“Xiao Wei, isn’t this little sister adorable? Would you like her to be your sworn little sister?”
Mrs. Ji held the swaddled baby in her arms, gently swaying side to side.
Her eyes brimming with affection, she looked down at the infant girl, not yet six months old, and sought her son’s opinion.
“Mommy, the little sister is really, really tiny—about the same size as our little kitten at home.”
Four-year-old Ji Wei replied in his innocent, unfiltered way.
“So do you want to acknowledge her as your sworn little sister? You’ll become a true little man of honor, and from now on, you’ll protect her and cherish her?”
Mrs. Ji asked again, her voice soft, her eyes full of anticipation as she looked at her son.
The little boy tilted his head slightly, his small brows furrowing just a touch as his round, dark eyes fixed steadily on the tiny person in his mother’s arms.
The little girl lay obediently in Mrs. Ji’s embrace, unconsciously pursing her pink little lips.
Her cheeks puffed out adorably as she lay there quietly, neither fussing nor crying.
A pair of crystal-clear eyes, brimming with smiles, gazed steadily at the little boy, as if saying,
“Brother Ji, hurry and acknowledge me as your sworn little sister—I really want a big brother.”
The little boy pondered for a moment, then spoke with a rare note of certainty and resolve,
“Mommy, I want a little sister too.”
“I’ll definitely cherish her, watch over her, and protect her.”
“I’ll give her all the best food, the best drinks, and the best toys.”
“I’ll even build her a super, super big, super, super beautiful palace, so she can be the happiest little princess in the whole world!”
The little boy excitedly rattled off all the best things he could think of at his age.
His small hands gestured earnestly in front of him, demonstrating the size of the palace, his innocent, guileless eyes filled with boundless affection for his future sister.
“Alright then, from today on, she’s your little sister.”
“She’ll be living in our home, so you two need to get along well. And remember—a real man’s word is his bond.”
Mrs. Ji’s eyes shone with warmth and satisfaction as she spoke seriously to her son.
“I’ll definitely keep my word!”
Ji Wei patted his little chest with both hands, his tone brimming with confident resolve.
“Since she’s living at our house, I can see her every day after school!”
“Hahaha, this is amazing! I’m going to tell all my classmates.”
“From today on, I have a little sister!”
Ji Wei’s eyes instantly lit up as if filled with stars, the corners of his mouth lifting high to reveal two tiny baby teeth.
His little face flushed pink, like a ripe apple.
His small hands waved excitedly in the air as his body couldn’t help but bounce up and down.
His whole being radiated innocent, pure childlike joy.
From that day on, Nie Zhenzhen officially became a member of the Ji family, becoming Ji Wei’s sworn little sister.
She basked in the boundless love and healing that this complete, warm family brought her, gradually soothing the grief and loss of having lost her parents to an accident at a young age.
Nie Zhenzhen’s biological parents and the Ji family had been close family friends for generations, enjoying a very good relationship.
In particular, Nie Zhenzhen’s mother and Mrs. Ji were as close as sisters.
But tragedy struck in the third month after the girl was born.
Nie Zhenzhen’s father needed to travel to a remote area in Southeast Asia for a business deal to discuss a potential collaboration.
Mrs. Nie didn’t feel comfortable letting her husband go alone.
After all, a grown man still needed someone to look after his daily needs.
So, disregarding the fact that she had just completed her month of postpartum recovery and was still weak, she entrusted the baby to her grandmother’s care and accompanied her husband on the trip to Southeast Asia.
But once they left, there was no word from them.
Added to that, twenty years ago, communication and surveillance technology were not well developed.
Cross-border communication and cooperation were not as smooth as they are today.
Furthermore, the situation in Southeast Asia at that time was even more perilous and complicated than it is now. Trying to find them in a foreign land was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Despite all this, in the years that followed, the Ji family never gave up searching for Father Nie and Mother Nie’s whereabouts.
Unfortunately, the people sent to investigate always brought back news that amounted to nothing—like stones dropped into the sea.
Disappointment after disappointment tormented them with the agony of longing.
Later, as the situation improved slightly,
word came back from the local area that Father Nie and Mother Nie had unfortunately fallen into The Compound.
Although the information stopped there, it was easy to imagine that once someone fell into the hands of those thugs at The Compound, escaping with their lives was nearly impossible.
So, no matter how devastating the news, everyone could only silently accept the bitter truth that Father Nie and Mother Nie were no longer among the living.
From that day on, the Ji family completely gave up searching for their whereabouts and returned to a normal life.
But for the girl Nie Zhenzhen, all of this was like a needle buried deep in her heart—quietly dormant on ordinary days, seemingly long forgotten.
Yet even the slightest touch would catch her off guard, piercing her heart with a dull ache that refused to fade.
So the Ji family, in their daily interactions with Nie Zhenzhen, would tread with extraordinary care, showering her with all-encompassing love and protection, allowing her to grow up happy and carefree like any normal child.
Judging by the girl’s current state, this approach had undoubtedly been successful.
And among those efforts, Ji Wei—her brother—deserved no small share of the credit.
When Nie Zhenzhen was in kindergarten, on her way home, mischievous boys her age would tease and bully her.
As her older brother, Ji Wei would always rush out to protect her without a moment’s hesitation.
Rain or shine, he would wait at the kindergarten gate every day after school, personally picking her up.
Along the way, he’d tell her jokes and feed her little snacks, making the girl burst into laughter—sometimes even laughing until tears came.
After Nie Zhenzhen entered middle school, Ji Wei became not only her bodyguard but also her mentor at home.
Whether it was tutoring her regularly in her daily schoolwork, or offering guidance and advice on navigating life’s path and handling matters with integrity.
Ji Wei was undoubtedly a devoted and capable brother—he went above and beyond.
From childhood to adulthood, nearly twenty years of devoted companionship and care had drawn two young, restless hearts tightly together, and they couldn’t help but begin dreaming of a happy future.
Later, the girl entered university, choosing to major in art appreciation—her true passion.
Meanwhile, her Brother Ji had already completed his accelerated bachelor’s and master’s programs at a prestigious institution and returned to the Ji Group.
He began following in Father Ji’s footsteps, learning how to manage the sprawling multinational conglomerate, laying a solid foundation to one day stand on his own and inherit the family business in full.
These past two years, while they had been the most carefree, wonderful, and relaxed period of Nie Zhenzhen’s university life.
For Ji Wei, however, they were the busiest phase of his life.
In a single day, aside from ensuring seven hours of basic sleep.
He was either sitting in his office with his head buried in documents, holding meetings in the conference room, or traveling on business trips to inspect projects, sign cooperation agreements, and engage in social networking.
He would carefully deliberate on the company’s strategic direction while quietly issuing instructions and delegating tasks.
Every step, every matter, every detail, every decision demanded immense energy and mental effort from him.
Through his relentless efforts, he had achieved no small accomplishments over these two years.
The Ji Group and he himself had grown increasingly renowned in the industry, becoming recognized benchmarks in the circle, wielding considerable influence.
Yet these impressive achievements had come at the cost of sacrificing time with Nie Zhenzhen.
He knew in his heart that Zhenzhen had always silently supported his work, never once blaming him.
But the more that was the case, the guiltier he felt.
He kept thinking that once this busy period was over, once his position in the company was fully solidified, he would make it up to her properly.
But he truly hadn’t anticipated that things would progress to where they were now.
To the point where it had nearly slipped beyond his control, and a powerful wave of helplessness and guilt surged through his heart once again.