President Ji’s Cat - Chapter 24

Upon learning the news that Ji Shengjun had been suddenly rushed into the emergency room, the expression on Ji Chufeng’s face froze for a fleeting moment.

By the time she snapped out of it, Xu Xiayun was already wailing Ji Shengjun’s name, ordering someone to bring the car around, and scurrying toward the main gate.

Chufeng watched as Xu Xiayun slipped into the car; the Lincoln drove off swiftly, leaving not even a puff of exhaust behind.

“Eldest Young Lady,” the butler walked over. “I will drive you to the hospital.”

Ji Chufeng turned to look at the camphor tree. After over twenty years of careful cultivation, the tiny sapling had grown into a massive tree with lush foliage, finally large enough to provide shade.

She remembered planting this tree with her parents when she was a child. She had asked her father then why they were planting it.

Her father had answered, “When you grow up, this tree will be a great tree too. In the summer, our whole family can enjoy the cool shade beneath it.” He also said her mother loved romance and wanted to install a swing under the branches so he could push Chufeng on her days off.

Now, the tree had grown up, but the home was no longer the home of those years.

Ji Chufeng withdrew her gaze, her expression devoid of ripples. She said flatly, “No need.”

“But—” The butler knew that when she said “no need,” she wasn’t just refusing a ride; she was refusing to go to the hospital at all.

He hurried after her, pleading, “Eldest Young Lady, the doctor said the Master’s situation is dire. It’s hard to say if he’ll make it out of the operating room. You should go see him one last time!”

Ji Chufeng said coldly, “For the past few years, his heart and eyes have been full of only that mother and son. Now is Ji Chengye’s chance to show his filial piety. He doesn’t need me.”

The butler knew she held a deep grudge, but having watched her grow up, he truly didn’t want her to miss her father’s final moments. He continued to urge, “But no matter what, he is your father… this might very well be the end…”

Ji Chufeng didn’t want to hear another word. She transitioned from a fast walk to a run toward her car. She had long limbs, and the butler was getting on in years; she quickly left him behind.

Ignoring the butler’s pleas behind her, Chufeng bent over and sat in the car. Without a moment’s pause, the engine roared to life and the car lunged forward.

She didn’t go to the hospital, nor did she go home; she headed to the office. Right now, only work could keep her mind clear of distractions.

The hospital had called her twice earlier, but she hadn’t heard them. When they called the Ji Residence instead and the message was delivered, they didn’t call again.

She didn’t want to hear any more updates from the hospital. She turned her phone off and tossed it into a drawer.

However, reality rarely aligns with one’s wishes.

“President Ji.” An Yi knocked and entered, her pace more hurried than usual.

Ji Chufeng looked up from a pile of documents. She had been staring at a single sheet of A4 paper, yet hadn’t processed a single word.

“I don’t know who leaked the news, but reporters have already converged on the hospital.”

Ji Chufeng’s brow twitched. Her hand gripped her pen unconsciously, then slowly relaxed. She said with calm composure, “Have the hospital handle it. If the crowd affects order, they have to manage it regardless.”

“Understood,” An Yi replied. She studied Ji Chufeng’s face; the woman was excessively calm. Perhaps her gaze was too intense, for Chufeng lifted her eyelids, her cold brown eyes meeting hers: “Anything else?”

An Yi hesitated, but finally said, “President Ji, I think it would be best if you went… Ji Chengye is already there.”

The moment she finished, she felt the gaze from across the desk turn ice-cold. Ji Chufeng’s brow furrowed as she said harshly, “That is not your concern.”

“…” An Yi quickly lowered her head. “My apologies, President Ji.”

Ji Chufeng said nothing more and returned to her files. An Yi took the hint and retreated.

Standing outside the office door, An Yi pulled her phone from her pocket. She stared at the screen for a long while before finally choosing to unlock it and place a call.

Inside, Ji Chufeng stared at the closed door. After a long silence, a faint, almost imperceptible sigh echoed in the quiet office.

A long time passed before the desk phone rang. She checked it; it was the internal line. She picked it up.

The voice that came through was unmistakably familiar.

“Fengfeng.”

“…” Ji Chufeng instinctively gripped the receiver tighter. Calling at a time like this, she didn’t particularly want to respond.

But her mother didn’t need a response. She simply asked, “Where are you right now?”

Ji Chufeng was almost laughed to anger by the question. She snapped, “You’re calling the office landline. Where do you think I am?”

“Mm…” A soft hum came from the other end, followed by silence. It was clear Yu Rou was thinking of how to persuade her.

Ji Chufeng waited patiently, offering no rush. Mother and daughter remained in a silent stalemate.

Yu Rou was waiting for her daughter to ask why she had called, but since Chufeng remained silent, she sighed internally and called her name again.

“Your father’s life is hanging by a thread. You must go to the hospital.”

Finally, she had said it.

Ji Chufeng bit her lip, her finger unconsciously twisting the telephone cord. “You know I’d just as soon see him dead.”

“Even so,” Yu Rou said quickly. She paused and sighed softly. “You are now the actual person in power at the Ji Group, and he is your father as well as the former Chairman. By reason and by emotion, you should go see him.”

“And if I don’t go?”

“You will regret it,” Yu Rou said with absolute certainty.

