Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Xia Yinxi had never been good at reading between the lines, so he just sighed in admiration: "The old man's got such good connections."

Ji Yunzhuo smiled at him. "Hungry? I'll have breakfast sent up."

"Yeah, send it up."

Breakfast wasn't the fancy fussy spread he was dreading—just shaomai, soup dumplings, soy milk, tofu pudding, and a plain vegetable salad. Right up his alley.

As he ate, messages kept popping up in the group chat. The latest was from Song Baichuan: *Where's Grandpa Ji holding court now?*

Xia Yinxi: "?"

Since when's Donghai so sarcastic?

He scrolled up and saw Li Yili posted pics of breakfast—a whole table loaded with pastries and dishes, all served in ornate porcelain. Anyone would think it was a TV drama set.

Li Yili complained it was way too rich for first thing in the morning, and he was just picking out mushrooms from the braised chicken. How does the old man not get sick of all that grease at his age?

Xia Yinxi couldn't help but laugh. No wonder Song Baichuan had said that.

So Ji Yunzhuo had their breakfast set up separately. That guy, seriously...

A mention popped up: Li Yili asked why he hadn't come to eat. Xia Yinxi snapped a photo of his own breakfast with a smile: *Having a little private meal with your brother.*

Li Yili spammed him with crying emojis: *I want some tofu pudding too!!!*

Xiao Xiliu ya Xiao Xiliu: I'm skipping lunch too.

LiLiLi: Can I crash with you guys? I swear I'll just eat and shut up. /crying while covering mouth.jpg

"Xia Yinxi." Ji Yunzhuo pushed the chili oil and vinegar toward him. "Don't be on your phone while you eat."

Xia Yinxi swallowed his soup dumpling. "What's for lunch? Lili says he wants to crash."

Ji Yunzhuo was ruthless. "He's not getting any."

Xiao Xiliu ya Xiao Xiliu: Your brother says you're out of luck.

LiLiLi: /crying in the wind.jpg

"What do you want to eat? I'll have it made."

"Whatever's easy. It's crazy windy out." Xia Yinxi didn't want to put anyone out. "My parents already took off."

Meng Shuxue called him yesterday, saying they'd use the birthday banquet to meet Ji Yunzhuo's family as in-laws.

It was really weird that the two families' elders had never met since the wedding. Ji Yunzhuo had brushed them off before, saying Grandpa was still recovering, but now that the Ji family was throwing this big public birthday bash, Xia Yinxi was out of excuses.

Now he just sulked on the couch and blamed Ji Yunzhuo.

Ji Yunzhuo was handling work, multitasking as he replied, "It's just a meet-and-greet. What's there to be scared of?"

Xia Yinxi couldn't tell him he wasn't the real son. With all these guests today, if word got out about their marriage, it'd be a disaster when the real heir shows up. So he just said, "It'd make divorce a pain."

Ji Yunzhuo: "..."

His fingers stopped on the keyboard, slowing down.

When he came to propose, Xia Yinxi agreed out of nowhere, playing along perfectly to fool his own parents. Ji Yunzhuo knew Xia Yinxi had his own reasons for marrying him, but he figured it was just family pressure to settle down. Now he saw it was way more than that.

Meng Shuxue and Xia Yucheng spoiled Xia Yinxi rotten. Whether he got married or not, and who to, was totally up to him. And since Xia Yinxi was an only child, there was no inheritance fight he'd need Ji Yunzhuo's help with.

Twenty years ago, the Xia-Meng merger shook the business world. Two such powerful families already joined forces didn't need the Ji family to lock things down.

Xia Yinxi couldn't be strapped for cash either.

After ruling out everything, only one option was left...

Ji Yunzhuo glanced at Xia Yinxi again. The guy on the couch had apparently gotten bored lying down and was now kneeling, chin on the backrest, holding his phone with both hands as he scrolled. His round, full head of hair was turned to Ji Yunzhuo, looking totally harmless.

The oversized T-shirt barely covered his butt—unfortunately, he had pants on.

The pale skin at his collar was totally exposed, the scratch marks he'd made himself already fading to faint red lines.

Ji Yunzhuo looked away, his earlier guess wavering.

Some people had brought up divorce three times in two days. That doesn't exactly scream "I like you." :）

The Ji family head, who could read opponents' minds at the negotiation table and figure out their plans from one corporate move, was now totally stumped trying to figure out what was going on in Xia Yinxi's head.

The wind outside slowly died down, but the weather didn't get better. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, brewing a huge storm.

It was colder up in the mountains. Xia Yinxi rubbed his arms and went inside to grab a coat. He was surprised to find a flight jacket in Ji Yunzhuo's wardrobe—he'd thought the man only owned suits.

"Are you still wearing this?" Xia Yinxi poked his head out, practically hinting. "It's pretty nice."

Ji Yunzhuo glanced up. The dark jacket toned down Xia Yinxi's delicate aura a bit, but his exquisitely defined features still created a striking contrast with the garment. Standing there, he had a contradictory charm—both handsome and beautiful, especially attractive.

A smile crept into Ji Yunzhuo's eyes. "It's yours."

Xia Yinxi patted the jacket, satisfied, and offered a polite, "You're too kind."

Around three in the afternoon, guests began arriving in droves. Ji Yunzhuo changed clothes, ready to head to the reception hall. Xia Yinxi, still groggy from his nap, hugged his pillow and mumbled about whether he could skip it.

"You can, but—"

His words were cut off by a ringing phone. Xia Yinxi squinted at the caller ID, then shot upright, most of his drowsiness gone. "Mom?"

"Sweetie, we're here. Why don't I see you and Xiao Zhuo?"

