President Ji’s Cat - Chapter 4

Ji Chufeng hadn’t expected her trip to the Ji Residence to yield an unexpected bonus.

Just as she stepped out of the main entrance, she saw a transport truck driving in. On the back was a conspicuous supercar, and a manager was instructing workers to unload it.

This McLaren had been ordered by Ji Shengjun several months ago as a birthday gift for Ji Chengye. At the time, Ji Chengye had been gloating about it for days.

Hearing this news, Ji Chufeng raised an eyebrow and paused her steps, watching the workers lower the car to the ground for final delivery confirmation.

The manager was about to hand the keys to the butler when—

A slender, pale hand reached out and effortlessly snatched the keys away.

The manager stared at his empty palm, stunned, and looked at the person who had taken the keys.

“Nice car,” Ji Chufeng said nonchalantly. “I’m taking it.”

“???” The manager snapped out of his daze. “Who are you? Chairman Ji ordered this car; you have no right to sign for it.”

“This is the Chairman’s eldest daughter, just returned from abroad,” the butler introduced.

“What’s going on?” Xu Xiayun had come out to see if the “plague” had finally left, only to see Ji Chufeng talking to someone—and more importantly, she saw the car! she hurried over.

“It’s like this,” the manager explained, recognizing her as the Chairman’s wife. “The McLaren Chairman Ji ordered from our company is being delivered today. I was just about to hand over the keys when Ms. Ji took them.”

“Could you please confirm the receipt?”

When Xu Xiayun first walked over, she was worried Ji Chufeng would take a liking to the car and try to snatch it. Hearing the manager confirm it, her expression shifted. Ji Chufeng caught the subtle twitch in her face and sneered internally; she was now even more interested in this car.

“Chufeng, you don’t understand, this car is a birthday present from your father to Chengye…” Xu Xiayun put on a look of great distress.

“Oh, really?” Ji Chufeng asked, playing dumb.

Xu Xiayun nodded repeatedly. She couldn’t exactly physically wrestle the keys away, so she tried to retreat to advance.

“Your father saw how hard Chengye has been working for the company these past two years, so he bought this as a gift. Oh, look at my memory! You just got back and definitely need a way to get around. We have plenty of cars in the garage; go pick one to use.” She then winked at the butler. “Old Chen, take Chufeng to the garage to pick a car.”

Ji Chufeng curled her lips into an ambiguous smile. “You’re quite generous.”

“Of course!” Hearing Ji Chufeng seemingly soften, Xu Xiayun breathed a sigh of relief, her face brightening with fake joy. “Even though you aren’t my biological daughter, I treat you like my own! It’s just a car, what’s the big deal?”

Ji Chufeng’s smile deepened. “Any car will do, Auntie Xu?” She intentionally emphasized “Auntie Xu,” making alarm bells ring in Xu Xiayun’s head. Before she could speak, Ji Chufeng added: “I think this one is quite nice.”

She walked a few steps, her fingertips grazing the car’s surface. She turned her head to look at Xu Xiayun. “I assume an Auntie as generous as you wouldn’t mind, right?”

“I… I…” Xu Xiayun hadn’t expected to shoot herself in the foot. She stammered, “This car is…”

“Hmm?” Ji Chufeng let out a questioning note, her brows furrowing slightly.

She looked as if she couldn’t understand the “going back on one’s word” behavior, or rather, as if she were saying: It’s just a car, why be so stingy?

In the end, Ji Chufeng drove the car away. In her rearview mirror, she saw Xu Xiayun stomping her feet in a fit of rage.

She didn’t actually like the sports car that much—after all, it was a gift from Ji Shengjun to his biological son. However, seeing Xu Xiayun fuming while trying to maintain her public image, her eyes practically bleeding with resentment, gave Ji Chufeng a great deal of satisfaction.

Tomorrow, she would take this car for a spin at the Ji Corporation.

The Ji Corporation had many subsidiaries, but its main focus was international trade, being a long-established conglomerate. Previously, Ji Shengjun had worked while ill and had already made arrangements to ensure the company ran smoothly in his absence. Since his hospitalization, the group had remained orderly. Only occasionally, for major partnerships, would they seek his opinion.

