After school, He Xiang lingered for a while and finally got a chance to talk to Ji Nian.
"...If you run away from home, do you have somewhere to go?"
Seeing that it was He Xiang who had initiated the conversation, Ji Nian's eyes flickered.
"Yeah, I'll stay at my uncle's place."
Hearing that Ji Nian had a place to go, He Xiang felt both relieved and a little disappointed.
"Oh, that's good."
After saying that, he turned and walked away.
Ji Nian thought he was just being casually concerned and thought to herself that this kid was pretty nice.
Earlier, she hadn’t asked Wei Yang to come but had instead told Chen Mo that she would be staying over tonight.
When Chen Mo, who was in the middle of his rehabilitation, heard this, his tone noticeably brightened.
He didn’t ask why she had suddenly decided to come over, simply saying okay and asking what she wanted for dinner. He then mentioned that he would send someone to pick her up on time.
Teacher Li stood at the school gate, saying goodbye to each student, but his eyes kept glancing to the right.
It wasn’t the Ji family’s car. Ji Nian got into a different car.
Had she had a falling out with Ji Tingzhou, to the point that the Ji family wasn’t even sending someone to pick her up?
Teacher Li thought back to the information he had been given about Ji Tingzhou’s personality.
Could it be that he didn’t actually care that much about this kid?
But all the previous incidents suggested that he did value her, so he couldn’t think of any other reason—
Wait.
He thought about the poison that had no effect on Ji Nian.
Could it be that this kid had some kind of special constitution?
At this thought, Teacher Li’s expression changed slightly.
If that were really the case… then extracting some substance from her body might allow the creation of something like a vaccine that could be used on other individuals.
Even if the organization didn’t provide the antidote, could his sister still be saved?
A bold idea, suppressed for years by the organization’s methods, suddenly surfaced. Unconsciously, his eyes began to take on a crimson hue.
He immediately pinched himself to calm down.
No, this was too absurd.
First, he needed to confirm whether this kid really had a special constitution or some kind of ability.
He also needed to observe whether the Ji family had truly abandoned her. Whether it was real or not, he had to find an opportunity to act.
Whether he lived or died didn’t matter. As long as he could uncover the secret of why she wasn’t affected by the poison and save his sister, he would be willing to go to hell.
His nails dug into his palm, leaving bloody marks. Teacher Li smiled and waved goodbye to the students who greeted him: "Be careful on your way up."
As soon as Ji Nian got into the car, she had assumed Chen Mo would send either Number One or Number Two to pick her up. But when she got in, she found that he had come in person.
"Uncle."
Looking up and seeing Chen Mo’s face, Ji Nian was pleasantly surprised.
Chen Mo, who had been diligently working on his rehabilitation these past few days, looked to be in good spirits. He was wearing a cotton short-sleeved shirt and smiled warmly at Ji Nian. The moonlight, no longer cold, shone in his clear eyes as he looked at her affectionately.
"Are you hungry?"
He reached out and pulled Ji Nian closer to him.
Ji Nian thought for a moment, then nodded: "A little."
Chen Mo smiled and took out something he had prepared earlier—a sandwich in a brown paper bag.
"Eat this to tide you over. Dinner will be ready soon at home."
Ji Nian took it, sniffed it, and then took a bite.
"Mmm, it’s good."
Hearing Ji Nian say it was good, Chen Mo subtly relaxed his posture, a hint of pleasure in the corners of his mouth.
Ji Nian paused, considering something, then turned to ask: "Did you make this, Uncle?"
Chen Mo blinked, then admitted it openly.
This was truly a surprise.
Chen Mo could actually cook.
Perhaps her expression looked a bit incredulous, because Chen Mo coughed lightly: "When I was studying abroad, I couldn’t get used to the food there, so I learned to cook for myself."
Ji Nian’s expression was complicated.
No wonder every time she brought food, Algernon, the rabbit she used to have, would look at the pig slop-like meals she made with a complicated expression.
God knows how a rabbit covered in fur could make such a "complicated" expression.
Ji Nian even suspected that the rabbit would turn its back and gag whenever she stuffed food into her mouth.
Glancing again at the pure and frail Chen Mo in front of her, Ji Nian: "……"
It was really hard to connect the person in front of her with the rabbit she used to have.
[But then again, it’s not that strange. Back then, Uncle was still a young guy with his own quirks.]
Now that he was almost thirty, and she was much younger, it made sense that Chen Mo had aged.
After watching Ji Nian finish the sandwich, Chen Mo wiped her hands with a wet wipe.
His gaze casually drifted to the car following them at a distance.
Only then did he ask, as if offhandedly: "Did you tell your dad about coming over?"
Ji Nian immediately lowered her head and mumbled: "It’s fine if I didn’t."
Seeing the child like this, clearly upset, Chen Mo frowned.
"Did your dad make you angry?"
System: Most people would say, 'Did you make your dad angry?'
Ji Nian pouted and nodded slightly.
Chen Mo patted her head, and the softness of her hair made him want to keep stroking it.
"Then it must be Ji Tingzhou’s fault."
"Don’t blame him. The Ji family is like that—utterly unreasonable."
Ji Nian thought to herself that she was also part of the Ji family, Uncle.
Seeming to realize this as well, Chen Mo paused for a moment before changing the subject: "Why did he make you angry? Can you tell Uncle?"
"Uncle will help you get justice."
Preferably if Ji Tingzhou had started dating.
That way, he could rightfully take Ji Nian home to raise her.
Chen Mo looked at her with concern on his face, not revealing his true thoughts at all.
Ji Nian explained what had happened.
After she finished—
Chen Mo: Oh no.
Good news: They did have a fight.
Bad news: He sided with Ji Tingzhou.
And Ji Nian was looking at him with an expression that said, 'Uncle, please tell me,' expecting him to mediate.
Chen Mo: "……"
"...I think…"
"You’re not wrong."
Amen.
Ji Nian nodded: "I knew you’d support me."
Chen Mo smiled wryly.
"But Uncle actually doesn’t agree with what you did either. It’s too risky."
"You have to understand, you’re very important to us. We don’t want to take any risks that might lead to losing you."
Chen Mo sighed and finally voiced his thoughts.
Ji Nian lowered her head and after a while replied: "But Uncle, you can’t protect me forever. I can handle things on my own."
Hearing this, Chen Mo felt a surge of anger, directed at Ji Tingzhou.
What was he doing?
How could their child have such thoughts?
This wasn’t something a child raised with love and care should be thinking!
