Chapter 161: The Yellowed Photo

Ji Yanting’s lips curled into a sarcastic sneer,

“Brotherhood? You dare to mention brotherhood to me!”

 If there was any so-called brotherhood, how could he do so many dirty things behind his back?

 How could he be so obsessed with killing him? He couldn’t bear this so-called brotherhood.

“I know I was wrong. Forgive me this time! From now on, I will never hurt you again. Believe me.

As long as you forgive me this once, I will accept any punishment without complaint.” Ji Yanfeng begged Ji Yanting bitterly.

Ji Yanting remained unmoved and said coldly, “Bring out the antidote and give it to Dad first.”

“I… I don’t have the antidote…” When he bought this poison, he intended to kill the old man. How could he possibly buy an antidote?

Ji Yanting kicked Ji Yanfeng away and turned to Ling Yao, his eyes filled with hesitation and struggle.

After a while, he couldn’t help but say, “Yaoyao, can you cure it?”

 He knew his daughter’s medical skills were excellent, and he also knew that she didn’t like her father

. But he was his father after all. He couldn’t just stand by and watch him die.

Ling Yao glanced at Old Master Ji and slowly shook her head, “There’s no antidote for this poison.”

 She was telling the truth. There were many poisons from the Miao region that had no cure.

 However, she had pills that could cure all poisons. She could save him, but before that, she wanted to figure out something.

Hearing this, Old Master Ji opened his eyes and looked at Ling Yao.

After a long silence, Old Master Ji sighed deeply and shifted his gaze away.

 He knew his granddaughter wouldn’t forgive him. He had indeed failed to fulfill his responsibilities and obligations as a grandfather.

Ji Yanting kicked Ji Yanfeng hard again and turned to Ji Yuanming, who was standing nearby, and instructed,

 “Take him down for interrogation.” This time, he no longer cared about the so-called brotherhood. Ji Yanfeng’s crimes must be punished.

Ji Yuanming stepped forward, grabbed Ji Yanfeng from the ground, and dragged him out.

Seeing this, Ji Youran quickly chased after them, tightly hugging Ji Yanfeng, preventing Ji Yuanming from taking him away.

She cried and begged, looking at Old Master Ji, “Grandpa, please forgive Dad this time. Grandpa! Please…”

Old Master Ji ignored Ji Youran and waved his hand at Ji Yuanming. At this point, he couldn’t be soft-hearted anymore.

Ji Yuanming pushed Ji Youran away and dragged Ji Yanfeng out.

“Dad!” Ji Youran stumbled and chased after them.

Wang Yufeng, as if suddenly waking up, also ran out. She had to save her husband. Only the Zhu family could save him.

Old Master Ji slowly stood up from his seat. With the butler’s careful support, he walked towards the backyard with a limp.

He knew that he only had three months left. Faced with this reality, he wasn’t afraid or desperate. Everyone dies eventually.

He planned to use this limited time to make things up to Ling Xuemei and her daughter.

They had suffered so much pain and injustice over the years, and he had an undeniable responsibility.

Now, he just wanted to use his remaining strength to make up for his shortcomings towards them, even if it was just a little.

Ji Yanting withdrew his gaze, his eyes filled with tears. Seeing his father like this, he really felt bad.

“Yaoyao, is there really no way?”

Ling Yao pursed her lips and walked towards the backyard, “I’ll go talk to him.”

Old Master Ji returned to the backyard and went to his study. He sat down at his desk, his eyes filled with an unspoken weariness.

After a long time, he gently opened a drawer and took out an old photo album.

The cover of the album was slightly worn, exuding a faint scent of nostalgia.

He opened the album, and what met his eyes were yellowed black-and-white photos. They were like witnesses to time, silently narrating the stories of the past.

Old Master Ji’s gaze lingered on one black-and-white photo. The woman in the photo had a graceful smile and clear, watery eyes.

He reached out with a trembling hand and gently stroked the person in the photo, muttering to himself, “Fanghua, I’ll be joining you soon…”

Tears uncontrollably flowed from his eyes, dripping onto the photo and gradually spreading.

He quickly wiped them carefully with his sleeve, afraid of ruining this precious memory.

“Fanghua, do you know? Our granddaughter is very beautiful. She’s excellent, and she looks a bit like you, especially her eyes.

 They’re like stars in the sky…” His voice was filled with tenderness and longing.

Old Master Ji’s fingers gently brushed over the delicate face in the photo, and memories of their first meeting flashed through his mind.

He was young and arrogant back then, and he was against traditional arranged marriages.

 He longed to find a partner who connected with him on a spiritual level and shared his interests, not someone he would marry simply because his parents and a matchmaker told him to, a woman he had never even met.

But fate is often so strange. When he first saw Fanghua, the ice in his heart melted away.

Her beauty, intelligence, and kindness deeply attracted him, drawing him into the vortex of love.

Recalling those beautiful times, a faint, almost imperceptible smile played on Old Master Ji’s lips.

He closed the album, put it back in the drawer, closed the drawer, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in their shared past…

“Master! Miss Ling Yao is here. She wants to see you.” A knock on the door and the butler’s voice came from outside, interrupting Old Master Ji’s thoughts.

Old Master Ji was slightly startled. His eyes flashed with surprise. Why would Ling Yao suddenly come to see him?

“Let her in.”

The door creaked open slowly.

Ling Yao walked slowly into the room.

“Sit down.” Old Master Ji’s gaze lingered on Ling Yao’s face. When his eyes met hers, which shone like stars, his gaze softened a bit.

She really looked so much like Fanghua. If Fanghua were still alive, she would be very happy to see Ling Yao.

Ling Yao walked to the chair opposite Old Master Ji and sat down. She looked directly at him,

 “I came to figure out why you did so many things but didn’t let us know, and you weren’t willing to acknowledge us.”

Old Master Ji smiled slightly, his smile tinged with a hint of helplessness. He looked directly into Ling Yao’s eyes without avoiding them,

 “You saw it today. The Ji family is not as peaceful as it seems.

 If I had brought you back then, without your father’s protection, could you and your mother have settled down in the Ji family?”

Then, he changed the subject and continued, “Moreover, there’s another point. I really looked down on you before.

For a man, you even gave up your dignity. How can you be qualified to be a descendant of our Ji family?”