Ji Nian led Zhang Yulan towards the lake, not because she hoped to luckily encounter Ji Tingzhou.
A woman wielding a large cleaver, driven mad, would be considered a dangerous figure regardless of her intentions, and would inevitably be subdued by patrolling guards.
She hadn't expected much luck in running into Ji Tingzhou, and even if she did, he likely wouldn't save her.
Chances were, he might even clap his hands, cheering Zhang Yulan on.
From the system's descriptions, Ji Nian clearly understood that her "scumbag" father was a ruthless man through and through.
A bastard child, he grew up in the most chaotic and brutal city, drinking dirty water and eating rats. At ten, he was recognized and brought back, but never enjoyed a single good day. He endured humiliation until he was seventeen, then overnight eliminated all Ji family bloodlines and took power with great fanfare.
His first act as head of the family was to skin his own father and force his stepmother to wear it as a leather skirt, dancing samba.
If she were an ordinary listener of such stories, she might exclaim, "Wow, that's incredible! Even novels wouldn't dare write something like that. So crazy, so thrilling!"
But in reality, this man absolutely could not be her father...
The next second, she nearly collided with him like a cannonball, barely missing his legs.
Unfortunately, before she could touch him, she was coldly blocked by his bodyguards.
When Ji Nian looked up and saw the man before her, her eyes flickered, and her original plan instantly changed, giving birth to a new idea.
"Brother..."
The little girl looked up in disbelief at the man before her, her breath uneven, her green eyes sparkling with an unmistakable joy.
This time, the man wasn't backlit, allowing her to see his true appearance.
Eastern skin, Western bone.
Ji Tingzhou was a mixed-race individual, his mother's half-blood evident in his emerald-green eyes, his cheeks gaunt and pale.
Unlike the wicked image Ji Nian had imagined, if he were dressed in a suit, he would perfectly embody the image of a 20th-century Western aristocrat—elegant and composed.
It was also a coincidence that their encounter this time was by the lake.
"Brother, why did you come back again?"
Ji Nian looked behind her, her frail face dominated by large, panicked eyes, the emotions in them easy to read.
When Wei Yang met Ji Nian's gaze, identical to Ji Tingzhou's, his expression grew complicated.
Back then, Ji Tingzhou had been called a "bastard" countless times because of those eyes.
And upon hearing Ji Nian call him "Brother," Wei Yang couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
However, it was clear that Ji Tingzhou had a thick skin, accepting the title of "Brother" from a child who shared half his genes without any hesitation.
"Can't I come back?"
Ji Tingzhou lowered his gaze, staring directly at the child, the corner of his mouth slowly widening.
Ji Nian shook her head: "It's nothing... Brother..."
She looked behind her again, as if searching for something.
Ji Tingzhou didn't miss this detail, and instead asked knowingly, "What are you looking for?"
He already knew that Zhang Yulan was chasing this little girl with a knife.
Moreover, he suspected that their meeting here wasn't a coincidence but a deliberate move on Ji Nian's part.
He guessed that Ji Nian had long known who he was, and now, was she about to subtly seek help from him, the one in power?
However...
"I'm playing a game with Mommy."
Ji Nian replied normally.
The moment this title was uttered, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Even the system slowly typed out a: ?
The atmosphere seemed to chill, and Ji Tingzhou's previously fake smile vanished without a trace.
"Who is your mother?"
Ji Nian sensed his change in mood and felt puzzled, but still politely replied, "Mommy is my mommy."
"She's the only one who's always with me."
The little girl seemed a bit nervous, her hands twisting together as she continued, "It's a bit painful..."
"I can't let her catch me."
Wei Yang's expression was complicated—was it just "a bit painful"? That woman wanted her life!
He realized that Ji Nian's "Mommy" referred to the nanny, Zhang Yulan.
A child raised by a vicious nanny since birth, she didn't know how normal children lived, and had no peers to compare with.
Subconsciously, she regarded the nanny as a family member. Of course, it was also possible that the nanny had deliberately manipulated her to call her "Mommy" out of spite.
Even the nanny's violent behavior was beautified to the realm of "games" in her mind.
Wei Yang gazed into those eyes, identical to the head of the family's but even clearer and brighter, and felt a lump in his throat.
He could figure out what was going on, and so could Ji Tingzhou.
"Being caught and having a knife cut into you—is that a game?"
He asked coldly, not hiding the fact that he knew Ji Nian was being chased.
Ji Nian hesitated, clearly afraid of pain, but still nodded.
Ji Tingzhou thought, "What a fool."
Then he heard Ji Nian, with a look of great selflessness, say, "It's okay, Mommy's butt is pregnant, I don't blame her."
Everyone: "......"
Zhang Yulan didn't expect that her large behind, which usually only served to crush Ji Nian and watch her gasp for breath in desperation, could also be used to give birth to life.
Ji Tingzhou met Ji Nian's gaze, finding no trace of jest in her eyes, only earnestness and sincerity.
It seemed she truly believed this.
Ji Tingzhou narrowed his eyes and suddenly chuckled softly.
To be honest, there wasn't much joy in those laughs.
"You're such a kind and good child."
He emphasized the word "kindness" heavily, making Ji Nian's skin crawl.
【Damn, he's really not easy to fool】
He didn't believe her at all. After all, she was just a five-year-old child—what bad intentions could she have?
"You know, Brother hates being lied to the most."
Ji Tingzhou, without blushing or skipping a beat, called himself "Brother" and gestured to Ji Nian like he was teasing a dog.
Ji Nian forced herself to run over, her face full of innocent confusion.
As if she couldn't sense the blatant malice from the man before her.
A man, bloodied and tightly bound in a complex knot, was carried over. He wasn't dead, groaning in agony.
The next second, he was mercilessly kicked into the lake.
A loud splash.
Louder than the previous pastry falling into water sound.
So loud that Ji Nian's face turned pale.
Though on her dark face, it wasn't very noticeable.
Ji Tingzhou didn't spare a glance for the bound man, instead showing interest in observing the little girl beside him.
With a smile on his lips, he asked Ji Nian in a light tone.
"What did you see?"
Ji Nian pursed her lips, speaking under Ji Tingzhou's increasingly dangerous gaze—
"Water, the source of life, bringing endless urination."
Everyone: "......"
