Chapter 184 - 180: Good-for-nothing x Innocent Little Tyrant 19

Chapter 184: Chapter 180: Good-for-nothing x Innocent Little Tyrant 19

Ji Xiaosong didn’t ask about the Ji family’s affairs anymore, but news about them still reached her ears through others.

After Ji Fu sent her a picture of Ji Yao and Xu Ji’s marriage certificate, Ji Xiaosong blocked him.

In the past, she probably would have acted like a total pushover, feigning politeness to let Ji Fu show off again.

But now, she had the power to ensure Ji Fu could never reach her again.

After waiting a whole day, not only did Ji Fu not receive an invitation from Ji Xiaosong, but he also discovered he’d been blocked. He was seething with rage.

"Fine! You dare to toy with me? Do you really think I’m a pushover? I, Ji Fu, haven’t navigated the business world for all these years for nothing!"

Ji Fu violently smashed his phone on the ground and proceeded to curse Ji Xiaosong out for over half an hour without stopping.

He called a few bodyguards and was just about to find some media outlets to launch a smear campaign against Ji Xiaosong when he suddenly fainted.

Li Liping rushed him to the hospital. After a full workup, the doctors concluded he had fainted from a fit of extreme rage.

"What are we supposed to do? My husband is the backbone of this family. With him hospitalized, how is the company supposed to keep running?"

Li Liping was in a panic. She was completely clueless about these matters. Forget about managing it; even if she actually took his place, the people at the Ji Group wouldn’t take her seriously.

Without Ji Fu there to keep things in order, the shareholders would likely move quickly to oust their entire family.

Xu Ji sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking completely unconcerned.

"What’s there to be afraid of? Just hand the company over to me to manage, and the problem’s solved. I used to be part of a prominent family, after all. This sort of thing is practically second nature to me."

"Hah. Easier said than done. Jiang Manyun has already blacklisted you. And with your reputation, who would be willing to work with you? Who would even dare?"

Ji Yao sneered from the sidelines. She had completely given up on herself. ’Whether we’re rich or poor doesn’t have much to do with me anyway. There’s no reason for me to care about any of this.’

’It’d be even better if Ji Fu died. Maybe then I could inherit the family fortune.’

’The fortune is huge. As long as I don’t squander it, I should be set for the rest of my life.’

’Still, she was resentful.’

’Why? I was always the one looking down on Ji Xiaosong, so why does my entire fate now hang on her every word?’

’If only...’

’If I could win Jiang Yao’s favor, wouldn’t everything be different?’

’It’s just the entertainment industry. I can sign with Starry Entertainment, too.’

At these thoughts, Ji Yao subtly distanced herself from Xu Ji.

Xu Ji forcefully ground out the cigarette between his fingers into the ashtray on the coffee table, sending a few sparks flying.

When he looked up, his narrow eyes flashed with a cold light, like a venomous snake coiled in the shadows suddenly rearing its head.

"What an interesting thing to say, my dear wife. If you don’t rely on me, who else could you possibly rely on?"

Xu Ji brushed off some non-existent dust from his clothes and continued, "How about we make a deal?"

He pulled a flash drive from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and tossed it onto the hospital bed. Its metal casing hit the bed rail with a sharp CLINK. "Sky Rainbow Entertainment is currently casting for a crime drama called *Hidden Reef*. How about you go audition for a role, my dear wife?"

"Sky Rainbow Entertainment?"

Ji Yao picked up the flash drive and asked excitedly, "You mean *the* Sky Rainbow Entertainment? The one that controls half the entertainment industry?"

"Of course!"

"Then why would they want me?"

"Because, of course, the director and screenwriter have had their eyes on my wife for a long time..."

The fingers Ji Yao used to grip the flash drive suddenly trembled. Her diamond-studded nails scraped against the metal casing, making a faint, sharp sound.

