Chapter 217: Indulgent Little Princess Extra 05
Chapter 217
Ji Chu was a man who had achieved remarkable academic success in his early years of study, earning praise from many masters who believed he would surely accomplish great things if he dedicated himself to this path.
However, Ji Chu seemed to be in a poor state of mind at the time, lacking any inclination to devote himself to a research career. He casually signed on to become a teacher at a university.
Later, because his lectures to students were considered a waste of his talents, the school often organized special seminars and invited him to give speeches. He was also asked to lead any academic activities.
Ji Chu himself didn't mind, as long as he had some leisure time to think about people, he would cooperate.
Perhaps because the school knew Ji Chu's value, it wasn't long before he was promoted again and again, eventually becoming a professor. He became the youngest professor at the school.
Professor Ji was young, handsome, and professionally skilled, making him a shining presence throughout the university.
What his colleagues found regrettable was that Professor Ji had made it clear from the beginning that he had a wife.
Professor Ji was good in every way, had his own approach to teaching students, and was always gentlemanly and mild-mannered in his dealings with others. However, those who interacted with him more closely would discover that Professor Ji seemed to lack a human touch.
It wasn't that he was unsympathetic, but rather that he existed in his own world, never allowing anyone into his heart. Except for, of course, the first love wife he often mentioned.
For a long time, Professor Ji's wife was a mystery among the student body. Until the day a girl sat in the front row of the classroom, and their professor rushed out for the first time, as if he had become human.
...
When Jiang Yan left years ago, it was under the watchful eyes of Yu's Father and Yu's Mother.
Jiang Yan's sudden appearance was something Ji Chu could hardly believe, let alone explain to Yu's Father and Yu's Mother.
So, Jiang Yan and Ji Chu had originally planned to keep it from Yu's Father and Yu's Mother temporarily.
But unexpectedly, they couldn't keep it hidden.
Jiang Yan frequently visited Ji Chu's school and was accidentally photographed by a student who posted it online. It was meant to be a casual praise of their professor's fairy-tale love, but it ended up attracting the attention of many netizens.
The couple in the picture looked too young and too attractive to be the professor mentioned in the post.
The image sparked doubts among many netizens, who thought it was a staged photo for attention. The original poster was almost cyberbullied until they finally revealed the school name out of frustration, using facts to convince the netizens.
The post went from skepticism and arguments to amazement at the truth, generating a significant wave of popularity.
...
Because Ji Chu worked at that school, Yu's Mother would occasionally pay attention to information from there. Over time, big data algorithms grasped her preferences and frequently pushed related news to her.
During a break from work, Yu's Mother put on her glasses to relax and check her phone, when she suddenly saw a photo of Ji Chu.
The post was titled: "A Fairy-Tale Love Story with Incredibly High Looks in Real Life."
Yu's Mother knew that the young crowd online loved to come up with catchy titles, so she didn't pay much attention to it. But seeing a recent photo of Ji Chu, she clicked on it.
In that photo, Ji Chu was standing in front of a car with a deep smile. The smile on his face made Yu's Mother doubt whether the photo had been edited - she had never seen Ji Chu smile so genuinely, or rather, the person in the photo didn't seem to be Ji Chu.
Yu's Mother even adjusted her glasses, wanting to see more clearly, but that car was indeed Ji Chu's car.
That person was Ji Chu himself.
With a sense of disbelief, Yu's Mother swiped to the next photo -
She incredulously tapped on that photo, her hand shaking uncontrollably...
The photo was enlarged by her trembling hand, but then repeatedly shrunk back due to the shaking. She held the phone up to her eyes, the image deeply reflected in her pupils.
Finally, Yu's Mother's hand lost its strength, and the phone "thudded" onto the table.
Originally, she had just wanted to see why her usually unsmiling adopted son was smiling so happily.
But she hadn't expected that in the second photo, she would see her daughter who had died many years ago.
In the photo, Ji Chu's smile was no longer visible, but even his back looked relaxed.
The car, which occupied most of the frame, had its window lowered, revealing the excessively beautiful face of the girl inside.
The beautiful, vibrant, familiar appearance made Yu's Mother's heart stop for a moment.
...
That afternoon, Ji Chu finished work and went to find Jiang Yan.
As they were walking around, Jiang Yan got hungry, and Ji Chu also had a craving, so they parked the car and ate a bowl of wonton at a roadside stall.
