The elderly man looked much older than Ji Heng. He had graying hair and wore a black hat. He seemed to have just arrived in Xiangcheng, still holding a thick coat in his hands.
Ji Heng squinted at the old man’s face, finally recognizing him from his somewhat blurry memories.
“Butler Lou,” he said.
Behind them, Ms. Liu saw that Ji Heng had guests. She put down her needlework and stood up awkwardly. “Uncle Ji, since you’re busy, I’ll head home to make dinner.”
After she left, Ji Heng stepped aside to let the two men in.
Butler Lou quietly observed the entire courtyard.
Ever since learning of Ji Heng’s whereabouts, he had been searching non-stop. He knew Ji Heng might not be living well, but he hadn’t expected things to be this bad.
This rundown scene… was very different from what he had imagined.
Ji Heng poured tea for both of them, invited them to sit at the stone table, and picked up his pipe. “Why are you looking for me?”
At the Yunxiao Hotel, Ji Heng had anticipated they might come looking for him.
He hadn’t expected them to find his address so quickly.
Hearing this, Butler Lou looked up and after a long pause, spoke: “Do you want your descendants to stay here forever?”
Ji Heng, who was also Mu Heng.
He lit his pipe and glanced at Butler Lou. He was born in a different era, to a concubine of the Mu family, as their eldest son from a secondary wife.
Hearing Butler Lou’s words, he fell silent.
Ji Mulan had fled Xiangcheng because of this, but Ji Shaojun and Ji Shaorong had never gone against Ji Heng’s wishes, staying obediently in Xiangcheng.
After a while, Ji Heng spoke: “What happened to the Mu family?”
Butler Lou wasn’t surprised by his sharp perception. He spoke slowly: “Sixteen years ago, during the Snow Mountain Underground Laboratory Project, the Mu family had the fortune to join. The second young master sent core family members, but… the mountain collapsed.”
Ji Heng was stunned. He hadn’t inquired about the Mu family all these years, assuming they were still the same. “None came back?”
“Correct,” Butler Lou smiled bitterly. “It seems… only one person miraculously survived after being buried for three days.”
Who that person was remained classified information they couldn’t know.
“I have two sons and a daughter,” Ji Heng lowered his head, slowly lighting his tobacco and taking a deep puff. “If… you can protect them, then go ahead and contact them.”
“Don’t worry about this matter, I’ll arrange everything. You don’t need to say more.” Butler Lou feared Ji Heng might still have reservations, after all, he had even changed his surname. But he hadn’t expected such a straightforward agreement.
** Evening, at a private dining room.
Shen Qing nervously followed Ji Shaojun inside. “Who exactly are we meeting?”
“Don’t know,” Ji Shaojun said, carrying his sketchbook under his arm, with paint stains on his clothes. He frowned, “We’ll find out when we go in.”
Upstairs, through a half-open window, someone was watching them.
“Is that the eldest young master’s son?” The strong man beside Butler Lou frowned as he looked at Ji Shaojun and Shen Qing.
Even though the eldest young master came from a noble family, his son seemed…
Especially that lady…
Compared to the young masters and ladies at home, the difference was too great.
“Yes,” Butler Lou sighed, “Xiao Jie, this can’t be helped. The old master isn’t well now, and he only has this one brother. The assets belonging to the eldest young master haven’t been touched all these years. Even without this incident, those assets would need to be managed by the eldest young master.”
He had predicted that Ji Heng, having never left Xiangcheng in half his life, his descendants, no matter how much they developed, how far could they really go?
“But he studied painting, can he find someone to manage all this?” Xiao Jie lowered his head, counting names, “The others are Ji Shaorong, Ji Mulan, Ren Wanxuan, Bai Lian…”
Not a single one surnamed Mu.
After reading all the names, these two sons and one daughter, not one was in scientific research. He looked at Butler Lou, “Should we look at the others?”
If not studying art, then it was design. Forget research, there wasn’t even anyone in finance.
The butler was disappointed inside, “Let’s first teach Ji Shaojun how to manage the eldest young master’s assets.”
