After reports emerged of the Ji family’s heiress sobbing in a sports car late at night, the public began criticizing the Qi family for failing to raise their son properly.
Ji Yang also reappeared in the public eye for the second time since Huizhou.
The wound on his forehead made the whole situation particularly intriguing.
As one netizen put it, the brother and sister looked as though they’d both suffered a similar fate.
Two days later, the Qi family issued an official statement.
They announced that the marriage agreement between the Qi and Ji families would be postponed indefinitely.
“Indefinitely” was simply less absolute than calling off the engagement. It meant that the relationship between the two families hadn’t completely broken down. However, from the outside, the marriage alliance was practically over.
“This is so embarrassing. Seriously, so embarrassing.” In the Ji family’s back garden, Ji Mingyue covered her face for the nineteenth time. “I’ve never been this humiliated in my entire life. Crying over a man in the middle of the night? How stupid can I be?”
Ji Yang was amused by her reaction. “You know, if you embarrass yourself often enough, you eventually get used to it.”
Ji Mingyue lowered her hands.
Then, all of a sudden, she grew serious and looked at him.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” Ji Yang asked. He wasn’t wearing his prosthetic limb and was reclining on a sun lounger with Little White in his arms, stroking its fur.
Ji Mingyue said, “I know that if it weren’t for you, I would definitely have been forced to marry Qi Yiming. If not next week, then the week after, or sometime next month. But right up until the moment the statement was released, the Qi family never came knocking to cause trouble, and Grandpa didn’t even mention the matter. That’s when I knew you must have done something.”
Ji Yang lifted Little White and gave its fur a good sniff.
Only then did he say, “I didn’t really do much.”
Ji Yansong must have seen the email by now.
Since neither family had taken any further action, they had evidently agreed that indefinitely postponing the marriage was the best solution for the time being.
The Ji family would rather give up the marriage alliance than take the risk.
However, in Ji Yansong’s eyes, his grandson had probably become a ticking time bomb with an extremely high risk factor.
The fact that someone seemed to be watching him wherever he went these past few days was proof enough.
Ji Yang didn’t care.
He asked Ji Mingyue, “What are you planning to do next?”
“I don’t know.” Ji Mingyue shook her head, then quickly added, “But lately, I’ve suddenly come to understand a lot of things. Children from families like ours are taught from childhood to take pride in the family’s glory, to understand the need for sacrifice, and to put the bigger picture first. But what does putting the bigger picture first actually get us? I heard that the municipal finance department’s investigation has reached a conclusion. Eldest Brother will be coming back soon.”
“Ji Zhonglin?” Ji Yang’s hand paused.
He wasn’t sure how Ji Zhonglin felt about the broken-off engagement. Thinking about his eldest brother, Ji Yang really couldn’t get a clear read on him.
Ji Mingyue looked at Ji Yang sitting in the sunlight.
“You sound so indifferent whenever you mention anyone these days.”
Ji Yang hadn’t quite heard her. “What?”
“I said you seem completely indifferent whenever you bring anyone up now.” Ji Mingyue looked at him in confusion. “You used to care about your father’s opinion and about whom Grandpa valued more. Especially Eldest Brother. You couldn’t stand seeing him give even the slightest bit of attention to Ji Chengyi.”
Ji Yang smiled faintly. “I guess I just suddenly saw things differently, same as you did.”
At the heart of it, he simply had no emotional attachment to anyone in the Ji family.
That meant he could completely detach himself from his identity as the Ji family’s fourth young master and look at everything and everyone around him from an outsider’s perspective.
And the more he looked, the less he felt.
The investigation into the Ji family eventually confirmed that Ji Corporation had inflated its revenue by more than 25.7 billion through forged contracts and fictitious transactions. The company was ultimately fined 18.229 billion yuan and officially received a delisting notice.
Several subsidiaries under Ji Corporation were implicated and forced to suspend operations.
However, Ji Corporation was an enormous enterprise, and these developments alone were not enough to deal it a fatal blow.
The Ji family’s decision to sell several of its core logistics businesses to cover the financial shortfall had been a hot topic in the financial headlines lately.
Insiders understood the implications; outsiders simply watched the spectacle.
Ji Yang was one of the outsiders.
He couldn’t even be bothered to follow the news.
When he accepted Peng Jiaying’s invitation to inspect the company’s premises, the weather was beautiful, with clear skies and a gentle breeze.
“Old Peng!” he called out from a distance.
