Chapter 28: Keeping a Distance
A day later, Zhong Hai returned from Japan and welcomed a rare family reunion.
The eldest son, Meng Huai, was still in military uniform, his expression cold and silent, fixated on the food in front of him, chewing slowly.
The second son, Zhong Jing, was also in a bad mood today, or perhaps just very distracted.
“Tomorrow is your grandfather’s death anniversary. The ancestral grave is in the countryside, and the whole family will go to pay respects.”
Regardless of how indulgent he usually was with his two sons, Zhong Hai was resolute when it came to family matters, making arrangements that were almost unquestionable.
Meng Huai paused his chopsticks, looked up briefly, then silently resumed eating. A lack of opposition meant agreement.
“Hey! Son, your dad is talking to you!”
Seeing her son lost in thought, the mother rushed over to pat him on the shoulder, even reaching up to touch his forehead: “You’re not sick, are you, Jing’er? What’s wrong with you today?”
“Ah? Okay!”
Zhong Jing finally snapped back to reality, looking around at the family at the dining table, and after a few seconds, he awkwardly nodded, understanding the situation.
The television embedded in the restaurant wall was broadcasting local news from City C. A police commendation event regarding the crackdown on drug trafficking was being reported, and the incident that had occurred on Yushui Street half a month ago had spread throughout the city.
“Ah, it spread among my old friends a few days ago. These days, some young people can’t settle down; instead of doing something good, they seek thrills by using and dealing drugs, harming others and themselves.” Hearing the data from the series of news reports, the wealthy woman patted her chest with a look of regret. “I heard there was a woman among them who got so addicted that she killed her own husband. It’s truly a crime!”
“By the way, son, you must stay away from those things!”
Suddenly reminded, the wealthy woman urgently addressed her biological son, fearing that this precious gem might get involved with such matters.
“If he dares touch any of that, I’ll be the first to break his legs!”
At this moment, Meng Huai abruptly looked up, fixating intently on his half-brother, and remarkably took a stand to lecture him. The icy glare made Zhong Jing feel a chill run down his back.
“Hmph, he should manage his own hands and feet. I just heard today that… from now on, don’t go engaging with female staff at the company… That Assistant Tian, I plan to transfer her to the logistics department at the production base.”
Having finished his meal, Zhong Hai picked up a newspaper, flipping through it while reminding his second son, “You’re older now, if you truly find someone suitable, then pursue it properly.”
Zhong Jing’s face turned slightly red, too shy to argue, and hurriedly bent his head to focus on his soup.
Meng Huai, showing a hint of disgust, set down his utensils, didn’t say a word, and left the dining room.
“Hehe, my son is so outstanding, of course he attracts attention! But Jing’er, I need to speak seriously: it’s fine to play around a bit, but under no circumstances should you bring home that kind of woman! Understand?”
“Oh…”
Zhong Jing sat there dull-faced, unsure how to deal with his parents’ barrage of warnings.
“By the way, I heard from someone at the administrative center that you went to the company headquarters yesterday to look for me to check some materials? Your law firm’s business?” Zhong Hai put down the newspaper, removed his glasses, looking slightly pleased. “Tell me about it, maybe I can give you some advice.”
This is promising! Zhong Jing quickly put down his napkin and earnestly embellished a completely fabricated story.
“Cooperation with a small agricultural company… a budget of several million, and what can we achieve from it?”
Zhong Hai frowned, his mind racing through the small endeavors from the early development stages, showing a troubled expression: “In the past, the group also collaborated on some animal drug formulations, but these projects took a long time and cost a lot. Some projects were close to completion, but were halted due to funding issues.”
“Then can we introduce the suspended projects from earlier to my clients and pick them up again? It could be like a dead tree blooming?” Zhong Jing pondered, stroking his chin.
“Back then, the group was just being established, and information management was quite backward; a lot of materials were still on paper. I’ll let the information center know shortly. Whatever you need, they will cooperate.”
While a few million in business was just a drop in the bucket for the current group, Zhong Hai was still prepared to help his son: “If you can revive some projects, regardless of size, I’ll consider you successful!”
Zhong Jing felt a joy in his heart; the previously dangling stone finally landed, but another inexplicable worry quietly rose.
Raising his glass of red wine, he slightly toasted his father Zhong Hai before gulping it down. The image of father and son working harmoniously in the business world made the wealthy woman, who couldn’t interject, smile widely.
…
The work to fully manage the new home was far more than initially expected, lasting a full three days.
Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao darted around, fully tidying up their new home, which consisted of three rooms and a hall. After organizing all the packed items, they bought a considerable amount of household goods, finishing by Tuesday night.