She suddenly hurled the flash drive at Xu Ji’s temple, her scream shattering the silence of the hospital room. "What the fuck do you take me for? A high-class call girl?"

Xu Ji tilted his head, dodging the attack. The flash drive hit the medical monitor and ricocheted into the trash can.

He scoffed, loosening his tie. He then lifted his foot and crushed a blister pack of birth control pills that had fallen out of Ji Yao’s purse. "Still trying to act so pure? The security camera’s dash cam got a crystal-clear video of you climbing into President Wang’s car in that lingerie last month."

"You’re stalking me?"

Ji Yao grabbed the IV stand and swung it at him, but Xu Ji caught the steel pole and twisted her around, pinning her against the wall.

Their breaths, heavy with the smell of disinfectant, mingled in the air. She could hear the sound of her own teeth grinding.

"I was protecting you."

Xu Ji wrapped his tie around her wrists, the pad of his thumb stroking a bite mark she’d left on his hand the previous night. "Producer Zhang from Sky Rainbow has a thing for young married women. What do you think? Would he be willing to trade the third female lead role for your company on a three-day cruise?"

Li Liping’s pearl necklace suddenly snapped. Lustrous white beads scattered across the floor, as pale as her face. "You... When did you two...?"

"Why don’t you ask your precious daughter?"

Xu Ji kicked an oxygen tank out of the way, grabbed Ji Yao’s chin, and forced her to look at the heart monitor. "The Ji Group is 1.27 billion in debt. Your father’s personal accounts were frozen last night. Do you still think you’re the rich heiress who can max out black cards whenever she wants?"

Ji Yao suddenly snapped, biting down hard on the fleshy part of his hand between his thumb and forefinger. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. "Even if I have to sell myself, I’ll go to Jiang Yao..."

"Jiang Yao’s private jet is on its way out of the country as we speak."

Shaking the blood beads from the back of his hand, Xu Ji laughed. He pulled out his phone and shoved it in her face. "And Ji Xiaosong, the person you despise the most, is in a conference room at Starry Entertainment right now, signing a share transfer agreement."

The heart monitor let out a long, piercing tone. Over Xu Ji’s shoulder, Ji Yao saw her mother slumped on the floor next to an overturned wheelchair.

A metallic taste rose in her throat. She heard her own hoarse voice ask, "The third female lead... how many lines does she have?"

Xu Ji licked the bleeding bite mark on the back of his hand, then retied the blood-stained tie around his neck. "Smart girl. But Producer Zhang changed his mind this morning."

He leaned in close to Ji Yao’s ear, which was damp with cold sweat, and chuckled. "He said the role of the female lead’s bed partner would suit you better."

Ji Xiaosong knew nothing of whether Ji Yao accepted Xu Ji’s arrangement.

Before her engagement to Jiang Yao, she had earned Mrs. Jiang’s approval through her own merit. As an engagement gift, she received one percent of Starry Entertainment’s shares.

Even though it was only one percent, the annual dividends amounted to over a hundred million.

And once she officially married into the Jiang Family, there would be even more.

"Congratulations, Miss Ji."

Her colleagues at Starry Entertainment came up one by one to congratulate her, and Ji Xiaosong handed out the gifts she had prepared for everyone.

Ever since she entered the entertainment industry, she found herself giving out gifts more and more often.

Gifts for fans, gifts for the media, gifts for colleagues...

By now, she was finally starting to understand why so many celebrities could earn a fortune but have so little left to show for it once the money stopped rolling in.

’The monthly expenses are just too high. Keeping up appearances costs money. Building connections costs money. Maintaining a good reputation costs money, too.’

She had taken every step with caution, and now, the day of her engagement had finally arrived.

Early in the morning, Ji Fu headed to the hotel where Ji Xiaosong and Jiang Yao’s engagement was being held. So what if his daughter hadn’t invited him? He would just find a way to get in. A businessman who had clawed his way up from nothing, he had his methods.