The moment they met, Ji Yang could tell that Peng Jiaying had changed considerably.
It wasn’t a change in appearance, but in his mental state. He had completely shed the dejection and frustration that had weighed him down before. His whole demeanor had been transformed.
His fighting spirit had returned, and there was a different light in his eyes.
Peng Jiaying was holding two drinks. He handed Ji Yang one at room temperature and spoke with a hint of nervousness. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to get out.”
“What made you think that?” Ji Yang took the drink, inserted the straw, and took a sip.
It was peach-flavored, and the color was ridiculously pink.
After one sip, Ji Yang complained, “Why do I get this, while you get a latte?”
Peng Jiaying choked slightly. “It suits you.”
Ji Yang: “…Thanks.”
The people Ji Yansong had sent to keep an eye on him had withdrawn after two days.
They had probably noticed that he never left the house and had even submitted his resignation from the company through Nie Xu, his assistant. He hardly seemed like someone planning to make trouble.
So today, apart from his driver, hardly anyone was following him.
Peng Jiaying glanced at him before taking out a bank card. “Regardless of what happens, you’re still the company’s second-largest boss. This is the startup capital you gave me before. We’ve barely used any of it. I know that no matter how serious the Ji family’s problems get, your family trust should keep your life from being affected. But things aren’t exactly easy for you within the Ji family either, are they? Take it in case you need it.”
“I don’t have any emergencies to deal with.” Ji Yang declined the card, then looked at the upscale office tower in front of them. “But you picked a place like this and still claim you haven’t spent much money?”
Peng Jiaying pushed up his glasses. “This building belongs to Jianyuan.”
“A property owned by Jianyuan?” This time, Ji Yang was the one who choked.
Peng Jiaying hesitated. “Don’t blame me when I tell you this, okay? I traded a little insider information from Haicheng for it. But don’t worry, nothing illegal. At most, it gave us an advantage in fair competition.”
Ji Yang immediately burst out laughing.
He patted Peng Jiaying on the shoulder and declared approvingly, “You have a bright future ahead of you.”
Peng Jiaying had certainly caught on quickly. The entire process of getting the company affiliated with the platform had been handled through an intermediary, and Ji Yang hadn’t asked many questions. He trusted Nie Xu to take care of things.
He just hadn’t expected his partner, Old Peng, to prove even more capable than he had imagined in such a short time.
The two entered the office tower.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Qi Songqing.
Qi Songqing was nothing like the unserious man Ji Yang had encountered that night. Dressed in a sharp suit and surrounded by a group of domestic and international professionals, he emerged from the elevator while gesturing and discussing technical terminology with the people beside him.
As soon as Qi Songqing stepped out of the elevator, he spotted Ji Yang too.
“Young Master?” He raised an eyebrow.
Ji Yang was exasperated. He had no idea why Qi Songqing was greeting him at a time like this. He waved and offered a fake smile. “Mr. Qi.”
Qi Songqing smiled. “Come on, don’t be so formal. Just call me by my name.”
A foreigner beside him asked in rather broken Chinese, “Who is this?”
Qi Songqing introduced him with exaggerated seriousness. “The young master of the family of an employer who happens to be an old friend of mine.”
The foreigner complimented him. “He’s so cute! Is he still in school?”
Ji Yang, a twenty-four-year-old single man: “…”
Did foreigners have some kind of misunderstanding about what Asians looked like?
Qi Songqing laughed so hard he could barely contain himself.
Then he introduced Peng Jiaying. “This is Mr. Peng Jiaying, the legal representative of Yiyuan Media. He’s a promising entrepreneur recently discovered by Jianyuan’s venture capital platform.”
Peng Jiaying was visibly excited. He stepped forward to shake hands with everyone, seizing the opportunity to distribute his business cards.
Ji Yang could tell that Qi Songqing had deliberately created this opportunity for him.
Later, Peng Jiaying said excitedly, “That was Jianyuan’s CTO! I heard he’s only twenty-seven and holds more than thirty individual patents granted by the state. So many people try every day to find excuses to meet him, and they still don’t get the chance!”
Peng Jiaying turned to look at Ji Yang as though he were some kind of extraordinary being.
“Are you two close?” he asked.
Ji Yang thought for a moment before answering, “Well… he’s also a doctor, actually.”
Peng Jiaying: “…”
The newly established company occupied less than half a floor of the office tower, but it had excellent natural lighting.
