In the tearoom, Ji Tingzhou rarely took the time to brew tea himself. His movements were fluid and mesmerizing, every gesture exuding an innate nobility. It was hard to imagine that years ago, Ji Tingzhou had been a child selling goods on the streets in the poorest, most chaotic neighborhoods.
Ms. Li thought to herself that perhaps she really was getting old. Lately, she often found herself reminiscing about the past.
"That kid might look unreliable at first glance, but he’s actually quite well-behaved," Ms. Li remarked lightly, inhaling the fragrance of the tea.
Ji Tingzhou didn’t bother with pleasantries. "That’s not convincing at all."
Ms. Li shook her head helplessly. When she spoke again, her expression turned serious.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I won’t live forever."
Mentioning death, she seemed far calmer than she had been three years ago when she had stubbornly supported Mu Xiushi.
"There’s no blood tie between us. Whoever inherits my legacy won’t trust you the way I do. Even if the Ji Group remains stable for a while, in the long run, once they rise to my position, it won’t be favorable for you."
"Do you want Ji Nian to inherit a company on shaky ground?"
"But if Ji Nian marries Wei Junze, things would be different."
So, after all this, she was still circling back to the same topic.
Ji Tingzhou lowered his gaze.
"I didn’t raise a child just to secure an heir."
He held the teacup, turning it idly in his hands.
"She has the right to choose for herself."
What he meant was clear—whether the Ji Group went bankrupt or not didn’t matter. His child wasn’t born to clean up a mess. If that day ever came, he would ensure Ji Nian had the resources and connections to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
Seeing this, Ms. Li’s eyes softened with warmth.
It had only been a suggestion, not a demand. Bringing Wei Junze here was simply to let the two young people spend time together. If sparks flew, great. If not, so be it.
Besides, she truly saw Ji Nian as her own and didn’t want to see her unhappy.
"Fine, if you don’t want to, then forget it. No need to pull such a long face."
Ji Tingzhou seemed unaware of how grim his expression had been. He took a sip of the perfectly brewed tea, the refreshing aroma spreading through his mouth, relaxing him instantly.
...
"This is water, and that’s a house."
Ji Nian gave Wei Junze a tour of the Ji residence, with Wei Yang trailing at a careful distance, keeping a close eye on them.
Hidden in the shadows, the assassin-servant team stood guard, ready to intervene if Wei Junze dared to step out of line.
Wei Junze didn’t seem bothered by her dismissive attitude.
"The feng shui here is good. A master must have designed the layout, right?"
Ji Nian glanced at him, surprised he knew about such things.
Noticing her look, Wei Junze tilted his head and grinned. "What? Doesn’t seem like my thing?"
Ji Nian tossed some fish food into the pond and nodded emphatically.
"So, what kind of person do you think I am?"
He draped his arms over the railing, resting his chin on them as he studied Ji Nian’s indifferent profile.
Ji Nian shot him a glance. "The kind whose pee smells bad."
Wei Junze froze.
Probably the first time in his life he’d ever heard such a description. But he quickly recovered, bursting into laughter.
He laughed so hard that a few strands of his dark red hair stuck up rebelliously. The tears gathering at the corners of his eyes softened the wildness in his gaze.
When he laughed, he actually looked younger.
Ji Nian studied his face for a moment before reaching this conclusion.
Once he finally calmed down, Wei Junze wiped away the tear with his finger, his lips still twitching with amusement. "Do you always talk this way, or is it just with me?"
Ji Nian rolled her eyes. "Do I look like someone who goes around talking about pee and poop all day?"
Wei Junze leaned in, scrutinizing her face, his gaze lingering on her eyes and lips. "No."
"So, it’s just me then."
Ji Nian flashed him a bright smile.
For a split second, Wei Junze’s eyes glazed over.
"Actually, I do talk about pee and poop all the time, Red Pepper."
Wei Junze shook his head. "Doesn’t matter. Even if you’re like that with everyone, I still like it."
He said it so openly, not caring if Ji Nian knew how he felt.
Ji Nian had heard "I like you" more times than she could count.
She wasn’t impressed.
"Sorry, but I don’t like you."
She even gave him a weird look.
"Are you a pedophile or something?"
Her expression instantly turned wary.
Wei Junze sighed in exasperation.
"Rejecting me is one thing, but that’s just mean."
"I’m only three years older than you."
Now Ji Nian was genuinely surprised.
"You’re only twenty???"
Wei Junze: "……"
He straightened up, leaning back against the lakeside railing, his face full of confusion. "Do I really look that old?"
Ji Nian nodded without hesitation.
She’d assumed Wei Junze was at least in his mid-twenties.
Wei Junze shrugged. "Fine."
Old was old.
Wasn’t there a saying? Older men knew how to treat people better.
"If you don’t believe me, add me. I’ll send you a photo of my ID."
He pulled out his phone and waved it.
Seeing Ji Nian about to refuse, he quickly added, "Third time now. You can’t keep saying no."
"That’d just be cruel."
He lowered his eyes, deliberately putting on a pitiful act.
Too bad his sharp features made it obvious he was faking.
"Fine."
Ji Nian couldn’t refuse again—after all, he was still Ms. Li’s nephew.
As she pulled up her WeChat QR code, he teased, "Finally got WeChat, huh?"
Ji Nian put her phone away after he scanned it. "Yep. Made it just for old folks like you."
Wei Junze didn’t mind being called an "old thing." Hearing the word "just" made his lips curl up.
"This old thing must be pretty lucky then."
...
When Ms. Li left with Wei Junze, he lingered behind, winking at Ji Nian.
Ji Nian politely signaled with her eyes for him to hurry up and leave.
The system observed: [I thought you hated him.]
If Ji Nian really disliked someone, she wouldn’t bother engaging with them.
The fact that she was willing to talk to Wei Junze meant he wasn’t that bad.
Ji Nian admitted it.
[At first, I did.]
[But then he stopped calling me "shorty," so it wasn’t so bad.]
Besides…
Wasn’t this little pepper kind of good-looking?
The system said slyly: [Between him and Lu Jinghuai, whose face do you prefer?]
Ji Nian thought for a moment. [...Hmm, still the little crown prince.]
Compared to rugged charm, she had a thing for pretty boys.
Later, Wei Junze really did send her a photo of his ID.
Even in an ID photo, his face held up—his hair was black, but it couldn’t hide the arrogance oozing from him.
"Took you so long to reply. Staring at my photo?"
"How do I look?"
Ji Nian replied leisurely: "Even more like someone whose pee smells bad now."
