Chapter 26#
When Ji Chengyi and the doctor came in for the second time, Ji Yang had already been settled at the head of the bed, his hair half-dry.
The belt of his bathrobe had been tied tight again, just barely presentable enough to be seen.
The doctor didn’t look around when he entered. He took Ji Yang’s blood pressure, checked his temperature, and ran through a set of basic examinations. Ji Yang cooperated throughout.
“It’s just dizziness caused by low blood sugar. Combined with prolonged irregular eating and a persistent low-grade fever, it’s all been a contributing factor.” The doctor put away his stethoscope. “Fortunately, it was caught in time, and there was someone nearby, so it didn’t lead to more serious consequences.”
The doctor added, “All in all, there’s nothing major. Just rest well and don’t move around for now.”
Ji Yang leaned against the headboard and said, “There really is nothing major.” His gaze swept over the other person’s name tag — Tao Jisheng. Ji Yang said, “I heard Dr. Tao once trained abroad. A man with such a bright future — what made you decide to become a family doctor for the Ji household?”
The other man smiled and replied, “Whether someone’s a doctor or in any other profession, it’s all about making a living in the end. The Ji household offers excellent compensation — it’s an opportunity most people would fight tooth and nail for.”
“Then Dr. Tao must truly be skilled,” Ji Yang said, his voice still carrying a weakness. “This phantom limb pain of mine has lasted two years. I owe it all to you, honestly.”
Tao Jisheng paused slightly, then quickly recovered his composure.
“You’re too kind, Fourth Young Master. It’s just part of the job.”
Tao Jisheng.
He didn’t seem to have much presence in the book either.
Just then, Tao Jisheng suddenly asked, “Fourth Young Master, are you still taking your medication?”
“Yes.” The person who answered was Nie Xu.
He had originally been by the window, listening to Ji Chengyi talk about affairs within the Group in a now-calm manner. No one knew when he had come over.
Ji Yang’s probing “No, I haven’t been” died on his lips.
Upon hearing that he was still on his medication, Tao Jisheng smiled and said, “Just keep taking the medicine on schedule. Fourth Young Master’s phantom limb pain is quite severe to begin with — it’s unbearable when the pain flares up. After experiencing major trauma, it takes time to come to terms with it. Take it slowly, don’t rush.”
Ji Chengyi also walked over and glanced at Ji Yang’s legs.
“Since it’s nothing serious, then rest well and don’t go out for now.”
By now, he had long lost the composure he’d lost the first time he’d entered the room.
“The Fu family’s factory has been shut down. This matter has far-reaching implications. The Ji Corporation must give the outside world an explanation.”
“How does Third Brother plan to explain it?” Ji Yang caught the underlying meaning in his words.
Ji Chengyi stared at him. “You. Resign and take the blame.” A two-second pause. “It sounds better than being fired.”
Ji Yang gave a soft “Ah.” “So you do want to fire me.”
Ji Chengyi frowned. “Ji Yang, now is not the time for you to act up. If you could publicly admit to such a thing, you should have anticipated the consequences today.”
Ji Yang nodded. “Sure.”
As Ji Chengyi was momentarily stunned, Ji Yang shifted his tone. “But I’m taking my assistant with me.”
“Absolutely not!” Ji Chengyi said immediately.
Ji Chengyi pinched the bridge of his nose, looking as if his patience had run out. “Ji Yang, the Group will always retain Nie Xu’s position as an assistant. This is also Grandfather’s intention. He’ll inevitably be moving about inside the company these days, so having this role will be more convenient.”
Ji Yang laughed right then and there.
So righteous and self-sounding. Anyone who didn’t know better would truly believe he was wholeheartedly working for the Ji family, just like in the book.
But selfish desire — once it takes root, it’s very hard to conceal.
Ji Yang still remembered the premise when he’d negotiated cooperation with Nie Xu: he needed to retain his status as the Ji family’s legal heir.
Leaving the Ji family now truly wasn’t the best timing either.
