After the event ended, apart from the departing guests, there was also the birthday girl of the day, Ji Nian, carrying a suitcase. She turned to Zhiliao and said, "Well, I'm running away from home now."
Zhiliao replied, "Alright."
Though she called it "running away from home," it was really just staying at another one of the Ji family's properties for a few days. Zhiliao had even already contacted the staff there to prepare for her arrival.
When Chen Mo heard that Ji Nian had argued with Ji Tingzhou, he couldn’t help but scold Ji Tingzhou for picking a fight on the kid’s birthday, saying he was being inconsiderate and didn’t know how to be gentle with Ji Nian.
After grumbling enough to make Ji Tingzhou want to hit him, Chen Mo smirked and went to find Ji Nian, intending to comfort her wounded little heart after the clash with her father.
At the same time, he felt a pang of sympathy and ordered someone to prepare Ji Nian’s favorite dishes.
Poor Nian Nian hadn’t eaten much today—she couldn’t go hungry.
Watching Chen Mo’s retreating figure, Ji Tingzhou sneered.
"You’d better stay this ‘understanding’ forever."
When he learned Ji Nian had left, Ji Tingzhou sat silently on the sofa, still wearing the same clothes from earlier.
"She’s been sent off in the car," Zhiliao informed him.
Truthfully, even Zhiliao wasn’t entirely used to the idea of Ji Nian dating. In her mind, Ji Nian was still the little girl who used to sit on her lap—how had she grown up so fast, already reaching the age of forming intimate relationships with others?
Ji Tingzhou’s reaction wasn’t all that strange.
But this was something he’d have to come to terms with on his own.
He had to accept it.
Otherwise, he’d just keep fighting with her.
And wasn’t that just pushing her straight into the arms of that brat?
It was already bedtime, but Ji Tingzhou didn’t sleep. Instead, he had someone bring him Ji Nian’s childhood photo album and slowly flipped through it.
Back then, Ji Nian was just a tiny little thing, barely bigger than a puddle of pee, needing constant supervision to make sure she didn’t fall into the toilet.
She used to follow him around all day, calling "Daddy, Daddy," eager to share every little new thing with him.
And now, here she was, angry at him over some brat.
Ji Tingzhou frowned and tapped the photo of Ji Nian grinning at the camera with her gap-toothed smile.
"You little ingrate."
Though he really was going to break that brat’s legs.
...
Ji Nian, curled up in bed in her pajamas, was on the phone with Lu Jinghuai.
"Yeah, I’m already in bed. It’s fine."
After a pause, she decided not to mention that Ji Tingzhou was planning to break his legs.
"But we probably shouldn’t meet for the next few days."
She rolled over and sighed. "He’s definitely still mad—he might even have people watching me."
"Don’t be angry with my dad. Even though he’s got nothing but malice toward you, I’ll protect you."
Lu Jinghuai chuckled on the other end. "With those words, even if Uncle Ji breaks my legs, I won’t complain."
Ji Nian: "……"
Too young. One should never casually set up death flags like that.
They talked a little longer. Having been wrapped up in each other’s arms, kissing just hours ago, being suddenly separated only made them miss each other more.
Before hanging up, Ji Nian softly said goodnight.
Just as she was about to end the call, Lu Jinghuai suddenly called her name.
"Ji Nian."
"Yeah?"
"I like you. More than anything."
Ji Nian’s heart pounded wildly.
In both lifetimes combined, this was her first time falling in love—and she’d landed herself a boyfriend who was not only gorgeous but also had a voice like melted honey. The thought made her squirm like a worm under a rock.
But outwardly, she kept her composure and simply replied, "I like you too. Go to sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow."
After hanging up, she buried her face into the soft pillow and let out a muffled squeal: "HeheheheheheheheheheheheHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Little Lu Jinghuai, if you keep being this cute, big sister’s gonna kiss you to death~"
"Hehehehehehehehehehe~"
System: 【………】
...
The next morning, when Ji Nian opened her eyes to an unfamiliar room, it took her a moment to remember—this was the villa in the western district, close to her school, which Ji Tingzhou had casually handed over to her when she was sixteen.