Consequently, the company hadn’t appointed an Acting Chairman, and no instructions had come from the Chairman himself.

But Ji Chengye couldn’t wait. He could have taken his time, but Ji Chufeng’s return gave him a sense of crisis, prompting him to move up the board meeting originally scheduled for next week.

“Gentlemen, as directors, I believe you are aware of the Chairman’s hospitalization. He currently lacks the energy to handle daily affairs. Therefore, the theme of this meeting is to elect an Acting Chairman to manage operations on his behalf.” Ji Chengye stood at the head of the conference room, confident that he would secure the position.

The directors below began to whisper. Ji Chengye gave them ample time to discuss before clearing his throat. “Directors, allow me to volunteer. As the Chairman’s son, I already relay many of the company’s affairs. I believe I am capable of temporarily assuming the Chairman’s duties.”

“That’s true.” One director nodded, taking the lead. “Young President Ji has held important positions in our company. I believe the role of Acting Chairman is yours by right!”

With someone leading, others naturally followed. Ji Chengye hadn’t expected victory to come so easily. He suppressed the urge to grin. “I am honored by your support. In that case, let’s follow the process and start vot—” Before he could finish the word “voting,” the doors to the conference room were pushed open.

Ji Chengye was about to snap at whoever was so reckless as to barge in during a meeting, but when he saw the person standing at the door, he froze.

“So everyone is here.” Ji Chufeng walked in step by step, a casual smile on her face. She wore a red dress, which looked completely out of place among the dark suits in the stark white conference room—yet it was unforgettable. That stroke of defiant flame-red felt as if it were being branded into everyone’s hearts.

It wasn’t until Ji Chufeng uninvitedly took the Chairman’s seat at the head of the table, with An Yi standing behind her with a briefcase, that Ji Chengye and the directors snapped out of it. He asked warily, “What are you doing here?!”

“Since it’s a board meeting, naturally I cannot be absent.” Ji Chufeng kept her casual smile, her gaze sweeping over everyone at the table. Just sitting there, her aura was so powerful that it was impossible to look away.

“Some of the directors here may not know me. That’s fine, let me give a brief introduction.”

“I am Ji Chufeng, the eldest daughter of the Ji family, and the legal heir to the company.” She stood up and turned to look at Ji Chengye on the podium. “Since we are electing an Acting Chairman, I, as the eldest daughter, should rightfully hold this position.”

“Acting Chairman has nothing to do with blood relations! You hold no position in this company; how could the company be handed to you!” Ji Chengye said, sounding a bit desperate, not even realizing his words contradicted his own earlier claim of being the “Chairman’s son.” At this stage, he certainly wouldn’t give up. He followed up quickly: “Directors, the meeting continues!”

Ji Chufeng didn’t say a word, watching Ji Chengye preside over the voting as if she were watching a comedy. She had An Yi drop her ballot into the box.

Ji Chengye watched her through An Yi’s movements, as if seeing something hilarious. He shook his head with a frustrated laugh, not even bothering to stop the ballot from entering the box.

After all, that vote would just be invalid.

Unsurprisingly, in a board meeting of fifteen people, there were fifteen “for” votes and one “against” vote.

Everyone knew who that one “against” vote belonged to without asking.

Ji Chengye, reading out the ballots, held that specific one in his hand. “Fifteen directors are in unanimous agreement. As for this one dissenting vote…” He looked at Ji Chufeng and mocked, “Sister, oh sister, you haven’t forgotten this is a board meeting, have you? It’s fine to observe, but you have no right to vote.”

“As for this—” He opened the ballot, showed it to everyone, held it high, and then dropped it on the floor. “Invalid.”

Ji Chufeng wasn’t angry; instead, her smile widened. She stood up from her seat.

“If I remember correctly, the largest shareholder has the power of veto.” She rested one hand on the back of the chair, grazing it lightly. “Since your Chairman Ji cannot attend, why should my vote as the largest shareholder in this meeting be considered invalid?”

“You…!” Ji Chengye’s eyes widened. “You’re crazy! Where would you get shares!”