For some reason, during dinner, Jiang Yan felt an indescribable anomaly in her body; it was neither blood thirst nor stimulated by other blood clan scents, and she just couldn’t pinpoint the discomfort.
Coincidentally, Jiang Yao was also somewhat distracted, and when the two shared feelings, they realized they were nearly the same.
What was even more confusing was that no matter how they suppressed their pheromone release, they felt like they were springing leaks.
Although the intensity of the release was still within a safe range, it was extremely uncomfortable. What kind of strange reaction was this?
“Sister, do you think it’s because of this old house? I heard it was originally Sister Min’s ancestral home, and the old lady just passed away. According to what I read online, could it be that the spirit of the deceased is restless…”
After showering, Jiang Yao walked into the master bedroom with a dry towel, her long, beautiful, light blonde hair glistening.
“Nonsense, what kind of garbage are you reading all day long…”
Jiang Yan held her bath towel and sleepwear, walking to the living room while pointing in the direction of the small courtyard: “Remember to take in the clothes you hung out to dry today before bed, fold them, and put them in your own wardrobe. It hasn’t been long, and your belongings are already a mess.”
If it weren’t for the blood type issue, Xiao Yao might not have suited being a soldier; he had always been forgetful, lacked perseverance, was resistant to strangers, and overly reliant on familiar people… In the bathroom, just after undressing, Jiang Yan spotted Jiang Yao’s underwear hanging on the rack, feeling both helpless and embarrassed, and gave Jiang Yao’s living habits a low rating again.
Jiang Yan had long been accustomed to cold showers. With no suffocating humidity left in the bathroom, even the nearby floor-length mirror was crystal clear, reflecting a youthful and graceful body.
This was probably her first time bathing in a mirror-equipped bathroom and her first chance to comprehensively see her body from the perspective of a third party.
Seemingly casual glances quickly turned into a steadfast gaze.
Jiang Yan extended her hand; the girl with black hair in the mirror mirrored her actions, unmistakably affirming the reality of the girl standing in front of the mirror.
Sister Wan and that Sister Min had both seen through her at first glance. Was a woman’s intuition truly that terrifying?
Recalling her first meeting with Sister Min a few days ago, those deep, icy eyes seemed to see right through her in an instant.
She thought that during the past two months, her demeanor had already blended in seamlessly with women seen on TV and in online videos, but why did it still seem so flawed in the eyes of those two women?
The more Jiang Yan thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed, and in a daze, several minutes passed before she realized she hadn’t washed her hair!
…
Drying her hair, Jiang Yan returned to the master bedroom and found Jiang Yao leaning against the bed, excitedly playing on her phone.
“Xiao Yao, your bedroom is over there. Now that there are two bedrooms, you don’t have to sleep in the same bed.”
Jiang Yan walked to the bedside, patted Jiang Yao’s shoulder, and spoke solemnly: “In the bathroom, I’ve washed your underwear for you. If it happens again, I’ll throw them outside!”
“Ah? Separate beds?” Jiang Yao was taken aback, slowly sitting up; it seemed that sleeping in the same bed for over two months had become a habit. “Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it? When we were at school, we still slept together.”
“That was because the conditions at the orphanage were poor, and only a few older sisters had single beds… Why are we even discussing this! Get up and go to your room, don’t dawdle!”
Jiang Yan felt she was almost led astray by her sister and immediately put on a stern face, directly pulling Jiang Yao off the bed.
“You are the older brother, you just separate!”
Jiang Yao pouted, shuffling in her slippers, and left the master bedroom. Shortly after, they heard the door to the second bedroom close.
Sigh, this Xiao Yao… Lying on the spacious bed, Jiang Yan spread her arms, suddenly feeling somewhat unaccustomed; that nighttime body that sprawled out and shifted randomly was no longer there.
Picking up her phone, she planned to search online for information about where she would be working tomorrow to see if there was anything publicly available to learn in advance.
Not sure how long had passed, a figure appeared in the corner of her vision. Jiang Yan lifted her head and saw Jiang Yao again, holding her air conditioning blanket, standing by the bed.
“What do you want? Do you need me to comfort you?”
Jiang Yan impatiently set down her phone, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked at Jiang Yao, unsure what trick she was up to this time.
“Um… Sister… I want to drink blood…”
Jiang Yao smiled sheepishly, pretending to be coy, her cheeks even slightly flushed.
“Thirsty for blood? Your shy act makes it sound like you want milk!”
Jiang Yan helplessly sat up, reaching for a small knife and a cup from the bedside table.
This cold joke completely flummoxed Jiang Yao, who sulked her way back to her own room a little while later.
