Having long since put the male lead out of her mind, Ji Nian followed Wei Yang to find Shen Qingtang.
Due to Ji Nian’s appearance, many people had tried to approach her along the way, but Wei Yang’s fierce glare had sent them all packing.
Ji Nian usually thought of Wei Yang as somewhat silly, but to outsiders, the tall man was an intimidating figure.
His glare was so intense it seemed like he might throw a punch at any moment.
As a result, they quickly found Shen Qingtang, who was surrounded by a crowd.
Although she was an adopted daughter, she was still part of the Ji Family.
Many people approached her, or sent their children to do so.
Shen Qingtang didn’t know how to refuse, and several ladies, finding her adorable, couldn’t resist pinching her cheeks. They also subtly inquired about Ji Nian’s biological mother or whether there were other women around Ji Tingzhou.
Their pinches were rough, and their long nails left red marks on the child’s face.
Shen Qingtang stood there helplessly, feeling as though she were trapped by a colorful wall, suffocating her.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air.
“Ah!! My dress!!!”
A woman’s panicked scream drew the crowd’s attention.
At first, people thought there was some excitement, but their expressions quickly changed when they saw what was happening.
A dog… was indiscriminately urinating on them!!
“Ah!! My clothes, my clothes! Whose dog is this? Security, get it out of here!”
Chaos erupted as everyone screamed and fled the scene.
Da Dan was exceptionally sturdy, and anyone who thought of stepping in to help quickly reconsidered upon seeing its size.
“Da Dan, come here.”
Seeing the security team arrive, Ji Nian called the dog back.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the dog seemed to lift its chin disdainfully, giving the crowd a look of contempt before wagging its tail and happily trotting back to the child.
The crowd, initially furious, had to suppress their anger when they saw who the dog belonged to.
After all, it was Ji Tingzhou’s daughter.
The security team also stopped in their tracks upon seeing Ji Nian and Wei Yang beside her.
“Miss Ji, your dog is too unruly, urinating everywhere like that.”
“And it’s so big—what if it bites someone? If you can’t control it, perhaps you should let me take it. I’ll train it properly and return it to you.”
One person, emboldened by Ji Tingzhou’s absence, couldn’t resist complaining.
Ji Nian turned to Wei Yang, her voice innocent: “Wei Yang, this man says he wants to help Dad train Da Dan. You should call and tell him.”
The man who had spoken froze upon meeting Wei Yang’s hostile gaze.
Wait, Wei Yang?
This big guy was that Wei Yang!
Why hadn’t anyone told him?
And what did the child mean—was this dog Ji Tingzhou’s!?
The others were instantly relieved they hadn’t chimed in, and they quickly made excuses to leave, fearing they might be implicated.
Wei Yang, after glaring at the man, belatedly realized what Ji Nian had said.
Dad!?
The child who always referred to him as “the family head” had just called him “Dad”!!
Wei Yang stared in disbelief at Ji Nian, who was now walking toward Shen Qingtang as if nothing had happened.
Damn it, his brother wasn’t here—he’d missed the moment entirely!!
Wei Yang wished he could rush back and tell Ji Tingzhou all about it.
“Are you okay? Wei Yang was looking for you.”
Knowing Shen Qingtang might not like her, Ji Nian kept a safe distance as she spoke, gently shooing Da Dan further back.
She remembered the nanny saying Shen Qingtang was afraid of dogs when she first arrived.
Shen Qingtang stared blankly at the little girl in front of her.
After a moment, she nodded: “Thank you.”
Ji Nian was really amazing—no wonder everyone liked her.
This made Shen Qingtang feel a bit inferior.
She was almost used to dealing with this negative emotion, so when Wei Yang approached, she smiled at him naturally.
“Uncle Wei Yang.”
Wei Yang, seeing the red marks on her cheeks, wished he could punch the people who had pinched her.
“I should’ve let Da Dan take another dump.”
He said with a hint of regret.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but think that while both girls seemed kind and innocent, Shen Qingtang was much softer compared to Ji Nian.
Ji Nian might look sweet, but it seemed no one could really bully her.
If Ji Nian knew about this comparison, she’d probably retort: That’s because she wasn’t really a five-year-old girl.
“Let’s go. It’s not safe tonight—the family head told me to keep a close eye on you.”
Shen Qingtang tugged on his sleeve: “Uncle Wei Yang, I have something for you.”
Ji Nian, leaning lazily against Da Dan and playing with its soft fur, glanced over curiously.
Wei Yang asked, “What is it?” and then saw Shen Qingtang pull out a small box.
Wei Yang took the box, smiling: “Is this a gift from Tangtang?”
Meeting the girl’s expectant gaze, he eagerly opened the box.
The moment the box was opened, Ji Nian felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
Without thinking, she lunged at Wei Yang.
As she reacted, Wei Yang opened the box.
Something leaped onto Wei Yang’s bare hand, attaching itself firmly, and a thin needle glinted coldly as it plunged into his skin!
Wei Yang felt a slight sting on his hand.
Before anyone could react, Ji Nian grabbed the object and yanked it off.
Blood splattered onto Ji Nian’s face, trickling down her eyelashes as she blinked.
Wei Yang was the first to recover: “Ji Nian!”
He stomped on the wriggling object on the ground and checked the child’s hand.
It wasn’t cut, but there were red marks from the force she’d used.
Confirming Ji Nian was unharmed, Wei Yang looked at his wound, his expression dark as he turned to Shen Qingtang.
The child was now frozen in shock.
Her face was pale, her eyes vacant, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Realizing Shen Qingtang had likely been used, Wei Yang didn’t say much.
Just then, the nanny responsible for Shen Qingtang arrived, and Wei Yang instructed her to take care of the girl while he left with Ji Nian.
Ji Nian followed the silent Wei Yang without a word.
He didn’t dare carry her, unsure if whatever had been injected into him was contagious.
[Damn it, damn it!]
She berated herself for not being faster—at least half of the poison had still been injected!
Ji Tingzhou, upon hearing the news, immediately summoned the medical team to examine Wei Yang.
When he learned that Ji Nian had lunged forward to pull the object off, his eyelid twitched.
He grabbed the child’s hand and inspected it closely.
Ji Nian looked back at him innocently, as if unaware of how brave her actions had been.
At that moment, the composition of the previously discovered drug was delivered, and after comparing it with Wei Yang’s blood sample, the results were in.
The researchers looked grim as they spoke to Ji Tingzhou: “Family head… you need to prepare yourself.”
Ji Tingzhou, after hearing this, silently pulled Ji Nian into his arms, his cheek resting against her hair as he closed his eyes.
Ji Nian didn’t resist, letting her father hold her, her fingers unconsciously gripping his clothes.
She thought she heard a faint sigh in her ear.
When Ji Tingzhou opened his eyes again, he had returned to the unshakable, indomitable head of the Ji Family.
