President Ji’s Cat - Chapter 5

As closing time approached, An Yi presented the organized files of the Ji Corporation’s assets. The documents were quite thick.

Ji Chufeng flipped through page after page. The corporation’s holdings were even more extensive than she had imagined; it was no wonder Ji Chengye was so eager for quick success and profit.

Knock, knock—

“Come in,” Ji Chufeng said without looking up. She listened to the footsteps approaching her desk before finally raising her head.

“Hello, President Ji. I am Liu Ming from the Project Department.”

“What is it?”

“It’s like this.” Liu Ming placed a file on the desk. “Our company had a project that was completed a while ago. I am the project manager. Logically, I shouldn’t be jumping the hierarchy to find you, but…”

Ji Chufeng raised a hand to stop his rambling. “Get to the point.”

“It’s time to pay the workers, but the company’s funds haven’t been approved yet. President Ji—uh, I mean the Financial Manager, Ji Chengye—says the process is still being settled and keeps telling me to wait…”

Ji Chufeng glanced at him, then returned her gaze to the documents. “Since it’s a process, then wait.”

“But it’s been two months!”

Ji Chufeng’s hand stopped flipping the page. She looked at him again, thought for a moment, and said, “That is indeed too long.”

“Yes. Our company has always settled payments upon project inspection, but this time it has been far too long. The workers are getting restless. I had no choice but to come to you.”

Ji Chufeng took the file from Liu Ming, glanced over it, and indicated she would handle it personally before dismissing him.

After Liu Ming left, Ji Chufeng tossed the file onto the desk and looked at An Yi. “Has the Ji Corporation ever had a history of delaying construction payments before?”

An Yi shook her head. “I haven’t seen any reports of such a thing.”

The amount for this construction payment wasn’t massive. Given the Ji Corporation’s current capital, there was no reason to delay it this long. Even if it were stuck in a process, it should have been paid out by now. The only possibility was a problem with the Financial Manager, Ji Chengye.

“If Ji Shengjun knew his son was embezzling public funds while he was away, do you think he’d die of anger?” She asked the question aloud, but her eyes were unfocused, her lips curving into a faint, lingering smile.

She sat in the office chair for a while longer before suddenly standing up and grabbing her blazer from the rack.

Since she was working at the office, Ji Chufeng dressed more formally than she had for her first board meeting. Today, she wore a white professional suit. The tailoring was impeccable—slim where it needed to be, with perfect curves where they belonged. Her slender waist and long legs made it hard to look away.

Standing nearly 175cm tall, she stood out in any crowd. Just walking from the office to the elevator, passersby would steal glances at her while offering their greetings. Some even blushed sheepishly; Ji Chufeng enjoyed the admiring looks from the young women.

When the elevator stopped and opened on the 16th floor, An Yi went to press the “Close” button as no one was there.

“Ahhh, wait, wait!!”

A girl clutching a stack of files rushed toward the elevator. Just as she thought she’d miss it, a hand suddenly blocked the door, causing the elevator to reopen.

She made it inside, but when she saw who was in the elevator, she froze.

The person reached out slightly to steady the files in the girl’s arms, pushing a sliding document back into place. Looking into her eyes, she said, “Careful.”

“Ah… oh.” The girl quickly lowered her head, her words tripping over themselves. “Th-thank you, P-President Ji…”

The girl felt a bit lightheaded, her nose filled with the other woman’s perfume. It was the scent of cedar—cool and crisp, giving a sense of calm and security.

Exactly like the feeling President Ji gave off.

When the elevator reached the designated floor, people filed out. The girl took two steps forward, then suddenly plucked up the courage to turn back to Ji Chufeng: “Goodbye, President Ji!”

A thin smile played on Ji Chufeng’s lips. “Goodbye.”

The moment the doors closed, the smile vanished. She stared coldly at the digital floor display.

Watching the whole scene, An Yi couldn’t help but shake her head internally. That’s the sixth one today.

She didn’t know what kind of “attraction switch” President Ji possessed. Those young girls loved to greet her, and President Ji actually responded without any arrogance. Without realizing it, she was flirting with these girls until they were red-faced. It was truly a sin.

However, President Ji didn’t respond to everyone. Toward the opposite sex, she was a literal “Ice King.”

After leaving the company, Ji Chufeng went to the hospital.

As luck would have it, her timing was off. Bodyguards stood at the door—a clear sign that business was being discussed inside.

Ji Chufeng wasn’t in a hurry. She sat on a chair in the hallway, checked the time on her phone, and lightly tapped her index finger on the armrest.

Ten minutes later, her time was up. Ji Chufeng stood up, intending to leave.

Just then, the ward door opened. She paused as three men in business suits walked out, clutching briefcases. Their name tags identified them as being from a certain law firm.

