Tang Hong’en wasn’t trying to take him away.
Ji Jiangyuan had carefully considered Tang Hong’en’s words. He actually didn’t want to return to America now, just like he hadn’t wanted to go abroad when he was young. His opinions were always ignored when decisions were made for him. Ji Jiangyuan grew up in America and often thought in American ways.
Yet while living in America with Ji Ya, at times when children’s wishes should have been respected, Ji Jiangyuan had very little autonomy due to Ji Ya’s emotional issues!
Going to America hadn’t been his choice. When returning, he’d given up prestigious American universities. Because of Grandfather Ji’s health, Ji Jiangyuan had no complaints. But now that he had adapted to life at Hua Qing, from his initial carelessness to his current engagement, he had come to accept the school, teachers, and classmates, and made good friends—and now he was suddenly told to return to America?
Ji Jiangyuan’s counter-question left his uncle momentarily speechless.
The uncle had merely meant to inform his nephew, not expecting Ji Jiangyuan to have different thoughts.
“Then what do you mean?”
Ji Jiangyuan pressed his lips together, “I mean, Mom can return to America with Uncle George first, while I stay here to apply for universities.”
He didn’t specify which universities he would apply to.
Nor did he know how long it would take.
George said warmly, “Son, I can get you Ivy League recommendation letters. With your grades, you’ll be accepted.”
“Uncle George, thank you, and I wish you and my mother well. I hope to return to America later, reapplying to universities on my merit. I know you can take good care of my mother. Without me interfering, your relationship might even improve!”
This was truly thoughtful.
Ji Ya had indeed focused too much energy on her son, often neglecting George.
Ji Jiangyuan’s words touched George’s heart. If Ji Jiangyuan temporarily separated from Ji Ya, he would have had better chances of leading Ji Ya into marriage—it was time for Ji Ya to learn to transfer her emotional dependency from Ji Jiangyuan to him.
While George had essentially accepted this idea, Ji’s uncle thought further: “You don’t want to return to America? Jiangyuan, did Tang Hong’en say something to you?”
These words somehow sounded like excuses!
Ji Jiangyuan simply didn’t want to return to America. What was worth staying for in China, except for his suddenly appeared biological father?
Ji’s uncle felt his blood pressure rising. After the Ji family had raised this child for so many years, could Tang Hong’en change his stance with just a little coaxing?
As Ji’s uncle felt hurt and disappointed, his wife, fearing an argument between uncle and nephew, quickly signaled to Ji Jiangyuan:
“Go check on your mother. She wasn’t feeling well earlier; seeing you return will surely help her feel better.”
Ji Ya was resting in her room.
The room was well-heated. Ji Ya lay under a thin blanket, her hair still damp with earlier sweat.
She looked so thin on the bed. The sedative hadn’t worn off, and she appeared completely listless. The Ji family would have preferred her hysterical anger to this lifeless state. Ji Jiangyuan’s heart softened.
He remembered Grandfather Ji.
When grandfather passed, he had also been extremely thin, barely making a bump under the blanket.
Grandfather Ji had worried most about Ji Ya before passing, holding Ji Jiangyuan’s hand and asking him to take good care of her… Even without this request, Ji Jiangyuan wouldn’t treat Ji Ya poorly—she was his birth mother!
On the bed, Ji Ya muttered quietly. Ji Jiangyuan crouched down to listen.
“…trying to steal Jiangyuan, despicable… hehe, having people approach Jiangyuan, Tang Hong’en, you’re truly scheming! I won’t let you all get away…”
Ji Jiangyuan wanted to turn and leave immediately.
Knowing this was an illness, but couldn’t she, even just once, just one time, be reasonable?
What was the point of dragging innocent Xia Xiaolan into the matter between the Ji family and his father?
Ji Jiangyuan left the room and directly stopped his uncle:
“I see so many divorced couples in America remaining friends. I’m not asking my mother to be friends with him, but in our family matters, can’t she stop taking out her anger on others? She went to threaten a female classmate at Hua Qing, thinking someone was deliberately getting close to me. I have no relationship with this classmate—the campus is so big, that we barely meet once a week! Besides, she has a boyfriend, and I’ve met him—an excellent person. I’m not a dollar bill that every girl has to like… Uncle, this has caused me trouble. If Mom uses our family background to harass an innocent female student, what would Grandfather think in his grave?”
Isn’t it shameful?
Using Grandfather Ji’s legacy to bully others—had the Ji family fallen to such a pathetic level!
Ji’s uncle’s expression was also uncomfortable.
The incident Ji Jiangyuan described was absurd, but knowing it was something Ji Ya would do, Ji’s uncle believed it.
His aunt listened in confusion, “What else happened here? Jiangyuan, tell your aunt in detail.”
Earlier when Ji Ya argued with Tang Hong’en, she had also mentioned a female student. Fighting over an outsider like this, and Tang Hong’en got angry enough to declare war on the Ji family?
Was it worth it?
This was just too stupid.
The aunt’s face darkened as she listened, finally confronting her husband:
“Little sister is truly ill!”
If ill, then seek treatment, and take medicine for control—did she have to drive the whole family to ruin before being happy?
They could simply not associate with Tang Hong’en, but with a sick mind threatening a Hua Qing female student, how could Tang Hong’en not come to the Ji house to speak harshly?
Regardless of Tang Hong’en’s relationship with others, they were already divorced, and Ji Ya had no control over Tang Hong’en’s life. Either remarry and live well with Tang Hong’en or quickly leave the country. There was no logic in the world where Ji Ya could date but Tang Hong’en couldn’t find someone—if Ji Ya hadn’t acted this way, she wouldn’t have gradually pushed Tang Hong’en to this point.
Now that Tang Hong’en had turned against the Ji family, what could they do?
…
Ji Bei Province, Lu Academy.
New trainees weren’t allowed contact with the outside world for their first month.
Zhou Cheng received Xia Xiaolan’s letter, saying while he might not remember others, he certainly had a deep impression of Ji Jiangyuan. In all of Hua Qing, probably only Ji Jiangyuan knew about his relationship with Xiaolan. Zhou Cheng knew Xiaolan’s character better than anyone—just as he had told Kang Wei before, there weren’t many better-looking than him, and good-looking people didn’t necessarily all listen to their wives. Zhou Cheng had advantages no matter how you compared.
If Xia Xiaolan hadn’t mentioned it herself, Zhou Cheng would have had some concerns learning about it later.
But since Xia Xiaolan had brought it up herself, there was no problem!
Bullying his wife was unforgivable. How could these people be so self-righteous? Zhou Cheng sometimes really couldn’t understand—using their family background to inexplicably bully others, and they were supposed to be cultured people… Their family values were worse than Zhou’s family of rough folks.
As Zhou Cheng pondered how to reply to Xiaolan, the academy called their entire squadron to assemble.
“New orders from the academy: you have a new mission. Pack quickly, departing in half an hour!”
They’d barely been here long—how could there already be a mission? Zhou Cheng thought it was an exercise, but when they were told to collect weapons and ammunition from the warehouse, he sensed something was wrong.
This was not a drill!
“Report, I need to make a phone call.”