Chapter 9
Page 1/3
Zheng Tingyan and Xu Ying had originally planned to go out for drinks with Shu Shiran in the evening, but Shu Shiran had to visit Lu Bei that night.
Her grandmother still didn’t know that she had broken up with Yan Yi.
She wasn’t sure how the news would reach her grandmother through others and what distortions might arise, so it was better if she told her herself to avoid unnecessary worry.
The rain hadn’t stopped, and the traffic was heavy on the way home from work. Shu Shiran didn’t arrive in Lu Bei until after seven.
When she arrived, the elderly lady was playing mahjong with some neighbors.
All the players were local grandmothers who knew Shu Shiran.
“Ranran is back?”
“Ranran is the best, always coming back. Our family hasn’t had anyone return for ages.”
“Didn’t Xiao Yan come back with you?”
The automatic mahjong machine had just dealt the tiles, and as they drew their tiles, the grandmothers greeted her.
With so many around, Shu Shiran didn’t directly mention her breakup with Yan Yi but answered vaguely.
One of the elder ladies from the Shu family asked, “Has Nan Nan eaten yet?”
Shu Shiran replied, “Not yet.”
“Let Hui Ping make you something,” the grandmother said, playing an East Wind tile.
There was no time to pay her much attention.
Shu Shiran: “...”
Later, after eating, she came back to find them still playing.
“Take your medicine, Grandma.” She held out the pills the elderly lady was supposed to take.
The grandmother agreed while pressing the dice button, saying, “One more round.”
Shu Shiran said, “Aunt Hui said you all started playing since after two in the afternoon, only stopping briefly for dinner.”
The grandmother half-heartedly negotiated, “Last round.”
Shu Shiran said nothing, just stood beside her watching with the medicine in hand.
The grandmother felt uneasy under her gaze and resignedly said, “I’ll take it, you take it for me.”
Shu Shiran smiled faintly and helped her up. “Careful.”
After the grandmother got up, Shu Shiran sat down and took her place.
After taking her medicine, the grandmother stood behind her, shaking her head frequently.
Then Shu Shiran played a five bamboo tile.
The grandmother frowned, wanting to stop her but it was too late.
“Ranran, you play mahjong well.”
“I like Ranran so much; she should come back to play mahjong more often.”
Both families declared a win.
A double win on one shot.
“...”
At first, Shu Shiran thought they were genuinely praising her.
The grandmother said, “Nan Nan, how could you play such a risky tile at a time like this? You still left that nine-dot tile at home.”
Shu Shiran felt a pang of guilt.
She didn’t know which discarded tile would be safer; she only knew how to win.
“Looks like Ranran didn’t inherit your true skills,” one grandmother who won laughed.
The Shu grandmother said, “Not at all.”
“We’ll have to teach her properly next time.”
“Absolutely.”
Shu Shiran: “...”
After settling the money, everyone dispersed.
Since they all lived nearby, going home was convenient.
Shu Shiran sat down with her grandmother.
During dinner, she asked Aunt Hui about her grandmother’s health; she had felt unwell the night before yesterday but seemed fine today.
“Do you have something to tell me?” the grandmother asked.
Seeing the doubt in her eyes, she continued, “You just came back last Saturday, and today you came all the way back in the rain—there must be something.”
Shu Shiran held her grandmother’s arm quietly for a few seconds before deciding to speak plainly.
“I’ve broken up with Yan Yi. I came to tell you.”
Page 2/3
The grandmother was surprised, looking down at her. “Why?”
Shu Shiran: “He got back together with his ex.”
The grandmother visibly gasped twice.
Shu Shiran: “Grandma, please don’t get upset.”
The grandmother waved her hand.
At that moment, Shu Shiran’s phone rang.
The caller ID showed it was Yan Yi’s mother.
The grandmother urged her to answer.
Shu Shiran let go of her grandmother’s arm and answered.
“Ranran?”
“Auntie.”
There was a two-second silence on the other end.
“Ranran, I just heard about Yan Yi. I didn’t expect him to do this. I’ll make him explain to you and apologize.”
“No need, Auntie. He and I have already said everything that needed to be said.”
Yan Yi’s mother sighed.
She knew that even if her son wanted to come back, Shu Shiran would never accept him again.
“Ranran, I really want to apologize to you.”
“Auntie, this isn’t your fault.”
Shu Shiran’s mother and Yan Yi’s mother had been friends before her mother passed, which was how Shu Shiran met Yan Yi.
Even when they weren’t together, Yan Yi’s mother treated her well, but now they would inevitably grow apart.
After a few more words, the call ended.
As soon as Shu Shiran put down the phone, her grandmother pulled her into a hug.
“Breaking up is breaking up.”
Leaning against her grandmother, Shu Shiran felt a warmth soften her heart, and tears nearly fell.
Not for Yan Yi’s sake, but because she suddenly felt a bit wronged.
“When did this happen?” the grandmother asked.
Shu Shiran composed herself and replied, “Just yesterday.”
The grandmother scoffed lightly, “He’s not such a great guy anyway. There are people lined up from Lu Bei to the riverbank wanting to chase my big granddaughter. Our Shu family’s princess deserves better.”
Shu Shiran smiled.
