âItâs not about that woman. I know youâre mesmerized by her now. How can you listen to me?â Xu Shaoqing said in a sharp voice. âWhat I want to tell you has something to do with your father.â
Ji Shiting frowned slightly.
âShiting, youâve always thought I betrayed your father, but you donât know that Xie Rui and I got together thanks to your father! Heâs fallen for someone else a long time ago, and he introduced Xie Rui to me because he was afraid I would be upset. He did it because...â
âStop it, Shaoqing!â He interrupted her.
It was Grandpa Ji. He walked out of the study and stood at the stairs.
âI have to say it today!â Xu Shaoqingâs face was beet red, seemingly having been holding it in for a long time. âShiting, you always thought your father died from an illness, didnât you? Actually, thatâs not the case at all. He was pretending to be sick. He was prepared to leave the Ji family and elope with another woman!â
Ji Shitingâs pupils contracted.
Ye Shenggeâs heart skipped a beat, and she hugged his arm tightly.
Sister Xiu and the other two servants retreated to the kitchen upon hearing the news.
There was an awkward silence in the living room. Xu Shaoqingâs chest heaved up and down as he stared at Ji Shiting with an intense gaze.
Before long, Grandpa Ji walked down the stairs and stood beside them.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ji Shiting looked at him.
Grandpa Ji smiled bitterly and agreed with Xu Shaoqing.
Ji Shitingâs face stiffened. He pursed his lips and said in a hoarse voice, âWho did he elope with?â
âXiao Ruilangâs mother, He Huan,â said Grandpa Ji. âThey went by sea but something happened to the cruise. Your father died, but He Huan was brought back by Xiao Cheng and tortured to death. Xiao Cheng and I spent a lot of effort to suppress this matter, and to avoid being noticed, the two families even had more contact than before.â
Ji Shiting chuckled and said, âI know he was involved with Xiao Ruilangâs mother. I thought Xiao Cheng killed his father.â
Xiao Ruilang had told him about Ji Ziliang and He Huanâs affair at the wedding on the cruise but Xiao Ruilang probably didnât know the real cause of Ji Ziliangâs death.
âNo.â Grandpa Ji shook his head. âBut even if your father isnât dead, Xiao Cheng wonât let him go given his personality. Your father is in the wrong indeed. He doesnât necessarily love He Huan. He just likes exciting. The more taboo, exciting, and romantic something is, the more he likes it. Thatâs how he is.â
Grandpa Ji let out a long sigh after saying that.
Ji Shiting had only heard about his father from his grandfather recently. He pursed his lips and didnât say anything for a long time.
âGrandpa knew how important your father was to you, so he didnât tell you the truth, afraid that his image in your heart would crumble.â Xu Shaoqing took a deep breath and said. âThatâs why I didnât tell you about it even though I knew you had a huge misunderstanding about me. However, youâre no longer a child.â
Xu Shaoqing looked at him.
However, she didnât see any guilt, which she had been expecting to see, on Ji Shitingâs face.
âYes, Iâm not a child anymore,â Ji Shiting said. âSo your concern no longer matters to me.â