Chapter 194 They're just not related by blood, it's not like they're unrelated.
Jiang An gave an awkward grin. "Um, could you help me move Zhizhi's things inside first?"
Ji Yanjing raised an eyebrow and finally took the cub from his hands and held it in his arms.
"Okay, come in."
In the still of the night, Jiang Anchao busied himself moving all of Zhizhi's belongings, including her clothes, food, and shelter. The courtyard house in Commander Ji's house was allocated to him years ago. Commander Ji had many children, so he was allocated five large rooms.
Unfortunately, the children rarely come back, leaving the old man alone at home.
Jiang Anchao handed the only washbasin to Zhenwei, and then went to clean the warmest empty room for Zhizhi, acting like an all-around nanny.
I grabbed a rag I brought from home and wiped the bed clean. I then laid out a thick mattress, a fluffy sheet, and even brought Zhizhi's favorite pink floral plush quilt.
After tidying up the bed, he arranged all of Zhizhi's favorite dolls one by one.
Ji Yanjing leaned against the door frame, unable to bear the sight.
"You're a grown man, do you have to be so meticulous? Even though this place is empty, a housekeeper comes to clean and tidy it up every day. You can stay here even if you don't bring your own luggage."
Old Jiang spoils the child so much, isn't he afraid that he'll raise Zhizhi to be an unruly person?
Then he'd truly be a devil incarnate.
“You don’t understand. Raising a daughter is very meticulous. Raising a son is easy; he can survive on just a little food and a towel is enough for a bath. But for a daughter, you have to prepare shampoo, face soap, and face cream. Something has happened at my home, so I have to send Zhizhi to her maternal grandfather’s house for a while. I’ll have to ask you to take good care of her during this time.”
Ji Yanjing frowned. "What happened to your family?"
Why does it suddenly feel like someone is entrusting their child to another family?
After Jiang Anchao bent over and wiped away the last bit of dust from the ground, he felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.
He forced a smile. "It's a long story about a child without a mother... It can't be explained in just a few words."
"Then let's get straight to the point!"
Ji Yanjing was determined to get to the bottom of things.
Jiang Anchao pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "Zhizhi's biological father has been found."
The words fell like a thunderclap from a clear sky, causing Ji Yanjing's eyes to narrow. "Isn't her biological father the second son of Sangjiapo who was imprisoned?"
"No, when Ji Enning was abducted to Sangjiapo for the second time, she was already pregnant with Zhizhi. Look at Zhizhi's appearance, she doesn't look like someone Sang Lao Er could give birth to."
Jiang Anchao tried to sound as relaxed as possible, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide the bitterness on his face.
“Zhizhi’s biological father is my brother. He had been missing for a while, but he suddenly came back because he found out where Zhizhi was and wanted to take the child. I didn’t want him to take Zhizhi away, and he threatened me… So I had no other choice but to send the child here to lay low for a while.”
"etc!"
Ji Yanjing interrupted him, "You mean, my sister dated him before, got pregnant, and then was kidnapped and taken to the mountains, where she was abused by Sang Lao Er?"
Although he really didn't want him to accept such a cruel fact, Jiang Anchao still nodded.
"According to his current account, Ji Enning was maliciously taken away while she was pregnant. He was unable to prevent this tragedy from happening because of the confidential nature of his work."
For the first time, Ji Yanjing's face revealed blatant anger.
His hands, which hung down by his trousers, were clenched into fists, and the veins on his forearms were clearly visible.
"How dare he come here to take the child away? Does he even deserve to be a father?!"
When the Ji family learned that Zhizhi was Enning's only bloodline, they had considered taking the child back to their side and living a good life together.
But the father said that Jiang Anchao and Deng Qiu were very good to their child, and they could not deprive the child of the warmth of family just because they considered themselves blood relatives.
Therefore, the Ji family decided to love her silently, visit her from time to time, and not disturb her life.
Now some strange man with an unknown face has come along, claiming to be her biological father and trying to take Zhizhi away.
Was he having a crazy dream? Or did the seawater damage his brain after he jumped into the Huangpu Bridge?
Jiang Anchao lowered his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness.
“I want to question him even more than you do. He left for so many years, and now he suddenly comes back home and wants to take my Zhizhi away. Apart from not being Zhizhi’s biological father, what have I done wrong? Why does everyone want to take my child away from me? The child is registered in my household, and she will still be there to see me off after I die. This is my child!”
He believed that he was no worse than Zhizhi's fathers.
But because he didn't give birth to Zhizhi, he was inferior to others in every way.
"Don't think like that. In Zhizhi's heart, you are her biological father. Don't worry, we are all on your side. If he tries to take the child away based on blood ties, we can fight for custody together with him. We may not necessarily lose the case."
"It's no use."
Jiang Anchao gave a self-deprecating smile. He raised his eyes and looked at Ji Yanjing seriously. "I made a serious mistake. This matter cannot be made up for. He knows the inside story, so he will definitely take advantage of this. But don't worry, I will never give Zhizhi to him. Even if I don't want anything else, I will still keep my daughter."
Ji Yanjing glanced at him suspiciously.
But no matter how he tried to subtly probe, Jiang Anchao resolutely shook his head and refused to say what the so-called 'serious mistake' was all about.
The two chatted for a few more minutes, then Jiang Anchao, seeing that it was getting late, waved goodbye to him.
Ji Yanjing saw the person out the door, and as soon as he turned around, he saw Zhizhi standing in front of the living room, holding a huge white teddy bear, quietly watching her father's departing figure.
"Zhizhi, it's cold outside, why don't you go back to sleep first?"
"Uncle, Zhizhi can't sleep."
The little cub raised her head, her large, dark, grape-like eyes misting over. Her nose was red, and her chubby little face held a sorrow beyond her years.
"Uncle, my father didn't do anything wrong. It's Jiang Yan who's the culprit. All the misfortunes are because of him. Uncle, can you help my father?"
Ji Yanjing bent down and gently stroked the child's head.
“Everyone has secrets. If Dad doesn’t want to tell us, we should trust that he can handle it. Zhizhi, just stay here happily. Dad will definitely come to pick you up in a few days.”
Zhizhi pursed her lips uneasily. She had a feeling that her father was leaving this time to abandon everything.
"If only that bastard Jiang Yan could just disappear forever..."
Just before the cub entered the room, it murmured these words, but Ji Yanjing didn't hear them clearly.
"What?"
The only response he received was the sound of the cub gently closing the door.
Ji Yanjing sighed helplessly. What's the big deal? Even if Jiang Anchao can't handle it, surely I can handle it myself.
Neither of them would say anything; what a loser.
*
next day
On the 29th day of the Lunar New Year, Ji Yanjing should have been at home practicing Tai Chi with his grandfather.
Unexpectedly, the guard outside brought him a document marked as urgent, asking him to check it as soon as possible.
Ji Yanjing had just put the boiled egg into his wife's bowl when he opened the letter and glanced at it casually.
After looking at it for just three seconds, his expression suddenly turned serious.
Su Xuetong was peeling an egg when she saw him staring blankly and asked, "What's wrong? Is there some urgent military news during the New Year?"
Ji Yanjing held the document, looked at it seriously for several moments, and then slowly closed it.
"Jiang Anchao... ...has committed serious disciplinary violations and has been reported to the Beijing Municipal Government!"
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