Chapter 18 He's going to find himself a stepfather!
Ji Zhi Qiu had many dreams throughout the night and woke up very early. He felt uneasy, as if a stone was pressing on his chest.
Unable to figure out the reason, he forcibly cleared his negative emotions and got up to make breakfast.
When he came out of the kitchen, he saw his two eldest sons coming out of the bathroom one after the other.
This was unprecedented. Ji Zishen valued personal privacy and boundaries very much. When there were many people, he would wait until the last person to go to the toilet and would never let Ji Yanyan go in and cause trouble.
Ji Zhi Qiu raised an eyebrow, vaguely sensing something. Just as she was about to speak, her attention was diverted by Ji Yan Yan's bare feet: "Yan Yan, why aren't you wearing shoes?"
Ji Zhi Qiu picked up Ji Yan Yan like pulling up a radish and went to look at his dirty little feet.
Ji Yanyan flailed her arms and legs, "Put me down, I want to walk by myself."
Ji Zhi Qiu knew him too well, and snorted coldly: "If I told you to leave on your own, you would jump onto the bed barefoot and rub dust all over the blankets."
He placed Ji Yanyan on the pool, supervised him to wash his little feet clean, and made him put on his slippers again before letting him leave.
The three of them, one adult and two children, sat at the dining table. Ji Yanyan, a little foodie, usually wanted to bury her face in her bowl, but this time she couldn't resist the temptation of the aroma. Her two dark eyes darted around, glancing at Ji Zishen every now and then.
That strange feeling returned.
His past favoritism has corrupted Ji Yanyan, and the two brothers' relationship is just so-so. Why is he so attached to Ji Zishen now?
Ji Zhi Qiu placed the milk porridge in front of Ji Yan Yan, "Yan Yan, is there something you want to say to your brother?"
Ji Yanyan was usually a bit of a bear, and her temper was straightforward. But this time, she kept her mouth tightly shut, and her eyes darted around even faster, practically writing "I have something on my mind" on her face.
Just as Ji Zhi Qiu was about to ask, Ji Zi Shen suddenly put down his bowl, interrupting his thoughts, "I'm full. I'm going to be late for school, so I'll be going now."
Ji Zhi Qiu glanced at the clock, then at Ji Zi Shen carrying his schoolbag, his face full of confusion.
The child is grown up and has his own thoughts, and given Ji Zishen's special circumstances, he didn't ask too many questions, only telling him to be careful on the road.
After he saw his eldest son off, he turned around and saw his youngest son's back as he ran into the room, his tuft of hair on his head clearly visible.
After clearing the dining table, Ji Zhi Qiu returned to the bedroom and found it dimly lit. There was a small bump on the bed, and Ji Yan Yan was sleeping soundly wrapped in a blanket, with a faint blush on her face.
He didn't sleep well last night and caught Ji Yanyan's drowsiness. He lay in bed holding the little dumpling and fell asleep quickly.
...
When Ji Zishen arrived at school, he greeted his good friends as usual, appearing innocent, cheerful, and sunny. No one would have guessed that he was harboring a heavy heart, carrying a major matter.
Since Ji Zhi Qiu was fooling him like this, he didn't need to be polite.
That fool cares most about his own son, so targeting Ji Yanyan is the best way to make a move.
Ji Zishen lowered his gaze, pondering and planning as he calmly took out his textbooks from his bag, arranged them, and prepared for class.
But when his hand touched the textbook, he suddenly sensed something was wrong, his eyebrows furrowed with doubt, and he immediately opened the book.
Inside was a small envelope with his name written on it in Ji Zhi Qiu's handwriting.
A thought struck him, and he immediately opened the envelope.
Inside were several 100-yuan bills, a huge sum of money for a child his age. There was also a note:
Yesterday's dinner was delicious, thank you Shen Shen. You deserve all of this; use it however you like.
The note was signed by a simple line drawing of a little person holding a handful of hearts, smiling so broadly that his eyes crinkled into crescents.
