The people who had been about to take Ji Huanlan away all stopped in their tracks, momentarily unsure of what to do.
The standoff lingered for a moment. Tang Lan gritted her teeth, a flicker of ruthlessness flashing through her eyes.
Ji Yaoqing saw through her mother’s intentions and immediately scolded the bodyguards: “What are you all standing around for? Why haven’t you taken my sister away yet?”
The mother-daughter pair was prepared to play hardball.
However—
“Madam Tang, before you treat my fiancée this way, shouldn’t you first ask for my opinion?”
The sound of the wheelchair gliding was soft, yet it struck deep into everyone’s hearts.
Shen Xi and Ji Huanlan didn’t seem close—so why did it look like he was ready to back her up to the very end?
Still, the way the two of them spoke was remarkably alike.
“Mr. Shen, you and Huanlan aren’t married yet. This is a family matter.” Tang Lan warned him not to interfere in the Ji family’s affairs.
The man remained as steady as a mountain, ignoring Tang Lan entirely. He only gave Ji Huanlan a gentle wave, his voice carrying a hint of softness: “Come here.”
Ji Huanlan’s isolation, her utter lack of support, showed signs of cracking in that moment.
She walked toward him in her high heels.
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Shen Xi actually took Ji Huanlan’s icy, jade-like hand, paying no heed to the prying eyes around them.
He calmly looked at Tang Lan and her daughter.
Guan Qi, quick on the uptake, immediately shot the bodyguards a look.
Dozens of bodyguards in gray suits stepped forward in unison, forming a barrier in front of Ji Huanlan.
For a moment, a silent standoff ensued.
This scene…
It seemed this Second Master Shen really was prepared to back his fiancée to the hilt.
Tang Lan’s face trembled with rage.
But then, shifting her tone, she swallowed her fury: “Fine… very well! Seeing how united and harmonious the two of you are, I can rest easy now.”
Sarcasm dripping from every word.
At this point, Tang Lan knew she was powerless to do anything more. She could only swallow this humiliation for now.
Ji Yaoqing was seething.
The inheritance that was within her grasp had all slipped away!!
Afraid that Ji Yaoqing would ruin things, Tang Lan dragged her daughter and quickly left the funeral.
Before leaving, Ji Yaoqing shot that woman a venomous glare. She would never let this go!
Once the mother-daughter pair was gone, many people rushed forward: “Congratulations, Miss Ji. We’re so glad you’re alright.”
“Congratulations, congratulations.”
Time to scramble and curry favor was the real priority.
Once the farce was over, Ji Huanlan was already at her limit, but she steeled herself to see off the remaining guests one by one.
By the time she noticed, the man was already nowhere to be found.
Half a month later.
It had been sixteen days, and Guan Qi still hadn’t noticed any contact between his boss and the new chairman of Xinggang.
Weren’t they supposed to be fiancés?
Could it be that his boss had simply forgotten he even had a fiancée?
But Guan Qi didn’t dare ask, only muttering to himself inwardly.
At noon, the man, having just finished his work, suddenly asked: “How’s things over at Xinggang?”
Half a month ago, the incident at Ji Huanlan’s funeral had caused quite a stir in Mingyun Cheng, and soon after, news spread that Xinggang Fengtou had a new chairman.
Guan Qi laid out everything he knew: “The board at Xinggang Fengtou has been in an uproar lately. Those people refuse to accept Miss Ji as chairman and are causing trouble at every turn.”
Shen Xi finally lifted his eyelids slightly.
Guan Qi quickly cut to the key point: “But Miss Ji has managed to hold things down for now.”
Even Guan Qi had been shocked when he first heard that outcome.
Although the Ji family couldn’t compare to the Shen family, Xinggang Fengtou was one of the top venture capital firms in the country. No one had expected that such a massive company could be held together by Ji Huanlan, who was only twenty-four years old.
Wasn’t the eldest daughter of the Ji family supposed to only know about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—a proper lady who never left her chambers, never stepped outside her door, with all the airs of a refined young miss, spending years abroad without ever engaging with the outside world?
