Ji Tingzhou: "......"
Forget it, he's a patient.
"Damn it, Ding Ding, pull yourself together!"
"Don't make me tattoo 'Ji Tingzhou' on you, see if that doesn't scare you to death!"
Ji Tingzhou's lips curled into a smirk, his emerald eyes devoid of any warmth, as he slapped the idiot unconscious.
Wei Yang's body slumped limply to the ground.
The observer beside them gasped in shock: "You can't be this violent!"
Ji Tingzhou, without a hint of emotion, tossed a wad of cash at the observer.
The observer promptly pocketed it: "A good smack might just disperse the toxins."
...
When Ji Nian woke up, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar place.
Compared to Ji Tingzhou's bedroom, this room was noticeably smaller.
The walls were unpainted, with a metallic finish, and the floor was made of a similar material. The window was circular, and the room was fully furnished.
On the couch, she spotted the gray mountain-style button-up shirt Ji Tingzhou had worn the night before.
Glancing at her own pajamas, she remembered Zhiliao had changed her into them before they boarded the plane.
Climbing out of bed, Ji Nian found her slippers, rubbed her eyes, and walked out.
What she saw left her awestruck.
The room she was staying in was actually a spherical glass structure from the outside, with specially treated glass that prevented outsiders from seeing inside.
A gravel path ran through the middle, flanked by flowers Ji Nian didn’t recognize, and the sound of birds chirping filled the air.
Afraid she might get lost if she ventured out, Ji Nian retreated, and the door automatically closed as she stepped back inside.
By the time Ji Tingzhou had composed himself and entered the room, he found the child already washed, dressed, and sitting obediently in a chair.
Zhiliao had to stay at the Ji Family, so she couldn’t come along, and the access control here was extremely strict. Thus, Ji Tingzhou had to take care of the child himself these days.
"You're back."
Hearing footsteps, Ji Nian turned her head, her gaze lingering on Ji Tingzhou’s face for a moment.
[He must not have slept all night.]
She had searched the room earlier but couldn’t find any paper or pen.
Afraid of getting lost if she went out, she had waited patiently for him to return.
Seeing Ji Nian all ready to go, Ji Tingzhou didn’t think about how well-behaved the child was but instead felt a pang of disappointment.
It wasn’t until his eyes fell on Ji Nian’s messy hair that he walked over.
"Even a chick would find this nest too messy."
After critiquing Ji Nian’s hairstyle, he turned her around and undid the hair tie.
Ji Nian pouted where he couldn’t see.
Her hair, which had been straightened the night before, had curled back up overnight.
[It’s just too hard to manage.]
When she grew up, she’d definitely go to the barber and shave it all off.
Ji Tingzhou worked quickly, dividing Ji Nian’s messy hair into two sections, then braiding each into three strands and securing them with hair ties and clips into the shape of cat ears.
When Ji Nian peeked into the mirror, she saw a little girl with two cat ears on her head.
Now she understood why Zhiliao had said she couldn’t compare to Ji Tingzhou.
The princess really was a pro at styling hair.
"What are you looking at?"
Seeing the child staring at him with curiosity, Ji Tingzhou pinched her cheek and pulled out a jar of baby cream from somewhere. He twisted open the lid, dabbed a bit on her cheeks, forehead, chin, and nose, and gently spread it around.
The baby cream had a pleasant grapefruit scent.
Ji Nian tilted her head back, closing her eyes to make it easier for him to apply the cream, and asked curiously, "Why do you know how to do hair?"
She was genuinely puzzled. After all, Ji Tingzhou didn’t seem like the type to have such skills.
Could it be that he learned it while dating someone in the past?
But according to the system, Ji Tingzhou had been too busy with his vendetta against his father to have time for romance.
After wiping his fingers clean with a wet wipe, Ji Tingzhou motioned for her to follow him and said indifferently, "I used to set up a stall and braid hair for people, charging ten yuan per session."
Ji Nian’s foot paused mid-step, and she stared at him in disbelief.
Seeing her shocked expression, Ji Tingzhou pinched her soft, grapefruit-scented cheek. "Silly child."
Ji Nian was genuinely astonished, her childlike facade slipping for a moment.
Setting up a stall to braid hair? Ji Tingzhou?
The same Ji Tingzhou who was so fastidious that he changed clothes several times a day?
And by the age of fourteen, hadn’t he already been taken in by the Ji Family? Why would he have been braiding hair at a stall?
She knew Ji Tingzhou had had a tough life, but she didn’t know the specifics, so this revelation was startling.
"Then... you must have made a lot of money, right?"
She wanted to ask if business had been good, but then she remembered that a five-year-old wouldn’t understand such things, so she rephrased it.
Ji Tingzhou nodded. "It was alright."
Though only fourteen at the time, Ji Tingzhou had already started to mature. He was thin and carried himself with an air of quiet dignity, which attracted many sympathetic female customers.
Back then, Shen Rushan was in charge of attracting customers, Zhiliao assisted and handled the money, and Wei Yang, with his runny nose, sat nearby munching on a pancake. On busy days, they could earn up to two hundred yuan.
When business was good, they’d use the money to buy two pounds of pork ribs. The four children would stare at the pot of meat, mouths watering.
The long-forgotten memory lifted Ji Tingzhou’s dark mood slightly.
He took Ji Nian to the cafeteria and ate with her. Seeing her curiosity, he shared a few stories from his past.
Like how Zhiliao used to be terrified of bugs, or the time Wei Yang climbed a tree to steal peaches but slipped and fell into a manure pit.
Ji Nian laughed so hard she nearly choked.
...
Bruce hadn’t slept all night. When he came to Ji Tingzhou with his findings, he was still worried about the man’s emotional state.
He and Ji Tingzhou were old friends. Back when Bruce’s research had been stolen by his mentor, he had exposed the old man’s scandal of keeping an eighteen-year-old boy and demanding to be called "Daddy." As a result, Bruce had been ostracized by the academic community.
It was then that Ji Tingzhou, a young man he had once helped, appeared out of nowhere, covered in blood, and handed him a card to fund his research. The condition? Bruce had to work for him for fifty years.
Grateful for the lifeline, Bruce would have done anything—even calling Ji Tingzhou "Daddy"—to repay the debt.
From that day on, Bruce was firmly tied to Ji Tingzhou’s ship, and he cared deeply for him, both professionally and personally.
Knowing how important Wei Yang was to Ji Tingzhou, Bruce was deeply concerned about his health. He must not have eaten properly.
Outwardly composed, but inside, he was slowly crumbling.
Sighing, Bruce thought he’d have to offer some comfort. As the Chinese saying goes, "Health is the foundation of revolution."
Bruce was still mulling over what to say when he found Ji Tingzhou. Just as he was about to speak, a clear child’s voice rang out.
"Here, you can have this. It smells nice."
The Ji Tingzhou he had imagined, too distraught to eat, sneered, "It’s because you don’t like it, isn’t it?"
"I’ve already finished mine. Don’t try to dump it on me."
Bruce walked over and stared at the empty plate beside Ji Tingzhou.
"......"
Well, there was no need for his prepared speech.
He thought to himself, "She really is Shen Rushan’s daughter, so bold!" And Ji Tingzhou seemed to dote on her. Truly something special.
Then he looked up.
His eyes widened, and he blurted out in perfect Mandarin, "Holy crap!"
He turned to Ji Tingzhou, incredulous. "Shen Rushan gave birth to you!?"
