The High Stakes of Playing House

Old Mr. Jiang set his phone down and looked up at Jiang Jifeng. “Why? Am I not allowed to come here?”

As Jiang Jifeng shrugged off his long overcoat, he patiently hummed the old man. “That’s not what I meant. You are welcome anytime, Grandpa, but why didn’t you give me a heads-up before arriving?”

Jiang Jifeng had been raised primarily by his grandparents, and his bond with them was far deeper than the one he shared with his own parents. The limited reserve of patience he possessed was almost entirely dedicated to them. He stepped forward and took a seat beside his grandfather.

“What difference does a heads-up make?” Old Mr. Jiang countered. “Unless you have some unspeakable secret you’re hiding from me? Were you afraid my sudden appearance would disrupt your plans?”

Having spent years by the old man’s side as his hand-picked successor, Jiang Jifeng caught the hidden edge in his words immediately. He took a detour. “Look at you, talking like that. What could I possibly keep from you?”

The old man gave a soft snort. “I heard you stood the Wen girl up. Didn’t pick her up from the airport?”

“Did she complain to you?” Jiang Jifeng asked. “I just took her out to dinner as an apology. When I dropped her off, she said she’d forgiven me and promised not to tell you. It seems the woman you hand-picked isn’t exactly a woman of her word.”

His acting was pitch-perfect, adding just the right amount of feigned grievance toward Wen Yang.

“The girl didn’t come to me,” Old Mr. Jiang corrected. “From start to finish, she hasn’t said a single bad word about you. You need to have more patience with her. After all, she is your wife—the person who will be by your side for the rest of your life.”

Wife. Life partner.

Both terms felt utterly foreign to Jiang Jifeng. He had never defined Wen Yang in such a capacity. It felt distant—yet, legally speaking, it wasn’t distant at all.

Having made his point, the old man stood up. “Your grandmother is here too; she’s resting in her room. Remember to bring the Wen girl over for dinner tomorrow. Your grandmother has been fussing about seeing her for ages.”

Jiang Jifeng nodded.

Once the old man returned to the bedroom, Grandma Jiang immediately scurried over, lowering her voice to gossip. “I heard everything. Why didn’t you just tell him the truth? Wouldn’t that be better?”

Old Mr. Jiang took his wife’s hand and explained softly, “You don’t understand. With a personality like his, if we expose the charade now, he might just give up on the whole thing entirely and let it all fall apart.”

Grandma Jiang pondered this for a moment. “You have a point.”

“I don’t want to tear the veil yet because if Jifeng is willing to keep up the act with Wen Yang, then there’s still a chance,” the old man said. “As long as they don’t mention divorce, I won’t be too hard on him.”

Helping each other to the bed, the grandmother asked, “But what if the girl… what if she’s the one who asks for a divorce?”

The old man said with absolute certainty: “She won’t.”

Grandma Jiang wanted to press further, but he raised a hand to stop her. “It’s late; let’s sleep. When she comes tomorrow, let’s make sure she’s in a good mood. Let the youngsters toss and turn however they like—as long as the result is right.”

When Wen Yang arrived home, she picked up a box of honey mandarins she had ordered. Her roommate, Yang Li, a certified foodie, had eyes that sparkled at the sight of food. She began peeling and eating them immediately. “These are amazing!”

“Of course they are,” Wen Yang said. “Our company spent a long time selecting these for our first agricultural livestream. It wouldn’t make sense if they didn’t taste good. If you like them, remember to tell your friends to tune in.”

Yang Li gave an ‘OK’ sign, then added, “Oh right, did you know your agricultural project made the news? I heard the only reason your project broke through and got the green light was because your boss has a crazy powerful background. Is that true?”

As Wen Yang ate a mandarin, she suddenly remembered she needed to give one to Jiang Jifeng. To make sure she didn’t forget, she picked one up and replied, “I’m not sure about that. But since the new boss arrived, the food and benefits have definitely improved. Our COO said our project bonuses might even be paid out early.”

“It’s definitely true,” Yang Li added. “And I heard your husband and your new boss are from the same hometown.”

Wen Yang’s brain stalled for a second. She remembered the lie she’d told Yang Li—that her husband ran a pork stall in Hong Kong. Yang Li had no way of knowing that the “pork seller” from far away had suddenly appeared in Beijing as their new CEO!

After chatting with Yang Li, Wen Yang returned to her room. She placed the honey mandarin next to her bag for the next day.

How should I give it to him? How long is Grandpa staying in Beijing?

