Ji Yawei froze for a moment.

She had declared early on that she would handle the bank loan repayment herself, without George’s help.

Although George had always opposed the loan, he hadn’t been as cold-hearted as his words suggested and still wanted to help repay it… This was the George that Ji Yawei knew, and her resentment softened somewhat:

“Three million in profit? Tang Hongen has gone completely insane trying to help his newly married country woman, giving such a huge sum of money to that woman’s brother… George, why are you panicking? You’re the one in charge of the golf course project. There’s no way he can complete this project smoothly!”

During the renovation process, there were countless ways to cause trouble. Ji Yawei believed she could kick Liu Yong’s company out at any time.

If they could make Liu Yong breach the contract, they could even make him lose money instead of profiting!

George showed little interest.

Ji Yawei was focused solely on revenge, but what good would it do to make Yuanhui lose money?

George’s own renovation company needed to make money!

Originally, buying this company was meant to make Ji Yawei happy. George hadn’t expected it would become his largest source of income in China.

“Darling, we need to have a serious talk. For the past few months, we’ve been lacking communication. You’re in Beijing while I’m in Pengcheng. Do you think this is how normal married couples live?”

George had a completely American mindset.

Married couples should live together. He didn’t understand that in China, many couples lived apart in different cities due to work assignments and various other reasons! In America, only couples facing divorce would “live separately.”

People might be busy with work during the day, but at night they should return to the same home, with the intimacy between spouses surpassing that between parents and children.

Just like his parents, who still vacation together in their sixties – this was the family model George was familiar with!

Ji Yawei felt a headache coming on. “George, I thought you were supportive of my career. Initially, you encouraged me to move my studio back to China and establish my brand. Now is a crucial period for my business. Elegance is opening stores nationwide, and I need to personally inspect each location… But this is temporary, at most another year or two. No, it won’t even take that long! After the golf course project ends in six months, you won’t need to stay in Pengcheng anymore, and we can live together like a normal couple!”

Compared to couples who lived apart for years, Ji Yawei felt her situation with George was temporary and would be resolved soon.

George’s frown didn’t ease:

“After the golf project is completed in six months, I still want… OK, I can agree with you on this issue, but I hope you can accompany me to America soon.”

Ji Yawei showed some resistance: “Elegance is at a crucial development stage, and you want me to go abroad at this time?”

Previously, it was Tang Hongen who prevented her from returning to America; now it was Ji Yawei herself who didn’t want to go.

George ran his fingers through his hair:

“If you had been willing to spend some time developing a relationship with my parents regularly, we wouldn’t need to go back to America now. We’ve lacked communication for months – do you understand my current financial situation? I need this bid to succeed because my trust fund was frozen two months ago!”

Now Ji Yawei truly lost any appetite for dinner with Sheng Xuan.

“Frozen?!”

Once established, trust assets are separated from the trustor, trustee, or beneficiary’s property, becoming independently operated assets that cannot be used for debt repayment, liquidation, or bankruptcy.

George was the trust fund’s beneficiary.

Was the trustor George’s father?

Ji Yawei had never bothered to clarify these matters. Others thought she was with George for money, but she had never lacked funds herself, so she never investigated the specific composition of George’s assets.

She truly didn’t understand George’s financial situation. Given China’s current price levels, George’s annual income was more than they could spend anyway.

He gave her money to open the studio, hold fashion shows, and establish the Elegance brand.

When George bought the Hong Kong renovation company and made other small investments in Pengcheng, he never showed signs of being short on money.

Until now, when George said his trust fund was frozen, Ji Yawei felt somewhat dazed.

“Why was it frozen? Was it your parents?”

George looked at her quietly, “Yes, they want me to return to America.”

Parents worldwide use similar methods to deal with disobedient children – if you won’t listen, then you won’t get money!

Besides the trust fund, George had some assets of his own in America. Whether he needed to liquidate some assets would depend on how this trip to America went.

Perhaps the room’s air conditioning was too strong, as Ji Yawei felt cold on her arms and neck.

What did George mean by saying such things in front of her?

Was it his parents’ intention, or his thoughts…

Ji Yawei wanted to slam the door and leave, but she knew that if she lost her temper this time, her relationship with George would be irreparable!

She didn’t love George that much, but she couldn’t leave him right now.

Unless a man with better conditions than George appeared, separating from George would surely make her the laughingstock of many people.

The Ji family wouldn’t agree, and there were those waiting to mock her, like Tang Hongen, Liu Fen, and people like Xia Xiaolan.

“Fine, I’ll go to America with you. If your parents froze the trust fund because they don’t like me, I’ll handle it, whether through an apology or other means!”

George stepped forward and embraced Ji Yawei:

“I’m sorry, I was too serious just now. This is my pressure, but now I’m making you share it. But I’m happy, happy that you’re willing to accompany me back to America to solve these problems together. You’ve compromised for me, so I should do what a husband should do. Would you like me to accompany you to dinner with Sheng tonight?”

Ji Yawei nodded.

If George had been this agreeable earlier, she would have been very happy.

Now this remedy felt somewhat lacking.

After all, George used to accommodate her unconditionally, but now everything required an exchange.

Yuanhui winning the bid, George’s financial crisis, her having to go to America to please her in-laws – so many things had happened in succession, and each one made Ji Yawei unhappy!

…

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t particularly happy either.

Just as she was planning to return to New York, she spotted that old rogue Ivan Wilson again.

This time, he didn’t appear alone – his wife, Mrs. Wilson, was with him.

Old Ivan and his wife arrived in Washington from Switzerland one after another. On the surface, they seemed to be causing trouble for Harold because of their son George.

George losing a renovation project was a minor issue, but it revealed Harold’s inclination to break some promise agreements made with Ivan last year.

This was probably what old Ivan couldn’t tolerate.

Xia Xiaolan had just received a call from Pengcheng – her uncle said Yuanhui had successfully won the bid, and the process was so smooth it seemed like Yuanhui had been pre-selected. He called specifically to share the good news, though Liu Yong was also somewhat uneasy, worried that such an easy victory might be poisoned.

Just as Xia Xiaolan finished reassuring her uncle, the Wilson couple came to find her!