Even if her daughter hated him to the bone, blood is thicker than water. The blood flowing through her was Ji family blood. Even with towering hatred, there would always be a trace of lingering attachment in her heart.

Yu Rou said, “This is the final time.”

“…”

Regarding Ji Shengjun, Ji Chufeng truly could not find a shred of forgiveness. But everyone was telling her to go, as if not going would make her the greatest villain on earth.

She desperately wanted to ignore it all, but in the end, she was persuaded by her mother. Or perhaps she was persuaded by the emotions she had been working so hard to ignore.

By the time she arrived at the hospital, several people were already gathered outside the emergency room.

Just as she stepped out of the elevator, she heard Xu Xiayun’s wailing sobs from within. The further she walked, the clearer the sound became. To an outsider, it would sound as if Ji Shengjun had already been declared dead.

Standing outside were Xu Xiayun and her son, several directors of the Ji Group, and Chang Min.

Compared to Xu Xiayun’s heart-wrenching and ostentatious grief, Chang Min appeared quite calm. He stood with his hands behind his back, staring solemnly at the emergency room doors. Even Ji Chengye had squeezed out a few tears.

But this brother-in-law, who had acted like a blood brother to Ji Shengjun, showed no emotion. He stood by the door as if merely completing a task, waiting for the right moment to perform a symbolic show of devastating grief.

Ji Chufeng stopped a short distance away, watching the group. For a moment, she felt as if she were separated from them into two different worlds. Over there, they looked anxious, as if they could burst into wails at any second; over here, she felt absolutely nothing. No nerves, no sadness, and no sense of triumph.

Not long after she arrived, the emergency room light went out. Every eye focused on that door, waiting for the result.

Two minutes later, the door slid open. Only the attending physician emerged; no gurney followed.

The doctor wore a mask, hiding his expression. He stood at the door for a moment before saying solemnly, “The old gentleman passed away peacefully. Prepare the funeral arrangements.”

“Husband!!” Xu Xiayun nearly fainted. Ji Chengye was quick to catch her, his mouth already wailing for his “father.”

The group moved into the operating room, crying. One wondered how many of them were sincere.

Since the doctor announced the result, Ji Chufeng hadn’t moved a single step. Though her face remained expressionless, her pupils were slightly dilated. Her fingers twitched, clenched into a fist, then slowly relaxed, as if the strength had been drained from her.

After standing for what felt like forever, she shifted her feet and walked toward the room, step by step.

She stood at the door. Her eyes immediately landed on the figure covered by a white sheet on the bed. Xu Xiayun was draped over Ji Shengjun, screaming his name, while Ji Chengye held her shoulder, crying exceptionally loudly—a bit too much like a performance. The others stood by, shedding a few tears and offering a few moans of grief.

Only Ji Chufeng stood at the door like a puppet. She didn’t shed a single tear; her expression didn’t even change.

She walked in, heading toward the bedside. Her cold demeanor was a jarring contrast to the sobbing crowd. She reached out and pulled back the white sheet covering Ji Shengjun’s face.

A sallow face, bloodless lips, mouth slightly agape. He did indeed look “peaceful,” just as the doctor had said.

“What are you doing!” Xu Xiayun suddenly shoved her aside and pulled the sheet back down. She scolded, “You didn’t visit him while your father was alive, what are you pretending for now that he’s dead!” She sobbed again. “How did Shengjun ever father a daughter like you? Your own father is dead and you haven’t shed a single tear. Do you even have a heart?!”

As Xu Xiayun’s interrogation continued, Ji Chufeng looked at the tearful woman before her. Suddenly, a cruel smile curled on her lips. “No matter how heartless I am, I am his biological child. What about… you?” Her gaze landed on Ji Chengye.

Xu Xiayun froze, forgetting to cry. It took a moment for her to recover: “What do you mean by that! Your father’s body isn’t even cold and you’re talking nonsense?!”

Ji Chufeng laughed coldly, her gaze shifting to Chang Min. The chill in her eyes made him flinch and instinctively look away.

“You know exactly what I mean.” Looking back at Xu Xiayun, her smile grew more mocking. “Your backer is gone. I’m giving you a bit of face—if you’re smart, you’ll pack your things and get the hell out of the Ji family.”

“Presumptuous!” Ji Chengye barked, filled with a sudden, unprecedented confidence. “According to Father’s will, I am now the one in power at the Ji Group! How dare you speak to my mother like that! Even if you are my sister, I will not forgive you!”

“Father?” Ji Chufeng didn’t get angry; she laughed instead. “Do you even know who your father is? Sister?” She looked down her nose at Ji Chengye. “A bastard like you isn’t worthy of calling me sister.”

“You!” Ji Chengye was livid. He raised his hand to slap her, but the moment he moved, his hand was seized in a iron grip.

The atmosphere turned sharp and dangerous instantly, as if the previous grief had never existed.

“Are you crazy! I am the heir to the estate! Do you still want to work for the Ji Group?!” Ji Chengye shouted at the bodyguard gripping his wrist. Instead of letting go, the guard tightened his grip and twisted the arm behind Chengye’s back, forcing him to one knee on the ground.

Xu Xiayun hadn’t even reacted to this sudden turn of events.

Ji Chufeng crossed her arms and looked down at him coldly, like a god of death delivering an announcement.

“Your good days are over.”