novelburst-info
Chapter 101
Chapter 101
Zhiliao was stunned.
It had been a long time since she had seen such an expression on Ji Tingzhou's face.
Only before Ji Nian had moved in, when Ji Tingzhou was plagued by chronic insomnia, nightmares, and alcoholism, his face had been shrouded in a deathly pallor, and his eyes had carried this kind of murderous intent.
What on earth had that Chen Family man shown Ji Tingzhou?
What could have made him so enraged that the long-hidden killing intent had resurfaced?
Although her mind was filled with questions, in reality, Zhiliao only paused for a second before turning to carry out Ji Tingzhou's command.
Meanwhile—
Chen Mo, waiting outside.
He hadn't made any attempt to disguise himself; he had come personally, and even gone to the trouble of dressing in a suit and grooming his hair.
When there was no response from inside, an underling asked, "Boss, do you really think Ji Tingzhou will see us?"
Chen Mo's gaze remained fixed, and he spoke with certainty, "He will."
Although he wasn't sure how deeply Ji Tingzhou valued Ji Nian, based on his understanding of this madman, Ji Tingzhou's first reaction upon learning that his daughter had an uncle would probably be to eliminate the threat.
A madman's possessiveness worked that way.
As expected, he didn't even get to see the man.
First, a bullet came flying his way.
Straight towards his face, no doubt aimed at taking his life.
Fortunately, Chen Mo had been prepared.
With a 'thud,' he grabbed the nearby underling... No, the underling's bulletproof shield and held it in front of him.
The bullet 'bam' hit the shield and ricocheted off.
Not surprised by the miss, Ji Tingzhou's lips curled into a mocking smile. "The Chen Family has fallen so low they need to rely on teaching to make ends meet?"
Ji Tingzhou had previously sent Wei Yang to investigate the background of Ji Nian's new teacher, so he naturally knew what he looked like.
But now, the man claiming to be the head of the Chen Family looked identical to Ji Nian's teacher. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.
Chen Mo had clashed with Ji Tingzhou in the shadows multiple times, but this was the first time in years that he was facing this man who had been his sister's murderer.
He had thought that he would hate Ji Tingzhou so much that he'd want to tear out his throat, chop off his head, and place it on his sister's grave as a tribute.
But life has a way of surprising you faster than you expect.
Chen Mo knew something was wrong with the truth of what had happened back then. There was a fifty percent chance his sister hadn't been killed by Ji Tingzhou.
So this time, besides coming to acknowledge his niece, he wanted to uncover the real truth.
But even with that knowledge, facing Ji Tingzhou still stirred an uncontrollable psychological disgust in him.
Despite having a face similar to Ji Nian, his emerald-green eyes looked exceptionally dirty and abhorrent to Chen Mo. The madness in them made it clear that Ji Tingzhou was not a normal human being.
He was the monster who had emerged victorious from the infighting of the previous generation of the Ji family, stepping over blood and the corpses of his relatives to claim the 'throne.'
After the Tuka incident was exposed, all personnel involved in the experiment, once found, were killed by Ji Tingzhou. Even the higher-ups were replaced, causing political turmoil that still hadn't settled.
As Chen Mo studied Ji Tingzhou, Ji Tingzhou was also sizing him up.
He didn't think Chen Mo was stupid enough to bring a fake identification to court death, though even a real one would amount to the same.
This scrawny, sickly man, looking like he could be blown away by a gust of wind, was Ji Nian's uncle?
He remembered hearing old stories that nephews resembled their uncles.
What a load of nonsense.
Ji Nian had none of this sickly man's traits.
"I know you wish I would disappear," Chen Mo said. "But have you considered Ji Nian?"
Chen Mo first removed the bulletproof shield and looked directly at Ji Tingzhou, seemingly unafraid of him.
His back was straight, his voice calm, though his eyes couldn't help but carry a chill.
The golden, dazzling sunlight of a summer afternoon was hot and dry, but it fell on Chen Mo like it had struck a giant iceberg. It shook the onlookers, but he was unmoved.
"She ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????was brought into this world by her mother. If it wasn't for her accident, it never would've been your turn, Ji Tingzhou."
"As far as I know, she came to live with you when she was five. What were you doing before that?"
Chen Mo's questions cut like the sharpest blades, stabbing at Ji Tingzhou.
Though the 'prince' was indeed wounded, his immense pride wouldn't allow this sudden 'wild uncle' to see him falter.
"Is that so?" Ji Tingzhou retorted. "Then what have you been doing for the past seven years?"
His question left Chen Mo silent.
Perhaps realizing that continuing this verbal assault would leave neither of them standing, the tension in the room eked out a little. Though not by much—about the size of a nail clipping.
Ji Tingzhou's fingers were caressing the gun adorned with jade, which looked as beautiful as it was deadly, hinting he might still shoot Chen Mo.
It was then that Zhiliao spoke: "Ji Nian was indeed curious about her birth mother."
Whether a child was happy or not, the curiosity and pursuit of the missing half of their family felt like an innate trait.
Just like Zhiliao, who had never met her own mother. As a child, she often wondered what her mother was like and dreamed that one day she might come to take her away.
Killing Chen Mo now, if Ji Nian ever found out, would inevitably create a rift between father and daughter.
It would be better to avoid deception from the start and let her know the truth.
Sometimes, the truth can shatter all illusions.
Ji Tingzhou probably thought of this too.
His gaze lingered on Chen Mo for a few seconds with a hint of regret before he let out a cold humph and turned to walk inside.
Zhiliao said to Chen Mo, "The head requests your presence."
Chen Mo nodded politely, walking over with a normal glance at her and even briefly pausing to look at her scarred face, before quietly asking, "Excuse me, where is the restroom?"
After that conflict, he wasn't sure if his hairstyle had been ruined.
Usually indifferent to such things, he was particularly cautious about his appearance this first time meeting his niece.
"Follow me," Zhiliao said, leading him to the nearest restroom.
After entering, Chen Mo used the mirror to check himself and, satisfied, washed his hands.
There was a smaller sink next to the main one, sized for a child.
The hand soap here was unfamiliar, but the packaging and fragrance suggested it was from a special production line.
In contrast, the soap by the smaller sink was in a cute duck-shaped bottle, reflecting a completely different style.
It was clear who this was prepared for.
In addition, there were various hair ties and animal-shaped hairbands hanging on the wall, likely because the child often lost them, so each bathroom was stocked for her convenience when washing her face or hands.
The scent was also something a child would like, unlike Ji Tingzhou's taste.
Chen Mo indifferently averted his gaze, dried his fingers with a paper towel, and walked out.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Ji Tingzhou had crossed his legs, and there was air conditioning in the room, so despite the summer heat, he wore long sleeves and long pants and didn't seem hot.
And Chen Mo wore a suit, partly for looks but also because he had such poor health that even in hot weather, he couldn't wear something too thin.
Two long-sleeved men sat facing each other.
A fluffy dog passing by glanced at one and then the other, uninterested, shook its fur, and tugged at the servant's trouser leg, urging them to press the elevator button so it could go upstairs and play with Ji Nian.