Read Novel Full Chapter 114 Part 2 – Out of Character (II)
Chapter 114 Part 2 – Out of Character (II)
When Feng Qi suddenly came home on time for dinner, the entire family was surprised. Feng Bai even joked it was like the sun had risen in the west.
Old Master Feng gave his youngest child a sideways glance. “If you stayed away any longer, I’d have assumed your lab had kidnapped you.”
Feng Qi chuckled. “I was worried about your mood, so I came home just to check on you.”
The moment he spoke, the rest of the table fell silent. Everyone understood the real reason behind Old Master Feng’s recent foul mood—it all came down to Jiang Zhou. Though he hadn’t stepped in to help his grandson, it was obvious he wasn’t as detached as he seemed.
In the past few days, Feng Yun had been showing up often. She was turned away every time, but her visits clearly weighed on the old master.
None of them could understand why Feng Qi would bring up such a touchy subject now.
Feng Bai leaned toward his twin and whispered, “Did Third Uncle get hit on the head or something?”
Feng Song rolled his eyes and kept silent.
Just as Feng Qi finished speaking, Old Master Feng exploded: “Who told you I was in a bad mood? I’m in a great mood! If you stayed in that lab of yours, I’d probably feel even better.”
Feng Qi nodded. “Good. I almost mistakenly thought I had done something wrong.”
Old Master Feng paused. “What did you do wrong?”
Feng Qi smiled. “Oh, nothing big. Just did my part to rid the world of a pest. Not even worth mentioning.”
Old Master Feng frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say? Can’t you talk like a normal person?”
Feng Qi was silent for a while before finally saying, “I was worried Jiang Zhou might harm Xiao Lizi, so I had someone keeping an eye on him. Later, I found out he and Bai Guolin were planning to steal someone’s kidney. I chose to observe for a while and waited until they made a move—then had someone call the police.”
Old Master Feng: “…”
Feng Qi’s words left not only his old father stunned, but the rest of the Feng family staring wide-eyed in disbelief.
His eldest brother, Feng Yuan, frowned, “A’Qi, don’t joke like that in front of Dad. He…”
“Shut up,” Old Master Feng barked at Feng Yuan, then turned to Feng Qi. “Why did you do this?”
Feng Qi glanced at him but remained silent.
“Are you mute now?” Old Master Feng roared.
Feng Qi replied calmly, “I didn’t force him to do those wicked things.”
Old Master Feng’s chest rose and fell violently. “But you could’ve stopped him—you’re his uncle!”
Seeing Feng Qi remain silent, Old Master Feng grew even angrier. He grabbed a decorative item from the table and threw it at him. Unexpectedly, Feng Qi didn’t even try to dodge, letting it hit his forehead directly.
Old Master Feng was stunned. He stared at his youngest son, opening and closing his mouth several times before finally saying, “Even if you didn’t want to deal with him yourself, you could’ve come to me. I could’ve stopped him from doing something so dastardly evil. How could you… how could you…”
Feng Bai muttered under his breath, “Jiang Zhou was rotten from the start. He’s already a lost cause.”
As soon as Old Master Feng shot him a glare, he shut up immediately. Feng Qi looked at his father and said in a flat tone, “You might be able to stop him once, but can you stop him for a lifetime? Can you guarantee he won’t go after Xiao Lizi again?”
Old Master Feng: “…”
Indeed, he really couldn’t guarantee that. But no matter how wretched, that foolish boy was still his grandson, so his first instinct had been to discipline him, to keep him from committing further atrocities.
But Feng Qi was different. He chose to call the police the moment Jiang Zhou made a move, letting the law punish him.
Looking at the wound on his son’s forehead, Old Master Feng could no longer bring himself to scold him. After a long silence, he let out a sigh. “Just go back to your lab. I get angry just looking at you right now.”
Feng Qi turned to his eldest brother. “Try to talk some sense into Dad, will you? Don’t let this matter hurt his health.”
“…” Feng Yuan didn’t have the energy to argue, but deep down, he wanted to snap: ‘If you hadn’t confessed your part in it, Dad wouldn’t be this furious!’
After Feng Qi left, Feng Yuan went over to help steady his father. “Dad, A’Qi did it out of concern for Xiao Jiang Li. Don’t be too hard on him.”
Old Master Feng sat in silence for a long while before finally murmuring. “A’Qi has always been very rational. If he chooses to handle things this way, it means he’s already judged that Jiang Zhou is beyond saving. I’m angry, yes, but I don’t really have the standing to blame him.”
Jiang Zhou had been arrested for breaking the law. Feng Qi hadn’t stepped in to stop him, likely because he never truly regarded him as a nephew.
But given the vile things Jiang Zhou had done, it was hard to fault Feng Qi. And his concern was valid—someone as deranged as Jiang Zhou wouldn’t stop after just one failure. He’d only try again.