"I-I-I... Ah Zhuo came back to change, and I'm keeping him company." Xia Yinxi scrambled to get dressed, shamelessly shifting the blame. "We'll be right there!"

Hanging up, he met Ji Yunzhuo's teasing gaze. He paused, guiltily looking away. "I need to change. You should step out."

Ji Yunzhuo let out a barely perceptible sigh. "Fine."

Xia Yinxi: "?"

What was with that regretful tone?

The walk from the bedroom to the reception hall took over ten minutes. Servants carrying tea and snacks passed them in a steady stream. Xia Yinxi found it odd—the banquet was still hours away, and the venue wasn't even fully set up yet. Was it some unspoken rule for guests to arrive this early?

With that thought, he unconsciously quickened his pace. He couldn't let his parents think he was clueless. TvT

"Xiao Xi." Xia Yucheng was waiting at the entrance, chatting with someone. Spotting his son approaching, he smiled and waved.

Xia Yinxi walked closer, glanced at the unfamiliar middle-aged men beside his father, and blurted out before his brain could catch up: "CEO Xia."

Xia Yucheng: “?”

Meng Shuxue beside him let out a quiet laugh.

Xia Yucheng nearly choked on his breath. Not this again, not this again—when is this brat ever gonna drop this act?!

Xia Yinxi had never liked dealing with strangers, even as a kid. After Xia Yucheng dragged him to a few business banquets and he witnessed the hypocritical social niceties, he became even more reluctant to step foot in places like that.

Once, Xia Yucheng was out discussing a deal when he ran into his son hanging with friends. Before he could introduce him to the business partner, the little punk struck first: “Mr. Xia, what a coincidence. My dad asked me to send his regards. I’ll be off now, Mr. Xia, goodbye.”

Xia Yucheng was speechless. He couldn't exactly tell people this was his son—how would that look to other people? At best, they'd say his son had a few screws loose; at worst, someone might start rumors that the kid had a new dad!

But right then, Xia Yinxi wasn't thinking much at all. The “Mr. Xia” just slipped out, like muscle memory, though it conveniently fit his plan to hide his identity and make way for the true heir’s return.

Meng Shuxue was happy to play along with her son's little games. She didn't force him to take over the family business—the family money was enough to last them a lifetime. As long as Xia Yinxi was safe and happy, that's all that mattered.

“Is this Mr. Ji's other half?” Meng Shuxue said with a smile, patting Xia Yinxi. “He's so handsome.”

Xia Yinxi was wearing an orange mandarin-collar jacket today, similar in style to yesterday’s. Since it was a birthday party, he'd picked a bright color, but looking around, all the guests were in black, white, and gray, with only the women adding some color.

Even Ji Yunzhuo, the actual grandson, was in a pure black custom suit—how clueless!

Xia Yinxi: “You look beautiful too.”

Mother and son, with faces that were a solid seventy percent match, pretended not to know each other. Xia Yucheng was so pissed he laughed. Before he could protest, Ji Yunzhuo spoke first: “Hi, Auntie. Just call me Xiao Zhuo.”

Xia Yucheng: “...”

Was he the only one in this family who wanted to object?

“Xiao Zhuo, you're accomplished at a young age. You and your husband are a good match,” Meng Shuxue said in a low voice. “Those little cakes over there are seafood. Don't eat them.”

Xia Yinxi gave an “okay” gesture.

Grandpa Ji had just gotten better and needed rest, so he was still asleep. The butler came down to explain, telling the guests to make themselves at home.

Most people there were just there to network, so the old man's presence wasn't a big deal. Still, some spotted Ji Yunzhuo and rushed over to say hi.

After all, this was the young generation's era now—this guy was the real power behind the Ji family.

Xia Yinxi hadn't expected to dodge his dad just to run into his husband. Since he was already there, he couldn't exactly pretend not to know Ji Yunzhuo, so he reluctantly followed him into the reception hall.

Xia Yucheng let out a loud “Hmph” behind them.

Ji Yunzhuo chatted with people while Xia Yinxi just greeted them and zoned out, letting the conversation go in one ear and out the other—until someone asked, “What industry is Mr. Ji's partner in? If there's ever a business need, don't hesitate to reach out.”

Xia Yinxi replied politely, “Just a small business. I'll be sure to if the chance comes.”

After dealing with enough pleasantries, Xia Yinxi finally relaxed and snuck a cookie.

He took a small bite, only to find Ji Yunzhuo staring at him. Xia Yinxi paused mid-chew and tentatively held out the half-eaten cookie.

Ji Yunzhuo shook his head, his eyes full of laughter.

“Then why are you looking at me?” Xia Yinxi frowned. “Can't you go talk to people on your own? Do you have to drag me along?”

“I was thinking how pale you look,” Ji Yunzhuo answered one by one. “No, I can't. Yes, I have to.”

Xia Yinxi: “...”

“Can you talk normally?”

What did he mean by “how pale you look”? It wasn't like they'd just met, and he wasn't pale for the first time.

“This jacket makes you look even paler than yesterday's,” Ji Yunzhuo said, reaching out to wipe a cookie crumb from the corner of Xia Yinxi's mouth. Feeling countless eyes on him, Xia Yinxi barely held back from flinching and shot him a glare. “Keep your hands to yourself.”

Ji Yunzhuo not only ignored him but went further, cupping Xia Yinxi's chin and rubbing his thumb over his lower lip. Xia Yinxi's lips looked thin but felt soft: “This makes us look like a loving couple.”

Xia Yinxi bit him.

“Ssh—”

“Ha.”

“Hee hee.”

Xia Yinxi: “?”

The bitten person hadn't made a sound—where were these messy, breathy exclamations coming from??