No one expected the doctor to suddenly reveal Ji Tingzhou's identity.
But no one thought it was wrong either.
Everyone instinctively looked to Ji Nian's reaction.
The expected surprise, astonishment, or tears of joy did not appear.
Ji Nian's face was—
thunderstruck.
Her gaze toward Ji Tingzhou shifted from the previous dependence and trust to outright fear.
It's worth noting that Ji Nian hadn't shown such an expression even when Ji Tingzhou had repeatedly expressed malice and released killing intent.
Yet upon learning that he was her father, she unreservedly revealed her fear.
“What's wrong, little one?”
The doctor hadn't expected Ji Nian to be so resistant upon learning that Ji Tingzhou was her father.
Ji Nian tugged at the doctor's sleeve and whispered, “Auntie, please send me to the orphanage…”
Ji Tingzhou, who had been standing aloof, furrowed his brows.
Ever since this child had entered his life, he found himself frowning hundreds of times a day.
Only Zhiliao seemed to understand.
Judging from the injuries on the little girl, it was clear her life had been difficult, and those around her probably hadn't spared her from being criticized through the lens of Ji Tingzhou.
Phrases like ‘Your dad doesn’t want you,’ ‘Nobody wants a beast like you,’ and ‘You were almost strangled at birth’ were likely thrown around.
Even if she didn’t fully comprehend the meaning of these words, she probably understood that her entire situation was tied to that title of ‘dad.’
And the fact that she had nearly been strangled at birth was true.
At the time, Ji Tingzhou had just slaughtered all the members of the Ji Family, and his mental state was extremely unstable. He had believed that the inherently evil bloodline would end with him.
Then, suddenly, he learned he had a child.
A continuation of both his and the Ji Family’s bloodline.
How could he not go mad?
“Ah, this child is too thin. I suggest a thorough comprehensive medical examination.”
Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, the doctor cleared her throat and spoke first.
Ji Nian lowered her head, unlike before, when she would occasionally glance up at Ji Tingzhou and give him a sweet smile when their eyes met.
Now, she avoided him as if he were a beast of prey, not daring to look even once.
If she had initially reacted this way toward Ji Tingzhou, his emotions wouldn’t have wavered in the slightest.
But with the previous contrast, this shift made Ji Tingzhou feel an unusual emotion stir within him.
He suddenly felt irritated and turned to leave.
Only after he was gone did Ji Nian dare to lift her head, confirming Ji Tingzhou was no longer there before looking at Zhiliao.
“Sister, I want to go back.”
Zhiliao looked at her with pity.
She couldn’t immediately respond to Ji Nian because she had to ask Ji Tingzhou first.
“Wait for me a moment, okay?”
Zhiliao stepped out, stood there for a while, and didn’t rush to find Ji Tingzhou. Instead, she called Wei Yang.
“Help me ask the head of the family if we should settle the child here or… send her back.”
Zhiliao secretly hoped for the former.
Wei Yang, not very sharp, readily agreed when he heard Zhiliao’s request, despite her usually being cold and aloof.
Then he got a face full of icy stares.
When Wei Yang asked Ji Tingzhou, the latter shot him a look as sharp as a blade: “What, are you going to raise her?”
Wei Yang, of course, didn’t dare to raise Ji Tingzhou’s child, frantically shaking his head: “No, no, no, no, no.”
Then he retreated.
Receiving the reply, Zhiliao sighed.
Turning back, she saw Ji Nian looking dejected. From her pocket, she took out two candies, which she had asked a few young maids for earlier.
“I’ll take you back, sister.”
Seeing the candy, Ji Nian’s eyes immediately lit up, and she regained a bit of vitality.
“Thank you, sister!”
She only took one, smiling so brightly her eyes almost disappeared.
Zhiliao wanted to pat her head but held back, placing the other candy in her pocket.
It's been so long since I've had something sweet, wuuuuu.
【As long as Zhiliao gives the word, I’ll immediately kick my scumbag dad and support her as the new head of the Ji Family!】
The system chuckled: You’d better dare.
