Chapter 85

Words : 950 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Returning to his familiar residence, Chen Mo, with official duties on his left and students' homework on his right, suddenly felt his eyelid twitch. "What has Tuka been up to lately?" Tuka was the bald man who had approached Chen Mo earlier. In the past, Chen Mo had saved his life. Despite his bandit-like appearance, Tuka was a genius, though a bit twisted in nature. Fortunately, he was loyal to Chen Mo and had been managing Vengeance for him. Power can fuel ambition. Perhaps it was because he had been in charge of Vengeance for too long, but when Chen Mo ordered them to halt all activities, Tuka didn't say much outwardly, though secretly he harbored resentment. Chen Mo had been wary of him lately, fearing he might have ulterior motives. A subordinate, hearing his question, approached and said, "He's been either drinking or venting his frustrations these past few days. Today, he even brought Zhu over, and the two talked for a long time." Tuka was clever. He knew that a mix of truth and lies made for the perfect deception. Chen Mo snorted inwardly, thinking, *He’s definitely up to something.* "Tell him to get lost and go back where he came from." The subordinate nodded in agreement. Outside, a sudden night rain began to pour, accompanied by the rumble of thunder, making hearts skip a beat. However, the rain had no effect on Ji Nian, who was training in the basement. "Your steps are too slow, and your movements are too weak." Ji Nian, her hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a sports tank top, clenched her fists, sweat dripping from her forehead as she looked at Zhiliao across from her. She was still as beautiful and fierce as ever. But... *[Wahhh, why is this nothing like what I imagined?]* *[Where’s the gentle yet stern Zhiliao I was promised?]* Out of the four words, "gentle" had been completely erased, leaving only "stern." Her gaze flicked to the side, where Ji Tingzhou sat on a cigar chair, legs crossed, holding a wine glass in one hand and nibbling on snacks with the other, watching Ji Nian bounce around like a monkey. Over the past two years, Ji Tingzhou had not only overcome his insomnia but also regained his appetite, filling out his once-hollow cheeks. With his noble looks, he now appeared even more radiant. *[Ugh! Has the little prince been found yet? How can he be so relaxed? I seriously suspect the princess is just here to laugh at me.]* The system replied: *[Remove the word 'suspect.']* The little prince didn’t require Ji Tingzhou to search for him personally. He only needed to give orders and oversee the situation. Naturally, he was at ease. Noticing Ji Nian’s gaze, Ji Tingzhou gave her a "polite" smile and raised his glass in her direction. Ji Nian channeled her frustration into action, throwing a punch toward Zhiliao. The next second, she was sent flying. The stage was inflatable, so Ji Nian didn’t feel any pain when she landed. Ji Tingzhou had noticed it as soon as Ji Nian got into the car. Knowing she wasn’t an ordinary child, he figured she wouldn’t tell the truth even if asked. Wei Yang said, "Ji Nian got into an argument with her Chinese teacher. The teacher grabbed her arm and left that mark." He chuckled. "The kid’s pretty clever. She didn’t want us to cause trouble, so she went back to her classroom to apply ointment." "Chinese teacher? The new one?" Ji Nian thought Ji Tingzhou didn’t know anything, but in reality, he was aware of every detail, down to the new trees planted at her school. Wei Yang nodded. "Yes, a pretty boy." Hearing "pretty boy," Ji Tingzhou understood. He knew all too well Ji Nian’s tendency to be captivated by good looks. "That big bag of shrimp chips she brought home today was from him. He said it was an apology." Ji Tingzhou nodded, his voice betraying no emotion. "Keep an eye on him." Wei Yang grinned. "Got it." In truth, Ji Tingzhou wanted Wei Yang to break one of the teacher’s arms—whichever one had grabbed Ji Nian. But an arm injury would be too obvious, and his sharp daughter would surely figure it out. Perhaps breaking his... third leg? That would be less noticeable and harder to talk about. After finishing the main topic, Wei Yang began to update Ji Tingzhou on the latest developments regarding the disappearance of the Lu family’s little prince. "We’ve found some clues." "The last place the Lu family’s young master was seen before disappearing was near a cemetery. Here’s a map of the places he stopped." "It’s in the middle of nowhere, with few cameras around. It’s a bit tricky." Ji Tingzhou glanced at the map of the little prince’s last known locations. His scarred but slender finger pointed to one spot. "Is that an open-air parking lot across the way?" Wei Yang nodded. "Yes." Ji Tingzhou immediately had an idea. "Check the vehicles that were parked there that day. Contact the police to retrieve their dashcam footage." Wei Yang’s eyes lit up. "I’ll get on it right away!" Of course! With so many cars, at least one must have been facing the road. They might have captured something useful! ... While Ji Nian was asleep, a servant suddenly knocked on Zhiliao’s door. "Zhiliao-jie, someone just delivered an urgent package." Zhiliao nodded to acknowledge it, then opened the package. Seeing the black velvet box, she remembered it was the necklace Ji Nian had asked her to have repaired. Zhiliao set it aside, planning to give it to Ji Nian in the morning.

Chapter 85

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