They had managed to hide the truth today, but what about tomorrow? Or the day after? They couldn’t go on a date every single day. If they did, her original reason for “fleeing” to Beijing would be moot. She’d be tethered to Jiang Jifeng daily.

Yet she also knew that if she didn’t cooperate now, she might be tethered to him for life.

Caught between guilt, anxiety, and deep thought, Wen Yang suffered from insomnia.

The next morning, she did the unthinkable: she was late. Her work messages were blowing up, and it took a personal call from her colleague, Ke Li, to wake her. After a frantic rush, she reached the office at 10:00 AM.

As luck would have it, while waiting for the elevator, she heard two sets of footsteps. From the corner of her eye, she spotted two familiar figures.

She was replying to Ke Li’s text when she glanced sideways. Her face went pale instantly.

Standing beside her were Jiang Jifeng and Assistant Gao.

There was nothing more awkward than being late and running into the boss.

Jiang Jifeng was dressed in a bespoke grey suit with a pinstriped black shirt and a dark tie. He had one hand in his pocket, looking tall, composed, and perfectly at ease as he stared straight ahead.

Wen Yang tried to calm her heart. At least he was sticking to his word about acting like they didn’t know each other at work.

However, Assistant Gao was polite to a fault. Without a shred of situational awareness, he greeted her: “Good morning, Mrs. Jiang.”

Wen Yang’s lips twitched awkwardly. “Just call me by my name.”

Gao didn’t respond. Fortunately, the elevator opened, and she hurried inside. She was about to heave a sigh of relief when Jiang Jifeng and Gao stepped in after her.

The CEO elevator is right there! Why are you squeezing into the staff elevator with me?!

She couldn’t ask that, of course. Instead, she bit the bullet and asked, “Mr. Jiang, are you headed to your office?”

He gave a noncommittal “mm.”

Wen Yang pressed the floor button. Just as she pulled her hand back, Ke Li sent a voice message. In her awkwardness, Wen Yang decided to pretend to be chatting with a friend to break the tension. She meant to hold the phone to her ear, but she accidentally hit the speaker.

Ke Li’s voice blared out at high speed: “You better hurry up! If the boss catches you being late, he’ll just find another excuse to make trouble for you. He’s so—”

The silence in the elevator was deafening.

Wen Yang scrambled to lock her screen, but she was a second too late. She heard a soft, nonchalant chuckle from Jiang Jifeng. She felt cursed. Not only was she caught being late for the first time, but she had also broadcasted a message calling him a troublemaker.

She was beyond making excuses.

She hoped to just ride out the awkwardness until her floor, but then she remembered the mandarin she promised him. Hoping to use it as a peace offering, she pulled it from her tote bag and handed it to him.

“This is for you,” she said. “A Xin’an honey mandarin.”

There were only three people in the elevator. Wen Yang was bundled up in her winter gear, leaving only her pale, unadorned, and glowing face visible. Her round, almond-shaped eyes looked at him as she held the fruit in her slender hands like a precious treasure.

Jiang Jifeng shifted his gaze from her to the mandarin. He let out a short laugh.

Wen Yang was confused until he spoke: “What’s this? A bribe?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you late?” He didn’t hesitate further, reaching out to take it. The mandarin, which looked large in her small hands, seemed tiny in his grip.

He thinks I’m bribing him because I was late… Wen Yang thought, speechless.

“Alright, I’m teasing,” Jiang Jifeng said, his tone turning serious. “Grandpa wants you to come over for dinner tonight. Are you free?”

Since Old Mr. Jiang had come to Beijing, she would have looked for a time to visit anyway, but she hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

“I’m definitely free,” Wen Yang said. “Wait for me here after work. I’ll take the afternoon off to go buy some gifts.”

Jiang Jifeng paused. “I’ll go with you.”

Wen Yang wanted to decline, but then she realized he might actually have good advice on what to buy. She nodded. “Let’s go at 3:00 PM then. Wait for me in the parking lot. I’ll check my phone to see where we should go.”

The elevator doors opened, and she walked out as if a weight had been lifted. As the doors closed behind her, Jiang Jifeng looked down at the honey mandarin in his hand, a corner of his brow arching slightly.

At 3:00 PM, Wen Yang received a text saying he was waiting in the underground garage.

She submitted her leave request. Since Jiang Jifeng was the final approver, it was authorized almost instantly. As she stood up from her desk, she felt a pang of guilt and made idle talk with Ke Li to cover her exit.

“Why are you taking leave?” Ke Li asked. “Something came up at home,” Wen Yang replied quickly.

Upon reaching the garage, she spotted his car immediately. It wasn’t just because she had been in it the night before; it was simply the most dazzling car in the lot, complete with its unique Hong Kong-mainland dual license plates.

