Ji Nian had originally intended to put on an act to test the limits of Ji Tingzhou's patience with her.
All thoughts of feeling tired in front of Ji Tingzhou vanished after she indulged in a delicious, satisfying meal.
It was as if the previous Ji Nian had been cast aside.
She didn't believe she could win Ji Tingzhou's heart as easily as the female lead in a novel, but as long as he didn't harbor any murderous intent towards her, allowed her to eat her fill, and she could endure until she was old enough to work and escape the Ji family, being treated like a pet cat or dog didn't bother her.
【Surviving the fragile infancy is the key...】
So, she decided to play the naive and sweet role to the end.
As she thought about it, Ji Nian, who had only been pretending to sleep, actually fell asleep for real.
She was wearing thin clothing, and despite the moderate temperature in the bedroom, she instinctively sought warmth.
"Huh..."
Ji Nian rolled over in her drowsiness, until she bumped into something hard and promptly hugged it.
"Mimi shrimp sticks... hehehehe... big Mimi shrimp sticks..."
Ji Tingzhou suffered from chronic insomnia and mostly relied on medication to get a good night's sleep. However, over time, his body built up a resistance, and even several pills were no longer effective.
But he couldn't take too many pills, as there was a risk of not waking up.
This led to his temper becoming increasingly erratic, and even Wei Yang, who had been with him since childhood, sometimes feared him.
Although the drowsiness came unexpectedly, Ji Tingzhou wouldn't let this rare opportunity slip by. He closed his eyes despite Ji Nian's presence, until he felt something touch his leg.
With his severe cleanliness obsession, he immediately realized that the only living creature in the room was the little fool who shared his face.
In an instant, an overwhelming sense of disgust surged within him.
Even though Ji Nian had done her best to clean herself, in Ji Tingzhou's eyes, she was still dirty.
But before Ji Tingzhou could erupt in anger, an overwhelming wave of drowsiness pulled him down.
Soon, Ji Tingzhou's breathing became steady.
He even had a dream.
He dreamt of his childhood, during a thunderstorm, huddled in a makeshift iron shack. Back then, Da Gen was still alive, and the warm, soft belly of the dog was the only source of warmth Ji Tingzhou could find.
He hugged Da Gen's fluffy head, listening to the sound of rain drops hitting the roof, feeling lucky to have found an expired loaf of bread in the trash, which filled their stomachs for the time being.
It was a rare moment of comfort and peace.
"Da Gen, I'll make sure you get to eat meat every day," the young Ji Tingzhou said with bright, determined green eyes.
"Woof!" Da Gen barked, gently licking the boy's face with its tongue, its wet nose nudging its little master.
Even without meat, it didn't matter. The dog's world was simple, and all it wanted was to be by its little master's side.
This was one of the few precious memories from Ji Tingzhou's childhood, especially after Da Gen was skinned and dismembered by the second young master of the Ji family, right in front of him.
Waking up from the dream, which lacked the usual grotesque visions and bloody scenes, Ji Tingzhou found himself in a room with all the curtains drawn, only a few nightlights casting a soft glow. He could see the little girl, Ji Nian, sleeping soundly with her arms wrapped around his leg.
Her long hair was messy, and she was incredibly thin, with barely any baby fat on her face. She seemed to be having a pleasant dream, her lips occasionally puckering as if sipping something.
"One more... just one more sip... Grandpa's lover... hehe... Grandpa's lover..."
Her voice was soft, but Ji Tingzhou's sharp hearing picked up every word, whether he wanted to or not.
Grandpa's lover...
Ji Tingzhou's eyelids twitched.
...
When the servant brought hot milk upstairs, she couldn't help but murmur.
The head of the household never liked dairy products, so why the sudden request for hot milk?
It wasn't until she entered the room and saw the little girl sleeping messily with her arms around Ji Tingzhou's leg that she understood.
As she placed the milk down, Ji Tingzhou was already holding a tablet, watching a video sent by Wei Yang, which was a surveillance clip.
