“It’s not about that woman. I know you’re mesmerized by her now. How can you listen to me?” Xu Shaoqing said in a sharp voice. “What I want to tell you has something to do with your father.”
Ji Shiting frowned slightly.
“Shiting, you’ve always thought I betrayed your father, but you don’t know that Xie Rui and I got together thanks to your father! He’s 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…”
“Stop it, Shaoqing!” He interrupted her.
It was Grandpa Ji. He walked out of the study and stood at the stairs.
“I have to say it today!” Xu Shaoqing’s face was beet red, seemingly having been holding it in for a long time. “Shiting, you always thought your father died from an illness, didn’t you? Actually, that’s not the case at all. He was pretending to be sick. He was prepared to leave the Ji family and elope with another woman!”
Ji Shiting’s pupils contracted.
Ye Shengge’s 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 Shaoqing’s 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.
Ji Shiting looked at him.
Grandpa Ji smiled bitterly and agreed with Xu Shaoqing.
Ji Shiting’s face stiffened. He pursed his lips and said in a hoarse voice, “Who did he elope with?”
“Xiao Ruilang’s mother, He Huan,” said Grandpa Ji. “They 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.”
Ji Shiting chuckled and said, “I know he was involved with Xiao Ruilang’s mother. I thought Xiao Cheng killed his father.”
Xiao Ruilang had told him about Ji Ziliang and He Huan’s affair at the wedding on the cruise but Xiao Ruilang probably didn’t know the real cause of Ji Ziliang’s death.
“No.” Grandpa Ji shook his head. “But even if your father isn’t dead, Xiao Cheng won’t let him go given his personality. Your father is in the wrong indeed. He doesn’t necessarily love He Huan. He just likes exciting. The more taboo, exciting, and romantic something is, the more he likes it. That’s how he is.”
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 didn’t say anything for a long time.
“Grandpa knew how important your father was to you, so he didn’t tell you the truth, afraid that his image in your heart would crumble.” Xu Shaoqing took a deep breath and said. “That’s why I didn’t tell you about it even though I knew you had a huge misunderstanding about me. However, you’re no longer a child.”
Xu Shaoqing looked at him.
However, she didn’t see any guilt, which she had been expecting to see, on Ji Shiting’s face.
“Yes, I’m not a child anymore,” Ji Shiting said. “So your concern no longer matters to me.”