He remembered when Ji Heng left Jiangjing, Ji Shaojun should have been old enough to remember things, his understanding must be different from others, it’s just that the person he married…
“There’s also one granddaughter and one granddaughter-in-law,” Xiao Jie spoke up.
Hearing they were all girls, Butler Lou immediately waved his hand, showing no interest. From the beginning, he hadn’t even bothered checking information about Bai Lian and the others.
In the entire Mu family, there had never been a female scientist.
** The next day, Sunday. New An Community.
Shen Qing’s hair had grown a few centimeters, and she was squeezed next to Ji Shaojun.
“Who were those two people anyway?” Shen Qing didn’t dare stay outside, especially that old man who always looked at people with scrutiny.
Ji Shaojun looked at her and repeated: “It’s nothing.”
Shen Qing took out some fruit and went outside.
Ji Heng and Butler Lou sat on the sofa, occasionally talking about something. Beside them, Xiao Jie stood imposingly.
“Please sit,” Shen Qing looked at Xiao Jie with an awkward smile.
Xiao Jie shook his head at her, not speaking. Even cooler than Xiao Ming.
Shen Qing didn’t say anything else and put the fruit on the table.
Butler Lou watched Shen Qing, then looked at Ji Shaojun cooking in the kitchen, sighing again inside. He hadn’t been in a kitchen for so many years…
These two.
They had a long way to go.
He spoke quietly to Ji Heng, “I want to take them to Jiangjing first.”
Xiangcheng was too backward, and Butler Lou didn’t have much time to stay here. He just wanted to take Ji Shaojun back to Jiangjing to slowly teach him some things, at least let him manage Ji Heng’s inheritance properly.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Shen Qing’s eyes lit up as she got up to open the door: “Ah Lian is here.”
“Ah Lian?” Butler Lou didn’t recognize this name.
Ji Heng held his pipe, speaking with some pride: “My granddaughter.”
Granddaughter? Butler Lou remembered those two girls Xiao Jie mentioned.
** Outside the door.
Bai Lian had just returned from the library, holding her phone in one hand and her backpack in the other, talking with Jiang Fuli.
Jiang Fuli invited her to his place in the afternoon, saying she could also see the laboratory.
Bai Lian hadn’t been to his small laboratory for a long time and didn’t refuse, “Okay.”
She used her hand holding the backpack to press the doorbell.
Jiang Fuli was still speaking slowly on the phone, “Call me after you finish eating.”
He specifically reminded her, otherwise Bai Lian would just send him a “1”.
“I’ll call, I’ll call.”
As Bai Lian was speaking, Shen Qing had just opened the door and heard what Bai Lian said, getting startled.
“Call what?” Shen Qing remembered Bai Lian used to be quite rough before, and was shocked. She lowered her voice: “Ah Lian, don’t learn from Boss Lu to get into fights.”
Bai Lian: “…”
She hung up the phone firmly, looked up, and sweetly faced Shen Qing, “Okay.”
In the hall, Xiao Jie naturally heard Shen Qing’s words. He glanced at her but didn’t say anything, curiously looking at Bai Lian instead.
She wore a white hoodie with a brown cross-collar decorated with fake frog buttons, and a lazy black cat embroidered on the left chest. Both sleeves had auspicious patterns embroidered on them.
Her black hair was all pinned up with two wooden hairpins, which were inserted diagonally at the back of her head.
“Grandfather,” Bai Lian lowered her eyes and properly greeted Ji Heng.
Ji Heng nodded with his pipe but didn’t introduce Butler Lou. Since Ji Heng didn’t speak, Bai Lian didn’t ask.
Seeing Bai Lian arrive, Butler Lou swallowed his words and made small talk with Ji Heng instead.
Bai Lian found a carpet to sit on, put her backpack on the coffee table, lazily unzipped it and took out a comprehensive chemistry book to work on.
Xiao Jie and Butler Lou glanced over when they heard this, catching sight of the title of Bai Lian’s book – it was a basic chemistry problem set.
Butler Lou asked Shen Qing a few questions from the side.
Shen Qing answered awkwardly.
