"Ji Tingting, what was that expression on your face just now?" Liu Juan gets annoyed whenever she sees Ji Tingting's aggrieved look.

Zhuangzhuang is so young, and he was almost kidnapped by human traffickers, so of course she should be loved more. Can't she be more open-minded and like other older brothers and sisters, loving her younger brother very much?

Who is she trying to impress with that bullied look she always has on her face?

She's grown up and has received all the love and care she deserves; now she should join her parents in loving and protecting her younger brother.

Seeing that she was angry with her daughter, Ji Yang quickly stopped her:

“Speak to Tingting more gently. It’s true that Zhuangzhuang needs care, but we can’t ignore our daughter’s feelings!”

I don't know what's wrong with my wife. She used to treat our daughter very well, but ever since Zhuangzhuang was born, she's been looking at our daughter with displeasure.

Tingting has also entered puberty and is not as obedient as before.

Of course, another possibility is that the wife may have grievances about her job.

After he was exonerated and transferred back to the capital, he actually had the opportunity to choose his job.

However, he gave up the powerful Industrial Committee and instead took on a critical mission, becoming the deputy director of a newly established department, the Economic Committee.

Moreover, he was in charge of foreign trade.

In this day and age, what kind of trade does the country have with foreign countries?

Liu Juan was furious. Her father had paved the way for him, but he just wouldn't take it and insisted on going out on his own. She wondered when he would ever be able to climb to the ministerial level.

...

During dinner, Jiang Ning's family also discussed their encounter with Ji Yang during the day.

"What a coincidence! I ran into someone who left a note while I was on the bus. What a wonderful coincidence!" Wang Xiufen exclaimed.

Lin Qiao chimed in, "I heard there are over a thousand people in this city. The chances of two people meeting are so slim, it's like it was destined by fate."

Jiang Ning put the child, who had been coaxed to sleep, on the bed and said with a smile:

"Some people are bound to meet sooner or later. If we hadn't met Uncle Ji on the bus today, we would have met him at Grandpa Ji's house."

In fact, when she recalled her past life, she couldn't find any memories of Ji Yang.

Could it be that, like Li Jiabao, he experienced a butterfly effect after being reborn?

For the time being, he should be a positive influencing factor.

On the day agreed upon with Ji Yang, Jiang Ning and Lin Chen happily accepted the invitation.

Ji Yang didn't bring Liu Juan, but instead brought his own daughter, Ji Tingting.

Liu Juan was naturally grateful to Jiang Ning, but the child was young and very fussy, and no one else could take care of him except her, so she could only stay at home to take care of the child.

When Jiang Ning saw Ji Yang, she naturally asked politely, "Why didn't your aunt come?"

"Don't mind her, the child only wants her to take care of him, he can't get away. Tingting, quickly call her Sister Ning, she's your brother's savior." Ji Yang said with a smile.

Ji Tingting forced a fake smile onto her stern face, which was her way of saying hello.

But in her heart, she felt that Jiang Ning was quite nosy. Since Zhuangzhuang was lost, so be it. Was she trying to use this incident to get closer to her family?

My mother told me that my maternal grandfather's current status is such that countless people want to curry favor with him, and some people can come up with all sorts of ways to get close to his family.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Ji Yang didn't bother to lecture her. Instead, he smiled and said to Jiang Wei:

"I don't know what your tastes are like, but this Beijing roast duck is pretty good. You should try it."

Jiang Ning thanked her repeatedly, saying, "You've gone to so much trouble."

Actually, they've tried all these local delicacies these days, and now they prefer home-cooked meals.

These delicious foods are fine to eat once in a while, but eating them too often will make you feel nauseous.

Only home-cooked dishes are something you never get tired of; you can eat them every day without getting bored.

Ji Tingting, however, mistook her modesty for naiveté and said to them as Ji Yang went to order food:

"You've never eaten such good food before, have you? A roast duck costs seven yuan and eighty cents. An average person's monthly salary can only buy five or six roast ducks. You'd probably have to save up for a long time to afford this, right?"

Her slightly disdainful yet arrogant expression almost made Jiang Ning burst out laughing.

Do such people really exist?

Even if you think that way, you can't say it out loud!

Saying such things to one's father's friend is truly a lesson in itself.

"Tingting, right? Didn't your dad tell you? Your villa in Zhengyangmen is number 89, which is right next to mine. I'm so glad we can be neighbors!" she said casually.

Ji Tingting's eyes widened, revealing an expression of disbelief.

The neighboring house is number 88, and that courtyard is even better than our own. All the furniture there was left over from Russia back then. It's stylish, made of high-quality materials, and will never be outdated, no matter how many years pass.

That courtyard costs at least ten thousand yuan.

"Don't try to fool me. If you're so rich that you can buy a courtyard house, why are you clinging to my father?"

Catching human traffickers was your own choice; we didn't beg you to do it.

In Ji Tingting's eyes, Jiang Ning is still someone who takes advantage of a favor.

Just then, Ji Yang returned and, upon hearing her say those words, flew into a rage and slapped her hard across the face.

“I brought you here to repay our benefactor, not to let you utter such treasonous words.”

Ji Tingting covered her face, looked at her father with hostility, and finally rushed out of the roast duck restaurant without saying a word.

Jiang Ning asked Ji Yang to go out and look for her daughter, but he coldly refused, saying, "It's nothing, don't worry about her. We've just spoiled her."

Soon, the roast duck was served. While the group ate, they chatted about various topics, but Ji Yang seemed somewhat distracted.

Ji Tingting rushed out of the restaurant and walked back along the road while crying.

Her mother was clearly biased, and her father even hit her over a trivial matter. Now, she was someone no one in the family cared about.

As she walked along, wallowing in self-pity, she accidentally bumped into someone.

Looking up, he was surprised to see his new, good friend Jiang Rou.

The Li family and her family were old friends. Although they had lost contact for some years, it did not diminish the friendship between the two families.

Ji Tingting and Li Jiabao, in particular, often played together when they were young and remained friends even as adults.

When Li Jiabao and Jiang Rou were dating, he introduced Jiang Rou to her.

Unexpectedly, the two had quite similar temperaments and quickly became friends.

"Tingting, why are you crying?" Jiang Rou quickly put her arm around her shoulder and walked her aside.

"Let me tell you, ever since Zhuangzhuang was born, my status has plummeted..."

Jiang Rou listened to her story about her parents and expressed her empathy:

"Me too. Just because I was adopted, I have an older sister who dominates me at home. I have no status at all, and no one cares about my feelings."

Feeling a pang of sadness about her tragic past, Ji Tingting gave Jiang Rou a bitter smile.

"What can I do? I can't force them to treat me well, right? It's all that Jiang Wei's fault. If she hadn't found my brother, I would be the only one being pampered by her now."

After she finished speaking, her expression darkened even more.

Jiang Rou's pupils widened as if in shock, and she shook his shoulders, asking:

"Is the person you just mentioned named Jiang Ning?"