Chapter 195

"I feel like I stink," Qi Yibin said with a look of disgust as he sniffed his clothes.

Upon hearing this, Ji Ruochu and Jiang Zhi silently moved away from him.

Jiang Zhi sniffed himself: Hmm, not smelly, fragrant actually~

Ji Ruochu also took a whiff but instead turned around and stopped an elderly man on an electric bike.

Two minutes later.

The three of them sat in a row on the small steps by the school gate, each holding a candied hawthorn snack and happily munching away.

"Tsk, so sour," Qi Yibin took a bite of his candied hawthorn, grimacing. "Don't tell me you're... you know, in the pudding club?"

Ji Ruochu paused her hand holding the candied hawthorn.

Smack.

Her other hand unhesitatingly gave him a whack on the head, while Jiang Zhi beside them laughed until he was out of breath.

"I think you've gone stupid from crunching numbers. She's been in the lab for the past two months, barely leaving. If she really was, then who's the baby daddy? The lab equipment—" Smack!

Another strike, and the world fell silent once more.

When Ji Mochen finally rushed to the school gate, what he saw were the three innocently sitting in a row, munching on candied hawthorns.

His Young Lady sat in the middle, flanked by two handsome young men on either side. Come to think of it, they did resemble a Young Lady and her Attendants.

Especially at that moment when they had just finished their last bites and were cleaning up.

The hawthorn seeds they had spit out were carefully wrapped in paper, along with the bamboo skewers, and placed in a small white bag.

One "Attendant" took tissues from the backpack belonging to the Young Lady and handed them over. The three wiped their hands clean, and the other "Attendant" walked over to a trash can a few meters away to discard the bag.

After completing this series of actions, the three sat obediently on the steps again, resting their chins in their hands as they talked idly.

"Young Lady!" Ji Mochen drove the car up to them and lowered the window. Ji Ruochu looked up, her eyes instantly lighting up with a smile.

As the three stood up, the elderly father had already gotten out of the car and walked over to his Young Lady, taking her bag and motioning for her to get in the car.

"You've lost weight. Weren't you eating well in there?" The father looked concerned, prompting Ji Ruochu to shake her head in exasperation—the way he said it, one would think she'd been locked up.

"Let's go, I've got soup simmering at home for you to replenish yourself."

As father and daughter walked and chatted, Ji Mochen opened the passenger door for his Young Lady—

"What are you standing there for? Get in the car." Ji Mochen turned and looked at the two weak and helpless boys still standing there with disdain.

"Thank you, uncle!" The two boys immediately smiled, not daring to ask why their own mother hadn't come.

Don't ask, just know that she was busy with other matters.

As soon as she got in the car, Ji Ruochu expertly took out some snacks from the car, checking the production date—three days ago. The smile on her lips grew deeper.

"I want the strawberry flavor," Qi Yibin naturally reached out his hand.

"Then I'll have the durian one," Jiang Zhi grinned.

Ji Ruochu wasn't about to indulge them, simply tossing a large bag their way for them to rummage through themselves.

"Your project should be done by now, right? Do you still need to go back?" Ji Mochen asked casually as he drove.

The three fell silent for a moment.

"Mmm, so good. Which brand is this? I'll have my mom buy some when we get back," Qi Yibin studied the ingredients list intently.

"I know this brand..."

"Dad, what soup did you simmer for me today?"

Ji Mochen: ...Got it, don't ask.

"Chicken soup. Your third uncle gave me an old ginseng root last month, so I used that to simmer the broth."

...

Soon, the car arrived at the gated community, as the kids often played together and the school was nearby. Thus, their families had bought houses in the same neighborhood.

However, apart from Ji Mochen and his wife living with their Young Lady, the other houses were mainly occupied by the kids themselves when on vacation, as they were all grown up now. The houses had maids and butlers arranged, so there was no need for their parents to constantly hover.

Oh, except for the Ji family—this couple were dedicated parents to their cherished daughter. But it worked out well this way. With them around, the other families felt more at ease. After all, whenever it was vacation time, the kids would gather together like conjoined twins.

They would either go golfing, swimming, or working out together. But more often, they would gather to read books.

For this reason, Ji Mochen and his wife had always doted on their Young Lady, knowing her love for reading. They even bought another house next door specifically to store books.

Initially, it only housed the books Ji Ruochu enjoyed. Gradually, the other kids started moving their books in as well. Over the years, that house became a veritable little library.

Later on, Ji Mochen and his wife even hired professional librarians to manage it. So that when the kids moved out, the librarians could clean and maintain it.

This way, the kids grew even fonder of spending time in their little library.

Of course, their relationship wasn't always this good. They had their share of conflicts during their rebellious teenage years, mostly over academic matters—each side arguing their own point until they were gesticulating wildly.

Oh, except for Ji Ruochu. She generally wouldn't argue. Whenever there was a disagreement, she would ponder it first, then calmly tell the others: "Don't be stubborn, you're simply wrong."

After infuriating them to the point of frustration, she would toss over a few drafts and walk away, truly maddening. Just as the others were about to band together to retaliate—

Well, damn, she was right after all.

It was precisely because of this that the kids, despite their squabbles, were psychologically quite healthy.

A sense of loneliness as a genius?

Not a chance.

For instance, as soon as the three got out of the car, their friends in the group chat were already making plans to get together, having received the news.

Some had even already started heading over.

After all, over the years, apart from Ji Ruochu's trio, the rest of their friends had their own careers—some taking over family businesses, some dedicated to teaching, some working in government agencies, and others in research institutes.

All in all, the once-playful group had blossomed into a well-rounded collection of individuals in business, politics, academia, and beyond.

Ji Ruochu finished her meal, drank a bowl of the nourishing soup her father had simmered, then carried a small rocking chair outside. As she swayed in the breeze, eating the little snacks made by Ling Chujin, she slowly dozed off.

The gentle wind carried the sweet scent of flowers.

Every so often, two sneaky figures would appear, carrying small stools. One would place a washed fruit plate on the small tea table, while the other draped a small blanket over Ji Ruochu's belly.

After completing these tasks, the married couple sat on either side of the rocking chair.

Ling Chujin reached out and brushed aside the strands of hair falling over her daughter's forehead, her eyes full of tender affection.

As for the elderly father Ji Mochen, it goes without saying that he was once again transfixed, chin propped up, gazing at his daughter.

In the blink of an eye, the tiny baby girl had grown into a beautiful young lady.

For a moment, the couple felt the weight of their years, as if they had aged.