The car pulled up at the entrance of the Ji Family Hotel.
Old Master Ji remained seated, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "Mom, I won’t go up. My presence would only make him more reckless."
A spoiled child, especially in front of indulgent elders, tends to grow more unruly the gentler the elders are.
Moreover, Rong Yu was worried her youngest son might be driven to fury.
She patted his shoulder. "Remember, as long as I’m alive, I’ll handle everything. Don’t worry."
With that, she strode into the Ji Family Hotel.
Holding the exclusive black card, she swiped it to take the elevator to the top floor. Arriving at the presidential suite, she unlocked the door directly.
This room was reserved solely for the Ji family, accessible only with this card.
The moment she stepped inside, a thick cloud of cigarette smoke assaulted her senses.
Glancing down, she saw the floor littered with ashes, the coffee table cluttered with empty liquor bottles, and—astonishingly—scattered women’s undergarments.
She kicked open the bedroom door.
Inside, a man and woman lay tangled on the bed. The woman, naked, shrieked in alarm, grabbed her clothes, and bolted past Rong Yu.
Even Rong Yu’s usually composed expression nearly cracked.
Thankfully, Yingbao hadn’t come upstairs with her.
Her voice was icy. "You have five minutes to clean yourself up and meet me in the living room."
Ji Liuguang was still half-asleep when the door was kicked open. The sudden noise and his companion’s screams made him assume it was a housekeeping staff intrusion. He was about to curse when he recognized Rong Yu’s voice.
He jolted upright.
A glance at the clock showed it was barely past six in the morning.
Was this woman insane? What was she doing here at this hour?
Grumbling, he pulled on his crumpled clothes and shuffled out of the room.
The living room was a disaster, with no space to even step. Rong Yu stood on the balcony, her tone frigid. "From the moment you returned to the country until now, the trouble you’ve caused speaks for itself. You have one last chance—enlist in the military."
Ji Liuguang’s face darkened. "My life isn’t any of your business. Not even Old Master Ji or my eldest brother has the right to dictate my future, let alone an outsider like you."
Rong Yu remained unruffled. "Last chance. Will you go or not?"
"I refuse. What’s the Ji family going to do? Strip me of everything and throw me out to live under a bridge?" He kicked a nearby chair over.
Calmly, Rong Yu replied, "Then we’ll have to publicly sever ties."
Ji Liuguang laughed mockingly. "You’re just Old Master Ji’s lifesaver. The fact that you’re meddling in family affairs is already a courtesy. Now you think you can cut me off from the Ji family? Who do you think you are?"
Rong Yu pulled out her phone.
She didn’t have a personal Weibo account, so she logged into the official Ji Group corporate account.
"Ji Group Official Statement: After a unanimous family vote, we hereby sever all kinship ties with Ji Liuguang. Effective immediately, his words and actions are his own and bear no relation to Ji Group or the Ji family."
She had always been decisive.
Those who were beyond redemption had to be excised swiftly—and publicly.
Otherwise, outsiders might still mistake Ji Liuguang for the untouchable Fourth Young Master of the Ji family, enabling his recklessness and tarnishing the family’s century-old reputation. Such a toxic influence had to be nipped in the bud.
Rong Yu pocketed her phone and turned to leave.
Ji Liuguang sneered, thinking she had run out of threats.
But then his phone began vibrating incessantly—not from calls, but from a flood of WeChat messages.
"Fourth Young Master Ji, what’s with the news?"
"What did you do to make the Ji family disown you?"
"Ji Liuguang, you borrowed 50,000 from me yesterday. Pay up now."
"You’re not even a Ji anymore, and you still slept with me? I must’ve been blind—"
As he tapped through the messages, his hands trembled.
He hurriedly opened Weibo. The top trending hashtags were all about the Ji family.
#JiGroupStatement
#FourthYoungMasterJiLiuguang
#WhatDidJiLiuguangDo
#FirstMajorFamilyToPubliclyDisown
The comments section was in chaos.
"Turns out Ji Liuguang was from the Ji Group. We studied abroad together—arrogant troublemaker. Got expelled over a girl. Serves him right."
"Old Master Ji, in his eighties, still cleaning up after this disgrace. What a curse."
"How many scandals did it take for the family to cut him off? Brutal but necessary."
"Seems harsh. Shouldn’t they educate him instead of abandoning him?"
"You clearly haven’t seen how one rotten heir can destroy an entire dynasty. Old Master Ji’s move is wisdom, not cruelty."
Ji Liuguang’s grip faltered, and his phone clattered to the floor.
Just a minute ago, Rong Yu had threatened disownment—and now the Ji Group had issued an official statement. How was this possible?
The statement mentioned a "family vote." Did that mean everyone—his brothers, his own flesh and blood—had turned against him?
His eldest brother, who doted on him.
His second brother, who gave him endless allowances.
His third brother, who always yielded to him.
Even his youngest brother, his gaming partner.
How could they all agree to cast him out?
His mind was in turmoil.
Previous fights with the family—having his cards confiscated, storming out—had felt like petty squabbles, nothing serious.
But this statement was a declaration of war.
Was Old Master Ji truly done with him?
Would they not care if he died on the streets?
Ji Liuguang bit his lip until it bled.
His gaze landed on the fruit knife on the coffee table.
If he were on the brink of death—surely they’d regret this.
As he reached for the knife, his phone buzzed again.
He hoped it was Old Master Ji calling.
But the screen showed "Nanny Zhang."
He ignored it, but the ringing persisted.
Annoyed, he answered. "What?"
"Fourth Young Master, how could they disown you?" Nanny Zhang’s voice shook. "You must beg Old Master Ji for forgiveness—on your knees!"
"I’ll never apologize." Ji Liuguang spat each word. "I’ll make him regret this. Regret his cruelty. Regret throwing me out—"
"Fourth Young Master, don’t do anything rash!" Nanny Zhang panicked. "Defying him will only push him further away. You’ll lose everything! All my scheming wasn’t for you to be exiled—"
Ji Liuguang was taken aback. "What do you mean by 'you planned so much'? What exactly did you plan?"
