Chapter 73

Ji Tingzhou was taken aback by Ji Nian's response. His heart felt as though it had been brushed by a soft, furry tail, leaving him weak and tender. Ji Nian walked over and threw herself into his arms, her fingers unconsciously tracing the patterns on his clothes. She whispered softly, "Dad, you must stay healthy, okay?" Recalling the System's earlier revelation that Ji Tingzhou would become a vegetative state in the future, her heart sank involuntarily. The simple, sincere wish, accompanied by the child's tender voice, flowed into Ji Tingzhou's ears, stirring a warm current in his heart. "Got it," he replied, helplessly ruffling the hair on the back of her head. "Have you been holed up in the lab these past few days tinkering with this?" Mentioning the incense, Ji Nian grew excited. "Yes, yes!" She subtly glanced at his expression, noticing that Ji Tingzhou's face remained as calm as ever, his long eyelashes lowered as he examined the lotus-shaped incense. There was no sign of anger. Ji Nian said to the System, *[He doesn't seem angry at all.]* The System: *[...]* *How should I know?* Ji Tingzhou didn't call for anyone. Instead, he personally replaced the incense in his bedroom with the one Ji Nian had made. He recalled Zhiliao mentioning that ever since he went on a business trip, Ji Nian had been disappearing every morning after breakfast, only reappearing at lunchtime, then vanishing again after her nap, and finally showing up for dinner. A few days ago, she had even gone to the factory herself to fetch something. She could have just given an order and waited for it to be delivered, but she insisted on going in person. Not to mention, she had stayed up past her bedtime, fighting off sleep just to wait for him to return. "Not bad," he praised, a gentle curve forming on his lips. His emerald-green eyes, usually so cold, now held a rare softness, tinged with a hint of heartache. Ji Nian was momentarily dazzled by his expression, staring at him in a daze. *He’s so handsome, hehe. Even if it’s just for his face, I’d make a hundred more of these.* Soon, the scent of the incense filled the room. As Ji Tingzhou inhaled the fragrance, the irritability from his recent travels and sleepless nights seemed to be smoothed away by an invisible hand. He relaxed completely, even feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him. Ji Nian pulled him to the bed and made him lie down. Like a little adult, she gently stroked Ji Tingzhou's hair and patted him. "You’ve worked hard, Dad. Sleep now." Her words seemed to carry a magical power, instantly lulling Ji Tingzhou into a deep slumber. The incense wasn’t just fragrant; it also had a clever little twist. Knowing that Ji Tingzhou couldn’t sleep without holding her, and guessing that he hadn’t slept well during his trip, Ji Nian had added a small dose of a potent sedative to the incense—something strong enough to knock out a bear. After testing it, she diluted the mixture and added it to the incense, creating a sleep aid. This way, Ji Tingzhou wouldn’t have to worry about sleep issues when he traveled. She had been concerned about whether it would work on him, especially since she had heard that regular doses of sleeping pills no longer had any effect on him. In fact, the first time Zhiliao tried to bathe it, the silly dog had an accident, spraying her with urine. Zhiliao: "......" Noticing the teasing curve of Ji Tingzhou’s lips before he turned away, Zhiliao nodded outwardly but cursed inwardly: *Little brat.* Despite her thoughts, she felt an unusual sense of relief. Ever since Ji Nian arrived, Ji Tingzhou had become more... human. Zhiliao, a staunch materialist, found herself entertaining the rare thought of praying to the gods. *If there are gods in this world, please let this peace last.* ... "Boss, we’ve brought him." Chen Mo, who was sitting up and reading a book, placed a platinum bookmark between the pages and closed the book before looking up. The subordinate who had been following him had been injured while protecting him and was now recuperating. The one who had just spoken was another subordinate. A hunched-over man, trembling violently, was dragged in and thrown to the ground. "I’ll tell you everything, everything! Please don’t kill me, don’t kill me..." If Ji Nian had been there, she would have recognized the man as the administrator who had been caught stealing and selling materials. The man, who had been arrested, somehow ended up here. Without Chen Mo even needing to speak, the administrator spilled everything about that day. To this day, he still didn’t know Ji Nian’s identity, only that he had offended someone important. He deeply regretted that the factory manager hadn’t given him more information, which might have spared him this misfortune. "What did the three of them look like?" Chen Mo asked, taking a sip of warm water to suppress a cough. His voice was hoarse. "The woman had a scar on her face, and her eyes were terrifying. The man was built like a bear, and his presence was equally intimidating." It was clearly Zhiliao and Wei Yang—Ji Tingzhou’s two remaining trusted aides. "And the last one... was a child." Hearing the word "child," Chen Mo spoke again. "Green eyes?" The administrator nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, yes!" "It was her who got me into this—ah!" He was kicked in the back. The subordinate retracted his foot expressionlessly. "We don’t need your unnecessary commentary." The administrator shrank back, quietly gasping for breath. Chen Mo’s expression was thoughtful.