His words were full of genuine emotion.
More genuine than what his mother, Ji Mu, had said.
Ji Mu’s head ached from listening.
She had toiled hard for more than half her life and truly couldn't bear to die. Her greatest wish was to see Xiu’er firmly in control of the Ji Corporation.
This was the greatest security for their mother and sons.
In this life, only these things were reliable. She had finally understood.
But she still couldn't swallow her anger.
This mother and son pair had been her lingering concern for many years. If she hadn't encountered them, it would have been fine. But now that she had, how could she endure it?
Seeing that Ji Mu remained silent, Ji Zhixiu added more fuel to the fire, "Don't you think so, Mom?"
"Think what nonsense!" Ji Mu couldn't hold back any longer. "Don't use those words to pressure me."
She let out a breath. After much thought, she took a step back. "We don't have to divorce, but Jiang Mian must terminate her contract with this agency. In short, I want our family to have nothing to do with that mother and son. This is my only request."
She declared with conviction, her heart set on making Jiang Mian leave Fanhua.
Jiang Mian didn't rush to speak. Who exactly was Ye Yi was something she could discuss later.
However, she had known Ye Yi for so long, and he had helped her with many things, even saved her life.
He had never harbored ill intentions towards her, and she was willing to trust him.
Moreover, after spending so many years at Fanhua, if she suddenly terminated her contract, how could she face Sister Ning, who had accompanied her for so many years?
She would not agree to this unreasonable demand.
She turned her head to look at Ji Zhixiu. Ji Zhixiu met her gaze without speaking, merely tightening his grip on her hand.
This meant he would handle it.
Jiang Mian understood his meaning and remained silent.
"Terminating the contract requires compensation," Ji Zhixiu said calmly.
"Don't be ridiculous. You can't afford that little money?" Ji Mu glared at him.
"And you're willing to compensate the son of that woman?" Ji Zhixiu raised an eyebrow, hitting the nail on the head.
Ji Mu paused. Of course, she wasn't willing!
"How about this, Mom, don't interfere in this matter. Let me resolve it myself, so you won't be unhappy seeing it, okay?"
Grandpa Ji intervened, "Xiu'er is old enough now. He can handle these matters himself."
Ji Mu couldn't outright refuse Grandpa Ji's words. Of course, she also trusted her son's ability to handle things.
In the end, she could only grit her teeth and concede, "Then I'll wait and see."
Ji Zhixiu nodded slightly, held Jiang Mian's hand, and stood up. "Then we'll be going back. As for Mom and Dad, if you really can't go on, then get a divorce. Anyway, Zhi Lan and I are already grown up and don't need you to worry about us. Why argue and make yourselves unhappy?"
Ji Fu looked up at him in disbelief. "How can you advise your mother to divorce me?"
He admitted that he had been a scoundrel in his younger days and had considered it. But that was just a thought!
Moreover, after so many years, their children were so grown up! Getting divorced at his age, where would he put his old face?
A mocking curve appeared on Ji Zhixiu's lips. "I respect all of Mom's wishes."
Ji Mu's heart wavered a few times, but she still said firmly, "Forget it, you two go back."
She didn't want to say too much in front of the children. Anyway, they had been making do for so many years, so it would be like this.
Divorcing would also be embarrassing.
"Since Mom doesn't want a divorce, then stop arguing. Getting angry is bad for your health," he said with mild comfort.
"Alright, you can leave now."
"Grandpa, Mianmian and I will go back first. We'll visit you again next time."
"Go ahead, go ahead. Be careful on the road."
"Goodbye, Grandpa."
As they walked out the door, Jiang Mian whispered, "You said that deliberately, didn't you."
He knew Ji Mu would never agree to a divorce, which was why he brought up the topic.
Since they weren't divorcing, why argue? Besides, Grandpa was there.
He probably feared that they would continue arguing after he left, and it would upset Grandpa.
Ji Zhixiu looked down at her. "You know me best, Mianmian."
Jiang Mian pursed her lips. "Why don't you ask me about Ye Yi?"
"We'll talk when we get home."
When the two of them arrived home, Xiao Yugan was curled up on the sofa.
Hearing the movement, it lazily lifted its body, glanced at them, and then reclined like a concubine.
