A Beijing socialite stole my boyfriend; she went crazy after I got married.

She couldn't quite describe her feelings; joy, bittersweetness, and shock all welled up within her at once.

Jiang Chu's heart couldn't help but race.

Considering her boyfriend's usual behavior, this answer doesn't seem surprising.

However, hearing him say it in person still made her happy.

Joy surged up like bubbles from the bottom of a hot spring, making me feel as if I were floating.

"...However, there are still some things that need to be taken care of first."

Xie Jing said in a deep voice.

"The asset structure and external stakeholders involved on my side are very complex. Establishing a reasonable legal separation framework before marriage isn't about avoiding anything, but rather ensuring that everything under her name is clean and independent—"

The man lowered his gaze and landed on the girl he was holding in his arms, his eyes softening slightly.

"Tianyu's current scale is attracting too much attention in the market. I don't want any fluctuations at the company level to affect her."

Xie Jing's voice was calm and his expression was also unperturbed.

These words were clearly not spoken on a whim.

He probably thought about it a long time ago.

Jiang Chu realized this.

"...But I won't let that happen. I just want to plug all the loopholes that can be prevented in advance."

As Xie Jing spoke, he looked down at her and gently squeezed the girl's shoulder with his large hand. "Don't worry."

Jiang Chu leaned against him.

These words seem to be addressed to the future mother-in-law, but in reality, they are also being spoken to oneself.

Sigrid paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."

She took a sip of water. "Is your niece still alive?"

Jiang Chu immediately turned her head to look.

This is clearly a question directed at Xie Qingyang.

Moreover, judging from her tone, Sigrid clearly doesn't like Xie Qingyang very much.

Xie Jing nodded slightly, seemingly unwilling to say more.

Jiang Chu hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

"What," Sigrid glanced at her, "you know her?"

"...Not very familiar," Jiang Chu said hesitantly. "What about you?"

"We met once many years ago," Sigrid said casually, "when I went to Devil's Tower for a competition."

That's a climbing mecca in Wyoming, known for its extremely steep basalt fissures.

"After it was over, I passed through the city where she lived and went to visit her. It turned out she thought I was a new fitness instructor—"

Sigrid said calmly, "Guess what she said?"

Jiang Chu blinked. "...Considering that she rejects your son for various reasons, I guess she might be a little scared?"

"She said she didn't want to do strength training lately, that she didn't like my aura, but she'd have the housekeeper settle the fees owed to me for the lessons. Then she said 'Thank you for coming'—you know, in that context, that means 'you can get lost,' right?"

Jiang Chu nodded silently.

"Enginn styrkur, ekkert þol, bara tómur hroki."

Sigrid muttered, "Looks even more..." than her grandfather.

Then came another string of foreign languages ​​that I couldn't understand.

She seemed to want to say a few more words, but her phone vibrated, so the woman stood up and pointed to the quiet, open space outside the training area.

"Wait a moment."

After saying that, she strode outside, answered the call, and switched to fluent English.

Jiang Chu watched the tall, retreating figure, then turned her head. "...The strength training coach?"

If Xie Qingyang mistook Sigrid for the coach, it means that such a coach should appear.

"Xie Qingyang was panting heavily after climbing just two flights of stairs," Jiang Chu whispered. "I saw it with my own eyes when I went out to dinner with them before. Did she actually do this kind of training?"

Xie Jing shook his head slightly, "We had a similar plan back then, but it didn't work out in the end. We just played ball occasionally."

Jiang Chu remained silent. "What did your mother mean by what she just said?"

"Those who complain that my father is stupid?"

"No, I meant Xie Qingyang's line."

"...No strength, no endurance, only empty arrogance."

Xie Jing said calmly.

He naturally wouldn't comment on his mother's statement. Sigrid had her own set of standards, and in her eyes, the former chairman of Tianyu Group was just a fool.

Let alone others.

Jiang Chu hesitated for a long time before asking, "...Since she dislikes your father so much, why was she willing to have a child with him?"

