Chapter 119: The Past of the Ji Family

Qinghua law stipulates that parents and children can sever their relationship through notarization, but only after the children reach adulthood. Parents who initiate this process are considered to have voluntarily relinquished their right to support from their children in old age.

Children may also sever ties with their parents. However, they require parental consent and must bear the financial responsibility for their parents’ retirement expenses. The amount, determined by the children’s income and assets, is specified during notarization. The notary office then disburses an annual pension to the parents.

Therefore, Ji Kangyong endured until his father and stepmother took the initiative to cut ties with him.

After they finished the hot pot and returned home, Bi Qiao’an learned about the Ji family’s past from Shen Yanming.

Ji Kangyong’s mother, it turned out, was once the daughter of a prominent family in An Province. Due to her family’s high profile, she was the victim of a kidnapping incident. To ensure her safety, Ji Kangyong’s maternal grandparents sent her to be raised by a distant relative in Xiao Province.

After she grew up, Ji Kangyong’s mother attended university in Hai City. There, she fell in love with a classmate, Ji Kangyong’s father.

At the time, Ji Kangyong’s mother believed that living as an ordinary person would help her find true love, free from those seeking her for ulterior motives. She never revealed her true identity to his father, who assumed his girlfriend came from a well-off family.

When marriage was discussed, Ji Kangyong’s mother planned to introduce her fiancé to her family and unveil her true background. However, before they could do so, something happened to her family.

Ji Kangyong’s maternal grandparents left her a large sum of money and antiques in a foreign bank and urged her not to expose her identity until the problem was resolved.

Ji Kangyong’s mother waited and waited until one day, she received news that her parents had died in an accident. At that moment, she was completely stunned. She didn’t know if her parents had really died in an accident or if they had been harmed by someone.

Remembering her parents’ advice not to reveal her identity, Ji Kangyong’s mother secretly attended their funeral and left An Province, never to return.

A year later, Ji Kangyong’s mother married his father and had a child, Ji Kangyong. The family lived a very happy life.

Ji Kangyong’s mother contemplated investigating her parents’ deaths, but her sheltered upbringing left her with little knowledge of her family’s affairs. The need to conceal her identity further hampered her progress.

In recent years, Ji Kangyong’s father had started his own business and achieved some success, becoming a rising star in Hai City’s business circles. However, success can often lead to vanity.

Mirroring the cautionary tale of Chen Shimei,^[1]Chen Shimei is a character from a classic Chinese folktale often referred to as “Chen Shimei Abandons His Wife” In the story, Chen Shimei, a poor scholar, marries a woman named Qin … Continue reading Ji Kangyong’s father attracted the admiration of the Zhu Group’s eldest daughter. Ultimately, he succumbed to temptation and fathered a child with her.

The Zhu Group’s eldest daughter, however, refused to remain Ji Kangyong’s father’s mistress, and her unborn child deserved legitimacy. Desperate, Ji Kangyong’s father confessed his infidelity to his wife. Following difficult negotiations, the couple divorced.

At this time, Ji Kangyong’s mother was very grateful that she hadn’t told her ex-husband about her large inheritance even after years of marriage.

Ji Kangyong, already ten years old at the time of the divorce, possessed a clear sense of right and wrong. Without hesitation, he chose to stay with his mother.

After a year of observation, Ji Kangyong’s mother confirmed her son’s unwavering loyalty and decision to cut ties with his father. Only then did she reveal her background and wealth, making him promise not to tell his father.

Fearing that Ji Kangyong might investigate his grandparents’ deaths as an adult and stumble into danger, his mother withheld that tragic detail. To her, the safety of the living was the most important.

Ji Kangyong’s mother had made her decision: she would not remarry, dedicating all she had to her son.

Yet, life on Ji Kangyong’s father’s side remained unpredictable. New affections often sway a person’s heart. Ji Kangyong’s mother feared that if his father discovered Ji Kangyong’s fortune, he might take drastic measures to seize it.

She carefully outlined this risk for her son. Ji Kangyong, ever intelligent, agreed to maintain the facade of poverty alongside his mother.

Of course, Ji Kangyong’s mother wouldn’t let her son suffer with her. Over the years, she had helped Ji Kangyong’s father manage his business, so she chose to start her own business in the clothing industry.

Their standard of living steadily improved, and this increased visible income.

Ji Kangyong believed his life would continue on this happy trajectory. Sadly, fate had other plans. Perhaps due to overwork or the lingering trauma of her failed marriage, Ji Kangyong’s mother fell ill with cancer when he was fifteen. She died shortly after the diagnosis.

Before her passing, Ji Kangyong’s mother meticulously planned for his future, ensuring all her assets were transferred to his name.

Afterward, Ji Kangyong’s father took him back home under the pretext of caring for a minor child. From that point forward, Ji Kangyong endured his father’s favoritism, his stepmother’s cold violence, and occasional attempts at framing and entrapment by his half-brother.

Ji Kangyong’s life was oppressive. However, to protect their reputation, his father and stepmother refused to let him move out.

Thus, they remained deadlocked for years. Ji Kangyong became a silent observer of his family’s happiness.

Fortunately, Ji Kangyong was both wealthy and outstanding. Even in this difficult environment, he excelled and befriended Shen Yanming, Zhang Heping, and Li Zhaozhao.

Initially, Ji Kangyong pretended to be a poor student, portraying himself as an unfavored child who lacked basic necessities and even pocket money.

Yet, his three friends never looked down on him. They always included him in good times and treated him with kindness. Even after Ji Kangyong revealed his wealth, their friendship remained unchanged.

This warmth touched Ji Kangyong’s heart. So what if he lacked a father’s love? He had a devoted mother and brothers who stood by him through everything. To him, it was all worth it.

Their friendship deepened over time. Upon learning of Ji Kangyong’s family struggles, Shen Yanming and the others sought ways to help him escape.

Ji Kangyong knew that simply moving out wouldn’t free him from his father’s control as long as their legal bond remained.

Instead, Ji Kangyong chose to bide his time, awaiting an opportunity to sever ties.

The perfect chance arose. Taking advantage of his family’s continued disdain, he decisively cut ties with the Ji family.

Before moving to Qingyu Community, Ji Kangyong officially severed his legal connection with his father. They were now strangers.

Upon hearing the Ji family’s history, Bi Qiao’an sighed. “They are both sons. How can their hearts be so biased?”

“Because one son is a drain on resources, while the other generates substantial income,” Shen Yanming explained. “Ji Kangyong’s stepmother brings in multi-billion dollar projects from her family each year.”

“Given that, the Ji family must be quite wealthy. Why would they mistreat their own son? That’s incredibly cruel, isn’t it?”

“Consider Madam Ji’s perspective, and the situation becomes clearer,” Shen Yanming said thoughtfully. “I suspect that Madam Ji has always harbored jealousy and resentment towards Ji Kangyong’s mother for holding the position of the first wife. You may see her as Madam Ji now, but those within their social circles are well aware of her origins as a mistress who rose to power.

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