A Little Trick, the Scumbag Dad Can’t Hold the Knife After Understanding Love

Confessing to Gu Xiuyuan was something Ji Nian had planned in advance.

Given the current situation, she needed his help to get to Country O.

It wasn't just about finding Lu Jinghuai—there was also a crucial material required to save Ji Tingzhou, one that could only be found in Country O, or more specifically, within the Lu Family.

She could have turned to Shen Qingtang, who currently seemed the least hostile toward her. But based on her observations over the past few days, the nanny she had driven away from Shen Qingtang's side when she was five had now become a permanent fixture in her life.

Approaching Shen Qingtang directly now would likely cause trouble for her.

And Ji Nian didn't want to alert Ji Tingzhou either…

His condition was far worse than when she was five. Even for her own safety, she wouldn't appear before him now.

After considering all this, Gu Xiuyuan, with his existing suspicions, became the most suitable candidate.

Hearing her explanation, Gu Xiuyuan's gaze darkened.

He wanted to tell Ji Nian to seek professional help if she was delusional, but the moment he met her earnest expression, the words died in his throat.

A voice inside him insisted: She's telling the truth.

As for whether she was weaving lies to deceive him for some ulterior motive—Gu Xiuyuan scoffed inwardly.

Based on his understanding, the Ji Nian he knew wasn't cunning enough for that.

"What's the connection between you being from a parallel world and knowing all my passwords?"

Gu Xiuyuan deliberately maintained an indifferent facade, as if he didn't believe a word she said.

But contrary to his expectations, Ji Nian didn't react with anger. Instead, she looked utterly composed.

"In my world, we've known each other for twelve years."

Though the Gu Xiuyuan before her wasn't the one she was familiar with, the nostalgia in her eyes as she gazed at him was unmistakable.

The private room was quiet. The violinist had been dismissed by Gu Xiuyuan earlier, so Ji Nian's voice rang out with unusual clarity.

"The first time we met, we were five. You got lost in my family's Bamboo Spring Grove. I was holding a jar of fireflies I'd just caught, and you asked me how I managed to catch them. That was our first interaction."

As for the details… Ji Nian thought it best not to share those.

This version of Gu Xiuyuan was far more easily flustered than the one she knew.

"But we weren't close back then. We really started bonding on your sixth birthday, when you and Shen Qingtang helped sneak me in to see your grandmother."

At the mention of his grandmother, Gu Xiuyuan's expression, which had been unreadable, flickered with emotion.

His grandmother had passed away not long after his sixth birthday.

Ji Nian recounted the events of that time, expecting the memories to have faded with the years. Yet as she spoke, the scenes remained vivid in her mind.

"…And then your father spanked you for it—ahahaha!"

The memory made Ji Nian double over with laughter.

Though he wasn't the one being laughed at, Gu Xiuyuan still felt a flush of embarrassment at her amusement.

"Oh, right! Every time Shen Qingtang and I brought this up, you'd glare at us just like that—hahaha!"

Seeing his expression only made Ji Nian laugh harder.

Gu Xiuyuan: "……"

Beyond his exasperation, he was stunned to learn that his grandmother hadn't died of illness—but had been poisoned?

If only he'd known sooner…

His lips pressed into a tight line.

"Ahem."

Realizing she'd gotten sidetracked, Ji Nian refocused.

"After that, the three of us spent a lot of time together."

There were too many memories, so she picked the most memorable ones, smiling faintly.

"The summer you turned seven, we accompanied your grandmother to Yang County to visit her old classmate. You couldn't figure out how to use the squat toilet—your legs went numb, and you still couldn't go. In the end, Shen Qingtang and I had to pull you up."

"When you were eight, on Teacher's Day, you mentioned that your Chinese teacher had a red mole under her eye, just like your mother. You said she was kind to you, so you really liked her. But your phone died, so you borrowed Uncle Gu's and sent her a message: 'Teacher Zhang, I really like you. Happy Teacher's Day.'"

"The poor woman was so startled she immediately requested a class transfer. Uncle Gu found out, spanked you again, and dragged you to apologize in person—with compensation, of course."

Listening to Ji Nian's unrestrained nostalgia and the pure warmth in her eyes as she looked at him, Gu Xiuyuan felt an inexplicable irritation.

Every story she told was filled with such joy, yet despite her using his name, he couldn't recall a single trace of her in his own rigid, uneventful memories.

He believed her now.

The fact that his grandmother had once studied in Yang County was something even he had only heard from his father once. Without Ji Nian mentioning it, he would have forgotten entirely.

And the red mole under his mother's eye…

Yes, Gu Xiuyuan's birth mother had indeed had a red mole there. He'd seen it in a photo he'd found in the family attic when he was five.

Beyond that, there were no other traces of her in the house—Gu Jing had locked everything away.

These were things even Shen Qingtang, the person closest to him now, didn't know.

Yet this woman spoke of them so casually.

And…

He really had struggled with squat toilets.

"Enough."

Just as Ji Nian was about to share another memory, Gu Xiuyuan cut her off sharply.

He didn't want to hear any more…

"Even if everything you've said is true, what does it have to do with me?"

His voice was icy.

Ji Nian seemed to have anticipated this reaction. She took a sip of water to moisten her throat.

"It has everything to do with you. I need your help to get to Country O—to find something that can save my father."

"And Shen Qingtang's father."

Gu Xiuyuan's eyes flickered.

From the very beginning, he'd noticed that in Ji Nian's stories, her status seemed elevated.

He knew who she was. Even if he hadn't, one look at her emerald-green eyes and the unmarred half of her face would have given it away.

Though it had been years since he'd last seen Ji Tingzhou, the resemblance between this woman and the head of the Ji Family—Shen Qingtang's adoptive father—was undeniable.

"In your world, my grandmother is alive, Shen Qingtang found her blood relatives, and Ji… Uncle Ji is healthy?"

Ji ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‍Tingzhou's declining health was no secret now.

To put it bluntly, many were eagerly awaiting his death.

With his condition worsening, internal conflicts within the Ji Family had escalated, and Ji Tingzhou no longer intervened—proof that his situation was dire.

For Shen Qingtang, still in high school, inheriting the Ji Family before she was ready would be disastrous.

As the person closest to Shen Qingtang, Gu Xiuyuan had every reason to hope Ji Tingzhou wouldn't fall now.

When Ji Nian confirmed his question, Gu Xiuyuan's thoughts drifted. Through her words, he caught a glimpse of a future he'd never dared imagine—one that seemed almost too good to be true.

The coldness on his face softened slightly.

Finally, he asked Ji Nian one last question.

"If you're here, then where is the original Ji Nian of this world?"

Ji Nian smiled faintly. "She's still here. Once I return, she'll likely come back."

Hearing that she would still leave, Gu Xiuyuan said nothing.

But deep down, for reasons he couldn't quite grasp, there was an unacknowledged flicker of regret.