Jiang Mian opened the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of fresh orange juice, sitting behind the counter.
Ji Zhixiu took off his coat and draped it on the sofa, then strolled over.
He tapped the bar twice with his fingers. "What about mine?"
"You don't drink orange juice."
"If you pour it, I'll drink it."
Jiang Mian took another crystal glass, poured fresh orange juice, and handed it over.
Ji Zhixiu said calmly, "Are you unhappy?"
Jiang Mian took a sip of her orange juice. "Ye Yi and I are friends."
She didn't want to hide her relationship with Ye Yi from Ji Zhixiu. Nor did she want Ji Zhixiu to misunderstand them.
Ji Zhixiu didn't pay much attention to this, but instead asked, "Mom must have come to you, asking you to divorce me."
If his mother had known that Ye Yi was his half-brother, she definitely wouldn't have tolerated Jiang Mian, who was involved with Ye Yi, in their home.
Jiang Mian hummed in agreement. "Yes, Mom came to me the day I returned from my business trip."
"Why didn't you tell me?" His thumb rubbed the rim of the glass, his voice tinged with displeasure.
"I didn't agree to Mom either," Jiang Mian looked up, her peach blossom eyes full of this man. "If Mom brings it up again, I'll tell you. If she doesn't, and I don't want to say it, it's to avoid making you unhappy."
She wasn't stupid; if she didn't agree, could Ji Mu force her to sign the divorce agreement?
If Ji Mu had brought it up in front of Ji Zhixiu, she would have been even less worried. After all, he was there.
Jiang Mian took a sip of orange juice to moisten her throat. "I didn't intend to hide it from you."
Ji Zhixiu understood her meaning.
He sighed and reached out to pinch the young girl's soft face. "Next time something like this happens, remember to tell me first, okay?"
Jiang Mian nodded seriously. "Okay. Is there anything you want to ask me?"
"Yes, I know the CEO of Fanhua was originally the young master of the Ye family in the capital. Young Master Ye has always been unrestrained and fond of pleasure. He started this company on a whim, and then quickly lost interest. Why is Ye Yi the CEO now?"
Jiang Mian blinked a few times. "You know more than I do. I've been at Fanhua for so long, and I didn't even know the CEO was that Young Master Ye. But I'm not clear either. I only know that Sister Ning once notified me about a meeting, and then Ye Yi arrived."
"So how did you two meet?"
"Do you remember the birthday party at Shen Tingyu's house that you took me to? I met him for the first time in her backyard." Jiang Mian said truthfully.
"Her backyard?" Ji Zhixiu pondered, his brow slightly raised. It seemed his "brother" had returned quite early.
And had already infiltrated the circle of people close to him.
"Do you think he could have done this?" Jiang Mian asked.
Ji Zhixiu picked up his orange juice and took a sip. "You trust him a lot?"
Jiang Mian pouted. "Am I asking you, or are you asking me?"
Ji Zhixiu didn't answer. "Mianmian, I know you won't leave Fanhua. But I hope you keep your distance from Ye Yi."
Jiang Mian knew Ji Zhixiu's request was not unreasonable, from his perspective.
No one would like the child of a woman who had hurt their family.
But Ye Yi had never wronged her, and being an illegitimate child wasn't his fault.
Seeing that she remained silent, Ji Zhixiu knew she was having a difficult time.
The moment he put down his cup, Jiang Mian grabbed his hand.
She slid off the bar stool and looked up. "If it matters to you, I'll agree."
She didn't want Ji Zhixiu to be unhappy.
Ji Zhixiu stopped, a flicker of emotion in his heart. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling them close.
Immediately after, a passionate breath fell upon her.
The kiss was fierce, even somewhat savage.
After Jiang Mian reacted, she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.
Their breaths intertwined, the scent from each other filling their noses.
Jiang Mian's body soon weakened, but thankfully, the man held her soft waist tightly.
As their lips met, Jiang Mian heard the man faintly murmur, "Good girl."
...
Luo Corporation office.
Luo Fei leaned back in his office chair, crossing his legs, and twirling a pen in one hand. "This matter was handled well."
The assistant bowed respectfully. "It's fortunate that you, Mr. President, were wary of Ye Yi, otherwise we wouldn't have found this out either."
