"You'll be a first-year high school student next semester, right?"

"Um."

[So the story officially begins next semester. Xiao Ye and Su Ge will not only be in the same school but also the same class. Then Xiao Mo transfers back from his hometown and starts his entanglement with Su Ge, and Xiao Ye becomes the victim of their love.]

Ji Ye paused in his porridge-drinking motion, hearing it again. It was that name again. What was his relationship with Su Ge? And who was Xiao Mo? But he was in the direct-entry class; how could someone from another class transfer in so easily?

[Oh dear, although we avoided their first meeting, what are we going to do afterward? We can't just transfer Xiaoye to another school for no reason, can we? But we really can't accept Xiaoye's fate. How can such a promising young man be ruined for a woman?]

Ji Ye looked at Song Xia's furrowed brows and really wanted to ask what was going on, but the fact that she could hear his thoughts was too amazing. What if Aunt Song was so frightened that she moved out of the villa?

To be honest, he didn't want this to happen, so he could only pretend nothing was wrong. Now, he needed to find out who Su Ge and Xiao Mo really were. Regardless of whether what Aunt Song said was true or not, he had to keep his distance from them and avoid this outcome.

Actually, he was still somewhat skeptical; he couldn't imagine himself going to such lengths for a girl.

"Should we start adding some courses?"

Song Xia thought to herself: [If all my free time is filled up, will I be able to avoid getting entangled with Su Ge as much as possible?]

Ji Ye was quite helpless, but adding more courses didn't seem to be a big deal, since he could manage everything else as it was.

"Okay, Aunt Song, you can arrange it as you see fit."

"Okay, you said it yourself, so you're not allowed to say you're tired later."

"Yes, I said so." Ji Ye smiled. Since she was so worried about him, he would listen to her words to put her mind at ease.

After his birthday came summer vacation. Ji Ye graduated from junior high school and officially entered high school. However, he was in a direct-entry class. In addition, the Ji family donated money to the school every year, so Ji Ye did not need to worry about the issue of further education.

During the summer vacation, Song Xia began to arrange various courses for Ji Ye. In addition to the necessary economics and management courses, many social and defense courses were also put on the agenda. She even enrolled him in two international tourism exchange programs.

Ji Ye had been exposed to these things before, but he had never learned them so deeply or in such a large way as this time. The feeling of knowledge squeezing into his mind was both torturous and exciting, but the results were also remarkable. He could clearly feel his own growth. After the summer vacation, he was able to talk to his grandfather about many things related to the company.

Grandpa Ji was very pleased: "Seeing you like this, I'm relieved. It seems she's taken good care of you."

Ji Ye smiled and said, "Aunt Song is indeed very kind."

"It's good that you two get along so well. You can ask her anything you don't understand in the company. In a few days, I will appoint her as the Marketing Director of Ji's Group. If there are no major problems, I will appoint her as the General Manager of Ji's Group a year later."

Although he now considers Aunt Song as family, Ji Ye was still surprised by how much his grandfather valued her.

Old Master Ji laughed heartily: "You don't know, do you? In the past two months, she has won a major bid on behalf of Ji's branch. Once this project is completed, Ji's branch will have an extra small amount of net profit."

A small profit margin is not much for the Ji family, but for a branch company, a small profit margin is really high. Therefore, Old Master Ji was unwilling to let Song Xia stay in that branch company, which would be beneath her talents.

Although he is not very old, he is ill and no one knows when his condition will worsen. If he passes away before his grandson grows up, wouldn't the shareholders at the head office take advantage of the grandson's young age? His son, Ji Jianfei, is unreliable, and if he listens to the instigation of some mistress or illegitimate child and interferes, it will be even more difficult.

Therefore, he was eager to promote someone he could trust to temporarily protect the Ji family from chaos for his grandson, and Song Xia was the best choice.

After listening, Ji Ye nodded: "Aunt Song is indeed very capable."

"It's rare that you two have such a good relationship, but Grandpa still has to remind you that everyone has ambition. She is capable, and before you grow up, she might win over some of the higher-ups in the Ji family. So once you have the strength to take over, Song Xia can no longer stay in the Ji family."

Ji Ye exclaimed in astonishment, "Grandpa? Isn't this...?"

“I know you want to renege on your promise, but Grandpa has already given her so much, that’s enough. If it weren’t for my tolerance, she would never have had the chance to experience these things.”

Although it was hard to accept logically, looking into his grandfather's aged yet sharp eyes, Ji Ye nodded: "Grandpa, don't worry, the Ji family can only be the Ji family."

"Yes, it's good that you know it in your heart." After giving his instructions, Grandpa Ji seemed even more tired. "I don't know if Grandpa will be able to see the day you get married in the future."

Ji Ye felt a pang of sadness: "Grandpa, you're in good health. That day will come."

"Given your father's current state, Grandpa won't force you into an arranged marriage anymore. Just find a girlfriend you like, be wary of your father, and give him pocket money every month. None of his mistresses are easy to deal with."

"Grandpa, I will."

"I'll give you all the shares, but you must take good care of him in his old age and see him off when he dies. Don't mistreat him..." The old man, feeling weak, slowly fell asleep.

Ji Ye nodded and promised, "Don't worry, Grandpa, I won't let him be poor in his old age."

When he got home, Song Xia wasn't there; only Xiao Wu was wagging its tail to greet him. Ji Ye squatted down and asked, "What does she feed you every day? How come you've suddenly grown so big?"

Aunt Wu came out of the kitchen with a pleasant surprise: "Young Master, why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"

"I went to see Grandpa first. Aunt Song is still at the company and hasn't come back yet?"

"Yes, Madam has been very busy lately."

Ji Ye guessed it, and went upstairs to wash up by himself, with Xiao Wu following behind him the whole time. As soon as he entered the door, Xiao Wu bit his big bear.

"You're so big now, why are you still biting things? Let go!" Ji Ye hurriedly came over and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the teddy bear hadn't been chewed up. Now that he looked at it, the bear didn't seem so awkward anymore.

To prevent Xiao Wu from causing trouble again, he first locked her on the balcony, and then went into the bathroom to wash up.

Once everything was finished, he lay down on the rocking chair on the balcony, picked up his phone and turned it on, only to be greeted by a barrage of missed calls and voice messages.

Tsk, yesterday was Mei Jiao's birthday. Seeing that I not only didn't attend but also didn't give her a gift, she's starting to get angry, isn't she? How interesting. She's just a sister from the same mother; I don't have any extra obligations to her. If Mei Jiao's parents were both dead, I'd have a legal obligation to support them, but what does it have to do with me if they're not? Want my property? Dream on! That all belongs to the Ji family; why should it be given to an outsider?