Although Ji Yanzhi knew he was taking his anger out on him for no reason, his tongue remained merciless. "Don't wear that outfit again. It's hideous."
Slash. Fang Jie, sitting in the front passenger seat, took a stray hit.
He had painstakingly chosen that formal outfit, and the Second Young Master looked incredibly handsome in it. What was hideous about it?
Ji Ting believed in leaving others alone as long as they left him alone. He stared coldly ahead. "Yours is hideous too. You look like a pathological control freak who refuses to seek treatment for his mental illness."
Slash. Fang Jie took a second hit.
Boohoo, I picked the President's outfit too. Can't you brothers have an argument without catching innocent bystanders in the crossfire?
At that string of descriptors, Ji Yanzhi narrowed his dark eyes. "You're using the clothes as an excuse to insult me, aren't you?"
Ji Ting said blandly, "A loving older brother, a respectful younger brother. You earned it."
We're doomed, we're doomed. A chill crept over the back of Fang Jie's neck. President Ji was definitely going to lose his temper.
But to his surprise, the car simply fell silent. Neither brother spoke again, and the atmosphere seemed to settle into a cold war.
More than forty minutes later, the car stopped outside the Zhang Family's gates.
Before getting out, Ji Yanzhi said icily, "Go in and greet everyone first. Then you can go find Zhang Xu."
Ji Ting raised his wrist to check the time. "It's 5:58 p.m. I'll leave at 7:58 sharp."
With that, he opened the door and got out first.
As soon as the two of them reached the banquet, people began approaching Ji Yanzhi in a steady stream to strike up conversations. There were too many for Ji Yanzhi to remember them all, so he relied entirely on Fang Jie, who stood behind him to his right, to quietly remind him.
"This is Feng Jianhua, vice president of the Golden Lake Group. Beside him is Li Li, a director."
No sooner had he finished than Feng Jianhua came up to them, all smiles. "Ah, President Ji! What luck I'm having today. I never expected to run into you here."
Ji Yanzhi reached out and shook his hand. He had intended to exchange a few pleasantries, but Feng Jianhua went on and on.
Fang Jie quietly moved behind Ji Ting and whispered, "Second Young Master, shall I get you something to drink?"
Ji Ting turned his head slightly. "No, thank you."
As he turned back, the movement suddenly caught Feng Jianhua's attention. "President Ji, this is...?"
"My younger brother, Ji Ting."
"Ah, Young President Ji! A pleasure, a pleasure." Feng Jianhua immediately stepped forward, clasping Ji Ting's hand in both of his and shaking it. "Mr. Ji is truly blessed. Every one of his sons is outstanding. What a family..."
Before he could finish, someone suddenly poked him in the back.
Li Li, standing beside him, seized the opening. "President Ji, you probably haven't seen Old Mr. Zhang yet. We won't take up any more of your time."
Ji Yanzhi gave a polite nod and left with Ji Ting and Fang Jie.
Once they were out of earshot, Feng Jianhua turned around. "Why did you poke me just now?"
"Don't you know? The youngest son of the Ji Family is illegitimate. Ji Yanzhi has been at daggers drawn with his father over it for ages, and you actually called him Young President Ji to his face."
Panic instantly rose in Feng Jianhua's chest, but a moment later, embarrassment turned to anger, and he clicked his tongue. "If that's what he is, why did Ji Yanzhi bring him to an occasion like this? Isn't he just making a fool of himself?"
"The Ji Family has a vast business empire. How could we know what they're plotting?"
Although none of the three heard that conversation, what happened afterward practically laid those sentiments out in the open.
Some of those familiar with the Ji Family's situation deliberately ignored Ji Ting while exchanging pleasantries with Ji Yanzhi, not even sparing him a glance.
Those who didn't know behaved much like Feng Jianhua, sometimes receiving a reminder from someone beside them. In even more awkward cases, someone would find an excuse to pull them away while they were trying to get friendly with Ji Ting.
No wonder the Second Young Master didn't want to come, Fang Jie thought. If it were me, nothing could make me attend this banquet.
"You're taking this pretty calmly." Ji Yanzhi weighed his words, looking awkwardly at the person beside him. "You don't actually need to care..."
He broke off abruptly. Ji Yanzhi realized Ji Ting hadn't been listening at all. His half-lowered eyes suggested his mind was miles away.
"Ji Ting."
It took two or three seconds before Ji Ting looked up. "Hm?"
Ji Yanzhi's temples began to throb faintly. He took another breath. "Go find Zhang Xu. I'll have Fang Jie come get you when the banquet starts."
"Oh."
After Ji Ting left, Fang Jie ventured, "Actually, it's not such a bad thing for the Second Young Master to be like this. At least he won't feel hurt."
Ji Yanzhi gave a cold snort without committing himself. Of course it's a good thing. No wonder they say the clueless live longer.
Out of courtesy, Ji Yanzhi had to visit Old Mr. Zhang before seeking out Director Wu. But when he reached the door, it was President Zhang of Hengrui who emerged.
"Grandpa hasn't been in good health these past two years. He'd just finished seeing our uncles when he said he felt dizzy and wanted to lie down for a while. I hope you'll understand, President Ji," Zhang Mei said with a smile.
"You're too kind, President Zhang." Ji Yanzhi had intended to exchange a few pleasantries and leave, but she brought up a new topic herself.
"Actually, even if you hadn't come today, President Ji, I would have paid you a visit to ask for advice."
Ji Yanzhi's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Her formal delivery of an invitation had already struck him as a little strange, and now he had no idea where this remark had come from.
Zhang Mei sighed helplessly, but her expression grew more sincere. "I'd genuinely given up hope for that younger brother of mine. I'd hit him, I'd scolded him, but Zhang Xu just refused to apply himself. All he ever cared about was eating, drinking, and having fun."
As she spoke, amusement gradually filled her eyes. "I never imagined he'd start studying finance seriously under Ji Ting's influence. A few days ago, he even said he wanted to do an MBA."
Zhang Mei finished speaking, but Ji Yanzhi remained unresponsive for a long moment.
Just as the atmosphere was about to turn awkward, Ji Yanzhi finally spoke, each word deliberate. "President Zhang, the Ji Ting you're talking about is the Ji Ting from my family?"
Zhang Mei blinked, assuming he was joking. "I didn't realize you had such a sense of humor, President Ji. Of course it's your Ji Ting. Who else could possibly be as clever as he is?"
Something shifted in Ji Yanzhi's eyes, as though he were suppressing something. "Ji Ting didn't mention this to me when he came home. Would you mind telling me more, President Zhang?"
Suspecting nothing, Zhang Mei began recounting the details. "It was last month. Their group of friends went to a club, and apparently it took quite an effort to get Ji Ting to come along..."
A few minutes later, Fang Jie stood beside them with his mouth half-open, looking as if he had heard something extraordinary. His eyes had gone numb with shock.
"When Zhang Xu came home that day, he kept telling me it was incredible. I asked him what was so incredible, and he said he'd never understood his teachers' lessons at school, but once Ji Ting explained it, all those complicated things seemed to slip into his brain on their own. He understood them straightaway."
At this, Zhang Mei's expression turned wistful yet relieved. "You have no idea, President Ji. I'd never seen that look on Zhang Xu's face before. He seemed full of drive, nothing like the aimless boy he used to be."
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