Jiang Xizhi usually only needed an hour for her afternoon nap. Since she had slept late, it was nearly three o’clock when she woke up.
She was awakened by thirst. Because the floor was carpeted, she didn’t even put on shoes before opening the door to the lounge and heading out to find water. She was still groggy at first, but the moment she opened the door and saw the scene in the office, she froze.
An elderly man dressed in a Zhongshan suit was sitting on the sofa, slowly turning his head to meet her surprised gaze.
Apart from the old man, the office was empty.
Both of them could read the same question in each other’s eyes: Who are you, and why are you here?
Jiang Xizhi had no time to answer. She glanced down at her outfit—it was a bit of a mess.
She quickly called out, “Hello, Grandpa,” before immediately closing the lounge door.
Leaning against the back of the door, Jiang Xizhi covered her face in embarrassment. Could she really say that her dress had been ruined from how she slept?
And she wasn’t even wearing shoes!
The dress Ji Han Zhuo had prepared for her was beautiful, but it wasn’t practical. She was a restless sleeper, often tossing and turning, and after her nap, the dress was covered in wrinkles from being pressed against. How embarrassing.
Others might not know who the old man in the office was, but she recognized him—he was Ji Han Zhuo’s grandfather. In her previous life, when she was forced to stay with Ji Han Zhuo and even became pregnant, his grandfather had played no small role in making it happen.
In short, Old Master Ji was on the same side as Ji Han Zhuo.
In her previous life, when she first met Old Master Ji, she had hoped he would act like the characters in TV dramas—hand her a check and declare arrogantly, “You’re not worthy of my grandson. Take the money and disappear from his sight.”
But reality was the opposite. Not only did Old Master Ji not ask her to leave, he even gave her a globally limited-edition black card and pleaded, “As long as you’re willing to stay by my grandson’s side, I’ll give you the Ji family company if you want.”
Jiang Xizhi herself thought: That’s really not necessary.
Besides, she didn’t know how to manage a company.
At the time, she felt like everyone in the Ji family was a bit odd—none of them followed the usual script.
Jiang Xizhi felt a headache coming on. The old man was not someone easy to deal with.
There were plenty of clothes for her to wear in Ji Han Zhuo’s walk-in closet, but they had all been chosen by his assistant—all sorts of styles.
Jiang Xizhi quickly went to the wardrobe and picked out an unconventional outfit: a black crop top, an exaggerated leather jacket and pants, and a pair of combat boots.
Then she applied heavy, fiery makeup. Previously, she hadn’t worn makeup because she found it troublesome, but now, for the sake of her future, she had to put in the effort.
This time, she was going to do the opposite—make the old man dislike her.
When Jiang Xizhi emerged, the old man’s expression was truly a sight to behold, and what he said next was even more astonishing.
With a look of surprise, the old man asked, “Who are you? Where’s the young lady from earlier?”
Jiang Xizhi felt a mix of emotions—sadness because it was hard to explain, but joy because her makeup skills had indeed improved quite a bit.
She let out an awkward laugh, then sat down across from the old man, cleared her throat, and said, “Hello, Grandpa. I am the young lady you saw earlier. I was just a bit groggy when I woke up, but this is my truest self.”
The old man’s temples throbbed. He was so old he couldn’t even recognize people anymore.
Remembering what Ji Han Zhuo had told him yesterday about getting married, he continued, “Oh, I see. My eyesight must be failing me. So, young lady, what is your relationship with Han Zhuo?”
What kind of relationship? Jiang Xizhi was somewhat stumped. A kept lover? But they hadn’t reached that stage yet.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xizhi finally answered, “He’s my sugar daddy.”
Wasn’t that exactly the kind of relationship they had? He gave her money to support her, and she stayed by his side.
This time, the old man’s lips twitched. This girl really dared to say it, but she was quite honest.