Chapter 39

Ji Yan really came specifically to find Ji Feng. As a father, of his three children, he has given the most love and care to this youngest son. He often lamented that he spoiled his youngest son too much, which is why his youngest son is so good-for-nothing, disobedient, and insists on going into the entertainment industry to do nothing proper!

Although he complains and criticizes him every day, he cares about him a lot in secret. Yesterday, his butler reminded him that the young master had started a live stream, so he immediately opened a cute live streaming app to see what his son was doing.

He was getting old and didn't understand many things about his youngest children, nor did he know much about the entertainment industry. But when he heard his youngest son say that he hadn't had any work for the past few months, was starving, and was making money by supporting some friend's cronies, he couldn't sit still any longer.

Why would he stay at a friend's house? How could he not be familiar with his eldest son's house? So, early the next morning, he came to see his youngest son.

The father and son's arguments always revolved around the same few topics. Both men were straightforward, and as soon as Ji Yan sat down, he said, "If you don't want to go to your older brother's place, I can arrange for you to go somewhere else. You can choose any place you like."

Ji Feng knew his father would bring up this topic, and immediately said, "Dad, three years, give me three more years. My brother supports me in pursuing my own path. A person's life is only two or three hundred years, which is long in some ways and short in others. I just want to do what I want to do."

Ji Yan waved his hand forcefully to interrupt him: "What you're saying is all nonsense. What kind of reputation can you make on your own? The arrangements your family makes for you are the best. With your family as your backing, you can go further. For the people of the Ji family, it's all about joining the army, nothing else. If you insist on doing that kind of thing, I'm embarrassed to even mention you to others. You're shameful!"

Ji Feng's attitude was firm: "I don't feel ashamed. I'm just doing what I love and pursuing my dreams!"

Ji Yan scoffed: "Dreams? Don't I know what's going on? There's no clean business in that circle. It's all about dirty stuff between men and women. They appear glamorous on the surface, but they're actually rotten to the core. Your so-called dreams can be realized anytime you have money and power!"

Ji Feng knew this was true, but he still said, "You're right, but we can't generalize. There are still many people who truly pursue what they love, pursue art, rely on their own strength, work diligently, and improve their skills."

Neither father nor son could convince the other. Ji Yan pointed out the facts: "You've come this far, and you can't even support yourself. So tell me, how do you plan to stick to your dream?"

Ji Feng wasn't entirely confident either, but he still said, "I can support myself without any problem. I plan to continue my studies while streaming. Opportunities will come eventually."

Ji Yan shook his head, silently expressing his opposition and helplessness.

His son insisted on taking this path, and he couldn't bear to force him to stop. What else could he do?

The prolonged silence made Ji Feng feel somewhat guilty, realizing that he was indeed being willful because of his family's doting affection. However, he was truly unwilling to give up and wanted to try again.

"Alright, since you've made your decision, this is the last time. If you act willfully again in three years, I won't tolerate it anymore," Ji Yan said, standing up with a low, resigned tone.

Ji Feng knew his capriciousness had its limits. Looking at his slightly hunched father, he said, "Dad, thank you for supporting me again. If I haven't become the person I want in three years, I'll listen to your arrangements."

Ji Yan came over and patted his youngest son on the shoulder, saying, "Come home whenever you have time. I'll have Auntie cook you something delicious. You're all grown up now, and you all have your own things to do. It's hard to even see you."

Ji Feng hugged his father's arm and said, "Oh dear, I go back often, don't I? My second sister went back a few months ago too, didn't she? It's not as miserable as you make it out to be."

Ji Yan widened his eyes and retorted, "You don't go back often, do you? By the way, where's your Yuan? You think I don't know it's yours, or that your friend's? You think you can fool me?"

Ji Feng shook his head: "It's really not mine, Dad. Don't mess with me. If this original person is lost, we can't find another one."

Because he took five million from his brother, he didn't dare say that his brother was supporting him. If he did, his father might impulsively kill Qiao, and that would be the end of him.

This was Ji Yan's first time visiting Ji Fang's villa. The reason he recognized Ji Feng at his older brother's place was because he regularly video-communicated with Ji Fang, so he was familiar with the style and furnishings of his eldest son's house.

Ji Feng accompanied his father as they toured his eldest brother's house. Ji Yan looked around the study and then the living room, quite pleased with his eldest son's organized, meticulous, and minimalist style—it was exactly like his own. Then he suggested going to see Ji Fang's bedroom, saying, "I remember your brother has a family photo at home, along with many childhood pictures. I'd like to see them."

Ji Feng realized that Qiao Ye might also be in the bedroom, and immediately became alert: "Um, Dad, this is my older brother's bedroom. Everyone needs privacy. Maybe we shouldn't go!"

Ji Yan, hands behind his back, said, "What can't I see? Do you think I'm keeping a mistress in a gilded cage? Open the door!"

Although Ji Yan is old, he is still a person with a mental strength of 3S. Even if Ji Feng does not want to open it, he can force the robot butler to open it.

Before Ling Yu could make a move, the door opened; it was Qiao who opened it.

Ji Yan stared at Qiao Ye, his deep eyes putting a lot of pressure on Qiao Ye. It turned out that Ji Fang's eye color was the same as his father's.

Ji Yan entered the room and stood a meter or two away from the door. He did not take any further action. He just stared at the family photo on the bedside table for a while, and then walked out of the room without saying a word.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw the original man standing by the wall and said, "Come here!"

Qiao knew this was directed at him, and quietly walked over. Qiao didn't sense any malice from her master's father, nor did she feel any danger, even though Ji Feng made it sound very serious.

Qiao walked beside him, and Ji Yan reached out and patted his head. Qiao did not resist; his master's father's hand was warm.

