The Ji Family sent out invitations on Saturday and hosted a banquet on Sunday. The timing was rushed, so only a few close-knit families were invited.
Old Master Hai and Old Master Si wheeled Tang Che inside, all three looking bewildered, unsure why the Ji Family had suddenly arranged such an intimate gathering.
Ji Yanting had flown back from the capital to Haicheng in the early hours of the morning and had only slept for two hours before rising to receive guests. He escorted the elders inside, saying, "Please sit and enjoy some tea, gentlemen. Later, I’ll introduce someone special to everyone."
Qiu Sang, who had also returned, helped serve the elders some Tieguanyin tea.
Guests arrived one after another, and Furong Manor gradually buzzed with liveliness.
Before long, the Ji Family’s car pulled up at the manor’s entrance.
The first to step out were Ji Zhiyuan and Ji Zhouye. Ji Zhouye opened the rear door and respectfully assisted Old Master Ji out of the car, followed by Rong Yu, and finally, Ji Jingchuan.
Ji Jingchuan, having just recovered from a serious illness, was extremely weak, his face pale and his steps unsteady. Ji Zhiyuan and Ji Zhouye supported him on either side.
The crowd’s attention instinctively shifted to Rong Yu.
Her presence was simply too striking—walking alongside Old Master Ji, she carried an aura that matched his effortlessly.
Though Rong Yu had appeared in the news before, the Ji Family had never publicly disclosed her identity.
Naturally, curiosity about her grew.
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend our banquet," Old Master Ji began, drawing everyone’s focus. "Today, we’ve gathered to introduce a new member of the Ji Family."
The guests immediately understood.
This banquet was likely an adoption ceremony—perhaps to formally recognize Miss Rong as a granddaughter of the Ji Family?
What incredible luck this Miss Rong had, to earn Old Master Ji’s approval…
However, Old Master Ji gestured to Ji Jingchuan beside him instead. "This child is our blood, mistakenly taken away at birth twenty years ago. After all this time, we’ve finally found him. Please remember his face—this is the fourth son of the Ji Family. If you encounter him in the future, I hope you’ll treat him kindly."
Ji Jingchuan pressed his lips together, offering a restrained smile as he nodded slightly to the crowd.
The room fell silent for a moment before erupting into murmurs.
"A switched-at-birth case?"
"Something so dramatic actually happened to the Ji Family?"
"What about the former fourth young master, Ji Liuguang? Will he remain with the Ji Family?"
"Have you forgotten? Days ago, the Ji Family’s official account released a statement severing ties with Ji Liuguang."
"So, they already knew back then that Ji Liuguang wasn’t their blood."
"No wonder Old Master Ji could make such a decisive cut…"
Old Master Hai and Old Master Si struggled to digest the news.
When the Ji Family had disowned Ji Liuguang, the two had pitied Old Master Ji, worrying the old man might take it hard. They’d even set aside a day to accompany him fishing to lift his spirits.
And now? Turns out Ji Liuguang was never a Ji to begin with.
What did that make their earlier sympathy?
Among the prominent families of Haicheng, nearly every household had at least one disappointing descendant. But Ji Liuguang had been the worst—even in high school, he’d bullied teachers. While others targeted classmates, he’d gone as far as breaking two instructors’ ribs, landing himself an expulsion and a one-way ticket to overseas education.
With him as the benchmark, Old Master Hai and Old Master Si had always considered their own grandsons lackluster but tolerable by comparison.
But now…
Their gazes turned to Ji Jingchuan.
This boy was the picture of obedience, gentleness, and sincerity.
Who wouldn’t want a descendant like him?
"Congratulations on gaining such a well-mannered grandson," Old Master Hai mused aloud. "Actually, I’ve had an idea…"
Old Master Ji, Old Master Si, and Tang Che—seated in his wheelchair—all turned to look.
Old Master Hai cleared his throat and glanced at Rong Yu. "Miss Rong is exceptional. Not a single girl in my Hai Family could compare to even her fingertip. How about this? Let me adopt Miss Rong as my granddaughter. She’d be a Hai from then on—"
Old Master Ji’s eyes widened, and he smacked Old Master Hai’s head. "Absolutely not. I forbid it."
If Rong Yu became Old Master Hai’s granddaughter, wouldn’t that demote Old Master Ji several generations in their dynamic?
"I object as well," Old Master Si chimed in. "Miss Rong should be my granddaughter, a member of the Si Family."
Tang Che chuckled softly. "The way you two keep calling her ‘Miss Rong’—is that how one addresses a junior?"
Old Master Hai and Old Master Si fell silent.
For some reason, though Rong Yu was only an eighteen-year-old high school student, every time they met her gaze, they felt as though they were in the presence of an elder—a faint sense of restraint, yet also inexplicable reassurance.
Within their families, they were the pillars their descendants leaned on.
But around Miss Rong, it was as if nothing required their concern. Even something as simple as fishing could see their buckets filled effortlessly by her hand.
Perhaps it was because Miss Rong was so extraordinary that she naturally commanded both admiration and deference from ordinary folk like them…
"Rong Yu and I are friends across generations," Tang Che said warmly. "I regard her as my peer. How dare you two presume to make her your granddaughter?"
A peer of Tang Che’s would place her on the same level as Old Master Hai, Old Master Si, and Old Master Ji—practically an elder to their generation.
The weight of those words was staggering.
Rong Yu smoothly changed the subject. "Jingchuan, greet everyone."
Ji Jingchuan obediently complied. "Old Master Tang, Old Master Hai, Old Master Si…"
Tang Che slid a dark green jade ring from his finger and offered it. "A gift for our first meeting. Take it."
The moment the ring came off, Madam Tang—standing behind him—paled.
That ring had been bought by Tang Youyi at an auction over twenty years ago as a birthday present, costing over ten million at the time. Its value had only appreciated since; today, it could easily fetch thirty million on the market.
Something so precious—shouldn’t it be kept for their own descendants? Yet here he was, handing it to an outsider.
Tang Youyi shot Madam Tang a cold look. "Don’t interfere."
She swallowed her discontent.
Ji Jingchuan, however, sensed her displeasure. Unsure how to refuse, he glanced at Rong Yu.
Rong Yu nodded. "If it’s Old Master Tang’s wish, accept it."
His eyes flickered to Madam Tang, but he reluctantly took the ring.
Old Master Hai grumbled, "You old coot didn’t give us a heads-up in the invitations. I’ve brought nothing for a gift. Fine, this jade pendant will have to do—"
Just then, commotion erupted at the manor gates.
"Young Master Liuguang, please don’t make this difficult! The master gave strict orders—you’re not to enter. Leave at once!"
"Young Master Liuguang, stop! Someone, restrain him—!"
Having lived with the Ji Family for twenty years, the servants were uncertain whether any lingering affection remained for Ji Liuguang. Hesitant to manhandle him, they faltered as he shoved past, striding defiantly into the banquet.
