Ji Corporation Headquarters.
Two towering skyscrapers, a mother-and-son architectural pair, stood by the riverside in Haicheng, serving as the city’s landmark.
The car pulled up at the entrance, where the assistant personally greeted them. After opening the door for the CEO, he watched as the CEO circled to the rear seat to open the door for someone else.
He had assumed it was some VIP.
Instead, a strikingly young woman—no, more accurately, a girl—stepped out of the car.
The girl carried a backpack, looking every bit like a student.
Side by side, they walked toward the exclusive elevator reserved for Ji Corporation’s top executives, ascending directly to the top floor.
Secretary Jiang, having received advance notice, was already waiting by the elevator. He respectfully ushered Rong Yu into the chairman’s office and placed a stack of documents requiring review on the desk.
Only then did Ji Zhiyuan head downstairs to meet with visitors from Hai Corporation.
The moment he entered the conference room, Lan Rouxue arrived at Ji Corporation with Lan Yue in tow.
The secretarial team immediately gathered around, chattering excitedly.
"Secretary Lan, why didn’t you tell us you were leaving? We wanted to throw you a farewell party!"
"What do you know? CEO Ji must have asked her to stay home as a full-time wife. Soon she’ll be Mrs. Ji—how enviable!"
"Don’t forget to invite us old colleagues to the wedding…"
Lan Rouxue smiled modestly. "Nothing’s set in stone yet. Focus on your work—I’ll head in first."
She led Lan Yue into the CEO’s office.
A friendly female secretary brought in a cup of coffee and whispered, "Earlier, when CEO Ji arrived, he had a girl with him—couldn’t be older than twenty. They seemed… quite close."
Lan Rouxue’s smile stiffened.
The only girl Ji Zhiyuan would bring along had to be Rong Yu.
No wonder Rong Yu had pushed for her dismissal—she wanted to work at the company herself, to get closer to Zhiyuan…
She forced a laugh. "That girl is a relative of the Ji family. She’s about to graduate and is here for an internship. Keep it quiet, or CEO Ji might have words with you."
The secretary quickly covered her mouth.
Once she left, Lan Yue pouted unhappily. "That Aunt Rong is so annoying! Always hogging Daddy! I hate her! Even more than Duoduo!"
Back then, Duoduo had always clung to Daddy too.
Once, she’d secretly slipped a necklace into Duoduo’s bag, and Daddy had started disliking her.
Another time, she’d pretended Duoduo pushed her, and Daddy had scolded Duoduo harshly. After that, Duoduo never dared to approach him again.
She needed a plan to deal with Aunt Rong.
"Who does Xiao Yue hate?"
The door opened, and Ji Zhiyuan walked in.
"Daddy!" Lan Yue flung herself at him. "Today at kindergarten, I drew a picture! Teacher said I could give it to my favorite person. Daddy, it’s for you!"
Ji Zhiyuan took it. The drawing was simple—grass, flowers, white clouds, and a blue sky—but it delighted him. "So I’m Xiao Yue’s favorite?"
Lan Yue twirled. "That’s why I’m wearing the dress Daddy bought me!"
The one that cost 220,000 yuan.
It really was beautiful.
Ji Zhiyuan lifted her into his arms, but before he could speak, there was a knock.
Secretary Jiang entered. "CEO, the chairman requests your presence in his office."
Lan Rouxue bit her lip.
The old man was here too?
Had he come to personally back Rong Yu?
If the whole company found out Rong Yu was the Ji family’s chosen granddaughter-in-law, wouldn’t she become a laughingstock?
She nudged Lan Yue subtly.
"Daddy, do you have to work again?" Lan Yue’s eyes welled up, tears spilling instantly. "I wanted to have dinner with you, tell you about kindergarten… Daddy, please? Just one meal? Waaah…"
Her crying grew ragged, her breathing uneven.
Lan Rouxue gasped in alarm. "Zhiyuan, Xiao Yue’s asthma is acting up! You have to agree, or she’ll cry until it triggers an attack—please!"
Ji Zhiyuan held Lan Yue tighter, heart aching. "Daddy will have dinner with you. Don’t cry, sweetheart."
Lan Yue sniffled. "Now!"
Ji Zhiyuan glanced at Secretary Jiang. "Whatever it is, it can wait."
He carried Lan Yue out.
Lan Rouxue smirked in triumph.
So what if the old man backed Rong Yu? One word from Xiao Yue, and Zhiyuan would drop everything.
The three left via the elevator.
Secretary Jiang returned to the chairman’s office, awkward. "Secretary Lan’s daughter had an attack. The CEO had no choice but to leave with them…"
Rong Yu looked up. "Is Ji Corporation’s management this lax? A former employee can just waltz into executive areas?"
"It won’t happen again, Chairman!" Secretary Jiang straightened. "This matter will be resolved by tonight!"
He’d assumed Rong Yu was just a clueless girl.
But in the past twenty minutes, she’d repeatedly surprised him, dismantling his preconceptions.
"Two priorities," Rong Yu said briskly. "First, Ji Corporation’s firewall needs a complete overhaul by a new team. Second, there are discrepancies in Procurement’s accounts. Who handles employee festival welfare purchases? Get them here. Now."
Secretary Jiang called Procurement immediately.
"…Team Leader Lan oversees that, but he’s already left for the day. He’ll report tomorrow."
Secretary Jiang frowned. "It’s 5:45. There’s still fifteen minutes until off work."
“Well, Team Leader Lan is CEO Ji’s brother-in-law. Who dares call him out for being late or leaving early? If his sister whispers in the CEO’s ear, how are we supposed to keep our jobs…”
As a high-level executive serving the board, Secretary Jiang had been unaware of this connection.
He hung up, grave. "Chairman, I’ll handle this—"
Rong Yu shook her head.
And this was Ji Corporation’s finest successor?
She tapped the account books. "These are evidence. Call the police."
Secretary Jiang hesitated. "But CEO Ji—"
"I gave him a chance," Rong Yu said coolly. "He chose not to take it."
She’d intended to resolve this privately.
But if he wanted to test her patience, fine—let the authorities handle it.
Meanwhile.
Ji Zhiyuan took Lan Rouxue and Lan Yue to Haicheng’s most luxurious riverside Western restaurant.
Their usual spot.
The manager personally escorted them to a private dining room. As their meals arrived, night fell, and the riverbank’s lights flickered on—a luxurious indulgence in Haicheng’s prime real estate.
Over an hour later, the meal concluded.
Ji Zhiyuan instinctively reached for his wallet, then remembered—his cards had been confiscated.
He opened his mobile payment app instead, scanning the QR code.
The manager’s device beeped.
"Sorry—insufficient balance!"
