Chapter 198

Words : 1349 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Watching the exceptionally handsome man on the bench, gently smoothing the little girl’s hair, the elderly couple hiding behind the billboard exchanged glances. "Are you sure Ji Nian’s surname ‘Ji’ is the same as Ji Tingzhou’s? Could it just be a coincidence?" Having witnessed the entire scene while blending into the crowd, the old couple could hardly believe their eyes. They had even noticed something others missed. Every bystander who had taken photos or videos of Ji Tingzhou and Ji Nian had been stopped by his bodyguards, forced to delete all footage of their faces. And when the family of three, still cursing under their breath about Ji Tingzhou and Ji Nian, thought no one could hear them—his bodyguards dragged them away, beat them mercilessly, even tying up the child and hanging him from a tree for a whipping. The best part? No one saw their faces. The family had no proof, left seething in helpless frustration. Old Master Chen found it deeply satisfying. If Old Lady Chen hadn’t held him back, he’d have rushed over to slap the little brat himself. When the two finally hurried over, they were met with the heartwarming sight of Ji Tingzhou tenderly fixing Ji Nian’s hair. "I told you he treats her well. That’s why the child defended him so fiercely," Old Lady Chen said, relieved. Old Master Chen, however, remained skeptical. "...Is this really happening?" Sometimes, it felt like the world was under surveillance. Ever since his one visit to the Ji Family in his youth, news of them had haunted him like a ghost. Tales of the second young master burning a family of three alive, the fifth young lady driving a classmate to suicide, the sixth young master killing a traffic officer in a drunken hit-and-run—it was like a horror story. Every time he heard these things, Old Master Chen pitied the citizens of S City, cursed to share their home with such monsters. The Ji Family was rotten to the core, and with so many descendants, it was impossible for any of them to turn out decent. He didn’t know Ji Tingzhou’s exact ranking, but raised in that environment, how could he possibly be anything but twisted? While the couple whispered among themselves, Ji Tingzhou, sensing the overly "enthusiastic" stares from the shadows, suppressed his irritation. Only after carefully redoing Ji Nian’s hair did he finally shoot a cold glare toward his bodyguards. Understanding immediately, one of them stepped forward and confronted the pair behind the billboard. "Our family head wishes to speak with you. Come with me." His tone left no room for refusal, his stance making it clear they had no choice. The old couple exchanged another glance. They’d hidden so well—how had they been spotted? "Daddy did such a good job!" Ji Nian pulled out the small mirror Ji Tingzhou carried and admired her reflection, beaming. Since part of her hair had been yanked earlier, Ji Tingzhou hadn’t recreated Grandma Shen’s original style. Instead, he’d opted for something looser, gentler on her scalp. "Hm." Pleased ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍by her praise, he responded lazily. Just as Ji Nian turned to hand the mirror back, she caught sight of the familiar figures being escorted over. "Grandma?!" She shoved the mirror into Ji Tingzhou’s hands and leapt off the bench, dashing toward her grandmother. Ignoring Ji Tingzhou’s quiet scoff, she skidded to a stop in front of Old Lady Chen. "Grandma! What a coincidence—you came to the lantern festival too?" Old Lady Chen was dressed stylishly, her silver-streaked hair neatly tucked under a headscarf, oversized sunglasses perched on her nose, pearl earrings glinting softly. "Sweetheart!" She hugged Ji Nian warmly, pinching her cheeks. "Your dress is so pretty! From afar, I thought I was looking at a little fairy." Ji Nian giggled shyly. Spotting Old Master Chen standing stiffly behind, deliberately avoiding eye contact, she politely nodded at him anyway. Old Master Chen, who’d been watching from the corner of his eye: "......" Ji Tingzhou, arms crossed as he observed, smirked inwardly. Outwardly, he remained aloof. He called Ji Nian over, instructing her to bring them closer. "Grandma, come here!" Ji Nian tugged Old Lady Chen’s hand, leading her toward Ji Tingzhou. Old Master Chen followed without protest. From a distance, their aging eyes hadn’t caught every detail. But up close, Ji Tingzhou’s striking features left them stunned. There was a saying: "Under lantern light, beauty grows more enchanting." Even seated casually, Ji Tingzhou commanded attention effortlessly. But what shocked them most— Their gazes dropped to Ji Nian, then snapped back up to Ji Tingzhou. Down, up. Down, up. Three times. Ji Nian grinned, tilting her head beside Ji Tingzhou. "Do we look alike?" Old Lady Chen exhaled slowly. "...Alike? That’s an understatement." It was uncanny. No wonder Ji Nian, supposedly her daughter’s child, bore no resemblance to Chen Yueling at all. Good grief, those genes are something else—seems like he’d already staked his claim on the kid even before there was any relation between them. Old Master Chen wore an expression like he’d just been force-fed something vile. He’d already been stewing over his failure to stop his daughter back then, and now, seeing Ji Tingzhou’s face only made it worse. "Dad, this is Madam Wu Lan—my mother’s mother, my grandmother," Ji Nian introduced to Ji Tingzhou. Hearing how Ji Nian referred to her, the old woman couldn’t help but chuckle. Ji Tingzhou, ever the diplomat, nodded at Old Lady Chen. "Hello." The old lady was startled by his initiative to greet her, shooting a peculiar glance at Old Master Chen beside her. It was as if she were asking, *This isn’t what you told me about him back then.* "Hello, hello! We drove here after getting a call from Little Mo, but the GPS messed up, and we got lost until we happened to spot you at the lantern festival," Old Lady Chen replied politely. The whole scene was, frankly, surreal. Had Chen Yueling still been alive, Old Lady Chen and Ji Tingzhou would never have crossed paths. Life’s a stage—you never know what’s coming next or who you’ll meet. "Dad, maybe we should find a place to sit and talk?" Ji Nian suggested, sensing the awkwardness thickening the air. But Old Lady Chen waved it off. "No rush. Weren’t you two here to have fun?" "Dressed so prettily, Nian’er should go enjoy herself first." Ji Tingzhou clearly wasn’t keen on prolonging the conversation either. Rising to his feet, he gave the old woman a curt nod and whisked Ji Nian away to explore. The bodyguards stayed behind to keep an eye on the elderly couple. "Would you two prefer to stroll around, or should I escort you to the Ji Family?" It was too late to send the old folks back now. They’d have to stay at the Ji Family overnight and discuss matters tomorrow. Old Master Chen side-eyed his wife but didn’t argue about leaving. Instead, he trailed after Ji Tingzhou, who was already walking away, observing the little interactions between him and Ji Nian. It seemed Ji Nian wanted to eat something, and while Ji Tingzhou visibly hesitated, he still put on a stern face and led the child over. Watching them, Old Master Chen’s nose prickled with emotion. It reminded him of his own daughter as a little girl. She’d been lively and restless. Back then, the family hadn’t been well-off, but he often took her to bustling places to play. The tiny girl, her curly hair bouncing, would crane her neck around, spotting something she liked before tugging at his sleeve, begging him to buy it for her. But later, work swallowed his time, and before he knew it, she’d grown up—no longer needing him by her side. The old man pretended something had flown into his eye, swiping away the tear that had escaped. When he looked up again, Ji Tingzhou and Ji Nian were gone. "Eh? Where’d they go?" He spun around— And then— *Crack.* With a groan, Old Master Chen clutched his waist. "Aiya—my shrimp line—*cough*—my back!"

Chapter 198

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