Chapter 158

Ji Tingzhou stayed in his room, but contrary to Ji Nian's expectations, he wasn't drinking. His silhouette appeared calm as he sat in a chair by the floor-to-ceiling window. Only a few small lamps were lit in the room, and half of his body was immersed in darkness, with shadows falling on his high-bridged nose, giving him a somewhat gloomy appearance. "Dad?" Ji Nian called out softly. The sound snapped Ji Tingzhou out of his deep thoughts. "Can't sleep?" Turning his head and seeing Ji Nian, Ji Tingzhou straightened up slightly and waved, signaling for the child to come over. Ji Nian nodded and walked toward him, pulling a chair over to sit beside him. "Dad, I feel so sad," Ji Nian said, looking at him with a pained expression. Ji Tingzhou raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even know Shen Rushan. Why are you sad?" The child posed another question: "I didn't know Uncle Shen, and yet I'm so sad. Since you were close to him, you must be even more heartbroken, right?" She tilted her head, peering at Ji Tingzhou, paying special attention to the corners of his eyes. They weren't red. What a strong princess. System: The world is upside down. Ji Tingzhou realized that the child wasn't having trouble sleeping because she was sad; she was worried about him and had come to check on him. So young, yet already so caring. "Did you comfort Shen Qingtang before coming to me?" Ji Tingzhou found it somewhat amusing and reached out to pinch her cheek. Compared to when she was five, Ji Nian's baby fat had gradually faded, which displeased Ji Tingzhou. Occasionally, he wished she were still a chubby little girl. "Dad, how can you compete with a child?" Ji Nian looked at him with an expression of disbelief. Ji Tingzhou, completely unaware of any issue, snorted lightly. Then Ji Nian quickly added, "So, Dad, you admit you're sad, right?" Ji Tingzhou tapped her forehead. "No," he said. Seeing the child's skeptical expression, he couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. "It's just that..." He hesitated. He was wondering if he had done the right thing by helping Shen Rushan find his parents. The reality was far more brutal than he had imagined. Ji Tingzhou would have preferred it if Shen Rushan's parents had long forgotten about their son, moved on, and started a new family and life. Shen Rushan probably wouldn't have wanted to see this outcome either. So he hesitated, unsure whether to take them to Shen Rushan's grave. Ji Tingzhou didn't realize he had accidentally spoken the last part out loud. Then he heard the child say, "Take them." "Even though they are separated by life and death, and it will inevitably bring sadness, knowing that his parents still love him and are alive and well would bring comfort to Uncle Shen's spirit." "You're right," Ji Tingzhou said after a while. He never thought that one day he would be influenced by something as intangible as emotions. After all, whether it was good or bad, it was Shen Rushan's dying wish. Seeing that he seemed to have come to a realization, Ji Nian reached into the pocket of her nightgown and pulled out a small bag, untying the string. She took Ji Tingzhou's hand and poured something into his palm. A small sphere fell from the bag into Ji Tingzhou's hand. It had a lustrous, golden-sand-like color, resembling flowing light, and emitted a dreamy glow in the dimly lit room. As the sphere rolled, the colors inside shifted, sometimes resembling a star-filled universe, other times like a moss-green lake scattered with petals. Occasionally, the universe and the lake would merge, creating new colors and scenes, making it impossible to predict what the sphere would transform into next. Ji Tingzhou's eyes lit up with admiration as he twirled the sphere in his fingers, bringing it closer to examine it more carefully. "What is this?" Seeing how captivated he was, Ji Nian felt a little proud, though she kept her tone casual. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a toy I made for you." Ji Tingzhou thought to himself that he wasn't a dog to play with a ball. And of course, he wouldn't give it to Da Gen either. That uncultured mutt wouldn't know how to appreciate it. It was clear that Ji Tingzhou was quite pleased with the beautiful little object, so much so that he ignored Ji Nian and continued playing with the sphere. Eventually, the sphere turned a dim color, with only scattered specks of light glowing faintly, reminiscent of the lights seen from the top of a garbage mountain in their past life. Memories he thought he had forgotten flooded back. A group of kids had scavenged through the garbage, finding things they deemed useful, and then, inspired by scenes from an old TV, climbed to the top of the mountain to