The money tree by the entrance and the plant stand had clearly been carefully tended.
And there was Qian Yitian again, carrying a stack of discarded paper he had just collected while shouting, “Coming through, coming through, coming through!” as he rushed out.
The moment he saw Ji Yang, he skidded to a sudden stop.
“Fourth Young Master?” His face broke into a huge grin. “You’re here!”
Inside were Qiao Qiao and several familiar faces from the former new media department.
Some were sweeping the floor or wiping down desks and windows; others were busy making calls to arrange the installation of the internet.
Everyone smiled and greeted him when they saw him.
Ji Yang remembered that not long ago, he had been managing Haicheng’s new media department, taking Qian Yitian and Qiao Qiao on a business trip to Huizhou.
Their separation had been abrupt. Afterward, Ji Yang had never known whether their names had appeared on the resignation list.
Now that they had met again, there was no awkwardness and no gossip.
It was as though none of them had experienced any changes in their employment, and none had heard the recent rumors about the Ji family.
Ji Yang knew that the others were actually being considerate of his feelings.
“Dinner’s on me tonight,” he said with a smile.
A wave of cheers erupted around him.
Remembering his encounter with Qi Songqing, Ji Yang took out his phone on his way to the restroom and sent Nie Xu a message.
Ji Yang: “Did you ask Qi Songqing to look after Yiyuan?”
A reply came quickly.
Nie Xu: “Who is Yiyuan?”
Ji Yang: “…”
I shouldn’t have bothered asking.
Ji Yang wasn’t sure whether Nie Xu had specifically looked it up, but a minute later, another message arrived.
Nie Xu: “Why is it called Yiyuan?”
Ji Yang walked out of the restroom and happened to see a vast stretch of fiery red sunset beyond the window at the end of the corridor.
He typed out his reply:
“Yiyuan fushi, wanxiang gengxin.”
With the beginning of a new cycle, all things are renewed.
It meant that everything returned to its starting point, symbolizing change and hope.
However, Ji Yang quickly sent another message.
Ji Yang: “I looked it up online. I thought the meaning was nice, so I used it. There wasn’t any particular reason.”
Meanwhile, on the top floor of Haicheng Group, in the secretarial office…
Several female secretaries were on the verge of losing their minds because of the men who had been sitting there all day.
One secretary patiently tried to reason with them. “Mr. Wang, Mr. Li, Mr. Pan, it’s not that the former chairman refuses to see you. The chairman’s health isn’t good, and he isn’t even at the group headquarters at the moment. Please come back another day.”
Her words only made the men angrier.
“Who are you trying to fool? Everyone knows Old Master Ji is personally stationed at headquarters. We’re not leaving until we see him today.”
“Exactly! The construction schedule has been delayed. We deserve an explanation!”
“And what about my cultural tourism project? It had a budget of over ten million yuan, and now you’re telling me it’s canceled just like that? Headquarters needs to give me an answer today!”
For the past few days, people like these had been showing up every single day.
The secretarial reception area was practically driving everyone insane.
The second secretary glanced toward the window, where a man was apparently replying to messages, and after some thought, approached him.
“Assistant Nie,” she said.
When the man turned to look at her, the secretary tried to calm her racing heart and spoke in a low voice. “We’re almost at our limit. What should we do about the former chairman…?”
Nie Xu glanced at the reception room door before replying, “Compile a list of recent visitors. Select a few of the key people leading the complaints and notify them. Then book a decent restaurant and tell them they’re invited to dinner.”
The second secretary was delighted.
She knew it! This matter was finally going to be handled.
There had been far too many problems at the group lately. Issues like this weren’t serious enough to warrant a board meeting, but they couldn’t simply be ignored either. The people who suffered most were employees like them, stuck in the middle.
But as long as Assistant Nie was willing to handle it, the problem could usually be resolved safely and effectively.
“All right. I’ll arrange it immediately,” the secretary said.
She turned to leave, then paused and looked back.
“Should we still do it in Young Master Ji’s name?”
Nie Xu nodded indifferently. “Arrange it however you think best.”
The secretary nodded.
Lately, the former chairman seemed intent on promoting Assistant Nie, and the assistant had been spending a lot of time coming and going with Young Master Ji.
So, had Young Master Ji been the one messaging Assistant Nie just now?
The secretary wondered to herself. She rarely saw Assistant Nie using his phone during working hours. She couldn’t tell whether it had been for business or something personal.