ATCF sponsored chapter (1/1) from bon! Buy me a koffee on ko-fi for more chapters. Thank you for your support!
After returning home, Jiang Li immediately found Feng Qi and recounted the day’s events in detail: from how Jiang Zhou had bribed the doctor who conducted her medical check-up, how he had secretly taken her blood sample for kidney compatibility testing with Jiang Ruo, and how Qin Zheng had accidentally discovered this and called to warn her to be cautious of Jiang Zhou.
Even before Jiang Li finished, Feng Qi’s expression had turned icy cold. She instinctively tugged at his sleeve and called out, “Uncle?”
Feng Qi snapped back to reality, his expression gradually softening. “Don’t worry, I’ll have someone keep an eye on those people from the Jiang family.” He assured her gently. “They won’t get the chance to hurt you.”
Jiang Li nodded, “Thank you, Uncle.”
Feng Qi teased her, “Didn’t you enjoy calling me ‘Dad’ before? Isn’t it natural for a dad to solve his daughter’s problems? There’s no need to thank me.”
Jiang Li was stunned for a few seconds, then played along, “If I keep calling you ‘Dad,’ people might think you have an eighteen-year-old daughter. See how you find a girlfriend then!”
Honestly, even if Jiang Li kept calling Feng Qi “Dad,” she didn’t think people would misunderstand. His youthful appearance—looking like someone in his twenties while in fact already over thirty—was misleading. People might mistake him for her brother, but definitely not her father.
Feng Qi chuckled at her comment, “You don’t need to worry about that because I already have a girlfriend.”
Jiang Li’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Since when?”
Before Feng Qi could respond, she continued, “Is it an online girlfriend?”
Her third uncle was always buried in his lab work, and even the biotech company he owned was mainly managed by his assistant. With how busy he was, it was hard to believe that he had time to find an aunt for her!
Feng Qi tapped his knuckle on her forehead, “Your grandpa always said that I’ve long considered my lab my girlfriend. Haven’t you heard that?”
“…” Indeed, Grandpa did often make such remarks, but he was mainly complaining about how Third Uncle was so focused on his career and neglected his dating life. It wasn’t meant to be taken literally!
Seeing her speechless, Feng Qi let out another chuckle. After a few seconds, he suddenly said, “Xiao Lizi, promise your uncle two things.”
“What two things?”
Feng Qi spoke seriously, “First, online relationships are unreliable because when you communicate over the internet, you imagine the person you’re chatting with and do not see them as a real person, which can lead to misconceptions. So, no online dating, can you do that?”
Jiang Li nodded, “That’s easy. I only add contacts of people I personally know, so that can’t happen.”
Feng Qi nodded slightly, then continued, “Second, it’s best not to date during your university years. You’re still young and could easily be deceived by those with bad intentions. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
Jiang Li was surprised, “Uncle, my undergraduate program lasts five years. I’ll be twenty-three by the time I graduate. Wouldn’t it be too late to start dating then?”
Feng Qi paused for a few seconds, then admitted, “Well… that’s indeed not very reasonable.”
Jiang Li flashed a mischievous smile, “But since you’ve already claimed to be my dad, I’ll reluctantly agree to your conditions.”
Feng Qi shook his head, “If it’s unreasonable, there’s no need to agree. But if you meet someone you like, make sure to tell me first, so I can check him out for you.”
Back then, Feng Yun stubbornly chose to elope with Jiang Huai, ignoring the objections of her entire family and causing chaos at home. Her daughter Xiao Lizi, on the other hand, was astute and clear-headed, so she was very unlikely to ever make such an impulsive decision. However, Feng Qi still couldn’t help but worry that his niece might be deceived by those with ulterior motives. At least, if she discussed it with him first, he could vet the person in advance, which added an extra layer of assurance.
At Feng Qi’s request, Jiang Li readily agreed, “No problem, Third Uncle. If I start dating, you’ll be the first to know.”
In her previous life, Jiang Li had never known her biological father, nor had she ever acknowledged Jiang Huai as her father after transmigrating. In many ways, the role of a father had always been absent for her. She might not know what a real father should be like, but she was certain that her uncle was as good as any father could be.
Seeing Jiang Li agree to his conditions, Feng Qi affectionately ruffled her hair, “Good. Remember what you said today.”
Jiang Li made a face. When she was about to leave Feng Qi’s room, he reminded her: “Don’t tell your grandfather yet about this matter.”
