The next day, at the Ji family.
“Dad, Mom, the connection’s ready!”
Ji Haotong tapped away, swiftly transmitting the video call to their semi-wall-mounted, 110-inch, 24k HD LCD display.
Huang Qingchuan and Ji Hong sat side by side on the sofa; one in a dress, one in a smart suit, both sitting up straight and proper. Only Ji Haotong, wearing flip-flops, a pair of shorts, and a T-shirt, looked utterly casual.
“Tongtong, go change into something proper in your room.” Huang Qingchuan frowned at Ji Haotong’s slovenly appearance and couldn’t help but urge him.
It was fine to dress like this at home on normal days, but soon they’d be meeting Yuèyuè’s girlfriend—who could very well be their future daughter-in-law—so he definitely had to dress formally.
“The video’s connected.” Just then, Ji Hong spoke.
Huang Qingchuan stopped nagging. Ji Haotong didn’t return to his room, and the three of them simultaneously turned their gaze to the LCD screen.
On the screen was a clean and tidy living room. A man and a woman sat at a dining table, facing the camera, greeting them.
The man had long legs, a slim waist, wore a loose white T-shirt paired with gray pants, and his short hair barely touched his ears. He had a distinct artistic vibe, like a literary youth—a certified heartthrob for star-chasing girls.
But it was the woman beside him, an “Ice Queen,” who instantly caught the entire Ji family’s attention. Dressed in ordinary, androgynous clothes, her long, jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, half-covering her face, leaving only a sharp, delicate chin and bright red lips visible. Her eyes, like star-filled seas, timidly drooped, half-hidden.
This was a woman who was extremely shy around strangers.
This was a 1.8-meter-tall supermodel ice queen… who happened to be socially anxious.
This was a woman who was a study in contrasts.
The same thought flashed through the minds of all three members of the Ji family.
“Hi, Dad, Mom, Bro, let me introduce you.” Ji Yuènian on the screen took the initiative to greet them first. She took the ice queen’s fair hand and gazed affectionately at her.
“This is my girlfriend, Chi Baobao.”
At that moment, in a living room on the other side of the city, Ji Yuènian stared at the “Ice Queen” with the long hair draped over her shoulders—no, more accurately, Jiang Chi wearing a wig.
Feigning deep affection as she looked into those blue eyes and the sharply defined face beneath the long hair, the corners of Ji Yuènian’s mouth twitched.
In the eyes of the Ji family, thanks to the face-swapping filter, Jiang Chi was a stunning, fair-skinned, long-legged supermodel ice queen with mesmerizing blue eyes.
But in Ji Yuènian’s eyes, there was no supermodel—just some guy wearing a wig to act in this play with her.
And she still had to put on an affectionate, deeply-in-love act. This feeling was just so damn screwed up!
Still, as screwed up as it was, at least on the surface there were no flaws. She’d successfully fooled the Ji family.
After introducing her “girlfriend,” Ji Yuènian went on to introduce her family: her mom Huang Qingchuan, her dad Ji Hong, and her brother Ji Haotong.
After the introductions, it naturally moved on to the Q&A phase, and in this round, Huang Qingchuan contributed at least 90% of the questions.
“How old are you?” “Where do you live?” “How are your parents?” “Does our Yuèyuè bully you?” and so on.
Thanks to “Chi Baobao’s” social anxiety, all questions were answered by Ji Yuènian, while “Chi Baobao” just had to nod from time to time.
As for answering Ji Mama’s barrage, Ji Yuènian had originally intended to copy “Ji Qingchan’s” backstory: orphaned, no car, no house, to garner sympathy and end the video call early.
But she remembered last time, when her brother caught her cross-dressing, she’d boasted in a bar about her girlfriend’s wealthy background, so the orphan card was off the table.
So, she fabricated a rich heiress persona for “Chi Baobao.” But to fit the social anxiety and fear of strangers, she added some tragic flavor: unloved by both parents, both parents abroad, grew up alone, suffered from depression, and so on.
You had to admit, for women, the Qiong Yao drama formula was unfailingly effective. Ji Hong and Ji Haotong’s reactions weren’t clear, but Huang Qingchuan was definitely touched—she was already dabbing her eyes with tissues.
Seeing the timing was right, Ji Yuènian took the timid “Ice Queen’s” hand and looked at the three Ji family members on the screen, saying, “Dad, Mom, Bro, it’s getting late. After Baobao takes her depression medication, I have to take her for a walk.”
“That’s all for now, we’ll hang up first.”
She tried to keep calm as she prepared to hang up, hiding her barely contained eagerness.
“Wait.”
Just then, Ji Hong, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
He looked at the “Ice Queen” who kept her head down, hair covering half her face, showing only a pair of timid blue eyes, then turned his gaze to the artistic young man beside her.
“Yuènian.”
“Here.” Ji Yuènian straightened her back, sitting properly, but when she met her father’s deep, calm, slightly probing black eyes, she couldn’t help but gulp.
“You.”
Ji Hong raised a hand, pointing straight at “Chi Baobao.” His voice was flat, but beneath the calm was an unmistakable note of command.
“Kiss her.”
“Ah???”
Ji Yuènian was stunned—not just her, even Ji Haotong looked at Ji Hong in surprise, eyes full of confusion. Huang Qingchuan reached out, pinched her husband’s waist hard, and anxiously hissed, “Honghong, what are you doing?”
“That’s Yuèyuè and her girlfriend, not one of your company’s subordinates! If you ruin Yuèyuè’s relationship, I’ll never let you live it down!”
“I know.” Ji Hong nodded unhurriedly, his expression unchanged.
He turned to Huang Qingchuan, gently took her hand, and his gaze softened. His lips moved slightly as he murmured, “Trust me,” and Huang Qingchuan obediently pulled her hand back, subconsciously nestling closer to her husband.
Ji Hong then returned his attention to Ji Yuènian, paused a moment, and said, “I know a special remedy for depression. The love from a partner can dispel the darkness and gloom in a patient’s heart.”
“Yuènian, kiss your girlfriend once.”
++!
This totally off-topic excuse… Could Dad have figured something out?
Ji Yuènian swallowed hard, but facing Ji Hong’s deep and steady black eyes, she couldn’t refuse.
She knew her father was definitely suspicious.
Their dad, who managed a company and the livelihoods of a hundred thousand workers, wasn’t someone so easily fooled.
Now, there were only two choices: refuse, but Dad would definitely probe openly and secretly until he dug out the truth; or agree, kiss “Chi Baobao”—that is, Jiang Chi. One kiss would erase all suspicion.
In the eyes of her family, she would be kissing an ice queen—a beautiful, fair, long-legged supermodel ice queen. But for Ji Yuènian…
Her gaze drifted to the face under that fake hair: cold, sharp, with the charm of a mature man—a bona fide CEO-level look.
Did she really have to kiss Jiang Chi?
To actively kiss a man?