Stepping out of the hotel, Rong Yu pondered how to explain the matter clearly to her eldest son. Old Master Ji had already seen the news on his phone.
He had known since childhood that his mother was decisive and efficient. If not for considering his feelings, she would never have delayed addressing the issue this long. After steadying his emotions, he pushed open the car door and approached her, speaking first: "Without the family’s protection, I hope Fourth Brother can stand on his own. Mom, you’ve worked hard."
Rong Yu ruffled his white hair. "I just took leave from school for the day. Today, I’ll spend it with you—wherever you want to go."
Her eldest son was the head of the family, and with such a major upheaval, he must be under immense pressure. As his mother, she needed to stay by his side and help him release the gloom weighing on him.
"Mom, your studies are important. Don’t skip class," Old Master Ji said. "Old Hai and Old Si invited me for drinks. I’ll have company, so don’t worry."
"Drinks?" Rong Yu frowned. "Didn’t all three of your personal physicians explicitly forbid alcohol?"
Old Master Ji: "..."
Careless.
Exposed.
He coughed. "Mom, just one glass—just a taste, nothing more..."
"No," Rong Yu said firmly. "Call those two old rascals and invite them to go fishing in the countryside. Men your age can’t resist fishing, can you?"
Old Master Ji scratched his head. "But... I’ve always been terrible at it..."
"I can fish," Rong Yu said, momentarily lost in thought before smiling. "Your father was an excellent angler. When we studied abroad, we went fishing every weekend. How time flies—it’s been so many years."
Most sons hold an innate reverence for their fathers, and even at Old Master Ji’s age—great-grandfather though he was—that reverence never faded, though he had never met his biological father.
Amazed, he exclaimed, "Then I’ll have to learn my father’s fishing skills properly!"
Mother and son drove to the outskirts of Haicheng. Most scenic rivers prohibited fishing, so after searching for a while, they settled on a wild stretch of water where a crowd of anglers sat quietly along the bank.
Upon hearing about the fishing trip, Old Master Hai and Old Master Si immediately had their drivers rush over.
"Old Ji, with your luck, what possessed you to go fishing?" Old Master Hai glanced at Rong Yu. "A young lady like you—studying, singing, dancing, sure. But fishing? Doubtful."
He chuckled. "Look, even the fish in this river avoid me—last week, I caught five carp in one go!"
Old Master Si scoffed. "That’s nothing. In my youth, I hauled a twenty-pound catfish from the Yangtze."
"Not to brag—" Old Master Ji began.
Old Hai and Old Si immediately turned to him. This old fool was infamous in their circle for his empty nets. How shameless to boast about it!
Old Master Ji snorted. "Not to brag, but neither of you could hold a candle to my father. If he were here, the fish in this river wouldn’t even be enough to fill his teeth!"
Old Hai: "..."
Old Si: "..."
Who still competed over their fathers at this age?
Had the old man lost his mind after cutting ties with his grandson?
Ah well. Given he’d grown up without parents, they’d let him have this one.
While the three bantered, Rong Yu silently settled by the riverbank, baiting her hook and casting her line with effortless grace.
A splash—
The first crucian carp landed, thrashing into the bucket.
The three men, still fumbling with their bait, froze.
Like students watching the class genius turn in an exam early, they hurriedly sat down and focused on fishing.
But peace was impossible.
Rong Yu’s line kept pulling them in—one after another, until the bucket was half full.
Meanwhile, Old Master Ji’s float remained motionless, Old Master Hai’s bait vanished without a catch, and Old Master Si’s line tangled in weeds.
Old Master Hai gaped. "Did you secretly lay bait?"
Old Master Si shook his head. "Impossible! I watched—she mixed her bait right here!"
Old Master Ji laughed triumphantly. "Isn’t Rong Yu amazing?"
Old Hai and Old Si rolled their eyes.
What did her skill have to do with him?
By sunset, Rong Yu’s haul filled all four buckets—a triumphant return that left the other anglers green with envy.
Old Master Ji’s face beamed like a sunflower.
Seeing his joy, Rong Yu smiled too.
On the drive back, Old Master Ji leaned against her shoulder. "Mom, this was a scene I imagined countless times as a child. Never thought it’d come true seventy years later. I’m so happy."
Rong Yu patted his hand. "There’ll be many more chances."
The car arrived at Hibiscus Manor. Old Master Ji stepped out first, followed by Rong Yu, as Steward Yu called for help with the fish.
Two large buckets of lively fish became a grand feast—crucian carp soup, fish head tofu, braised fish, fried fish slices, sour-spicy fish, fish balls...
Midway through dinner, Ji Zhiyuan’s phone buzzed incessantly.
He answered, and his assistant’s frantic voice came through: "President, someone leaked online that the Chairman is keeping a young star as a mistress—photos, videos, the whole package. It’s trending across all platforms, and in just minutes, Ji Corporation’s stock has already fluctuated..."
Ji Zhiyuan abandoned his fish soup and pulled up the news on his laptop.
The entire page was dominated by a high-definition image—Old Master Ji and Rong Yu sitting close, arms linked, looking intimate.
The headline screamed:
"Ji Corporation Chairman’s Scandal: 80-Year-Old Tycoon and 18-Year-Old Star in Warm Romance, Returning to Love Nest Together."
The explosive story had amassed 100K+ shares and nearly a million comments in minutes, flooding discussions everywhere.
"Ji Corporation’s Chairman—such an upright man—keeps a mistress?"
"God, if she were in her twenties or thirties, fine. But eighteen? Disgusting."
"Just this morning, I praised Old Master Ji for cutting ties with his grandson. I take it back."
"Remember He Qiqi exposing him for harassment during that Ji Corp audition show? No one believed her then. Now I do. No smoke without fire."
"No wonder Rong Yu defended him so fiercely—he’s her sugar daddy. Hilarious."
"Rich widowers always remarry or play around. Rong Yu won’t be the first or last."
"Hot take: Men are loyal—always to eighteen-year-olds."
"..."
