Ji Nian took a long time to react before realizing that Gu Xiuyuan seemed to have misunderstood something.
Her emotions were quite complicated.
What kind of impure thoughts does this little kid have?
System: And who do you think is to blame for that?
"That's not the kind of milk I meant."
"I meant your grandma, your grandma."
Ji Nian looked at the little boy across from her with an expression that screamed, "I can't believe you're like this."
Gu Xiuyuan's hand, which had been tugging at his bowtie, paused.
He froze completely.
Shen Qingtang glanced at Ji Nian, then at Gu Xiuyuan, and finally realized what was going on. She slowly lowered her head.
Her lips twitched uncontrollably.
Gu Xiuyuan's defeated voice came from beside them: "...Go ahead and laugh if you want to."
The considerate little Shen Qingtang, seeing how pitiful he looked, managed to hold it in.
It was clear that Gu Xiuyuan had shut down.
He didn’t even want to look up at Ji Nian, stubbornly keeping his head down as he wrestled with his bowtie.
Ji Nian coughed: "If you really want to show me, it's fine."
Gu Xiuyuan's response was to turn his back on her with a huff.
Seeing that he wasn’t paying attention to her, Ji Nian walked over and peeked at him.
Wow.
The little boy hung his head, his eyes red, desperately trying to keep the tears from falling.
He looked pitifully adorable.
System: [You made him cry, so you’re responsible for comforting him.]
Ji Nian turned her head to look at the female lead of this story, little Shen Qingtang.
True to her role as the female lead, Shen Qingtang silently pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Gu Xiuyuan, patting his shoulder.
Gu Xiuyuan said hoarsely, "I’m not crying."
As if he had been deeply wronged.
Since she needed something from him, Ji Nian scratched her head and came up with an idea: "If you pee high enough, it can cover up your tears."
Gu Xiuyuan's negative emotions only intensified. He turned his head sharply toward Ji Nian and shouted in frustration, "Even at a time like this, you still want to sneak a peek at my pee-pee!"
"You’re such a bad person!"
The child angrily spat out the most vicious words he could think of.
Ji Nian: "......"
Who wants to sneak a peek at your pee-pee...
She had only been abstract that one time, was this kid going to remember it for the rest of his life?
Just as expected, he’s as vindictive as he was in the original story.
The other kids nearby saw what happened and turned to their friends, saying, "Ji Nian made Gu Xiuyuan cry."
"Really? What happened?"
"Apparently, Ji Nian wanted Gu Xiuyuan’s clothes, but he refused."
"I heard Ji Nian forced Gu Xiuyuan to take off his clothes, and that’s why he cried."
"What? Ji Nian forced Gu Xiuyuan to cry so she could watch."
"Did you hear? Ji Nian likes to watch people cry..."
Completely unaware that she had earned the reputation of a "bully who torments boys," Ji Nian was busy worrying.
She just wanted to meet Gu Xiuyuan’s grandma to confirm whether the symptoms on her body were related to her poison.
How did things go so wrong before she even got started?
"Stop crying, I’ll perform a Flame Palm for you, okay?"
Before Gu Xiuyuan could respond, Shen Qingtang asked curiously, "What’s a Flame Palm?"
Ji Nian smiled mysteriously: "As the name suggests, it’s creating fire with your bare hands."
Shen Qingtang’s first reaction: "Ji Nian, you’re so amazing! You even know how to use four-character idioms!"
One of the other kids who had been eavesdropping shouted, "You’re lying! How can you create fire with your hands? That’s just special effects from movies, it’s not real!"
The other kids nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah."
"How can you create fire with your hands? My mom said kids shouldn’t play with fire, it’s dangerous! It can burn your skin, it’s really scary!"
"What does 'as the name suggests' mean, big brother?"
"Liar, I don’t believe you."
Ji Nian looked at the kids around her, their faces all saying "you’re lying," and sighed, "Fine, I’ll show you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Xiuyuan’s gloomy gaze fell on her.
Liar, you said you were going to perform for me.
And I haven’t even agreed yet!
Noticing his look, Ji Nian thought to herself how troublesome it was to comfort kids, but she still patiently said, "I’m performing for you, so stop crying, okay?"
Already feeling a bit embarrassed, Gu Xiuyuan quickly wiped away his tears and took the out Ji Nian offered.
"I don’t get mad at girls."
He put on an air of "I’m strong and magnanimous," then glanced at Ji Nian: "Are you still going to do it?"
Ji Nian waved her hand grandly: "Of course!"
She scanned the area and called over a waiter.
The waiters had been keeping an eye on the kids, and the closest one hurried over when Ji Nian waved: "Miss, how can I help you?"
Ji Nian motioned for him to lean in: "Uncle, could you help me prepare these things..."
She listed the items she needed.
It wasn’t anything hard to find, but...
"As for the lighter, I’ll need to ask for permission."
Ji Nian nodded: "Sure, sure."
...
The parents had split into several groups, some heading to the smoking room, others to the billiards room, each finding their own entertainment.
Ji Tingzhou and Gu Jing sat at the bar, each with a glass of alcohol in front of them.
However, the atmosphere was anything but relaxed—it was almost confrontational.
Every word Gu Jing spoke carried hidden meanings, with nine out of ten sentences being subtle probes.
Ji Tingzhou, on the other hand, remained vague and enigmatic, his attitude hard to decipher.
After half an hour, Gu Jing still hadn’t managed to figure out why Ji Tingzhou was here.
He clearly didn’t believe Ji Tingzhou was just here to accompany his child.
Gu Jing stopped talking.
The small sample bottle had already been given to the old lady, and word had come back that it did indeed slow the spread of the dark spots. He had already decided to agree to the Chen family’s terms. No matter what, he would have to face the Ji family eventually, and Ji Tingzhou would find out sooner or later.
However, the feeling of being coerced by the Chen family was infuriating, and Gu Jing didn’t mind causing them some trouble.
He subtly hinted to Ji Tingzhou that the Chen family seemed to have their eyes on the western suburbs recently.
Gu Jing knew that the Chen family had deliberately snatched a project Ji Group had been preparing for a long time.
After hearing this, Ji Tingzhou simply nodded indifferently.
It was unclear whether he was pretending not to understand or simply had no intention of retaliating.
Gu Jing thought this couldn’t be right—no one in S City could have forgotten the series of ruthless actions Ji Tingzhou had taken after taking over the Ji Group.
Several of the Ji Group’s senior shareholders had died, been injured, or even driven to jump off buildings in desperation.
As he pondered this, someone knocked and entered the room.
"What is it?"
Gu Jing looked at the newcomer.
The waiter explained the situation regarding Ji Nian’s request for a lighter.
Hearing that it was about Ji Nian, Gu Jing glanced at Ji Tingzhou.
"A lighter?"
Ji Tingzhou’s previously indifferent expression showed a hint of interest.
The waiter nodded: "Miss Ji said... she wants to perform a Flame Palm for our young master."
Gu Jing: ?
And his son was involved too?
Ji Tingzhou stood up, offering Gu Jing a rare genuine smile: "Would you like to join me to watch the Flame Palm, Mr. Gu?"
With that invitation, Gu Jing had no choice but to go.
Seeing this, the waiter knew Ji Tingzhou had approved and went off to prepare the items Ji Nian had requested.
The other parents, noticing Ji Tingzhou and Gu Jing leaving, inquired about what was happening and soon learned about Ji Nian’s "Flame Palm" performance.
The previously idle parents began to gather, making their way over in groups.
