"Surname Shen?"
In Wei Yang's anxious gaze, Chen Mo recounted the events that had just taken place outside.
After listening, Ji Tingzhou's expression subtly changed.
There was no need to ask why Chen Mo was so certain. The fact that he brought it up in front of Ji Tingzhou meant it had been verified and confirmed.
Nevertheless, Ji Tingzhou would personally investigate the matter further.
Shen Rushan's unexpected death left no will behind, and Ji Tingzhou knew that Shen had been searching for his parents all these years, never giving up.
Given the vastness of the country and the limited clues, Ji Tingzhou had resigned himself to the idea of passing on this mission to Ji Nian once he reached the most charming age of his life and then died.
Don't ask why it had to be the most charming age—the answer being that he didn’t want to end up old and unable to control his bodily functions.
"Yes, but at the time, I didn't reveal anything about Shen Rushan to them," Chen Mo admitted.
This was understandable, as Chen Mo and the Ji family were once sworn enemies.
"Do you need my help to make contact?" Chen Mo inquired.
If the information turned out to be true, Ji Tingzhou found himself less annoyed with Chen Mo.
At least Chen Mo was useful in this instance.
"This is a matter for the Ji family," Ji Tingzhou replied.
However, detailed information still needed to be provided by Chen Mo.
And so, after years of being at odds with Ji Tingzhou, Chen Mo found himself, for the first time, staying for dinner at the Ji residence.
Regarding the matter of Shen Rushan, Zhiliao decided to handle it personally, without delegating, and took the information provided by Chen Mo to verify it.
Knowing she was going out, Ji Nian was full of concern.
"Sister Zhiliao, be careful on the road, and don't talk to strangers. When you're out, stay aloof. If someone asks for directions, recharges, loans, or even tries to get you to buy them a meal, they're likely human traffickers. In such situations, always direct them to the police—not a delicate beauty like you."
A passing servant briefly glanced at Zhiliao, who exuded an "unapproachable" aura, her face marred by a frightening scar, and her black eyes resembling those of a walking dead.
"...…"
Where exactly was the softness?
A cold fact: Zhiliao could pummel Wei Yang into submission—a one-sided victory.
A colder fact: Both Ji Tingzhou and Wei Yang were taught by Zhiliao.
And now, there’s Ji Nian as well.
As Ji Nian spoke, she stuffed snacks into Zhiliao’s pockets, afraid she might go hungry.
Zhiliao patted her bulging pockets and reached out to ruffle Ji Nian’s hair. "I'll be back soon."
"During my absence, the training mustn't be neglected. I'll check on you when I return."
Ji Nian nodded, assuring her that she wouldn’t slack off.
Previously, Ji Nian had been lured by Zhiliao’s charm into learning from her, much to the chagrin of the once lab-bound introvert.
However, she soon realized the benefits: Now, Ji Nian could run 800 meters without gasping for breath, easily surpassing other children in speed and endurance.
"I'm leaving now."
Zhiliao didn't wear the rose hairpin given by Ji Nian, but she did use the wrist guards the child had gifted her.
The black wrist guards featured a crookedly stitched little rose in the bottom right corner—a product of Ji Nian’s handcraft class.
Using the excuse of embracing Zhiliao, Ji Nian slipped a small bottle into her hand, whispering, "If you encounter danger, splash this in the other person's face."
Zhiliao's eyes flickered, recognizing it as the child’s secret weapon. With a quick move of her wrist, she pocketed it without a trace, nodding silently to indicate she understood.
As she watched Ji Nian so sweetly affectionate with Zhiliao, Chen Mo glanced at Ji Tingzhou.
"Nian Nian gets along well with her," he remarked.
Ji Tingzhou was savoring his dinner and, without looking up, replied, "Better than with you."
Normally, Chen Mo would have retorted, but this time, he remained silent.
This caught Ji Tingzhou’s attention, and he glanced at Chen Mo briefly.
Ji Tingzhou’s keen senses told him that the recent events had possibly instilled some self-doubt in Chen Mo.
Perhaps Chen Mo had hidden the information earlier out of fear of being disliked by Ji Nian.
Ji Tingzhou wasn’t the least bit interested in their dynamic, secretly hoping for a rift between Ji Nian and Chen Mo.
When Ji Nian returned, seeing the amicable atmosphere at the table, she relaxed.
She had been worried the two might start a fight.
Taking her seat, Ji Nian noticed Chen Mo’s barely touched dish and assumed he didn’t like it.
[He used to wolf down vegetable leaves like a rabbit though.]
Even stealing meat from her plate at times.
Glancing around the table, she spotted the salmon with avocado not far from her.
Ji Nian picked up the plate and placed it in front of Chen Mo.
She remembered a previous meal shared with Chen Mo, where he had eaten several servings of the salmon dish, unlike other dishes that he barely touched.
Seeing Ji Nian place the dish in front, Chen Mo was taken aback.
Initially puzzled, he quickly recalled a prior meal with Ji Nian, where he found other dishes oily and had eaten more of this one.
Unbeknownst to him, Ji Nian had remembered and assumed he liked it.
Ji Nian’s observational skills were truly outstanding. She could accurately recall the names of people she met once and could meticulously remember details even he hadn’t noticed in seemingly ordinary moments.
She was truly a remarkable child.
Chen Mo was in no mood to eat, but Ji Nian’s gesture sparked his appetite.
"Thank you, Nian Nian. I really enjoy this."
Ji Nian blushed, scratching her face.
Chen Mo always expressed gratitude earnestly for even small favors, making Ji Nian feel slightly embarrassed.
At the other end, Ji Tingzhou suddenly put down his chopsticks.
Ji Nian quickly turned, immediately warning, "Dad, don't you dare drink the wine Uncle brought. I'll be checking on it."
Ji Tingzhou: "………"
Did he really seem that tempted?
Hearing Ji Nian address him as "Uncle" again, Chen Mo felt a swell of joy, and his appetite improved further.
After warning him, Ji Nian brought up another matter: "Dad, should we tell Tang Tang about Uncle Shen?"
She wasn’t particularly familiar with Shen Rushan, having only gathered fragmented information over the years from Wei Yang and Zhiliao.
Compared to Shen Rushan, she was more concerned about Shen Qingtang.
If these indeed turned out to be Shen Rushan’s parents, what would Shen Qingtang do? After so many years, she didn’t even know what the family environment had become.
Would anyone attempt to exploit Shen Qingtang’s current status, posing as relatives with ulterior motives?
Ji Nian was most concerned about such situations, fearing that Shen Qingtang’s personality traits—charismatic and subtly performative—might regress.
As the leading lady, Ji Nian couldn’t help but anticipate the worst.
Ji Tingzhou watched her worried little face, wondering where her worrying nature had come from.
"When she returns, you can call her over, and I’ll talk to her," Ji Tingzhou said.
The authenticity of the information was likely around eighty percent. Whether true or false, Shen Qingtang needed to be prepared.
Moreover, she had grown up, and it was time to inform her that she might have other relatives in the world.
"We also need to be wary of anyone approaching her with malicious intent," Ji Nian added, seemingly reading Ji Tingzhou’s thoughts.
It was unclear who was supposed to be Shen Qingtang’s legal guardian.
With a nonchalant attitude, Ji Tingzhou simply said, "You handle this."
Amidst his earlier comment about Ji Nian's excessive worrying, here he was, throwing the responsibility onto her.
