The warm air in the bathroom was turned off.
It wasn’t until Jiang Yu was drying herself with a towel that she realized the wedding ring she always wore on the ring finger of her right hand was missing.
When had it fallen off?
She frowned briefly but didn’t dwell on it. After all, it was just a formality. It represented neither love nor marriage, only a transaction.
Before, she had been portrayed as a love-struck fool who couldn’t see clearly. But now that her mind was clear, she had intended to take it off anyway. It was just as well that it had fallen off on its own.
After blow-drying her hair and changing into a fresh bathrobe, she felt refreshed. It was only when she stepped out of the bathroom that she noticed it was already completely dark outside.
She poured herself a glass of warm water, walked to the window, and drew the curtains to block out the cold, heavy night. Then, she sat cross-legged on the bay window, which was covered with a small woolen rug.
A small coffee table was placed on the bay window. On leisurely days, she would read or drink coffee here, especially when the sun shone in. It was a rare moment of comfort. However, at this moment, only her laptop sat on the table.
She opened the computer, found the agreement file that Secretary Fang had sent her in the cloud records of her work documents, and carefully reviewed the contents while sipping her water. After finishing, she set down the glass, made a few revisions, and set the printing option to two copies.
The small Bluetooth printer whirred a few times and spat out several printed pages. After casually signing her name, she drank the last sip of water, stood up, picked up the newly printed agreement, and went to knock on the door next door.
“Come in.”
Jiang Yu pushed open the slightly ajar door and saw Qin Yan sitting on a small sofa, staring at his computer. Likely unfinished work.
He was still dressed in the same outfit he had worn when he came home, except he had removed his suit jacket. His white shirt was tucked into black trousers, and perhaps knowing she was coming, he hadn’t even loosened his tie.
Jiang Yu’s lips twitched.
How virtuous of him. As if I’m after his looks.
“Please take a look at this agreement, President Qin.” Jiang Yu composed her expression, walked over, and sat on the armrest of Qin Yan’s sofa. Smiling, she handed him the two copies of the agreement.
Qin Yan took the documents before turning to glance at her. Without a word, his slender fingers began flipping through the pages.
“I made a few minor changes.” Jiang Yu leaned slightly forward and pointed to one section. “Here, it originally stated that you, President Qin, had the unilateral right to dissolve this marriage. I’ve revised it so that as long as I can repay the fifty million debt, I also have the right to choose to divorce at any time.”
After a pause, she added, “If you want to charge a bit of interest, that’s fine. But don’t be too greedy. Otherwise, I’ll report you for loan sharking.”
“…” Qin Yan almost laughed in exasperation. “Even at my lowest, I wouldn’t stoop to charging you a pittance in interest.”
Jiang Yu curled her lips and pointed to another section. “Here, it originally stated that after the divorce, I would receive an additional fifty million in compensation or this property at Huayuan. I’ve revised that, too. I don’t want compensation, but I’ve decided to return to work soon. In the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, I hope President Qin can provide me with some assistance when possible.”
She gestured with two fingers to indicate “just a tiny bit”, earnestly trying to show she wasn’t being greedy. “The agreement also clearly states that, as long as it doesn’t violate public order or morality, I have an obligation to assist Mr. Qin when needed. I won’t let you lose out.”
“You want to go back to work?” Qin Yan pursed his lips slightly.
He remembered that when they first got engaged, Zhao Huiru had already used the excuse of “hoping her daughter-in-law would return to family life, with the penalty fee handled by her” to demand Jiang Yu leave the entertainment industry.
Zhao Huiru had insisted Jiang Yu quit the industry precisely to prevent her from gaining any future advantages. If Jiang Yu were allowed to develop in the entertainment world and actually became a top star, she would no longer be the down-and-out Jiang family young lady who could be easily controlled.
If Jiang Yu chose to stand by his side, then Zhao Huiru would have shot herself in the foot.
Jiang Yu’s sudden departure from the industry had caused quite a stir with her agency. After painstakingly nurturing a cash cow, only for it to run off before yielding much profit, her agent was so furious they parted on bad terms, bluntly stating they never wanted to see her again, almost as if they’d become enemies.
Previously, she had maintained a delicate, fragile persona, which wasn’t particularly well-liked in the industry. Yet, she had skyrocketed to fame after one hit drama, reaping the benefits of her role, much to the envy of her rivals.
If she wanted to make a comeback, she would indeed need capital backing her up.
Qin Yan’s pen unconsciously tapped a few times on the papers in front of him. He thought it was a good idea.
If Jiang Yu was willing to return to the entertainment industry, he was happy to give her a push. Whether she stood by his side or not didn’t matter. What was important was stirring up the seemingly calm waters of the Qin family.
“Mhm.” Jiang Yu leaned back, resting her elbow on the edge of the sofa, her hand loosely curled into a fist supporting her head. The wide sleeve of her bathrobe slipped down, revealing a slender, pale forearm. “I agreed to ‘return to family life’ back then because I thought there was actually a family for me to return to. But as it turns out, it’s just me alone at home.”
Qin Yan: “…”
Thanks, I felt the sarcasm.
The spring night was chilly, but the room was warmed slightly by the heater, creating a cozy, drowsy atmosphere.
Just as Jiang Yu’s head began to nod with sleepiness, Qin Yan finally spoke again. “The fifty million was a transaction between the Qin and Jiang families, not between the Jiang family and me. I don’t know what other conditions the Jiang family agreed to with the Qin family besides our marriage.”
