The Overnight Chosen Wife: darling, kiss me deeper

Cheng Yu was the only one who knew about Li Lanni’s encounter with Madam Ji. Actually, Li Lanni didn’t want to reminisce and gossip about her confrontation with Madam Ji to anyone because she felt it below herself to dwell on it.

But Cheng Yu wouldn’t let her off. She had clung to her and annoyed her into recounting all the details about her conversation with Madam Ji word-to-word. Li Lanni knew that Cheng Yu was worried about her, so she patiently told her everything and asked her not to say these things to anyone.

While Madam Ji was about to burst with anger, how could she face people when a little girl had shamed her?

Her hatred for Li Lanni deepened even more. She was initially thinking about giving that girl a chance if she was outstanding, but now she had made up her mind. Li Lanni would never set foot into their family. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

In anger, she called Mrs. Feng, who was her close friend and ranted to her over a cup of tea. "Can you imagine it?! A little b*tch dared to be so rude to me, yet she expects to get her hands on my son?! Not as long as I live!"

Mrs. Feng had heard about Ji Xiehan bringing a girl to the banquet. While she was displeased, she had kept her calm. And look, it paid off! She knew Madam Ji too well.

How could the Ji family accept some random girl into their family? Only a capable girl like her Feng Ci could make a good wife for Ji Xiehan.

Now that they were at it, she brought it up in passing. "The kids have grown up very fast. We are now even talking about their marriage. I still remember seeing them play together and pull pranks on each other."

Madam Ji somehow knew where this kind of conversation was heading to and went with the flow. "Feng Ci was so pretty as a little girl. And now she has grown into an exceptional beauty with brains. If only Xiehan could open his eyes..."

The women chatted on, each knowing what they wanted but passing it off as a casual chat.

In the end, Mrs. Feng just came out with it. "We cannot force the kids to fall in love, but we can initiate it. How about we let them meet? They might just ignite a spark!"

Madam Ji couldn’t hide her happiness. While she liked Gu Tianxi more, Feng Ci was good too.

As kids, they would always play as a group with Lin Jian, Jiang Xingyu, and a few other kids, but the boys were fond of bullying the girls. The girls always found Ji Xiehan more friendly to speak to, as he wouldn’t bully them like other boys did.

So they would always stick to him. Feng Ci was no different. She particularly adored Ji Xiehan and would find all sorts of excuses to go to the Ji mansion to play with him. When Ji Xiehan left the country with his aunt, she had bawled her eyes out for days.

Although it was just an innocent friendship back then, and they were only playing together like siblings would, it was this kind of naive and pure friendship that was most likely to blossom into love.

___

Meanwhile, in Jiang Xingyu’s mansion,

"I have a bad feeling." Ji Xiehan suddenly said, shifting his gaze from the laptop to his friend.

"About what?" Jiang Xingyu nonchalantly asked, still immersed in his iPad.

"My mother." He hesitated, "I know her too well, and she didn’t seem to like Lanni."

"How can anyone not like Lanni? She’s an angel. Practically." Ji Xiehan languidly replied but felt something was wrong and finally looked away from iPad. He was met with his friend’s deadly glare.

Jiang Xingyu gulped and replied meekly, "What?... oh, fine. I shouldn’t compliment your little beauty. "

’This inhumane world. My Xia should come to me soon. I want to spend my days with my own little beauty! ’ He gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath.

"Speaking of which, do you think my mother will like Xia? She seemed to really like Lanni. Since they are twins, she should like Xia, right?" As soon as he was done, he realized he had said something wrong. Crap.

"Let’s talk about that when you have found your Xia." Ji Xiehan mocked.

Jiang Xingyu hugged his iPad and sulked. Right. It would be a different case if she lost her memory or something of the sort. But the girl was deliberately avoiding him. How could he take this lying down?

Once he got that girl back, she wouldn’t hear the end of it from him.

Ji Xiehan felt it was a waste of breath to share his worries with Jiang Xingyu and wondered what would happen if his mother confronted Li Lanni or did anything similar to that.

They were not even on friendly terms. If that happened, even their current delicate relationship would be ruined.

He was oblivious to the fact that the trouble was already rearing its head.

"I remember you still owe me a favor." Jiang Xingyu suddenly interrupted his friend.

"What favor?" Ji Xiehan stared annoyingly at his friend; he knew him too well. The idiot was about to find excuses to extort him.

"The one from many years ago. When you had just come to visit your parents in Summer and got into a fight with the older boys, I helped you cover up, remember?"

"What drugs are you on?" Ji Xiehan cringed. Who in their right mind would dig up something from over a decade ago?

"I’m not on drugs. But that day, you shakily said you would do anything if I kept my mouth shut. Then you owed me a favor. It’s been many years, but you won’t go back on your word, will you? Don’t give me ’I don’t remember’ as an excuse. It will not change a thing."

"What do you want?" Ji Xiehan asked disgruntedly. He knew it had to be something he wouldn’t agree to do, or else his friend wouldn’t have gone all the way to dig up something that happened when they were teenagers.

And he had an inkling of what it was related to.

"A lot has been happening in Star Art International lately. There seems to be a mole, and it’s not the suspicious waitress from the banquet. She had a different agenda and we have already taken care of her.

Although Si Yulin is already investigating the matter, it’s going to take a while, and the incident at the banquet has already caused me a lot of troubles. I cannot let my subordinates do all the work when I can help them, right?" Jiang Xingyu looked at his friend with a crafty smile.

"Where’s this discussion heading?" Ji Xiehan demanded. He had a feeling this was where the so-called huge favor came in.

"I have my suspicions over a girl in the Comic Arts trainee department."

Ji Xiehan would be a fool if he didn’t understand what he wanted by now. "You want me to ask Lanni to spy on her?"

Jiang Xingyu saw the stern look on his friend’s face and knew that what was awaiting him was a resounding "no." "Surely, you can do this for a friend, right?"

"This is madness. Can’t Si Yulin do it? She is in Star Art International too."

Jiang Xingyu knew this too. But it was just more practical. "The girl I’m suspecting is somewhat close to Li Lanni."

"Cheng Yu?" Ji Xiehan cocked an eyebrow. She did need money, but it didn’t seem possible.

"No. It’s a red-haired girl. The name is Ruby Chan. She is in the same class as Li Lanni, but she doesn’t even love art. Heaven knows why she’s there. By the way, she is close to your sister too."

Ji Xiehan let the words sink in. Why was Ji Feifei involved in everything unpleasant? Was she addicted to causing trouble everywhere she went?

He was yet to get all the details about Li Lanni’s accident months ago, but he had a gut feeling that was Ji Feifei not only involved, but she also played a significant role in that accident. Then there were those little ploys she played previously, and now she was involved in Star Art International too? This was no joking matter.

But still, he didn’t want to involve Li Lanni.

Jiang Xingyu knew this, so he pulled out the trump card. "Heaven knows what would happen if Li Lanni got too close to that Ruby girl unaware of her malicious intentions towards her. It would be best if LLanni could keep her guard up and find her intentions first, right!"

Ji Xiehan clenched his fists. He knew that Jiang Xingyu was saying this to persuade him, but it was true.

Li Lanni wouldn’t be safe if she was close to Ji Feifei’s friends.