IMGH Chapter 44

A Rocky Road to Love

Qiu Rui unconsciously furrowed his brow, then quickly returned to his usual cool composure. “I never would have thought you actually knew how to trade stocks.”

“I don’t know anything about trading stocks!” Jiang Yi scratched his head, figuring that Qiu Rui must have overheard his conversation with Jiang Mingxuan just now. He explained, “I was worried she’d panic, so I took the money and gave it to a few friends who do investments.”

“Mingxuan has always had poor emotional resilience. If she really lost that much money, who knows what extreme thing she might do.”

Jiang Yi muttered to himself, completely indifferent to whether Qiu Rui responded.

And Qiu Rui had no intention of responding. The confrontation from the other day had given him a new understanding of Jiang Yi.

This man kept changing — at times dull, at times brooding, at times wild, at times arrogant, at times tender, at times shameless…

This man had too many faces, so many that Qiu Rui couldn’t tell which one was truly him.

Perhaps none of them were, or perhaps all of them were…

Qiu Rui, who had always prided himself on being able to read people, felt a faint, unfamiliar panic rising in him for the first time.

It was the first time he couldn’t see through someone clearly — and yet this very person kept provoking him right up to the edge of his limits.

He absolutely could not lose that bet. Losing to someone like this would be the greatest humiliation of his life.

“Qiu Rui, what happened to Mingxuan’s company — that was your doing, wasn’t it.”

Jiang Yi’s low, weighted voice cut through Qiu Rui’s thoughts.

Qiu Rui met Jiang Yi’s bright, piercing gaze and said calmly, “I don’t need to report my business to you.”

Jiang Yi crossed his arms over his chest and stared steadily at Qiu Rui. “We’re partners right now. There are things I need to know.”

“Fine — then there’s nothing left to discuss. The partnership is over.” Jiang Yi leaned against the wall with a relaxed ease that irritated Qiu Rui all the more.

Jiang Yi understood Qiu Rui well enough. He knew that Qiu Rui already had a complete plan in place — and that he himself was the key piece. Qiu Rui needed his help to turn things around. So he had no fear of being refused.

And sure enough, Qiu Rui agreed.

His expression was filled with suppressed fury, his eyes flickering with a dangerous, razor-sharp light — but none of it made Jiang Yi flinch.

He continued to hold Qiu Rui’s gaze with perfect composure, his eyes even carrying a trace of quiet smugness.

“Tell me your reasoning. How did you know I was behind all of this?”

Qiu Rui forced the anger down and let his expression settle back into its cool, unreadable calm. He couldn’t afford to lose his footing first. The battle between him and Jiang Yi had long since gone beyond the bet — it was now about who could break the other.

Male pride and sheer arrogance had turned this into a war thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Jiang Yi shrugged. “It wasn’t hard to guess. I’ve already met with Mr. Han, so naturally I had a thorough picture of the Qiu family and the company’s current situation. If this had really been the work of that new chairman Mingxuan mentioned — the one brought in to replace you — he’d have to be a fool to leak information this damaging to himself before he’d even officially taken over. With rumors like these stirring things up, the company’s core people have probably all started looking for greener pastures, haven’t they?”

Qiu Rui was satisfied with Jiang Yi’s answer. He had to admit that this man was not nearly as foolish as he had imagined.

“Your guess was right. I had Chengcheng take care of it.”

“And what do you need me to do next?”

“In a few days, all you need to do is arrange another meeting with Han Yuancheng. Beyond that, it’s none of your concern.”

Jiang Yi understood perfectly. Qiu Rui didn’t want him getting too involved.

“Jiang Yi, what are you doing shut up in this room?”

The door swung open and Xiao Wenya walked in. “What are you muttering to yourself about?”

Jiang Yi grumbled, “Mom, why do you just walk into my room without knocking?”

“What’s the big deal? I’m your mother — there’s nothing about you I haven’t seen.” Xiao Wenya waved a dismissive hand. “Hurry up and change your clothes. Come out with me.”

He was reluctantly dragged into the elevator by Xiao Wenya, and Jiang Yi pulled a long face. “Mom, I’m still sick, you know. How can you have the heart to drag me around like this?”

Xiao Wenya poked her son on the forehead and lectured, “I’m doing this for your own good! You have to at least look presentable when you’re meeting a young lady!”

“What?” Jiang Yi yelped. “Mom, who are we meeting?”

“Don’t you play dumb with me, young man.” Xiao Wenya’s pretty face turned stern as she shot him a sideways look.

Jiang Yi felt deeply miserable.

The only reason he had agreed to this blind date in the first place was because Jiang Mingxuan had repeatedly assured him it would just be going through the motions — apparently her friend had very high standards, and ordinary men rarely caught her eye.

Otherwise, Jiang Yi would never have gone along with it.

His relationship with Qiu Rui was already nearly at freezing point. With a blind date thrown into the mix, winning Qiu Rui over was going to be harder than ever. He had once boasted confidently and made a bet, swearing that within half a year he would win both Qiu Rui’s heart and soul. Thinking back on it now, Jiang Yi felt he had truly been far too sure of himself back then.

The road to love is paved with hardship, Jiang Yi lamented silently.