The man walked in and glanced at Ji Xi, who instinctively distanced himself from the woman under that gaze.
"Worthless."
Those two light words carried an oppressive weight, and Ji Xi's face instantly paled.
"Dad... I-I'll work harder."
"I've already done what you asked. It won't be long before Ji Tingzhou personally brings me into the Ji Family."
He had assumed Ji Tingzhou would be fond of this face resembling his own—after all, hadn’t he broken his principles for that Ji Nian simply because the child looked like him?
But why was he being kicked aside the moment he appeared?
At this thought, Ji Xi felt a pang of grievance, but he didn’t dare act spoiled. He could only look at the man with hopeful eyes, longing for praise.
But the man offered none. After berating Ji Xi, his attention remained solely on the woman lounging on the sofa.
"Get out."
Ji Xi couldn’t hide his disappointment. "...Yes."
Before the door closed, Ji Xi turned back and saw the once-arrogant man now kneeling at the woman’s feet, pressing a reverent kiss to the hem of her dress.
...
[What’s wrong?]
Sensing Ji Nian’s shock, the system spoke up.
Setting down the medical report, Ji Nian blinked once.
"Even as someone who specializes in toxins, I’d want to dissect him for study."
It sounded terrifying, but the system remained unfazed.
For humans, compared to growing taste buds in one’s anus, dissection probably sounded far more merciful.
"Look closely."
Tapping the report, Ji Nian signaled for the system to focus.
It skimmed the page, then let out a surprised sound. "Huh?"
"Why is his cellular activity so high? Is he sick?"
That shouldn’t be possible. With numbers this extreme, an ordinary person would already be bedridden.
Ji Nian pointed at one particular line. "And this."
"Doesn’t it seem abnormally elevated?"
The column she indicated was the same one that had been severely deficient in Sun Xiao’s report.
The most intriguing part was that Ji Nian had previously ordered an investigation into others with similar conditions to Sun Xiao—and they’d actually found something.
Cases had appeared all over the country—people who’d gone missing for a period, returned unharmed, but later died suddenly from acute illnesses.
"This Ji Xi is undoubtedly one of the Crow’s men."
From his words to Ji Tingzhou, he claimed to be skilled in pharmacology, and Yang Huayu had also mentioned a "miraculous encounter" years ago. It was clear this kid knew how to make things.
Simply proclaiming himself Ji Tingzhou’s child hadn’t been enough to pique Ji Nian’s interest.
But his claim of being a pharmacologist? That changed things.
"Was he the one who made the toxin that nearly killed Chen Mo?"
Of course, judging by the timeline, Ji Xi would’ve still been in diapers back then.
Highly unlikely.
Still, it gave Ji Nian a flicker of curiosity.
Haitian Corporation’s marketing was relentless—even Gu Xiuyuan, who had no involvement in the industry, had heard of their new product.
A "miracle for mankind" restoration serum.
"If I recall correctly, wasn’t the Chen family collaborating with Ji Enterprises on something similar?"
Ji Nian’s tone was meaningful. "Not similar. Identical."
Gu Xiuyuan understood immediately.
His expression shifted, a complicated look directed at Ji Nian.
She, however, seemed unbothered, patting his shoulder. "Relax."
If she said so, it meant they already had a countermeasure.
"Too bad your family isn’t in this business. Otherwise, you should’ve joined us."
Gu Xiuyuan took it in stride.
"Our family’s situation is different from yours. Too many old fossils in the company. My father, Gu Nian, still feels indebted to them for past favors, but they won’t be enjoying their privileges much longer."
"Because I’m different."
As he spoke, the ambition flashing in Gu Xiuyuan’s eyes was far beyond what his youthful appearance suggested.
Truly, a born CEO had vision from childhood.
Ji Nian would’ve loved to do business with the male lead—after all, protagonist halo was a powerful shield.
Hearing his words, she felt immensely satisfied.
