Ji Shao An couldn't stand the news he was reading on his daughter's phone. He angrily tosses the phone on the coffee table and massages his forehead.
"Hua-Er, are you sure this news is accurate? There has never been any scandal about Lu Tian with any women, what if someone purposely photoshopped all these pictures and sent them to the media?"
Seated across from her father, Ji Chu Hua's mind was also in a chaotic mess with the news. She raises her hand and bit her nails as she ponders.
She had woken up because her phone was ringing non-stop but knowing how Gu Ting Fei's temper if his beauty sleep is disturbed, she forces herself awake to turn her phone off. However, just when she was about to turn her phone off, she was the notifications and messages on her screen.
Even she was in denial about everything she was reading.
As she thought back to this event, she bit her lower lip then looks at her father.
"I have a friend who words at Beauty. I will call her and ask to confirm this news.
Her friend is Beauty's publicist. From what she knows, Beauty was the first to release the news about Yue Ling and Lu Tian's relationship.
Ji Shao An nods his head when he heard her words. He relaxes a little and inhales a deep breath.
"That'd good to hear. The Lu family may have a close relationship with Grandfather Ji, but I doubt the relationship between Lu Tian and Han Yue Ling is true."
Although Yue Ling is Grandfather Ji's real granddaughter and the owner of both De L'amour and An Qing, she does not know anything outside of the fashion industry.
Compare to Ji Chu Hua's long years of understanding the situations that go on within Ji Corps, Yue Ling by far inferior.
Not only that, but many people in Ji Corps support his daughter and find her more appropriate for the chairman position.
However, that was before this sudden news surfaced.
If it's true about Yue Ling and Lu Tian's relationship, Ji Chu Hua's chance at becoming chairman will drop drastically. Yue Ling not only has the backing of Grandfather Ji, but she also has Lu Tian and the Lu family on her side.
Once Ji Corps' board members get a hold of this knowledge, they will not hesitate to switch sides and try to curry favor towards Yue Ling.
Thinking these haywire thoughts, he heaves a long sigh and looks at his daughter. Seeing her lost in her own thoughts too, he sighs again. However, remembering someone, his eyes lit up with hope.
"What about Ning Xingyu? Is he still on our side? Wasn't it said that he didn't get along with Lu Tian? If we can keep him our side, there is a chance that you can take over Ji Corps."
Ji Chu Hua awoke from her thoughts and scoffs at her father's words. She sneers in annoyance and raises her hand to flick her hair back.
"Don't even mention his name again. Since his sister committed suicide, he's been nothing but a nuisance now."
She spoke as he had wronged her, but in truth, she had been calling him nonstop. However, he never once picked up any of her calls or replied to her e-mails. She thought he was depressed and grieving over Ning Mei's death, but she saw him the other day when she went to meet Gu Ting Fei at Imperial Hotel.
It was then that she learned, the man had been going around fooling with different women and his company was slowly falling apart.
Whether it was because Lu Corps terminated their contract with TB Corps or some kind of guilt inside Ning Xingyu, she can't get involved with him anymore.
Taking a deep breath, Ji Chu Hua erases all her memories with Ning Xingyu. She looks at her father and smiles softly.
"Don't worry, father. Even without Ning Xingyu on our side, I have another way of making sure Han Yue Ling doesn't take one step inside Ji Corps."
Ji Shao An was washed with a wave of panic when he heard that Ning Xingyu wasn't on their side anymore. However, when he heard her words to not worry, he looks at her with lit eyes.
"You have a plan? Tell me, what is it?"
Seeing the eagerness in his eyes, Ji Chu Hua's smile curls up until it reached her eyes. She calmly raises on hand and looks at her manicure.
"The other day, I stopped by the Ji Mansion to talk to the old man, but he was not at home. I didn't get to speak with him, but I was able to find something that will help us."
She looks up at her father again and one glance was all it took for her to read his mind. Her smile widens with a malicious light in her eyes.
"I would tell you, but if I did, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore."
She leans forward to pick up her phone and stood up from the sofa.
"Don't worry about what I have planned. I'll make sure that Yue Ling doesn't get a chance at becoming the chairman. I'll also make sure that she knows her place and know what it is like to compete with a Ji."
Her words fell with confidence and she walks in the direction of the stairs to go up.
Yue Ling may have blood connections to the Ji family, but at the end of the day, her surname is Han and not Ji.
Unlike her (Yue Ling), she (Ji Chu Hua) has the surname Ji and not another surname.
As she walks up the stairs, she unlocks her phone and presses a number she saved on speed dial. Putting the phone near her ear, she listens as the phone rings and continues to walk to her bedroom.
After the third ring, the line connects, and a man's lethargic voice can be heard from the other line.
["What do you want?"]
Ji Chu Hua was baffled by the man's way of answering, but she enters her bedroom and shut the door. She walks to the balcony connected in her room and sits down on a lounge chair.
"Let's meet at the usual place."
Her words fell and the call goes silent. However, it was only for a few seconds when the man on the other line spoke again.
["1 pm. Don't be late."]
The call ends before Ji Chu Hua could even respond. She lowers her hand and scoffs at the phone like the man was standing in front of her.
She places the phone down on a glass table nearby then reaches for a cigarette. She lights the end tip and inhales a mouthful of tobacco before casually blowing the smoke out.
"Han Yue Ling, ah, Han Yue Ling."
She leans back on the lounge chair and crosses her right leg over the left leg. She stares out at the view of Imperial's heart in the distance and one corner of her lip arcs up.
"I will never let you take what is rightfully mine."
