After Ji Tiantian had her fill, she went home.
And she even drew a big pie for Uncle Zhou, "Uncle, you've been so good to me, I'll get my brother to promote you and give you a raise later!"
Uncle Zhou was terrified upon hearing this, and hurriedly said, "No need, no need. Being able to peacefully do this job is enough for me! I'd be content if nothing changes."
Ji Tiantian, "?"
Okay, that's pretty laid-back. He doesn't look up to promotions and raises.
Ji Tiantian felt melancholy. It would be good if everyone were as genuine as Uncle Zhou, not only treating her to food but also asking nothing in return. Where could one find such good people?
Just in case it worked, Ji Tiantian decided to mention it to her elder brother when she had time.
She was happy as she stepped into the house but noticed that the atmosphere in the living room was a bit tense.
Ji Qilin was not working either and gently looked at her as she entered. Ji Weinan, usually very lively, was also sitting quietly on the couch and even made faces at her.
Ji Tiantian laughed out loud, "Third brother, is your eye twitching? Hahaha, that's so funny."
Ji Weinan, "..." Be ruined.
He turned his head away, refusing to look at Ji Tiantian.
"All day laughing and joking, don't you take anything seriously? Is this how you waste your time at school?" Suddenly, a deep male voice cut in, stern and rigid.
That jolted Ji Tiantian, and she promptly stood at attention, very properly.
There was another person on the couch, dressed in a neat black suit, with short black hair, deep and sharp facial features, exuding the aura of a superior, his authority flowing from the inside out without him even being angry.
His thick brows were furrowed, and his eagle-like eyes fixed on her.
Ji Tiantian's scalp tingled.
Although her elder brother was very nice to all his younger siblings, giving them whatever they wanted, his severity truly made one want to flee, and Ji Tiantian instinctively feared her elder brother.
She stammered a greeting, "Big, big brother, how come you're back?"
Ji Lingyun scoffed and tossed a bunch of photos on the table, "If I didn't come back, would you have gone off to the zoo to be a monkey?"
Ji Tiantian, "…"
What kind of talk is that!
She wouldn't go to the zoo to be a monkey, she would go to the mountains and be a free wild Monkey King.
Realizing her thoughts were drifting, she quickly said, "No…" Then, she lowered her eyes and suddenly widened them.
Damn!
How could the photos of her sleeping in class and playing games be in Ji Lingyun's hands?
"This… this…" She pointed at the photos, panicking, "Why do you have these things?"
Ji Lingyun with a cold face said, "Ji Tiantian, you better explain to me what's going on?"
She remembered when Ji Lingyun called her by her full name, it meant he was really angry; normally, he would just call her little sister.
Ji Tiantian stared hard at these "incriminating evidence". Those teachers claimed they wouldn't intervene but still reported her, which was highly unmoral.
She was racking her brain trying to think of excuses, ready to make bowing her head as an excuse, "I…"
"Wait a second." Ji Qilin shook his phone, also helplessly, "Mom and dad want to hear too."
So he gave her a you're-on-your-own look.
Ji Tiantian, "…"
A three-party hearing, huh?
The video connected quickly.
Father Ji and Mrs. Ji appeared on the screen, and Ji Tian faced them, staring eye to eye.
Mrs. Ji's usually gentle cheeks were stern, "Da Bao, go ahead and ask."
Ji Lingyun: "…"
His temples twitched: "Mom, can you not use my nickname?"
Mrs. Ji blinked, then sighed, "Aren't you my Da Bao? What's wrong with calling you that? Sigh, my child has grown up, gotten independent, and doesn't care about his old mother's feelings anymore."
Ji Lingyun rubbed his temples: "Whatever you want…"
"That's more like it. Quickly ask why your little sister suddenly stopped studying hard."
Ji Lingyun crossed his long legs and leaned back on the leather sofa, slightly lifting his chin, "Tell me what's going on."
Ji Tian lowered her head, choosing happiness over painful studying, and mustered the courage to say, "I don't want to study anymore!"
Ji Lingyun narrowed his eyes dangerously: "Say that again."
Ji Tian felt cornered and switched her reasoning: "I love studying, and if there's a time limit to it, I wish it were ten thousand years…"
"Pfft." Ji Weinan couldn't hold back a laugh, but when he caught Ji Lingyun's dangerous glare, he covered his mouth, his shoulders trembling as he tried to contain it.
Because Ji Tiantian changed her statement, Ji Lingyun's grim expression eased considerably. He said sternly, "I don't want you to study for ten thousand years, but you must seize every moment."
Seeing Ji Tiantian's unhappy expression, Ji Lingyun knew it was just a forced lie. He rarely interfered with his younger siblings, ensuring only that they weren't lacking in material comforts.
As for their studies, he let them handle it themselves.
Since Ji Tiantian started middle school, Father Ji and Mrs. Ji had gone traveling, claiming they wanted to see more of the world while they still could.
That had been three or four years now, possibly returning home for holidays.
This had also led to both Ji Tiantian and Ji Weinan being neglected in their upbringing.
He didn't want to interfere with Ji Weinan because he was a boy who could take care of himself. But Ji Tiantian was different—she was the only girl in the Ji family, and the family had high hopes for her.
He asked, "Why don't you want to study?"
Ji Tiantian sighed, her doe-like eyes drooping sadly: "Last time I fell into a lake and hit my head, I've forgotten some of the things I learned before. I don't understand anything now, so what's the point?"
Father Ji immediately disagreed: "Good baby, even if you've hurt your head and forgotten some knowledge, we need to work harder to regain it, right? You started off ahead in life, don't end up losing at the finish line!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Tiantian responded confidently: "Well, that's good then. It's better to lose at the starting line than at the finish line; it saves me a run."
Father Ji: "…"
He huffily nudged Mrs. Ji: "Your daughter, you deal with her!"
Ah, this…
Mrs. Ji followed up: "Not studying is not an option. Everyone's life path isn't smooth; just work hard to get through, and then you'll have a vast expanse of possibilities."
Ji Tiantian thought carefully and concluded: "As the saying goes, if the road ahead is uneven, take a detour. Taking a little detour in life seems quite expansive too."
Mrs. Ji: "…"
She looked at Ji Tiantian's beautiful cheeks, wanting to say something but hesitating, then restraining herself from speaking.
After all, she was the daughter she doted on all her life, and she really couldn't harshly scold her. So, in frustration, she turned to Ji Lingyun: "Da Bao, your own sister, can't you teach her properly? I hope you can straighten out her unambitious mindset."
The buck was passed back to Ji Lingyun, and he was troubled, his usually well-behaved and quiet little sister suddenly didn't want to study, which left him speechless.
This was beyond his grasp; he didn't know how to handle it.
Facing Ji Tiantian's innocent eyes, Ji Lingyun sternly said: "Ji Tiantian, I remember you've always been very self-disciplined, haven't you?"