Had the old man already written his will? Impossible!

Ji Chufeng gave a contemptuous smile and looked at everyone in the room. “My grandfather, Ji Junting, specified in his will that 25% of his shares were to be transferred to me. I have the legal documents to prove it. What about you?” She looked at Ji Chengye. “Do you have even a fraction of a share in your hand? The person not qualified to attend this board meeting is you.”

When the elder Mr. Ji passed away, Ji Chufeng was still a minor, so the shares were held in trust by Ji Shengjun. Before she became an adult, Ji Chufeng knew she had shares, but she didn’t think Ji Shengjun would actually give them to her. However, when she decided to go abroad, he returned them to her—a fact Xu Xiayun and Ji Chengye were never told.

She understood Ji Shengjun’s intention: with her going abroad, she was no longer a threat to Ji Chengye. To appease her, he returned the shares so she wouldn’t think of coming back.

Back then, the man had worn a look of profound guilt, but even looking back now, Ji Chufeng felt it was all just a show. That man had no heart.

After the directors reviewed the documents passed around by An Yi, their attitudes shifted instantly.

The directors knew exactly how much Ji Chengye was worth and whether he could handle the big picture. They only supported him because he was Ji Shengjun’s son and there were no other options; they were afraid that if they crossed him and he eventually took over, it would be bad for them.

Now, with actual shares sitting right in front of them and the legacy of the former Chairman invoked, the result was self-evident.

Ji Chufeng successfully assumed the position of Acting Chairman.

The news reached Ji Shengjun’s ears quickly. Upon hearing that his daughter had “usurped” the throne, the Chairman was so angry he couldn’t stop coughing.

When Ji Chufeng heard about this, she was sitting comfortably in the Chairman’s office in the leather boss chair, reading the news. Hearing An Yi’s report, her movements paused for a moment. Two seconds later, she simply hummed in acknowledgement.

An Yi glanced at Ji Chufeng. Confirming there were no further orders, she turned to leave, but was called back just as she reached the door.

“Audit all the subsidiaries under the Ji Corporation. Organize the files and bring them to me.”

“Understood.”

The Ji Corporation was like a massive gear; every part was working according to plan, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

Spending every day approving documents was, quite frankly, a bit boring. Back abroad, her days were for sightseeing and her nights were for dating.

This was too dull.

It was so dull that she could only browse news on her phone. These past two days, Ji Chufeng had even downloaded an app called “Weibo.”

Her Weibo had no follows and no fans; she just used it to check the trending topics.

Today’s trending list was full of family drama and some strange jokes. She hadn’t intended to click on them, but after opening the app, she instinctively tapped one.

#Fu Sixue Clinging to Liang Hao#

The top trending topic featured two names Ji Chufeng didn’t recognize. She clicked on it out of habit.

The first post was a summary of the incident by a marketing account.

Oh, it’s a news story about two celebrities dating being caught by paparazzi.

The female lead, Fu Sixue, had gone to a film studio to visit Liang Hao. They ate together, and in the parking lot, Liang Hao smoothed Fu Sixue’s hair and kissed her on the forehead, “confirming” the relationship.

A few days later, as the incident fermented, Fu Sixue’s manager used a burner account to post a vague Weibo admitting the relationship. Almost immediately, Liang Hao’s agency issued a denial, essentially slapping Fu Sixue’s side in the face.

And so, the “clinging” trending topic was born.

After reading through the whole ordeal and seeing the blurry GIF in the parking lot, Ji Chufeng let out a “tsk,” her eyes filled with a disdain that nearly spilled over the screen. There were plenty of male stars who would sell out their girlfriends to save themselves.

“Coward,” she cursed.

At the end of the post, there were a few promotional photos of the male and female leads. The guy looked a bit familiar—seemed like the person on the bookstore magazine cover from a few days ago.

As expected, he’s quite ugly.

Ji Chufeng looked at the other lead for a few more seconds. The official photos were very beautiful, but what she was actually like remained to be seen. She didn’t know much about the domestic entertainment industry.

However, the promotional photos were indeed stunning; every gesture radiated a unique charm.