Chapter 17: Guilt

With a click, the switch turned on, and the warm yellow light spread like a veil across the room.

Ji Duo opened the door and glanced back at his nephew, who was tightly pressing his lips together. “Come in.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but Ji Ze didn’t dare disobey. He followed obediently and even closed the door behind him.

As soon as the door was shut, Ji Ze couldn’t hold back anymore. “Uncle, you can’t marry her! I never meant to push her onto you…”

“What are you trying to say?” Ji Duo interrupted calmly.

“I… I mean…” Ji Ze stammered for a while before biting his lip. “Grandpa arranged this engagement for me. I’ll marry her. This has nothing to do with you. I’ll handle my own affairs. You don’t need to clean up my mess.”

“And then? People will say the nephew stole his uncle’s fiancée or that we both liked the same person, and I gave in?”

Ji Duo always had a way of rendering Ji Ze speechless with a single sentence.

“I’ll explain to them. We have a marriage contract between our families. It’s not hard to clarify…”

“Then it will be said that I have a problem with my conduct, being unclear with my nephew’s fiancée.” Ji Duo’s tone remained calm, but each word felt like a slap to Ji Ze’s face.

Ji Ze’s face turned from red to white. After a long pause, he muttered, “I’m sorry. I never meant to push her onto you.”

“Now that the engagement has fallen to me, you feel sorry for me. But before, did you ever think about what would happen to her if you didn’t marry her? What about your grandfather?”

Ji Ze was silent again. Had he thought about it? Maybe he had, but he didn’t care. Suddenly having a childhood betrothal with a girl he had never met, he only knew he didn’t want it. Why should he care about anything else? Even if he didn’t marry her, he could find a way to compensate her. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it…

Realizing this, Ji Ze suddenly felt how arrogant his thoughts had been.

“Do you know why she came to Yandu alone, wanting our family to fulfill the marriage contract? Do you know why your grandfather insisted on you marrying her, even though he knew you disagreed? You know nothing, yet you dare to make decisions?”

Ji Duo’s deep gaze seemed to pierce into Ji Ze’s heart. “Selfish, arrogant, self-righteous. Ji Ze, is this what the family taught you?”

Ji Ze had no response. If it were someone else, he might argue back, but not with Ji Duo. Not to mention, Ji Duo had always been someone he deeply respected, almost as much as his own father. And now, his uncle had been dragged into his mess again. Grandpa had said it was Ji Duo who helped handle things with the Lin family…

He owed his uncle too much. No words could make up for it…

Ji Ze lowered his head, guilt and regret welling up in his eyes.

At that moment, a hand with prominent veins reached out. “Enough. Have a cigarette to calm down.”

Seeing Ji Ze hesitate, Ji Duo tossed the cigarette to him, lit one for himself, and opened the window. “I’ll take care of the marriage. I’ll marry her. Just pretend the childhood betrothal never happened. It’s better for both of you.”

Ji Ze didn’t speak, lighting the cigarette and coughing from inhaling too quickly.

The coughing allowed some tears to escape unnoticed. Ji Duo looked out the window, pretending not to see. “Consider this a lesson. Think about the consequences before you act in the future.”

His nephew wasn’t inherently bad. He was hardworking and resilient, having been a model soldier twice during training. But he was also a bit headstrong, always wanting to do things his way.

Family background and education had given him too much confidence, making him arrogant and blind to many things. Fortunately, he still felt guilt and regret. Hopefully, this lesson would stay with him for a while.

Ji Duo took a drag of his cigarette and changed the subject. “I heard you’ve been hanging out with Yu Jin and the others a lot lately.”

“Huh? Just with some childhood friends.” Ji Ze was still caught up in his emotions and didn’t quite catch on.

Ji Duo glanced at him. “You want to go into business. Your mom definitely won’t agree. The only one who can overrule her is your grandpa. After this incident, he won’t bother with your affairs anymore.”

