A skinny child, with her clear eyes filled with innocence, looked at Zhiliao, puzzled by her expression. She thought she might have done something wrong and instinctively reached out to wipe away the tears at the corner of Zhiliao's eye.
She didn't understand anything. Even with fresh wounds, she didn't seem to feel pain, completely unaware of the abuse she had endured.
What's more, this child had a face that resembled the head of the family so closely that she didn't shy away like normal children would. Instead, she softly complimented Zhiliao, calling her beautiful despite her appearance.
Many people flattered Zhiliao because of her position as Ji Tingzhou's most trusted servant, but none dared to mention her face.
Before Ji Nian could react, Zhiliao whispered to her, "Wait for me for a moment," and then hurried out.
Just waking up, Ji Nian's mind wasn't quite clear. She suddenly thought of something and looked down at her body.
"Did I accidentally scare someone?"
With the cold weather, she wore more clothes, so her thin frame wasn't noticeable. But once she took off her clothes, her overly skinny body, with visible ribs, was quite shocking.
Not to mention the numerous wounds covering her body.
These injuries would be frightening on an adult, let alone a five-year-old child.
Ji Nian hugged her knees and sat down, her eyes calculating: *Trouble, Ji Tingzhou probably won't think I'm trying to play the pity card.*
After all, it was he who asked her to take a bath, not Ji Nian herself.
Initially, she had considered playing the victim, but after interacting more with Ji Tingzhou, she realized he wasn't the type to be easily swayed by sympathy, even for his own daughter.
So she abandoned that plan.
Of course, she was in pain, so much that she couldn't sleep at night. That's why she had dozed off just now.
The system opened its mouth, wanting to say something but hesitated.
*………*
Zhiliao was the first person the female lead had won over when she arrived at the Ji family in the original story. Later, she even sacrificed herself to save the female lead.
Don't let her current role as Ji Tingzhou's maid fool you. She used to be a top assassin, the leader of an assassin organization, with a bounty of ten billion.
She was one of the female lead's crucial advantages.
The system tried to comfort itself: *It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. Ji Nian is just a bit too... flirtatious and cunning.*
When it came to kindness and charisma, the female lead would surely outshine her!
Ji Nian, unexpectedly mentioned, responded: *?*
She retorted: *What do you know?*
*Remember, a woman who loves beauty doesn't age easily.*
Meanwhile—
"Master..."
Zhiliao arrived just in time to see Ji Tingzhou finish his bath.
Seeing Zhiliao's obviously troubled expression, Ji Tingzhou's first thought was: "Did she poop in the bathtub?"
Zhiliao: ?
"No."
Ji Tingzhou's brows relaxed slightly.
The room where Ji Nian was staying almost disappeared.
Zhiliao calmed herself and recounted what she had seen—Ji Nian's wounds.
"Her limbs have burns, bruises, and marks from being pinched. Her back is covered in whip marks."
Just mentioning it, her voice trembled with reluctance.
Ji Tingzhou, however, merely raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.
"Not like you."
Hearing this, Zhiliao suddenly came to her senses.
Yes...
She wasn't the type to meddle in others' affairs. Even with her past experiences, she had seen far more gruesome things, her heart as hard as stone.
But seeing Ji Nian's injuries, she had cried.
She couldn't even remember the last time she had cried.
Normally, she would just follow orders without a word, but now Zhiliao was silent.
It wasn't until Ji Tingzhou ordered someone to call the doctor that she spoke in a hoarse voice: "Maybe because... that child looks so much like you..."
Through Ji Nian, she saw the young Ji Tingzhou.
The similarities were that both had wounds, but the difference was, one's eyes were filled with hatred, while the other was simply naive.
The Ji family had produced such a soul.
"Her mind is full of 'Mi Mi Shrimp Sticks.'"
As if knowing what Zhiliao was thinking, Ji Tingzhou added with a hint of sarcasm.
Zhiliao: ?
What are "Mi Mi Shrimp Sticks"?
After seeing Ji Nian's wounds with his own eyes, Ji Tingzhou stepped aside to let the indignant doctor examine her. He then turned to contact the police.
Zhang Yulan was sentenced to life in prison.
In a way, being in prison made it easier to deal with her. The wounds Ji Nian had suffered would be repaid a hundredfold in her remaining life.
Ji Tingzhou convinced himself that he wasn't doing this for Ji Nian, but because Zhang Yulan had dared to touch what was his.
Yes, even if he didn't admit, didn't accept, and even disliked Ji Nian, she was still his possession.
"Beast! Truly a beast!"
The doctor examining Ji Nian was a forty-something woman with a kind face. Seeing Ji Nian's wounds, her face was filled with anger.
"Auntie, don't be angry. I'm not in pain."
Ji Nian gently touched her finger to the doctor's tightly furrowed brow.
The doctor's heart melted.
"Good girl, Auntie isn't angry with you. Auntie is angry at the person who did this to you."
She lovingly stroked Ji Nian's soft, curly hair.
The doctor was one of Ji Tingzhou's medical team leaders. She had been called in, thinking he might be suffering from his recurring headache.
Seeing Ji Nian, especially her face so similar to Ji Tingzhou's, she immediately knew her identity.
With a daughter of her own, the doctor's maternal instincts kicked in. Seeing Ji Nian's skinny frame, with bones clearly visible, she was filled with anger.
Still, she managed to keep her composure, knowing Ji Tingzhou was her boss. She suppressed her anger and said: "Master, how can you take care of a child like this?"
"Even orphans in orphanages aren't treated this way."
In other words: This child would be better off without a father, sent to an orphanage!
How could anyone treat a child so cruelly?!
Ji Tingzhou, however, didn't get angry. Instead, he was reminded of something.
Why hadn't he sent Ji Nian to an orphanage?
As an entrepreneur, he was involved in charity, and the Ji family had invested in many orphanages. Compared to Ji Nian's current state, she would have been better off there.
He could have had his secretary carefully select adoptive parents and pay them a large sum annually for Ji Nian's care.
Even Ji Tingzhou knew how beneficial a complete family was for a child's growth.
He himself was a ruin, barren and stingy, only capable of holding onto one thing—his dog, Dagen.
Yes, even the current Da Dan was just a substitute.
Let alone raising a child.
Especially after realizing Ji Nian was a naive, simple girl, he didn't want her to stay in the Ji family.
This place was merely the burial ground Ji Tingzhou had chosen for himself.
He thought a lot, though only a few minutes passed.
Ji Nian was lifted out of the medical equipment by the doctor, who began treating her wounds. She trembled with pain but didn't utter a sound, only looking at the person in front of her with teary eyes.
"Auntie, what's an orphanage?"
The doctor explained that it was a place where children around Ji Nian's age lived, without parents.
Ji Nian nodded after listening.
Then she said she didn't want to go.
"Would the brother go with me? Can I go with the brother?"
She said it seriously, while inwardly regretting that she had considered this plan earlier but was rejected by the system. She couldn't leave earlier than the original protagonist in the original plot.
Hearing her innocent words, the doctor followed Ji Nian's gaze to the man standing at the back, impossible to ignore—Ji Tingzhou. Her first reaction was:
"Brother?"
"Little one, he's your father."