"Because it was an accident from the start." Xie Jing sighed. "After the old man and Ms. Lei divorced, for certain reasons, they never announced it to the public, and everyone in the domestic circle thought their engagement was still valid."

"Um?"

"So he naturally wouldn't go too far in China. When he went to Northern Europe for business, he met my mother while passing through Iceland. They spent a few days together. According to my mother, the old man was quite good-looking back then."

Jiang Chu understood.

"Lust at first sight?" she asked. "Since your mother hates marriage, is it just about having fun with people?"

Xie Jing nodded helplessly, "She has always had a difficult time getting pregnant, so... after finding out she was pregnant, she wanted to keep the baby."

Jiang Chu nodded slowly.

Xie Jing studied her expression for a moment. "Is there anything you want to say?"

"What are you talking about?" Jiang Chu shrugged. "It's pretty normal. Don't even mention your dad's divorce. Before my parents divorced, they both had other people outside of marriage. Reality isn't a fairy tale."

Both her parents before and after her time travel were like this, the only difference being that her parents in the past treated her better than her current parents.

Xie Jing knew about her family situation, and upon hearing this, he simply hugged her tighter and said, "...Mm."

Jiang Chu quickly sorted things out in her mind.

Xie Sen's eldest son, Xie Rong, is in poor health, suffering from a terminal illness that will shorten his lifespan. He learns, however, that his former casual sex partner or short-term lover has a child—

And since they are very healthy, it's hard not to be tempted.

Jiang Chu turned his head and looked at the club's founder information hanging on the wall.

A photo of Sigrid when she was about forty years old—she stands on a rock face in a mountain, one hand gripping a crevice, looking back at the camera with a calm expression and sharp eyes.

The photo has a rough texture; it's not a professionally retouched commercial photo, but more like a frame from a documentary.

The line below:

Your body is the only asset that will never go bankrupt.

...established the first functional physical training center in Reykjavik, specializing in serving extreme athletes.

...The brand was officially registered as "ICEFORM" and began to expand beyond the professional athlete community.

...With strategic investment, it launched a global flagship store expansion plan, now covering more than 20 countries and regions around the world.

Jiang Chu's gaze swept over those time periods.

—My verification record:

IFSC International Climbing Athlete Certification / Completed the Iceland F-Trail Ultra Trail / Summited Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc, and Lhotse (8,516m)

Jiang Chu: "Thank you, Jing!"

Xie Jing lowered his head. "What's wrong?"

Jiang Chu looked at him in disbelief, "You're the son of a legendary rock climbing master, and you even had a rock climbing competition with me before! My God!"

Xie Jing: "..."

Xie Jing was both amused and exasperated. "I do exercise a lot, but the time I spend on rock climbing is really very limited, and I returned to China when I was five years old."

Jiang Chu hesitated for two seconds, then asked, "Five years old?"

"Yes, the old man actually wanted me to come back sooner," Xie Jing said in a low voice, "but she insisted on keeping me until I could understand human speech, so that I could choose for myself."

Jiang Chu lowered her voice, "...Did you really know what you chose at five years old?"

Xie Jing was silent for a while. "I vaguely remember that day. She asked me if I went to a very far place. I might face a lot of trouble, but I would also get something she couldn't give me."

Peninga.Áhrif.Fyrirtæki.

Kannski —

heilt veldi.

Wealth. Influence. Group.

Maybe--

An empire.

She said, "But no one will just give you these things. You have to fight for them yourself. You might fail. You might get hurt. You might even die."

Many years ago, he sat by the window watching the snowflakes fall outside and asked his mother what would happen if he stayed behind.

"Then you'll grow up here."

"It was said by a woman in the prime of her life."

"Mountain climbing. Skiing. Maybe I'll become some kind of athlete. I'm doing very well."

He looked up at his mother.

If you were me, what would you choose?

He asked this question.

Sigrid said without hesitation that she would choose the most dangerous path.

So he gave the same answer.

"...Then we can't see each other every day anymore, and I can no longer know what you're going through and help you with the problems you encounter."

She stroked his head.

"But if one day you feel you've had enough and don't want to continue, just call me and I'll take you home."