Ji Nian had already made up her mind, but she showed no signs of it on the surface.
She even mentioned wanting to visit her brother, Wei Yang.
Coincidentally, it was also the time for the medicine to take effect, so Ji Tingzhou took her along.
Ji Nian sipped her juice in small sips as she walked into the observation room where Wei Yang was staying.
After Ji Tingzhou set her down, the child naturally handed him the unfinished juice, then pulled out a pack of Mimi shrimp crackers she had been keeping warm in her pocket and ran to Wei Yang's bedside.
She tiptoed and placed the pack of Mimi shrimp crackers next to Wei Yang's hand.
"Wei Yang, I came to see you, and I brought you a gift," she said softly.
The facial paralysis caused by the poison had improved significantly, but Wei Yang still hadn't woken up. He had shrunk in size and lay weakly in bed, his condition far from good.
Seeing the once lively young man in such a state made Ji Nian feel uneasy.
Especially since it was her poison that had caused Wei Yang to end up like this.
[Why did you make that thing back then?]
The System couldn't help but ask curiously.
Ji Nian's dark green eyes grew somber: [I was young back then, and the only girl among a bunch of stupid guys who kept gaslighting me, calling me an idiot. I got so angry that I made this thing to turn them into real idiots.]
But she had gone overboard. When she realized she had created something potentially dangerous, she quickly destroyed all the materials and experimental equipment.
Not a single trace remained, so why did it appear in this alternate world?
"The antidote is taking effect. He’ll have a high fever tonight, so be prepared," Bruce said to his assistant, who nodded and took notes.
Ji Nian stepped back, looking around curiously, though she was actually observing the equipment.
[Our institute phased out this model three years ago.]
It seemed the timeline was similar, but the level of technology was different.
Ji Nian quietly observed as she walked over to Ji Tingzhou, who asked in a deep voice, "When will he wake up?"
Bruce replied without turning around, "Tomorrow."
In the original story, Wei Yang had been brought in near death. Ji Tingzhou had used his wealth to keep him alive until an antidote arrived, but even then, Wei Yang woke up as something barely human.
After returning, the female lead was heartbroken by his transformation. Despite his terrifying and unrecognizable state, she stayed by his side, and Ji Tingzhou never gave up, continuing to fund research for a cure.
But now, with Ji Nian's intervention, Wei Yang had only been injected with half the poison, and Bruce had quickly developed an antidote tailored to the toxin.
Still, it wasn’t enough.
Ji Nian explained to the System, which was trying to dissuade her from taking risks: [The 80% effective antidote expelled most of the poison, but remnants still linger in his body, which will significantly affect his intelligence.]
This wasn’t what Ji Nian wanted to see.
Since she was here, she would turn that 80% into 100%.
Bruce had also predicted this and warned Ji Tingzhou to prepare for Wei Yang to become mildly intellectually disabled.
Time flew by, and soon it was noon.
Though Ji Tingzhou had no appetite, Ji Nian was still there, so he took her to eat.
The man, who was usually picky at home, was surprisingly easygoing here. He declined Bruce's suggestion to have a chef brought in and instead took Ji Nian to the cafeteria.
Ji Nian was well-behaved, eating whatever Ji Tingzhou gave her, trailing behind him like a little shadow.
Knowing he was in a bad mood, she obediently sat in the high chair he had arranged for her and quietly ate her food.
When Ji Tingzhou finally snapped out of his thoughts, he saw Ji Nian stuffing food into her mouth with a big spoon, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
Ji Tingzhou found it amusing. He had never raised a child before and wondered if all kids were as easy as Ji Nian.
He had smaller spoons and forks brought over and cut the meat on her plate into bite-sized pieces.
The woman who brought the utensils was of Chinese descent and couldn’t help but comment, "What a well-behaved child! My grandson still needed to be fed at her age."
"She’s so pretty too. You’re really lucky, sir."
Ji Tingzhou nodded at her and smiled faintly, "Yes, she takes after me."
Ji Nian didn’t nap at noon because Wei Yang started vomiting.
Ji Nian guessed it was a side effect of the antidote and stayed quietly by Ji Tingzhou’s side.
Her body, accustomed to napping, soon grew tired, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. She quietly moved closer, leaning against Ji Tingzhou’s leg, her head nodding sleepily.
By the time Wei Yang’s condition stabilized, Ji Tingzhou noticed the little girl clinging to his leg, her head almost touching the ground.
Thinking of her insistence on staying with him, Ji Tingzhou felt a warmth in his chest, as if soaking in a hot spring.
That evening, Ji Tingzhou was about to leave as usual when Ji Nian grabbed his arm and climbed onto him before he could react.
"Sleep!" she said boldly, reaching up to touch the dark circles under his eyes. "You don’t look good anymore."
Ji Tingzhou raised an eyebrow and pinched her cheek.
"Nonsense."
He had checked the mirror that morning.
He looked like a ruggedly handsome man in distress, perfectly matching the gray, minimalist outfits he had brought.
Ji Nian refused to let go, lying on top of him and rhythmically patting his chest muscles, trying to lull him to sleep.
[Not bad, he’s got some muscle there, huh?]
The System: [………]
Perhaps Ji Tingzhou was truly exhausted because, under Ji Nian’s clumsy attempts to soothe him, he actually lay down and fell asleep.
Ji Nian waited for an hour before slowly climbing off him, replacing herself with a pillow.
"Are you asleep?" she whispered in his ear.
"I’m going to pick your nose now~"
The man buried in the soft pillow showed no reaction.
Satisfied, Ji Nian carefully climbed down, but before leaving, she turned back and poked his cheek.
"I just picked my toes, by the way."
Still no reaction.
Ji Nian was finally convinced.
She quickly put on her shoes, wrapped herself in her furry coat, and sneaked out like a thief.
On the bed, Ji Tingzhou, who was supposed to be sound asleep, fluttered his eyelashes and slowly opened his eyes.
His face darkened as he angrily grabbed a few disinfectant wipes from the bedside table and wiped his face.
...
Ji Nian followed the path she had memorized during the day, passing the observation room and accurately finding Bruce’s lab.
She tiptoed and politely knocked on the door.
After a long wait, the door finally slid open.
Bruce’s haggard face appeared. At first, he didn’t see Ji Nian until she greeted him with a "Hi," and he looked down.
"Huh? How did you get here?"
And at such a late hour.
He glanced around but didn’t see Ji Tingzhou.
Ji Nian pouted, "I couldn’t sleep. I wanted some milk."
Bruce rubbed his aching temples, "Where’s your dad?"
"He’s asleep."
Knowing Ji Tingzhou suffered from insomnia, Bruce thought it was rare for him to be asleep.
Reluctantly, he let Ji Nian in.
He was annoyed, as he hated being disturbed while immersed in his research. He hoped he wouldn’t lose his temper and yell at her, lest Ji Tingzhou come after him.
"Here’s some milk. It’s not warm, though."
"Stay here and behave. Don’t go into the inner room, and don’t touch my books. If something happens… actually, unless it’s life or death, don’t bother me."
The more he spoke, the more he regretted not waking his assistant to deal with the child.
He didn’t notice the deep, shimmering light in Ji Nian’s clear, dark green eyes.
