Yan Yixuan lifted his eyes to look at him, calmly countering, “What problem could there be?”
“The price we agreed on will remain the same, not a penny less. You don’t need to worry,” Yan Yixuan said.
Ji Ling furrowed his brows and replied, “That’s not what I mean. Yan Group’s cash flow was already tight before, right? With the change in leadership recently, and now trying to stabilize the market, several new projects are underway—developing in third- and fourth-tier cities, opening shopping malls. But Yan Group still has that land in hand, doesn’t it?”
Ji Ling dragged his chair closer to Yan Yixuan’s desk and began analyzing carefully, “When I made the cinema plan, I considered Yan Group’s finances. I never expected it to expand so much. But after your meeting, you suddenly came out and said you wanted to increase the scale. For Yan Group right now, taking such a big leap all of a sudden is a bit reckless.”
Yan Yixuan listened quietly without speaking. Seeing him stay silent, Ji Ling went straight to the point, asking, “What exactly happened in that meeting? Did Yan Yili bring up anything else besides wanting to acquire my company? Did he pressure you? Will Yan Group’s funds run out?”
Yan Yixuan didn’t answer Ji Ling’s questions. Instead, he straightened up from his chair and leaned in toward the desk, getting so close that their faces almost touched.
He asked, “If I said I needed money, could you give it to me?”
Ji Ling: “…”
If Yan Group’s funds were to run dry, Ji Ling knew he wouldn’t be able to fill that gap.
Seeing Ji Ling at a loss for words, Yan Yixuan chuckled. He picked up a clip and playfully dangled it in front of Ji Ling’s nose.
“…” Ji Ling grabbed his hand and snatched the paperclip from him, finally getting frustrated and saying, “I’m trying to have a serious conversation here.”
It felt like the roles had reversed—Ji Ling was the one talking business, while Yan Yixuan seemed more interested in teasing.
From the outside, it seemed like Yan Yixuan was taking it lightly, but his mood appeared upbeat, not the type to be worried about company issues.
But Ji Ling still wanted to understand. He pressed on, “Although I can’t give you money, I can help you analyze the situation, help you deal with Yan Yili.”
Yan Yixuan laughed at his suggestion, “What do you think of Yan Yili? A monster?”
Yan Yixuan tapped his fingers on the desk before speaking plainly, “That day, Yan Yili first wanted to acquire your company. I blocked that using the Luo family, and then he suggested that if we’re going to do this, we should go big. Investing in just a few cinemas is too small. Everyone agreed.”
He smiled, continuing, “Although Yan Yili and I are at odds, he wouldn’t damage the company’s interests. This time, I agreed with his point. We don’t need to stick to your original plan. I proposed we take a stake, but the management will still be in your hands, and others agreed to that too.”
“As for the funds, at least for now, there’s no issue,” Yan Yixuan added.
Ji Ling listened as though Yan Yixuan was speaking casually, but he knew there must have been some serious debates before reaching this conclusion. He felt like something was missing in the conversation, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. The details were too unclear to figure out based on Yan Yixuan’s cryptic words.
He was about to ask again when his gaze drifted to the documents on Yan Yixuan’s desk.
The two of them were sitting on opposite sides of the desk, close enough that they could feel the proximity. The desk was cluttered with papers.
Yan Yixuan’s computer was still on, and when Ji Ling walked in, Yan Yixuan had clearly been working.
Ji Ling squinted slightly, then leaned forward to examine the papers on the desk.
As he glanced through the documents, he reached out and began flipping through them, pulling one up to read more carefully.
Yan Yixuan didn’t stop him but waited quietly for him to finish.
Ji Ling saw documents from Ye Wenxin, the financial advisor Ji Ling had once approached for funding, but Yan Yixuan had intercepted the deal. From that moment, Ji Ling knew Yan Yixuan and Ye Wenxin must be quite close.
After reading through the papers, Ji Ling put them down, staring at Yan Yixuan as he asked, “What are you planning to do with this?”
Yan Yixuan said nothing, simply watching him.
Ji Ling, growing more impatient, pressed, “Why are you calculating assets?”
Still, Yan Yixuan didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked Ji Ling, “Do you trust me?”
Ji Ling paused, not understanding why he asked, but quickly gathered himself and answered seriously, “Yes.”
Yan Yixuan suddenly reached out, touching Ji Ling’s face lightly, and smiled, saying, “Then I trust you too.”
If it wasn’t for mutual trust, Yan Yixuan wouldn’t have shown him those documents.
Yan Yixuan leaned back in his chair, putting some distance between them. He suddenly dropped the playful tone and adopted a more businesslike, serious manner as he said, “I need your help.”
This was the first time Yan Yixuan had said such words to Ji Ling.
Since the moment they met, Ji Ling had always been chasing, starting from being a plaything he saved to standing shoulder to shoulder with Yan Yixuan. It had taken a long time.
Hearing those words now, Ji Ling wanted to laugh, but couldn’t.
Did he finally have the qualifications to help Yan Yixuan?
Ji Ling realized that Yan Yixuan had planned all of this.
