Bo Xin's parents lived in a nearby villa area, spacious and bright, decorated according to their preferences.
For example, her parents favored an antique style.
Ji Xingzhi didn't come often, so this was quite different from his memory. "I thought you'd bring both kids along."
How could you directly talk about something as major as swapping children?
Grandparents wouldn't be happy if they didn't prepare surprises for the kids either.
"I need to give my parents some time to adjust."
Ji Xingzhi found this amusing. "Then why didn't you give me time to adjust?"
If He Mingqiao hadn't called home ahead of time and learned there was an extra child, he would have returned unprepared and faced the kid directly.
Even at the door, Bo Xin still had to say something nice.
"Because I trust you..."
Ji Xingzhi squinted slightly.
"I trust your ability to accept things."
As it turned out, wasn't that the case? Ji Xingzhi had just arrived and already went to see the kid at school.
Ji Xingzhi let out a sarcastic laugh.
Bo Xin clicked her tongue, unsure if the situation was good or bad. After striking a deal, Ji Xingzhi had become noticeably harder to manage.
But as long as he got this done, he was fulfilling his role.
In her memory, her parents looked exactly like the ones from her previous life, so Bo Xin had no psychological burden addressing them.
"Mom, please call Dad over. We have something to tell you."
Hu Fangyue turned around, revealing a delicate and elegant face.
She was naturally happy to see her daughter, but the serious expression made her uneasy. "What’s wrong? Why so solemn?"
Bo Xin joked, "Isn’t it just so I can tell you both at once?"
Hu Fangyue was convinced; her daughter was always opinionated.
She met Ji Xingzhi's gaze and nodded slightly.
Back then, when their whole family was sent to the countryside, it was only because of their son-in-law’s status that they didn’t suffer as much as others.
So whenever the son-in-law came, they were always polite.
But that also meant they didn’t look forward to his visits.
Sometimes, having a casual chat with her daughter was more comfortable than this.
Bo Xin followed her mother. That’s exactly why she made Ji Xingzhi take the blame—no matter how resentful her parents felt, they wouldn’t show it on their faces.
Besides, Ji Xingzhi didn’t visit often, but she had to come home frequently.
Bo Xin tugged hard at Ji Xingzhi’s sleeve, signaling him to slow down.
Hu Fangyue asked casually, "Is your business going smoothly lately, Xingzhi? I haven’t seen you in the newspapers recently."
Bo Xin thought it normal that her parents hadn’t seen him—they liked reading financial newspapers.
Ji Xingzhi answered seriously, also anticipating that Bo Xin wouldn’t tell her family about his car accident.
"Stock prices dropped, but they’ve been recovering slowly recently."
"Why?"
Of course, because Ji Xingzhi was critically ill after the accident. A major change in the company’s leadership would naturally affect stock prices.
Bo Xin put her arm around Hu Fangyue’s shoulder. "That’s what we want to talk to you about today."
This had to be part of it; otherwise, where would the story start?
Her father, Bo Zheng, was in the study, neither too close nor too far—another reason Bo Xin disliked living in a villa—it made the family feel distant.
Bo Zheng was brewing tea. The gurgling sound of boiling water always calmed his mind.
Bo Xin didn’t want to waste time on small talk. She got straight to the point as soon as she sat down.
Ji Xingzhi supplemented the explanation, then apologized. "It was my negligence that caused the child to suffer so much in the countryside."
After hearing the whole story, Bo Zheng couldn’t help but be angry.
"Did you bring the child back?"
"Of course," Bo Xin replied.
"Is the child close to you?"
Bo Xin thought about how to put it. "The child is close to his mother, but because of his father’s mistakes, he still doesn’t want to talk to his father much."
Ji Xingzhi raised an eyebrow and glanced at Bo Xin, who looked back at him.
‘What? Isn’t that true?’
The situation was true, but not the reason.