enjoy the view. But at night, they couldn't even see a pile of dog poop. All he remembered was the cool mountain breeze, holding tightly to Da Gen's furry body, and listening to Shen Rushan and Zhiliao talk. Back then, Zhiliao, without the scars on her face, was far from the mature person she was now. She was still a seemingly nihilistic, dead-eyed, and expressionless teenager. She wiped her treasured short knife and asked Shen Rushan, "What if they've already forgotten about you?" Shen Rushan, wearing an old plaid shirt and slightly nearsighted, squinted as he spoke. "I don't care..." "I'm just looking for them to find out if I was kidnapped or abandoned." "Besides," he turned to look at Ji Tingzhou, who was dozing off, and plucked a blade of grass to tickle his ear. "Xiao Zhou's rich dad is coming to pick him up. If my parents don't want me, I'll just have to rely on Xiao Zhou to take care of me." He joked. Ji Tingzhou, without even opening his eyes, swatted away the annoying grass. "You and Da Gen can fight over who gets to sleep in the doghouse." Shen Rushan turned dramatically to Zhiliao. "Listen to him, Mom. He's so unfilial." Zhiliao rolled her eyes. Wei Yang, who had been rubbing his fingers, poked his head over. "Then what am I?" Shen Rushan affectionately patted his bald head. "Nothing. Go play." "Okay~" Thinking of the past, Ji Tingzhou slowed the spinning of the sphere. Turning his head, he saw Ji Nian staring at him, seemingly wanting to ask what he was daydreaming about. He pocketed the sphere and shooed her off to bed. Seeing that his expression had indeed improved, Ji Nian finally felt reassured and went back to sleep. The next morning, Ji Tingzhou went to handle Shen Rushan's affairs. This time, he brought Shen Qingtang along. Ji Nian, however, didn't go. Instead, she returned to the Ji family to attend school. Gu Xiuyuan, as usual, checked in and noticed Shen Qingtang wasn't with her. "Did Shen Qingtang take the day off?" Ji Nian nodded and, after a moment's thought, didn't mention Shen Qingtang's grandparents, simply saying it was a family matter. Realizing he couldn't help, Gu Xiuyuan changed the subject. "Your classmate, He Xiang." Hearing He Xiang's name, Ji Nian responded with a questioning "Hmm?" Gu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‍Xiuyuan wasn't sure if he should bring it up, but after some consideration, he decided to speak. "Yesterday, I saw him on Central Avenue." He briefly explained how he had stumbled upon He Xiang being mocked by some older kids for collecting trash. He Xiang didn't react, just kept his head down and continued his work. At one point, a kind-hearted woman scolded the kids and chased them away, offering He Xiang money. But He Xiang refused. Perhaps because Ji Nian had mentioned him before, Gu Xiuyuan had learned that bottles could be sold for money. Curious, Gu Xiuyuan had his driver follow He Xiang, only to discover that He Xiang hid his bag somewhere and then entered a hospital. "It's our family's hospital," Gu Xiuyuan explained. "So I had someone look into it. His grandmother is hospitalized, and her condition is serious. It seems she needs a lot of money." That's why He Xiang was running around collecting bottles. Ji Nian was taken aback. "I see... Thanks for letting me know." As she turned to leave, Gu Xiuyuan grabbed her arm. "Are you going to give him money?" Ji Nian looked puzzled. "Why would you think that?" Gu Xiuyuan said matter-of-factly, "Because you're a pushover." Ji Nian thought to herself, "What a joke." In her past life, the most common descriptions of her were: cold-faced, pretentious, aloof at first but approachable once you got to know her, though still distant. But here, her role as a naive sweetheart had been so convincing that she was now seen as a pushover. In truth, Ji Nian didn't consider herself kind. Everything she did was either related to her own interests or had some benefit. If anything, her good memory gave people the impression that she cared deeply about them. She called this "feigned kindness for social interactions." After saying goodbye to Gu Xiuyuan, Ji Nian headed toward the school building. She had arrived early, and the campus was still quiet. She stopped by the convenience store, planning to buy an ice cream. Ji Nian was heading back to the classroom with an ice cream in hand. As she waited for the elevator, she noticed the trash bin was missing and figured the cleaning lady must have moved it into the hallway. She turned and walked in that direction. But before she could pull the door open, she heard it— A faint, helpless, and almost animal-like sob, filled with confusion and despair. Ji Nian froze mid-step. She took a step back, brushed her bangs aside, and let out a soft sigh.