Given Zhao Huiru’s personality, it was unlikely she’d simply plant a spy by his side. There were surely other schemes at play.
Jiang Yu wore an expression that seemed to say, ‘How do you not know anything?’: “So you, the current CEO of Qin Group, aren’t on the same side as the Qin family?” It seemed their family dynamics were quite messy. If she pulled any stunts in the future, could he just turn a blind eye?
Qin Yan mirrored her expression, thinking to himself, ‘Then you really rushed into this marriage recklessly. Aren’t you afraid of being devoured without a trace?’
Or was she still acting, trying to win his trust?
He had some understanding of her acting skills. She could make anything seem real. He had to stay cautious.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t know.”
After a pause, he continued, “But as long as you behave and cooperate when I need you, I can agree to a one-year limit. After a year, you can request a divorce anytime, and you won’t have to return the fifty million.”
A year was more than enough time for him to gain full control over the Qin family. By then, his decisions would become the Qin family’s decisions. No matter what conditions the Jiang family had negotiated with the Qin family in exchange for those fifty million, as long as he didn’t pursue it, no one else would dig deeper.
The only prerequisite was that Jiang Yu behaved herself and didn’t stand against him.
Otherwise, the Jiang family shouldn’t blame him for not showing any mercy.
As for those fifty million, it wasn’t his money anyway.
Though she still had many questions, Jiang Yu was quite satisfied with this one-year arrangement and agreed without hesitation. “Deal.”
She just needed to find an opportunity to go home and ask Old Jiang what other conditions he had agreed to with the Qin family. She didn’t want to end up bankrupting her family just because of a divorce.
The contract was revised once more, and each of them received a copy.
It was only when she signed it that he noticed the wedding ring she had worn during her hospital stay was no longer on her finger. All that remained was a faint mark on her fair, slender hand where the ring had once been.
Holding the contract, Jiang Yu smiled with a bit more sincerity. “Thank you, President Qin. If there’s anything I can help with in the future, just let me know. As long as it’s within my capabilities, I won’t refuse.”
Qin Yan didn’t know what came over him, but he blurted out, “I never heard you call me ‘President Qin’ so formally before.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he wished there was an “undo within two minutes” feature for spoken words.
“Huh?” Jiang Yu let out an awkward laugh. “We’re allies now, so there’s no need to call you ‘husband’ in private, right? But don’t worry, in public, I’ll still call you that. I’m a professional when it comes to acting. I’ll deliver the full package.”
“Good to know,” Qin Yan replied in an extremely stiff tone before grabbing his change of clothes and heading into the bathroom.
Jiang Yu crossed her arms and snorted at the bathroom door. What a weirdo. Who does he think he is?
The system, hearing her inner monologue, thought to itself: Indeed, not telling her that we’re actually a romance system and that all tasks are meant to advance their relationship was the right choice! Otherwise, she might just crash headfirst into a gold brick again.
Qin Yan took a quick shower and was out in less than twenty minutes. He wore a black silk loungewear set, buttoned up meticulously from top to bottom, making sure not to reveal an inch more than necessary.
The sofa in his room could be unfolded into a small bed. Usually, whenever Jiang Yu had no choice but to sleep in his room, she would sleep on the sofa bed. But when he looked up this time, he found the woman sprawled shamelessly across his bed.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he frowned.
Jiang Yu was engrossed in scrolling through “Today’s Gossip and Fun Facts” on her Xiao Tiancai app, not even looking up when she heard him. “Your mattress is comfortable. I wanted to try it out.”
Realizing her tone might not have been sincere enough, she finally sat up, blinked at him twice, and flashed her signature sweet, innocent smile. “I swear I have no ulterior motives! As for your body…”
She deliberately let her gaze wander over him a few times.
Even though the man had buttoned up his clothes, the loungewear was still loose-fitting, with the collar barely covering half of his collarbone. Fresh out of a hot shower, his skin was slightly flushed, giving off an air of sensuality that was rarely seen.
Jiang Yu’s smile twitched at the corner of her mouth, nearly breaking her composure. She lowered her eyes and feigned a cough to steady herself before insisting, “I’m not really interested in your body.”
Actually… she was a little interested in the body itself, just not the person attached to it. If such a fine physique belonged to anyone else, she’d be absolutely smitten.
Silently, she lamented being a healthy adult woman with a preference for men.
Qin Yan: “…” Do you really think I believe that?
She had pulled similar stunts before, even trying to seduce him in a camisole nightgown, all in an attempt to stay in his bed.
But every time, she ended up being banished to the sofa bed.
“You don’t believe me?” To make herself more convincing, Jiang Yu grabbed two pillows and placed them in the middle of the bed, splitting the two-meter-wide mattress in half. “Feel better now? If you’re still worried, I could go drag Mom and Sister out here right now, beat them to death, and then I could go sleep in my own room.”
Strangely enough, for a moment, Qin Yan actually thought her suggestion sounded reasonable.
He decided to humor her nonsense. After turning off the light and lying down on his side of the bed, he glanced at her once more. Not taking off his loungewear was his final act of defiance.
“Seems like President Qin really is afraid I’ll try something,” Jiang Yu lay flat on her side, closing her eyes to reassure him. “I promise I won’t move a muscle until morning. Just pretend I’m a corpse.”
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152