LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 97 - 97: Top Artist Ji Zeqiu's Financial Backer Exposed
Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Top Artist Ji Zeqiu’s Financial Backer Exposed
Ever since that hurried glimpse of his sister’s back on New Year’s Eve, Lin Xu had not had the chance to see her again, and his longing lingered endlessly in his heart.
“Ting Yang, can you give Lanyue a call and ask when she’s free to come home for a meal?”
Lin Xu looked at Ji Tingyang with pleading eyes.
Ji Tingyang’s lips were tightly pursed, a twinge of discomfort rising from the depths of his heart as he rested his head on Lin Xu’s shoulder, remaining silent.
He found himself missing the days just after their mother had returned, when she only had him in her heart and would even make him scallion pancakes at night.
But now there was Ji Zeqiu as well.
This guy was always competing with him for their mother’s attention.
Recently, his mother had even gone to the film set to keep him company.
Ji Zeqiu had even sent him a bunch of photos of him and their mother together.
When Ji Tingyang thought about this, it felt as if his heart was being entwined by sour vines, constricting and impossible to free himself from the anger and bitterness within him.
If another sister were to return, surely his mother would forget about him. At that time, where would he stand in her heart?
Ji Tingyang’s spine became rigid, and his hand holding Lin Xu tightened slightly, his dark, inky eyes brimming with a trace of restlessness and chill.
Once again, the thought of keeping his mother all to himself crept into his mind.
Noticing his distress, Lin Xu quickly soothed his back, coaxing in a soft voice, “It’s okay, it’s okay, if you don’t want to contact her, we won’t do it for now.”
“You’ve always been Mom’s favorite son, you know. Don’t think too much, okay?”
“Mhm,” Ji Tingyang uttered a muffled sound. The soothing fragrance from Lin Xu’s body calmed his agitation gradually.
Only after his mood had settled did he speak, “I can’t get in touch with her.”
Lin Xu paused for a moment before realizing that ‘her’ referred to Lanyue.
“She blocked me on WeChat, and she’s not answering my calls either,” Ji Tingyang said.
Ever since he had stopped her bank card the last time, she had blocked him.
And now she wasn’t even willing to answer his calls.
She clearly didn’t have much money on her, yet she had stubbornly endured until now without coming to him in tears, probably because she had gone to Ji Zeqiu for money instead.
“Why would she block you?” Lin Xu asked.
Ji Tingyang hesitated, a look of reluctance appearing on his face, as if he didn’t really want to talk about it.
If their mother found out it was because he had stopped his sister’s bank card, would she have a bad impression of him?
Would she think he was the bad brother who made his sister wander outside?
Ji Tingyang suddenly became nervous and quickly changed the subject.
“I just remembered I have a project document I haven’t looked at; I’m going to the study,” he said abruptly as he stood up.
Lin Xu watched his hurried retreat, puzzled.
Just a second ago, he had been holding her, saying he didn’t want to work overtime and wanted to watch TV series with her in the living room. How had he shifted back to wanting to work overtime so rapidly?
She shook her head, not understanding, and turned her attention back to the TV.
After a while, her phone “ding donged,” signaling the arrival of a message.
Lin Xu picked up her phone to find a message from Ji Yuqiao.
Raining Qiao:[After two months of relentless hard work, I finally won the math competition at our school! All the internet curfews I endured have paid off!]
Raining Qiao:[Photo.jpg]
Attached was a photo of the award certificate.
Raining Qiao:[You didn’t see his shocked face when I went up on stage to receive the award with him; he looked at me more times today than he has in the past few years combined!]
Raining Qiao:[TriumphantCat.jpg]
Seeing the emoticon of the triumphant little cat, Lin Xu could almost see Ji Yuqiao’s proud expression, head tilted up, willful and radiant.
She smiled lightly and replied.
Willow Wadding: “You haven’t forgotten what I told you afterwards, have you?”
Raining Qiao: “Of course not!”
Ji Yuqiao hung her head, excitedly texting Lin Xu.
Xiao Yu glanced at her with an indescribably subtle expression.
It was hard to imagine that someone who was cramming for re-examinations due to failing grades last semester could, within just two months, actually secure the second place in the school competition.
“Xiao Yu, look, she won a competition award for you. Why don’t you just give in to her, huh? Hahaha…”
Ji Yuqiao’s fervent pursuit of Xiao Yu over the past few years had made her a well-known name amongst his classmates.
It was just a pity that Xiao Yu had already had someone in his heart and had rejected her in all sorts of ways.
Many people had secretly wagered on whether it would be Ji Yuqiao who gave up the chase first, or Xiao Yu who would be moved by her persistence.
Hearing the teasing from his classmates, Xiao Yu’s face grew colder as his eyebrows drew together in irritation.
He stepped forward, “Student Ji.”
This was the first time he had initiated a conversation with Ji Yuqiao.
Ji Yuqiao, busy and flustered, looked up from her phone, sparing him a glance, “What’s up?”
Unlike her eyes which usually brimmed with joy when looking at him, her gaze now held only indifference.
Xiao Yu paused for a moment.
The words he had intended her to stop pestering him got stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
After a moment’s hesitation, he regained his composure and said something different, “The teacher asked us to go to his office.”
The teacher had called them to his office for a meeting after the award ceremony had concluded.
He had already told the other students about this but had always avoided telling Ji Yuqiao.
Just because he didn’t want to deal with her.
In the end, it was still him who ended up informing her.
“Oh, I know,” Ji Yuqiao replied expressionlessly, her voice indifferent.
She tucked her phone back into her pocket, with a haughty expression on her face, and followed behind Xiao Yu and the other students to the office.
Xiao Yu was walking ahead when a student beside him gave him a nudge.
“Hey, Ji Yuqiao is being so indifferent to you today. You think she has given up on you?”
Xiao Yu said indifferently, “That would be for the best.”
“Tsk,” the classmate sighed. “I think Ji Yuqiao is quite good-looking, and she’s way richer than Wen Li. I really don’t understand why you would ignore a white, rich beauty and stick with a Wen Li.”
Xiao Yu frowned.
He and Ji Yuqiao were simply not from the same world.
Just keeping up with work and studies was already keeping him busy enough; he didn’t have time to play around with a lady like her.
Moreover, feelings were never something that could be measured with money.
In silence, they had arrived at the teacher’s office.
Students who had performed well in the school competition could sign up for the city-level contest, which would then lead to the provincial level and finally the national level.
The teacher expressed his hope that during the period leading up to the competition, they could help each other, make progress together, and aim to win a few more awards for the school.
The teacher could talk about grand principles non-stop for an hour without repeating himself.
By the time everyone left, their bodies and minds were filled with exhaustion.
Ji Yuqiao took out her mobile phone, intending to complain to Lin Xu about their teacher, but instead, her attention was captured by an entertainment news alert that popped up.
#Shocking! Celebrity Ji Zeqiu’s behind-the-scenes financial backer exposed!#