A Little Trick, the Scumbag Dad Can’t Hold the Knife After Understanding Love

His brows furrowed, his silver-gray eyes brimming with unmistakable anguish as he looked at her—as if that knife from back then had now sliced into his own flesh.

Ji Nian hadn’t even shaken her head when Lu Jinghuai spoke again, his voice low, his silver-gray eyes unusually dim. "I have a gift for you. Someone will deliver it to you when I leave."

"Don’t be upset. You’re my first real friend. You mean a lot to me."

With that, he turned and walked away before Ji Nian could even reach out to stop him.

He hadn’t seemed to be in a hurry, yet in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

The system chimed in with its usual sarcasm: [He’s only nice to you because you saved his life.]

And what about Ji Nian?

She’d been so suspicious that Lu Jinghuai had feelings for her that she’d nearly refused to do business with him.

Ji Nian: "……"

If what Lu Jinghuai said was true, then there really was a reason he’d agreed to such a high price.

She reached up, fingers combing through her hair as she retied the ribbon he’d tugged loose earlier.

By the time she went downstairs, Shen Qingtang and Gu Xiuyuan had already moved from tennis to basketball, and now they were battling it out over ping-pong.

Plonking onto the couch, Ji Nian was still lost in thought when a shadow fell over her. She thought it might be Lu Jinghuai, but when she glanced up, it was He Xiang.

"Where’d you go?"

Ji Nian straightened up like a proper human being.

With her, He Xiang had never been one to hide things.

"I asked if they were hiring."

He’d been working himself ragged lately. Ji Nian wondered—his grandmother’s condition had been stable, so why the sudden need for money?

"Did they take you?"

The staff had been stunned when a customer walked in asking for a job. They called the manager, who asked He Xiang his age. Upon hearing it, he was politely turned down—same reason as always: no child labor.

"This place is pretty far from school. The hours wouldn’t work anyway."

Ji Nian analyzed it for him.

He Xiang sat beside her and nodded.

"Yeah."

He’d known. Still, he’d asked anyway, hoping for luck. The rejection wasn’t a surprise.

"Lu Jinghuai left."

Seemingly eager to change the subject, He Xiang abruptly shifted gears. His voice, still caught in the throes of puberty, was rough and sharp.

He remembered the icy indifference on Lu Jinghuai’s face earlier—so unlike his usual self—when they’d passed each other.

Lu Jinghuai had either not seen him or simply didn’t care, brushing past without acknowledgment.

For a moment, He Xiang had caught a familiar scent on him.

The same fragrance that lingered in Ji Nian’s hair.

"Oh."

Ji Nian nodded.

She thought that would be the end of it, but then He Xiang—uncharacteristically—asked another question. "Did you two fight?"

Ji Nian thought, No, I just overthought things and made him sad.

"No, we didn’t fight."

Admitting she’d suspected his pricing was influenced by a crush? If Ji Tingzhou ever found out, he’d freeze her to death with his sarcasm alone.

Speaking of Ji Tingzhou—that guy was born for this line of work. According to Sister Zhile, back when they were still street vendors, people would flock to their stall just to catch a glimpse of him.

Some didn’t even buy anything—just handed over money. Ji Tingzhou, fully aware of their intentions, would pocket the cash without batting an eye, then play dumb when they tried to flirt.

No sense of shame whatsoever…

Her thoughts had wandered. Shaking her head, Ji Nian flashed He Xiang a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, really. It’s nothing."

He Xiang studied her face for a moment before pulling out a test paper and nodding. "Then do a practice set."

Nothing solved problems like math.

Ji Nian’s smile froze.

"……"

Where was the sweet boy who used to fold paper animals for her?

After a whole night of battling it out, Shen Qingtang and Gu Xiuyuan should’ve been exhausted. Yet, by the time they left, it was Ji Nian—who’d spent the evening lounging—who looked like death warmed over.

When they found out He Xiang had made her do a test, Gu Xiuyuan shot him an approving glance before reaching over—along with Shen Qingtang—to ruffle Ji Nian’s hair.

Sandwiched between them, Ji Nian could only surrender to the assault.

Noticing He Xiang’s intense stare, she tilted her head toward him in resignation. "You too?"

He Xiang hesitated. She’d expected him to refuse.

Instead, his hand lifted, fingers gently catching a stray lock of hair, winding it around his fingertip before his palm settled softly against her head—just one light pat.

When he withdrew, the scent of her hair lingered on his skin.

It was so tender that Ji Nian, half-dead just moments ago, snapped back to attention, eyeing him with suspicion before mentally slapping herself.

[Oh no. When did I become so romance-brained?]

Assuming every guy likes you? Really, Ji Nian?

They’re not even men—they’re boys! Boys!!

An overactive imagination wasn’t always a good thing.

She really was a filthy adult.

As they neared the gate, a man suddenly approached, calling out to Ji Nian with a file in hand.

Only then did she remember—Lu Jinghuai had mentioned a gift. She accepted it.

The others were curious, but respecting her privacy, they didn’t pry.

After dropping He Xiang off, Shen Qingtang headed to his grandmother’s, and Gu Xiuyuan took the family car.

Wei Yang sat in the backseat, munching on a skewer of grilled sausage, another one in hand—bought for Ji Nian.

She opened Lu Jinghuai’s "gift."

Pulling out the contents, her pupils constricted the moment she registered the text.

Wei Yang, still chewing, asked, "Whaf’s wronf?"

"What did Lu Jinghuai give you?"

No ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍point hiding it from Wei Yang.

She handed him the folder, reclaiming her sausage and taking a messy bite, her jade-green eyes blazing in the dim car.

Wei Yang skimmed the documents on his lap before chuckling.

"Damn, blondie."

Knew exactly how to win her over.

Lu Jinghuai’s so-called "gift" was a file containing Sun Xiao’s medical records—dating back eleven years, some even fifteen. Everything from major checkups to receipts for two bottles of disinfectant.

Sun Xiao had grown up in a rural village. The biggest hospital he’d ever visited was the county clinic.

That clinic, over thirty years old, had long been demolished and rebuilt—let alone the smaller clinics.

The effort Lu Jinghuai must’ve gone through to dig these up was unimaginable.

Even Ji Nian, with her famously lacking conscience, felt a pang of guilt.

"Starting today, if anyone makes Lu Jinghuai shed a single tear, I won’t hesitate to burn this entire civilization to the ground."