Chapter 50-Part 1

When Ji Ran stood at the door of the villa area, he took a deep breath. Shen Zhi originally wanted to send her back, but she was afraid of bumping into Jiang Yi or others in broad daylight.

So she came back alone.

She took a deep breath, and her phone vibrated a few times again. This time, it was a call from Ji Qingli.

Yesterday, when Ji Ran had just left home, the first few calls were from Jiang Liqi. Originally, Ji Qingli was angered by her words and really wanted to teach her a lesson.

But half an hour later, Ji Ran hadn’t returned yet, and Ji Qingli began to feel anxious.

Ji Ran had always been obedient and sensible since she was a child—the kind of child that others envied.

Usually, her upbringing was taken care of by Pei Yuan, even though they had been living together for the past few months, which hadn’t caused him much worry.

But now she had run away from home.

Thinking of Ji Ran, a young girl outside late at night, Ji Qingli also felt worried.

Fortunately, Pei Yuan had just called him, saying that she had already contacted Ji Ran and that she would be back soon. At this moment, Ji Ran hadn’t arrived home yet, so Ji Qingli couldn’t help but call again.

Ji Ran then entered the residential area.

The security guard at the gate nodded and greeted her.

When Ji Ran reached the door, Aunt Zhao, who was outside, hurriedly came out, looking worried. “Miss, you’re finally back. You ran out so late, and you worried us all.”

“I’m sorry, Aunt Zhao,” Ji Ran said obediently.

Listening to her soft and gentle voice, Aunt Zhao felt both heartache and fondness.

She thought this beautiful and cute girl, so polite and obedient, with excellent academic performance, was someone she would love to have in her own family.

Mr. Ji, for the sake of that mother and daughter, actually wronged Ji Ran.

Aunt Zhao really wanted to tell Ji Qingli to open his eyes and see; this was even more infuriating than being blind.

She whispered, “What’s that girl surnamed Jiang? What’s your identity? What’s hers? There’s no need to lower yourself to her level.”

Aunt Zhao used to speak quite subtly and tactfully, but now, to comfort Ji Ran, she stands firmly by her side without hesitation.

Ji Ran smiled lightly and nodded, and Aunt Zhao happily pulled her into the house.

Today, Ji Qingli didn’t go out to play golf. He usually played golf on weekends. Ji Ran hadn’t returned home since last night. If it hadn’t been less than twenty-four hours, he would have called the police.

He was sitting in the living room, hesitating whether to call Pei Yuan again to ask about Ji Ran’s situation, when suddenly the door was pushed open.

The nanny, Aunt Zhao, was leading Ji Ran by the hand as they entered.

When Ji Ran stood still, Ji Qingli stood up from the sofa, walked over quickly, his face showing a slight anger. “Ji Ran, what’s wrong with you? You dared to leave home after I spoke to you. Who gave you the courage?”

Ji Ran deliberately waited until Ji Qingli finished scolding her before lowering her head and saying softly, “Sorry, Dad, I was wrong.”

What kind of children do parents like the most?

Those who admit their mistakes.

At this moment, Ji Ran’s apology really suppressed Ji Qingli’s anger. It was like a bucket of water, completely extinguishing his anger.

Now that his anger had subsided, he couldn’t help but start to think about his own issues.

Ji Qingli was extremely arrogant and self-centered. He didn’t reflect on himself often, so this was a rare occasion.

He sighed softly, feeling helpless. “Dad also hopes that you can get along well. If you really don’t want to…”

“Ranran.”

Suddenly, a voice came from the staircase. Jiang Liqi leaned on the railing with one hand, the other supporting her stomach, and called out softly.

Jiang Yi stood beside her, holding her arm, looking afraid she might fall.

So cautious.

Ji Ran turned her head to look, and seeing the affectionate appearance of the mother-daughter duo, she suddenly smiled. Even a pregnant woman about to give birth didn’t act as artificial as they did. It was ridiculous how they were acting like everyone needed to know.