How could she possibly hold together such a massive conglomerate like Xinggang Fengtou?
It was a mystery.
The phone on the desk rang.
Shen Xi glanced at it, saw it was his grandmother, and picked up. “Grandmother.”
“Ah Xi, have you had lunch yet?” Grandmother Shen had a wonderful personality, always cheerful and talkative.
Little did anyone know that two years ago, when Shen Xi’s life hung in the balance, the old lady had risked everything she had, just to secure the position of heir for her most beloved grandson.
“Had it.” Shen Xi replied, though he hadn’t actually eaten lunch.
Grandmother Shen said, “It’s been a while now. When do you think you’ll go with Huanlan to get the marriage certificate?”
Even though they were engaged, without actually getting married, it was all just talk and no action.
Shen Xi lowered his gaze. “I’ll ask for her opinion.”
“Alright. Then Grandmother will wait for your good news.”
Ji Huanlan never imagined that, in the midst of being busier than a cat on a hot tin roof, she could still squeeze out an hour to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with her so-called “plastic” fiancé.
Two hours earlier, Shen Xi—who had never once spoken to her on WeChat—suddenly sent her a message.
Ji Huanlan, who was in a meeting at the time, didn’t rush to reply. She only contacted him after the meeting ended.
Shen Xi: When are you free? Let’s register.
The tone was no different from casually deciding to grab a meal.
Ji Huanlan was well aware of the nature of her relationship with Shen Xi. To thank him for his help earlier, she immediately replied, saying she was free that afternoon.
Civil Affairs Bureau.
This was Ji Huanlan’s first time doing something like this. In the twenty years before, her father had brought her to countless occasions, and she had never been nervous.
But this time alone, she felt a bit at a loss.
The photo-taking stage.
The staff member said, “Bride, lean a little closer to the groom.”
Ji Huanlan didn’t look at him, only tilted her head slightly to show closeness.
Fortunately, Shen Xi was quite cooperative.
In just a few short minutes, Ji Huanlan went from a single young woman to a married one. She stared at the photo of the two of them on the freshly printed marriage certificate, feeling utterly unfamiliar with it.
In the photo, Shen Xi wore a faint smile, giving the illusion that he wasn’t being forced into this marriage.
As she was looking at it, the certificate in her hand was snatched away.
“Important documents. I’ll keep them safe.”
Ji Huanlan watched as Shen Xi handed both marriage certificates to his secretary.
Guan Qi: “Miss Ji—I mean, Madam. Where would you like to go? Shall I drive you?”
It took Ji Huanlan a good ten-plus seconds to get used to that form of address.
Then she gave a bright smile. “I drove here. I’ll manage on my own.”
“Very well.”
There were no parting words between them—strangers couldn’t have been more distant.
Ji Huanlan didn’t take this marriage to heart at all. After facing her father’s death and the betrayal of her mother and sister, she had long since put all her focus on her work.
Money and power were all she wanted now.
Men, love—none of it could be relied upon.
Xinggang Fengtou.
“Chairman Ji, the meeting is being prepared.” The secretary informed her.
Ji Huanlan nodded.
She pushed open the door to her father’s former office, brewed a cup of coffee, and stood by the window, gazing out over the skyline of all of Mingyun Cheng.
No one knew that she had been by her father’s side since the age of four—through twenty years of not understanding, then being utterly lost, and finally gaining true mastery.
Her father had long been on guard against her mother. To protect himself, he had deliberately crafted her image as a pampered young lady who never lifted a finger. But in reality, since she turned twenty, most of Xinggang Fengtou’s decisions had been made by her behind the scenes.
Over the years, Ji Yaoqing had followed Tang Lan, and she had followed her father—so much so that there was virtually no bond between the sisters.
Her mind wandered.
WeChat buzzed.
Ji Huanlan finished her coffee before checking the message, then froze.
Shen Xi: Coming home tonight?
Shen Xi: [Location]
Ji Huanlan was a bit confused.
Weren’t they just a plastic couple?
Even plastic couples had to ask whether the other was coming home?