Ji Liuguang had never done any sweeping before.
He toiled for half an hour before finally cleaning up all the broken pieces.
The task was originally supposed to take five minutes, but since it was so late, Rong Yu couldn’t be bothered to argue about it. She spoke calmly, "Do you know what you did wrong?"
Ji Liuguang kept his head down, silent.
Old Master Ji kicked him. "Answer when you're spoken to, didn’t you hear?"
"I shouldn’t have smashed things," Ji Liuguang finally said. "And I shouldn’t have argued with Miss Rong. I know I was wrong."
Rong Yu’s tone softened slightly. "If you thought it was too noisy, you could have talked to Duoduo properly. She’s not an unreasonable child—she’s very considerate of others. Tonight, she was really frightened. Apologize to her tomorrow morning, and we’ll consider this matter over."
Ji Liuguang gave a low hum of acknowledgment.
Old Master Ji waved his hand. "Go to bed."
Ji Liuguang touched his face—it was swollen and throbbing painfully. He had no idea how much force the old man had used.
"Fourth Young Master, let me put something on that for you," Nanny Zhang followed him into his room and whispered, "When you were abroad, there were no elders around, so it didn’t matter if you acted a little willful. But now that you’re back in the Ji family, Old Master Ji values rules. It’s best if you rein in your temper and avoid straining your relationship with him. To put it bluntly, the old man is nearly eighty—who knows how many years he has left? When it comes to dividing the inheritance, there are five grandsons and one great-grandson. Who gets more or less is entirely up to him. You should think about your own future..."
Ji Liuguang’s jaw tightened.
He remembered Old Master Ji’s words—he wouldn’t hesitate to publicly sever ties.
Over such a trivial matter, he’d be that ruthless? Was his own grandson really less important than some random Miss Rong?
The next day was Saturday.
After a busy week, Rong Yu was set to attend the recording of the sixth episode of a talent show.
She woke up at six in the morning, first taking her son to do a set of Baduanjin exercises on the lawn, followed by some Tai Chi. The little one, Songguo, bounced around cheerfully beside them.
At first, Old Master Ji could barely manage twenty minutes, but after sticking to the routine daily, he now practiced for a full forty minutes without breaking a sweat.
Where he once needed a cane to walk, he could now manage short trips without one.
As mother and son headed to breakfast, they passed the greenhouse. Old Master Ji stepped inside to check on a newly acquired sapling from the capital and frowned. "Why does this sapling look like it’s dying?"
The gardener replied, "We fertilized it yesterday and did our best to save it, but it doesn’t seem to be recovering..."
"Come to think of it, years ago, I had an orchid on the brink of death. Who was it that saved it?" Old Master Ji vaguely recalled a figure but couldn’t quite place the name.
The gardener quickly answered, "It was Nanny Zhang’s son."
Old Master Ji immediately called out, "Nanny Zhang! Nanny Zhang, come here!"
Nanny Zhang was upstairs helping Ji Liuguang get dressed when she heard the summons. "Fourth Young Master, wait for me a moment. I’ll be right back."
She hurried downstairs and trotted to the greenhouse, bowing slightly. "What do you need, Old Master?"
"Nanny Zhang, you have a son who knows how to care for flowers, right?" Old Master Ji said. "I remember the boy is about the same age as my fourth grandson. Young people who understand gardening are rare these days."
Nanny Zhang forced a smile. "You flatter him, Old Master. That boy of mine doesn’t know much about flowers. He just leased an orchard in the countryside and planted some fruit trees for a few years—barely knows the basics. It’s nothing impressive."
"He sounds like a diligent, hardworking young man," Old Master Ji said. "Have him come over and see if he can save this sapling for me. It’s the only one I brought back from the capital—I can’t let it die."
Nanny Zhang’s smile stiffened.
Old Master Ji frowned. "Is there a problem?"
"N-no, not at all," Nanny Zhang lowered her head. "It would be an honor for him to serve you. But he spends all day in the orchard, so I’m not sure if he’ll have time to come..."
Rong Yu, who knew little about gardening, didn’t comment.
Just as she finished breakfast and prepared to leave, Steward Yu reported, "Mr. Tang is waiting outside for Miss Rong. He says he’d like to escort you to Ji’s Entertainment."
Ji Liuguang, still seated at the dining table, froze.
Mr. Tang—Tang Che?
The head of the Tang family, personally escorting Rong Yu?
Why was some young girl receiving such special treatment?
Rong Yu sighed. Tang Che was already so old—she worried something might happen if he insisted on accompanying her.
But this man had remained unmarried and childless all these years, living alone for her sake. She couldn’t bring herself to refuse his kindness.
She picked up her bag and walked out. Tang Che made a move to step out of the car to greet her, but she quickly got in and pressed his arm gently. "Just stay seated. Don’t trouble yourself."
The car started smoothly, moving at a steady pace.
Tang Che turned to look at her, his voice gentle. "Ah Yu, I have a gift for you."
He pulled out a long red box from his pocket and handed it to her. "I searched for a long time in the Tang family’s old residence before finally finding it. This was meant to be your birthday gift over seventy years ago, but I never got the chance to give it to you. Will you accept it now?"
Inside the box was a pink gemstone necklace.
Rong Yu picked it up. "Thank you, Tang Che. I love it."
Tang Che smiled in satisfaction.
When the car arrived at Ji’s Entertainment, Rong Yu pushed the door open and stepped out. She turned back with a smile. "Tang Che, I’m free tomorrow. I’ll come to the Tang residence for tea."
Tang Che waved at her.
Once she disappeared inside, Tang Che suddenly clutched his chest, coughing violently.
Another car pulled up beside his. Tang Youyi stepped out, looking anxious. "Uncle, I really don’t understand. At your age, why have you suddenly taken to chasing celebrities? What’s so special about some inexperienced little girl? If you like her that much, I can pay to have this Rong Yu come to the Tang residence to sing and dance for you. There’s no need to strain yourself coming here to join the crowd... Driver, what are you waiting for? Hurry, take him to the hospital!"
As the car drove off, Rong Ruoyao’s vehicle arrived.
Dressed in a delicate pink gown, she looked stunning as she stepped out to a chorus of cheers from the audience.
After greeting the crowd, she headed toward the recording hall. At the entrance, she had to hand over her phone. As she did, she noticed one of the staff members glaring at her.
Her sweet smile faltered.
She remembered—she had once mocked this staffer on Weibo, saying their freckles made them look ugly...
Walking further inside, she passed a director who gave her a disdainful look. She recalled criticizing his height online...
When she entered the main recording hall, she was met with silence. In the past, people would flock to greet her the moment she appeared. Now, they barely glanced her way before pretending not to see her.
Rong Ruoyao clenched her jaw.
That scandal had been over for a week. Were these people really going to hold it against her forever?
Moreover, she had already clarified on Weibo that those critical comments were made by her younger brother and had nothing to do with her. So why were these people ganging up to ostracize her?
