Fortunately, physical education class was the last period of the afternoon.
After thoroughly defeating Gu Xiuyuan with a refreshed spirit, Shen Qingtang waved and went to find Ji Nian so they could head home together.
Gu Xiuyuan: "………”
So mad!!!
Before leaving, Ji Nian told Ji Tingzhou about how He Xiang had gotten injured while saving her. Ji Tingzhou immediately arranged for He Xiang to be taken to a private hospital for a full checkup, including other necessary examinations.
He had initially considered offering compensation, but knowing He Xiang’s personality—he would never accept it—Ji Nian decided to wait until the final exams. She planned to send him something as a token of gratitude under the guise of a scholarship sponsor.
Now that she knew she had misunderstood—that Ji Tingzhou had never intended to hand her over to the Chen family—she had spent the flight putting on a pitiful act, barely managing to earn his forgiveness.
But forgiveness aside, he was still annoyed.
The evidence?
"Dad, do you want some water~?"
"Your dad might, but Ji Tingzhou doesn’t."
Clearly, he was still holding a grudge over her slip-up of calling him by his full name—an unforgivable offense in his eyes.
Ji Nian tugged at his sleeve, playing cute, while secretly glaring at Wei Yang.
Wei Yang, who had already been on the receiving end of at least ten such glares: "？？？？"
When they arrived home, Old Lady Chen, who had already heard about Ji Nian’s injury, rushed over to inspect her carefully, repeatedly murmuring how heartbroken she was.
Even Old Master Chen frowned and scolded the school for its inadequate safety measures (even though the main reason was Ji Nian spacing out).
The incident even drew the attention of Chen Mo, who had been mysteriously busy lately and hadn’t been seen around.
"Niànniàn!"
Chen Mo arrived with an entire medical team in tow, who immediately surrounded Ji Nian.
"Make sure there’s no scarring. When the wound scabs over, it’ll itch—do you have any ointment to suppress that? Preferably with pain relief too."
Ji Nian: "………”
"This is way too over the top."
She couldn’t help but mutter the complaint.
Strangely, no one seemed to find it excessive. Even Ji Tingzhou, who usually clashed with Chen Mo, nodded in agreement.
Shen Qingtang, sitting beside her, heard the remark and smiled. "So remember—no more injuries from now on."
Ji Nian took it to heart.
She really did.
Chen Mo only stayed long enough to exchange a few words with Old Lady Chen. Then, with a strange glance at Ji Tingzhou, he gently patted Ji Nian’s head. "Once Uncle finishes up this busy stretch, I’ll make time to play with you."
And with that, he left.
He had intended to take Old Master Chen—who had a strained back—with him, but the old man insisted he still had unfinished business at the Ji residence.
Chen Mo wondered what possible business he could have there.
Then it struck him—if leaving the old man behind meant causing Ji Tingzhou extra headaches, why not?
So off he went, his medical team trailing behind him.
"Dad, I’m really fine. I still have homework to do, so I’ll go work on that now."
Under the scrutiny of so many pairs of eyes, Ji Nian felt a chill and quickly made her escape under the pretense of schoolwork.
Ji Tingzhou, still occupied with his own tasks, motioned for her to go ahead.
He added, "If it’s too hard to write, don’t force it. Don’t strain yourself."
Doing homework would require her to prop her elbow on the desk, and even if she didn’t rest it fully, holding a pen would still put pressure on the injury.
Ji Nian called back, "Got it!" before darting upstairs.
Watching her scamper away, Ji Tingzhou turned to Zhiliao. "Have someone watch her while she sleeps tonight. Make sure she doesn’t touch the wound."
The thought of her chaotic sleeping habits gave him a headache.
Seeing him fuss like this, Old Master and Old Lady Chen exchanged a glance.
No matter how much they had speculated, witnessing it firsthand made it impossible to deny—"Ji Tingzhou could never be a father" was a statement they could no longer defend.
He was, in fact, being a good father.
Maybe even excessively so.
"Are we continuing today?"
Old Master Chen wheeled closer, his gaze no longer sharp but instead filled with an emotion that made Ji Tingzhou’s skin crawl.
Still, if he wanted to craft the perfect lamp, the old man’s expertise was invaluable.
"Let’s go."
Ignoring the unsettlingly tender look, Ji Tingzhou turned and resumed his handiwork.
Back in her room, Ji Nian’s watch chimed.
Assuming it was Gu Xiuyuan, she answered, ready to reassure him that the pain had subsided—only to realize the voice on the other end wasn’t his.
"Niànniàn, Uncle heard you got hurt. How bad is it? The medical facilities in Country O are better than Hua Nation’s. Should I send a plane to bring you over for a checkup?"
The velvety voice was unmistakably Lu Zhi’s.
She had barely scraped her skin—how had even Lu Zhi found out?
"Uncle Lu, it’s nothing serious, just a minor scrape. Dad and Uncle Chen already had doctors look at it. They said it’ll heal quickly. Thank you for your concern."
Hearing she was fine, Lu Zhi pressed, "Can we switch to video, Niànniàn? Let Uncle see the injury."
His worry seemed excessive, but considering her role in helping the Lu family, Ji Nian didn’t find it overbearing.
"Sure!"
She cheerfully initiated the video call, then removed her watch and angled it toward the wound on her elbow.
"See, Uncle Lu? It’s really not a big deal."
She peeled back a corner of the bandage, revealing the reddish scrape beneath.
"That looks painful. Be careful not to get it wet, Niànniàn. Uncle is sending you an ointment—newly developed by our pharmaceutical division. It’ll prevent scarring."
Ji Nian turned the camera to her face, smiling at the stunning man with peach-blossom eyes on the screen. "Okay! Thank you, Uncle Lu~"
The call ended.
Lu Zhi glanced at his son, who had been glued to the screen the entire time, his silver-gray eyes unblinking.
"Feel better now?"
The child’s delicate features, framed by pale golden lashes, softened slightly.
"It looks like it hurts…"
His androgynous voice carried a heartbreaking note.
Lu Zhi shrugged elegantly. "Then get better quickly, sweetheart. Next time, you can go blow on her wound to make it better."
Lu Jinghuai shot his father an unimpressed look.
"There won’t be a next time."
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Watching his retreating figure, Lu Zhi smirked mischievously.
"I should intensify his training. Maybe Zhiliao would be interested in some extra income."
After all, if he and Ji Tingzhou ever became in-laws, he’d need to ensure his beautiful, delicate son wouldn’t be beaten to death by that ruthless daughter-obsessed man.
