Chapter 234

Words : 1526 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

With jet-black hair and emerald-green eyes, she carried an air of effortless composure, her entire demeanor unmistakably shaped by privilege. Shen Ping had been so captivated by the woman’s gaze earlier that she only now noticed the Richard Mille white crystal watch on her wrist, layered with a petite Harry Winston Sunflower diamond bracelet. "No need, no trouble for Mr. Ji," she said. "What exactly happened?" The latter question was directed at her own daughter. During the brief exchange, Ma Xiaofei had also been observing Ji Nian. More well-versed in luxury brands than her mother, her eyes lingered on Ji Nian’s wrist before sweeping over her face. "I don’t know, she pushed me! Otherwise, why would I have fallen?" The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Ma Xiaofei turned her head away. Shen Ping’s expression turned awkward, silently resolving to cut off her daughter’s credit cards when they got home. Ji Nian, however, spoke up. "She was running too fast, lost her balance, and fell." Her gaze swept over Ma Xiaofei’s drenched figure. She wasn’t quite what Ji Nian had imagined—not resembling Aunt Shen Qingtang much, but still undeniably pretty. Just by looks alone, one would never guess she was the type to send those kinds of messages to Shen Qingtang. "Take ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍her to change her clothes," Ji Nian said, addressing a nearby maid. No particular reason—just that if Ma Xiaofei stayed soaking wet, Ji Tingzhou probably wouldn’t let her step foot inside. And then how would Shen Qingtang get her justice? "Of course," the maid replied. "Miss, please follow me." Seeing that no one was taking her side, Ma Xiaofei grew furious. "Ma Xiaofei! Are you deaf?" Grandpa Shen finally lost patience and snapped at her. Ma Xiaofei flung her handbag to the ground with a loud thud before storming off after the maid. Shen Ping forced an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry, my daughter can be... immature." They were the same age, yet Ji Nian stood there like a composed adult, not a trace of childishness about her. Shen Ping couldn’t help but wonder how the Ji family raised their children. Grandma Shen sighed. "We’ve told you before—you spoil her too much." "Make sure she doesn’t sit near Tangtang later." Since Shen Ping wasn’t her biological daughter, Grandma Shen couldn’t interfere too much. She pulled Ji Nian aside, chatting as they walked. Grandma Shen mentioned how much she’d enjoyed the treats Ji Nian had sent last time and asked about Shen Qingtang’s life at school. The conversation carried them all the way to the doorstep. Shen Qingtang, already informed of their arrival, was waiting. When she saw Ji Nian leading the group in, she froze for a second. Her first instinct wasn’t to rush and hug her grandparents—instead, her eyes darted behind Shen Ping. Not spotting the person she expected, she seemed to relax before finally stepping forward. "I ran into Grandpa and Grandma Shen on my way back, so we came together," Ji Nian explained. Understanding dawned on Shen Qingtang’s face, and she embraced her grandparents warmly. "Our darling’s even prettier now! Have you grown taller? The Ji family must feed you well—you always gain weight when you’re here." Grandma Shen pulled her into a tight hug, showering her with kisses. Shen Qingtang laughed, overjoyed to see her grandmother again. After exchanging affection with the elderly couple, she turned to Shen Ping and greeted her politely, "Auntie." Shen Ping had been living abroad in Country O, so Shen Qingtang wasn’t particularly close to her. They only met once or twice a year, usually during the holidays. "Tangtang, you’ve blossomed even more," Shen Ping replied smoothly, showing no hint of distance as she handed over a gift. While the atmosphere here was warm and cheerful... Ma Xiaofei, being led away to change, was busy nitpicking. "What is this? Some no-name brand? And the size is all wrong!" She glared disdainfully at the clothes in her hands. The maid assisting her smiled politely. "This is all we have." The outfit had been borrowed from another maid with a daughter. Having anything to change into at all was a blessing. "Shall I help you change?" She gestured for Ma Xiaofei to stand. Instead, Ma Xiaofei slapped her hand away. "Don’t touch me!" Then, as if struck by an idea, she demanded, "I saw a walk-in closet on the way here. Get me something from there." The maid’s expression didn’t waver. "My apologies, but that’s the