novelburst-info
Chapter 86
Chapter 86
When Ji Nian was awakened by the magnetic voice of the pink-headed turtle, her mind was still in a daze.
She was still lingering on the dream she had last night.
One moment, she was being bombarded with insults and oppression by her petty-minded mentor for not doing the chores.
Then, the scene shifted, and she was in the laboratory, standing next to a little boy whose face she couldn’t see, curiously watching her work.
“Hiss… I haven’t thought about this in a long time.”
Ji Nian rubbed her head, mumbling in a vague yet surprised tone.
Thinking of the little boy in her dream whose face she couldn’t see, she was lost in thought for a moment before muttering, “This Vengeance thing… better not have anything to do with you…”
“Awake?”
After receiving the message from the smart housekeeper that Ji Nian was up, Zhiliao knocked on the door and entered with the servants.
Placing a box on her bedside, Zhiliao helped Ji Nian out of her pajamas, while a servant stood by with a freshly ironed school uniform.
Habitually checking the child’s body, Zhiliao only relaxed when she saw no bruises from last night’s fall.
The scars from Ji Nian’s past abuse had faded under careful care, leaving her skin as smooth as milk, so tender it seemed like it could be pinched and water would drip out.
“What’s that, Sister Zhiliao?”
Stretching out her arms and letting Zhiliao dress her, Ji Nian squinted at the box on her bedside.
“It’s the necklace we sent for repairs.”
Ji Nian’s eyes lit up, having completely forgotten about it.
“So fast.”
Zhiliao handed her the box, while a servant deftly placed a toothbrush in her mouth.
With the toothbrush in her mouth, Ji Nian opened the box.
The once dusty guitar pick had been cleaned up, and the frayed string had been replaced with an identical one by the restorer.
“Huh? Still unclear.”
Due to its age, the inscription on it had already been faded when Ji Nian first got it. Even after restoration, the words remained blurry.
All that could be made out was: ‘DepuisChen**’
[Huh? Chen? I thought it was a foreign name.]
[Could her birth mother’s surname be Chen? Or was the person who gave her this thing surnamed Chen?]
Speaking of which, wasn’t it the Chen family that had a feud with her father?
The system chimed in: [But Chen is a common surname.]
As Ji Nian pondered over the item in her hand, a sudden thought struck her.
[Wait, no, maybe we’ve been misled again?]
[When Chinese names are translated into foreign languages, the given name comes first, and the surname comes last, right?]
Maybe this “Chen” isn’t a surname, but a given name?
‘Didn’t your family hire a tutor for you?’
‘Then your mother must not care much about you.’
Chen… Chen… Teacher Mo… Mo Chen.
His subtle disdain, the sudden anger when Ji Tingzhou was mentioned…
[Teacher Mo… might not actually be Dad’s illegitimate child.]
The system: You’re still clinging to this absurd possibility?
[Could Teacher Mo be… a rival in love with Tingzhou?]
But Tingzhou said he didn’t even know Ji Nian’s birth mother.
From her indirect inquiries, she learned from Zhiliao that the 25-year-old princess, due to her fastidiousness, remained a virgin. Coupled with the scandal two years ago when Ji Nian was rumored to have showered a male model with gifts—though it was later clarified—many still believed it was Ji Tingzhou’s doing.
Ji Tingzhou only made a few public appearances each year, and some men would go out of their way to flirt with him, making the princess so disgusted she felt like vomiting bile.
His already scarce romantic life became almost nonexistent.
So… how was she born? Why did Teacher Mo Chen know about her when even her father didn’t?
[Or maybe, the princess lost her memory in her early years, fell into obscurity, and was saved by a kind-hearted girl who took care of her. After recovering her memory by accident, she forgot about the girl and left without a word.]
[The girl, heartbroken, discovered she was pregnant in despair.]
[Then, after finding out the man’s identity, she quietly appeared, left the child at the Ji family’s doorstep, and walked away, determined to forget this chapter of her life and move on!]
Ji Tingzhou! You scoundrel!!
The system: […]
Oh no, she’s really been reading too many novels.
Ji Nian even speculated that Mo Chen, the male lead who had secretly loved the girl since childhood, worked hard to become a teacher to exact revenge for his beloved…
By the time she finished her morning routine, had breakfast, and got into the car, she had already arrived at school.
Gu Xiuyuan, now the student council president, stood at the school gate, checking the students’ attire.
When he saw Ji Nian, he was about to speak.
But he was met with an angry glare from the little girl: “You male leads are all scoundrels!”
Gu Xiuyuan: ?
Who? Me?
He looked at Shen Qingtang in confusion.
Equally baffled, Shen Qingtang glanced at the furious Ji Nian, then at the confused Gu Xiuyuan, and finally chose to nod along, saying, “Yeah, right.”
Gu Xiuyuan: ??
Perhaps Ji Nian had been staring at the necklace for too long, because Zhiliao thought she really liked it and hung it around her neck.
However, the elementary school handbook clearly stated that no accessories were allowed.
Gu Xiuyuan, who had become student council president due to his fair and impartial nature, spotted the necklace on Ji Nian.
He hesitated.
What if Ji Nian got mad and stopped playing with him?
So, Gu Xiuyuan, who had become student council president in second grade, put on a stern face, poked the discipline committee member next to him, and pointed at the school gate, saying seriously, “Look, someone’s running naked.”
Discipline Committee Member: “Huh? Where? Where??”
Seizing the opportunity, Gu Xiuyuan signaled Ji Nian to hurry inside.
Ji Nian caught on.
What a bro.
Covering for her like this.
“Good bro, come find me during break. I’ve got something fun for you.”
Ji Nian pulled Shen Qingtang away.
But she still took off the necklace and tucked it into her pocket.
If a teacher saw it, Gu Xiuyuan would be in trouble.
The first class was English.
Ji Nian spent the entire period organizing the messy speculations from the morning into a coherent thread.
Her birth mother had given birth to her, but due to Ji Tingzhou forgetting or some other reason, it had provoked the hostility of the second male lead… no, Teacher Mo Chen.
This was probably why Mo Chen knew about her or had come to this school.
Why “probably”?
Because this was just Ji Nian’s speculation based on the current clues.
She ran her fingers over the guitar pick, pondering.
An idea formed in her mind.
...
During the long break.
Ji Nian put on the necklace she had been keeping in her pocket and headed to the office with her elementary school essay guide.
She was going to test her theory.
Was Mo Chen connected to her birth mother?
What would his reaction be if he saw this necklace?