Apologize?
That word had never existed in Ji Ya’s dictionary.
In America, she often said “Sorry” as a way to diffuse awkward situations, but she never felt genuine remorse in her heart.
Why didn’t she return to the Ji family home and instead come to the hotel? It was because she secretly felt afraid.
Thinking about it calmly, wasn’t the severity of the situation evident when even Ning Yanfan refused to help her?
Only now could she truly appreciate how formidable Tang Hongen was. Ning Yanfan’s disapproval of the Ji family confronting Tang Hongen head-on spoke volumes—even with Ji Lin working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both Ji Ya and Ji Jiangyuan were barred from leaving the country, demonstrating Tang Hongen’s extensive connections.
This feeling was similar to when Ji Ya proposed divorce years ago when Tang Hongen was at his lowest point in life. Ji Ya had felt afraid then, not knowing when the difficult times would end, and she had deserted him!
Now, after hearing Ji Lin’s words, Ji Ya could hardly believe it.
Not only did she have to reconcile with Tang Hongen, but she also had to apologize to Xia Xiaolan.
“Impossible!” Ji Ya blurted out.
How could she possibly apologize to a student?
Even now, she didn’t feel she had done anything wrong, whether it was her first warning to Xia Xiaolan or today’s confrontation.
Ji Lin sat on the sofa, expressionless: “Then you’re not going anywhere. Stay in China and put on your clothes—we’re going home right now.”
Ji Ya couldn’t believe it. Her usually indulgent older brother was speaking to her in such a severe tone.
She turned to Ji Jiangyuan:
“Did I do something wrong? I just wanted to take you back to America quickly…”
She sought Ji Jiangyuan’s support, but he couldn’t honestly say Ji Ya was right.
“Don’t worry, I’ll return to America with you.”
Ji Ya’s eyes instantly lit up.
But Ji Jiangyuan avoided her gaze.
After Ji Ya’s scene at the school today, with many students watching, and her making no effort to hide her identity, how could Ji Jiangyuan continue studying at Huaqing?
“But you need to apologize to classmate Xia Xiaolan.”
Ji Jiangyuan’s following sentence shattered Ji Ya’s last hope.
She wouldn’t apologize. Neither Ji Lin nor Ji Jiangyuan was on her side. Ji Ya smashed the wine bottle and glass by the bedside to pieces—a trick that had always worked before, but this time only George remained concerned.
Ji Jiangyuan felt the atmosphere in the room was too oppressive. He pulled open the door and walked out, ignoring Ji Lin shouting behind him, and rushed down the stairs into the vast night.
The December night in Beijing was truly cold.
Ji Jiangyuan didn’t know how long he had walked, with the icy wind carrying snow particles constantly blowing down his neck. He couldn’t understand how things had reached this point.
Should he not have met his biological father?
If he hadn’t been curious enough to follow Xia Xiaolan to the hospital that day, would everything have remained seemingly peaceful on the surface?
When Ji Jiangyuan came to his senses, he was already standing at the entrance of Pengcheng’s Beijing Office.
Tang Hongen had already gone to bed when there was a knock on his door. The attendant was nervous:
“Leader, there’s someone outside who says he’s your son.”
Tang Hongen immediately rolled out of bed. “Quick, let him in.”
He grabbed his watch from the bedside table—at 12:39 AM. Why would Jiangyuan come at this hour?
Tang Hongen quickly dressed and opened the door. Ji Jiangyuan stood there, ice crystals on his eyelashes. Tang Hongen instinctively touched Ji Jiangyuan’s hands and face, alarmed by how cold they were.
“How did you get here? Come in quickly!”
The father and son were quite unfamiliar with each other. Including their first meeting at the Xi University playground, this was only their fourth meeting in twelve years of separation. Paternal instinct overcame the unfamiliarity as Ji Jiangyuan responded slowly, and Tang Hongen pulled him into the room. The Beijing Office had good facilities, and Tang Hongen’s room had a private bathroom. He pulled out a clean set of his clothes and pushed Ji Jiangyuan into the bathroom:
“Take a hot shower first, take your time.”
Something must have happened in the Ji family, otherwise, Ji Jiangyuan wouldn’t have come to the Beijing Office in the middle of the night.
Tang Hongen hadn’t taken action against the Ji family yet; he had only issued a warning. These days in Beijing, he had taken the opportunity to handle some work matters. Meeting with several high-ranking officials was also about discussing ideas and seeking advice, all closely related to the Special Zone’s development, but outsiders didn’t know this and naturally transmitted signals that he was dealing with the Ji family.
While Ji Jiangyuan was showering, Tang Hongen habitually reached for cigarettes, only to find the bedside table empty. He remembered that after his gastric ulcer surgery, the doctor had required him to quit smoking. In Pengcheng, Secretary Peng kept an eye on him, and in Beijing, Xia Xiaolan had mentioned it twice, so he no longer carried cigarettes.
Just as he was smiling at this thought, Ji Jiangyuan came out from his shower.
He was taller than Tang Hongen, and wearing his father’s jacket felt a bit tight.
“The radiator’s closer here, sit down and warm up. Tell me what happened after you’re warm.”
Ji Jiangyuan was indeed freezing—while walking aimlessly on the streets, he hadn’t noticed the cold, but when the hot water hit his skin in the shower, he realized even his internal organs felt cold.
“My mother went to find Xia Xiaolan again today. She went with George, saying she wanted to send Xia Xiaolan abroad with me. If she stays in China, how can anyone live in peace?”
What choice did he have? With such a mother, Ji Jiangyuan felt he could never choose his life path.
She went to find Xiaolan again and wanted to send Xiaolan abroad with Jiangyuan.
Tang Hongen knew it wasn’t appropriate at the moment, but he wanted to laugh. Ji Ya hadn’t changed at all, she was still the same as before.
She was always incredibly naive, doing things according to her ideas.
When she was young, this naivety was endearing, and being a bit willful wasn’t a problem.
But at her current age, still living in the “naivety” of her early twenties—Tang Hongen’s smile gradually faded—the Ji family wasn’t afraid of him at all, especially Ji Ya.
The weekend arrived, and Guan Huie asked her to visit the Zhou family. Xia Xiaolan woke up early and first made a trip to the train station.
After waiting on the platform for a while, the train from Shangdu to Beijing arrived. Xia Xiaolan found the train attendant who had helped carry goods, and they handed her a large package:
“Thank you so much!”
There was no need for thanks—helping carry items earned them money, and train attendants all wanted more of this private work.
Xia Xiaolan threw the package onto her bicycle’s back seat and rode directly to Zhou Cheng’s house.
Guan Huie had been waiting at home. When Mrs. Zeng said Xia Xiaolan had arrived, Guan Huie slowly came downstairs to find Xia Xiaolan carrying a large bag.
“What did you bring?”
She had gone to the school to stand up for Xia Xiaolan, not to receive gifts from her.
Xia Xiaolan pulled out a taro-purple-down jacket from the bag: “Auntie, this is the main item my store sells this year. It’s exceptionally warm, filled with duck down. It’s nothing precious—I had four pieces brought over, for you and Uncle Zhou, and Grandfather and Grandmother too. If you like wearing it, I can have more sent over.”
It was just a down jacket.
While others might not be able to afford it, Guan Huie didn’t lack the money.
She found the down jackets in department stores too bulky, and they only came in short styles, leaving her legs cold—not as warm as wearing a large coat.
But with Xia Xiaolan eagerly watching and Mrs. Zeng encouraging her to try it on, Guan Huie couldn’t refuse. She put on the coat—it was indeed different from the department store down jackets, reaching below the knees and completely covering the thighs, which were most susceptible to cold.