Chapter 9

The moment Ruan Ning appeared, Jiang Yihao's mind went blank.

When did she get here?

Had she seen everything just now?

Damn, what an idiot, Jiang Yihao cursed inwardly. Even if his account balance were zero, he could still get a few million from the bank without a second thought. She couldn't possibly think he was actually broke, right?

Why should he have to suffer the humiliation of his boss's mess?

Surprise, anger, regret, and a secret thrill all churned inside Jiang Yihao, leaving him at a loss for words.

When he saw Ruan Ning, her dark, clear eyes wide, carefully presenting the check to him, it felt like a gentle breeze brushed his face—light and fragrant.

The world suddenly fell silent.

Ruan Ning, however, was scared out of her wits. She had been waiting for Jiang Yihao to give her a definitive response, but the young master remained silent, and she was at her wit's end.

Before coming, Ruan Ning had set one principle: never reveal Jiang Yihao's identity. After all, he had worked hard to hide it for years, and if she accidentally exposed him, she'd be in serious trouble. But given the current situation, she couldn't hold on any longer.

Ruan Ning loosened her fingers one by one, revealing the name of the signatory at the bottom, her voice trembling: "Take another look... now you understand, right?"

The fat man squinted and read out: "Jiang..."

Before he could finish the second character, the fat man turned deathly pale, staring at Ruan Ning in disbelief, then at Jiang Yihao, his lips quivering: "Who exactly are you people? What's your relationship with the Jiang family?"

The crowd buzzed—RQ was actually backed by the Duke of Tapei's family! Now the question wasn't whether they'd get their money, but whether they had offended the Jiangs.

Ruan Ning put on a calm front, but inside she was bubbling like boiling water: "All you need to know is that this check is real. As for when you'll get the money, that depends on his mood."

She slapped the check firmly against Jiang Yihao's chest and winked at him emphatically: This is all I can do!

"Cough... cough..."

Jiang Yihao took the hit and coughed a few times, fully snapping back to reality.

He glanced calmly around the crowd: "Everyone see clearly now? Real or fake?"

The crowd fell silent, thinking, Who would dare to impersonate Young Master Jiang? Only a fool would go out of their way to offend the most powerful people in the country.

Ruan Ning felt Jiang Yihao was being a bit high and mighty, so she stepped forward and patiently explained to the crowd: "Everyone, please rest assured. RQ is not bankrupt, and you will all get your wages. Please feel free to go back and wait for the staff to arrange things."

And so, Ruan Ning and Jiang Yihao stood side by side in the middle of the crowd, one gentle, one firm, stabilizing the situation. The staff silently remarked what a striking pair they made—handsome man, beautiful woman, so youthful.

The fat man had completely lost his earlier arrogance, instantly transforming into a meek lackey, bowing repeatedly to Ruan Ning and Jiang Yihao.

"That was all a misunderstanding! You two have the wrong idea—I didn't come to collect a debt. Just now, I was blind and offended you both. Please, be generous."

Ruan Ning was stunned by his sudden change of heart: "So, do you still want the money?"

The fat man hurriedly slapped his own face: "Why bring up money? What's all this about money? Building Xiuchang Stadium is our honor. If there's anything else you're not satisfied with, we'll fix it right away."

The fat man gathered his group and apologized to the staff one by one, as if the aggressive person earlier had been someone else. The staff reluctantly accepted the apologies.

Ruan Ning was baffled—hadn't he been the loudest troublemaker before? The moment he heard Jiang Yihao's name, he became a different person.

After making his rounds of apologies, the fat man's beady, rat-like eyes fixed on Ruan Ning.

He had already suspected Ruan Ning was no ordinary person—with such beauty, she must have someone behind her. He never expected it to be the untouchable Young Master Jiang.

Who was Jiang Yihao? A noble living among the clouds. People like them were only fit to sit in the mud and admire his name from afar. If he could really get in touch with Young Master Jiang, it would be like smoke rising from his ancestors' graves—a stroke of incredible luck.

The fat man, cunning as he was, immediately abandoned his debt-collecting mission and focused on flattering Ruan Ning.

He sidled up to her with ill intent, grinning with several folds of wrinkles: "Miss, do you know Young Master Jiang? Have you met him in person? What's your relationship with him..."

"Uh..."

Ruan Ning's mind went blank for a second. She snuck a glance at Jiang Yihao, unsure how to respond.

"Get lost! You got your money, now scram!" Jiang Yihao suddenly stepped in front of Ruan Ning and shooed the fat man away, then grabbed Ruan Ning's wrist with a furious expression and stormed out of the building.

Jiang Yihao hated people prying into his affairs behind his back. With a dark face and feet like they were on wheels, he walked fast and quick. As an athlete, each of his strides was worth two of Ruan Ning's, and she had to jog to keep up.

"Hey, slow down! You're hurting my wrist!" Ruan Ning slapped at his hand to make him let go. Jiang Yihao, startled by his own behavior, released her wrist and said awkwardly, "Sorry."

"It's fine." Ruan Ning rubbed her sore wrist, then cautiously eyed Jiang Yihao's expression and asked, "You don't seem to like people bringing up your identity?"

Jiang Yihao put his hands in his pockets: "It's not that I like it or not—I just hate how people change their faces."

The two slowed their pace and wandered aimlessly along the wall of the building.

Ruan Ning felt for him: "Yeah, people's attitudes really are different."

She had seen with her own eyes how arrogant the fat man had been earlier, and how quickly he changed his tune upon hearing the Jiang name. In ten years, she doubted she'd find a thicker-skinned person.

And both she and Jiang Yihao knew that the fat man was only respectful to the Jiang family on the surface—who knew what ulterior motives he had.

Ruan Ning had once thought that the rich and powerful had no worries, but from Jiang Yihao's perspective, it wasn't true. He had to always be wary of the people around him wearing masks.

"So being too rich isn't all that great either," Jiang Yihao sighed.

Ruan Ning nodded slightly.

As they walked, Jiang Yihao suddenly braced one hand against the wall, trapping her in a small corner. His pitch-black eyes stared intently at her, proud and provocative.

What's going on?

Ruan Ning was stunned, her eyes wide and body tense.

Weren't they getting along fine just now? Why did he suddenly...

She had returned the money, and the female lead was safe. Why was Jiang Yihao still looking at her like that? What had she done to offend him now?

Finally, Jiang Yihao had his fill of looking, and his eyes curved into crescent moons: "You're pretty clever, knowing to keep my identity a secret. Thanks for earlier."

Ruan Ning broke out in a cold sweat behind her back.

If he wanted to thank her, why did he have to do it so scarily? She despised herself for always being afraid of Jiang Yihao, whether day or night, whether she had done something wrong or not.

"You're welcome. It was your money after all," she said, her throat a bit tight.

But Jiang Yihao thought she was being shy and laughed heartily: "I gave it to you, so it's yours. Keep it. Why return it?"

"No, no, I can't take this money." Ruan Ning shook her head in a panic, then, afraid he wouldn't believe her, hurriedly added, "We agreed to pretend nothing happened, so you don't need to compensate me. May I leave now?"

"Pretend nothing happened?"

Jiang Yihao's face suddenly darkened.