At that moment, Ji Zishen suddenly experienced tinnitus, which became increasingly intense and drowned out the noise and playfulness in the classroom.
So Ji Zhi Qiu sneaked into his room yesterday just to give him this envelope, not to monitor or guard against him and rummage through his things!
But why? He could have given it to him in person, but instead he secretly slipped it into a book.
Ji Zishen couldn't figure out why he did this, nor did he know that Ji Zhiqi understood him very well.
Ji Zhi Qiu understood Ji Zi Shen's obsessive heartache. If he gave it to him in person, it would be like parents giving their children pocket money, carrying a hint of inequality. In order to protect Ji Zi Shen's self-esteem, he secretly slipped the money into the book and told him with a note that the money was earned through his own efforts, belonged to him alone, and was his sense of security and confidence.
The school required students to buy supplementary books and workbooks. Ji Zishen did not want to humiliate himself, so he never asked Ji Zhiqi about it. However, his classmates did not know the true situation of his family, so he could only rack his brains to come up with one excuse after another.
But lies can't last forever. Even though he tried his best to cover it up, it still looked clumsy, and his classmates who always helped him were somewhat dissatisfied. Ji Zishen had no choice but to humbly beg them.
He clearly wanted to be self-reliant and live freely, but he was stumped by a small workbook, which caused him great distress.
The problem is solved now, but...
Overwhelmed by guilt, and remembering what he had done before, Ji Zishen threw down his textbooks and ran outside without a care in the world.
Ji Yanyan is just like his father, they're incredibly stupid. He actually believes it and does it.
...
Ji Zhi Qiu was fast asleep, but the little one in his arms, though his eyes were closed, was darting around. Unable to keep up the act any longer, he secretly squinted and looked at his father.
Afraid of waking people up, Ji Yanyan crawled under the covers, half-kneeling on the bed and backing away to the corner of the bed.
When he pulled back the covers, his face turned red. This was the first time he had ever done something like this secretly, and he was very nervous. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists. He quietly climbed off the bed and tiptoed out.
Just as he reached the door, he suddenly heard a soft rustling sound behind him. Ji Yanyan was so startled that he almost screamed, but luckily he covered his mouth in time.
He turned around with a heavy heart, worried about facing Ji Zhi Qiu's interrogation, but Ji Zhi Qiu just turned over and started sleeping with her pillow.
"..." Ji Yanyan imitated the adults, patted her chest with her little hands, and let out a long sigh.
That scared me to death.
After closing the bedroom door, he sneaked into the study next door, stood on a chair, and tiptoed to take his small bag out of the cabinet.
He had already thought it through and put everything he needed into his bag, making it bulge out so much that the little duckbill on the bag stood up, looking like it was about to peck someone at any moment.
He then took out a small yellow hat and mask from the closet, covering himself completely from head to toe.
Dad told him that bad people would kidnap cute children, but now that he's covered his face, no bad people will find him cute and naturally won't try to kidnap him.
Hehe, he's such a smart baby.
Ji Yanyan cupped her face in her hands and wiggled her little bottom, indulging in self-admiration for a while before finally walking to the door.
He carried a duck-shaped bag and dressed like a duck, embarking on his first solo trip (not running away from home).
Ji Yanyan was very attached to his father. Walking alone in the unfamiliar environment, everything around him suddenly seemed so big and empty. He nervously gripped the strap of his schoolbag and tried to cheer himself up.
Yan Yan is so amazing, she'll definitely find a stepfather!
His brother said a few words to him this morning, and he felt they made a lot of sense.
Dad is naughty; he only lets him have a few bites of ice cream a day. If he finds a stepfather, Dad's attention won't be on him anymore, and he won't control him like that.
Moreover, the stepfather he personally chose was more to his liking, buying him lots of candy, ice cream, and chocolate every day, and was given priority in hiring him.
Ji Yanyan seemed to see the ice cream's wings waving at him, her eyes widened, she was so beautiful that she forgot her fear of her surroundings and walked a long way without realizing it.
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