He Jingchuan had drunk an unknown amount of pesticide from the bottle in his hand. He lay sprawled on the ground, his face twisted in agony, consciousness slipping away as his body convulsed intermittently.
"Nanny Zhang wailed, throwing herself over him, "Jingchuan, how could you be so reckless... If you didn’t want to get married, you could’ve just told me! Why drink pesticide? Why choose death? You’re my only son—if you die, I won’t live either! Jingchuan, wake up, please wake up..."
She pounded her fists against his chest in desperation.
Just as she raised her hand for another strike, her wrist was seized in a vice-like grip by Rong Yu, who coldly shoved her aside.
Ji Zhiyuan crouched down and carefully lifted He Jingchuan into his arms.
He Jingchuan was alarmingly thin and light—an adult man, yet he weighed almost nothing.
Nanny Zhang scrambled to her feet and grabbed He Jingchuan’s arm. "Young Master, what are you doing?!"
Ji Zhiyuan’s face darkened like a storm. "To the hospital!"
"What’s the point? He won’t survive!" Nanny Zhang sobbed. "He drank half a bottle of pesticide—it’s Dichlorvos! How could anyone live after that? Our village’s tradition says children can’t die in hospitals—they must pass at home! You can’t take my son away, Young Master, let him go!"
Ji Zhiyuan exhaled in silent relief.
Thankfully, it was just Dichlorvos and not Paraquat—the latter would have been fatal without question.
And thank heavens Great-Grandmother had decided to visit on a whim. Otherwise, even with Dichlorvos, six or seven hours would have been too late to save him.
Ignoring Nanny Zhang, he strode toward the door.
Realizing what was happening, Nanny Zhang clung stubbornly to He Jingchuan’s hand, refusing to release him.
Rong Yu’s temper flared white-hot.
She raised her hand and slapped Nanny Zhang with full force. "He isn’t dead yet. Refusing to take him to the hospital is deliberate murder—are you trying to go to prison?"
The blow struck so hard that Nanny Zhang’s ears rang, leaving her momentarily stunned. By the time she regained her senses, Ji Zhiyuan had already carried He Jingchuan out. The two hurried through the village, got into the car, and sped away in a cloud of dust.
Nanny Zhang’s face twisted with fury.
After all these years of motherly affection, she hadn’t wanted to be too harsh—she had only planned to marry He Jingchuan off to some distant place, ensuring he’d never return.
But he had stubbornly refused, even threatening his own life.
So, she had grabbed a bottle of pesticide from the storeroom and thrown it at him. "Fine! If you want to die, then die! Consider all my years raising you wasted!"
She knew He Jingchuan’s depressive tendencies, his history of self-harm. Pushed to the edge, he would surely break.
And she had been right—he drank the pesticide.
But why hadn’t he drunk enough to finish the job? Why had the young master suddenly appeared? Why—?
Trembling, Nanny Zhang fished out her phone and dialed a number. "Fourth Young Master... something terrible has happened..."
Ji Zhiyuan floored the accelerator, the car tearing down the highway as he ran multiple red lights. Miraculously avoiding any accidents, they finally reached the hospital.
The emergency doctor scolded furiously, "He ingested this pesticide at least two hours ago! Why bring him so late? Do you even care? Another hour or two, and not even a god could save him... Don’t just stand there—go pay the bill!"
A team of doctors wheeled He Jingchuan into the emergency room.
Ji Zhiyuan rushed to handle the payment.
Rong Yu waited outside the operating room, her racing heart gradually steadying. When Ji Zhiyuan returned, she spoke softly, "Zhiyuan, can siblings undergo kinship testing?"
Ji Zhiyuan’s expression hardened—he had suspected the same. "Yes."
He stepped aside to make a call. "...Three days for results? That’s too slow. I need them today... Off-hours don’t matter—I’ll pay ten times the overtime. A hundred-thousand bonus per person if it’s done within an hour... Just get it done, fast!"
Hanging up, he returned. "Great-Grandmother, one hour is all we need."
Just then, Nanny Zhang stumbled in, accompanied by Ji Liuguang.
Rong Yu studied them coldly. How had she never noticed their resemblance before? Especially those thick lips—so unlike the Ji family’s naturally thin ones...
Ji Zhiyuan’s voice was icy. "Why is Fourth Brother here?"
Ji Liuguang glanced at the closed emergency doors. "Nanny Zhang has cared for me all these years. Her son is like a brother to me—how could I ignore his crisis? Brother, will he make it?"
Ji Zhiyuan stared at him. "Do you want him to survive... or not?"
Ji Liuguang’s heart lurched. He forced a laugh. "Why would you ask that? Of course I want He Jingchuan to pull through. It’d ease Nanny Zhang’s worries..."
Nanny Zhang wailed, "He’s my only son! If Jingchuan dies, I won’t live either!"
"Is that so?" Rong Yu smiled faintly. "When He Jingchuan was a child, there were so many close calls—yet Nanny Zhang never seemed concerned."
Nanny Zhang’s cries cut off abruptly before escalating. "I was too busy working to feed us! That useless husband of mine ruined my life—I’ve suffered so much..."
Rong Yu rested her chin on her hand, tone indifferent. "You’ve always treated Liuguang as your own, haven’t you? If He Jingchuan dies, why not let Liuguang be your son instead?"
The words drained the color from Nanny Zhang’s face, silencing her tears.
Ji Liuguang’s expression darkened.
Ji Zhiyuan interjected, "Enough standing around. I haven’t eaten—go buy me dinner."
Grudgingly, Ji Liuguang and Nanny Zhang left to fetch food.
"Great-Grandmother, Fourth Brother must know," Ji Zhiyuan muttered grimly. "The question is... when did he find out?"
Rong Yu’s gaze was frosty. "Regardless, he’s complicit."
The true Ji heir had suffered endlessly outside, nearly losing his life time and again.
Meanwhile, Ji Liuguang—this impostor—had reveled in luxury, squandering millions abroad in just four years. The Ji family had never produced such a disgrace.
They’d thought he was a rotten seed in the family tree.
But the truth was far worse—he wasn’t even their blood.
"We’ll need to break this to Grandfather carefully," Ji Zhiyuan sighed. "Fourth Brother was always sickly, and after our parents passed, Grandfather doted on him. If he learns Liuguang isn’t a Ji..."
Rong Yu shook her head. "Blood calls to blood. Your grandfather will recognize who truly belongs."
In the hospital cafeteria, Nanny Zhang trembled. "I never expected things to go this far... Why did it have to come to the hospital? What do we do now?"
Nervous, she reached for Ji Liuguang’s hand.
He recoiled violently, shoving her away with disgust. "Don’t touch me!"
