Ji Yanting closed the car door and was about to drive off when Rong Yu spoke up, "Your grandfather will arrive in an hour. Let’s wait a little longer."
Ji Yanting replied, "Grandfather specifically told me before boarding not to wait for him and to take Great-grandmother out for dinner first."
"We should wait," Rong Yu insisted firmly. "He’s old, and his mind isn’t as sharp. If he gets scammed at the airport, it’ll take even more time to sort things out."
Ji Yanting: "..."
Grandfather was, after all, the founder of the Ji Group. How could he possibly be so gullible as to fall for a scam?
Not to mention, whenever he traveled, he always had two assistants accompanying him. There was no way anything could happen.
But then again, he realized—no mother would ever abandon her son.
With that thought, Ji Yanting didn’t argue further.
After a pause, he said, "Since Great-grandmother is visiting the capital, I should’ve informed Ah Mo. But I couldn’t reach him. When I called his supervisor, I found out he’s overseas working on a project in a country with poor infrastructure. There’s no signal, so we’ll have to wait for him to contact me."
Rong Yu nodded. "It’s fine. We’ll see him eventually."
Ah Mo—Ji Mohan—was the third grandson of the Ji family.
Among all the grandchildren, he was the only one who had inherited Rong Yu’s mathematical talent. He had already earned his Ph.D. and joined the National Energy Research Institute.
The institute focused on researching various energy sources, fueling the nation’s grand ambitions.
Given such a demanding career, it was no surprise he was busy.
Rong Yu understood that all too well.
She and Ji Yanting chatted for a while about the third and fourth grandsons.
The fourth, Ji Liuguang, was studying abroad and would graduate and return home in a year. Over the years, his studies had kept him so busy that he hadn’t come home for several holidays. Grandfather had issued a strict order: no matter what, he had to return for the Lunar New Year reunion dinner this year.
As they talked, Rong Yu spotted her youngest son at the airport entrance.
Ji Yanting put on a mask and prepared to step out of the car.
Rong Yu stopped him. "You’re a public figure. Stay in the car. I’ll go."
As an undebuted contestant in a talent show, she had some fans, but not enough to be easily recognized.
"Yingbao!" she called out.
But Grandfather Ji didn’t seem to hear her. Instead, he followed a cleaning lady in uniform.
Rong Yu hurried after them.
Was he really being scammed?
"It’s right here," the cleaning lady pointed at a wall. "A mother dog gave birth to a litter inside, but the puppies grew too big to get out. They’ve been whimpering nonstop—it’s heartbreaking."
Grandfather Ji peered into the crevice and saw four newborn puppies. Three had already starved to death, leaving only one emaciated survivor.
"No one knows where the mother dog went," the cleaning lady sighed. "I reported it to the management, but they said tearing down the wall would be too costly..."
Grandfather Ji had overheard her conversation with the management and asked her to bring him here.
Looking at the lone surviving puppy, he was reminded of Songguo, the Chinese rural dog he had raised seventy years ago. It had the exact same eyes.
"I’ll cover the cost," a voice spoke up behind him. Rong Yu stepped forward. "However much it is, I’ll pay. Arrange for the wall to be torn down immediately."
By the time Ji Yanting caught up, he found the elderly man and the young woman crouched by the wall, waiting for workers to rescue the puppy.
The puppy was filthy, and Grandfather Ji reached out to pick it up.
Rong Yu smacked his hand away. "You’re old, and your immune system is weak. If you catch something, it’ll be trouble. Wait until the dog gets its shots before you hold it."
Grandfather Ji reluctantly withdrew his hand.
Just as Rong Yu was about to take the puppy, a pair of slender hands reached out first. "Girls like to stay clean. Let me handle it," Ji Yanting said.
The three of them had barely stepped away from the wall when a crowd suddenly surrounded Ji Yanting.
"Is that Yanting?"
"Ahhh! It’s really him! I can’t believe I ran into him in person!"
"My idol is so kind—he even rescues stray dogs! I knew I was right to stan him!"
"..."
Dozens of female fans pushed Rong Yu and Grandfather Ji aside.
Afraid the old man might get knocked over, Rong Yu quickly helped him retreat to the car and shut the door.
By the time Ji Yanting finally escaped his fans and returned to the car, Grandfather Ji was glaring at him, his face dark with displeasure.
Ji Yanting carefully wrapped the weak puppy in his jacket and placed it at the foot of the passenger seat before asking, "What’s wrong?"
Grandfather Ji gritted his teeth. "Ah Yan, I never knew you were so scheming."
Ji Yanting: "???"
What had he done?
How was he scheming?
Rong Yu was equally confused. What was the old man fussing about now?
"Great-grandmother was the one who paid to save the dog, but you’re the one trending on social media, gaining fans, and getting praised!" Grandfather Ji huffed. "If you hadn’t snatched the puppy, Great-grandmother would’ve been the one in the news. She’s at a critical point in her career—couldn’t you be more considerate?"
Ji Yanting checked his phone.
Sure enough, in just a few minutes, he had already gone viral.
Animal lovers were singing his praises, and his follower count had inexplicably jumped by over a hundred thousand...
As a top-tier celebrity, gaining more followers meant little to him. He didn’t care about it, nor would he ever exploit a dog for clout.
But under Grandfather Ji’s accusatory glare, he inexplicably felt guilty. "I... I really didn’t expect this to happen."
Grandfather Ji wasn’t letting it go. "You did it on purpose—"
"Yingbao, can you stop being unreasonable?" Rong Yu said, exasperated. "Ah Yan, ignore him. Drive—let’s take the puppy to the vet first, then go eat."
Grandfather Ji whined, "Mom, you’re calling me unreasonable?"
Rong Yu: "..."
She pressed a hand against his wrinkled face. "Keep whining, and I’ll send you back to Haicheng."
Grandfather Ji immediately quieted down.
Ji Yanting couldn’t help but chuckle.
Grandfather Ji snapped, "What are you laughing at? Drive!"
They first stopped at a pet clinic to bathe, medicate, vaccinate, and feed the puppy before heading to a restaurant.
Just as they settled at their table, someone approached. "Brother, you’re eating here too?"
Ji Yanting looked up and saw Zhou Yachen.
After their last encounter, the two hadn’t seen each other since.
Zhou Yachen had lost a noticeable amount of weight in that time.
Zhou Yachen’s gaze slowly shifted to the other two at the table—an elderly man, the same one who had intervened during the commercial shoot and turned the situation around.
Later, after watching the talent show, he realized the old man was the founder of the Ji Group.
No wonder even his senior, Ji Yanting, had to show him respect.
But...
His eyes narrowed as they landed on Rong Yu.
Just who was this woman? Why was the Ji Group’s founder protecting her?
Having already suffered a major setback because of her, he didn’t dare make any sarcastic remarks this time. Instead, he forced a smile and asked, "I haven’t eaten either. Mind if I join you?"
