Everyone knew full well that this 7 billion wasn’t being offered for nothing.
As for how they split the profits behind closed doors, that was their business—no one else had any say in it.
As long as Huarong was ultimately designated as the investment company for this project, and Xinggang Fengtou didn’t participate in internal project decisions, it would be fine.
Ji Huanlan’s smile landed in Shen Xi’s eyes.
In the moment the lights flickered, he saw her mouth silently—
“I’ll share the risk with you.”
The moment Shen Xi turned his head, his heart was still pounding wildly.
The road to becoming the power-holder of the Shen family had always been walked alone.
No one to trust, no one to support him, no one to have his back.
Until today, someone told him: I’ll bear the consequences with you.
What did that feel like?
When Huarong was finalized as the project’s lead investor, Shen Xi didn’t take the stage. Instead, he stopped there, watching Ji Huanlan.
Ji Huanlan smiled, handed her phone to Wang Huo, and rose to walk over.
Guan Qi naturally stepped aside, watching the woman push Shen Xi’s wheelchair onto the stage.
She delivered Shen Xi to the center of the stage, straightened his suit and tie for him, and then—turned to leave.
“Ji Huanlan.”
He called out to her.
The woman looked back.
That look in Shen Xi’s eyes was asking her to stay.
If Ji Huanlan hadn’t offered 7 billion in sponsorship at the outset under Xinggang Fengtou’s name, the overseas enterprises would have certainly kept driving the price up at the final moment.
Even though he now held power in the Shen family, the board of directors was still in turmoil—going all in wasn’t a wise move.
That was why he’d agreed to the marriage alliance with the Ji family in the first place.
Ji Huanlan pointed below. “I’ll watch you from down there.”
She left.
Later, while Shen Xi was speaking, he noticed that Ji Huanlan was actually using her phone to film him from below the stage.
Shen Xi’s originally composed expression turned slightly unnatural.
He shifted his tone and suddenly tilted his head toward Ji Huanlan: “Is this angle okay?”
Not only was Ji Huanlan startled, but the entire audience was stunned as well.
The woman snapped back to her senses and cleared her throat: “Very good, extremely handsome.”
In the camera frame, Shen Xi’s smile widened—but he was looking only at her side.
In the car.
Ji Huanlan rested in the back seat with her eyes closed.
Wang Huo, in the passenger seat, said, “Chairman Ji, you just released 7 billion at once. Those board members are probably going to blow up at the next regular meeting.”
“I’d love for them to blow up already—saves me from hearing them nag every day.”
Wang Huo: …
Over the past half month, ever since Ji Huanlan took the position of chairman at Xinggang Fengtou, every single decision she made had stepped right on the shareholders’ landmines.
Wang Huo’s heart hadn’t beaten normally once.
He was terrified those old stubborn fossils would, in a fit of anger, kick Ji Huanlan out of her position.
Ji Huanlan seemed to know Wang Huo’s concern. “Don’t worry. They wouldn’t dare.”
Wang Huo listened.
“Because I married Shen Xi. Even if they hate me, they have to be wary of Shen Xi. My investment in Shen Xi’s project today wasn’t a rash impulse. This project is guaranteed to make money—I’m protecting myself.”
Wang Huo froze, then turned back: “Chairman Ji, for just a moment there, I actually thought you truly regarded President Shen as a husband you cherish.”
Ji Huanlan opened her eyes.
A few seconds passed, and she laughed: “Wang Huo, I will never love anyone. I only love myself.”
When even her own mother and younger sister couldn’t be trusted, who could be?
Ever since she’d come back from the brink of death, Ji Huanlan no longer believed in anyone.
Even after marrying Shen Xi, she didn’t feel that the Shen family was her home.
A sense of security was something you had to give yourself.
Today’s project was to build the most curved cross-sea bridge in the country, located in Mingyun Cheng.