Jiang Liqi’s face showed a concerned expression. “Ranran, you’re finally back. Your dad and I were so worried, we almost called the police.”

Jiang Yi still didn’t speak, obediently standing there.

Just now, Jiang Liqi had hurried downstairs as soon as she heard Ji Ran was back. She had figured it out; this girl might seem obedient on the surface, but she was quite cunning in reality. And she was particularly good at playing tricks on Ji Qingli, making her pillow talk ineffective.

So she was afraid that as soon as Ji Ran returned, Ji Qingli would regret letting Jiang Yi come back to live with them.

Sure enough, when she reached the staircase just now, she heard Ji Qingli’s tone and saw that he was indeed about to regret it, so she promptly interrupted him.

Jiang Liqi sighed. “Why can’t we, as a family, discuss everything?”

She knew that what Ji Ran hated the most was this, deliberately provoking Ji Ran to make her lose control like she did yesterday. As a mother, she knew the parents’ psychology.

If the child was obedient, it was fine, but if she kept throwing tantrums and threats, it would only make the parents less willing to indulge her.

Ji Ran glanced at Jiang Liqi. Since they had initiated, she couldn’t just stand idly by.

So Ji Ran lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, “Dad, I think Mom is right. I think I should go back and live with her.”

Ji Qingli was stunned, then felt somewhat annoyed because he remembered the sarcastic remarks made by Pei Yuan during their phone call about how he couldn’t even take care of such a well-behaved child.

If he let Ji Ran go back to Pei Yuan’s side now, wouldn’t that be playing into Pei Yuan’s hands and confirming that he couldn’t take care of a child?

Ji Qingli didn’t hesitate to speak up.

“This matter was indeed not well considered by Dad. Jiang Yi will not move back in.”

A decisive statement.

Jiang Liqi suddenly felt dizzy, as if she was about to faint.

Jiang Yi was even more shocked; her eyes widened, and then she couldn’t believe it as she looked at Ji Qingli and couldn’t help but shout, “Why?”

Hearing her voice, Jiang Liqi suddenly pinched her hand.

This instantly silenced Jiang Yi’s voice.

But Jiang Yi still felt wronged, and tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t want to live in that dormitory shared by four people again, with such a small wardrobe.

She wanted to live in this big villa, with spacious rooms and servants specially serving her. What was wrong with wanting to live a life like a young lady? Who would want to be poor if they could help it?

Clearly, her mother was already Madam Ji, so why did she have to be driven away?

At this moment, Jiang Liqi pinched Jiang Yi again with all her strength, causing Jiang Yi’s tears to fall immediately until Jiang Liqi’s fingers pinched her palm.

With a teary voice, Jiang Yi said, “I don’t want to be separated from my mom. I want to live with my mom.”

“Qingli, Xiao Yi has really become obedient now, and more sensible too. She really dares not provoke Ranran anymore. Let her stay at home for now.”

Listening to their crying and shouting, Ji Ran knew this was Jiang Liqi’s way of dealing with Ji Qingli.

But she didn’t expect that now even Jiang Yi was crying.

She didn’t look at them anymore, turning directly to Ji Qingli and saying, “Dad, I’ll go upstairs and pack my things. I’ll call Mom myself later. Don’t worry.”

After that, she turned and walked towards the stairs.

Then, step by step, as she took the third step, Ji Qingli suddenly spoke from behind, “I’ve made up my mind. If Jiang Yi doesn’t want to live in the dormitory, Liqi, you can help her rent an apartment near the school. This way, she can still attend school nearby, better than going back and forth.”

After Ji Qingli said this, Jiang Liqi’s face turned completely pale.

She thought that being pregnant would completely control Ji Ran. But she didn’t expect Ji Ran to be so strong and unyielding; even she couldn’t control her.

Ji Ran slowly turned her head, intentionally looking only at Jiang Liqi and Jiang Yi.

She had seen all sorts of defeated expressions, but seeing two disappointed faces at once made her quite pleased.

Ji Ran smiled slightly at them, gently opened her mouth, and silently uttered two words.

Farewell.