young mistress’s private wardrobe. No one enters without her permission." Ma Xiaofei scoffed. How pretentious. "Then get me something of Shen Qingtang’s. That should be fine, right?" The maid repeated her refusal. Ma Xiaofei was itching to throw a tantrum—hurl the clothes in the maid’s face, maybe even shred them with scissors. But before she could act, the door swung open. A woman walked in. Ma Xiaofei turned her head—and stiffened instantly. The woman had her hair pinned up, dressed in servant’s attire, yet carried none of a servant’s demeanor. Her limbs were long, her stature tall. The left side of her face was delicate and refined, but the right bore a terrifying scar. Her eyes were dark as ink, and though her gaze was calm, it sent an inexplicable chill down the spine—like being stared at by a ghost. Ma Xiaofei stood frozen, too terrified to move. The servant standing nearby stepped forward instead, greeting respectfully, "Miss Zhiliao." Zhiliao glanced at Ma Xiaofei and asked, "Why hasn’t she changed yet?" The servant tactfully explained that Ma Xiaofei disliked the clothes and refused to change. Zhiliao nodded, signaling that she would handle it, and the servant walked away. "Should I fetch new clothes?" Zhiliao approached, looking down at Ma Xiaofei with hollow, indifferent eyes. Under that gaze, Ma Xiaofei stripped off her wet clothes at the fastest speed she had ever mustered in her life—quicker than a desperate sprint to the bathroom—and threw on the new outfit without even checking the brand. Once she was dressed, Zhiliao motioned for her to follow. Ji Tingzhou had guests, and since the Shen family were old acquaintances, Ji Nian took charge of hosting, leading them to the tea room. "Grandpa Shen, the tea you mentioned last time has just arrived in a new batch. Would you like to try it?" Hearing there was tea, Grandpa Shen didn’t stand on ceremony and cheerfully agreed. After sitting down, Shen Ping asked Ji Nian, "Where is Mr. Ji?" Ji Nian replied that he was busy. Shen Ping couldn’t help but reflect inwardly—without their current connection, she would never have had the chance to meet someone of Ji Tingzhou’s stature. Rumors said the Ji family had played a significant role during a certain high-level transition of power, an open secret among insiders but never spoken aloud—a "red merchant" in every sense... "Mom!" Just then, Ma Xiaofei was brought in. The moment she saw her mother, she rushed over and clung to her, trembling slightly. Heaven knew what she had endured on the way here—she’d been convinced that terrifying woman might pull out a knife and gut her at any second. Ji Nian met Zhiliao’s gaze as she escorted Ma Xiaofei in and gave her a playful wink. [Our Zhiliao is so stunning today... She’s even wearing lip balm—must be the one I gave her last time.] [Ugh, if only I were still five, I could’ve kissed her lips without anyone batting an eye.] System: ["........."] After Zhiliao left, the servant who had earlier tried to help Ma Xiaofei change couldn’t hold back her curiosity. "Miss Zhiliao, what did you do? How did you get her to obey so quickly?" Zhiliao shook her head. "I don’t know." If she had to guess— Maybe she was just naturally intimidating to children. Even as a kid, she’d once beaten Wei Yang so badly he wet his pants. Even Ji Tingzhou sometimes found himself unnerved by her. But Ji Nian... From their very first meeting, Ji Nian had smiled at her—soft as a little animal, utterly unafraid. Since Ji Tingzhou was occupied and Shen Ping couldn’t just sit around waiting indefinitely, Grandma Shen noticed her restlessness and spoke up. "Ji Nian, we came today because we need your help with something." Shen Ping stiffened in surprise. Why bring this up to Ji Nian, a child? Grandma Shen ignored her reaction and continued, "Xiaofei wants to transfer to First High School, but her status complicates things..." Back in the safety of her family’s presence, Ma Xiaofei snapped out of her daze and shouted, "What?! No way am I transferring!" "I grew up in Country O—I refuse to study in this backwater dump!" She then turned her fury on Shen Qingtang, who had remained silent the whole time. "This is your doing, isn’t it?! You put my grandparents up to dragging me to this godforsaken place!" Shen Qingtang finally lifted her downcast eyes. Her expression was blank as she stared at Ma Xiaofei across from her. One hand stayed tightly clasped with Ji Nian’s. "Why would I do that?" Ma Xiaofei jabbed a finger at her. "Because I called you a—"

Chapter 234

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