Upon hearing this, Ji Nian thought for a moment that there was something wrong with her ears.
Who was fighting whom?
Are you saying that her father, who has severe mysophobia, and her uncle, who is too frail to take care of himself, got into a fight??
"Huh?"
Wei Yang sighed.
"It's a long story..."
The timeline shifts back to the joint press conference held by the Chen and Ji families.
Most attendees came with a mix of skepticism and curiosity, some just to watch the spectacle.
They didn’t believe that the so-called "universal antidote" could be as miraculous as claimed.
The Ji family had some involvement in this industry, but it wasn’t their main focus, and the Chen family… well, that was even less likely.
No one had heard of them making any significant breakthroughs in this field.
A universal antidote? More like a scam using vitamins or some other placebo to swindle the public. But while ordinary folks might fall for it, they wouldn’t.
After the initial shock, everyone in the industry calmed down and even found it somewhat amusing. They all watched with a wait-and-see attitude.
Outsiders came for the show, while insiders came for the laughs—that was the situation at hand.
Of course, later, when they witnessed just how "universal" this antidote really was, they were all left dumbfounded. Even the most reserved among them couldn’t help but start discussing it with those around them.
A few hot-tempered individuals even rushed onto the stage, wanting to experience it firsthand.
Chen Mo welcomed them all without hesitation, kindly offering to let them try the antidote, not even bothering to have them sign any liability waivers.
It was as if he was certain the universal antidote would work, and he wasn’t afraid of someone deliberately poisoning themselves to frame him.
Everyone’s eyes were glued to the person on stage.
Until the large screen clearly showed the man foaming at the mouth, Chen Mo calmly had someone bring over the universal antidote.
The liquid, which some had mocked as being no different from coffee, was slowly injected into the man’s body. In the blink of an eye, the person who had been rolling his eyes and seemingly on the verge of death suddenly returned to normal.
As the test subject, he was helped off the stage in a daze, completely bewildered by what had just happened.
A crowd gathered around him, many suspecting he was a plant hired by the Chen family. Some even brought their own doctors to examine him.
But there were also those who recognized him as a manager from a certain company.
"How did it feel?"
Hearing this question, he finally snapped out of his daze.
With a complicated expression, he said, "It was like…"
"Being on the verge of suffocating from pain, and then suddenly being slapped out of that state by a chicken wing?"
After saying this, he fell silent.
What a childish analogy.
But that was genuinely how it felt…
Taking in the reactions of the crowd, Chen Mo handed the rest of the proceedings over to his assistant.
No matter how much he tried to convince them, those who didn’t want to believe wouldn’t be swayed. At this point, words were unnecessary—letting the product speak for itself was the best approach.
Once they bought it and tried it themselves, they’d know whether the universal antidote lived up to its name.
As for the possibility of them not buying it… well, that wasn’t even a consideration.
This was where the partnership with the Ji family came in handy.
With the Ji family involved, even if the universal antidote contained sewage, they’d still buy it just to see what the fuss was about.
Assistant Number Two approached and whispered, "Boss, Zhao Heng is ready."
Zhao Heng wasn’t dead; his role was to explain the effects of the special antidote at this press conference.
Using someone from the Crow organization to challenge the very poison they prided themselves on—this was Ji Nian’s gift to the Crows.
Chen Mo kindly reminded Assistant Number Two to prepare some coffee for Zhao Heng to keep him alert.
After all, he had lost an arm and was still recovering from his injuries. It would be pitiful if he couldn’t stay focused.
Assistant Number Two acknowledged the request.
Chen Mo had recently regained the ability to walk a few steps, so if Ji Tingzhou tried to steal his wheelchair again, he wouldn’t be left stranded, waiting for help.
"By the way, did you ask Zuo Yi about the matter I mentioned earlier? How’s the preparation coming along?"
Chen Mo was referring to his request for Zuo Yi to gather photos of Ji Nian from birth to the present.
He wanted to display a few photos of Ji Nian at home.
But all he had was a picture of Ji Nian at seven years old, so he had asked Assistant Number Two to reach out to Zuo Yi for more photos.
You Er nodded. "I’ve asked."
He had already prepared for Chen Mo’s inquiry and handed over an iPad containing Ji Nian’s photos.
During the downtime backstage, Chen Mo flipped through the photos of Ji Nian’s past, a soft smile on his face—completely different from the polite, formal smile he had worn on stage earlier.
But after finishing, his finger paused.
"Why are there only photos from when she was five and six? What about before that?"
Scrolling to the last photo, Chen Mo initially thought it was an issue with the device. He swiped a few more times before realizing there were no more photos.
What he had been most looking forward to were photos of Ji Nian as a baby.
Though he could imagine her as a fair, chubby infant with a head of curly hair, swaddled in a blanket, Chen Mo wanted to see it for himself.
Assistant Number Two had already gone through the photos beforehand, expecting it to take a while, only to find that there were only pictures from when Ji Nian was five and six. There were none from before that. He had asked Zuo Yi about it.
But Zuo Yi had hesitated before saying, "There are no photos from before that. These are all we have."
When Assistant Number Two pressed for an explanation, Zuo Yi had simply smiled and avoided the question.
Sensing something was off, Chen Mo narrowed his eyes.
Why were there no photos of Ji Nian before she was five?
Given Ji Tingzhou’s personality, it was impossible that he hadn’t taken any.
Once a seed of doubt is planted, it takes root and grows, even without water.
After the press conference wrapped up, ensuring everything was in order, Chen Mo ignored those trying to cozy up to him or fish for information and left in style.
But he didn’t go home or to the office. Instead, he headed to the Ji family estate.
When Chen Mo arrived, Ji Tingzhou happened to be at the small building where Ji Nian used to live.
He had been informed that a few days ago, during a thunderstorm, lightning had struck the building, causing a fire.
Ji Tingzhou was waiting for his subordinates to send him some information about the previous generation of the Crow organization, so he had some free time and decided to visit the place personally.
The last time he had been here was when he took Ji Nian away. Now, standing in the place where the child had lived for five years, he couldn’t help but feel critical.
And heartbroken.
Ji Tingzhou didn’t want to make excuses for himself, saying that he had been in a bad state back then, and that keeping the child with him might have led to her accidental death due to his deteriorating mental health and chronic insomnia.
The truth was, he had abandoned Ji Nian here, neglecting her for five years.
Ji Tingzhou could barely remember what Ji Nian looked like as a baby, only recalling that she was tiny and a bit ugly right after birth.
"The nanny who abused Ji Nian—I had someone ‘take care of’ her in prison, as per your orders. But her health wasn’t great, and she only lasted two years before she died."
By the time she died, the once plump woman had become as thin as a mummy, covered in scars with no unmarked skin left. Her mental state was also in shambles. It was a miracle she had lasted as long as she did.
"Abuse?"
You Er, who had been speaking with Ji Tingzhou, turned sharply at the voice behind them—
