Lan Rouxue's tongue felt parched.
She struggled to part her lips: "Zhiyuan, I... I don’t understand what you're saying..."
Ji Zhiyuan stared at her. "Did you enjoy deceiving me, Lan Rouxue? In your eyes, do I look like a fool?"
His voice was like an icy blade—cold, sharp, piercing straight into Lan Rouxue’s chest.
Her eyes widened, and she bit her lip. "Shouldn’t you be happy to learn Little Yue doesn’t have asthma? She adores you as her father. How could you wish for her to suffer from an incurable illness? How could you treat her like this?"
Ji Zhiyuan was so infuriated by her twisted logic that he let out a bitter laugh.
He had never imagined that the woman he had loved for so many years—his so-called "white moonlight"—would turn out to be like this.
Looking back, everything now seemed absurd.
"Little Yue grew up under your care, but the moment Duoduo appeared, all your love was stolen away..." Lan Rouxue’s voice trembled with accusation. "In the end, it’s your fault. You were too biased, too neglectful of Little Yue. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had to lie to you..."
Ji Zhiyuan’s gaze darkened. "Have you forgotten? Duoduo is my biological daughter. What’s wrong with favoring her?"
"Little Yue called you 'Dad' for so many years, yet it meant nothing to you..." Tears spilled from Lan Rouxue’s eyes. "Leave. Just go. I never want to see you again!"
She shoved Ji Zhiyuan out and slammed the door shut.
Ji Zhiyuan stood outside for a long moment.
Before leaving, he made a call. "Check the surveillance. Find out who’s been visiting Lan Rouxue’s place frequently lately..."
---
Rong Yu woke up early.
When she went downstairs, she found Ji Shunying sprawled on the couch, lazily scrolling through Weibo and managing online comments.
She grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him up. "The doctor said you need to gradually resume physical exercise. Starting today, you’ll practice Tai Chi and Baduanjin with me every morning. Health is the foundation of everything—everything else can wait."
Old Master Ji was dragged to the manor’s lawn.
He followed Rong Yu’s movements stiffly, mimicking her Tai Chi poses.
After just a short while, he was exhausted, collapsing onto the grass, unwilling to move.
"My life is too hard," Rong Yu sighed. "Others have sons to care for them in old age. I wonder if I’ll ever have that."
Old Master Ji: "..."
With a sudden burst of energy, he sprang up from the ground and bellowed, "Mom! I can still do it! Let’s keep going!"
Rong Yu couldn’t help but chuckle.
The mother and son practiced for about half an hour, working up a light sweat. By then, it was time for breakfast and school.
At the dining table, they noticed someone was missing.
Ji Zhouye spoke softly, "Last night, when I came down for water, I saw Big Brother drinking alone in the garden. He probably won’t wake up until noon."
Duoduo widened her eyes. "Why was Daddy drinking?"
Rong Yu guessed—
It must have been a fight with Lan Rouxue.
If he was drowning his sorrows late into the night, it must have been serious.
Old Master Ji had already learned about yesterday’s incident from Steward Yu. He rapped his chopsticks against Ji Zhouye’s forehead and said coldly, "From now on, stay away from that Lan Zigang. Remember—the Ji family has plenty of heirs. Losing one wouldn’t make a difference."
Ji Zhouye didn’t dare argue.
Yesterday, he had indeed been an idiot, nearly making an unforgivable mistake...
Already low in the family hierarchy, he had now sunk to the absolute bottom. Pathetic...
He kept his head down and silently ate his noodles.
After breakfast, he dutifully packed Rong Yu’s schoolbag, fetched her shoes from the cabinet... terrified of slipping up and earning another scolding from Old Master Ji.
---
The car pulled up near the school.
After a short walk, they reached the gates—just in time to run into Chen Nian, who was covered in dust but grinning ear to ear.
"Guess where I just came from?" he asked excitedly, not waiting for an answer. "The Ji Corporation! Yeah, that Ji Corporation! My grandma was collecting scrap yesterday when she ran into one of their managers. He said she reminded him of a late relative and insisted on hiring her to handle their cardboard recycling!"
"I had no idea the Ji Corporation was so huge! The amount of waste cardboard they produce in a day is insane—my grandma and I couldn’t even keep up. We had to hire extra help. Can you believe it? A deal this big, just handed to my grandma like that!" His smile widened. "The people at Ji Corporation are amazing. They didn’t look down on her or try to lowball her..."
"Then focus on studying hard from now on," Rong Yu patted his shoulder. "Class is about to start. Let’s go."
---
As soon as they entered the classroom, the Class Monitor dropped a stack of notes on Ji Zhouye’s desk.
"Math and physics in the morning, chemistry and biology in the afternoon, practice tests during evening self-study. Your foundation is too weak—you need a brutal training regimen to catch up..."
Ji Zhouye: "..."
His head throbbed at the sight of the densely packed formulas. His face fell instantly.
The Class Monitor’s words died in his throat.
Though Ji Zhouye had been behaving lately, his reputation as the school’s most notorious delinquent was no joke.
This was the guy who had once humiliated a teacher in front of the whole class.
Who was he, a measly Class Monitor, to assign "brutal training" to the school’s top troublemaker?
Before he could backtrack—
Rong Yu lifted her eyelids slightly, giving Ji Zhouye a calm look.
The delinquent, who had been scowling moments ago, inexplicably shrank back. Then, straightening his posture, he declared loudly, "Thank you, Class Monitor! I’ll study hard and live up to your expectations!"
The Class Monitor didn’t dare say another word and hurried back to his seat.
Rong Yu’s voice cut through the silence. "You lost five million gambling. How do you plan to repay that debt?"
Ji Zhouye mumbled, "That was Second Brother’s money, I—"
"Your Second Brother’s money is still the Ji family’s money," Rong Yu interrupted. "Five million is fifty months of your allowance. Consider it an advance."
Ji Zhouye screamed internally—
But on the outside, he didn’t dare protest. He nodded meekly. "As you say, Great-Grandma."
"Great-Grandma?" Chen Nian’s head popped up.
"None of your business," Ji Zhouye shoved him away. "I’m turning over a new leaf. No more slacking off."
Chen Nian immediately shut up.
He couldn’t let Wild Bro surpass him. He had to study, study, study—aim for more scholarships!
The other slackers in class, watching these two, scrambled to pull out their textbooks too. Whether they absorbed anything or not, at least their attitudes were improving.
---
Just as Rong Yu solved an equation, Pei Yaru called her to the faculty office.
"The National Physics Olympiad finals are next month in the capital," Pei Yaru smiled. "The school needs to book flights and hotels in advance. Verify your ID details, and inform your parents—they’ll accompany you."
Rong Yu checked the information, signed her name, and looked up, saying, "I'm already an adult. I don't need my parents here. Having Teacher Pei is enough."
Pei Yaru paused.
A few days ago, during the parent-teacher meeting, she had wanted to speak with Father Rong for a while, but he left early. It didn’t seem like he cared much about his daughter.
After a moment’s thought, she decided not to press the matter further.
