Princess Feia hadn’t yet gotten a clear look at the little girl smiling at the camera next to Lu Zhi in the photo—
Lu Jinghuai, who had been sitting quietly beside his father without any reaction the entire time, suddenly reached out to grab his phone.
The phone was snatched away, and Lu Zhi paused for a moment before instinctively letting go, saying softly, “Be gentle, your wounds haven’t healed yet.”
Lu Jinghuai’s body was still wrapped in bandages, his wounds in the process of healing.
Every time the bandages were changed, Lu Zhi couldn’t bear to look.
But Lu Jinghuai seemed not to hear, or rather, his attention was entirely captured by the person on the screen, as if no sounds from the outside world could reach him.
Ignoring the left half of the photo, the little girl on the right was wearing a white lace sleeveless top, her black hair braided, smiling at the camera.
The lighting in the photo was excellent, with a beam of light falling on her face, making her emerald-green eyes sparkle with fragments of light, so clear and bright that they made all the jade he owned seem like mere imitations.
“Father, who is she?”
Lu Zhi, who was trying to get his son to let go and check if his wounds were bleeding, suddenly looked up at him upon hearing this.
Feeling as if he might be hallucinating, he turned to Princess Feia, who was on the video call.
“Darling, am I hearing things? Did our son just speak?”
Princess Feia looked at this beautiful yet scatterbrained man with affection, replying gently, “Darling, I don’t think it’s your imagination.”
“Because I heard it too.”
Lu Zhi’s thin eyelids instantly flushed, as if stained with rouge.
During this period, he had always thought that Lu Jinghuai refused to speak because he hated him.
Hated him for not spending enough time with him, hated him for not rescuing him sooner.
So Lu Zhi had changed his habit of doing everything himself, delegating most of his work to subordinates and spending a lot of time with his son every day, even though Lu Jinghuai mostly ignored him.
After so long, the child had finally spoken, even calling him “Father.” If he hadn’t been afraid of hurting Lu Jinghuai, he would have hugged him tightly.
Not receiving a response, Lu Jinghuai repeated his question, this time shifting his gaze away from the screen.
“Father, who is she?”
At this age, children’s voices often have an androgynous quality, and perhaps because he hadn’t spoken for so long, his voice was a bit hoarse and rough, but his words were clear.
Seeing his son so curious that he was even speaking, Lu Zhi naturally didn’t want to keep him waiting. “She’s the one we were just talking about with Mom.”
“She’s Uncle Ji’s daughter, her name is Ji Nian.”
“Last time, she personally came to deliver the antidote that saved your life.”
Having gotten his answer, Lu Jinghuai lowered his eyes. His eyelashes, which had been completely corroded before, had grown back, fluffy like a pair of golden fans.
He knew.
Twice now.
Last time, underground, it was also her who had saved him.
Reaching out with his bandaged hand, he touched the emerald-green eyes on the screen, and suddenly, Lu Jinghuai smiled.
His silver-gray eyes curved, those deep, god-kissed eyes that had been clouded with melancholy for so long now seemed to have been washed clean by snow, revealing their original hue.
“Father, Mother, is the equipment that can speed up my healing ready?”
Though young, the child spoke with a maturity beyond his years. His silver-gray eyes, after that brief smile, returned to their usual calm demeanor.
With his naturally deep eye sockets and thick lashes, he had a somewhat hazy, ethereal quality.
Still at the age where he needed a stool to reach the toilet, he wasn’t quite handsome yet, but there was something irresistibly endearing about him, making one want to scoop him up into their arms.
“But Ah-Huai, using that will be very painful.”
While the current healing process was slow, it was steady. Using the equipment would make the child both itchy and in pain.
So Lu Zhi had been hesitating these past few days.
Lu Jinghuai shook his head lightly. “It’s fine.”
Lu Zhi was about to say more when Princess Feia suddenly spoke up. “If he wants to do it, let him.”
Then, turning to Lu Jinghuai, she added, “Ah-Huai, once you make this decision, no matter the outcome, you can’t complain, because it’s your own choice.”
“Of course.”
“But if it becomes too much, you have the right to stop at any time.”
Two pairs of silver-gray eyes, similar yet distinct, met.
Lu Jinghuai nodded first. “I understand, Mother.”
Then he turned to Lu Zhi. “Father, can I have this photo?”
“Of course, my dear.”
Lu Zhi immediately had someone print it out.
It was as if the previous aloofness and silence had been an illusion. In a short time, the child seemed to have returned to his old self, as if nothing had ever happened.
Lu Jinghuai, with his gentle yet hoarse voice, said to the servant, “Please cut it for me. I want the right side.”
Lu Zhi, who was on the left side of the photo: “……”
Good news: The son finally spoke.
Bad news: He’s talking too much, and it’s a bit infuriating.
As Lu Zhi left Lu Jinghuai’s room, half of the gloom in his heart dissipated.
The other half was due to his partner’s prolonged absence. Though he knew she was busy, he couldn’t help but worry that in the palace—a place tainted by Reid, who had no regard for gender—some shameless vixen might try to seduce his wife.
Just the thought of it made Lu Zhi’s amorous peach-blossom eyes fill with a layer of dark energy.
No, he had to find time to go there himself.
It wouldn’t hurt to help clean up the remnants of Reid’s faction in the palace, right?
With that thought, Lu Zhi quickly made a decision.
Just as he was about to put away his phone, he suddenly remembered something important.
He made another call.
Soon, Lu Zhi received what he wanted.
A solo photo of Ji Nian.
Ten minutes later.
It was printed into a poster and hung in a prominent spot in the Lu household, visible as soon as one entered the door.
The little girl, dressed in a yellow chick outfit, stood on a step with her hands on her hips, looking down at the camera with an air of supreme confidence, her youthful face exuding an “I’m the boss” attitude.
Looking up at the enormous, high-definition poster of Ji Nian, Lu Zhi nodded in satisfaction, giving it a slight bow.
“Dear Ji Nian, please continue to take care of my son’s physical and mental well-being.”
Jessica, who was helping, asked, “Boss, I heard that in Chinese tradition, you’re supposed to set up an altar, burn incense, and offer sacrifices.”
Lu Zhi waved his hand. “That’s for honoring the dead.”
Though he wasn’t an expert, he knew that messing around without understanding could lead to trouble.
Jessica: So using her as a door guardian is fine?
Looking up again at the poster of the black-haired, green-eyed chick girl above—
Jessica: “……”
Boss, you really know how to live.
...
Ji Nian was on her way to Class 5, wanting to find her classmate Yang Xinyu and ask him to stop leaving things on her desk.
There was too much, and she couldn’t finish it all. Not only was it wasteful, but it also affected the other students.
But just as she reached the door, she suddenly shivered.
[Ugh… what’s going on? It feels like something is projecting onto me from far away.]
The sensation gave her goosebumps.
