“What? You—” Ji Hongwen’s complexion stiffened in anger. As his eyes turned cold, he raised his hand to grip his chest, staring at the kneeling Ji Mengran in disbelief.
The entire Ji family knew of the deep hatred Ji Hongwen had for Sheng Yihan. On the Spring Festival many years ago, Ji Nuan had been alone at home and had nearly been forced by Sheng Yihan. This was the Ji family’s greatest taboo and no one ever dared to mention it. This was because they all knew Ji Hongwen held deep regret for this incident, and was extremely sensitive and disgusted by it. For many years, he struggled to come to terms with his slight carelessness that almost caused irreversible harm to Ji Nuan.
Ji Nuan was too aware of the power of the facts she had spoken, yet she still said it.
Some people really forced themselves into a corner; there was no point blaming others.
“Dad, she is speaking nonsense, those are all lies. I’ve been to the Ji home for the past two days. You should know this as well. I’ve been at home the whole time… I didn’t even leave last night. I couldn’t have shown up there. I wasn’t at the banquet she spoke of. On what basis is she slandering me? Dad, it’s all fake, you can’t trust Ji Nuan’s words… Dad, I beg you… ah!”
With a “peng” sound, before Ji Mengran could finish crying her words out, she was abruptly kicked back onto the carpet by Ji Hongwen.
Ji Mengran appeared not to have felt any pain as she rushed to crawl back to his feet. “Dad… Dad… I didn’t do it…”
“You actually dared to use such disgusting methods against Ji Nuan? No matter what, both of you are Qing Lin’s birth daughter; you have the same mother! Is this how you treat your own older sister? That Sheng Yihan brat had evil intentions against Ji Nuan from the start! That’s why I chased him out of the Ji family. Right now, he has his mind set on destroying the Ji family. Not only are you intent on sticking with him, you actually dared to send Ji Nuan to his bed?!” Ji Hongwen’s voice grew rough from his anger. “Over and over again, you made more mistakes. Each one of them more unforgivable than the other, but I can tell that because Ji Nuan is grateful to the Ji family for raising her, she never once took extreme measures against you nor did she push you into a dead end. In fact, if you were willing to quit provoking her, you could have lived quietly with your studio as you wished, yet you insisted looking for trouble with her!”
“Dad, it’s not true… I didn’t drug her… I didn’t do it…” Ji Mengran was still resisting. She sobbed heavily as she knelt by his feet, hugging his knee tightly. “If I really drugged her, why would she be here right now?”
Ji Nuan calmly glanced at Ji Mengran: “Aren’t you clear on why and how exactly the police came to block the Ji home’s entrance today? You sent me to Sheng Yihan’s bed and drugged us. You even arranged reporters to be at the door, for them to wait for the right opportunity to charge in and take photos of us on the bed. I’m sure you must have considered the consequences of ruining me. After all, using such a method would implicate Mo Jingshen. He definitely wouldn’t let you off. You should have known that there wouldn’t be a good ending for you, but you were determined to end yourself with me, for me to accompany you as your reputation is ruined. You wanted the reporters to reveal the photos of me rolling about in bed with Sheng Yihan, en?”
“But your only mistake was failing to consider that I would knock Sheng Yihan out in the room. And you failed to consider that Mo Jingshen would rush over in time to take me away. Otherwise, your intricate scheme of taking me down with you would truly kill two birds with one stone. It would have really been outstanding!”
“Stop talking!” Ji Mengran cried sharply. “Ji Nuan! I hate you! Shut up… you’re not allowed to say more!”
Ji Mengran’s face was dripping with tears: “Dad, it isn’t like that. This is all a misunderstanding…”
Before she could finish speaking, Ji Hongwen kicked her aside again. She received another blow and stumbled backward onto the ground, cutting an extremely sorry figure.
Ji Hongwen’s complexion was stiff green. He pointed his finger at her and spoke sternly: “You’re really unrestrained and out of your mind! I originally thought you were just a trash. Who would have thought you would be able to do something so extreme and stupid!”
“It’s not like that, Dad…”
“Shut your mouth! Right now, I only want the police to take you away! I, Ji Hongwen, will never acknowledge you as my daughter again in this lifetime!” Ji Hongwen stood up and did not look at her again. He knitted his brows and turned to ask Ji Nuan. “Nuan Nuan, did Mo Jingshen rush over in time? You’re sure that you’re unharmed?”
“I’m fine. The only person who was harmed was Sheng Yihan. In order to protect myself, I knocked him out with an ashtray. I heard that he is still unconscious in the hospital,” Ji Nuan said with a composed expression.
Ji Hongwen closed his eyes and appeared to be suppressing his rage. He spat out his words in a single breath: “You’re both the daughters I’ve raised, does it matter if your surname is Ji? Who would have thought that the one who truly had the surname Ji would lose her mind to this extent!”
Ji Mengran’s cries rang once more. She spoke hoarsely as she cried: “It’s because you’ve always been biased to Ji Nuan! That’s why I grew to hate her more and more! The reason we’ve come to this stage is all because of you faults, isn’t it!”
“You still dare to say that I’m biased? You brought this up more than once since you were young, and I’ve reminded you countless times. I’ve never been biased toward anyone. In fact, Ji Nuan always gave up all of her good things to you, what more are you asking for?”
“Do you dare to say that, you haven’t been extra biased to Ji Nuan because she looks more like Mom? Do you dare to say it?” Ji Mengran shouted.
“Even if she looks more like Qing Lin, you are my birth daughter. Is there a need for me to be biased?” Ji Hongwen retorted.
Ji Mengran sat down on the ground and chuckled coldly: “There it is. You’ve admitted it. Her appearance is especially similar to Mom’s. If not for this, why would you possibly raise someone else’s child! I wonder which rubbish dump Mom gave birth to her. Someone who doesn’t even know the identity of her birth father, what right does she have to be so complacent? Our Ji family fed her and clothed her. If it wasn’t for you and the Ji family, she would likely already have starved to death. A trash like this, what right does she have to compete with me in the Ji family. What right…”
Abruptly, a cold, stern voice rang from the entrance. “Even without the Ji family, so long as her mother had carried her back to the Xiao family back then, she would be the Xiao family’s treasure right now. What right do you have to insult her?”
Ji Mengran’s voice faltered. She abruptly raised her head and watched as the villa door was kicked open. A man around the age of fifty walked in.
If she recalled properly, this was the Ling Xiao Group’s chairman, Xiao Zhenjun.
Ji Nuan failed to process these words for a moment. She turned back to see that Elder Xiao had actually entered the Ji family’s door.
The moment he saw Xiao Zhenjun, Ji Hongwen’s originally pale complexion turned worse. He coldly watched the man who was of comparable age as him.
