Chapter 17 Guilt

The switch clicked, and the warm yellow light filled the entire room like a veil.

Ji Duo pushed the door open, turned around and glanced at his nephew who was always pursing his lips behind him, "Come in."

His voice was not harsh, but Ji Ze still did not dare to disobey. He followed him in obediently and closed the door on his own initiative.

As soon as the door was closed, she couldn't hold it back anymore, "Uncle, you can't marry her! I never wanted to push her to you..."

"What exactly do you want to express by saying this?" Ji Duo interrupted him in a cold voice.

I, I think... "Ji Ze was stumped by the question. He kept saying "I" for a long time, then suddenly gritted his teeth and said

"My grandfather arranged for me to marry her, so I'll just marry her. This matter has nothing to do with you. I take care of my own affairs, and I don't need you to help me clean up my mess."

"Then what? People say that your uncle's girlfriend was snatched away by his nephew, or that you and I liked the same person and I gave in?"

Ji Duo always manages to leave Ji Ze speechless with just one sentence.

"I'll go explain it to them. After all, our two families have a marriage certificate, so it's not hard to explain..."

"That's because I have a problem with my behavior and I am not clear about who my nephew is with."

Ji Duo's tone remained calm, but every word he uttered was like a slap on Ji Ze's face.

Ji Ze's face turned from red to white, and after a long while he moved his lips, "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to push the person to you."

"Now that the engagement has fallen on me, you feel sorry for me. But what about before? Did you ever think about what would happen to her if you didn't marry her? What would happen to your grandfather?"

Ji Ze was silent again.

Didn't he think about it? Maybe he did, but he just didn't care.

He had a childhood sweetheart for no apparent reason, and the girl was a strange one he had never met before. He only knew that he didn't want to be together, and he didn't care about anything else.

Besides, even if he didn't marry her, he could just find a way to compensate her. It's not like he couldn't afford it...

Thinking of this, Ji Ze suddenly realized how lofty his idea was.

"Do you know why she came to Yandu alone and wanted our family to fulfill the engagement? Do you know why your grandfather insisted on you marrying her even though he knew you didn't agree? How dare you make a decision without knowing anything?"

Ji Duo looked at him deeply, as if his eyes could see into his heart, "Selfish, arrogant, and self-righteous. Ji Ze, is this what your family taught you?"

Ji Ze was speechless.

If it were someone else, he would still be able to defend himself with a stubborn face, but Ji Duo couldn't.

Not to mention that Ji Duo has always been his respected uncle, and his respect for him is no less than that for his biological father. Just this time, his uncle has been repeatedly implicated by him. I heard from my grandfather that it was also his uncle who helped to deal with the Lin family before...

He owed his uncle too much, no matter what he said, it would never be enough...

Ji Ze lowered his head, his eyes were moist with guilt and regret.

At this moment, a hand with distinct joints and bulging veins reached out, "Okay, smoke a cigarette and take it easy."

Seeing that he didn't answer, Ji Duo threw the cigarette over, lit one himself, and pushed open the window of the room, "I took over the marriage, and I married the girl. Just pretend that there was no child marriage. Don't tell others about it. It won't do any good to you or her."

Ji Ze didn't say anything, just lit up the cigarette. He smoked too hard and immediately started coughing.

Through this coughing, some of the tears that had been suppressed in the corners of his eyes finally vented out. Ji Duo looked out the window without turning his head, pretending not to know, "This is just a lesson. When you think about doing something in the future, think more about the consequences."

His nephew was not a bad person, he could endure hardships and was resilient. He won the honor of being a model soldier twice during the recruit training, and he was no worse than others. But he was also a little willful in his heart, and he would do whatever he wanted to do.

His family background and education gave him too much confidence, but also made him arrogant and unable to see many things.

Fortunately, he still feels guilty and regretful. I hope this lesson will stay with him for a while.

Ji Duo took a puff of his cigarette and took the initiative to change the subject, "I heard that you have been very close to Yu Jin and others recently."

"Ah? I'm with some childhood friends." Ji Ze was still immersed in his emotions and was unable to react.

Ji Duo looked back at him and said, "You want to start a business, but your mother will definitely not agree. The only person who can control your mother is your grandfather. After this incident, your grandfather will not bother to care about you anymore."