Ji Yan's expression was unreadable, neither liking nor disliking him. He said with certainty, "Yuan, whom Ji Fang raised, is quite well-behaved."

Qiao tilted his head without denying it, but Ji Feng seemed a little guilty: "Dad, he really is my friend. How could my older brother possibly raise Yuan?"

Ji Yan gave him a look that said, "You're still lying to me," and pointed at the pet clothes hanging in Ji Fang's room: "Do you think I'm blind? If this wasn't your older brother's pet, would you be so nervous? If it wasn't your older brother's pet, would you let it sleep in your older brother's room?"

Ji Feng was speechless.

Ji Yan merely touched Qiao Ye before withdrawing his hand, seemingly no longer interested in her. However, he remarked, "She does seem quite intelligent and can even understand human speech. Were you raising her as a battle pet before?"

Qiao shook his head this time.

Ji Yan was somewhat surprised. He was actually asking Ji Feng if he could understand human speech to this extent. He then tentatively asked the original human, "So, it's the one Ji Feng is raising for fun?"

Joe hesitated for a moment. His master hadn't initially intended to keep him. It seemed that he was kept because he could cure the master's insomnia and help stabilize his emotions. So he wasn't a mere plaything, but rather a being that could serve the master.

So, Qiao shook his head again.

Ji Yan pondered for a moment, looked at Qiao Ye thoughtfully for a long time, then said nothing, put his hands behind his back and walked away in a daze.

However, Joe also felt that his master's father seemed to know everything. He had overheard his master and father communicating before, and it felt like they were superior and subordinate, without any father-son relationship. He had thought that his master's father didn't like him, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

Perhaps this is the silent, unspoken love of a father.

Because of Ji Feng's powerful imagination, no matter what Qiao Ye does, Ji Feng thinks it's normal. This attitude of not treating him like a pet makes Qiao Ye more and more unleash his true nature, and he's almost about to start speaking the Coen language here.

However, Joe held back, because his identity in this world was always Yuan, and that was his bottom line. He didn't want to be an outcast.

Joe also learned about the live streaming process online. Since he had a miTu account that could be directly linked, it was very simple. He just needed to be ready to start live streaming.

Qiao continued to text Ji Fang every day. After hesitating for a moment, he sent two words with a slight sense of shame: "Master..."

Since he was able to send text messages, Qiao had never addressed Ji Fang by name. Calling him by name seemed inappropriate, since Ji Fang was his benefactor and he was merely a pet. Calling him "General" also felt wrong, since he wasn't Ji Fang's subordinate. Calling him "Boss" felt even stranger.

Calling someone "master" is too embarrassing, Qiao thought, and then he saw that Ji Fang, whom he hadn't been able to contact for a long time, had actually replied with a message:

[Huh? I can actually send messages to my master now?]

Qiao's fingers trembled slightly; his joy outweighed his earlier embarrassment. He was very excited:

You finally replied to me! How are you? When are you coming back?

Ji Fang was surprised when he received the message from his original self, because the sender was "Qiao Ye". However, when he looked at the profile picture, it was still his original self. It seemed that he had changed his name.

For a moment, Ji Fang had some doubts. Could the original humans be this smart? Are there really pets that can communicate with their owners? He read a long message. The sentences started out awkward but became more and more fluent, showing that he was making continuous progress.

Ji Fang was momentarily unsure how to reply to the pet's message, but his tone involuntarily softened, even becoming somewhat coaxing—an experience Ji Fang had never had before.

Be a good girl at home, listen to Ji Feng, and eat your food properly, okay?

After a while, your owner will come home and treat you to something delicious.

Qiao also saw Ji Fang's reply, which made him feel like he was being treated like a child, and felt strange. He replied:

I'm not a child; I can take care of myself.

Ji Fang smiled knowingly at the reply, and the tension he felt while fighting the alien beasts on the front line eased a lot. His mental state softened, and the guards around him could feel it.

[Okay, you're not a child. Did you change your nickname yourself? Or was your name 'Qiao Ye' before?] Ji Fang was a little confused.

Regarding his name, Qiao Ye had wanted to change it for a long time. He replied, "Yes, I'll be called 'Qiao Ye'."

Ji Fang understood. Considering that Wei Liangguan's Xiao Guai was also captured and taken to the Yuanren Hot Pot Restaurant, the Qiao he picked up was very likely someone else's.

However, since the original owner is his, then it is his. Even if his former owner comes to ask for it back, Ji Fang has never returned anything he has ever done.

The situation at the border is getting worse and worse. It will probably take more than a month for this situation to calm down. Ji Fang looked at the snow-covered wilderness, forests and mountains in the distance, his thoughts unsettled.

The guards found their leader's mental state and emotional changes today quite intriguing. Gao Zhixiang whispered to his comrade Zhao Xiaolin, "Hey, look at our leader, isn't he acting strangely today?"

Zhao Xiaolin scratched his head sheepishly and guessed, "Maybe our boss is in love? Men in love always act weird. When my brother was in love, he was laughing one minute and irritable the next..."

Gao Zhixiang stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then agreed wholeheartedly: "What you said makes a lot of sense. I think it's very likely. Only in this situation would the boss show that kind of expression."

"Shadow" Zhao Hongwu suddenly appeared: "What kind of expression is that?"

Gao Zhixiang and Zhao Xiaolin were startled by their sudden appearance. Gao Zhixiang said irritably, "That kind of doting expression! Have you ever seen our boss like that before?"

"It seems not..."

Qiao was overjoyed to have contacted Ji Fang. Meanwhile, Ji Feng received a long-awaited call from his agent, finally being remembered and given work again.

But what about his brother's original body? Are they going to take the entire film crew with him?