The small wonton shop didn't even have a proper sign, the prices were very reasonable, and the wontons were served in a large blue and white bowl. The shrimp and pork wontons had extremely generous fillings, with thin, tender, and flavorful wrappers layered one upon another.
Floating on top of the wontons were bright green cilantro and scallions, chewy purple seaweed, garnished with small shrimp and two appetizing drops of bright red chili oil.
Ji Chu, despite his outwardly refined and talented appearance, turned out to be a picky eater like a child.
Jiang Yan used the plastic spoon on the table to scoop the cilantro from his bowl into her own, teasing him: "What's wrong with you? I don't remember you being a picky eater. I recall we even ate cilantro-filled buns here before. I guess we can't eat those anymore..."
After fishing out all the cilantro, Jiang Yan asked, "Hey, when exactly did you start disliking cilantro?"
A glint of mischief flashed in Ji Chu's eyes: "Starting today."
"What do you mean? You don't eat cilantro when you're with me?" Jiang Yan was puzzled.
Ji Chu said, "Don't you like eating fresh cilantro and scallions the most?"
Jiang Yan finally caught on - he was pretending to be picky just to give her more to eat. She stirred her bowl: "No, there are condiments over there. If I really wanted to eat more, I could just go add some!"
Ji Chu snorted: "I want to do it this way."
A man eating noodles nearby couldn't bear it anymore and coughed twice, reminding the slightly over-the-top young couple.
...
Ji Chu also got a takeout order of fragrant, juicy beef-filled flatbread from the roadside stall to take home. In the evening, they would just need to cook a pot of fragrant, glutinous rice porridge and prepare a small cold dish for a delicious meal.
The two drove home, relaxed and content, planning their lovely evening ahead.
However, these thoughts abruptly halted the moment they drove up to their front door.
Yu's Father and Yu's Mother were standing in front of the door, waiting for them to return.
Jiang Yan's mind almost exploded in that instant.
Ji Chu's house had Yu's Father and Yu's Mother's information registered from the beginning, allowing them direct access. The fact that they were waiting outside the door meant they already knew something.
Ji Chu knew that the truth couldn't be hidden forever, especially since Jiang Yan was a living, breathing person. He had anticipated this scenario many times before, so he remained relatively calm.
But Jiang Yan couldn't. She was the source of everything that could possibly happen... Coming back from the dead was too incredible to believe. Even if Jiang Yan explained it, there was no guarantee that Yu's Father and Yu's Mother would believe her.
However, Jiang Yan had forgotten who she was.
She was the little girl who had grown up pampered by Yu's Father and Yu's Mother. After years of navigating the business world and reaching top positions, they were well-versed in reading various emotions in people's eyes.
They could clearly capture Jiang Yan's panic and confusion upon seeing them, which further confirmed the speculation they dared not voice.
Before coming here, when Yu's Mother emotionally brought up this matter to Yu's Father, he had advised her to believe in science. But upon meeting face to face, they were already certain that this was their daughter.
With nowhere to run, Jiang Yan finally got out of the car. Yu's Mother, with red-rimmed eyes and suppressed emotions, asked her what was going on.
Ji Chu wanted to step forward to help explain, but was stopped by Yu's Father.
Jiang Yan didn't know how to explain. She didn't know how she had come back to life, nor did she know if her parents could accept her existence in this state...
Yu's Father and Yu's Mother read their little girl's difficulty from her silent demeanor, unable to utter a word, and so they softened, embracing her in their arms.
Neither Jiang Yan nor Ji Chu had expected Yu's Father and Yu's Mother to accept the situation so quickly.
They chose to seal off the past events as a taboo, gently opting to focus only on their current lives.
Yu's Father mentioned the plainly packaged beef-filled flatbread Ji Chu had brought back, saying they would eat that. After saying this, he looked around as if remembering something, because neither he nor Yu's Mother knew how to cook.
Yu's Mother was secretly thinking that she should find time to go to the temple and get a jade amulet for Jiang Yan to wear for peace of mind.
Ji Chu smiled and gently pinched Jiang Yan's cheek, saying, "You're not afraid anymore, are you?"
Jiang Yan stuck out her tongue playfully. Yu's Father was busy arranging a private chef, while Yu's Mother was inspecting their living environment.
Ji Chu thought to himself that Jiang Yan would always be their little princess.
Suddenly, Jiang Yan remembered something and asked, "Did you throw away the stuff in the trash can?!"
Ji Chu opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to respond.
Jiang Yan's face turned bright red in an instant, and she called out, "Mom, don't go into my room!"