That little thought of his had just come up and he hadn't told his family about it yet. Ji Ze really wanted to ask, "How did you know that?"

But apart from the old man, Ji Duo is the most unfathomable in the family. Sometimes Ji Ze feels more unsure when facing him than when facing the old man.

So it didn't seem so surprising that he knew about this. Ji Ze was just very frustrated by the latter sentence.

How is it possible that he doesn't understand what his mother is thinking?

His father was of average qualifications, in his forties, and he couldn't even catch up with his younger brother who was more than ten years younger than him. His mother could only count on him, hoping that he could make more efforts while his grandfather was still connected, and strive to be more successful than his uncle.

But as long as he goes into business, all these will be hopeless, and he may even be laughed at by people in the circle.

His mother looked gentle and considerate, but deep down she cared about these things more than anyone else. If he dared to bring it up, she would use all means to stop him.

And the only one in the family who can suppress his mother and is relatively open-minded is grandpa...

Ji Ze rubbed his face with the hand holding the cigarette and said in a muffled voice, "Let's talk about it later. I don't have the heart to think about those things now."

Things have turned out like this, and there will inevitably be a storm at home. This is not the time to think about these things in the short term.

Neither of them said anything else. After they finished smoking and the smell dissipated, they returned to the main room together.

Lin Qiao had already returned to her room and put away the things prepared for the wedding on the coffee table.

Even though he had adjusted his expression before coming back, Ji Ze still breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see Lin Qiao.

Although Ji Duo had already told him to just pretend that there was no such thing as an engagement, and Lin Qiao didn't know that it was actually him who was engaged, he still couldn't face it calmly in such a short time.

Just as he relaxed, he noticed the old man on the sofa.

The main light in the living room had been turned off, leaving only a small soft light. The old man closed his eyes and half-closed them in the light. His stern look faded, and the wrinkles on his face appeared particularly deep.

This old man is almost 70 years old this year, but he still has to worry about his affairs, get angry, and deal with the aftermath...

Ji Ze paused, suddenly feeling a little afraid to move forward.

But the old man opened his eyes first after hearing the noise, "Are you done talking?"

In just a second, the haggardness and fatigue were replaced by shrewdness and severity in his eyes.

Ji Ze bowed his head deeply, "I'm sorry, Grandpa, I have caused trouble for my family and my uncle."

"Isn't it Qiao Qiao Tian's?" Old Master Ji snorted coldly, "If you know, go back quickly, so that your mother won't come to me to ask for the person."

In fact, it was mainly Ye Minshu who did it. Given the old man's temper, he shouldn't have taken his anger out on his grandson. But the deeper the love, the more severe the blame. If Ji Ze hadn't been against it before, things wouldn't have turned out like this.

The old man really doesn't like his grandson because he doesn't even understand him but just resists, and he doesn't have any sense of responsibility at all.

It was a long time since he left Ji's house. When the cool night breeze blew, Ji Ze's complicated emotions finally subsided.

There were some things he had to ask his mother about. It was unknown whether his mother knew about the situation. If she knew about it and was happy to see it happen, he would have to discuss it with his father. In the future, he could no longer let his mother make the decisions at home.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I entered the yard, I saw a small figure squatting at the door of the main room.

Ji Ling was holding a small branch in her hand and drawing something on the ground. Her eyebrows and mouth corners were drooping and she was obviously not happy.

"Why don't you go in?" Ji Ze's expression softened unconsciously.

Ji Ling raised her little head, looked at him and pursed her lips. Just as she was about to say something, a crisp shattering sound came from the room.

The little girl shuddered and lowered her head again, "Mom and Dad are arguing."

Without her saying anything, Ji Ze had already guessed it just by listening to the voice.

Moreover, he knew more than Ji Ling. Even if they both kept their voices down and tried not to let out a single word, he could guess that his father must have known about it. Otherwise, how could someone who was usually so good-tempered even throw things?

"Brother." Ji Ling tugged at his trouser legs and whispered, "Our parents won't get divorced, right?"

Ji Ze was pulled back to his senses and raised his hand to knock her on the head, "Do you know what divorce means? You are just talking nonsense."

"How could I not know?" Ji Ling covered her head with her hands, her face full of grievance, "Tian Xiaoyuan's parents in our class got divorced, and they even asked her whether she was with her father or her mother. Tian Xiaoyuan was very sad, and her mother even wanted to transfer her to another school."