During lunch, nobody talked much. Bai Lian sat in her chair, head down eating.
Butler Lou observed her posture and was quite surprised.
He hadn’t expected that in the entire Ji family, besides Ji Heng, it was Bai Lian who had thoroughly learned these manners. He was surprised but didn’t think too much of it, as he had just heard that Bai Lian now lived with Ji Heng.
This wasn’t unexpected then.
After eating, Bai Lian called Jiang Fuli and left.
“Grandfather, Uncle, Aunt,” Bai Lian picked up her backpack and raised her hand to everyone, “I’m leaving first.”
She was very polite.
Shen Qing took some milk to see her out.
“Where is she going?” Butler Lou asked an extra question, impressed by her manners.
“Probably to the library,” Shen Qing spoke about Bai Lian with unexpected pride: “Ah Lian has very good grades, she…”
Butler Lou naturally remembered the basic problems from earlier. He politely nodded to Shen Qing, very courteously: “That’s very good, you have a good niece.”
They had seen many geniuses in Jiangjing. In the earlier years when the Mu family was strong, they had elite members who could enter and exit core laboratories. As for Shen Qing’s mention of good grades…
Butler Lou just smiled.
** Jiang Fuli’s residence.
“Young Master Xu.” Ming Dongheng poured tea for the person on the sofa.
The man on the sofa had striking features, always wearing a faint smile. He leaned back against the chair, looking around, “Xiao Ming, has Young Master Jiang gone to the laboratory again?”
“No.” Ming Dongheng maintained his cool expression.
“Look at you,” Xu Nanjing smiled, “Why so serious? Haven’t seen each other for half a year, getting distant with your brothers? Speaking one word at a time, who did you learn that from?”
“Oh right,” Xu Nanjing remembered something, “Is the UFC white vest guy around here?”
The news of an Asian joining the UFC through Dongwu had caused quite a stir two months ago.
At this mention, Ming Dongheng perked up, “Yes, Mr. Bai occasionally does underground fights at the fighting arena.”
After they chatted for a bit, Xu Nanjing still hadn’t seen Jiang Fuli, “Where exactly did he go?”
Ming Dongheng looked at Xu Nanjing, “Young Master went to pick someone up.”
Xu Nanjing had his legs lazily propped on the coffee table. Hearing this, he fiddled with his earring: “Wait… what did you say?”
Pick someone up?
What did those words have to do with Jiang Fuli?
Was it killing someone or picking someone up?
He looked at Ming Dongheng’s expression, slowly realizing who it might be, “You mean he went to pick up that… Miss Bai?”
Ming Dongheng glanced at Xu Nanjing without speaking.
A silent confirmation.
Xu Nanjing raised his hand. He had heard about Bai Lian and had discussed her with his mother. He knew the basic situation – she was from Xiangcheng, and Jiang Fuli hadn’t gotten her into the affiliated middle school.
He had thought Jiang Fuli would keep her hidden away, but now he was about to meet her so soon.
Xu Nanjing messaged his mother: [About to meet her!]
Mother: [This girl is from Xiangcheng, be polite to her, don’t scare her with your attitude]
Xu Nanjing shrugged. His mother had given him endless reminders last night. He was curious too – what kind of person could she be? After all, he couldn’t imagine Jiang Fuli picking someone up.
Just thinking about it made him shiver.
“Are you sure she’s from Xiangcheng?” Xu Nanjing drummed his fingers on his knee, sat up straight, his expression becoming more serious, sensing that Jiang Fuli was serious about this.
Ming Dongheng nodded, “Miss Bai is at Xiangcheng No. 1 High School.”
Xu Nanjing pondered, seeing Jiang Fuli’s attitude now, it really wouldn’t be easy to handle. It seemed his mother’s concerns weren’t wrong – this would require some effort.
He thought for a moment and took out his phone again.
Xu Nanjing: [Mom, should we get someone into our family’s laboratory?]
This young lady with no background was like a little white flower – if not watched carefully, she’d be swallowed by those people without even leaving bones…
As he was thinking, the sound of brakes came from outside.
Leave a Reply