NOVEL WEB Chapter 444
Hearing him say that, some of Ji Nian's previously hidden resentment toward him suddenly dissipated.
When she was little, she had heard from others that the room she lived in was originally the children's room of this house, meant for the owner's child.
When she first came to the Ji family, she had assumed Shen Qingtang would take that room, but that wasn't the case.
After twists and turns, the empty room was still given to Ji Nian.
After leaving Ji Tingzhou's study, Ji Nian's earlier irritation from him making her gag had completely vanished.
Even though she knew the things she wanted wouldn't be ready so quickly, she couldn't wait to go see Wei Yang.
But after these past few days, she wasn't sure if he would still remember her, so Ji Nian decided to buy a grilled sausage.
However, as soon as she opened her phone, she realized that the pocket money she had gotten from Lu Zhi was in O-country currency, and she hadn't exchanged it yet.
A thought crossed her mind.
Should I go ask Ji Tingzhou for some money?
Even though she had been arguing with Ji Tingzhou constantly, Ji Nian knew that despite their differences, if he were truly unhappy, he wouldn't bother saying so much.
It was less like arguing and more like bickering with her.
Thinking this, Ji Nian decisively turned around and went back to find Ji Tingzhou.
She didn't even knock, pushing the door open directly.
Hearing the noise, Ji Tingzhou frowned and looked up. When he saw it was Ji Nian, his eyebrows arched slightly.
Ji Nian walked up to him and held out a hand.
"That's the hand you use to wipe your ass," Ji Tingzhou remarked, glancing at it.
Ji Nian was stunned that he even knew that. "…Seriously?"
"…Are you sure you're not my dad?" she asked, exasperated.
"What do you think?" Ji Tingzhou sneered.
Okay, definitely not.
Ji Nian was more inclined to believe he had observed her and Ji Tingzhou's interactions from a third-person perspective. After all, based on her previous probing, he only seemed to know things related to her father.
She waved her hand. "Give me some money."
She asked outright, shamelessly.
Ji Tingzhou suddenly remembered Lu Jinghuai's "casual" mention of giving Ji Nian pocket money. At the time, he had scoffed at Lu Zhi for being soft—money wasn't something to just hand out. And the person asking for it should know better.
But now, it was as if he had forgotten all that.
He pulled open a drawer and tossed her a card. "Password is six zeros."
Ji Nian reflexively replied, "Is the balance also six zeros?"
Ji Tingzhou: "……"
Seeing him about to take it back, Ji Nian swiftly grabbed the card and turned to leave.
Money to spend!
Watching her excited retreating figure, Ji Tingzhou thought, Kids—give them a little money and they're over the moon.
---
After visiting Wei Yang and confirming he was doing fine, Ji Nian stayed with him for a while. When a servant informed her that her order had arrived, she reached out, only for the servant to say in a complicated tone, "Miss, your takeout…"
"What about it?" Ji Nian asked, puzzled.
"Sister Du took it."
Ji Nian: Who the hell is Sister Du???
Soon, she got her answer.
"How many times do I have to say it?! This kind of junk food is not allowed in the Ji household! If it corrupts our Qingtang, none of you will be able to atone even if you die a hundred times!"
"You, you, and you—where were you just now?! Who gave you permission to act without my orders?!"
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Ji Nian heard a sharp, scolding voice.
From the voice alone, she couldn't place it—until she saw the person. Then it clicked.
It was Shen Qingtang's wet nurse.
When Ji Nian had seen her as a child, the woman had been young. Now, she had aged, gained weight, and looked well-nourished—clearly living comfortably in the Ji family.
Noticing someone's presence out of the corner of her eye, the woman's sharp gaze instantly snapped toward Ji Nian.
But the moment she recognized Ji Nian's face, her expression twisted in shock.
"You—!"
"You're still alive?!"
She distinctly remembered this little bastard had been expelled and left with nowhere to go.
She had even arranged for her factory-owning relative to hire her, planning to eliminate her once she was in unfamiliar territory.
As long as this half-blooded whelp with Ji Tingzhou's lineage was alive, she couldn't sleep at night.
Yet not only was she alive, but her once-ugly face had miraculously healed. She was dressed in expensive clothes, clearly living well.
Most importantly—
When did she return after being kicked out?! And why did no one tell her?!
Ji Nian was surprised.
Even Gu Xiuyuan might not recognize her immediately now, yet this wet nurse had blurted out her identity without hesitation—and didn't seem shocked by her resemblance to Ji Tingzhou…
That… was very telling.
A glint of calculation flashed in Ji Nian's eyes.
She had once asked Gu Xiuyuan what he would have done with the original owner if she hadn't taken over. His answer was sending her to a farm under the Gu family to "atone through labor."
But in the original novel, the original owner had ended up in a textile factory in a third-tier city, dying gruesomely after being caught in machinery—completely inconsistent with Gu Xiuyuan's claim.
Gu Xiuyuan would never bother lying about something like this. That left only one possibility: he wasn't the real culprit behind the original owner's death.
Realizing this, Ji Nian had asked him to investigate the textile factory mentioned in the novel. The only one matching the description had a factory owner surnamed Du.
Her previously indifferent gaze sharpened. Ji Nian spoke up:
"You're still alive, so of course I am too."
Hearing Ji Nian—who used to cower like a mouse before her—talk back, the woman's anger flared instantly.
She didn't even register the presence of the servant standing beside Ji Nian, who usually took orders directly from Ji Tingzhou.
"What did you say?! You ill-bred little bastard!!"
After screaming, she scanned the crowd and pointed accusingly. "Zhang Yulan! Look at the disgraceful behavior of the person you raised!!"
Zhang Yulan, who had been lazily watching from the back, was startled. What does this have to do with me?!
She didn't even—
Wait.
Zhang Yulan's eyes widened as she stepped forward, scrutinizing Ji Nian.
Having lived with Ji Nian for over a decade, she would have continued her cushy, exploitative role as "local tyrant" if Ji Nian hadn't been driven out.
Now, after a careful look, she recognized her immediately.
"Your face!??"
She stared in shock at Ji Nian's flawless complexion.
No one knew the state of Ji Nian's face better than her—
Because she was the one who ruined it.
The last time Ji Nian had seen Zhang Yulan was when she was five. Normally, she might have needed a moment to place her, but—
Her memory was excellent.
Even if the woman looked different now, Ji Nian recognized her instantly.
With a smile, Ji Nian looked at Zhang Yulan, who was gaping at her in disbelief.
"Well, well. Everyone's here."
"How forgetful of me—I almost overlooked you."
Before Zhang Yulan could react, the figure before her seemed to vanish—
No, not vanish.
It was just Ji Nian moving too fast for the eye to follow.
Before Zhang Yulan could finish speaking, Ji Nian drove her fist straight into the woman's abdomen.
When she had first awakened in this body, the injuries weren't just limited to her face.
While bathing, she had seen scars covering her skin—far more than she remembered—and the sight had stoked an uncontainable fury.
Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, Zhang Yulan was sent flying, crashing into the wall with a loud thud before sliding down, unconscious.
Shen Qingtang's nanny let out a shrill scream, "She's attacking people! Call the police!!!"
Ji Nian casually picked at her ear. "Stop screeching. You're next."
"So you're the idiot who's been bossing Shen Qingtang around every day, huh?"
Just as the words left her lips, a familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
"What's going on here?"