novelraw Chapter 478 - 477: Mastery
Chapter 478 - 477: Mastery
Mr. Ji suddenly opened his eyes and met Ji Rui’s cold gaze."Why don’t you go home? I’m fine! You can leave!" Mr. Ji insisted, seemingly indifferent to his son’s claim about sending his beloved wife to the asylum.
"I have this under control. If you’re tired, just sleep for a while. Don’t worry about me!" Ji Rui stopped looking at him and went into the small living room to take out his computer and busy himself with his tasks.
Ultimately, Mr. Ji couldn’t convince Ji Rui to go home. Ji Rui sat on the sofa, busy with his own matters, occasionally getting up to give Mr. Ji a sip of water.
By the time he finished the tasks that had piled up during the day, Mr. Ji was already asleep in his hospital bed. Ji Rui lay on the sofa, covered himself with a blanket, and closed his eyes. The phone on the coffee table vibrated a few times.
"Are you asleep?" It was a message from Le Tong.
"Yes, just laid down. Why aren’t you asleep yet?"
They were currently in a passionate phase of their romance, a couple who exchanged goodnight kisses at the bedroom door each night. The sudden separation made them both a bit uneasy, and in the quiet moments, they found themselves missing each other a little.
Over at the apartment, Le Tong, who had just gotten into bed, smiled as she looked at her phone screen.
"Just finished attending to the little gentleman; I just laid down too."
"It’s almost midnight, that little rascal’s only now asleep?" Ji Rui quickly replied.
"Yes, he’s been getting more and more energetic lately—it’s a good thing."
Thinking back to the time when Baobao was sick, easily tired and falling asleep with his head tilted, Le Tong felt pangs of heartache. Therefore, seeing him recover day by day, returning to his playful, lively, and mischievous nature, Le Tong not only wasn’t annoyed but was actually quite happy, reluctant to reproach him, even joining in his playfulness.
"Yes, it truly is a good thing!"
"It’s getting late, you should rest early." Le Tong knew Ji Rui was in low spirits; she originally wanted to send a message to console him, but seeing his calm response, she refrained from asking more, said goodnight, then turned out the light and went to sleep.
Ji Rui had a lot he wanted to say to Le Tong, but for a moment, he found everything too overwhelming to articulate. Seeing the message with just the word "Goodnight," Ji Rui reluctantly replied with the same two words, after which the phone was silent.
Ji Rui always thought he resented the old man deeply, yet that night he slept fitfully, getting up occasionally to check on Mr. Ji’s condition. The next morning, he was awakened by noises outside before dawn, unable to fall back asleep, he simply got up and stood on the terrace to get some air.
After the attending doctor finished examining Mr. Ji and confirmed his condition was stable, an somewhat tired Ji Rui pulled Housekeeper Li aside, gave him some instructions, and then hastily left the hospital to return to the Ji Family for a mountain of work.
"Le Tong, I want to go to Y Country the day after tomorrow."
Le Tong had brought homemade breakfast with her: scallion pancakes and fish porridge.
"Going to handle that monopoly case?"
Le Tong calmly pushed the lunchbox containing the pancakes over to him, spooning porridge while asking.
"Yes, I’ll leave the Ji Family affairs to you." Ji Rui pinched off a piece of pancake and put it in his mouth, chewing carefully. The night’s frustration seemed somewhat dispersed by the aroma of the scallion pancake.
"How many days do you plan to be away? Are you going alone?"
"Lawyer Fan will accompany me. If you’re overwhelmed, let Baobao stay home for a few days to avoid the hassle of shuttling back and forth."
Le Tong had to manage work and Baobao, which worried Ji Rui.
"Let him go to school; he’ll be bored stiff at home. I’ll find a way; if it doesn’t work out, Brother Huang and the others can help shuttle Baobao."
Ji Rui couldn’t win against Le Tong. "Alright, you decide on the situation. As for my dad, don’t worry about him; Housekeeper Li will handle it."
Ji Rui didn’t want Le Tong to interact privately with Mr. Ji; deep down, he still feared the old man might bully Le Tong behind his back.
"Okay." Le Tong agreed readily.
Ji Rui stayed at the hospital for two consecutive nights, and Mr. Ji recovered well. On the night before leaving the country, Ji Rui went ahead and arranged for Mr. Ji’s discharge, specifically hiring two special caregivers to look after the old man at home. After settling matters at home and the Ji Family, he left for Y Country with Lawyer Fan.
The day after Ji Rui left the country, Baobao clambered to go visit his grandfather.
Initially, Le Tong didn’t want to go, negotiating with the little one, attempting to have Housekeeper Li send someone to take him, but the little one wouldn’t have it, so Le Tong had no choice but to buy some gifts and take Baobao to visit Mr. Ji at the grand estate.
The car didn’t pull into the garage but stopped on the large open area in front of the mansion. Le Tong held Baobao’s hand and got out of the car. Although mentally prepared, she was still taken aback by the vast garden extending beyond sight and the palace-like grand mansion of the Ji Family.
If she hadn’t known beforehand that this was the Ji Family estate, Le Tong would have certainly thought she was looking at a luxurious holiday resort.
In her view, a sea of vibrant flowers with a variety of types formed a floral ocean, the fragrance wrapped around her nose. Le Tong paused in the middle of the floral sea, unwilling to move until Baobao urged her on. She was then led by Baobao and Housekeeper Li toward the European-style luxurious villa surrounded by blossoms.
As they reached the door, Le Tong felt increasingly awkward and uneasy. "Baobao, how about you go in by yourself?"
Feeling a desire to retreat, this mansion, to her, was Mr. Ji’s territory, and she was not related to Mr. Ji at all. Not to mention that she wasn’t curious about the place at all, even if she was, such a bold visit inevitably seemed presumptuous.
"No, Mommy, come in with me!" Baobao clung to Le Tong’s waist, rubbing hard, fearing she’d truly abandon him and leave.
Le Tong could never resist a sweet request from Baobao, ground down until her bones softened, finding herself unable to pull away, she reluctantly followed Baobao through the door.
"Grandpa! Baobao and Mommy are here to see you, are you happy?"
As soon as they entered the living room, Baobao launched himself towards Mr. Ji seated on the sofa.
"Baobao, be careful, don’t bump into grandpa’s legs."
Le Tong hurriedly reminded him from behind, and after the reminder, nodded to Mr. Ji, "Hello, Chairman!"
Mr. Ji seemed surprised that Le Tong came along with Baobao, a hint of astonishment flickered in his eyes but he quickly returned to his usual demeanor.
"Have a seat, would you like something to drink? Let Old Li pour it."
Mr. Ji wore a smile; though not exactly amiable, there was no malice either, which eased Le Tong’s awkwardness somewhat.
"Water would be fine, thank you, Uncle Li." Le Tong smiled at the housekeeper beside her and sat down on the single couch farthest from Mr. Ji.
Originally climbing onto the sofa and hugging Mr. Ji while acting coy, Baobao released his hold, slid down swiftly like a monkey, "Mommy, Mommy, what do you want to drink? Baobao will pour it for you!"
It seemed the little one had a pretty good host awareness and, while speaking, had already rushed to stand before Le Tong, looking up with a small face.
"Water, please. Thank you, Baobao!" Le Tong pinched the little guy’s cheek.