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Chapter 203
Old Master Chen wiped his face and abruptly turned away, pushing Mrs. Chen’s approaching face aside. "Who’s crying? I just got dust in my eyes!"
After a moment of realization, Old Master Chen straightened up with difficulty, wincing in pain while his gaze grew distant and emotional.
"You wait here for me," he said, supporting his lower back as he walked out, seemingly heading after Ji Tingzhou.
Ten minutes earlier—
Wei Yang was crouched by the door, eavesdropping while simultaneously texting Ji Nian.
They’re probably not arguing. It’s pretty quiet.
I can hear Old Master Chen’s voice. He said something about a "second child," "son," and "silencing witnesses."
My brother spoke too—something about "taking her away" and "a twisted childhood"!!!?
Wei Yang’s heart sank.
No way.
Ji Tingzhou could even send Chen Mo packing, so how could he lose to an old man?
This is bad, Ji Nian. My brother might actually be handing you over to the Chen Family. I told you these two had an agenda!!
Ji Nian, meanwhile, was half-asleep in class, barely staying awake as the new literature teacher droned on about ancient poetry analysis.
When the bell finally rang, she yawned and glanced at her watch, only to find her phone flooded with frantic messages from Wei Yang.
Frowning, she opened them—and froze.
Her first thought: Impossible!
There was no way Ji Tingzhou would send her to the Chen Family. He’d even refused Chen Mo.
But then again, like father, like daughter—Ji Nian’s inherently suspicious nature led her to a long-buried issue that had never been openly discussed:
The original host’s five years.
If Chen Mo knows about this, what if he told the old couple? And now they’re using it to corner Ji Tingzhou, demanding custody of me?
What would Ji Tingzhou do…
He’d have no defense. Because those five years were real. Even if the perpetrators had been punished, the scars remained.
If Ji Tingzhou had just remembered—even a little—or sent someone to check, the original host wouldn’t have suffered so much…
Ji Nian fell silent.
Her initial certainty wavered.
Shen Qingtang was the first to notice Ji Nian’s sudden gloom.
Since the Shen Family elders were still house-hunting, she was staying at the Ji Family for now.
"What’s wrong?" she asked, quickly walking over and reaching into her pocket.
"Out of tissues, or something else?"
Ji Nian: "……"
If only my life’s problems were that simple.
"No," she said, pulling Shen Qingtang aside to show her Wei Yang’s messages.
After reading them, Shen Qingtang tilted her head. "Wei Yang’s probably exaggerating again, taking things out of context."
"There’s no way Uncle Ji would give up your custody."
Not with the way Ji Tingzhou acted—even if Ji Nian decided to wreak havoc in heaven, his first instinct would be to get her the right tools.
Ji Nian thought, But what if circumstances changed?
Soon, class resumed.
But Ji Nian couldn’t focus. Her mind raced, desperate to go home and see what was really happening.
Urgency mixed with… avoidance.
What if Ji Tingzhou really sent her to the Chen Family?
Not that her grandmother and Old Master Chen were bad people, and she’d still have her uncle. It wasn’t like she could never return to the Ji Family.
But…
The thought of coming home to no Wei Yang sneaking her snacks, no Da Dan rushing to greet her, no Zhi Le preparing pastries for her…
And no Ji Tingzhou sprawled on the couch, watching that insufferably long Desperate Dad drama, complaining about the plot while still binge-watching.
System: [...Grieve all you want, but don’t insult my favorite show.]
[Besides, didn’t you always want to leave the Ji Family for freedom? Changed your mind?]
Ji Nian rolled her eyes.
[This isn’t freedom. If I go to the Chen Family, I’ll be even more trapped.]
No lab, no research—just playing the role of a naive seven-year-old.
Nodding to herself, Ji Nian concluded: So that’s why I don’t want to leave.
Right. She couldn’t go.
Otherwise, future collaborations with the Chen Family on pharmaceutical projects would fall apart.
Ji Nian suddenly stood up—
"Look out!!"
A sharp cry snapped her back to reality—
Oh no.
After zoning out all morning, she finally remembered one crucial detail:
They were in gym class.
A ball hurtled straight for her head.
Just before impact, a small figure lunged, tackling her to the ground.
Ji Nian landed hard, scraping her elbow and palm.
But her rescuer fared worse—he hadn’t dodged in time. The ball struck his shoulder.
"He Xiang! Are you okay?!"
Stunned that he’d risked himself for her, Ji Nian reached for him, ignoring her own stinging palms. He clutched his shoulder, face pale with pain.
He’d been so far away—how had he reached her so fast, before anyone else reacted?
"Ji Nian!!"
Across the field, Shen Qingtang’s heart had nearly stopped when her teammate’s ball veered toward Ji Nian. Seeing her knocked out of harm’s way, she exhaled in relief.
"Your elbow’s bleeding, and your palm too."
Tears welled in Shen Qingtang’s eyes as she traced the red streaks down Ji Nian’s arm.
"I’m fine—just scrapes. But He Xiang might have a fracture."
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"I’m okay…" He Xiang forced out between gritted teeth.
Ji Nian thought, This kid’s a real hero. Saved me twice now.
From that moment, He Xiang was officially her sworn ally.
The gym teacher, panicking at the sight of injured students, rushed over and called for a stretcher to take He Xiang to the infirmary.
The student who’d thrown the ball stood frozen, tearfully apologizing—but no one cared about intent right now.
"Ji Nian, you’re going too."
With her fair skin, even minor scrapes looked alarming.
Nodding, Ji Nian followed the stretcher, her earlier worries forgotten.
A direct hit to the shoulder, plus the fall—who knew what else was injured?
She barely noticed her own wounds, dismissing them as trivial.
But as Ji Tingzhou’s top-priority ward, her teacher knew better—and immediately notified him.
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