The system fell silent.
See, it knew this would happen.
Ji Nian seemed like a good actress, judging people solely based on looks or usefulness, but surprisingly, she was a good person. She would reciprocate kindness, but if someone treated her poorly... well, it depended on their face.
So, the system stopped talking.
Not receiving a reply, Ji Nian was used to it.
After all, this thing didn’t always talk; it often played dead.
Seeing Ji Nian return, Zhiliao breathed a sigh of relief.
She had known that Ji Nian had sneaked out.
The child had been acting mysterious lately, often taking the dog and wandering off alone. Ji Tingzhou knew about it but didn’t pay much attention.
As long as Ji Nian didn’t get hurt and stayed within the Ji Family, which had already been cleared of threats, nothing would happen.
However, today, due to the banquet, there was some movement and complexity in the crowd, which made Zhiliao a bit anxious.
"Why are you wearing these clothes again?"
The little dress Ji Nian had been wearing was gone, replaced by an old, oversized, and faded outfit. Her coat bulged oddly, as if she was hiding something inside.
Seeing that Zhiliao wasn’t scolding her, Ji Nian relaxed. "Because it’s convenient."
"The family head is waiting for you," Zhiliao said.
Ji Nian carefully carried her belongings and went to find Ji Tingzhou.
When she arrived, Ji Tingzhou had already changed into his suit. This was the first time Ji Nian had seen him in formal attire.
He looked... very much like the head of the family.
Still young and lean, if one ignored the intensity in his eyes, Ji Tingzhou gave off the aura of a noble youth.
Today, he wore a pitch-black suit with a vest adorned with intricate dark green patterns that complemented his eye color, exuding both elegance and gravitas.
Seeing the child staring at him so intently that she forgot to move, Ji Tingzhou found it amusing.
"Wipe your drool."
Ji Nian instinctively raised her hand, nearly dropping the jar she was holding. She quickly regained her composure and saved it.
Ji Tingzhou had already noticed what she was carrying.
"What’s that?"
Seeing her in her old clothes again, clearly having returned from outside, he was a bit concerned about hygiene. After a pause, he added, "Leave it there. No need to bring it over."
Ji Nian didn’t object and reminded Ji Tingzhou to be ready.
Intrigued by her mysterious behavior, Ji Tingzhou’s interest was piqued.
"Pink-headed turtle, turn off the lights," Ji Nian called out.
Immediately, the lights in the room began to fade.
In the sudden darkness, Ji Tingzhou’s eyes took a moment to adjust, and he could only see vague shapes.
In that brief moment, he heard rustling sounds from where Ji Nian stood.
Then, in the darkness, Ji Tingzhou saw the flowing starlight she held in her hands.
Ji Tingzhou knew that since he had given her those seemingly useless stones, Ji Nian had been acting secretive, but he hadn’t paid much attention.
Until now, he realized.
She had been catching fireflies?
"You caught these?"
After speaking, Ji Tingzhou noticed his voice was slightly hoarse.
Ji Nian’s cheerful voice replied, "Yes!"
She still brought the jar of fireflies over, mindful of Ji Tingzhou’s cleanliness, and placed it on the small round table to his right.
She then crouched beside it, resting her chin on her hands, her bright green eyes even more vibrant than the fireflies beside her.
"For you," the little girl said, her eyes curving into a smile as she tapped the glass jar. Her long, slightly curly hair had a stray piece of grass stuck in it from somewhere.
Ji Tingzhou reached out and plucked the leaf from her hair, then lightly tapped her forehead.
"Is this your gift?"
His tone was teasing, but his expression showed he was clearly pleased.
Ji Nian didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed. "Yes, these are living jewels."
Ji Tingzhou looked at the jar, where the fireflies had settled quietly against the glass, and murmured, "Such a child…"
Since taking his position, he had received countless extravagant gifts that would seem unimaginable to ordinary people.
But no one had ever given him something like this.
A gift that inexplicably warmed his heart.
...
After Ji Nian was taken away to change, Ji Tingzhou called for a servant and instructed them to find someone who knew how to care for fireflies, ensuring that every single one was kept alive.
The servant nodded and turned to leave, but suddenly stepped on something and picked it up.
It was a note.
"Family head…"
The servant turned to look at Ji Tingzhou.
"What does it say?"
Ji Tingzhou thought it might be something Ji Nian had dropped.
When the servant read the note, his expression changed drastically. "It says... beware... beware of someone poisoning…"
Ji Tingzhou’s face remained impassive as he had the servant bring the note over. He glanced at the hastily torn piece of paper, the handwriting deliberately messy, with a large exclamation mark after "beware of poisoning," as if to emphasize its importance.
"Family head... what should we do?"
The servant looked at Ji Tingzhou nervously.
Ji Tingzhou instructed him to call Wei Yang.
Whoever wrote this note, whether they had genuinely discovered something or were just playing a prank, had achieved their goal.
Whether it was true or not, it had caught Ji Tingzhou’s attention.
"Find out who Ji Nian interacted with today."
Using Ji Nian to deliver this note to him was clever.
But it was also a potential threat.
...
Ji Nian, now considered a potential threat, felt relieved knowing that Ji Tingzhou had seen the note.
She had wanted to say that those people were targeting Wei Yang, but she was afraid of complicating things, so she kept it to herself.
She would just have to keep an eye on Wei Yang later.
"Where’s Shen Qingtang, Sister Zhiliao?"
Not seeing the female lead, Ji Nian instinctively asked.
Zhiliao said she was in another room.
After all, Shen Qingtang had been formally adopted by Ji Tingzhou and would be joining them later.
Speaking of which, if the male lead listened, he should have seen the fireflies by now.
According to the system, he and the female lead had already met for the first time, but apart from exchanging names, he didn’t know who she was.
Ji Nian was curious to see his reaction when he found out Shen Qingtang’s identity.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingtang, whom Ji Nian was thinking about, wasn’t in her room. She had gone out to look for Gu Xiuyuan, whom she had met briefly.
However, she didn’t find Gu Xiuyuan but instead encountered someone else.
"Uncle, do you need help?"
By the lake, a man in a wheelchair sat with his back to Shen Qingtang, his head bowed as he coughed softly, his figure appearing somewhat helpless.
She couldn’t help but speak up.
Hearing the unmistakably childish voice, the man in the wheelchair turned his gaze away from the lake and slowly turned around—