Ji Ze’s little plan had just formed, and he hadn’t mentioned it to his family yet. He wanted to ask, “How do you know?”

But aside from Grandpa, Ji Duo was the most inscrutable person in the family. Sometimes, Ji Ze felt more uncertain facing him than facing Grandpa. So it wasn’t surprising that Ji Duo knew. Ji Ze was just disheartened by the latter part of his statement. He understood his mom’s intentions. How could he not?

His dad was mediocre, in his forties, and still not as successful as his younger brother. His mom could only pin her hopes on him, hoping he could achieve more while Grandpa’s connections were still useful. But if he went into business, all those hopes would be dashed, and their social circle might even ridicule him. His mom seemed gentle and considerate, but she cared deeply about these things. If he brought it up, she would use every means to stop him. And the only one who could overrule her and was relatively open-minded was Grandpa…

Ji Ze rubbed his face with his cigarette-holding hand, his voice muffled. “Let’s talk about it later. I can’t think about that now.”

With things as they were, the family was bound to face a storm. It wasn’t the time to think about these things.

They didn’t speak again. After finishing their cigarettes and airing out the room, they returned to the main house.

Lin Qiao had already gone back to her room, and the wedding items on the coffee table had been put away.

Even though he had composed himself before returning, Ji Ze still felt a huge sense of relief not seeing Lin Qiao.

Though Ji Duo had told him to pretend the childhood betrothal never happened and Lin Qiao didn’t know it was actually him, he still couldn’t face her calmly in such a short time.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, Ji Ze noticed Old Mr. Ji on the sofa.

The main light in the living room was off, leaving only a soft lamp. Old Mr. Ji, eyes closed, was half-shrouded in the light, his wrinkles more pronounced without his usual sternness. This elderly man, nearly seventy, still had to worry, get angry, and clean up after Ji Ze’s messes…

Ji Ze hesitated, suddenly afraid to approach.

But Old Mr. Ji, hearing the noise, opened his eyes first. “All done talking?”

In an instant, the old fatigue was replaced by sharp, stern eyes.

Ji Ze bowed his head deeply. “I’m sorry, Grandpa. I’ve caused trouble for the family and Uncle.”

“Wasn’t it Qiao Qiao who caused the trouble?” Old Mr. Ji snorted. “Now that you know, hurry back before your mom comes looking for you.”

Though Ye Minshu was the main culprit, Old Mr. Ji’s nature wouldn’t let him take it out on his grandson. But his deep love meant harsh criticism. If Ji Ze hadn’t been so opposed, things wouldn’t have escalated.

Old Mr. Ji disliked how Ji Ze resisted without understanding, showing no sense of responsibility.

Walking out of Ji’s residence, the cool night breeze finally calmed Ji Ze’s complex emotions. He needed to ask his mom about this. If she knew and was pleased, he and his dad would have to discuss not letting her make decisions anymore.

Entering the courtyard, he saw a small figure crouched by the main house door. Holding a small stick, Ji Ling was drawing something on the ground, her brows and mouth drooping in unhappiness.

“Why aren’t you inside?” Ji Ze’s tone softened unconsciously.

Ji Ling looked up, pouting. Just as she was about to speak, a sharp breaking sound came from inside. She flinched and buried her head. “Mom and Dad are fighting.”

She didn’t need to say it; the sound alone told Ji Ze. He knew more than Ji Ling. Even though his parents tried to keep their voices down, he could guess his dad had found out. Otherwise, his usually good-tempered dad wouldn’t have broken things.

“Brother,” Ji Ling tugged at his pants, “Mom and Dad won’t get divorced, right?”

Ji Ze snapped back to reality and tapped her head. “Do you even know what divorce means? Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Why wouldn’t I know?” Ji Ling covered her head, looking aggrieved. “Tian Xiaoyuan’s parents in my class got divorced. They asked her who she wanted to live with. She was so sad, and her mom wanted to transfer her to another school.”

Even Ji Ling, who is usually so spirited, was worried about their parents’ divorce, which shows how bad the atmosphere at home had been.