Through the earpiece, Wei Yang's voice synchronized with the footage: "After she left the small building, she just wandered around, poking at various plants to see if they were edible. After finding none, she...”
Wei Yang hesitated.
Ji Tingzhou didn't need him to spell it out. He had already seen it.
Ji Nian, finding no food, headed decisively in one direction.
She navigated through a small path, avoided the security patrols, climbed over a fence, and reached a beautifully designed, azure-blue building. Before she could even stand still, a black shadow pounced on her.
Ji Tingzhou, who had been expressionless throughout, showed a complex look when he recognized the shadow.
It was his dog, Da Dan.
Da Dan was a yellow mixed breed dog, possibly with some large breed genes, making it larger than the average mutt.
It wasn't as fierce as a Tibetan Mastiff, as handsome as a Doberman, nor as cute as a Pomeranian, and certainly not as popular as the evil Shaggy.
But it was well-kept by Ji Tingzhou's wealth, living in a whole building that served as its villa. From veterinarians to groomers, a team of over a hundred people catered to its needs. Apart from Ji Tingzhou, its owner, Da Dan was quite aloof and didn't interact with anyone.
But unexpectedly, in the footage, Da Dan sniffed Ji Nian's scent and started wagging its tail furiously, then lowered a bag of its favorite chew sticks.
Ji Nian opened the bag and took a bite, only to find it too tough to chew, looking disappointed.
Seeing the youngling not eating, the dog grew anxious, nudging Ji Nian with its nose and whining softly.
Ji Nian hugged the dog back, gently patting its head, muttering, "Good dog, good dog."
Then, Da Dan knocked her down, and the two rolled around playfully, laughing together.
This scene reminded Ji Tingzhou of his own past with Da Gen.
The two of them had relied on each other, and even when they were often hungry, their companionship made the hardships seem less severe.
Ji Tingzhou's gaze shifted from the screen to the little girl who was now sleeping with her head resting on his foot.
His expression was unreadable.
No wonder her clothes were so dirty.
The mention of the word 'dirty' suddenly made his relaxed expression vanish.
Ji Tingzhou lifted Ji Nian up.
Ji Nian, who had been dreaming of rua-ing a man's chest muscles, woke up with a start.
Her heavy eyelids fluttered open to see Ji Tingzhou's dark expression.
"Zhiliao, clean her up."
The servant named Zhiliao suppressed a laugh and took Ji Nian.
"Yes, Master."
Ji Nian, still half-asleep, was carried off to bathe.
After Ji Nian was taken away, Ji Tingzhou wasted no time stripping off his clothes and taking his third shower of the day.
The earpiece disconnected, and Wei Yang was still puzzled. Who was 'she' that the master mentioned? Was there someone there?
After canceling the shared screen showing Ji Nian riding Da Dan into the building, Wei Yang rubbed his chin.
If a bath was needed, it must be something dirty, but instead of being thrown out, it was being taken to be cleaned.
"Strange..."
If Wei Yang knew that Ji Tingzhou had allowed Ji Nian to sleep with her arms around his leg for three hours, his jaw would probably drop in shock.
Meanwhile—
"Sister, you're so beautiful..."
Ji Nian recognized her; she was the servant who had brought her food earlier.
She had been too focused on eating before to notice, but now, as Zhiliao stood in front of her, helping her undress, Ji Nian could see her clearly.
Her face was fair and well-proportioned, though it was marred by a scar that ran across the entire right side.
Ji Nian wasn't flattering; she genuinely admired her, especially the servant's lively, star-like eyes.
She couldn't help but gaze at them in awe.
Zhiliao, who had a soft spot for Ji Nian after she helped the master eat and even fall asleep, was taken aback by the compliment.
Her expression softened, and she was about to tell the little girl not to lie, but then she paused.
Because those jade-like, clear eyes were filled with sincerity.
Ji Nian truly thought Zhiliao was beautiful, without any pretense.
Zhiliao's words caught in her throat.
Ji Nian was about to say more when the woman's expression suddenly changed.
She looked at the horrifying scars on the emaciated little girl's body and her face darkened.
