Hearing Ji Nian bring up the topic on her own, Chen Mo knew she was doing it to keep herself from losing control of her emotions. His heart couldn’t help but ache a little.
Was it because she had experienced something terrible in the past that she was so good at taking care of others’ feelings?
Chen Mo’s eyes turned red, like a rabbit’s, as his heart ached for her.
Seeing his expression grow even more alarming, Ji Nian thought she had brought up a bad topic.
[Oh no, what should I say now? Should I talk about the antidote?]
“You’re… right, Nian Nian.”
“It’s my fault. I’ve been too busy lately and haven’t had the time.”
In truth, it wasn’t that Chen Mo was too busy; he had just been subconsciously avoiding the matter.
Avoiding that couple whose mental state had been completely off since losing their daughter.
“After I finish this busy period, I’ll take you to meet them, okay?”
He wanted to add that they would definitely like her.
But the words stopped at the tip of his tongue, and he wasn’t so sure anymore.
“I’ll also take you to see your mom. On the way back, we can visit the place where she grew up.”
When Chen Yueling was mentioned, a flash of grief passed through Chen Mo’s eyes.
In the seven years since Chen Yueling’s passing, Chen Mo had never visited her resting place.
It was as if, by not going, she was still alive somewhere in the world, and one day she might suddenly appear before him, scolding him for letting himself become such a mess.
“That’s also where you grew up, right, Uncle?”
Hearing Ji Nian say this, Chen Mo was momentarily stunned. He softly replied, “Yes.”
He hadn’t actually grown up with his parents; he was only brought to live with them after starting elementary school.
But he wouldn’t tell Ji Nian about this.
“It feels like Uncle rarely talks about himself. Every time you tell a story, it’s always about Mom, and you just mention yourself in passing.”
Ji Nian tilted her head as she looked at him, as if she had just casually brought it up.
Chen Mo fell silent for a moment, his fingers fidgeting slightly. “Nian Nian, do you want to know about Uncle’s past?”
Ji Nian nodded. “Yes, I do.”
At this, the sorrow that had been on Chen Mo’s face earlier—after learning about Ji Nian’s childhood and remembering his sister—finally faded. Instead, a hint of awkwardness and hesitation appeared.
He didn’t seem very good at talking about himself, taking a long time to recall even one amusing story.
Seeing that his attention had finally been successfully diverted, Ji Nian hummed softly to herself.
No response.
She hummed again.
The system’s voice sounded helpless: [Wow, you really have a way with him.]
[Right?~]
The system: [………]
Ji Nian probably didn’t realize it herself, but she was becoming more and more like a child. Back when she first started talking to the system, her tone had been as cold as ice.
Now, she was so familiar with it that she’d even ask it to check if her stool was a bit dry and whether she should drink more water…
...
When she left the Ji Family, Ji Nian didn’t take much with her. If anything, she brought Wei Yang along.
Zhiliao, on the other hand, usually never left the Ji Family.
The Ji Family’s usual mode of operation was that Wei Yang handled minor matters, while Zhiliao dealt with major ones. Unless Wei Yang was being bullied, Zhiliao rarely stepped out.
She was the backbone of the Ji Family’s shadow operations.
“So, did Zhiliao jie ask you to bring me any messages?”
Once they got home, Ji Nian turned to Wei Yang, who was carrying her backpack, and asked.
Wei Yang thought for a moment. “I think so. She told you not to stay up late, to sleep early, to drink less soda, eat less sugar, and to cut back on those shrimp-flavored snacks, and also…”
Ji Nian raised her hand to stop him. “You’re being so naggy.”
Wei Yang pouted. “It’s all from Zhiliao. How is it my fault?”
Watching the two of them bicker back and forth, Chen Mo finally managed a small smile.
Of course, once Number Two uncovered what Ji Nian had gone through before the age of five, he wouldn’t be smiling anymore.
But before that, Chen Mo took Ji Nian to his study to show the curious child some data.
“There are so many pre-orders.”
Looking at the staggering number, Ji Nian’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
Chen Mo bent down and pretended to pick it up for her, his tone a mix of amusement and exasperation. “It hasn’t even reached the projected number yet.”
Ji Nian naturally knew this, since she was the one who had written it.
The number she had initially written wasn’t this high, but Ji Tingzhou had told her it was too low. Later, Gu Xiuyuan had also expressed confusion over her conservative estimate.
Gu Xiuyuan didn’t even know what the product was, yet he still said Ji Nian had underestimated it.
In the end, Ji Nian had no choice but to grit her teeth and write an exaggerated number, which finally satisfied Ji Tingzhou.
“…Seeing it in person still feels a bit unbelievable.”
The child clearly still didn’t have a strong sense of reality.
Chen Mo chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Nian Nian, you’re underestimating the influence of the Ji Family.”
Although Ji Tingzhou was usually lazy and never went to the company, leaving everything to Zuo Yi and often acting in ways that infuriated people, there was no denying his impact.
Some people were just like that—the more you ignored or looked down on them, the more they wanted to get close to you and emulate you.
“Part of it is indeed due to Ji Tingzhou’s overbearing methods in recent years, but the inherent influence of the Ji Family itself shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Chen Mo paused here, suspecting that Ji Tingzhou, with his hatred for the Ji Family, might not have ever explained its history to Ji Nian.
And in fact, his guess was spot on.
Telling Ji Nian about the Ji Family’s history would inevitably involve talking about Ji Tingzhou, and Ji Tingzhou, not wanting the child to know about these things, naturally wouldn’t bring it up.
Ji Nian understood now.
She had underestimated the Ji Family.
“I get it.”
Meanwhile, as Chen Mo was showing Ji Nian the data—
“Boss, Chen Mo and Ji Tingzhou are definitely targeting us!”
Inside the Crow organization, a video conference was underway.
Of course, the boss hadn’t turned on their camera.
“There’s no doubt about it. This antidote is what cured Chen Mo of his poison. The description of the antidote clearly states that its first test subject was Chen Mo himself.”
The purpose of this statement was obvious: it was meant for those who had suffered under the Crow organization.
Chen Mo had been poisoned by the Crow, and he was one of their victims.
But Chen Mo had been cured. He had survived.
This was undoubtedly a signal, stirring the numb hearts of all those who had long given up hope under the Crow’s oppression.
“Didn’t you say your poison couldn’t be cracked? It hasn’t even been ten years, and someone’s already made an antidote.”
The criticism didn’t stop there. This high-ranking member even tagged an account with the ID ‘Snow White’s Stepmother’ in the group chat.
Snow White’s Stepmother responded with a string of ellipses: “………”
With the argument heating up, someone stepped in to mediate.
“Alright, now’s not the time to argue.”
“The poison in Chen Mo’s body must have been neutralized by the Ji Family’s pharmacist. We need to find a way to disrupt the bond between the two families.”
“Easier said than done. How do you propose we do that?”
As the debate continued, a cold, emotionless voice suddenly came from the top window, which had remained silent until now.
“Chen Mo’s parents… are they still alive?”
