Both of them couldn't sleep, so they found a spot to sit down. Ji Nian bent over, picked up a cushion, and huffed as she dragged it over to her father before plopping down cross-legged.
Ji Nian couldn’t help but think that if this were any other time, Zhiliao would’ve noticed by now and would’ve brought them some soothing drinks to help them sleep.
"Dad, hurry up and tell me already."
She zoned out for a moment, and Ji Tingzhou seemed lost in thought too, as if reminiscing about something.
After Ji Nian nudged him twice, Ji Tingzhou glanced at her.
"What part do you want to hear?"
Ji Nian blinked her big eyes and answered without hesitation: "St. Maria Noble Academy, Nangong Yuchen who went crazy searching for her, Dongfeng Yi who stayed chaste, Ximen Kai who cut ties with his family, and Beiyue Chun who looked for a replacement."
Ji Tingzhou: "……Of all the useless things, you remember those the clearest."
There was no helping it. Ji Tingzhou and Wei Yang’s past was something Zhiliao occasionally told Ji Nian about, but she rarely spoke of her own experiences.
Aside from knowing that Zhiliao had once been a top-tier assassin, Ji Nian knew very little—and she’d been curious for a long time.
"Dad!"
Ji Nian immediately started pestering him, shaking his arm.
Ji Tingzhou, swaying from her pushing, rubbed his temples and swatted her hand away. "Alright, alright."
Ji Nian instantly settled down, tucking her hands neatly into her sleeves, turning prim and proper.
"Back in Liuxing Street, people from assassin organizations often came to recruit. She was the most sought-after—basically, someone would come asking for her every year."
"After I was taken in by the Ji family, I lost contact with them."
"She agreed to their terms on the condition that she could come see me once."
Ji Nian froze.
So that was why Zhiliao became an assassin?
She’d always thought… it was for the money.
"And then Zhiliao realized you weren’t doing well."
Ji Nian muttered under her breath.
Ji Tingzhou reached out and ruffled her hair but didn’t deny it.
That was exactly what happened.
When Zhiliao was brought to see Ji Tingzhou from the shadows, he was chained up outside—and it was pouring rain that day.
He didn’t know how Zhiliao felt seeing him like that, just like how he later asked her why she chose this path. The emotions were indescribable.
Zhiliao joined the organization, while Shen Rushan and Wei Yang followed Ms. Li, who had already been transferred and was beginning to make a name for herself.
She trained like mad, took on missions, saved up money—all to get Ji Tingzhou out of the Ji family.
"St. Maria Academy was one of her mission locations. The headmaster there owned a rare piece of jewelry. The client was the family who originally owned the necklace—they had tried to buy it back, but after multiple failed negotiations, they had no choice but to resort to… alternative methods."
Assassins didn’t just take assassination jobs.
"As for those four you mentioned…"
Ji Tingzhou looked like he wanted to say "idiots."
But with a kid in front of him, he swallowed the curse.
In Ji Tingzhou’s sparing description, Ji Nian pieced together the truth.
Zhiliao, along with her junior sister, had hidden their identities as elite assassins and infiltrated an island where St. Maria Academy was located. There, they encountered the school’s F4:
Gentle and devoted Nangong Yuchen, cold and aloof Dongfeng Yi, wild and unrestrained Ximen Kai, and flirtatious Beiyue Chun.
At first, they looked down on Zhiliao—a commoner—mocking and belittling her. But after a series of events—the school beauty pageant, being rescued from kidnapping, amnesia, and a replacement lover—the once-proud young masters fell for her one by one, swearing to marry no one else, turning against each other in a frenzy of rivalry.
The junior sister Zhiliao brought along, Mei, had genuinely fallen for the drama. But to Zhiliao? It was just a mission.
She still had no idea where those four even came from.
After hearing all this, Ji Nian: "……"
This sounded way too familiar.
It was like a hundred Mary Sue novels she’d read as a kid flashing through her mind.
"Bedtime story’s over."
"Go to sleep."
Seeing her wide-eyed, occasionally murmuring in amazement, Ji Tingzhou found her noises grating—like someone picking their teeth—and shooed her off to bed.
"One last question—that obsessive fan… oh, wait, her name was Mei, right?"
Ji Nian stood up, then turned back to look at him.
"After joining the organization, Zhiliao was the one who trained her."
In the end, Mei’s twisted personality was because Zhiliao spoiled her.
He’d always said that keeping that lunatic around was just asking for trouble—better to kill her.
With everything off her chest, Ji Nian slept deeply.
In her dream, she saw Chen Yueling again.
This time, Ji Nian spoke to her: "Chen Mo avenged you."
Chen Yueling smiled but said nothing.
After that, Ji Nian remembered nothing else.
When she woke the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
She stretched, feeling refreshed.
...
"Gu Xiuyuan, wanna race?"
Shen Qingtang, atop a black pony, shot a glance at Gu Xiuyuan beside her.
Catching her challenge, Gu Xiuyuan—who had recently returned from abroad—lifted his chin. "I accept."
With that, he smoothly mounted his horse, then turned to Ji Nian and added, "Don’t go running off on your own. Wait for us."
Ji Nian, who had been trying to give her pony bangs: ?
Before she could respond, the two were already off.
When Ji Nian was seven, she’d nearly fallen off a horse. Since then, everyone kept a close eye on her—to this day, she wasn’t allowed to ride alone.
Thus, her freedom to ride was forever lost.
"Want me to keep you company?"
He Xiang, who was holding her tools, asked.
After a break, he’d bulked up quite a bit. A few days ago, Ji Nian had even gone to his place to hang out.
He Xiang’s house had air conditioning, and Ji Nian had copied his math homework there (not recommended).
"Nah, I wasn’t planning to ride anyway."
Shen Qingtang, finally recovered from her injuries, was itching to move after being cooped up for so long. Ji Nian didn’t stop her—being stuck inside had nearly driven her crazy.
As they discussed the pony’s hairstyle (still uncut), Chen Mo arrived, dressed in white sportswear, a cap, and sunglasses.
"Niànniàn, thirsty? Want some iced juice?"
He Xiang eyed the man.
If he didn’t know this was Ji Nian’s uncle, he’d have mistaken him for an older brother.
The man was young, with fair skin and delicate features. His gaze was cool, like moonlight—except when he looked at Ji Nian. Then, it softened impossibly.
"Thanks, Mo Mo."
As Ji Nian took the drink, Chen Mo offered the extra one to He Xiang.
He Xiang also thanked him: "Thanks, Uncle."
Chen Mo: "……"
Who are you calling uncle?
"By the way, Niànniàn, I remember No. 1 mentioning that the Lu Family’s kid was close to you too. How come he’s not here?"
He’d been expecting to see that little blond troublemaker.
Ji Nian took a sip of the iced juice, her eyes closing in bliss. "The little crown prince? He’s still in Country O."
"Something about a festival, I think."
Chen Mo, whose former base was in Country O, immediately understood. "The Oulei Festival?"
"That makes sense."
"It’s one of Country O’s most important holidays."
