No one possessed the ability to read minds, so Ji Xi's thoughts remained a mystery.
Seeing the silent young man, the supervisor assumed he was paralyzed with fear.
A cut throat wasn’t a big deal—as long as his brain and hands remained functional, he could still brew potions.
So the supervisor quickly released him.
He didn’t know what Ji Xi had done, but judging by the other party’s tone, there was still room for negotiation.
The supervisor nudged Ji Xi to snap him out of his daze.
The Ji family’s affairs weren’t his concern. His orders were simply to ensure Ji Xi stayed alive with all limbs intact.
"You really came for that potion," Ji Xi murmured.
He just hadn’t expected her to resort to such methods…
Ji Nian wrinkled her nose, thinking the stench clinging to him was infinitely worse than the odor of lab mice—how could it carry so far?
His skin itching unbearably, Ji Xi gingerly touched his bandaged neck and cast a wary glance at Ji Nian.
"If I give you the potion, will you give me the antidote?"
"Twenty bottles for the antidote."
Ji Xi shook his head. "Ten."
Without blinking, Ji Nian countered, "Thirty."
Arguing further was pointless. The stench was making Ji Xi nauseous, and the itching was unbearable.
Even if he analyzed the toxin’s composition in time, he wouldn’t be able to brew an antidote quickly enough.
"Deal… I’ll give you thirty bottles."
Thirty bottles would last Ji Tingzhou a while.
Ji Nian had come today with another motive—to test Ji Xi.
After their conversation, she confirmed he didn’t possess a complete cure, only a temporary relief for Ji Tingzhou’s suffering.
She needed to find a solution before those thirty bottles ran out.
Easier said than done. The challenge was daunting, and with time constraints, she couldn’t afford to study at her usual pace.
[Why give him the antidote so easily? You could drag it out, only providing temporary relief each time to keep him dependent on you.]
Ji Nian had already considered that. [If he really brewed that potion, he’s skilled. Delaying would just give him time to reverse-engineer the toxin.]
Besides, after this, Ji Xi would be on guard. Opportunities like today wouldn’t come often.
Once the exchange time and location were settled, Ji Nian walked out openly.
The supervisor watched her retreating figure, wondering…
Was she really fourteen?
What kind of fourteen-year-old girl barged in alone, beat people up, poisoned them, threatened them, and walked away unscathed?
Not that they could’ve done much even if she had harmed Ji Xi.
She was a minor—untouchable by law.
And more importantly, she was the Ji family’s young mistress, the daughter of the Ji family head and… well, the current…
Ji Xi was useful to their employer, but not enough to provoke that person.
Leaving the villa, Ji Nian trudged down the road on foot.
The area was remote—she had a long walk ahead before reaching a place where she could hail a cab.
Exhausted, she slumped onto the stone steps beside a public phone booth, uncaring of the dirt. She pressed a hand to her stomach.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep yesterday, or the chill today.
Her stomach ached faintly.
Wei Yang would probably be furious when she returned—she’d knocked him out and gone to confront Ji Xi alone.
Fingering her silenced phone, Ji Nian rested her sharp chin on her knees, curling into a small, listless ball.
Zuo Yi should’ve received her message by now. She hoped Ji Xi wouldn’t try anything sneaky—she needed this exchange to go smoothly.
Then Ji Tingzhou could sleep peacefully, free from the pain.
Hallucinations… phantom pains. Had the books she ordered arrived? And if she recalled correctly, her uncle knew a pharmacist skilled in such ailments—maybe she could consult him.
There had to be a way.
In the original novel, Ji Tingzhou had collapsed into a coma without warning. Was it related to this illness?
Oh, and You Er, whom she’d sent to investigate… why hadn’t there been any updates?
Would the company be alright? If the shareholders found out about Ji Tingzhou’s condition, would they revolt? Could Zuo Yi handle it?
Her thoughts swirled until her head throbbed. The stone step dug into her, and the wind howled, chilling her forehead.
Then—
A shadow fell over her. She heard ragged breathing and looked up to see mud-splattered white shoes.
From the shelter of her arms, she lifted her gaze.
The boy stood backlit, his hair gilded by sunlight, chest heaving as if he’d sprinted here. His jacket was windswept and disheveled.
Spotting Ji Nian, he exhaled in relief, then knelt before her and draped his coat over her shoulders.
Lu Jinghuai leaned in until their noses almost touched, his silver-gray eyes shimmering like liquid metal. Up close, they reminded Ji Nian of vanadium—an element whose ions painted ordinary substances in vivid hues.
Without asking why she was here, he smiled softly and murmured, "Found you."
Ji Nian averted her gaze from those drowning-deep eyes and clutched his jacket tighter. A sweet, unfamiliar scent enveloped her.
"How did you know I was here?"
Her hoarse voice wiped the smile from his face.
Expressionless, he was intimidating—silver eyes frosty, lips pressed into a hard line.
"Was it because of Uncle Ji?"
She hadn’t expected him to know, but it wasn’t entirely surprising.
"Yeah."
"Dad… he didn’t mean to."
As he spoke, his gaze dropped to her concealed neck, his eyes reddening like crushed cherry juice.
"Did it hurt?" he whispered.
Ji Nian startled.
She hadn’t cried when Ji Tingzhou, lost in delirium, had choked her.
So why was Lu Jinghuai tearing up?
None of that nonsense about men’s tears being women’s greatest aphrodisiac crossed her mind—she was too flustered by his distress.
"Don’t be upset. It’s much better now."
"I used a healing salve. The bruises are mostly gone, just my voice is still rough."
When he didn’t seem convinced, she loosened the jacket, letting it slip to her shoulders, and tugged her collar down to reveal the bandages.
"Peek under if you don’t believe me. It’s really fine."
Lu Jinghuai didn’t.
Instead, he stared at her slender neck—so fragile it could be encircled by one hand—then gently pulled her into an embrace. He didn’t press too close, but his warmth seeped into her.
Breathing in his sweet scent, Ji Nian rested her head against his shoulder and, eyes half-lidded, secretly inhaled deeper.
Being gently stroked on the hair, it felt as if all her troubles drifted slightly away with the movement of that hand.
Just resting for a while...
Just a little while.
After drawing a brief moment of strength from her friend, when she opened her eyes again, she was once more the unbreakable Ji Nian.