Even a clever girl like Ji Ling started to worry about her parents' divorce, which shows how bad the atmosphere at home has been recently.

Ji Ze didn't want to go in and speak for Ye Minshu, so that this matter could be resolved as before. He also didn't want his sister to be frightened outside.

, rubbed his sister's head, "Don't you want to watch TV? I'll take you to see a movie."

"Really? After all, they are just children. Ji Ling immediately perked up."

Ji Ze simply pulled her up and said, "Really? Let's go now. It's too late to catch the last show."

"Can I have ice cream then?"

"It's too late. I have a stomachache from eating ice cream, but you can have a bottle of soda."

"Brother, I haven't finished my homework either."

This time Ji Ze paused, "Then you should go back. I, your brother, don't like doing homework either."

As soon as the brother and sister left, the door of the main room slammed open. Ji Jun strode out with a gloomy face.

"I really didn't want to push the person to the second child. I thought our parents wouldn't agree!"

Ye Minshu's crying voice came from behind. Ji Jun paused for a moment, and then he heard Ye Minshu say again: "I am crazy. I want her, a girl under 20 years old, to be my sister-in-law. Won't it be awkward when we meet in the future? And the second brother, he won't look at any girls I introduce to him. He just married that girl. He must have had something going on with that girl for a long time..."

"I'm not as dirty as you!"

The anger that had just subsided rose up again. Ji Jun slammed the door shut and went straight to the unit without hesitation.

It was already the next morning when Lin Qiao met this future uncle.

Ji Jun looked fine, his beard and hair were well-groomed, but there were unconcealable red bloodshot under his eyes, and it was obvious that he did not sleep well.

At that time, the Ji family was having breakfast. Because it was a day off, Ji Duo rarely left at dawn. Xu Li was still talking to him: "If you have time, take Qiao Qiao out for a walk. Don't let me be the only one around all day, as if I'm getting married."

Ji Duo closed his eyes and listened. He was the first to notice Ji Jun's arrival. "Brother is here."

His expression was normal, and even his tone of greeting was normal, but Ji Jun hesitated at the door, "Are you eating?"

The old man glanced at him and said nothing in front of Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao pretended not to notice that Ji Jun was not in a good state and greeted him naturally, "Good morning, Uncle Ji."

She was calling Grandpa Ji and Grandma Ji just for fun. The old couple said they didn't need to change their names before marriage. Ji Jun felt even more uncomfortable after hearing that. "Good morning, good morning to you too."

Xu Li had sharp eyes and had noticed that the collar of his shirt was a little wrinkled. He probably didn't go home last night.

Apart from other things, Ye Minshu is very considerate and meticulous in taking care of her husband and children. Whenever Ji Jun is at home, his shirts are always ironed clean and neat. When Ji Ze was a child, he was so naughty that he always wore little white shoes that were difficult to clean.

Thinking about the fact that she had raised this child, even though he was easily influenced by others, he had a good heart. At least it was impossible that he did this, otherwise he would not have appeared here so early in the morning. Xu Li sighed in her heart, "Did you eat breakfast? If not, have some more."

Ji Jun didn't expect that she was willing to talk to him, and he felt more guilty. "I ate it. I ate it."

He didn't actually eat.

He didn't even sleep well last night, so how could he have the mind to eat breakfast?

Xu Li also guessed it, and served him a bowl of porridge. "It will only take up a little after you eat it. It won't take up much space."

Ji Jun obviously had something to say, and although he was very uncomfortable, he still took the bowl and sat down.

But he obviously had no appetite. He held the chopsticks in his hand and seemed to want to say something but stopped himself several times. He looked at Lin Qiao but didn't know where to start.

Lin Qiao saw this and silently quickened his eating speed.

Master Ji also frowned and said, "Eat first, and we'll talk after dinner."

Ji Jun swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

The atmosphere in the restaurant suddenly became a little stagnant, so the sound of Ji Duo putting down his chopsticks was particularly obvious.

The man wiped his lips with a normal expression and looked at Lin Qiao, "The house has been divided. I'll take you to see it."

"The house has been divided?" This was obviously the first time Xu Li heard this.

Seeing Ji Duo nod, Lin Qiao's eating speed increased a bit, but the man had already stood up, "Just finish the porridge, I'll take you out to eat."