Ji Yang: “I can resign, but it won’t be taking the blame. I haven’t done anything wrong. Don’t tell me that with Third Brother practically shouldering half the Ji Corporation now, you still think the Ji family is clean and innocent?”
Ji Chengyi’s expression darkened.
He glanced at Nie Xu and, surprisingly, said nothing more.
He only said, “Then you go explain it to Grandfather yourself.”
Then he turned his head. “Dr. Tao, I’ll see you out.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you, Third Young Master.”
The moment Ji Chengyi left with the doctor,
Ji Yang pulled the covers up and shrank down into the bed. The soft mattress was so comfortable he couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
With his eyes closed, his head was still a bit dizzy and swimming.
Ji Yang spoke: “Why did you stop me from saying anything just now?”
Nie Xu: “Tao Jisheng brought up the medication question on his own initiative. That proves he doesn’t actually care whether the medicine is found to be problematic.”
Ji Yang had noticed this too.
Tao Jisheng’s attitude showed not a shred of guilt — instead, he had proactively asked if Ji Yang was still taking the medication. There was only one explanation for that: Tao Jisheng was certain that even if Ji Yang knew the truth, he couldn’t do anything to the person behind it.
There were only a handful of people in the Ji family who currently completely held power over him.
Ji Yang didn’t rush to learn the answer for now.
Sleepiness soon crept over him.
“Are you on night duty tonight?” Ji Yang asked.
Nie Xu: “No.”
Ji Yang felt completely at ease. “Then turn off the light when you leave. Thanks.”
Ji Yang rolled over, letting the weariness wash over him, and allowed the darkness to swallow him completely.
Perhaps it was because of the events of the past three days
that his dreams became restless.
He actually dreamed of a swamp forest.
The evening sky gave the woods a grayish-green hue. The water, which rose above his knees, was cold and icy. Stepping into it barefoot produced a nauseating stickiness.
He kept feeling like something was chasing him from behind.
That urgent need to flee pushed him forward, relentlessly forward.
Branches scraped against his skin; wounds opened on his feet.
All along the way, toward the last glimmer of light at the horizon.
When he woke again, Ji Yang had to raise his hand to block the blinding sunlight streaming in through the window. The room’s climate control hummed tirelessly. Ji Yang propped himself up on his hands and sat up, staring blankly at the towel that had slid down from his forehead.
Who put that there?
Nie Xu? Or had Aunt Mo come in later?
“You’re awake?” Just then, Aunt Mo came in from outside carrying a bowl of congee. “Hurry and have something to eat. By the time the kitchen finished boiling it and brought it up last night, you were already asleep. Mr. Nie said to let you sleep properly first, so he didn’t wake you.”
Ji Yang paused. “What time did he leave last night?”
Aunt Mo touched his forehead. “Good — no more fever. Around eleven. He only left after your fever broke. I even asked if he wanted a midnight snack, but he said no.”
Ji Yang took the bowl and fed himself small spoonfuls.
Curious, he said, “Aunt Mo, I noticed your attitude toward him is actually quite friendly.”
“Mr. Nie?” Aunt Mo said while tidying up the room for him. “I don’t think he’s a bad person. I’ve worked for the Ji family for over twenty years. In the early days, there was no Building Number Four. The Ji family kept a batch of enforcers — those were nothing but uncultured thugs. When he was brought back, he was just a child. At the time, everyone was saying that your grandfather was going to adopt him as an heir.”
“Pfft!” Ji Yang choked on a mouthful of congee and coughed so violently it shook his whole body.
Aunt Mo rushed over to pat his back, scolding, “I told you to eat slower, slower.”
She went on muttering and cursing.
“The old master really is losing his marbles with age. Getting older and yet picking up the habits of his youth again.” The hand patting his back turned into gentle strokes. “So cruel to his own grandson. Look how thin you are — who knows how much suffering you’ve endured these past few days.”
Ji Yang finally recovered. “Adopt him as an heir?”
“Yes.” Aunt Mo said, “Later, for some reason, it fell through. He’d only been in the Ji family a few years, yet his work outshone your father and all your uncles. Even your eldest brother, Ji Zhonglin, when he was young, always treated him as his rival.”