Seeing Jiang Li nod, he added, “And don’t tell your third brother either.”
Given Feng Bai’s naïve nature, letting him know would mean the whole family would find out.
Jiang Li nodded, “I’ve only told you, Uncle, and I won’t tell anyone else since you’ve asked me not to.”
Sensing her trust and reliance on him brought another smile to Feng Qi’s eyes, “Alright, I’ll handle this. Aside from your driving lessons, try to stay home as much as possible.”
Jiang Li nodded again, “I’m going to sleep now, good night, Uncle.”
Feng Qi nodded, “Good night.”
But ensuring a good night was not so simple. After Jiang Li left, Feng Qi immediately called his assistant. As soon as the call connected, he spoke icily, “Keep a watch on all the Jiang family members 24/7. Report anything unusual to me immediately.”
The assistant was stunned for a moment, then asked cautiously, “Did someone from the Jiang family upset you, sir?”
Feng Qi scoffed, “Jiang Ruo has chronic kidney failure, and Jiang Zhou bribed the doctor who does our family’s medical check-up to secretly take Xiao Lizi’s blood sample for compatibility testing. They’re likely to make a move soon.”
“How dare he?” the assistant exclaimed, utterly shocked. Although Jiang Zhou was also Third Master Feng’s nephew, the assistant was well aware that his boss had never really considered Jiang Zhou as a nephew. In the third master’s eyes, Jiang Zhou’s status might be even lower than that of a stranger. Now, with Jiang Zhou doing something so despicable to Miss Jiang Li for his fake sister, the third master was even less likely to care about familial ties.
Feng Qi was not in the mood for small talk and curtly instructed, “Make sure they are closely watched. Don’t overlook anyone, not even the family’s drivers or maids.”
The assistant immediately responded, “Don’t worry, sir. I’ll make sure they are closely monitored. The Jiang family isn’t what it used to be; Jiang Huai has cut back on a lot of the household staff, and there aren’t many people left there now.” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled, and blurted out, “Sir, why don’t we strike first?”
In the assistant’s view, Feng Qi could easily have acted against the doctor bribed by Jiang Zhou, ensuring he couldn’t remain in his professional circle, and then exposed Jiang Zhou’s bribery to preemptively curb the trouble.
Moreover, it might be a good time to leak the fact that Jiang Ruo is Jiang Huai’s illegitimate daughter! By then, with internal turmoil within the Jiang family, Jiang Zhou might even reconsider acknowledging Jiang Ruo as his sister, let alone plotting against Miss Jiang Li for her kidney.
“It’s just giving someone an opportunity.” At the assistant suggestion, Feng Qi scoffed lightly. He was truly curious whether Feng Yun would come begging Xiao Lizi for her husband’s illegitimate daughter.
“Uh? Ah, I see,” the assistant seemed to understand, yet not completely.
“You seem to disapprove of my approach?”
“No, not at all, sir. Absolutely not.” The assistant quickly denied it, then added, “Third Master Feng is the wisest person in the world, and his approach is beyond reproach.”
After hesitating for a couple of seconds, the assistant continued, “I’m just puzzled, sir, why you would give her another chance?”
Previously, when the third master had obtained evidence that Jiang Ruo was Jiang Huai’s illegitimate daughter, he had hesitated over whether to give the paternity test results to his sister. However, later Miss Feng was befuddled enough to try to convince the Feng family to publicly acknowledge Jiang Ruo as another daughter of the Jiang family, which completely infuriated the third master. Believing that fools should live a harder life, he simply refrained from giving her the paternity test results.
And so, it was quite surprising that the third master would still give Miss Feng another chance despite Jiang Zhou’s despicable actions.
Was it because he still cared about his sister? But with the Third Master’s character, that seemed very unlikely!
Faced with the assistant’s confusion, Feng Qi explained coolly, “The previous opportunity was one I gave her.”
The assistant still didn’t quite understand, “And this opportunity now…”
“It’s one I’m giving on behalf of my father,” Feng Qi clarified. He himself might not recognize that so-called sister, but his father still harbored hopes about his beloved daughter, which he was well aware of.
Although he had suppressed Jiang Huai’s company over the years, he had not completely crushed it, solely because he knew his father would be distressed for Feng Yun. But now, Feng Qi really wanted to see if Feng Yun would actually come to ask Xiao Lizi to donate a kidney for that so-called adopted daughter.
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next>
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
We all already suspected JR was JH’s illegitimate daughter, now I shall patiently wait for the big explosion.