The grandmother pinched her ear. “Don’t laugh, I’m serious. Just now playing mahjong, two of them asked me before—one wants to introduce their grandson, another their grandson as well. Aren’t they better than Yan Yi?”
Shu Shiran, afraid her grandmother’s mood would affect her health, joked, “Looks like mahjong isn’t just a game; it’s social networking.”
Grandmother: “Of course. Next time, Grandma will pick someone for you—someone with a simple love history, good character, and not too busy to take care of you.”
Shu Shiran thought of Ji Xi.
None of those traits seemed to fit.
**
Early the next morning, Shu Shiran received a call from her uncle, Xue Sheng.
“Ranran, is that Mr. Ji Xi your friend?”
Hearing Ji Xi’s name from her uncle reminded Shu Shiran that she forgot to ask Ji Xi to keep their dealings secret.
But she thought he probably wouldn’t say anything.
“Yeah, did he reach out to you?”
Xue Sheng: “I met with him last night.”
Hearing the tone in her uncle’s voice, Shu Shiran asked, “Did the talks go badly?”
Xue Sheng: “No.”
On the contrary, they went too smoothly.
Recently, Xue Sheng had been in contact with many companies and investors, domestic and international, to fend off a hostile takeover.
Most talks failed because the other parties’ appetites were too big and their intentions too obvious, likely to invite wolves into the fold.
Last night, his meeting with Ji Xi lasted almost two hours. The preliminary agreement made it seem like Ji Xi was just doing a pure favor.
This left him confused and worried.
Xue Sheng knew capital was greedy; there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Something felt off—there might be a bigger trap.
Page 3/3
Hearing Xue Sheng’s concerns, Shu Shiran was at a loss for words.
Ji Xi wasn’t entirely selfless.
Actually, she was a bit surprised herself; she hadn’t expected Ji Xi’s “help” to be completely genuine.
Based on rumors about his style and how he capitalized on others’ troubles, she thought he would maximize his gains from Wan Ling.
“He... seems trustworthy.”
Xue Sheng: “How do you know him?”
“We were high school classmates,” Shu Shiran said. “But it’s good to be cautious, Uncle. You should stay vigilant.”
After hanging up, Shu Shiran opened her WeChat chat with Ji Xi.
Not knowing how to start, she recalled the suit jacket she had taken back with her.
-Shu Shiran: Your suit is still with me. Want it back before you go to America?
After sending the message, she thought Ji Xi had no reason to interfere with Wan Ling’s affairs.
If his ultimate goal was Wan Ling, going through her was too roundabout, and even if he swallowed the whole company, the benefits wouldn’t outweigh marrying her.
She almost retracted the message but decided against it since it was harmless.
Ji Xi didn’t reply, and Shu Shiran soon forgot about it.
The next morning, she woke to a message sent at three a.m.
-Ji Xi: I just arrived in New York.
-Ji Xi: Will come back to get it from you.
**
The continuous rain in Southern City lasted four days and finally stopped on Sunday night.
After the rain, the temperature noticeably dropped.
Later, Shu Shiran heard from her uncle about Wan Ling’s progress and learned that things were going well, so she didn’t pay it much mind.
She couldn’t help much anyway.
And she was very busy herself.
Besides her current projects, she had competitions to prepare for.
Dai Jiao was frequently on business trips, only spending half or full days in the office.
They often discussed work late at night.
One night, Shu Shiran saw a news notification about Wan Ling on an app.
Probably because she had searched for Wan Ling news before, the big data remembered her.
Recently, Zheng Tingyan had asked her about Wan Ling.
She said it was basically resolved, so Zheng Tingyan didn’t probe further, probably thinking she didn’t know the details.
The article detailed the hostile takeover attempt and how Wan Ling Group resisted it by finding a financially strong mysterious ally, possibly connected to a company registered in the Cayman Islands.
Since Ji Xi went to America, Shu Shiran hadn’t contacted him.
Sometimes she even forgot that she had agreed to marry someone she barely knew and felt disoriented when she did remember.
She heard Ji Xi’s news again in a small group chat with Zheng Tingyan and Xu Ying.
-Zheng Tingyan: Have you heard?
-Zheng Tingyan: Ji Xi is amazing.
-Xu Ying: What happened?
Shu Shiran was reviewing images when she saw the messages. She planned to just glance at them and chat later but froze upon seeing “Ji Xi.”
-Zheng Tingyan: He’s making the Wen Guang Art Museum change its name.
-Xu Ying: The one the Ji family donated to renovate?
-Zheng Tingyan: That’s the one.
The Wen Guang Art Museum used to be an old Republican-era building in a prime location.
Ji Xi’s father, Ji Wenguang, was a painter who had funded its restoration, preserving its Republican style and naming it after himself.
The museum is now one of Southern City’s trendy spots, attracting many daily visitors.
-Xu Ying: Did Ji Wenguang agree?
-Zheng Tingyan: Apparently, Ji Xi threw a lot of money at the museum.
-Zheng Tingyan: And pressured the Ji family company.
Meaning his aggressive, forceful attitude left Ji Wenguang no choice but to consent.
-Xu Ying: He must be intentionally embarrassing his dad.