Ji Yanting’s pupils constricted.
An eighteen-year-old high school girl had actually used nothing but a pen to calculate such massive data, with precision far surpassing that of a computer, sending shockwaves through the mathematics, physics, and even aerospace circles.
But the incident was so astonishing that the bigwigs in those circles had suppressed it.
However, if the soul inside that high school girl was actually his great-grandmother—who had died unexpectedly at thirty—then everything made sense.
His great-grandmother, the matriarch of the Ji family, had taken over the family business at fourteen, studied abroad, and at a time when the nation needed her most, she had resolutely—while heavily pregnant—risked everything to return to China by ship with his great-grandfather and over thirty other elite scholars.
His great-grandfather had died protecting the students in the vast ocean, while his great-grandmother had devoted her short life to the country.
Had she accumulated enough good karma to be reborn seventy years later?
"Convinced now?" Ji Zhiyuan patted his shoulder. "Go apologize. Great-grandmother won’t hold it against you."
Rong Yu and Old Master Ji had already arrived at the private dining room downstairs.
The two had just taken their seats when Ji Zhiyuan and Ji Yanting arrived.
Fortunately, this was the Ji family’s private restaurant, so there were no outsiders around—aside from a few waitstaff who couldn’t help but steal awed glances at Ji Yanting—making the atmosphere relatively quiet.
Ji Yanting’s lips parted, then closed, then parted again, only to close once more.
He wanted to call out to her, but the words stuck in his throat.
Mainly because Rong Yu’s face was just too youthful…
Ji Zhiyuan stepped in to smooth things over, placing a piece of fish in Rong Yu’s bowl. "Great-grandmother, try this."
Ji Yanting poured a cup of tea and handed it to her with both hands. "Great-grandmother, please have some tea. I apologize for my earlier disrespect."
Rong Yu accepted it with a smile. "It’s fine. Just don’t side with outsiders next time."
"At least you know how to behave." Old Master Ji finally cracked a smile. "Ah Yan, weren’t you supposed to be filming in the desert? Why are you back in Haicheng?"
"We wrapped up two days ago," Ji Yanting replied. "Tomorrow, I have to go to the capital to record a new song."
Old Master Ji chatted with him about daily life, and the meal proceeded pleasantly.
Suddenly, Rong Yu’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen—it was Su Tian calling.
The moment she answered, Su Tian’s voice exploded through the speaker.
"Oh my god, Sis Yu, have you not checked WeChat? The group chat is blowing up! What on earth are you doing?!"
Rong Yu frowned. "What’s wrong?"
"Zhou Yachen, that rising star, is live-streaming right now, bawling his eyes out in front of his fans, and he’s calling you out by name, saying you stole his endorsement!" Su Tian fumed. "His fans have already dragged you onto the trending list, and the forums are flooded with hate. You need to clarify things ASAP!"
Earlier that morning, gossip accounts had leaked that Rong Yu had been chosen to star alongside Zhou Yachen in Ji Group’s new smartphone commercial.
Zhou Yachen was at the peak of his popularity, and appearing alongside him would have given Rong Yu’s career a massive boost.
Their group chat had even congratulated her.
Who could’ve guessed that Zhou Yachen would personally attack her on live broadcast? Once the idol himself stepped in, his fans went rabid, flooding the internet with vitriol.
To make matters worse, since the endorsement hadn’t gone to higher-ranked candidates like Rong Ruoyao or Lisa, their fans had also jumped into the fray, adding fuel to the fire.
Thankfully, Rong Yu didn’t have a Weibo account.
Otherwise, the sheer volume of hate would’ve gotten her account suspended.
"Alright, I got it."
Rong Yu hung up and opened the live-streaming app. Sure enough, Zhou Yachen was still broadcasting, with over 100,000 viewers and climbing.
He sat there, eyes red, dabbing at tears with tissues.
"Rong Yu is a newcomer, but she’s very dedicated. I admire her. The brand suddenly terminated my contract and handed her the lead role—I suppose that’s fair…"
"In the end, it’s my own lack of skill. I didn’t meet the brand’s expectations. I’ll work harder in the future…"
"Everyone, please calm down. Don’t attack Rong Yu. She’s talented—she deserves this opportunity…"
"Ugh, what kind of man cries like this? And he actually has fans?" Old Master Ji tossed his chopsticks aside. "Playing the victim, stirring up his fans—what a damn white lotus!"
Ji Zhiyuan: "…"
The old man had been surfing the internet for a few days and had already picked up the lingo.
Ji Yanting quickly pulled out his phone—the system had automatically pushed the live stream to him.
The comments were a cesspool of hate.
"That bitch Rong Yu, how dare she steal our brother’s endorsement!"
"Our fandom secured this deal two months ago! How could she just swoop in? Does she have a sugar daddy or something?"
"This was our brother’s first major brand deal, and now some nobody takes it? I won’t stand for this!"
"Who’s good at doxxing? Get me Rong Yu’s personal info in five minutes. I’m sending her a dead cat."
"People like her don’t deserve to live."
"…"
Despite his fans’ escalating frenzy, Zhou Yachen made no effort to calm them. Instead, he subtly fanned the flames, letting the situation spiral out of control.
"Great-grandmother’s personal records have been encrypted by the aerospace institute. Netizens won’t find anything," Ji Zhiyuan said coldly, turning to Ji Yanting. "Can you handle this in five minutes?"
Ji Yanting nodded.
He immediately called Zhou Yachen.
On the live stream, Zhou Yachen’s phone rang. He glanced at it and declined the call.
When it rang again, he rejected it once more.
Ji Yanting’s expression darkened as he dialed Zhou Yachen’s manager instead, his voice low with anger. "Are you just going to let him act like this?"
The manager stammered, "Mr. Yan, Yachen was suddenly dropped by Ji Group—he’s heartbroken. He’s just venting to his fans. It’s not that big a deal. Look, he’s already trending in the top ten. His follower count has skyrocketed in just an hour—all new fans sympathizing with him. This’ll help his future projects—"
"You have ten seconds," Ji Yanting bit out. "End the live stream. Now."
Zhou Yachen’s entire career—every film, drama, and endorsement—had been secured through Ji Yanting’s connections. The manager had always obeyed him without question.
But this time—
"Mr. Yan, the thing is… I don’t even know where Yachen is right now. He’s not answering my calls…"
In those brief moments, the backlash had worsened.
People accused Rong Yu of sleeping her way to the top.
They painted Ji Group as evil capitalists bullying Zhou Yachen.
Fans even stormed the official Ji Group Weibo page, hurling abuse…
Meanwhile, Zhou Yachen was still live.
He skimmed the comments and smirked.
A nobody like her, daring to steal his spotlight? She’d learn what it meant to be crushed by his fandom.