Luo Fei let out a laugh. "I didn't expect Ye Yi to have this kind of relationship with Ji Zhixiu. No wonder he helped me out at the charity auction." He spoke the last part with a hint of gritted teeth.
He was now certain that the mysterious person wearing a mask was Ye Yi.
Otherwise, why wear a mask? Wasn't it to avoid being recognized!
"After all, they are brothers. I think they might even be close. Perhaps Ji Zhixiu instructed him to help you bid." the assistant said.
"You're right." The thought of him spending a large sum of money to buy that painting, and Ji Zhixiu not giving him any face at all, ignited Luo Fei's anger.
He was so angry that he burned the painting when he returned.
"However, even if the brothers are close, this matter is enough to drive a wedge between them. Haven't you seen what people are saying online?"
"I have, I have! They all say Ye Yi returned with a purpose, and that purpose is to get revenge on the Ji family and reclaim everything that belongs to him." the assistant said hurriedly.
Luo Fei couldn't help but smile, his expression smug. "Yes, I don't believe Ji Zhixiu wouldn't care about these things. However, if Ye Yi really does this, I might even admire him. Why should we illegitimate children have no rights? I say, what's ours should be taken back!"
As he reached the end of his sentence, his voice suddenly intensified. His expression changed, clearly recalling his own situation.
The assistant nodded. "Mr. President is right. In terms of ability, you are not inferior to anyone, even far superior to the eldest young master. Unfortunately, the old man only sees the eldest young master."
Luo Fei glanced at him. "You speak too freely."
The assistant immediately lowered his head.
"However, it is the truth." he said with a smile.
The assistant breathed a sigh of relief. "That's natural. I'm just stating the facts. But how should we handle this now? With Ji Zhixiu's return, the heat of this matter has obviously died down. Ji Corporation's stock has also recovered, showing the immense influence of Ji Zhixiu."
Luo Fei took a sip of tea. "We don't need to do anything. We've already done what we needed to do."
As he finished speaking, the phone on the table rang.
Luo Fei narrowed his eyes, looked at the words "Southern Entertainment" on the phone screen, and then answered.
"What? Didn't we already give you the money? Do you want more?" he said unhappily.
"Mr. Luo, haven't you checked Weibo? Ji Corporation's legal department has issued a lawyer's letter, threatening to sue more than a dozen marketing accounts, led by us, for infringement of their reputation rights. I won't say more, but that's Ji Corporation's legal department! They've never lost a case. If we lose the lawsuit, we'll definitely have to pay compensation. You can't expect me to pay for this, can you?"
On the other end of the line, a middle-aged man said.
Luo Fei chuckled sarcastically, not taking the matter to heart. "You botched your job and got sued, and now you want me to give you money?"
"Mr. Luo, don't forget, who were we doing this for? You can't just turn your back on us." He was clearly anxious now, his tone much heavier.
Luo Fei scoffed. "I gave you a lot of money. Just use it to cover yourself."
"What can that little bit of money do? If it's covered, wouldn't it mean this job was for nothing? Mr. Luo, you can't be like this." The man gritted his teeth, indignant.
For Luo Fei's matter, their studio had worked tirelessly.
They found information, wrote articles, incited public opinion with various water armies.
But they never expected Ji Corporation to get serious!
Luo Fei said indifferently, "Alright, I know. I'll keep an eye on this. You do what you need to do."
"With your assurance, Mr. Luo, I'm relieved. I won't disturb you any longer."
Getting the answer he wanted, the other side hung up.
The assistant overheard snippets of the conversation. He said cautiously, "Is Mr. Luo really going to give him money?"
"Give him money, my foot! I wish Ji Zhixiu would get rid of this guy for me, preferably send him to jail." Luo Fei snorted coldly.
What a waste, couldn't even handle a simple task!
He stroked his chin. "Never mind him for now. How are the arrangements for the film crew?"
He believed that with his efforts, this Xianxia drama would definitely become a hit!
Crushing Fanhua from start to finish!
And Jingzhou.
He chose Jingzhou not just to oppose Fanhua.
Jingzhou, known for its traffic idol's consistently criticized acting skills, would, with his personal guidance to the director, surely surprise the audience then!
This would make it even more interesting to watch.