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

Hearing this voice, the entire group froze as if someone had pressed a pause button.

The nanny was the first to react. Still shaken by Ji Nian's sudden outburst earlier, she scrambled over on unsteady legs. "Tangtang! This little bastard tried to hit me!"

After she finished speaking, Ji Nian slowly turned around.

This also allowed Shen Qingtang, who had been staring at her back, to finally see her face.

Black hair, emerald-green eyes.

And that face—so similar to someone else's—that she hadn't seen in so long but still remembered vividly.

Shen Qingtang's eyes widened in shock. "Ji Nian, your face… it's healed!"

Surprised that Shen Qingtang could still recognize her, Ji Nian waved casually. "Hey."

"I was going to bring you some comics, but someone told me you weren't here."

At the mention of comics, Shen Qingtang's lips parted slightly before realization dawned on her. Her voice brimmed with excitement. "It was you!?"

Though she didn't understand why Ji Nian had changed so drastically, Shen Qingtang inexplicably found her current appearance comforting.

The two girls chatted as if no one else was around, speaking in a way that left everyone else baffled. The nanny instantly realized they had been in contact behind her back.

The pitiful expression on her face twisted into fury. "Didn't I tell you not to interact with this little bastard!? Do you have any idea how much the head of the Ji Family despises her? Why can't you ever listen to me!?"

She didn't care that they were in front of so many people and immediately began scolding Shen Qingtang.

At the sharp reprimand, Shen Qingtang's expression stiffened. She lowered her head, unsure how to respond.

If this were the Shen Qingtang Ji Nian knew, she would have fixed the nanny with a cold, mocking stare—silent but enough to shut her up before handling the situation.

But this world's Shen Qingtang had grown up under the nanny's oppressive control and emotional manipulation, leaving her unable to fight back.

Ji Nian noticed her fingers nervously picking at her palm.

"I wasn't aware that a mere servant had the right to yell at her employer. Is this the kind of discipline the Ji Family upholds?"

Ji Nian's sudden remark redirected the nanny's rage, making her forget the earlier violence.

"Who do you think you are!? Since when do you get to judge the Ji Family's discipline!?"

In the past, she might not have been so reckless.

But as her authority grew, so did her greed—yet every attempt to climb higher was met with rejection, fueling her resentment day by day.

"You think getting a facelift means you can just waltz back in!? Why don't you take a look in the mirror? Just because you've draped yourself in a fox's skin doesn't mean you're not still a—"

"Who are you calling a bastard?"

Before she could finish, a deep, raspy voice cut through the air, freezing her mid-sentence.

The crowd slowly lowered their heads, and one servant even crouched down to press Zhang Yulan's unconscious head further against the wall.

The nanny's face turned ashen as she slowly turned around.

Ji Tingzhou stood behind her, arms crossed, watching her with an unreadable expression.

Though his face was blank, the chilling intensity in his emerald-green eyes made her break out in a cold sweat.

Wasn't Ji Tingzhou supposed to be on death's door!?

Panic screamed inside her, but she forced her voice steady. "...Master Ji, this—this person injured Tangtang shamelessly before and was driven out. Now she's sneaked back in. I was just trying to teach her a lesson."

"Who knows if she's back for revenge?"

Shen Qingtang pressed her lips together. "She wouldn't."

The nanny immediately shot her a glare, silently ordering her to shut up.

"What are you all standing around for? Do I pay you to waste time?"

Ji Tingzhou ignored her, his gaze shifting to Ji Nian, who was watching the scene with amusement.

At his words, Ji Nian suddenly remembered.

"Oh right, I spent money—ordered over fifty yuan worth of skewers, and she confiscated them. Aren't you going to discipline your staff?"

Ji Nian glanced around.

A quick-witted servant hurried over with the takeout bag the nanny had nearly thrown away and handed it to her.

"Thanks," Ji Nian said politely.

Ji Tingzhou's indifferent gaze swept back to the stunned nanny.

Before ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‍she could process how Ji Nian dared to speak to Ji Tingzhou so casually, Zuo Yi—who had left earlier with Bruce—suddenly reappeared.

"Du Xuehua, as of now, you are dismissed from the Ji Family. Additionally, you will need to answer for embezzling wages, mistreating younger staff, and attempted theft."

With a signal from Zuo Yi, bodyguards immediately dragged her away.

The nanny was dumbfounded.

She turned desperately to Shen Qingtang, reaching out. "Tangtang! How can you let them do this to me!? I left my own daughter behind to raise you—I treated you like my own flesh and blood!"

"I know you resent me in some ways, but our years together meant something!"

"Don't you remember when you had a fever as a child? I stayed up all night by your side!"

Shen Qingtang's expression darkened with sorrow.

It was true—the nanny had once been kind to her, so much so that Shen Qingtang had almost seen her as a mother. But everything changed after they came to the Ji Family...

Ji Nian stayed silent, observing Shen Qingtang's reaction.

She knew this version of Shen Qingtang was different from the one she remembered. Even if she hesitated, even if she pleaded for mercy, it didn't matter.

Ji Nian would accept these flaws that others might criticize.

If Shen Qingtang couldn't let go of the past, then fine—she'd just make sure she stayed bedridden like in their previous life. As long as she was alive.

Ji Nian had it all planned out.

But then—

"You were good to me, and I'll always be grateful for that."

"But I'm sorry… I don't think you should continue working here."

Shen Qingtang kept her head lowered, refusing to meet the nanny's increasingly twisted expression.

A few days ago, she might have begged for leniency out of guilt. But after learning that the nanny had secretly been negotiating with the Gu Family—repeatedly proposing marriages and dowries under the Ji Family's name—she could no longer lie to herself.

This wasn't the same person who had once loved her unconditionally.

What truly solidified her resolve was seeing the change in Ji Nian.

She felt that if she remained the same, she would lose something irreplaceable.

The nanny's hysterical screams echoed as she was dragged away, as if she already knew that without Shen Qingtang's protection, prison awaited her.

But this wasn't enough for Ji Nian. She mentally sifted through poisons suited for people like the nanny, mildly troubled.

Which one should she pick?

The nanny, now being hauled off, suddenly shuddered—an inexplicable sense of dread creeping over her.

If she could turn back time, she would likely be filled with regret, wishing she had never crossed paths with that ominous figure, Ji Nian.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yulan was also taken away.

Compared to the nanny, Zhang Yulan's future would be far more wretched.

Unlike the nanny, her years of abusive behavior made Zuo Yi's nerves twitch as he reviewed the records.

Seeing Shen Qingtang's despondent expression, Ji Nian glanced at Ji Tingzhou and gave him a playful wink.

Then, she walked over to Shen Qingtang and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't be sad. You've only lost someone insignificant. What awaits you now are your grandparents—your own flesh and blood."