Chapter 121: The Overbearing CEO, Defending His Wife in Real Time

Tan Wenyi continued, "Although it turned out to be a false alarm in the end, I couldn't help but think about other possibilities. Besides, I don't want my child to be born out of wedlock. Either we get married properly and with dignity, or we just date without having children."

Jiang Zao turned her gaze back to her tablet, her tone slightly stiff. Despite her usually pleasant temperament, she felt a flicker of discomfort at this moment. "You two should sit down and talk. This is something you have to decide for yourselves. As an outsider, I’m not in a position to give you advice."

Even as slow as Tan Wenyi could be, she realized her impropriety and quickly said, "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to accuse you of anything. I just can't understand why you would be willing to give up your future to stay in the Zhou family. You are so talented; if you wanted to, your future could hold countless possibilities. Why on earth would you choose to—"

"Designer Tan, instead of overseeing the construction, why are you here trying to sow discord between my wife and me?"

Zhou Lichuan approached with long, purposeful strides. His voice, commanding and imposing, had been audible from a distance.

Jiang Zao turned to look at him, then glanced down at the time.

"Why are you back at this hour? Didn't you have a meeting today?"

Zhou Lichuan walked up to Jiang Zao, adjusted the blanket that had slipped from her lap, and said softly, "The meeting is over. Li Baixiu just came to find me because he needs my help with some matters at his school. I brought him back to talk; it’s quieter here."

Jiang Zao looked in the direction Zhou Lichuan had just come from and indeed saw Li Baixiu, dressed in grey casual wear and white sneakers, walking toward them.

Zhou Lichuan looked up at Tan Wenyi, a flash of ferocity crossing his eyes. "Designer Tan, my wife and I have been through so much to reach this peace. It would be best if you could understand that. If you cannot, please keep your opinions to yourself. If I hear you offend her like this again, I can replace the personnel for my garden project at any time. And not just my home—you can forget about any future projects related to the Zhou Corporation as well."

Never in her life had Tan Wenyi been threatened like this. Furthermore, it was the first time she felt a genuine sense of fear and anxiety regarding her career.

With just one word from Zhou Lichuan, no matter how talented she was, there would be no place for her in the domestic design industry, and even Meng Qiaochong would be unable to help her.

Jiang Zao reached out, tugged on Zhou Lichuan’s tie, and pulled him down to her level. "Be polite to my senior, don't shout; it’s rude."

Li Baixiu arrived just then. Having heard Zhou Lichuan’s words to Tan Wenyi, his wolf-like eyes immediately fixed on Tan Wenyi’s face.

Tan Wenyi instinctively shuddered, looking with lingering fear at the young man standing behind Jiang Zao.

Jiang Zao sensed Li Baixiu’s gaze, glanced back at him, and scolded him in a sharp tone, "Go inside with your brother-in-law."

Li Baixiu withdrew his gaze, looking somewhat pitiful. "Sister, you didn't even ask what happened? Aren't you worried about me?"

Jiang Zao sighed lightly. "What could possibly happen to you? One of the senior administrators at your school belongs to the faction supporting Li Mingyi. Aside from graduation matters, what else could it be? Both of you, go inside and talk. Don’t be an eyesore here."

Li Mingyi kept his mouth shut—in this world, big sister was supreme.

Zhou Lichuan straightened his tie, which had been ruffled by Jiang Zao, gave Tan Wenyi a threatening look, and turned to head into the house with Li Baixiu.

As the two men walked away, Jiang Zao turned back, took a sip of herbal tea from the table to soothe her throat, and said, "You think that because I don't rely on myself and am content to be a 'pampered wife' in a luxury mansion, I am wasting my talent, right?"

Wary of Zhou Lichuan’s earlier warning, Tan Wenyi cleared her throat and dared not say more.

Jiang Zao smiled calmly, completely unbothered by what had just occurred. "'Pampered wife,' in the strict sense, is not a derogatory term; modern ideology has merely imbued it with alternative colors. I once had a painting that sold for 460,000 USD at an auction in the United States. If I were to shed my current status and enter an art exhibition under an alias, the value of the works displayed would have multiplied several times over. I am indeed living off Zhou Lichuan right now, but without him, I would still be myself."

Tan Wenyi looked at the petals floating in her cup, carefully pondering Jiang Zao's words.

Jiang Zao continued, enunciating each word clearly, "Senior, the first step toward personal independence is self-acceptance, not the evaluations of others or society."

Tan Wenyi looked at Jiang Zao’s face. Her expression was serene and composed, her brows gentle, as if nothing could truly disturb her peace of mind. She began to understand why Meng Qiaochong said that Jiang Zao was an extraordinary person.

Jiang Zao stood up, intending to go and listen to Li Baixiu’s troubles. Seeing Tan Wenyi still in a daze, she added, "Did you notice the tie clip Zhou Lichuan was wearing just now?"

Tan Wenyi paused and nodded.

"I bought that tie clip for him. He wears it nine days out of ten now. Sometimes it doesn't even match his suit, but he’d rather change his suit than go without that clip. It’s not because he likes it that much, but because it’s the only gift I’ve given him, and until I am satisfied, he won't be receiving a new one from me."

Tan Wenyi smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou really loves you."

Jiang Zao folded the blanket on her lap several times and hung it over her arm. "Because he loves me, I cannot leave this place. But since I am staying, I will not allow myself to be at anyone's mercy. One doesn't have to bare their fangs to protect themselves. Senior, you and I may not be able to struggle against fate, but we can certainly fight for ourselves, can't we?"

These words awakened the dreamer. Tan Wenyi looked at Jiang Zao deeply and said, "Thank you."

Jiang Zao smiled and turned to leave. The nanny, who had been waiting nearby, immediately stepped forward to gently support Jiang Zao as they walked toward the house.

Li Baixiu was sitting on the sofa in the study, a laptop on his knees, covered in the dense text of his graduation thesis. Zhou Lichuan stood by the window, talking on his phone.

When Jiang Zao pushed the door open, Li Baixiu had just finished typing a line. Seeing her, he quickly set the laptop aside and stood up to support her.

"Sister, you're done? Who was that person? Why did you talk to her so much?"

Jiang Zao sat down with Li Baixiu’s help, cradling her belly. "She was my senior from university, the future second sister-in-law of Meng Qiaoyuan. I suppose Mr. Meng must have brought up marriage, which made her overthink things. Regardless of our relationship, it was only right for me to offer her some counsel."