She glanced around nervously before scurrying toward the vehicle.

Jiang Jifeng sat in the back, watching her every move. She was dressed warmly—a thick coat over a knit sweater. Her jeans made her legs look exceptionally long, and her cashmere scarf covered her delicate chin, leaving only her sparkling eyes visible.

Assistant Gao got out to open the door, and Wen Yang hopped in like a little rabbit.

Bringing a chill from the outside with her, she rubbed her hands together and blew on them. “Let’s go to Tong Ren Tang. I want to buy some supplements for Grandpa and Grandma. Winter is the best time to nourish the body.”

In reality, the Jiang elders had professional nutritionists who managed their supplements according to a strict schedule. Jiang Jifeng remained silent, not stopping her. This was her gesture of sincerity. His grandparents loved her precisely because of this simple, genuine side of her.

He decided to let her keep that simplicity. He wouldn’t ruin it by telling her that servants had already arranged everything she was thinking of.

“To Tong Ren Tang,” he commanded.

At the store, Wen Yang went straight to the supplement counter and picked out several items suitable for the elderly. As she went to pay, the clerk said, “Miss, we have a new shipment of velvet antler. Would you like to take a look?”

Since she was already buying supplements, Wen Yang didn’t think much of it. “Sure, let me see.”

Velvet antler was great for soups and stews.

The clerk led her to another section. A moment later, Jiang Jifeng followed and stood behind her. As they stood a short distance apart, the clerk looked at Jiang Jifeng and said, “Miss, if you are planning to have children, the bird’s nest and donkey-hide gelatin you just picked are great for you. This velvet antler, however, is excellent for men. It’s highly effective for tonifying the kidneys and boosting virility.”

Wen Yang froze. The words “boosting virility” made the tips of her ears turn bright red.

Realizing the clerk had misunderstood their relationship, Wen Yang was about to explain when Jiang Jifeng cut her off in his usual cold, aloof tone. “No need. We have no plans for children for the time being. Just these, please. We’ll take the check. Thank you.”

Wen Yang glanced back at him. Because he was more than a head taller than her, she had to tilt her neck. She stared at him for a beat with her round eyes before turning back to the clerk. “No thank you, let’s just settle the bill.”

At the register, Jiang Jifeng swiped his card before she could. He then picked up the bags and walked out with her.

For some reason, she sensed he was extremely annoyed. Then it clicked. Boosting virility… doesn’t that imply a “kidney deficiency” (impotence)?

The clerk must have noticed something and said it out loud, making him feel like he’d lost face.

Then again… he did frequent nightclubs. With such a wild lifestyle, “kidney deficiency” actually sounded quite plausible…

Back in the car, she held it in for a long time before finally turning to him with a comforting expression. “Don’t take it to heart. It’s really no big deal.”

“What?” Jiang Jifeng asked. “The… kidney thing,” Wen Yang whispered.

Jiang Jifeng turned to look at her. As their eyes met, he was nearly moved to angry laughter. “Which of your ears heard her say I have a kidney deficiency?”

“Stop pinning ‘crimes’ on me all day long.”

Wen Yang: “……”

She had overthought it. She had wanted to ask why he was being so cold-faced, but then she realized: Isn’t he like this every day?

They arrived at Jiang Jifeng’s residence.

As soon as she stepped out of the car, the wealth gap hit her again. When she went to the back seat to grab her gifts, she noticed several unopened luxury brand winter clothes. Her eyes flickered with a hint of disdain. I wonder which “little sister” he’s planning to give these to—

“What are you thinking about now?” Jiang Jifeng’s cold voice broke her train of thought. He grabbed the luxury shopping bags and held them up. “I had someone deliver these winter clothes for my grandparents this afternoon. Just say you bought them.”

Wen Yang looked down, letting out an embarrassed, quiet “oh.” She took her own gifts and followed closely behind him.

Jiang Jifeng lived in the penthouse.

As the elevator rose slowly toward their floor, Jiang Jifeng suddenly reached out. “Give me your hand.”

The moment those doors opened, they had to look like a couple deeply in love.

Wen Yang looked up at him. He was still in that striking grey suit from this morning, his hair styled perfectly. He looked deep and imposing, his eyes like a whirlpool that could pull someone in if they weren’t careful.

She looked down at his hand. His fingers were long and his joints well-defined. Truly, he was handsome in every detail.

After a moment’s hesitation, she silently reached out and placed her hand in his.

In the next second, her slender hand was firmly enveloped by his large, warm palm.

A steady, unceasing warmth flowed through her.