The doctor sighed as she handed Ji Nian a bunch of medications, instructions that should have been given to the parents but clearly, Ji Nian didn’t have that luxury.
She patiently explained how to use each one repeatedly, though she couldn’t help but worry.
Ji Nian took one of the candies she had just received and handed it to the doctor.
“Thank you, auntie. I’ve got it.”
The doctor’s heart melted.
What a well-behaved child. With so little to her name, she still didn’t hesitate to share with others.
Her expression softened as she thought of the previous generation of Ji Family children, who were as wicked as demons. She was deeply moved.
Thankfully, they were all dead. Otherwise, it was unimaginable what kind of torment such a good child would have endured in their hands.
The doctor didn’t accept Ji Nian’s candy but instead gave her her contact information, telling her to call if she ever needed help.
Ji Nian obediently nodded and accepted it.
Zhiliao was a maid responsible for taking care of Ji Tingzhou, and she couldn’t stay away from the main building for too long, so the task of escorting Ji Nian fell to Wei Yang.
Completely unaware of why he had been scolded, Wei Yang was a bit downcast. Apart from being shocked upon seeing Ji Nian’s face, which was strikingly similar to Ji Tingzhou’s, he didn’t say a word to her the entire journey.
Seeing Wei Yang personally escorting Ji Nian, the passing maids all looked surprised.
“Here we are. Go on in.”
Wei Yang was about to leave when Ji Nian called out to him.
“Brother, thank you for bringing me back.”
Wei Yang was surprised that Ji Nian would thank him.
He turned to look at her, meeting those emerald-green eyes that were so similar to Ji Tingzhou’s.
He paused.
Until the child fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a purple-wrapped candy.
As an excellent employee, Wei Yang immediately recognized it as the standard candy from the maids' break room, which every maid could have.
He guessed it was from Zhiliao.
That cold woman actually gave a child candy? Unthinkable!
“Here, it’s sweet.”
As she spoke, she swallowed, then handed it to him.
Her injuries had just been treated and wrapped in clean gauze, so she couldn’t make any large movements, making the gesture a bit cautious.
Wei Yang, being tall and burly, wasn’t usually favored by children, and even small animals would bare their teeth at him.
Suddenly encountering a child who offered him candy, especially one who was so skinny and had bright, puppy-like eyes, made his heart soften.
He thought of the infant from back then, premature and smaller than usual, curled up in his arms, quiet and well-behaved.
In the blink of an eye, she had grown so big.
“…You eat it. I don’t like sweets.”
His tough exterior softened, and Wei Yang scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Despite being unhappy with Ji Nian earlier due to Ji Tingzhou’s anger, he left feeling a bit elated.
He even told Ji Nian, if she ever encountered someone like Zhang Yulan again, to come find him and gave her his name.
The system:【………】
In the original book, Wei Yang, the mad dog, wasn’t so easy to get along with. Usually looking silly, he was actually hard to approach. He only listened to Ji Tingzhou and was initially cold to the female lead before gradually accepting her.
How come with Ji Nian, he so quickly gave his name! Who is this warm-hearted giant?!
Ji Nian unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth, the long-missed sweetness spreading in her mouth.
“Wei Yang is such a nice person. It seems everyone in the Wei Family is kind, hehe…”
The system:【………】
Every day, it couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.
【Why did you act like that earlier?】
【You even slept with your scumbag dad’s leg, and he didn’t throw you out. Isn’t that a good start? Now you’re distancing yourself—wasn’t all that effort wasted?】
Now she’d have to endure that disgusting second drop of toad urine again.
The plan to get food from Dadan was also failing. The maids, noticing the missing dog snacks, had become more vigilant and weren’t as easy to approach.
Ji Nian licked the candy, her emerald eyes flashing with a hint of cunning.
“You don’t understand.”
“When people pray to the heavens for wealth, the heavens say they can only give half.”
“So they get ‘cheap.’”