From the east side of Mingyun Cheng to the west side took at least an hour by car, and with traffic, two to three hours was not uncommon.
So the government wanted to build a bridge—once completed, it would take only about fifteen minutes to get from the east side to the west side.
Xinggang Fengtou’s headquarters was on the west side.
And Huarong’s headquarters was on the east side.
“Chairman Ji, where to?” Wang Huo asked.
Ji Huanlan instinctively was about to say back to the company.
But halfway through, she remembered she was married. “Shen Zhai.”
She said “Shen Zhai,” not “home.”
Shen Zhai.
When the Maybach with the license plate ‘Ming A·19919’ stopped at the entrance, everyone at the estate—from the Shen family members to the servants—paused in their movements.
Ji Huanlan got out of the car.
She still didn’t look at anyone, walking straight ahead along the path.
But the people she passed all took the initiative to greet her: “Good day, Madam.”
“Good day, Madam.”
“Madam, you’ve returned.”
Ji Huanlan only gave them a slight nod in the end, her presence commanding.
Rules had to be established, but that didn’t mean she had to respond to everyone.
The warning she’d given yesterday had, more or less, had some effect.
Entering the house, the butler took her handbag.
Ji Huanlan looked up and froze for a moment: “You didn’t have a business engagement?”
In the living room, Shen Xi was sitting in his wheelchair, reading a book.
She had assumed that since Shen Xi had secured the project, he would be entertaining the project organizers.
So after she finished, she hadn’t waited for him.
Shen Xi: “I declined it.”
He could decline that?
This plastic husband of hers really did have power and influence.
Ji Huanlan smiled and walked over to sit on the sofa.
Shen Xi’s gaze first fell on her feet, then on the slightly reddened edges of them.
Wearing high heels was indeed tiring.
“I still have work. I’ll head to the study first.”
Ji Huanlan didn’t stop him—their relationship was limited to that of a plastic couple.
Though now, she could add… business partners?
She was indeed a bit tired today, so Ji Huanlan returned to her room.
But she simply couldn’t rest. Entering the bedroom, she opened her laptop and still had to check emails, handle matters, and meetings continued on.
No chairman had it easy.
Those who had the leisure to date every day existed only in novels.
“Knock, knock.”
“Come in.” Ji Huanlan’s voice was faint.
A servant pushed open the door.
Ji Huanlan only looked up when she heard the sound.
On the floor sat a steaming basin of foot-soaking water.
The servant kept her head lowered and said, “Madam, the master asked me to bring this for you. Soaking your feet can help relieve fatigue.”
Ji Huanlan’s pupils rippled slightly. “Alright.”
The servants withdrew.
Ji Huanlan thought for a moment, then finally soaked her feet in the basin.
She picked up her phone and took a photo of the wooden basin.
In the study.
Shen Xi waited a few minutes before opening WeChat.
Ji Huanlan: Thank you, my husband.
She’d also attached a photo.
Originally, Ji Huanlan hadn’t planned to add those last four words, but she remembered that since they would be living together, having too stiff and distant a relationship wouldn’t be conducive to mutual support.
When Shen Xi saw those four words, he was distracted for a moment.
Shen Xi: You’re welcome.
Shen Xi: As for the profit split, what do you think?
When it came to business matters, Ji Huanlan didn’t mince words.
She directly sent Shen Xi a voice call.
Shen Xi picked up instantly.
No one would ever know that this plastic couple would still use voice chat while under the same roof.
“President Shen.” The woman’s voice was both commanding and aloof.
Shen Xi lowered his gaze, accepting the address. “Mm.”
This meant that they were setting aside their marital relationship for now and preparing to conduct business formally.
“Xinggang Fengtou’s willingness to sponsor that 7 billion certainly wasn’t out of idle curiosity.”
A slight curve tugged at the corner of Shen Xi’s lips. “How much do you want?”
There was a hint of indulgence in his tone.
Did he mean he would give her however much she asked for?