“That’s right; this lass is too kind-hearted, which is quite rare in this younger generation.”
Madam Ji concurred to the elderly woman’s words, though deep down, she found something off.
“I heard that Pei Ge enjoys the same status as your son now in the Ji Group.”
Old Lady Qu shifted the topic from Qu Jingwan to the other woman fast. Although both were this family’s candidate for a daughter-in-law, Madam Ji seemed to show favor to the other. Not only did she agree on Pei Ge working in the company, she even allowed the woman and her son to handle the company affairs together. Meanwhile, she had Qu Jingwan stay home, only being responsible for taking care of the elderly and the young. This responsibility was equal to a nanny’s. How could she let her granddaughter have such a station?
“How could that be? Where did you hear that from? How come I’m unaware of it?”
Madam Ji rejected it outrightly; honestly, she had long heard of such rumors, but because Pei Ge was known as pregnant before, she could not make a fuss about it. However, since her son admitted that the woman was not pregnant, she could not care to persuade the woman to stay home and take care of the children.
“You’re unaware?”
The elderly woman did not believe it. It was such big news; how could the Ji Group’s madam be unaware of this? If she were her, she would be privy to any disturbance, big or small, in her company. She could even find out every detail of who her husband had met, what they had discussed, which restaurant they had gone to, and what they had ordered.
“How could I possibly know? I’m unlike Old Lady Qu, who is a career woman. I’m merely a housewife who only wants to take care of my grandchildren, cook for my son, and help my husband pack his things for travel.”
The other made it sound so normal, but she was still not buying it. A few days ago, her informant told her that this Ji madam had gone to the office and stayed there for an entire day to check the Ji Group’s accounts for the first half of the year.
“You really know how to enjoy life while I don’t.”
She mocked herself. “Even now, I’m working hard with my husband for fear of our company collapsing one day and my granddaughter being left with nothing to tide herself over.”
“Grandma, you’re making me sad here. Why will the company collapse when it has such a strong person like you?” Qu Jingwan’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at her grandmother with reluctance and sadness. “Please don’t say such a heartbreaking thing next time; I can’t bear to hear it.”
She threw herself into her grandmother’s embrace as she hugged the latter tightly. Her sobbing made Madam Ji feel sympathetic, too. Before long, they were no longer discussing if Pei Ge should stay in the company as the grandmother-granddaughter pair acted as though they would be parting for life.
“Lass, your grandma is still very healthy; she won’t be leaving anytime soon.”
She comforted the young lady.
“That’s right; my grandmother is the best; nobody can replace her.” Qu Jingwan nodded. She slowly let go of her grandmother. The tears in her eyes shimmered like pearls. It was moving in its glum.
“Look at you; now, your would-be mother-in-law is teasing you. Nothing happened to me, yet you’re already like this. If something does happen to me , how will you handle it? My precious one, the person I can’t bear to leave the most is you.” Old Lady Qu patted her granddaughter’s head. The heartache in her voice moved Madam Ji, who was sitting at one side.
“Your lass is so sensible; she’ll definitely take care of herself well. Plus, she’s our family now.”
She comforted the two.
“Actually, my granddaughter has talent in business, too. At our company, she often received praises from her superiors and subordinates for being reliable, a fast-learner, and most of all, being caring. Back then, her grandfather’s health wasn’t good; she’s the one taking care of him. Upon hearing that Jingwan has become your son’s fiancée, that husband of mine’s heart ached yet he was delighted. All women wish to find themselves reliable partners to spend the rest of their lives with.”
“What you said is right. When my son comes back tonight, I’ll discuss letting your granddaughter work at the company with him.”
“How embarrassing that is; what if he thinks that my granddaughter is a spy sent to the Ji Group by our family’s company?”
The elderly woman was feeling pleased internally as Ji Ziming’s mother was a lot easier to convince than the man himself. Whether this woman would truly ask her son to let her granddaughter work at the Ji Group or not, she had already gotten hold of her weakness. As long as she had this weakness in her hands, she would definitely always do her granddaughter a favor.
“How is that so? Jingwan is my family’s future daughter-in-law; how is she a spy?”
Madam Ji took a mental note of this upon the elderly woman’s reminder. Her son and Pei Ge were currently settling Red Star’s matters involving an employee leaking trade secrets. Her informant informed her that the culprit had attempted to pull Pei Ge down with him but it was resolved by her son.
“You should be more careful, too; what if Pei Ge is a spy? I heard that she had done very well in the US. She has three children, yet she works like a man in this industry. It can be seen that she isn’t someone simple.”
Old Lady Qu’s words reeked of ulterior motive. Especially a woman like Madam Ji who was safeguarding her family’s enormous fortune, she could definitely detect this. Therefore, how could she possibly believe this old lady’s words?
“Pei Ge is, ultimately, the mother of our family’s precious grandchildren. Even if she’s a spy, I don’t think she’ll target our company. The Ji Group can’t be taken down or defeated by others so easily.”
Her pride was evident in her speech as her son was her pride.
“Does that mean that you’re assured about Pei Ge and not my granddaughter?”
The other was quick to jump on the flaw in her words, thinking that, as long as it involved the Ji Group and her granddaughter succeeded in joining the company, she would have a say.
