As a 28-year-old single nobleman, a diamond bachelor, in his mother’s eyes, Ji Haotong was an old man no one wanted, about to hit thirty.
During those two months of the three-thousand-person blind date event and the endless string of matchmaking, Ji Haotong had encountered all kinds of oddballs.
There was the female lawyer who came with a premarital contract, the nearly-thirty “Bride Price Sister” who made outlandish demands, the girl who looked just twenty but was already pregnant with twins while working odd jobs, and the tall, passionate, voluptuous stunner who almost made him lose his mind—until he accidentally glimpsed the Adam’s apple and immediately sobered up, realizing this was a top-tier trap, also blessed with fair skin, good looks, and long legs.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the rosewood desk, each sound crisper and steadier than the last, echoing through the spacious office. Ji Haotong sat in his chair, face grave, lost in thought, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. The air around him seemed to freeze.
“That stuff,” commonly known as “the medicine,” with its medical names: estradiol, estrone, estriol compound tablets.
Ji Haotong could accept Ji Yueniann’s fondness for cross-dressing; he’d even go out of his way to cover up and protect the secret. He could also accept that Ji Yueniann, for love, had transformed from a campus tyrant into an artistic young man—a prodigal turning over a new leaf.
But those body-harming drugs…
At this thought, a sharp glint flashed through Ji Haotong’s eyes. He picked up the landline phone next to him.
Raised from childhood to be Ji Hong’s heir, some of Ji Haotong’s ideas were indeed at odds with Ji Hong’s, even diametrically opposed.
But he wasn’t stupid; on the contrary, he’d perfectly inherited Ji Hong’s business acumen and cunning—perhaps even surpassed his teacher.
Ji Hong had always taught him: when you’re determined to doubt something, never go straight to those who might lie or hide things from you. One must have a deep mind, be good at concealing true intentions.
The marketplace is a battlefield.
War is deception. Strike where the enemy is unprepared, attack where least expected. If you’re too proactive or enthusiastic, your little brother might get suspicious and wary.
So, as to whether Ji Yueniann was really taking medication, Ji Haotong didn’t plan to ask or investigate personally, but rather…
—
Ding ding ding!
A crisp bell rang.
In another corner of the city, inside a detective agency, a middle-aged man in a black T-shirt and a baseball cap sat in a bamboo chair and picked up the desktop phone.
“Hello, this is Happiness Private Detective Agency.”
“Mm, understood. An investigation, right? Okay.”
“Campus? Student? That’s a bit tricky… More money? Sir, no—You are my God! Amen!”
He hung up, and as he was about to get up, a wave of pain struck his head. He clutched his head and cursed under his breath, “Damn it, again.”
Countless bizarre fragments flooded his mind like a tide, each memory shard slicing and tearing through his brain like a blade, making him shudder with pain.
He curled up in his chair, clutching his head with both hands, face as pale as paper, beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.
Suddenly, the tightly closed door to the detective agency swung open. A little boy in blue-and-white robes, wearing an oversized painter’s beret, ran in clutching some medicine.
“Brother Chen, teacher and I brought your medicine again~”
“Eh? Brother Chen….”
“Meow meow meow! Teacher, something’s wrong! Brother Chen fainted!!”
—
At the same time, along a cobblestone path at Wanqing Yongxing Academy, another piece of girls’ clothing had been added to the collection, once again satisfying the collector’s desire.
Ji Yueniann walked leisurely toward the dorm building, hands clasped behind, swinging a black plastic bag, humming a little tune.
Back in the dorm, since there was no night study session, all four were present.
Liu Yao and Luo Yikang each gripped a game controller, playing some cute two-player co-op adventure.
Yao Shiming had recently switched to being an up-master, spending his free time editing videos of Panda Man for fun.
As for Hu Li—
Wuxing City…
Looking up, Ji Yueniann saw the pale, gently swaying ankle above Yao Shiming’s head.
Up on the bunk, Hu Li was hugging a copy of , silently reciting.
The atmosphere in the dorm was slightly strange, but not the kind of weird that felt uncomfortable.
Ji Yueniann couldn’t pinpoint the peculiarity—just a vague sense that something was off. Gone were the bickering and teasing of their freshman and sophomore years, as well as the casual, risqué banter. In its place was an ambiguous and harmonious vibe, like water blending together.
As soon as she entered, she saw Yao Shiming turn his head, raise an eyebrow teasingly, and say, “Old Ji, went out with your girlfriend again?”
Ji Yueniann coughed, lifted the plastic bag in her hand, and said, “Just went out to buy clothes.”
“Oh.” Yao Shiming drew out the syllable meaningfully.
Ji Yueniann didn’t bother to explain, tossing the bag onto the desk, then headed to the computer, planning to take her medicine before gaming.
Back at her seat, she pulled out the bottle from the drawer, poured out three pills, and swallowed them with water.
This scene happened to be witnessed by Hu Li on the upper bunk.
Hu Li frowned and asked, “Old Ji, what are you taking?”
Smacking her lips, Ji Yueniann glanced at the bottle in her hand, its label torn off by Jiang Chi, and replied casually, “Should be calcium tablets or something. They taste sweet and sour—not bad.”
“Want to try one?”
She shook out a few tablets and offered them to Hu Li.
Curious, Hu Li picked one up and popped it into his mouth. In the next moment, his face went through a fascinating transformation—surprise, confusion, shock, realization—all mixing together like a palette of colors.
“Old Ji,” only after chewing and swallowing did Hu Li’s expression return to calm. He looked straight at Ji Yueniann, his gaze steady and slightly odd. “You’ve been taking these recently?”
“Yeah, taste’s good. I just eat them like digestive tablets.”
As she spoke, she remembered she’d already regained her previous height of 1.81 meters—just two centimeters short of her peak at 1.83. She couldn’t help but toss a few more into her mouth.
Sweet and sour, and they seemed to help her grow.
Jiang Chi’s medicine really wasn’t bad.
Seeing Hu Li’s gaze fixed on the pills, Ji Yueniann thought he liked them and shook out a few more to offer. “If you like them, have some more. Don’t be shy.”
“No, no.” Hu Li waved his hand to refuse, gaze heavy on the short-haired “big boy” in front of him. Remembering the previously concealed “girlfriend,” he unexpectedly felt the pride of an elder, and his tone took on a meaningful note.
“Old Ji, I think this year—our third year—is going to be quite interesting.”
Without waiting for Ji Yueniann’s response, he pulled his head back and shouted toward the door at the two playing games, “What do you think, Old Liu?”
On the other side, Liu Yao, nearly snuggling up to his buddy, glanced at Ji Yueniann, then gave a thumbs-up in Hu Li’s direction.
Luo Yikang, looking weary, continued gaming. Yao Shiming watched his nose, his nose watched his heart—he saw nothing, heard nothing, and kept working on his Panda Man videos.
Only Ji Yueniann, glancing at the other four, scratched her head in confusion.
Why was everyone acting so mysterious?
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