If he had really harmed Jiang Li, the consequences would have been more than the entire family could bear.
The real reason for the old master’s earlier outburst was the thought of his foolish daughter—he felt he had failed to raise her properly.
Everyone had expected Old Master Feng to be devastated, but to their surprise, he took it with remarkable clarity.
The frustration he’d been bottling up seemed to have been released all at once. After blowing off steam, even his appetite improved.
…
After dinner, Feng Bai returned to his room and immediately dialed Jiang Li’s number. As soon as the call connected, Jiang Li answered cheerfully, “Third Brother, aren’t you busy dating lately? How come you have time to call me?”
Feng Bai sighed. “Third Uncle got hit by Grandpa. How can I be in the mood for romance?”
“What?” Jiang Li didn’t believe it. “You’re joking, right?”
Feng Bai replied helplessly, “Do you think I’d dare to joke about Third Uncle?”
Jiang Li immediately panicked. “Is Uncle okay? Did Grandpa get so angry he hurt himself?”
“Grandpa was furious at first, but he’s calmed down now. As for Third Uncle… well, he got hit on the forehead by Grandpa, but I think he’s okay… probably?” Feng Bai wasn’t entirely sure himself.
Hearing that both her grandfather and uncle were fine, Jiang Li finally let out a sigh of relief. “Tell me what happened today.”
Feng Bai hadn’t planned on hiding anything from her, so he promptly gave a rough account of the evening’s events. In the end, he added, “I don’t think Third Uncle was wrong, but I can understand why Grandpa got so mad.”
“…” Jiang Li was stunned. The matter with Jiang Zhou had clearly been arranged by Tong Yi; why did Third Uncle take the blame for it and even bring it up himself in front of Grandpa? That was completely out of character for him!
Unless… Grandpa had already started investigating, and Third Uncle didn’t want him tracing the matter back to her, so he simply took the heat.
“Xiao Jiang Li, why are you so quiet? Don’t tell me you’re scared?” Feng Bai asked.
Jiang Li snapped out of her thoughts. “Is Third Uncle still at the house?”
“No, Grandpa said he didn’t want to see him for now, so he left alone. I think he probably went back to the research institute.” Feng Bai guessed.
“I see. Thanks for telling me all this.”
“Come on, we’re family,” Feng Bai chuckled. “Anyway, Grandpa has the entire family looking after him. As for Third Uncle, you should give him a call—your sweet little voice will definitely cheer him up the most.”
After hanging up, Jiang Li quickly booked the earliest flight to Minjiang that night. She then contacted student affairs to request a leave of absence and started preparing to return home.
Wen Wan didn’t catch the details of the call, but she could tell something had happened in Jiang Li’s family. With concern etched on her face, she said, “If it’s not too urgent, maybe wait until tomorrow. It’s late, and traveling alone can be dangerous.”
Jiang Li shook her head. “I’ll be flying, so it’ll be fine. I have to go back—otherwise, I won’t feel at ease.”
Wen Wan grabbed her hand. “Then let me come with you.”
Jiang Li gently refused, “You stay here. I’ll text you once I land, okay?”
Wen Wan hesitated for a long time, then finally nodded. “Okay, but you have to update me, promise?”
Jiang Li nodded and quickly left the dorm.
“What happened with Jiang Li’s family that she’s leaving in such a hurry?” Zhang Rongrong asked curiously.
“It’s none of your business.” Wen Wan replied in a low voice.
“I was just showing concern,” Zhang Rongrong frowned. “Why are you snapping at me like that?”
Wen Wan glared at her. “All you ever do is dig into people’s personal business. Jiang Li doesn’t need your concern.”
Zhang Rongrong: “…”
Wen Wan’s personality really had gotten fiery after spending so much time with Jiang Li!
…
That night, Jiang Li flew to Minjiang. After calling Wen Wan to let her know she had landed safely, she took a taxi straight to the research institute.
By the time she arrived, it was already midnight. The large iron gates securing the perimeters were locked, and after knocking for several minutes, a security guard finally came out, wrapped in a coat.
When he saw Jiang Li standing at the gate, the guard almost thought he was seeing things. He hurried to unlock it and asked with curiosity, “Why are you back all of a sudden? Isn’t winter break still ways off?”
“I’ve got something to take care of,” Jiang Li replied casually. Then she asked, “Is my Third Uncle staying over tonight?”
The guard nodded with a smile. “Professor Feng hasn’t really left the institute these days. He did go out earlier today, but came back in the evening.”
After thanking the guard, Jiang Li headed straight for the unit where her uncle lived.
Feng Qi had already gone to bed, but the moment he heard someone unlocking his door from outside, he shot up.
He came out of his bedroom and found the lights in the living room were on. At the entrance stood his niece, wearing a black backpack and tiptoeing as she changed into slippers.
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