Ji Jiangyuan followed along shamelessly, intending to comfort Xia Xiaolan.

“Even without making it to the finals, you haven’t necessarily lost the chance to be an exchange student. Exchange programs usually last six months to a year. Besides this option, you could choose to study abroad. If you’re interested, I can help you contact some schools. Don’t worry about the costs – if you can’t get government sponsorship, you can still apply for scholarships.”

Ji Jiangyuan’s way of comforting was very American.

Simply saying “drink hot water” isn’t a universal solution; comfort that offers actual solutions is most effective.

If Xia Xiaolan was truly upset about losing the potential exchange student opportunity, Ji Jiangyuan’s comfort would have been perfect!

Though she wasn’t upset, she still appreciated his kindness. “Thank you! If I plan to study abroad, I’ll ask for your detailed advice. Are you talking to me again because you saw me stumble in the second round? Ji Jiangyuan, I thought our friendship wouldn’t be so fragile!”

After all, Xia Xiaolan hadn’t known beforehand about Ji Jiangyuan and Tang Hong’en being father and son.

On this matter, Ji Jiangyuan himself had been a bit cowardly.

Xia Xiaolan would never bring up Tang Hong’en’s situation voluntarily. Manager Xia had no interest in being a neighborhood busybody – why meddle in others’ family conflicts? Unless someone spoke up first, actively intervening in such situations was just being nosy. Couldn’t people maintain some privacy?

Regardless of the reason, after twelve years of separation between father and son, Ji Jiangyuan’s childhood memories had grown dim. His distance from Tang Hong’en was a normal reaction.

Xia Xiaolan would never take the moral high ground and say nonsense like “he’s your biological father, you should understand and forgive him.” Tang Hong’en indeed hadn’t fulfilled his fatherly responsibilities, but that didn’t mean Ji Jiangyuan couldn’t feel distant. If someday someone told her that Xia Dajun was her father and had now reformed and that there was no barrier too great between father and daughter, that not accepting Xia Dajun would be unfilial… Xia Xiaolan would be just as angry.

Whether Ji Jiangyuan accepted Tang Hong’en was his personal choice; outsiders had no right to interfere.

Seeing that Xia Xiaolan didn’t make a big deal of it, Ji Jiangyuan also found his recent anxiety somewhat amusing. After adjusting for some time, he had come to accept the fact that his biological father had suddenly appeared. Though he couldn’t be affectionate with Tang Hong’en, at least according to Tang Hong’en’s explanation, he hadn’t intentionally abandoned him… No one would be happy about being “abandoned” by their biological parents, but Ji Jiangyuan had managed to untangle one emotional knot.

With that knot untied, new curiosity emerged.

He couldn’t ask the Ji family – none of them would speak well of Tang Hong’en.

Ji Jiangyuan hoped to get a more neutral perspective, though perhaps he shouldn’t ask Xia Xiaolan. She probably favored Tang Hong’en, as Ji Jiangyuan could sense Tang Hong’en’s fondness for her from their conversations.

But who else could he ask?

“Tang… you know, I mean my birth father, how has he been these years?”

Since Ji Jiangyuan asked directly, Xia Xiaolan’s response wouldn’t be considered meddling.

She felt relieved that he finally asked this question.

“I don’t know much about Uncle Tang’s situation. We met on a train – it was my first time traveling far to Yangcheng, and we happened to be in the same carriage. I ran into some trouble with two human traffickers trying to trick me, and Uncle Tang called the railway police to help. Later, when I went to Pengcheng, I coincidentally met him again, and we gradually began keeping in touch. I only know he holds a position in Pengcheng, lives alone, has no family now, and isn’t in good health – I’ve encountered him being sick three times!”

Ji Jiangyuan’s feelings immediately became complicated.

His mother Ji Ya had serious emotional issues.

But during their years in America, mother and daughter had no material concerns.

His mother had several boyfriends, though none led to marriage. Despite being high-maintenance, those uncles had treated his mother well.

While Ji Ya had companionship, Tang Hong’en lived alone in China.

It had been over a decade since the divorce, and he never thought of finding a partner.

And he had serious stomach problems – the last time in the hospital was for a gastric ulcer surgery, right?

Tang Hong’en’s job was more prestigious than Ji Jiangyuan had imagined, but his personal life was such a mess – if Tang Hong’en had a happy family and had children with a new wife, Ji Jiangyuan didn’t know if he should be happy. Either way, hearing about Tang Hong’en’s current situation didn’t make him happy.

Seeing Ji Jiangyuan lost in thought, Xia Xiaolan didn’t disturb him.

However, when Xia Xiaolan went to find Chen Qing, she came up empty-handed.

“Not in the dormitory?”

The University of International Business and Economics campus wasn’t small – if he wasn’t in his dorm, he’d be hard to find.

Xia Xiaolan rubbed her nearly frozen face and could only regretfully leave with the Huaqing school bus.

From afar, Chen Qing watched the Huaqing school bus depart.

He had deliberately hidden.

Because he wasn’t outstanding enough yet.

Not enough to change Xiaolan’s previous impression of him.

Take this National College Students English Competition – Chen Qing, as a freshman, wasn’t particularly strong in English and didn’t even qualify to register. When he learned the second round would be held at his school, he knew Xia Xiaolan would come… Chen Qing had blind faith in Xia Xiaolan; if she participated in this competition, she would make it to the second round.

So this weekend, Chen Qing had been watching the exam venue from afar.

He saw Xia Xiaolan – among so many second-round participants, she still stood out.

He also saw the fashionably dressed Ji Jiangyuan following beside her.

Xiaolan should be friends with such boys, Chen Qing hadn’t dared to approach.

…

On weekends, local Beijing students could return home.

When Ji Jiangyuan returned home, he found his mother smoking and talking on the phone in the living room.

A slim ladies’ cigarette was held between her fingers, while her other hand held the phone receiver. She occasionally made soft sounds of agreement, appearing languid. Ji Ya’s casual movements were as beautiful as a silhouette from a movie poster.

Perhaps seeing Ji Jiangyuan return home, Ji Ya quickly ended the phone call.

“George is coming to China in a few days.”

George was Ji Ya’s current boyfriend, a wealthy American man who pursued her intensely. Several months apart hadn’t dimmed George’s passion for Ji Ya; he was even coming to China to pursue her.

Ji Jiangyuan was also surprised. “So, you might get married?”

Ji Ya didn’t answer this question, instead asking Ji Jiangyuan: “What about Ning Xue? Do you not like her at all? It’s such a pity. Your grandfather likes seeing you with Ning Xue – it was his agreement with Ning Xue’s grandfather…”

Ji Jiangyuan had told Xia Xiaolan that being friends with a genius was tiring, but he hadn’t mentioned that being in a romantic relationship with a genius would be even more exhausting. Ning Xue wasn’t his type, yet both families wanted to match them together. What era was this? Still holding onto such old-fashioned thinking.

If his mother was going to marry George – Ji Jiangyuan finally couldn’t help asking:

“You and my father, I mean my birth father, why did you divorce?”

The divorce was one thing, but deliberately smearing his birth father all these years – there had to be a reason, right?