All her subtle ideological nudging had paid off—he was finally considering branching into new ventures.
If Gu Xiuyuan joined forces with her, it’d be like adding wings to a tiger.
Ji Nian gazed at him with delight, already envisioning the flood of future profits.
"Alright, your next exam’s about to start. You should go."
"Don’t let the nonsense out there affect your focus."
Gu Xiuyuan’s words carried a pointed meaning.
Recently, online rumors had been suppressed, but with Ji Xi openly appearing at Hainuo Academy—flaunting his supposed lineage—the gossip had only intensified.
Some claimed the Ji Family’s silence meant they’d already acknowledged him.
Others went as far as to declare, "He’s a son, and a genius at that. If Ji Tingzhou doesn’t claim him, he’s a fool."
Now, everyone knew Ji Xi was the researcher behind Haitian’s restoration serum. Professors flocked to exchange ideas with him, while the question of who originally developed the serum was conveniently ignored.
The crowd surged toward the promising young prodigy, eager to kiss up to the next big name in pharmacology.
Ji Nian found her assigned exam hall and stepped inside.
The moment she entered, the seated students turned to stare.
Unfazed, she located her seat number and sat down.
"She looks more like Chairman Ji than that Ji Xi—even her eye color is identical."
"My dad says it doesn’t matter how much she resembles him. She’s a girl, and someone like him would obviously favor the smarter child."
"It’s been ages, and Ji Enterprises still hasn’t made a statement. If anything, they’ve been suppressing the news."
Ji Nian tuned out the chatter, pulling out her exam pen and propping her chin on her hand as she watched a snail crawl slowly along the windowsill.
Her mind wandered.
Ji Tingzhou should be back today. With all this rain lately, his mood must be terrible. Where should they go after the break?
When the exam bell rang, Ji Nian glanced at the digital clock on the wall.
1:30 PM.
Hmm. The show’s about to begin.
Inside Haitian Corporation’s headquarters.
"It’s already been sent for quality inspection—no issues there. Young Master Ji’s talent at such a young age is remarkable. He’ll surely go down in medical history."
The Haitian CEO bowed obsequiously to Ji Xi, who was eating lunch.
Free from the Ji Family’s mistreatment, he seemed well-rested—his hair glossy, his mood bright as he skimmed documents between bites, basking in the flattery.
"Of course. After all… look whose child I am."
The CEO nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes."
Though he still couldn’t fathom whether this boy was truly Ji Tingzhou’s son.
What kind of child openly opposed their own father—and enjoyed it?
"Is this all the information you have on the Ji Family’s pharmacologists? Names, ages, backgrounds? I already know about their work."
Puffing out a cheek in irritation, he tossed the documents onto the floor.
Someone tried to comfort him, saying, "The Ji Family has kept her well protected. All these years, no one has ever seen her."
A cold glint flickered across Ji Xi's youthful face.
"Only two works in all these years—I’d say he’s not that impressive."
That so-called "miracle restorative serum" that could change humanity? He could easily replicate and enhance it without breaking a sweat. Nothing special.
Besides, this wasn’t even his field of expertise.
"If only poisons could be sold openly too," he murmured to himself.
What was so fun about saving lives? Watching someone succumb to venom, struggle in agony, and witness the grotesque bodily reactions induced by toxins—now that was entertaining, wasn’t it?
But it didn’t matter. To earn "Dad’s" recognition, he could endure a little longer.
"It should be over soon. Once the quality inspection wraps up, we’ll speed things up. I can’t wait for Dad to see my worth."
He pouted slightly, resting his sharp chin on his hand as his lips curled into a smirk. A faint air of wickedness shadowed his brows.
If the Ji Family saw him like this, they’d never dare say he resembled Ji Nian again.
Just then, the CEO of Hainuo Academy suddenly received a call. The moment he picked up his phone and heard the first words from the other end, his expression instantly darkened.
"The inspection failed? How is that possible?!"
