blend with the pale carpet, looking almost… tempting. He paused briefly before responding with a gentle smile. “Not too tired. Why are you resting here?”

“Huh?” Tang Ruan looked at him in confusion.

Ji Jing raised an eyebrow, pointing toward the other room. “Your things have been moved. Why…” He smirked, leaning in closer to her and lowering his voice. “Don’t tell me you didn’t mean what you said earlier?”

Tang Ruan: “…”

Damn it. She knew Ji Jing wouldn’t let this opportunity slide. So this is where he was waiting to corner her.

She glanced at him, grumbling internally. It felt like Ji Jing was onto her little act and was merely playing along.

If that were the case, it might not be so bad.

Tang Ruan thought for a moment. If he wanted to play this game—

Fine. Let’s see who can outact the other.

With a sweet smile, she tilted her head to look up at him and blinked. “What I meant was that we should improve our current relationship,” she said shyly, blushing. “Isn’t sharing a room a bit too fast? Don’t you think so?”

Ji Jing studied her expressions, his lips curving up slightly as he nodded. “That does make sense.”

“Right?” Tang Ruan’s eyes brightened. “We should take it slow and start by getting to know each other better.”

Ji Jing chuckled softly, giving her a faint glance. “But I’ve heard—”

“Heard what?”

“That sharing a room is the quickest way to get to know someone.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

“Who told you that?”

Ji Jing, without missing a beat, blamed Butler Li. “Butler Li.”

Tang Ruan was momentarily speechless. Considering how Butler Li always hoped for them to grow closer, it wasn’t entirely implausible.

Her eyes darted around as she suddenly looked back at Ji Jing. “Hubby.”

Ji Jing felt his composure slipping at her tone.

Tang Ruan’s eyes sparkled as she smiled, her expression sweet yet mischievous. “Sharing a room is fine, but can you control yourself?”

Ji Jing: “…?”

Tang Ruan pouted, her voice soft and pitiful. “I know I’m good-looking, and I’m sure you’ve liked me for a long time. But how could you just move me into your room after only one day of affectionate interaction? I’m not ready for this yet.” She fluttered her lashes at him. “You understand, don’t you?”

Ji Jing: “…”

No, he absolutely did not.

When had his little wife become so… shameless?

The old Tang Ruan was proud and assertive, but not in this brazen, cheeky way where she spouted nonsense with a straight face.

Caught off guard by her smile, Ji Jing cleared his throat and said, “As long as you’re happy.”

Tang Ruan’s eyes lit up, but before she could celebrate, Ji Jing continued, cutting her joy short.

“But—” Ji Jing’s voice dropped. “Butler Li has already informed Grandfather about this.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

She wanted to scream. Why did Butler Li have to be so nosy?!

Ji Jing observed her frozen smile, his lips curving slightly. “It’s up to you to decide how to handle it.”

Tang Ruan: “…”

Decide? She’d have kicked this young master out long ago if she had a say!

–

By dinnertime, Tang Ruan still hadn’t come up with a solution.

With Butler Li informing Grandfather, she couldn’t very well brazenly move her belongings back to her original room. If she did, Grandfather might even summon them both back to the family home for a proper “discussion.”

She didn’t want to deal with anyone besides Ji Jing right now. Managing Ji Jing alone was already a challenge, and if anyone else got involved, she’d be completely overwhelmed.

Tang Ruan sat in the living room, lost in thought, trying to figure out her next move.

The television was on, but she had no interest in watching.

…

Staring at the screen for a while, Tang Ruan began considering a different approach. If cozying up to Ji Jing didn’t work, perhaps annoying him would do the trick.

The idea immediately invigorated her.

“Hubby!”

Her voice echoed throughout the villa.

Ji Jing’s hand, holding his chopsticks, trembled slightly. He exchanged a glance with Butler Li before continuing to eat as if nothing had happened.

Tang Ruan dashed in from the living room and plopped herself down beside Ji Jing. “Hubby, can you keep me company while I read later? Do you have anything else to do?”

“Work.”

Tang Ruan blinked innocently. “Can I join you? I promise I won’t disturb you. I’ll just sit quietly and read.”

Ji Jing stared at her for two seconds before nodding. “Sure.”

“Can I ask you questions if I don’t understand something?”

“You can.”

“Anything at all?”

“Mm.”

“What will you do after work?”

“Read for a while.”

“Take me with you, then. And after that?”

“Take a shower and go to bed.”

“Then can I also—” Tang Ruan’s words trailed off, and she froze mid-sentence.

Ji Jing’s eyes glinted with amusement as he raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue.

“Also join you?” he finished for her.

With a smirk, Ji Jing leaned closer to her ear, his voice dropping low and teasing. “Of course you can.”

Butler Li and the maids nearby couldn’t help but laugh.