Ji Youcheng continued grinning foolishly, not saying a word.
"What an idiot!" Zhu Xiuxiu muttered as she sat down at the table. She poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then asked Ji Youcheng, "What did you need from my sister-in-law?"
Ji Youcheng sat opposite her, took the teacup from her hand, and drained it in one gulp before finally speaking. "I wanted to ask sister-in-law if my stars are in conflict this year. Or did I inadvertently offend some Immortal or mischievous spirit recently? Iâve been ridiculously unlucky these past few days!"
But after he finished speaking, he noticed Zhu Xiuxiu staring blankly at him. To be precise, she was staring at the teacup she now held.
Thatâs when he realized... the teacup...
"Uh... Iâm sorry. I... I drank your tea!"
Zhu Xiuxiuâs face flushed bright red. She opened her mouth as if to say something,
but in the end, she didnât mention that she had already been drinking from it...
She turned her head away, and it took her a long moment to catch her breath.
"Itâs... Itâs okay!"
Ji Youcheng hadnât heard her voice for a long moment and thought she wouldnât say anything more, but then she unexpectedly responded.
Since his mother had orchestrated this opportunity, he decided he might as well clear the air with her sooner rather than later.
However, before he could speak, Zhu Xiuxiu asked him, "How have you been unlucky?"
Ji Youcheng was momentarily confused by her question.
"You just said you wanted sister-in-law to do a fortune reading because youâve been unlucky lately. Iâm asking, how have you been unlucky?"
Ji Youcheng sighed resignedly and then explained everything that had happened over the past few days.
Zhu Xiuxiu listened, dumbfounded.
"Two boxes of gold! Thatâs at least a hundred thousand taels!"
Ji Youcheng shook his head. "Thereâs more. I later asked Jin Ge, and he said there were also promissory notes worth two hundred thousand taels of silver inside. That was all my working capital for the end of the year. Itâs too late to raise more funds now. The bank just opened, and Iâve invested over three million taels in it! If the year-end redemption fails, Iâll lose all credibility. No one will want to work with me after that..."
Hearing this, Zhu Xiuxiu instinctively swallowed and asked uncertainly, "The Zhu Family assets that my father asked you to manage before he disappeared... did you invest all of them into your bank?"
Ji Youcheng fell silent... He desperately wanted to say no, but the truth was...
"You invested it all?" Her voice cracked as she shot to her feet, gasping for breath.
Ji Youcheng quickly poured her a cup of water. "Donât panic. Here, drink some water first."
Zhu Xiuxiu was so upset her chest ached. Without thinking, she gulped down the water.
After drinking, her breath hitched.
This teacup...
"Ji Youcheng..." She was so angry she wanted to curse him, but instead, she unconsciously licked her lips!
Seeing her lick her lips, Ji Youcheng, as if possessed, pulled her into an embrace and kissed her!
Zhu Xiuxiuâs mind went blank. She momentarily forgot to breathe, her eyes widening...
Outside, Old Lady Ji craned her neck, peering at Zhu Xiuxiuâs door. When she saw the two figures reflected in the window, tightly embracing, a smile spread across her face.
"It worked! It worked! Oh my! That boy of mine, heâs got more tricks up his sleeve than there are thorns on a cactus. To say Xiuxiuâs father forced him into this marriage? I wouldnât believe it if you beat me to death!"
Nanny Zhang gave Old Lady Ji a thumbs-up. "When it comes to clever schemes, youâre truly unparalleled, Old Madam! The Third Master came from your own womb; how could he possibly outsmart you?"