A few seconds later, two more men emerged. Both were familiar to Ji Chufeng. One was Xu Xiayun’s “cousin,” Chang Min; the other, an older man named Zhuang Ping, was a veteran who had helped Ji Junting build the empire.

“Little…” Zhuang Ping was about to greet her but stopped himself. He glanced at the other middle-aged man and offered a simple nod as a greeting.

“Oh, Chufeng.” Chang Min was beaming. Seeing her, he proactively stepped forward. “I heard you were back. I’ve been too busy and haven’t had a chance to meet you. Don’t blame your Uncle.”

Ji Chufeng laughed twice, but there was no mirth in her eyes—only mockery. The man felt awkward, made a few excuses, and left.

Standing in the corridor, she looked through the slightly ajar door and heard Ji Shengjun’s voice. He was calling her name.

She instinctively took a step forward, then stopped. Finally, she turned and walked away.

As Ji Chufeng left the hospital, she saw that Zhuang Ping hadn’t left yet. He stood at the entrance, hands behind his back, watching the cars go by.

She walked over and called out, “Uncle Zhuang.”

Zhuang Ping turned around. “Do you know what was happening inside just now…?”

Ji Chufeng was calm and certain. “He made his will.”

She had expected Ji Shengjun to favor Ji Chengye in the inheritance, but she hadn’t expected his method to be so nauseating.

“Xiao Feng, actually, Chairman Ji cares about you very much…” Zhuang Ping, worried she might take it hard, tried to console her.

“The ‘care’ you’re talking about is him giving me 10% of the company shares?” Ji Chufeng laughed coldly.

Ji Shengjun held 45% of the company’s shares and countless properties and cars. In his will, he left all the houses and cars to Xu Xiayun, 35% of the shares to Ji Chengye, and only the remaining 10% to her.

If the will took effect, she and Ji Chengye would each hold 35% of the company’s shares. This meant she and Ji Chengye would be on equal footing in the company.

It seemed like a fair split, but the current 25% was what her grandfather had left for her. Why should she accept his version of “fairness”?

“He’s worried because I control the company now. He’s terrified his son will be ousted by me, so he did this deliberately to disgust me.”

Zhuang Ping sighed. “Both sides are his own flesh and blood. Chairman Ji doesn’t want to put you in a dangerous position. Young President Ji has been interning since college; he knows more about business than you do. Holding half each is good for both of you.”

“Is that how he brainwashed you?” Ji Chufeng said deeply. “Since he made his choice, he’d better not regret it.”

“The Ji Corporation can only have one President Ji, and that person will never be Ji Chengye.”

Ji Chufeng left a teahouse, sent An Yi away, and walked the streets alone.

Night was falling. She stared at the pink sky; the vast stretch of sunset clouds was beautiful. But she wasn’t in the mood for scenery.

The phone in her pocket rang.

“Fengfeng~ Mom is cooking today. Do you want to come home for dinner?”

“No thanks.” Her voice was a bit low. Yu Rou immediately noticed. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you know…” Ji Chufeng wanted to mention the will, but stopped herself after three words. She took a deep breath and returned to her usual tone. “Nothing, just too many trivial work matters. It’s annoying.”

“Oh, you.” Yu Rou shook her head over the phone, her voice indulgent. “You’ve just gotten used to being wild abroad. Now that you’re back, you have to find something to do. You can’t just be idle forever.”

“I know. Ms. Yu, when did you become so naggy?”

“Sigh, daughters really outgrow their mothers. You’re starting to find me annoying already.” Yu Rou sighed, sounding slightly complainy. “If you aren’t coming, I’ll call your Auntie Xie over to eat. I made so much.”

“I’m sure Auntie Xie would be willing to suffer through your dark cuisine.”

“!!!”

After hanging up, Ji Chufeng felt a tiny bit better hearing her mother’s voice, but she was still depressed. She didn’t want to go back yet, nor did she want to find a place to eat. Having just returned, she didn’t have many acquaintances in Yanjing.

She walked aimlessly until she saw a bar.

Since her return, she had been buried in work with no time to relax. Since she happened to be here, she walked in.

Ji Chufeng sat at the bar and ordered a cocktail. In her white suit, she looked out of place in the noisy bar—so striking that she attracted attention from the moment she entered.

Several men tried to hit on her, but she sent them all away. Some women tried as well, but even for a one-night stand, her standards were extremely high—bordering on harsh.

Ultimately, she sat alone, drink after drink. She had a high tolerance; even after several glasses, she wasn’t drunk and still had the energy to observe her surroundings.

She saw a woman sit down at the corner of the bar, three seats away. She heard the bartender ask what she wanted, and the woman replied she wanted the strongest liquor.