From the moment Ji Ling entered the study, Yan Yixuan knew he would eventually discover the situation and ask questions.
Yan Yixuan hadn’t tried to hide anything from him.
Interesting.
Even though he was usually confident, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous now. Ji Ling showed a complex expression and said, “I’ll do my best.”
Yan Yixuan looked at him intently and said, “I want you to restructure your company.”
Ji Ling stayed at the Jin Garden from the afternoon until the sun set.
He rarely saw the garden in the daytime, and as the night fell, he felt a bit reluctant to leave.
As dinner time approached, Yan Yixuan and Ji Ling walked out of the study and into the living room.
Yan Yixuan’s impatience was starting to show.
“That’s why I said there’s no way to be lenient. As soon as you give her a bit of sweetness, she starts to get greedy,” he was talking about Yan Yueshi. “I told her to come back before dinner, but she still didn’t listen, forcing me to go after her.”
Ji Ling thought to himself, Yan Yueshi doesn’t know how to pace herself. She broke the agreement right from the start, making Yan Yixuan angry. There won’t be another chance after this.
Just as Yan Yixuan was on the phone with the driver, Yan Yueshi suddenly burst into the room, startling both of them.
The cheerful Miss Yan from earlier was now red-eyed, her face streaked with tears, her hands trembling as she clutched her clothes.
Yan Yixuan’s face immediately changed. He walked over to her and asked, “What happened?”
Yan Yueshi glanced at her brother, choked up, and said, “Brother, you don’t have to worry anymore. We’ve broken up.”
Ji Ling was shocked.
So, after all the effort, Xu Jing had just wanted to break up with Yan Yueshi?
Xu Jing, who had hesitated and endured from the beginning, finally chose to let go instead of sticking with Yan Yueshi.
Ji Ling felt a sudden bitterness. He had been used as a mediator for nothing.
Yan Yueshi cried as she wiped her tears and said, “Well, now it’s all over. Isn’t this what you wanted, brother? You don’t have to break us up anymore. We’ve already split up ourselves.”
Yan Yixuan snapped, “You’re heartbroken, how could I be happy?”
Upon hearing this, Yan Yueshi could no longer hold it in. She threw herself into her brother’s arms and cried out loudly.
“I said I don’t care about anything, I have everything as long as we’re together, but why can’t it work?”
Yan Yueshi grabbed his clothes, saying, “Why is it that even when I say I’m not afraid of anything, it still isn’t enough to make this work?”
Because the one who’s afraid isn’t you, it’s Xu Jing.
Ji Ling saw it clearly but couldn’t speak up.
He glanced at Yan Yixuan, who returned his gaze. They exchanged a silent look.
Yan Yixuan half-embraced his sister and led her upstairs.
Ji Ling sighed and sat on the wooden sofa in the hall, waiting quietly.
He even wondered if he shouldn’t have come today, but then again, dragging it out wouldn’t solve anything. Xu Jing must have already made up his mind when he came to see Ji Ling.
Ji Ling didn’t have high hopes for their relationship. There were too many issues. He thought maybe they’d naturally break up over time, but he hadn’t expected it to end this quickly.
Yan Yueshi had been gone so long, and now, after returning, she was heartbroken. It seemed there was no turning back.
Ji Ling’s emotions fluctuated throughout the day at Jin Garden.
He suddenly wondered when he had gotten so deeply involved with the Yan family.
Earlier, when Yan Yueshi treated him like a piece of furniture, not caring about his presence, it showed that he had become someone whose opinion no longer mattered.
He looked up at the familiar hall, remembering the conversation earlier that afternoon when Yan Yixuan talked about trust.
Was he trusted by this family?
Ji Ling rarely had such strange thoughts, as if he wanted to belong to Jin Garden. He sighed again, realizing he had reached a point of no return.
“It’s rare to see you sigh like that,” Yan Yixuan came downstairs, looking exhausted.
“Where’s your sister?” Ji Ling asked.
“She cried herself to sleep.”
At least she could sleep.
Yan Yixuan gritted his teeth, “I’m going to kill that Xu guy.”
Ji Ling said, “Better a quick pain than a long one. It has to end one way or another.”
“Only if Yueshi breaks up with him. How dare he dump our sister?” Yan Yixuan was furious.
“…“ Ji Ling patted his shoulder and said, “At least it shows he wasn’t after the Yan family’s wealth. Spend more time with your sister. Now’s the time to show your value as a brother.”
He added, “You didn’t want her to hit a wall, but now that she has, the only one who can support her and help heal her is you.”
Yan Yixuan gave Ji Ling a long look before finally calming down. He nodded and said, “Let’s eat first.”
Ji Ling replied, “No, I’m heading back.”
Yan Yixuan looked puzzled, “Aren’t you staying tonight?”
The way he asked seemed so natural. Did he even realize it? Ji Ling smiled and said, “You should stay with your sister tonight.”
He adjusted his clothes and prepared to leave, saying to Yan Yixuan, “Besides, I need to get back to handle the matters you mentioned, right?”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
Awnnnn 😔😔