"How did you find me?"
Sitting in Lu Jinghuai's car, Ji Nian took off his jacket and handed it back to him.
Lu Jinghuai shook his head, signaling her not to speak further.
Then he explained, "He Xiang called me."
He turned his head slightly to look at Ji Nian, his silver-gray eyes outlined with a golden rim under the car's ceiling light.
"He said he felt something was off with you."
"I called Sister Zhiliao, and she was also looking for you. She said you got off the car midway and didn’t let anyone follow you."
"I guessed you’d go to Ji Xi."
In just a few words, Ji Nian was once again reminded of his extraordinary intelligence.
"Your family is very worried about you."
To be honest, Lu Jinghuai was also startled when he guessed Ji Nian’s whereabouts.
He knew Ji Nian was bold—after all, what kind of child would have the courage to cut her own wrist to feed a dying stranger?
But he hadn’t expected that her fearlessness had only grown with time.
Not many would dare to visit an 'enemy’s' residence alone for the sake of her sick father.
"It’s my fault, but I don’t regret it."
After a brief flicker of guilt, Ji Nian curled her lips and told Lu Jinghuai what she had done.
Since he already knew about Ji Tingzhou’s situation, she saw no reason to hide it. Besides, the interests between the Ji and Lu families were deeply intertwined, making their relationship different from others.
Hearing that Ji Nian had not only beaten Ji Xi but also injected him with a toxin, Lu Jinghuai’s lips curved upward, his gaze overflowing with tenderness.
"You’re amazing."
A genuine compliment.
His eyes sparkled like they were filled with stars, and Ji Nian, who hadn’t thought much of her actions, felt a secret thrill.
Truthfully, injecting Ji Xi with the toxin while he was off guard would have been quicker—beating him up was purely Ji Nian’s personal vendetta.
How could she resist striking the person responsible for Ji Tingzhou’s suffering?
"Regarding Uncle Ji’s condition, my mother might be able to help. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself."
Hearing this, Ji Nian blinked in confusion.
Lu Jinghuai leaned closer—if not for the divider between them, he might have pressed right against her.
"The O-country royal family only abolished the pursuit of 'pure bloodline' succession during my grandfather’s generation."
He phrased it delicately, but Ji Nian understood what he meant.
'Pure bloodline' referred to inbreeding.
[Right, when it comes to superstitions, royalty is even more extreme than commoners.]
Genetic diseases? They were experts.
Ji Nian’s eyes lit up as she looked at Lu Jinghuai.
Seeing her interest, Lu Jinghuai propped his sharp chin on his hand and said softly, "I have a small request. May I?"
Ji Nian waved her hand grandly. "Go ahead."
At this point, even if Lu Jinghuai asked her to share a toilet stall with him, she wouldn’t refuse.
"Once everything’s settled, go skiing with me."
"Just the two of us."
He tugged at Ji Nian’s sleeve, his diamond-like eyes shimmering, his tone a mix of pleading and pitiful sweetness. "Okay?"
Watching him like this, Ji Nian thought—comparing him to vanadium wasn’t wrong at all.
Most of the time, he was gentle and unassuming like water, occasionally a bit 'tea-like,' but in private, he was a thrill-seeking youth who sometimes cried.
Now she was seeing his spoiled side.
So many facets—it made her wonder what interesting reactions she’d see next.
"Not coming in?"
When they arrived home, Ji Nian turned to Lu Jinghuai, who had stepped out to see her off.
He had given her his jacket earlier and never put it back on. His slender yet vibrant frame looked a bit frail, as if he had grown taller since their last meeting.
When they first met, she only had to tilt her head slightly to meet his eyes, but now she had to crane her neck.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen him in a while after summer break—had he been secretly chugging growth supplements behind her back?
System: [cough]
It reminded Ji Nian to pay attention.
"You’ll probably be busy soon, so I won’t disturb you."
"But,"
He hooked her sleeve again, his expression serious, his gray eyes damp with the overcast sky’s gloom. "Don’t shoulder everything alone."
"Share some trust with those who care about you."
The rain began to fall again, and the person who came to fetch Ji Nian held an umbrella firmly over her, shielding her from the storm.
Ji Nian clasped Lu Jinghuai’s hand in return. Skin met skin—who knew whose heart trembled?
"Don’t worry."
She spoke earnestly before pulling away and turning around. Unable to resist, she lifted the sleeve he had tugged twice and gave it a light sniff.
Hmm…
Despite the brief contact, his scent had already clung to her.
[Pretty fragrant. Speaking of fragrance, he’s got that…]
System: [Instead of wasting time on lame jokes, maybe focus on self-improvement.]
[Speaking of improvement…]
Ji Nian: ...
What a masterclass in harassment.
Speaking of harassment—
System: SHUT UP!!
"Young Master? Young Master?"
"It’s raining, and she’s gone."
Even after the gate closed completely, cutting off any sight of the girl, his beautiful young master remained rooted in place. The driver called out to him.
"Mm."
Rubbing the spot where she had touched him, Lu Jinghuai lowered his gaze, steadying his wildly pounding heart before responding softly.
...
"Brother Wei Yang, I’m sorry."
The sound of raindrops pattering on lotus leaves and splashing into the lake accompanied their walk along the corridor. The younger of the two spoke first.
As she spoke, she stole glances at the man beside her.
Wei Yang usually acted like a goofball around them, but Ji Nian had seen him in work mode. No wonder the bodyguards were afraid of him—he was downright terrifying.
But after getting close to Ji Nian, he never showed that side to her.
They had never fought, not even once.
Even when Ji Nian messed up, Wei Yang never scowled at her. If Ji Tingzhou forbade something but Ji Nian wanted to do it, she always went to Wei Yang—because she knew he’d indulge her, even if it meant getting scolded together later.
But this time, she had crossed a line. He was truly angry.
So angry that he hadn’t spoken a single word to her.
"Brother Wei Yang, talk to me. I promise it won’t happen again."
She reached for his sleeve, but the hand that had always been easy to grab now dodged her.
"I knew Sister Zhiliao was there, so I wasn’t afraid of anything happening."
"Besides, I made preparations to ensure I wouldn’t get hurt."
"What preparations? The kind where you rip the spikes off my tank model to make a spiked collar for yourself? Or the kind where you march alone to that Ji-what’s-his-face’s place to threaten him?"
Ji-what’s-his-face…
Ji Nian: "……"
Wei Yang remembered waking up in a panic, rushing to find Ji Nian, only for Zuo Yi to tell him she had gone alone to negotiate with Ji Xi—and somehow secured thirty vials of medicine to ease Ji Tingzhou’s symptoms.
He had nearly lost his mind.
What if, by some mishap, she got hit by an adult? She’s still so young, and the military personnel are nothing but mindless robots who follow orders—they wouldn’t hold back just because she’s a child.
Knowing exactly where his anger stemmed from, Ji Nian lowered her voice and apologized again, "I'm sorry..."
"But seeing Dad like that... I just couldn’t take it."
Ji Tingzhou’s condition hurt Ji Nian the most.
For someone so young to go through something like this—Wei Yang’s heart softened instantly.
Flustered, he stammered, "Hey, don’t cry. Did I say something too harsh?"
"I was just worried about you. Do you know I’ve been dreaming about your neck snapping? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fix it."
As he spoke, his own eyes reddened.
The helplessness from last night’s dream rushed back—Ji Nian’s neck broken, her mouth wide open as she screamed in pain, while he stood there, powerless to mend it.
There they were, one grown man and one little girl, weeping in each other’s arms under the covered walkway.
