Ji Lin waited for Ji Ya to return home.
Having caused trouble, Ji Ya simply didn’t return to the Ji family home. After all, she had other places to stay. George had been staying at a hotel since arriving in China, and seeing Ji Ya’s distressed state, he directly booked an adjacent room for her. They could have shared a room, but since they weren’t officially married yet, he was mindful of Chinese customs.
In America, the wealthy could do almost anything they pleased. But China had various rules. Ji Ya and Ji Jiang Yuan’s travel ban had taught George a lesson – he found China truly terrifying.
“Darling, you went to see Ning. What did he say?”
George guessed the outcome wasn’t good, or Ji Ya wouldn’t have been silent after leaving the Ning residence. He knew Ning Yan Fan was China’s master architect, but could an architect stand against those in power?
Ji Ya’s pale face showed a flush of color: “George, a Chinese is saying that ‘when people leave, tea grows cold.’ I never expected that so soon after my father’s death, even Uncle Ning would refuse to help.”
Ji Ya hadn’t even considered Ning Yan Fan’s suggestion. Reconciling with Tang Hong En? Wouldn’t that mean bowing to him? Wouldn’t that mean admitting her decision to divorce was wrong, that she was a woman who could only share prosperity but not hardship?
This was more painful to Ji Ya than death itself. The mere thought of bowing to Tang Hong En felt like it would tear her apart – how dare he? That man should have remained forever prostrate at her feet. Their relationship began when she decided, it ended when she decided – she had always been the dominant one, always the leader!
George embraced Ji Ya sympathetically, “Don’t be upset. I’ll help you all leave the country. I can seek help from the embassy!”
Ji Ya showed rare hesitation. The U.S. Embassy was in Beijing, and going there with George wasn’t an issue, but it would change the nature of this matter… But so what? Tang Hong En had pursued this aggressively first.
“Yes, let’s go to the embassy, and take Jiang Yuan with us!”
Ji Ya remembered her son was still at the Ji family home. Ji Jiang Yuan had been kept at home these past few days, not through physical restraint, but through “family ties” as shackles – a form of soft confinement.
Ji Ya didn’t feel she was wrong. Ji Jiang Yuan was her son; of course, he should listen to her. In this world, others might oppose her, but her son never would!
“Yes, we’ll take Jiang Yuan with us. Darling, listen to me – you need good rest now. I’ll have the hotel send up sleepwear. Take a bath, drink some milk, and eat some bread – soft, sweet bread spread with cream. Good food will heal you. This isn’t an unsolvable problem.”
George’s words had a soothing effect. They had been thinking wrong before – why bother taking Xia Xiao Lan abroad? Seeking help from the U.S. Embassy in China earlier would have sufficed.
George recalled everything that happened today – it was terrible! How could a Chinese university student be so shortsighted, refusing his and Ji Ya’s invitation to study abroad? It must be due to limited perspective, not knowing what the outside world was like. When she realized later, she would regret losing this life-changing opportunity.
Being accused of “hypocritical generosity” upset George. How was he hypocritical? Wasn’t he spending real dollars to take another person abroad?
At the Ji family home, Ji Lin first received a call from the Head of Hua Qing’s Architecture Department, then from Ning Yan Fan.
Ning Yan Fan said he wasn’t meddling, but thinking of his deceased friend, he couldn’t bear to watch the Ji family racing toward self-destruction. Unable to convince Ji Ya, he could only warn Ji Lin.
Though Ji Lin lacked innovation and was described by his old friend as mediocre, Ning Yan Fan thought him better than Ji Ya.
“My suggestion is to seek reconciliation if possible. Tang Hong En isn’t trying to destroy the Ji family. He just wants to vent and make a point. With Jiang Yuan involved, he won’t truly harm the Ji family.”
What was a travel ban? It wasn’t even a flesh wound.
The Ji family jumped like cats with stepped-on tails, making Ning Yan Fan shake his head privately. Especially Ji Ya – she couldn’t keep her composure. What was wrong with letting Ji Jiang Yuan study at Hua Qing University for a few years? Their rush to return to America had provoked Tang Hong En.
Was it because America’s economy was better than China’s? They’d forgotten their roots – now they felt they couldn’t live in China, despite having lived here for so many years. Ning Xue said Ji Jiang Yuan probably didn’t want to leave; the child had adapted well to life at Hua Qing University. It was his mother causing trouble!
Ji Ya simply didn’t want Ji Jiang Yuan to have contact with Tang Hong En. Acting entirely on her whims had angered Tang Hong En, but his target was the entire Ji family.
Ning Yan Fan advised Ji Lin to consider the bigger picture. Some battles of pride weren’t worth winning – did they think others would praise the Ji family for standing up to power? Others would just watch the show, and treat it as entertainment!
“Uncle Ning, can we only… reconcile?” Saying the word “reconcile” felt like a thousand pounds on Ji Lin’s tongue – it was too difficult.
Ning Yan Fan recalled Ning Xue’s words, “Your sister went to Hua Qing again today to trouble a female student. If the Ji family doesn’t want to reconcile with Tang Hong En, that’s fine, but I worry you’ll face attacks from all sides. Consider it yourself!”
In Ning Yan Fan’s view, those who provoke others first deserve whatever retaliation comes.
The provoker might say, “I only wronged him a little, why to retaliate tenfold?”
Why tenfold? Shouldn’t they know better?!
Right and wrong could be summed up in four words: The provoker is base!
Ning Yan Fan wouldn’t harm the Ji family. Hearing the old man’s implications, Ji Lin’s temples felt like they were being pierced by countless needles.
After hanging up, he lost his temper: “Where’s Ji Ya? She hasn’t returned?”
Of course, Ji Ya hadn’t returned. Ji Lin waited until 10 PM without seeing her, then remembered she’d left with George – they must be at the hotel. Causing trouble and afraid of returning home – Ji Lin’s wife already didn’t want to deal with this matter, so Ji Lin could only take Ji Jiang Yuan to fetch her from the hotel personally.
Ji Jiang Yuan knew about the conflict between Tang Hong En and the Ji family. He’d taken leave from school these past few days and grown very quiet.
Having to find his mother at a hotel late at night – Ji Jiang Yuan couldn’t find words to describe his current feelings.
Yet his uncle Ji Lin still probed: “What’s the background of that female classmate of yours?”