novelraw Chapter 458: I Don’t Want to Be Entangled with You Financially (Part 1)
Chapter 458: I Don’t Want to Be Entangled with You Financially (Part 1)
Just past ten, Ji Rui heard the door open while he was in the study. He stood up and went out, only to see Le Tong and Baobao standing side by side at the entrance changing their shoes."Baby, you’re back?"
Ji Rui walked over, first bent down to kiss his son, then straightened up and pecked Le Tong on the lips.
"Did you have fun?"
The question was clearly meant for Baobao, but his gaze fell on Le Tong’s face.
Le Tong leaned against the wall without making a sound, because she didn’t even have a chance to speak before Baobao threw himself at Ji Rui’s waist and started babbling away.
"Daddy, the puppies at Yuan’er’s house are so cute. The doggy mom with her three puppies is so fun. The doggy brother is so naughty; he always goes to grab the stuffed animals in the cabinet and gets spanked by Sister Yuan’er, and the doggy sister is very timid..."
Ji Rui simply picked up the chatterbox mode Baobao and freed one arm to wrap around Le Tong’s shoulders as he walked towards the living room.
Le Tong gave him a probing look, making Ji Rui’s heart tighten, but fortunately, Le Tong didn’t say anything and let him lead her into the living room.
Baobao, after talking himself tired, ran into the kitchen to pester Aunt Guan for some fresh juice. Ji Rui carefully observed Le Tong’s expression before asking.
"When did Yuan’er’s family get dogs? How come I didn’t know?"
Ji Rui was quite familiar with the Luo Family and would always visit for any elder’s birthday or festival at the Luo Family.
"We didn’t go to the Luo Family. We went to Xu Tao’s home..." Le Tong explained.
Ji Rui then remembered that Baobao had mentioned earlier that Sister Yuan’er was getting married soon.
"Aren’t they not married yet? Already living together?" But even though they were supposed to get married, the Luo Family hadn’t released any news yet.
Le Tong rolled her eyes at him, thinking that she and he weren’t married either, but they lived together anyway. However, living with him was different from Yuan’er living with Xu Tao; there was a substantial difference between the two.
Of course, this similarity and difference weren’t something Le Tong planned to discuss with Ji Rui. Otherwise, given his current level of shamelessness, he might just go along with it and suggest they develop into the same kind of cohabitation as Yuan’er and Xu Tao.
Ji Rui saw that Le Tong wasn’t responding to him, assuming she was still angry about those two documents, so he could only carry on the conversation himself.
"When is Yuan’er’s wedding set? I haven’t received the invitation yet."
Mentioning this, Le Tong looked confused and shook her head in response.
"I’m not too sure either. It seems that the parents on both sides sat down to choose a date, but each family had its own ideas and insisted on them, so they still haven’t come to a consensus. Yuan’er said she couldn’t be bothered to care."
Recently, Ji Rui had been so focused on the Ji Family that he didn’t have time to catch up on the gossip in his circle, so he had never heard about this.
"Isn’t Yuan’er about to become a mom? The parents should be quite anxious." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelhall.com
Logically, the woman should be more anxious in this situation. However, Ji Rui didn’t dare say this out loud.
"Hmm, Yuan’er probably doesn’t mind herself, as long as they’re legally registered. The wedding is just a formality."
When it came to matters about Yuan’er, Le Tong was quick to answer, seemingly no longer angry.
"That’s right. A wedding is just a formality. As I see it, as long as two people truly love each other, even registering as a couple is just a societal formality."
Le Tong sensed the implication in his words and nestled deeper into the sofa, raising her eyebrows and looking at him guardedly.
Ji Rui could easily tell that she had instantly become like a prickly hedgehog. However, since he had got this far with his words, he had to continue for things to work out.
"Actually, those two documents drafted by Lawyer Fan, from my perspective, are just a formality as well — a form of protection for you and Baobao. Do you understand what I mean?"
Ji Rui carefully steered the conversation towards those two documents. Clearly, he was intent on putting money into the other person’s hands, yet he still had to read Le Tong’s expressions. Such a thing was nothing short of fantasy.
However, he knew well why Le Tong was mad and had stormed off; simply put, it was his own doing.
In the past, he had once believed money could buy everything from her, notably her affection, which he was paying for in currency, while she paid in feelings, a transaction of that nature.
Now, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was suffering the consequences of his earlier actions.
Even after all his talking, Le Tong just kept staring at him without saying a word.
Her dark eyes were like deep pools, containing a multitude of things, or perhaps nothing at all.
This made Le Tong so unfathomable to Ji Rui.
"Le Tong..."
Ji Rui carefully moved closer to her. Seeing that she had no intention of running away, he gathered his courage to sit down next to her and pulled her to lean against him.
Le Tong struggled, moving her head away from his shoulder, but allowed his hand to stay on her waist and back.
"Ji Rui, I just want to progress step by step with you in our relationship. I don’t want any financial ties with you." Le Tong emphasized very seriously.
When it comes to money, Le Tong is very sensitive. Ji Rui knew he was at fault, but he was still intent on convincing her.
"My assets, the amount of liquid cash isn’t much. Most of it is tied up in shares and real estate of the Ji Family. Even if transferred to your name, while I’m alive, you probably can’t liquidate them. I’ve faced so many accidents recently, as you see, the real culprit who stabbed me isn’t found yet. In case... I’m saying just in case, if anything really happens to me, you and Baobao would have no guarantees at all. Can you understand my concerns and intentions?"
Le Tong looked at him thoughtfully and then lowered her gaze to think for a while before speaking.
"If you’re worried about the old chairman and your two brothers coveting your wealth, you can write a will stating that if anything happens to you, Baobao will inherit all your assets." In the end, she didn’t want to have any entanglements with his money.
While others would go to great lengths to fight for it, she didn’t even consider it and was eager to discard it like a hot potato.
He was truly blind in the past, to have concluded that she was a materialistic woman obsessed with money.
If only he could’ve recognized her true nature sooner, they wouldn’t have had to take so many detours, and Baobao could have enjoyed a complete family’s warmth earlier.
But the fact is, there are no ifs in life. Since he offended her first, now spending a lot of time and effort to persuade her was nothing less than what he deserved.
"But Baobao is a minor, and even if he inherits, there must be a guardian. You and I are just in a romantic relationship now. Without specific agreements in place, the guardianship of Baobao is more likely to fall into my father’s hands. My dad loves Baobao, but that’s under the premise where Ji Wen, Ji Wu, and his wife aren’t advising him. Yet, so many things happened this year. Was there ever a single time when he stood completely on my side? Doesn’t he realize that if I’m not doing well, Baobao surely wouldn’t be well off either?"