When Zhen Tian was released by Ji Yuzhi, she glanced at the policeman strangely as her feet touched the ground.
"Is this brother leaving with us too?" Zhen Tian blinked.
"yes."
Tomorrow is the oral exam, and No. 1 High School has been scheduled for the afternoon. Moreover, the exams are mostly just formalities; for the vast majority of high school students preparing for the college entrance exam, today signifies the complete end of the exam period.
Lu Ti and the others decided to tell her the story they had kept from her for many years today.
Ji Yuzhi had never seen this man before, and like Zhen Tian, he had his suspicions, though he didn't show it on his face.
Lu Kai paid for everything again, and he took everyone to the Thai restaurant that Zhen Tian had been longing to visit.
She simply couldn't resist the sweet and spicy flavors, and Thai food perfectly suited her tastes.
Zhen Tian kept glancing at the policeman with suspicion.
Her question was not answered until she was seated in the restaurant.
"Sweetie, everyone was afraid it would affect your exam, so they didn't tell you. Actually, this... is your brother Zhen Shi, but his name is now Jin Ze."
When Zhen Lei introduced the situation, his expression was a mixture of joy and barely suppressed sadness.
As Zhen Tian listened to Lu Ti's story, she learned that the Zhen family had such a past.
Zhen Shi's father was Zhen Lei's older brother. His parents died shortly after Zhen Shi was born, in a sudden and unexpected disaster.
Zhen Shi was born during a difficult birth, so his father felt sorry for his wife. After his wife recovered, he entrusted Zhen Shi to his parents' care, and the couple went on a trip.
On the border of country M, they got separated from their tour group and inadvertently stumbled upon an illegal transaction. They were then silenced.
Zhen Lei and Lu Ti only learned the true cause of their elder brother and sister-in-law's deaths much later. They did their best to prevent Zhen Shi from knowing the truth, raising him until he was 16—or rather, growing up together. Then one day, Zhen Shi, then a high school freshman, returned home and told them that the school had issued a notice about volunteering for military service. He wanted to go.
To the shock of Zhen Lei and his family, Zhen Shi made another startling statement: he knew the true cause of his parents' deaths and wanted to prevent any more children from experiencing the same tragedy from ever being born. That day, the Zhen family realized that the boy they had raised from childhood actually remembered so many of his earliest memories and harbored such lofty ambitions.
The Zhen family couldn't stop him and could only let Zhen Shi go to the army to make his way in the world. In the first few years after he left, the Zhen family still received news of Zhen Shi frequently. But the last news they received was that Zhen Shi had gone on a mission, and they hadn't been able to contact him for a full eight years after that.
Until this year, Zhen Lei unexpectedly received news from Zhen Shi that he had been discharged from the army in June.
Therefore, a bomb that had been buried in the hearts of the Zhen family for many years was finally removed.
No matter what, they were satisfied as long as Zhen Shi came back alive.
Upon returning, Zhen Shi changed his name to Jin Ze, and all his identities and backgrounds were fabricated. This was because for the past eight years, he had been on a secret mission abroad, which only concluded at the beginning of the year. Now, he could finally retire from the military and return home in peace.
Zhen Tian was so disturbed by the bizarre and convoluted story that she couldn't even eat.
Her eyes kept lingering on Jin Ze.
A smile suddenly appeared on the man's rugged face: "Come and see, little girl."
Zhen Tian seemed to be captivated by him, and she was defeated in a single move.
Lu Yiran looked at Ji Yuzhi, who was abandoned in his seat, and laughed wildly without restraint: "Tsk tsk tsk, someone's position is in danger."
Ji Yuzhi ignored him and continued eating his curry crab. He heard the story but it didn't really resonate with him; for him, knowing it was enough. He didn't care about anything else.
The younger members of the Zhen and Lu families didn't actually know Jin Ze. They had just heard the story a few days earlier than Zhen Tian, which is why they weren't as surprised as Zhen Tian was at the dinner table today.
Jin Ze was momentarily surprised when he saw Zhen Tian walk over, but quickly turned his gaze to Ji Yuzhi, who was slowly peeling crab meat.
He had hesitated because his experiences were not something he could tell anyone, especially since Ji Yuzhi and his parents were also there. These people were complete strangers to him and could not be trusted.
However, Zhen Lei and Lu Ti repeatedly assured that Ji Yuzhi's family were not outsiders, and even the usually composed elder brother Zhen Yan and younger brother Zhen Yan made the same guarantee.
After meeting this humble yet confident young man today, he probably understood why his family was so at ease.
He curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
"Brother?" Zhen Tian sat down next to Jin Ze and called out hesitantly but clearly.
"Um."
Zhen Tian had never met Jin Ze, but Jin Ze often received photos of her during his early years in the military. Although he and Zhen Lei were uncle and nephew, they weren't that far apart in age and grew up like brothers. After learning that Zhen Lei had married Lu Ti and had such an adorable little child, he briefly considered going home. But ultimately, reason prevailed over emotion.
"So the second brother is actually the third brother? Does that mean the brothers' rankings will have to change again?" Zhen Tian tilted her head in confusion.
"Unchanged." Seeing her expression, Jin Ze's heart, hardened by military training, softened a little: "After all, my surname is Jin."
He pinched Zhen Tian's ponytail; the feel of it was quite peculiar.
Zhen Tian immediately understood the secret of his identity: "Then how about I call you Brother Jin from now on?"
"Okay, whatever you say."
It was Zhen Tian and Jin Ze's first meeting, but they were already chatting and laughing together.
Lu Yinuo couldn't help but sigh, "Our Tiantian is truly loved by everyone."
"Don't peel it anymore, I don't think Sweetie will come over like this." Lu Lin teased Ji Yuzhi.
"Yes." Ji Yuzhi nodded confidently.
"Tch." Lu Yiran snorted coldly; he didn't believe it.
Zhen Tian grabbed Jin Ze and chattered away until she heard the waiter say, "The last dish is served."
She then turned her gaze to Ji Yuzhi across from her.
"Ah! Brother Jin, come and eat! Try this Thai restaurant that Tian Tian loves." She introduced Jin Ze to the delicious food, then ran back to Ji Yuzhi's side without any hesitation.
“Just one.” She smiled sweetly.
"Sit down and eat something." Ji Yuzhi pushed a small bowl of crab meat in front of her.
"So little!" Zhen Tian complained, her lips always unconsciously pouting.
"Crab meat is considered cooling, and you drank iced milk twice today, so eat less now."
"All right."
Zhen Tian is easily satisfied; she happily ate a bowl of crab meat.
This was the first time Jin Ze had seen this scene. He narrowed his eyes and let out a cold snort.
Sitting next to him, Zhen Yan smiled and said, "Never seen this before, have you? Our little darling listens to that kid across the table the most."
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