Ji Ze didn’t want to go inside and speak for Ye Minshu, turning this into another instance of making a big issue small. He also didn’t want his sister to be scared outside. He rubbed her head. “Didn’t you want to watch TV? How about I take you to a movie?”

“Really?” Ji Ling’s spirits lifted immediately.

Ji Ze pulled her up. “Really. Let’s go now, or we’ll miss the last show.”

“Can I have ice cream?”

“It’s too late for ice cream; it’ll hurt your stomach. But you can have a soda.”

“Brother, I haven’t finished my homework.”

Ji Ze paused. “Then you should go back. Your brother doesn’t like doing homework either.”

Just as the siblings were about to leave, the main house door slammed open. Ji Jun stormed out, his face dark.

“I never meant to push her onto the second son. I thought Dad and Mom wouldn’t agree!”

Ye Minshu’s tearful voice followed him. Ji Jun hesitated, then heard her continue, “I must be crazy to think of having a girl, not even twenty, as my sister-in-law. How awkward would that be? And the second son, he never looked at any of the matches I introduced, but he agreed to marry her. He must have had something with her all along…”

“The second son isn’t as dirty-minded as you!” His anger flared again. Ji Jun slammed the door and headed straight to work.

Lin Qiao met her future brother-in-law the next morning.

Ji Jun looked presentable, with his hair and beard neatly groomed, but his eyes were bloodshot, showing he hadn’t slept well.

The Ji family was having breakfast. Since it was a rest day, Ji Duo hadn’t left at dawn. Xu Li was saying, “If you have time, take Qiao Qiao out. It shouldn’t always be me, making it seem like I’m the one getting married.”

Ji Duo listened quietly and was the first to notice Ji Jun’s arrival. “Big brother is here.”

His expression and tone were normal, but Ji Jun hesitated at the door. “Having breakfast?”

Old Mr. Ji glanced at him but said nothing in front of Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao pretended not to notice Ji Jun’s state and greeted him naturally. “Good morning, Uncle Ji.” She called him that because she was used to calling Grandpa and Grandma Ji. They said she didn’t need to change her address before the wedding, but Ji Jun felt increasingly uncomfortable. “Morning, and good morning to you too.”

With her sharp eyes, Xu Li noticed his shirt collar was a bit wrinkled, indicating he probably hadn’t gone home last night.

Ye Minshu was meticulous in taking care of her husband and children. As long as Ji Jun was home, his shirts were always neatly ironed, and even when Ji Ze was a mischievous child, he wore spotless white shoes.

Thinking about how she had raised this child, Xu Li sighed inwardly. Though Ji Jun was easily influenced, he wasn’t bad-hearted. He couldn’t have done this; otherwise, he wouldn’t be here so early. “Have you had breakfast? If not, have some.”

Ji Jun didn’t expect her to still talk to him, and he felt even more guilty. “I ate before coming.”

He hadn’t actually eaten. He hadn’t slept well the night before, so how could he have the appetite for breakfast?

Xu Li guessed as much and served him a bowl of porridge. “Eat a bit more. It won’t take up much space.”

Ji Jun clearly had something to say. Despite his discomfort, he took the bowl and sat down. But he was clearly not in the mood to eat. He held the chopsticks in his hand, hesitating several times, glancing at Lin Qiao but unsure how to start.

Lin Qiao noticed and silently sped up her eating.

Old Mr. Ji frowned slightly. “Finish eating first. We’ll talk after.”

Ji Jun swallowed his words again.

The atmosphere in the dining room became tense, making the sound of Ji Duo putting down his chopsticks particularly noticeable. He wiped his lips calmly and looked at Lin Qiao. “The house has been allocated. I’ll take you to see it.”

“The house has been allocated?” Xu Li clearly heard this for the first time.

Seeing Ji Duo nod, Lin Qiao quickened her eating pace, but Ji Duo had already stood up. “Just finish your porridge. I’ll take you out to eat.”