She stretched lazily.
There was no lab here, and Ji Nian wasn’t in the mood for experiments anyway. After receiving a message from Chen Mo, she realized this place was close to his company and decided to go meet him for lunch.
As she neared the destination, traffic suddenly came to a halt. Ji Nian peeked ahead. "Looks like an accident."
"Uncle, just pull over here. It’s only a short walk—I’ll go the rest of the way myself."
The driver considered it—it really was just around the corner—so he pulled over and let her out.
Curious, Ji Nian glanced toward the accident scene as she walked. That momentary distraction made her miss the danger elsewhere.
A hand suddenly grabbed her skirt.
She instinctively looked down.
A man crouched on the ground had seized her hem. His face was so wrinkled it looked like crumpled paper, and beneath his wild, greying hair, bloodshot eyes locked onto her.
Honestly, in that instant, every hair on Ji Nian’s body stood on end, her mind screaming with alarm!
The System outright shrieked: 【STAY AWAY FROM HIM!!!!】
The next second, the man suddenly grinned and shoved her with terrifying speed.
Ji Nian’s vision went black.
She felt something—like a part of her soul—being forcibly yanked out.
Then, like flipping a slide, consciousness returned.
When her senses fully cleared, Ji Nian found herself standing under blinding lights.
And below her—countless pairs of eyes, all fixed on her.
Ji Nian froze.
What the hell?
Before she could process it, someone approached and whispered, "Professor Ji? Senior? Are you alright?"
"Everyone’s waiting for you."
When Ji Nian met the speaker’s gaze, her pupils constricted violently.
This was…
"Regarding my research on transforming hemorrhoids into rabbit tails, the methodology is as follows…"
Long-buried memories surged forward, yet they didn’t feel foreign at all.
After finishing her presentation to applause, she stepped down and accepted a bottle of water from a junior, taking a sip.
Once the crowd dispersed, Ji Nian finally relaxed and fished out her phone, turning the camera on herself.
Black hair tied into a neat ponytail. Sharp phoenix eyes behind glasses—the only striking feature on an otherwise plain face.
This was her from her past life… no, more accurately, her original face.
【Did I… come back?】
【Not quite. You’ll return soon.】
The System’s exhausted voice echoed in her mind.
【You’re back?! What the hell just happened?】
Ji Nian had called for it countless times during her speech, with no response.
Honestly, when the System finally spoke again, the weight crushing her chest instantly lifted.
The entire time she’d been calmly delivering her talk, part of her had been terrified—what if everything before had just been a daydream? What if Ji Tingzhou and the others were nothing but figments of her imagination?
【That man did something—he disrupted your soul and forced it out. So now you’re temporarily back here.】
"Give me an hour to prepare, and then we'll go back."
Ji Nian felt her heart begin to beat again.
"That's... really wonderful."
She stood up, her eyes gleaming sharply behind her glasses.
Then, breaking news hit Jinhua City that day.
A laboratory belonging to a renowned professor at Jinhua University was blown up. The cause was still under investigation, but the professor himself remained unharmed—except for an abnormally swollen buttocks and the complete loss of speech. Now, he could only bark like a dog.
Entering her apartment, Ji Nian looked around nostalgically, but quickly shook off the sentiment. She lowered her head and transferred all the remaining funds from her bank account to her closest friends.
Then, she turned off her phone.
The next second, the system’s exhausted voice echoed in her mind:
"Ready?"
"Three... two... one..."
A wave of weightlessness hit her, as if she’d been punched and shoved into a washing machine.
When she opened her eyes again, she gagged and took in her surroundings.
She wasn’t on the street anymore—instead, she found herself inside a bathroom stall.
Before she could even ask the system, a deep male voice rang out from outside.
"Ji Nian! When you hurt Shen Qingtang, you should’ve known this would come back to you. Get out here now!"
Clutching her head, Ji Nian’s expression was still dazed.
That voice…
"Gu Xiuyuan…?"
