Chapter 597: Encountering the White Moonlight

Chapter 597: Meeting an Old Flame

The woman in the carriage was startled, then quickly reached out and lifted the curtain.

When she saw Ji Nanchuan clearly, her pupils slightly contracted, and her eyes instantly reddened.

"You are... Brother Nanchuan?"

The sound of "Brother Nanchuan" instantly transported Ji Nanchuan back twenty-five years, and his expression immediately turned emotional.

So it seemed, she really was Xia Chuhe.

However, the Xia Chuhe before him had aged, with the marks of time on her face. Though she was no longer as delicate and lovely as before, her skin was still well-maintained, and she had even more charm than before.

When Ji Nanchuan saw her again, he still had complicated feelings. He spoke, saying, "It's me."

"Chuhe, where have you been all these years?"

Xia Chuhe's eyelashes trembled slightly, and the corners of her eyes instantly turned red.

"Brother Nanchuan, it's a long story. Why don't you come inside first, and we can sit and talk privately?"

"Alright." Ji Nanchuan said without hesitation, and climbed into the carriage.

Ji Huaiche, however, frowned deeply and didn't follow him up.

He could tell his father and the lady in the carriage knew each other, and they seemed pretty close.

No matter who he was, it wouldn't be right for him to follow them in right now.

Luzhu didn't get in the carriage either, instead sitting outside.

Inside the carriage, Ji Nanchuan and Xia Chuhe sat across from each other, both speaking at once.

"Chuhe, you..."

"Brother Nanchuan, you..."

Finally, Ji Nanchuan spoke up and said, "Chuhe, why don't you speak first?"

Xia Chuhe looked lost in thought, gently biting her red lips before nodding.

"Brother Nanchuan, I do have a lot I want to say, but I just heard you're in a hurry to save your son. What's going on? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Xia Chuhe's voice was soft and gentle, just like it had been when they were together years ago. Ji Nanchuan really missed that feeling.

He really didn't want to show his embarrassing side to Xia Chuhe, but seeing the concern in her eyes, he just couldn't bring himself to refuse her.

Without much hesitation, Ji Nanchuan said, "My second son, Ji Qingfeng, was stabbed in the chest today at the government office by my adopted daughter. He's badly hurt and unconscious—even the imperial doctors don't know what to do."

"I'm rushing to find someone to save him, that's why I told the driver to go faster. I'm afraid Qingfeng doesn't have much time left."

Hearing this, Xia Chuhe frowned slightly, looking confused.

"Brother Nanchuan, isn't she your adopted daughter? How could she harm your own son?"

She shouldn't have brought that up—it only made Ji Nanchuan angrier.

He fumed, "Adopted daughter? She's nothing but an ungrateful wretch. I must have been blind to bring her into the Yongning Marquis Manor back then. Now she's stripped the manor of its wealth, ruined our family, and even the Crown Prince won't give me the time of day anymore."

After venting, Ji Nanchuan told Xia Chuhe everything that had happened between Ji Qingqing and the Crown Prince.

He especially emphasized how ungrateful Ji Qingqing was and how bad things had gotten for the manor.

Hearing this, Xia Chuhe felt really bad for him. She said softly, "Back in the day, the manor was at its peak. I never thought so much would happen while I was gone."

"Brother Nanchuan, have you found someone who can save your son?"

Ji Nanchuan sighed, his face full of worry. "I did find someone, but she won't help Qingfeng. This is already the second time I've gone to beg her. If she still refuses, I'll have no choice but to kneel at her door until she gives in."

Xia Chuhe was startled and asked curiously, "Isn't she a doctor? Why won't she save your son?"

Ji Nanchuan hesitated for a moment before saying sadly, "Because she's my own flesh and blood."

"She got lost when she was little, and she blames me for not sending people to look for her, and for the Yongning Marquis Manor treating her badly—giving the adopted daughter more love than her."

"But what she doesn't know is that I searched for her for ten whole years, and it was only by chance that I found out she'd been sold by a slave trader to the countryside. I immediately had the steward bring her back to the manor."

"If I really didn't love her, why would I have brought her back and even arranged for the War God Prince to marry her, letting her jump straight up to becoming the esteemed Princess Ye?"

"She became a princess and her life got better, but now she wants to cut all ties with the Yongning Marquis Manor."

Xia Chuhe was shocked. "How could this happen?"

"You did so much for her—why is she being so cruel?"

Ji Nanchuan said, "It's because after she was taken by the slave trader, my mother missed her day and night, hoping to find her and bring her back, and even developed a heart condition from all the worry."

"I was afraid my mother would be overwhelmed with grief, so I found a baby girl born on the exact same day, month, and year, and brought her back, raising her like our own daughter."

"When she came back and found out, she turned on us, saying we didn't care about her, that we'd rather spend money raising someone else's daughter than look for her."

Ji Nanchuan sighed helplessly.

"I know that as her father, I've failed her. I've been trying to make it up to her, but she just won't accept it. She keeps targeting and putting down the Yongning Marquis Manor, and even used her connections to team up with the young heir of Rongguo Manor to bring down the barbecue restaurant I invested in."

"How could I not know that this is her revenge on the manor? She suffered a lot growing up in the countryside, getting beaten and scolded by her adoptive parents, which is why she's so arrogant and insolent now."

"I've failed as a father. I've let down the Ji family ancestors. I'm the one who deserves to die."

As he spoke, Ji Nanchuan suddenly slapped himself hard in the face.

His action startled Xia Chuhe, and she quickly grabbed his hand.

"Brother Nanchuan, don't do this. This isn't your fault at all. You've done everything you could—it's your daughter who doesn't get you."

"If anyone should blame themselves, it shouldn't be you."

With her hand gripping his, Ji Nanchuan's heart was racing.

Compared to Meng's hand, Xia Chuhe's was much better taken care of.

Even at over forty, the skin on her hands was still as soft as an eighteen-year-old girl's.

Most importantly, the made-up story he'd just spun had successfully won him Xia Chuhe's sympathy.

Ji Nanchuan knew she was soft-hearted and gentle, and couldn't stand to see him hurt himself.

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