Ji Yang: …
He had always thought Ji Zhonglin feared Nie Xu because he discovered that Ji Chengyi’s beloved was Nie Xu.
He never imagined there was this layer to it as well.
Just then, a voice rang out from downstairs.
“Ji Yang!”
Ji Yang recognized it as Ji Mingyue’s voice. Aunt Mo walked over and opened the window for him. Ji Yang managed to bounce over.
Below, Ji Mingyue was leaning against a fiery red sports car. She tilted her head up and said, “You haven’t gone stupid from being locked up for three days, have you? Come down and I’ll take you for a drive!”
Ji Yang looked up and surveyed the quiet garden. There were no other Ji family members around — only the gardener and the cleaners.
Ji Yang lowered his head with a soft chuckle. “Tell me, Miss, with everything the Ji family is going through, you’re still in the mood for joyrides. Or are you planning to experience the warehouse too?”
“Are you coming or not!” Ji Mingyue’s patience was thin.
Ji Yang recalled those days in the warehouse, hearing Ji Mingyue cursing Lu Li outside. His heart softened. “I’m in!”
Aunt Mo disapproved. “In your condition? Where do you think you’re going?”
“It’s fine.” Ji Yang patted Aunt Mo’s shoulder. “I’m young. I can take a beating.”
Ji Yang changed into some clothes and headed downstairs. Ji Mingyue was indeed still waiting below.
Ji Yang glanced at the car behind her and said, “This doesn’t seem like your style.”
“I can change styles if I want.” Ji Mingyue pulled open the car door. “Get in.”
Before Ji Yang had even fastened his seatbelt properly, the sports car roared off the line.
The gale from the convertible blew Ji Yang’s hair back. Calmly, he clicked his seatbelt into place and looked at the winding coastal road. “I get it. You think the Ji family scandal isn’t dramatic enough, so you’re planning to add another one — ‘The Ji Family’s Eldest Daughter Takes the Fourth Young Master on a Daytime Joyride…’ Of course, I’d prefer the ending to be ‘Dies in a Car Crash into the Sea,’ not ‘Causes a Multi-Car Pileup,’ so I can drink Meng Po’s soup with less guilt.”
Ji Mingyue slowed the car slightly upon hearing this.
She glanced sideways at him, disgusted. “Your face is so pale. Can’t you handle a little scare?”
“I have low blood sugar, thanks.” Ji Yang said.
The speed dropped a bit more.
With Ji Mingyue’s emotions now subdued, she finally spoke. “My wedding with the Qi family is set for next week.”
“Next week?” Ji Yang’s brows furrowed deeply.
Ji Mingyue, “It was decided last night. Grandfather and the Qi family settled on the date together. That bastard Qi Yiming’s already chartered a yacht — he’s throwing a final bachelor party today.”
A flash of disgust crossed Ji Yang’s mind.
Not because of anything else.
That at the very first sign of trouble, the first thing the Ji family thought of was sacrificing the women in the family.
The Qi family was in oil extraction — practically in the same boat as the Ji family to begin with.
With the Ji Corporation’s projects cut short and drowning in public opinion and financial scandals, the Qi family still agreeing to the marriage alliance meant they had to be gaining something from it, or they had reasons they couldn’t refuse.
But agreeing to a marriage at a time like this — Ji Mingyue’s situation in the Qi household was easy to imagine.
“Where did he charter the yacht?” Ji Yang asked.
Ji Mingyue looked at him. “Why do you want to know?”
Ji Yang: “Isn’t he having one last celebration? Let’s go join the fun. Perfect timing — I’m single too.”
Ji Mingyue hesitated, about to speak but stopping herself.
Ji Yang reassured her. “Don’t worry. We’re not going there to cause trouble.”
At dusk, the dock blazed with lights from the luxury yacht.
Young women in bikinis flitted across the deck. Around the open-air pool, groups of men and women were frolicking.
It made Ji Yang think of the phrase: a pool of wine and a forest of meat.
