“Ming, please come this way.”

“President Shu, you’re being too troublesome. I could have come by myself.”

“How could I? I’m a straightforward man. You are Ming’s father, which makes you the most distinguished guest of our Tide Higher Academy. I should personally host you...”

Shu Shaoguang’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the relatively quiet lounge area.

This sudden turn of events brought Ji Chenggang’s loud pronouncements to an abrupt halt!

Wei Lanzhi’s proud smile instantly froze.

She stared in disbelief at the man being personally led by the President and surrounded by school leaders.

She wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

“Ming Zhiyun?!”

Was that Ming Zhiyun, her ex-husband whom she had once truly loved, resented, and even looked down upon?!

Impossible!

Ming Zhiyun had been dead for over ten or twenty years!

How could he possibly appear here?

“...Ming? Could this be Mingxi, Ming Shen’s father?”

“It must be. It’s said that Ming Shen went to Green Field Star, hiding her identity, just to find her missing father, and she successfully brought him back.”

“With such a daughter, what more could a man ask for?”

“If my son were even half, no, even a third as filial as Ming Shen, I’d wake up smiling in my dreams.”

Chairman Zhou’s exclamation from the side made the distraught Wei Lanzhi’s face turn even paler.

It really was Ming Zhiyun?!

Wei Lanzhi stared wide-eyed at the man not far away. He looked not much different from before he went missing, with a familiar smile on his lips, a little cynical, yet a little profound.

Because he had been well-fed ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) and well-provided for, with large quantities of precious resources poured into him like plain water, his condition was even better than before; he looked at least ten years younger.

He looked more like a young man in his twenties.

However, there was always a faint sense of melancholy hidden in his free and easy brows.

It used to be due to the heavy burdens of family, but what about now?

Could it be... because of her?

Seeing the President Shu’s respectful attitude, who was high above them, and the fawning of the school leaders and the surrounding wealthy celebrities.

This scene was like a silent slap, harshly striking her face.

She subconsciously clutched the bracelet on her wrist, a gift from her ‘filial stepson,’ and only felt that its shimmering brilliance was now incredibly dazzling.

Ji Chenggang’s triumphant expression also vanished.

He, of course, knew the relationship between his wife and Mingxi, and had even tried to leverage this connection to get close to the rising Mingxi. However, due to his wife’s inaction towards her biological daughter over the years, they had never been able to mend their relationship.

In fact, his wife hadn’t even had a chance to meet her.

He had his daughter, Ji Youran, transfer to Tide, hoping that his daughter could bridge the gap between their mother and daughter through their alumni connection.

In his opinion, how could there be an old grudge between mother and daughter?

No matter how strong Mingxi was, a single person’s power was always limited. Many things required manpower to handle, and many relationships needed a family to maintain for her.

And their Ji family was definitely the best choice.

In this way, not only would the Ji family and Mingxi have a win-win situation, but his Hao’er would certainly be able to ride the coattails of his stepsister and soar to great heights, becoming a true glory for the Ji family in the future!

Mingxi, who had unhesitatingly shared her ‘inheritance’ with those unrelated strangers back then, certainly wouldn’t be stingy with her own family.

Hao’er was her stepbrother!

He had always been confident about this; all he lacked was an opportunity to make Mingxi feel a sense of belonging to their family.

But he never expected Ming Zhiyun to still be alive?

This was beyond his expectations and caught him off guard.

With her biological father back, would Mingxi still care about a stepfather she had never met and a stepbrother with no blood ties?!

Ming Zhiyun seemed to sense the gaze and calmly swept his eyes over Ji Chenggang’s family, his expression momentarily freezing when he saw Wei Lanzhi.

But he quickly composed himself.

There was no disgust or hatred in his eyes, nor any love or tenderness, only a kind of serenity born from enduring much, as if he were looking at an irrelevant stranger.

He didn’t even pause. After a fleeting glance, he continued to chat with Shu Shaoguang, preparing to walk towards the best reserved seats in the guest section.

“Ming Zhiyun! You stop right there!”

A sharp, distorted female voice, like a poisoned ice pick, suddenly shattered the calm.

Ming Zhiyun, the President, and others simultaneously paused their steps, turning in unison to look at the exquisitely made-up but ferocious-looking Wei Lanzhi.

Her chest was heaving violently, her eyes fixed on Ming Zhiyun, overflowing with jealousy, hatred, unwillingness, and a nearly insane malice.

“Ming Zhiyun! You liar!”

Wei Lanzhi rushed forward a few steps, raising her hand to strike Ming Zhiyun’s face, but Ming Zhiyun was a Beast Tamer after all; how could he let an ordinary person hit him?

He quickly retreated, avoiding her slap.

But Wei Lanzhi seemed to be even more provoked, letting out a shriek that made the surrounding people frown.

“You disappeared without a word back then, leaving me and Xiao Xi as orphans and a widow! Do you know how sad and pained I was when I heard about your death? Do you know how difficult it was for me, an ordinary person, to manage a home without a man?

Now that our daughter has grown up and is successful, you jump out to take credit?

You’re shameless!”

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, tears mixing with eyeliner, leaving several black streaks on her face, making her look exceptionally hideous.

Ming Zhiyun: “...”

He was stunned by this sudden, distorted accusation.

He looked at the hysterical woman in front of him, as if seeing her for the first time.

He took a deep breath, his eyes chilling, and slowly began to speak: “Back then, you despised me for being poor, for not earning enough money for your clothes, bags, and cosmetics, and I truly wanted to give you and Mingxi a better life, so I signed up for the pioneering exploration of Green Field Star.”

“You were also well aware of the dangers of the exploration mission; with my strength at the time, it was inevitable that I would barely survive. You agreed, you supported it, and you even promised that even if I died on Green Field Star, you would definitely take good care of our daughter and my mother.

And what happened?

As soon as I ‘died,’ you took all the compensation and insurance money!

For over ten years!

You didn’t give Mingxi a single cent of child support!

You didn’t even look at Mingxi once!”

Regarding his wife’s remarriage after his disappearance, Ming Zhiyun had long since come to terms with it. He was ‘dead’ back then; she didn’t need to live as a widow guarding a memorial tablet.

What he couldn’t forgive was her cold selfishness towards Mingxi and his mother. Even if she had only taken half of the compensation back then, it wouldn’t have made him completely disappointed in this ex-wife.

He was also surprised to meet her here today, but time had passed, and Mingxi was now past the age where she needed maternal love.

He thought they could go their separate ways, he didn’t want revenge, nor did he want any further interaction with her.

It would be enough for them to be the most familiar strangers, living peacefully.

He never expected that while he wanted happiness for both, the other party did not!