novelraw Chapter 561 - 560: Can It Really Be Endured? (Part 1)
Chapter 561 - 560: Can It Really Be Endured? (Part 1)
Maybe it’s because Le Tong’s relationship with the Old Master has improved, Ji Rui’s attitude towards the Old Master during dinner was also relatively more courteous than before.And Baobao, was even more kind to the Old Master, adding dishes and serving rice, exceedingly attentive.
Le Tong and Ji Rui didn’t say anything about it. After all, this little guy is very astute. To make him be kind to someone is not an easy task, and those whom he goes out of his way to please must be those he likes and who are also exceptionally good to him.
After dinner, Baobao and Nuonuo, as usual, needed to go to bed early, while the Old Master, having slept all afternoon, was quite energetic now.
"Girl, you go put the two kids to sleep. I’ll watch TV."
The Old Master turned on the TV with the remote. Le Tong hesitated for a moment, and Ji Rui nudged her, "You go ahead, I’ll stay with Chairman Yang."
Thinking about how the two of them had gotten along fairly well during dinner, Le Tong got up to the nursery to help put Nuonuo to sleep.
After more than an hour, both children had fallen asleep one after the other.
The living room was empty, and the tea on the coffee table had also gone cold.
Le Tong thought that the Old Master was asleep, and as for Ji Rui, at this time he must be working overtime in the study.
With this in mind, Le Tong naturally turned towards the study.
The study door was ajar. Le Tong placed her hand on the doorknob, intending to turn it, but found that the door seemed to be locked from the inside. She was slightly puzzled because, all this time, Ji Rui would never lock the study door even when working overtime inside. Or does it mean he’s not in there?
Just as Le Tong was about to get the key to open the door and find out, she heard the Old Master’s voice inside.
"I’ve heard from Sheng about the matters in Y Country; things are not looking good?"
Le Tong stood outside the door, hesitating whether to stay or leave.
"There’s no need for you to worry yourself with this, Chairman Yang!"
Inside the study, Ji Rui and the Old Master were sitting across from each other at the desk.
At this moment, the Old Master looked entirely shrewd and calculating, nothing like the kind and amiable appearance he had in front of Le Tong and Baobao.
"So, when do you and the girl plan to get married?" the Old Master asked casually, but his sharp eyes never left Ji Rui’s face.
Ji Rui lifted his eyelids, giving him a faint look, "This is between Le Tong and me; it’s not something you need to bother with either."
The Old Master lifted the corners of his lips into a meaningful smile.
"Sheng previously submitted a cooperation proposal for Yang Family and Ji Family to me. Honestly, if it succeeds, the Yang Family could gain substantial benefits from it, but the risks involved are quite significant..."
Ji Rui’s expression remained unchanged, "Chairman Yang, Yang Sheng and I are good brothers, but in business, I would have similar concerns as you do, so I don’t blame Yang Sheng."
The Old Master’s hand rested on the table, with his bent fingers tapping rhythmically on the surface. He leaned slightly back in his chair, casting a sideways glance at Ji Rui.
"Of course, those were my prior words. Now, because of the girl’s relationship with you, we can’t be considered unrelated." The Old Master stopped here.
Ji Rui looked straight at the Old Master, waiting for him to continue.
"But, I don’t understand, the girl gave you such a smart and adorable son, why wouldn’t you give her a title?"
This matter was entangled with the secret of Baobao’s birth. Both Ji Rui and Le Tong believed the fewer people who knew about this, the better.
Judging by the Old Master’s words, he probably mistook the relationship between Le Tong and Ji Rui as some sort of conventional unspoken rule, right?
"Sorry, this is between Le Tong and me, and I’m unable to divulge it."
Their matter wasn’t something that could be explained in a few sentences, and besides, Ji Rui never had the habit of explaining his feelings to anyone.
Ji Rui’s attitude greatly irritated the Old Master, who initially thought that his beloved granddaughter had been wronged by Ji Rui.
Previously, she had no one to rely on, which could justify being taken advantage of by Ji Rui.
But now, with the powerful Old Yang Family backing her, unless Ji Rui gave him an explanation, expecting any help from him was out of the question, not suppressing the Ji Family would already be generous on his part.
This was the primary reason for the Old Master’s visit—to seek justice and the rightful status for his precious granddaughter.
"I’m her grandfather, of course, I have the right to know about your affairs!" The Old Master’s fury was provoked by Ji Rui’s uncooperative and dismissive attitude, but remembering not to let his temper ruin his granddaughter’s happiness, he tried hard to maintain a calm demeanor.
"Chairman Yang, you must have forgotten? Le Tong is twenty-five years old. She’s an adult and has the right to decide everything for herself, including whom she dates and whom she marries."
A person like Ji Rui, who would allow an elder to meddle in his personal affairs?
The Old Master glared at him, "You!"
Afraid of saying something wrong in his rage, the Old Master took a deep breath to calm down before saying, "If you marry the girl, I will take care of the matters in Y Country."
Previously, the Old Master had rejected Yang Sheng’s proposal because, despite the significant sacrifices required from the Yang Family, he had no good impression of the Ji Family and wasn’t interested in helping them.
But now, everything was different because of Le Tong.
As long as Ji Rui and Le Tong got married, the Ji Family would essentially belong to his granddaughter, and how could he ignore matters concerning his granddaughter?
Moreover, he also wanted to show the financial prowess of his granddaughter as a member of the Yang Family. This way, at the very least, Ji Rui would be cautious about treating Le Tong unfairly, considering the Yang Family as a formidable backing.
However, what he never accounted for was that the relationship between Ji Rui and Le Tong was not at all what he imagined, and their relationship needed none of these assurances.
"Chairman Yang, I don’t need it!"
Ji Rui was extremely proud and couldn’t tolerate using the sacred event of marriage as a bargaining chip.
He loved Le Tong and hoped to give her a pure marriage untinged by profit.
"Ji Rui, I’m telling you, the girl is my precious granddaughter. I won’t dwell on how you treated her before, but from now on, I will absolutely not allow anyone to bully her in the slightest."
The Old Master, rejected by Ji Rui, found it both frustrating and amusing. He didn’t know whether to thank him for not binding marriage with the Ji Family’s benefits or to be angry at Ji Rui’s refusal to marry his granddaughter even at this juncture.
"Chairman Yang, rest assured, I am even less tolerant than you of anyone bullying her!"
In Ji Rui’s view, everything had its order. Le Tong was first his secretary and now his life partner and the mother of his son.
And the Old Master was merely a relative who appeared recently. As for protecting her, it should be his responsibility, not the Old Master’s.
Moreover, the Old Master’s attitude and methods towards his descendants didn’t sit well with Ji Rui. Just look at Yang Sheng; wasn’t that the best example?
He did not want Le Tong to follow in Yang Sheng’s footsteps and endure the same hardships!