In his T-shirt and jeans, Ji Yang wasn’t particularly out of place among the crowd of shirtless men in shorts. But where he was a spectacle was in his looks — he was simply too striking. All along the way, men and women hitting on him never stopped.
Some even recognized him as the Ji family’s Fourth Young Master, though they all assumed Qi Yiming had invited him.
Ji Yang separated from Ji Mingyue midway and headed to the private suite area. Half an hour later, he emerged.
He finally found where Qi Yiming was.
It was the largest pool on the entire yacht. The circle of people around this particular section were all second-generation delinquents from Fanzhou.
In other words, a bunch of trash. They lounged on poolside recliners, each with one or two scantily clad beauties in their arms.
Someone teased, “Yiming, I really didn’t expect you’d be the first of us to get married.”
“Seriously. If you ever want to come out and have fun again, won’t you have to file a report?”
“Of course he has to file a report! I heard that Ji Mingyue woman is fierce.”
“What’s it like marrying a shrew, Yiming? Tell us.”
Qi Yiming’s hand had been sliding along a girl’s shoulder the entire time. Hearing these words, he let out a cold laugh. “You think she’s still the old Ji Mingyue? Let me tell you something in secret — the Ji family’s situation this time is no small deal. At a critical juncture like this, who else but me would agree to marry her! She should be burning incense and praying to the heavens that I married her — ah!”
The instant Qi Yiming was kicked into the pool, a chorus of screams erupted around them.
Ji Yang steadied his slightly wobbling body, retracted his right leg, and flexed his knee joint.
It really was as effective as they said online — kicking people worked great.
So effective, in fact, that Qi Yiming was almost knocked breathless by the kick, nearly drowning in the pool.
He barely managed to stand, wiped the water from his face, and glared at the person standing on the poolside with arms crossed. Fury and humiliation twisted together. “Ji Fourth?! Who told you to come?!”
“You didn’t say I couldn’t come.” Ji Yang surveyed his surroundings. “Or does this kind of bottom-shelf party of yours actually have a dress code?”
Qi Yiming pointed at him. “You’re done!”
“I think you’re the one who’s done.” Ji Yang shook his head lightly, holding up his phone to show the police report he’d filed. “Soliciting, harboring, and procuring prostitution, plus providing the venue — that carries ten to fifteen days of detention. As for your wedding, you’ll have to wait for next time.”
The moment Ji Yang finished speaking, a rush of police officers swarmed onto the deck.
Screams filled the air as everyone scrambled in panic to cover themselves.
Ji Yang stood amid Qi Yiming’s ashen face.
He faked a smile: “While passing by the private rooms earlier, I already captured quite a bit of evidence. And as for my current online influence, I think you know. If you don’t want the Qi family charged with obstructing justice, I’d advise you to cooperate.”
“Mr. Ji.” The officer who walked over looked somewhat familiar. Ji Yang had seen him before.
Surname Wu.
“Officer Wu? It’s you.” Ji Yang smiled.
Officer Wu glanced around, then looked back at the young master before him, and said, “We came the moment we received the report. But five minutes ago, I received another call.”
Ji Yang: “Hmm?”
The officer handed his phone over.
Ji Yang was confused. “Hello?”
“Can you not stay in bed for a single day?” the voice on the other end asked.
Ji Yang paused. “Since when do you have Officer Wu’s number?”
“Is that the point?” Nie Xu’s voice carried no discernible emotion.
Ji Yang didn’t know where he was, but it sounded noisy on his end too — someone calling him “boss.”
Ji Yang wasn’t surprised that Nie Xu could track his movements. He recalled something and pulled the conversation back on track. “By the way — I heard you were almost my uncle. Is that true?”
The other end went quiet for a second.
Ji Yang sensed danger.
He immediately said, “No hidden meaning. I was just a bit surprised about almost committing incest.”
“Ji Yang.”
It was the first time Nie Xu had called him by his name.
Ji Yang thought: Well, that’s great. The danger didn’t go away — it just escalated to gritted teeth and grinding jaws.