The voice was muffled, sounding full of suppressed worries, yet it couldn’t hide a beautiful tone.

Ji Chufeng instinctively turned to look at her.

The woman was wearing a baseball cap indoors, the brim pulled very low as if she didn’t want her face seen. In the noisy, chaotic environment of a bar, it was conspicuous and strange.

But even with the cap, Ji Chufeng could see her clear jawline from this angle. The curve was beautiful. Her lips were tightly pursed, and her mid-length hair fell loosely over her shoulders. Her aura was distant and cold—she looked very “abstinent.”

Her intuition told her this must be a beauty.

The woman seemed to be drinking away her sorrows. After finishing one glass, she was clearly tipsy, yet she asked for another.

The bartender looked troubled. “Ma’am, you’re drunk.”

The woman pulled out two bills and placed them on the bar, repeating, “Another glass.”

The bartender frowned, took the money, and turned to pour the drink.

“Hi, beautiful. Alone?” A female voice pulled Ji Chufeng’s gaze back.

A pretty woman holding a glass winked at her, her pearly eyeshadow shimmering under the lights as she skillfully offered an invitation: “I’m alone, too. Want to drink together?”

Ji Chufeng gave her one look and withdrew her gaze, replying coldly, “No.”

Normally, she might have been willing to have a drink with her. But tonight, she wasn’t in the mood.

When she turned back toward the woman drinking alone, a man had sat down next to her and was clearly hitting on her.

The woman stared down at the counter, indifferent to the man’s advances. She thought the man would leave after being ignored. But the man looked around and reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve had too much to drink. Let me take you home…”

The woman frowned and pushed him away, refusing: “I don’t need it. Let go of me.”

The man ignored her refusal, his arm encircling her shoulder even more boldly. Smelling her pleasant scent, he felt even more emboldened.

“She told you to let go. Didn’t you hear her?” A female voice cut in. The man looked at the source of the voice with annoyance. “Who are you? This is none of your business! She’s my friend!”

Ji Chufeng grabbed the woman’s wrist. “Is that so?”

The woman shook her head. “I don’t know him.”

“Heard that?” Ji Chufeng looked at the man, her eyes narrowing with a chilling glint. “Are you leaving, or should I call security?”

The bartender looked over, asking if help was needed. The man had no choice but to leave sullenly, muttering about people minding their own business.

After the man left, the woman didn’t say another word, continuing to drink with her head down. Ji Chufeng simply sat next to her, tilting her head to watch her.

“Drinking alone to drown your sorrows?”

Up close, the woman’s skin was incredibly good; she seemed to be wearing no makeup.

“…” The woman’s movements paused. She didn’t reply, simply taking another sip.

“It’s dangerous to drink alone in a bar. You’ll run into trouble with bad people.”

The moment she said it, Ji Chufeng felt it was ironic. How many people came to a bar for anything other than fun? As for “bad people,” she didn’t exactly consider herself a saint.

The woman finally reacted, turning to look at Ji Chufeng. “Are you… a good person, or… a bad person?”

As expected, she was indeed a beauty. Her nose was high and straight, and her lips were slightly moist from the alcohol, gleaming softly. What was meant to be a fleeting glance caused President Ji’s heart to skip a beat for a moment.

As if to hide it, Ji Chufeng looked at her own glass. “Probably not a good person.”

“At least you’re honest.” The woman said nothing more and went back to her drink.

Seeing her finish the last drop and reach for another, Ji Chufeng placed her hand over the rim of the glass.

“You shouldn’t drink any more.” For reasons she couldn’t name, she spoke up to stop her.

The glass was pinned down. The woman tried to move it twice, failed, and simply gave up. Her unexpected surrender was quick.

She sat quietly on the high stool, head down, staring at the marble counter. It was as if she had suffered a major blow; her mood looked so low it made one’s heart ache.

Ji Chufeng watched her quietly.

“I used to have a cat,” she suddenly brought up an unrelated topic. “It was very cold and aloof. It didn’t cling to me at all.”

“…” The other woman didn’t know what she meant and chose to remain silent.

“But when I wasn’t home, it would wait for me. When I returned, it would rub against my legs.”

She gave a light laugh, looked at the woman’s profile, and added:

“Right now, you look like a lost little cat.”

The woman turned to look at her, but her beautiful eyes were dim and lifeless. This allowed Ji Chufeng to see her face even more clearly.

She was stunning. In a place like this meant for fleeting encounters, she wore no makeup, yet even her bare face looked flawless.

Ji Chufeng’s gaze instinctively dropped to the soft, pink lips. Her lip shape was beautiful; she would be absolutely charming when she smiled.

But right now, she looked like an abandoned kitten.

“If you don’t know where to go, do you want to come home with me?”

The person who had received countless invitations tonight was now the one proactively extending one.