After finishing her conversation with Chen Mo, Ji Nian returned to her room, knowing that her product would sell for a considerable amount of money.
In the absence of outsiders, she grinned foolishly to herself.
The system: ["...Did you take the wrong dump or something?"]
Hugging her little bunny plushie, Ji Nian rolled around on the sofa twice, kicked off her slippers, and wagged a finger in the air.
["Of course not."]
She was simply genuinely happy.
It felt so good that something she made could sell so well.
In the world she had lived in before—a world filled with suspicion, exclusion, and envy—this would have been almost impossible.
After the excitement subsided, her thoughts began to wander.
She hoped things would proceed smoothly.
However, her opponents wouldn’t just stand still and take the hits; they would definitely try to turn the situation around.
If pushed too far, they might even resort to desperate measures.
But it wasn’t a big problem. After all, once the antidote—their trump card—was revealed, it would cause internal turmoil within the Crow organization, and that would be enough to consider the mission accomplished.
"I wonder how He Xiang’s grandmother is doing," Ji Nian mused.
It was already very late, so she didn’t send a message to Zuo. It was after work hours, and it didn’t feel right to intrude on someone’s personal time.
The next morning, Ji Nian woke up groggily and called out, "Pink-headed turtle, what time is it…"
She received no response, and when her vision finally focused, she remembered she was at her uncle’s house.
Unlike Ji Tingzhou, who loved sleeping in, Chen Mo was an early riser. By the time Ji Nian finished washing up and came downstairs, he was already seated at the dining table.
Hearing her footsteps, he turned and gestured for her to join him for breakfast.
Chen Mo had prepared the meal himself. It wasn’t as lavish or beautifully presented as the meals at the Ji family home—just simple steamed buns, soy milk, and some pickled radish. Worried that Ji Nian might not be used to such a simple spread, he had also prepared a sandwich.
"The pickled radish was made by Number One. It’s really good," Chen Mo said, his face no longer as gloomy as it had been the day before. He had returned to the familiar, gentle demeanor Ji Nian knew well.
Dressed in casual home clothes with an apron still tied around his waist, he exuded a certain… domestic charm.
Ji Nian stared at him without blinking for a long moment before finally saying, "Number One is really amazing."
Who would have thought he could even make pickled vegetables?
Unaware that Ji Nian was practically drooling over him, Chen Mo untied his apron and nodded. "Yeah, I didn’t used to like this stuff, but Number One’s version is pretty good."
"The director of the orphanage he grew up in was skilled at making this, and Number One was the only one who learned the craft."
Ji Nian took a bite. The radish was crisp, refreshing, and had a hint of spiciness that whetted her appetite.
"It’s delicious. Did Number One learn to make it because he liked it?"
Chen Mo shook his head with a smile and gently revealed Number One’s little secret.
"He learned it because this pickled radish has a laxative effect. His childhood dream was to open a health food shop and become a constipation specialist."
What a life, Uncle.
Honestly, Number One would be perfect for that job. He’s quiet and wouldn’t gossip about customers, so people would definitely feel comfortable going to him.
Hahahahaha!
Ji Nian felt like she wouldn’t be able to look at Number One the same way again.
Who would’ve thought that such a serious, strapping young man once dreamed of becoming a constipation specialist? Hahahaha!
The system watched Ji Nian stifling her laughter with confusion.
What right do you have to laugh at him?
What kind of girl dreams of giving a rabbit’s tail hemorrhoids?
After Ji Nian was sent off to school with a smile on her face, Chen Mo’s gentle expression vanished the moment she left.
Just before Ji Nian came downstairs, he had received the investigation results about her life in the Ji family before she turned five.
Chen Mo had only managed to glance at it briefly.
But that brief glance was enough to make his blood boil with rage. He wished he could kill Ji Tingzhou on the spot. Even the guilt he had felt for mistakenly harming someone from the Ji family in the past now took on a different tone.
Why didn’t they stab Ji Tingzhou one more time back then?
Chen Mo was so angry that he could taste blood in his throat, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
It would have been better if Ji Nian had been sent to an orphanage back then rather than being left in Ji Tingzhou’s care!
If you didn’t want to raise her, then you shouldn’t have.
The last sentence was clearly laced with resentment, but it also made Chen Mo think of his own past, which helped him calm down a little.
Once he regained his composure, he couldn’t help but recall Ji Nian’s request from the day before—she wanted to see her grandparents.
Honestly, Chen Mo was afraid that if he went back, he’d be chased out with a beating.
He sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples.
"I’m not even as brave as a child…"
Whenever something happened, Ji Nian never shied away from taking responsibility, even if it wasn’t her fault. She always stood at the forefront.
His own cowardice made him feel unworthy of being her uncle…
He stood there in silence for a long time, lost in thought, until he heard Number One’s footsteps approaching. Only then did he look up.
"Cancel my schedule for Saturday."
"We’re going back to my hometown."
His tone was calm, betraying no other emotions.
Number One, who was usually expressionless, looked slightly surprised.
It was as if he was thinking, *Finally, you’ve come to your senses?*
"Understood."
But in the end, Number One said nothing more, simply nodding to acknowledge the instruction.
When Ji Nian arrived at the classroom, she didn’t see He Xiang in his usual seat.
It wasn’t until she asked around that she found out He Xiang had taken a leave of absence. The homeroom teacher told her that He Xiang’s grandmother was fine—the old lady had a strong will to live and had pulled through.
Ji Nian breathed a sigh of relief.
Then the teacher opened a drawer and handed her a few letters.
"These are letters He Xiang wrote over the past few days."
Actually, the teacher wasn’t originally in charge of Ji Nian’s class. He had stopped being a homeroom teacher long ago, but for some reason, the principal had placed great importance on this particular class and had talked to him at length. In the end, he had agreed to take it on.
After Ji Nian started sponsoring He Xiang, the principal had informed the teacher of her identity.
After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would remain Ji Nian’s homeroom teacher no matter which grade she moved up to, so it was better for him to know certain things.
When the teacher learned of Ji Nian’s identity, he couldn’t help but be surprised.
He had known that He Xiang’s sponsor was from the Ji family, but he hadn’t realized it was Ji Nian herself.
The letters were entrusted to Ji Nian to deliver to the sponsor who had agreed to let He Xiang write them.
"He’ll be staying at the hospital with his grandmother for the next couple of days, so he won’t be coming to school," the teacher explained.
Ji Nian nodded in understanding.
It was just a shame that He Xiang would have to miss their planned library meetup.
On her way back to the classroom, Ji Nian sent a message to Ji Tingzhou.
: Dad, have you arrived yet?
Ji Tingzhou had left the Ji family early that morning for Country O to investigate some matters related to the Crow organization.
When Ji Tingzhou had taken over the family, he had set fire to the Ji estate, leaving it in ruins. The current buildings were all rebuilt later, and some of the old records had been lost in the fire.
So if he wanted to investigate anything related to the Crow, he had to go to Country O and seek out Lu Zhi.
After all, the Lu family and the previous leader of the Crow—Ji Tingzhou’s father—were mortal enemies.
Meanwhile, upon learning that Ji Tingzhou had left China, a member of the Crow who was responsible for severing ties between the Ji and Chen families muttered to himself, "Heaven is on our side."
He summoned the people he had prepared earlier and looked at the group of expressionless, almost corpse-like individuals standing before him.
"The two lives from the Chen family must be taken," he ordered.
A sinister smile spread across his face.
"Just like how we orchestrated the downfall of their daughter back then."
