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

Lu Zhi: ?

While the two fathers were happily discussing parenting tips.

Bruce, fresh off the plane, hadn't even had time to grab a glass of water before he was whisked away.

He had recently partnered with a pharmacist from the Lu family to create a tonic for Lu Jinghuai.

When he learned that Lu Jinghuai had not only survived but was slowly healing on his own, he was thoroughly amazed.

He didn't need anyone to tell him; he knew it must be the work of Ji Tingzhou's mysterious pharmacist.

Bruce had been looking for an excuse to visit the Ji family to indirectly probe into the pharmacist's identity. When he received Ji Tingzhou's invitation for him to come over, he hurried onto the plane without even changing his shoes. It was Lu Zhi who kindly had a pair of slippers prepared for him.

He was eventually led to a room.

On a table, a variety of Bruce's familiar lab equipment was set up.

Wearing a lab coat and gloves, he stood there, only to be met with a one-way mirror blocking his view.

Bruce's heart began to beat rapidly.

He had a premonition.

Was the person behind that mirror none other than the elusive pharmacist?

He hit the mark.

Sure enough, Ji Nian was standing on a stool, observing him through the glass.

She turned to Wei Yang and handed him something she had prepared in advance.

Wei Yang instinctively glanced down at it.

"Wow, I was really good at chemistry back in middle school, but this looks too complicated; I can't understand a single word."

"What about high school?" Ji Nian asked instinctively.

"I couldn't afford high school, so I just learned from Shan after he finished school. I never took any exams, so I'm not sure how good I really am."

Mentioning an old friend, Wei Yang couldn't help but elaborate a bit. "Shan was the most educated among us. He was naturally smart. Back then, we were all young and couldn't earn much, so together, we could only afford to send one person to school. We chose him."

"Turns out, we made the right choice. That guy ended up getting into the best university in the area."

Wei Yang spoke with pride.

Ji Nian, however, felt a twinge of discomfort hearing this.

On the other side, Bruce stood quietly, observing the lab equipment, wondering what he was supposed to do. Could it be that the pharmacist wanted to test his skills and was considering taking him as an apprentice?

Imagining this possibility sent a surge of excitement through him.

At that moment, Wei Yang walked out of the door.@@novelbin@@

Seeing the door open, Bruce flinched slightly, but upon spotting it was only Wei Yang, his eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment. Still, he understood; after all, the pharmacist needed to maintain their mystique.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Wei Yang."

Wei Yang nodded at him, playfully tilting his chin up. "All thanks to our young lady."

Before Bruce could respond, Wei Yang handed him a piece of paper Ji Nian had prepared earlier. "Follow the steps on this and perform the experiment."

Bruce's gaze was instantly drawn to the content of the paper. Even before he could ask what it was, his eyes were fixed on the neatly written formulas and diagrams.

"Hmm?" Bruce uttered a curious sound.

It was clear to him that this wasn't a complete process but rather a fragment extracted from a much larger, more complex experiment.

He couldn't fathom what it was for.

Seeing Bruce hesitate, Wei Yang turned to Ji Nian. "Should I prod him a bit?"

Ji Nian shook her head. "Let's wait."

Noticing Ji Nian's calm composure, Wei Yang couldn't help but feel admiration for her.

Thankfully, she had canceled her afternoon Latin dance session, or he wouldn't have witnessed this side of her.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Bruce finally began to act.

Leaning her chin in her palm, Ji Nian appeared relaxed, but her gaze was intently focused on his movements.

Before he had even completed half of the procedure, Bruce suddenly stopped his work and looked back at her.

Quickly, Ji Nian turned to Wei Yang, who was yawning beside her.

Understanding her signal, Wei Yang stood up and walked in, standing in front of Bruce, who seemed hesitant to speak.

"What's wrong?"

Bruce seemed to struggle internally but eventually spoke up.

"This step doesn't seem right. Why add H2OLL3 to PKL?

"Also, this formula is incorrect, isn't it? Is there a missing reaction?"

Bruce couldn't help but think—surely, the pharmacist wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Could it be that they were deliberately testing him, seeing if he dared to point it out?

In truth...

This wasn't a mistake Ji Nian had intentionally made.

"So that's it..."

Hearing Bruce's observations one by one, Ji Nian realized her assumptions were correct.

Ji Tingzhou's offhand remark about "another world" had clicked something in her mind.

Overly confident, Ji Nian had been gliding through this field, her previous rescues fueled by a desire to counter her own toxins. This had made her forget that she was in an alternate world, different from her original one.

The knowledge she was familiar with and mastered might share similarities with this world's native science, but there were differences.

Grateful for noticing this early, Ji Nian had Bruce alter the experimental steps using his own methods, demonstrating the process fully.

"Wei Yang, thank Bruce for me. I have to go."

Eager to experiment further herself, Ji Nian left abruptly, leaving Wei Yang reaching out, realizing he couldn't be of much help, before withdrawing his hand.

...

Ji Nian returned to her own lab, texting Ji Tingzhou beforehand to let him know she'd be occupied for a while and might miss dinner, urging him to eat without her.

She also asked him to inform Shen Qingtang that she wasn't sure if she'd be going to school tomorrow and, if she didn't show up in the morning, not to wait for her at lunch.

Only then did she enter her lab.

She replayed the recording of Bruce's voice from earlier, jotting down notes as she went.

.​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‍...

During dinner, Lu Zhi noticed Ji Nian's absence and couldn't help but ask, "Ji Nian isn't coming?"

Ji Tingzhou informed him that she had other matters to attend to.

Not wanting to pry, Lu Zhi simply enjoyed his meal.

After dinner, as there were matters in O country awaiting his attention, Lu Zhi bid farewell, and Ji Tingzhou, naturally, didn't try to keep him.

It was a day when alcohol was permissible, but Ji Tingzhou skipped his usual visit to the wine room, instead sitting in the living room on the first floor, idly playing with a felt doll, seemingly waiting for something.

Around ten o'clock, Ji Nian returned.

The child rushed in swiftly; by the time Ji Tingzhou had just stood up, she was already in front of him, panting. "Dad, take me to save someone."

Realizing her problem had been resolved, Ji Tingzhou didn't hesitate, immediately summoning Wei Yang.

Since Ji Tingzhou suspected that Chen Mo was 'Vengeance,' Wei Yang had also been informed.

He had always disliked Chen Mo; now that he knew the man had wronged him, his disdain only deepened.

When Ji Tingzhou told him that Ji Nian's first thought upon uncovering the truth was for the man to apologize to him, Wei Yang felt an indescribable warmth.

Raised in a chaotic world of violence, where fairness was unheard of, Wei Yang was accustomed to reliance on force.

"Today, you wanted my life, but I survived—that's a bonus. Who cares about the reason; I'll retaliate when the time comes."

Initially, Wei Yang had considered beating up Chen Mo, but observing the frail lad and considering he was Ji Nian's uncle, he suppressed the urge, though it left him feeling rather stifled.

Knowing Ji Nian cared about his feelings gave him a sense of comfort—the grudge seemed to dissipate, regardless of whether Chen Mo survived or not.

"Let's go; everything's ready!"

And so, at eleven o'clock tonight, the bustling No. 2 found themselves face-to-face with Ji Nian.