“Darling, are you sure about this?”

Though George had planned to stay in China long-term, he was still surprised to hear Ji Ya wanted to relocate her studio back.

George was prejudiced against China, believing it to be closed-off and backward.

If not for his beloved woman, he would never consider living in China long-term.

Her despicable ex-husband had shown no class; unable to reach an agreement about their child, he’d forbidden Ji Ya from leaving the country.

George wanted to take the matter to the embassy but faced fierce opposition from the Ji family.

Now that Ji Ya wanted to move her studio back to China, George had his doubts. In America, Ji Ya was an independent fashion designer with a studio and a reputation. Initially, George had met Ji Ya through friends’ introductions when seeking custom clothing.

With an ocean between America and China, although Ji Ya’s studio had assistants, it would still be inconvenient for her to remotely manage from China.

Moreover, with Ji Ya’s poor mental state and long absence of new work in China, her career stagnated significantly.

Ji Ya knew what George was thinking, “It’s just an experiment. If I can’t leave China for several years, I need something to keep me occupied.”

“No, darling, I’m not opposing you. I’m glad you’re pulling yourself together. If there’s anything I can help with, I’d be delighted!”

Starting a business requires money.

For Ji Ya’s studio to open in China, setting aside whether Chinese consumers could afford it, Ji Ya couldn’t do it alone. The studio needed space, people to handle promotion, and a team to turn designs into clothing!

She originally had a team, all Americans.

George felt that given China’s backwardness, unless for love, the only thing that could attract Ji Ya’s team to China would be higher salaries than in America.

Ji Ya was also frustrated. She had studied various things since childhood. When she first arrived in America, she’d been a piano teacher, and an art broker, and later became interested in fashion design. After studying at a fashion design school, she opened her studio with her boyfriend’s support.

It took several years from founding to profitability.

Later, when the studio made money, Ji Ya spent more than she earned. Without their boyfriend’s support, she certainly couldn’t maintain her high standard of living. Now wanting to move the studio back to China, her savings were less than twenty thousand dollars, and Ji Ya couldn’t start with a small studio—if she was going to do it, it had to be grand.

With George’s tacit agreement, Ji Ya knew this could work.

Unusually conscientious, Ji Ya thought of George having nothing to do in Beijing daily and reminded him: “George, would you like to invest in China?”

“Invest in your studio, we can do this business together—”

“No, I can handle the studio myself. I mean your investments. China now allows foreign investment, particularly in Special Economic Zones, with several cities gradually opening up.”

George thought for a moment, “I’ve discussed it with some embassy friends. They say Pengcheng Special Zone is developing fastest now, but he’s an official there. Would it be appropriate for me to invest in Pengcheng?”

In Ji Ya’s mind, Tang Hongen was already a cold-blooded politician.

He might take out his anger toward her on George.

Seeing Ji Ya’s silence, George shrugged, “Darling, I’m not afraid of anyone. Love and justice will never be defeated. I’m only worried you might mind. If you don’t, I’d like to try. I hear the government treats foreign investors very favorably in Special Zones. I’d like to see if this could influence his thinking.”

Could investment threaten Tang Hongen?

Ji Ya didn’t know George’s wealth, but all her foreign boyfriends had been well-off. After Tang Hongen, Ji Ya wouldn’t choose poor men again.

“Going abroad would be best, of course. George, I know the domestic environment isn’t very suitable for running a studio. Remember that female student from Huaqing? She’s in the clothing business. While pursuing my career, I want to teach her a lesson—”

Before Ji Ya could finish, there was a noise in the living room. Ji Jiangyuan stood there, his basketball dropped to the floor.

It was the weekend, but due to last year’s events, mother and son had grown distant, and Ji Jiangyuan didn’t come home every weekend.

Ji Ya hadn’t expected this either, “You heard everything?”

Ji Jiangyuan was truly disappointed.

“Yes, I heard it all. I’m happy for you about moving the studio back, but your purpose is to teach Xia Xiaolan a lesson… I’m disappointed in you.”

Ji Ya’s never apologizing to Xia Xiaolan led to the conflict between Tang Hongen and the Ji family. Now was a period of false peace, and Ji Jiangyuan cherished this tranquility, even though it cost him a friend. He felt too ashamed to face Xia Xiaolan anymore, actively avoiding her when they occasionally met at school.

Ji Ya sneered, “Ji Jiangyuan, have you forgotten your surname? You remember Xia Xiaolan’s bold words, right? I saw her on TV last night—she made it to the English finals you couldn’t enter! She’s opened two clothing stores, and Huaqing architecture students are inexplicably selling clothes. Can you say this isn’t deliberately targeting me?”

Ji Jiangyuan found it impossible to communicate with his mother.

He had heard from Ning Xue about Xia Xiaolan’s family opening clothing stores.

Xia Xiaolan had chosen this industry before entering university. Ji Jiangyuan had heard her tell how she met Tang Hongen—wasn’t it on a train while heading south to stock merchandise?

At that time, did Xia Xiaolan even know who Ji Ya was?

Even now, Xia Xiaolan probably didn’t know what his mother did abroad—how could she target her? Ji Jiangyuan felt his mother’s persecution complex was worsening:

“I don’t approve. If you insist on doing this, I’ll move out.”

Ji Ya laughed bitterly at her son’s ingratitude: “Go ahead and move out. Now that you have Tang Hongen backing you, if you’re moving out, remember to repay all the money I’ve spent on you over the years!”

With George present, mother and son habitually communicated in English.

George sensed something wrong, seeing Ji Ya’s chest heaving with anger, worried about her emotional state: “You should apologize to your mother. For a single woman to send you to a private high school wasn’t a small expense. What has your biological father ever done for you? You shouldn’t hurt your mother like this!”

Ji Jiangyuan looked at his mother, “…Please prepare a bill for all the money spent on me. I’ll repay it after graduating college. Uncle George, please take care of my mother from now on.”

Ji Jiangyuan took nothing but his fallen basketball as he walked out.

His steps were heavy at first, then gradually quickened until he was almost running back to school, clutching his basketball.

No more branded sportswear.

No more endless pocket money.

And now tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

— But at least he had his freedom!