Chapter 22: Like Being Caught by Her Husband

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A’Chi?
Jiang Zhi was slightly taken aback, her expression hesitant.
She had never addressed a man with such intimacy. Even with Jiang Nian, the most familiar she’d gotten was ‘Qi Nian’ (祈年).
Making this sudden switch felt awkward, almost impossible.
Seeing her silence, the man’s voice turned slightly colder, more insistent. “What’s wrong? Would you prefer to use my full name? Or perhaps… husband?”
He deliberately lingered on the last word, drawing out the syllables.
Call him by his full name?
Given the Shang family’s standing in the capital, barely anyone in the entire city dared address him so casually—unless they had a death wish.
She was just an ordinary working woman. She didn’t want to set that precedent.
And ‘husband‘? She couldn’t bring herself to say it.
The man waited patiently, radiating an air of determination—tonight, she would say it.
Jiang Zhi thought for a moment, then spoke softly, “A’Chi.”
Hearing it, the man’s brow lifted slightly, seemingly satisfied. He stood up from the sofa and walked towards her.
He leaned down slightly, bringing his lips close to her ear. His voice was a deep, resonant murmur, “And drop the formal speech. At home, I am your husband, not your boss.”

Faced with his sudden proximity, Jiang Zhi’s fingers tightened instinctively. She nodded in response to his words.
With this agreement reached, Jiang Zhi went to shower first.
After her shower, it was the man’s turn.
Jiang Zhi was applying moisturizer at the vanity when her peripheral vision caught something in the nearby wastebasket.
She meant to look away, but the pear core lying conspicuously inside demanded attention.
She froze.
She had assumed he’d only pretended to eat it in front of Old Master Shang.
She thought he’d tossed it upstairs.
To Jiang Zhi, discarding something you disliked was perfectly normal, especially for someone like him—born into privilege, wanting for nothing.
Seeing the core now, evidence he’d actually eaten the whole thing, was unexpected.
Was he avoiding waste?
Or was the information in the document wrong?
But Old Master Shang himself had clearly stated in the living room that his grandson hated eating the skin.
An inexplicable feeling stirred within her.
Before she could unravel it, her phone on the vanity buzzed.
She glanced at the caller ID—her close friend, Lin Yanyan.

Jiang Zhi lightly patted her cheeks, quickly rubbing the remaining moisturizer into her hands before answering.
The moment the call connected, a sexy, magnetic, and excited female voice chimed in, “Zhizhi! Heard you took seven days off! Did you finally ditch that bastard Jiang Nian?”
365 days a year, she orbited Jiang Nian. Suddenly taking leave? It was hard not to suspect that was the reason.
Jiang Zhi glanced at the bathroom door. After a moment’s thought, she walked out to the balcony and closed the door behind her.
Discussing an ex-boyfriend in front of her legally binding husband didn’t seem appropriate.
Her voice was cool, detached. “Yes. It’s over.”
The reaction on the other end was even more excited, the pitch rising. “You finally saw the light?! Wait… this isn’t just a temporary lapse, is it? Tomorrow you’ll see him and go crawling back?”
The voice dipped again, laced with skepticism and disbelief.
Jiang Zhi frowned. “Was I really that obsessed with him?”
Lin Yanyan snorted dramatically. “Obsessed? Honey, it was like you were under a voodoo curse!”
Jiang Zhi pinched the bridge of her nose helplessly. “Just consider me blind before.”
Lin Yanyan probed cautiously, “So you’re really over him?”
Jiang Zhi looked up at the bright moon in the sky, a firm curve touching her lips. “Yes.”
The world was vast. Men were plentiful. Why hang herself on just one?

At this moment, she realized how foolish her past self, wholly devoted to Jiang Nian, had been.
Lin Yanyan had known Jiang Zhi for over three years. She’d witnessed firsthand how much Jiang Zhi had sacrificed for Jiang Nian.
Lin Yanyan had never gotten along with Jiang Nian, constantly bad-mouthing him to Jiang Zhi.
Jiang Zhi had always just laughed it off, never once picking a fight with Jiang Nian over it.
Was this her making up for it with one big blowout?
Lin Yanyan’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Well then! To celebrate your escape from purgatory, how about we hit ‘Nightfall’ for drinks tonight? I’ll introduce you to some gorgeous guys!”
Nightfall was the capital’s most exclusive bar, known for its excellent privacy, frequented by the elite and celebrities alike.
Lin Yanyan lived up to her fiery name—stunningly beautiful, with a bombshell figure and an outgoing, passionate personality.
In her free time, she loved nothing more than grabbing a few drinks there.
Jiang Zhi paused, her professional manager instincts kicking in. She lowered her voice, frowning. “Are you trying to get cancelled? Didn’t you just get caught last month looking cozy with a young actor outside a bar? You just got back from filming, and you dare go again?”
Lin Yanyan brushed it off. “What’s there to fear? I don’t have a pure, innocent image to uphold. Besides, in my fans’ eyes, my reputation’s already in ruins. Why care about a little more noise?”
She pressed on eagerly, “So? Yes or no? Give me a straight answer!”
Jiang Zhi: “…”
She couldn’t argue.
It was true. Lin Yanyan’s appearance was inherently sultry. Even normal behavior was often misinterpreted online as seductive.

Consequently, whenever she appeared in public, the comments section was flooded with more hate than praise.
She was the epitome of a “controversially famous” star.
This was precisely why Jiang Nian had forbidden Jiang Zhi from associating with Lin Yanyan.
His exact words: “I’m afraid you’ll pick up bad habits.”
Hearing Jiang Zhi’s silence, Lin Yanyan assumed she was still bound by Jiang Nian’s rules. Her tone turned scornful. “See? You still can’t let go of that Jiang bastard! Otherwise, why wouldn’t you dare go to a bar with me?”
Jiang Zhi sighed softly. “I really am over him. In fact, I want to terminate his contract right now. But we still have two years left, and I can’t afford the penalty.”
Lin Yanyan was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected Jiang Zhi to be so resolute this time.
If she hadn’t been such a spendthrift herself, she might have loaned Jiang Zhi the money.
Thinking fast, Lin Yanyan had an idea. “You know, you could try talking to Manager Qing. She’s all about profit. She’s probably been itching to maximize your talents for ages.”
Jiang Zhi considered this. It wasn’t a bad suggestion.
A small smile touched her lips. “I’ll take that as a compliment. I’ll talk to Manager Qing tomorrow.”
Lin Yanyan wasn’t giving up on the bar idea. “Come on out! Sis will take you for a wild time! Guaranteed hunky male models—gorgeous faces, killer bodies, top-notch skills!”
Jiang Zhi had been standing with her back to the room. The balcony door’s soundproofing was excellent; she hadn’t noticed the man had finished his shower long ago.

Hearing Lin Yanyan’s description, Jiang Zhi’s mind involuntarily flashed back to the man’s firm, sculpted muscles and what she’d done for him last night…
She instinctively turned around.
Just as she pivoted, her captivating fox-like eyes collided with the man’s deep, inscrutable gaze.
Jiang Zhi’s heart lurched. A wave of inexplicable guilt washed over her.
She quickly ended the call, her voice flustered. “Gotta go! Talk tomorrow!”
Lin Yanyan stared at the abruptly disconnected phone, frowning. “What was that about? Sounded like she got caught by her husband or something. All panicked.”