He kept feeling as though this woman was making some veiled dig at him, but he had no proof.
Did she know what I'd done? Impossible. Absolutely impossible. I've always been careful.
Keeping it from Ji Xiangyi for ten years would be no problem.
Ji Xiangyi hadn't noticed anything, so how could this woman know about those things?
Ji Xiangyi frowned at Fang Ning. She didn't particularly like other people asking about her and Zhao Cheng.
She was just about to interrupt Fang Ning when an agitated voice suddenly exploded inside her head.
[This cheating bastard sure can act! Just last night, he had one on his right and another on his right.]
[How am I supposed to tell Ji Xiangyi? This man had one on his left and another on his right just yesterday!]
[Sigh, Ji Xiangyi is actually pretty pitiful. No dad around, no mom around, a poor little thing nobody cares about, and now a cheating bastard is deceiving her too.]
[Aaaaah, how can I keep this beauty from getting hurt?!]
[I'll draw a little circle and curse that cheating bastard to drop dead already!]
Ji Xiangyi felt her head buzz. Everything that had seemed off during her phone calls with Zhao Cheng yesterday surfaced in her mind.
The calls that kept failing to connect.
The faint sounds of women's voices over the phone.
Ji Xiangyi didn't even know how she had raised her hand.
By the time she came to her senses...
The sharp crack of a slap rang out without warning in everyone's ears.
Fang Ning had just finished peeling a shrimp with her head down. When she looked up, this was what she saw.
Ji Xiangyi stood looking down at the cheating bastard, while he clutched his face, looking utterly aggrieved! There was no hiding the red handprint on his face.
Huh? What happened? Female lead, why did you start hitting him?!
Still!
[Beauty! Great slap, wonderful slap, you slapped that cheating bastard until he squealed! You're fucking awesome, beauty!]
Ji Xiangyi ignored the voice ringing in her head and pointed outside the villa. "Zhao Cheng, can you get out now?"
Stunned by the sudden slap, Zhao Cheng held the reddened half of his face. "Wait, Xiao Yi, what's going on? Did I do something wrong? I can explain..."
Ji Xiangyi's tone was steady, and she didn't even lift her eyelids. "If you don't leave now, I'll call someone right now and have the investment in the Zhao Family withdrawn."
Although Zhao Cheng had no idea what was happening, the thought of his family's business left him no choice but to do as Ji Xiangyi wanted. He even feigned tenderness. "Xiangyi, I'll come see you tomorrow. If something has upset you, tell me, and I'll explain, all right?"
With that, Zhao Cheng got up and left.
Ji Xiangyi calmly sat back down and picked up her chopsticks to continue eating. Her movements were steady, her expression composed and serene, as though what had just happened had nothing to do with her.
This sudden turn of events left Fang Ning staring in astonishment.
[A man who doesn't respect himself is rotten cabbage waiting to happen. The sooner you dump him, the sooner you're safe!]
[So Ji Xiangyi already knew the cheating bastard had a man on the side?! Beautiful Xiangyi, you're fucking awesome.]
Hearing this, Ji Xiangyi wore a very complicated expression.
She had always valued her relationship with Zhao Cheng. Unlike her cold family members, Zhao Cheng would coax her and comfort her when she was tired.
She had never imagined he was such a disgusting man.
It didn't matter. Once a man was dirty, she could just throw him away. She was already used to this lonely, dull life without emotional warmth.
So it didn't matter if she returned to that life. She just had to get used to it.
But Ji Xiangyi glanced at Fang Ning and frowned. How did she know about Zhao Cheng?
Fang Ning noticed that Ji Xiangyi seemed a little sad.
Fang Ning had always cared about beautiful women, especially exceptionally beautiful ones. After a moment's thought, she put down her chopsticks and offered some comfort.
"Xiangyi, are you okay? Did Mr. Zhao do something to betray you?"
"A three-legged □□ might be hard to find, but surely a two-legged man isn't. You're so beautiful, like a heavenly fairy, and you're so rich too. What kind of man couldn't you find?"
Although she didn't know Ji Xiangyi well, as someone who adored good looks, she would feel sad if a beauty cried!
Listening to Fang Ning chatter away with praise for her, Ji Xiangyi couldn't stop a blush from spreading across her face.
She admitted she was beautiful, but wasn't Fang Ning exaggerating? And had she trained that mouth of hers? She loved handing out compliments so much.
"I'm not sad, and I'm not hurt. Don't overthink it." Holding her rice bowl, Ji Xiangyi lifted her eyelids slightly and glanced at Fang Ning.
Under the lights, the coldness on Ji Xiangyi's face faded without her realizing it.
Chapter 7
That night, Ji Xiangyi didn't return to her private residence. Instead, she stayed at the Ji Family Villa.
Over the years, Ji Xiangnian had always managed the Ji Family's business.
But after Ji Xiangyi graduated a year ago, Ji Xiangnian had handed part of the Ji Family's business over to her. After more than a year, Ji Xiangyi had firmly established herself as the Ji Family's second-in-command.
This also meant that Ji Xiangyi had to work late every day.
Ji Xiangyi was sitting in her study and had just finished dealing with some business matters when the phone on her desk rang.
Ji Xiangyi lowered her eyes. It was a call from her close assistant. She stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and answered while gazing through the glass at the pitch-black outskirts.
"Hello."
"Hello, President Ji, it's me. I've looked into what you asked me to investigate. Your boyfriend, Zhao Cheng, has indeed been very close to two women lately. A little after six this morning, two women came out of Zhao Cheng's home."
That statement contained a great deal of information. For instance, Zhao Cheng really wasn't clean. He had cheated.
Ji Xiangyi pondered expressionlessly for a moment, then spoke in a steady tone. "Mm. What about the other matter I asked you to investigate?"
Her voice was very calm-so calm it was frightening.
"So far, I haven't found anything amiss with the Fang Family's eldest daughter."