Chapter 144 The World Has More Than Just Black and White
January 22nd, Wednesday.
It was just past five in the morning, and Wan Yue was wide awake, getting up to bathe and groom herself.
As she drew open the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window, the famous iconic building of G City, the “Little Waist,” came into view, the third tallest building in the world and the tallest in Hua Country. Residing in a tower room on the ninety-eighth floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, she enjoyed the luxurious night view of the bustling metropolis, making it one of the most popular high-end spots for social media check-ins.
Before her was the floor-to-ceiling window that seemed to hang in the clouds. Wan Yue hid in the pristine white egg-shaped bathtub, hot water soaking her skin, stretching her tender white arms, and with a unique smile, she looked out at the world.
Reaching for her phone on the side, she turned it on and opened a social media app, where a certain profile picture was at the top. The gray notification in the message bar clearly indicated that the other party had retracted a message.
Wan Yue smiled and shook her head helplessly, probably guessing what Jiang Yan had sent earlier.
The comfortable water temperature relaxed her body and mind, and Wan Yue’s thoughts began to drift, as if she remembered something. She grabbed a small bag by the edge of the bathtub and took out a photo.
It was a “surprise” gift from Elvin over half a year ago, something she had kept by her side ever since.
The photo depicted a Chinese man whom Wan Yue had harbored feelings for for twenty years, though she did not know when or why he had died in a foreign land.
The deceased’s skin was ashen, his hair messy, with noticeable blackened injuries on his forehead and cheeks, his lips slightly parted and his eyes wide open, as if in a state of unending death.
“Cheng Yuushan, you’ve at least become a baron, how could you have died? We hadn’t even seen each other again…”
Wan Yue bit her lip, her face filled with hatred, her eyes full of sorrow and pain. Suddenly, her expression changed sharply, her hands intertwined, and she tore the photo into shreds.
A few seconds later, Wan Yue’s expression became distorted, her body trembled slightly, and she clutched her chest as if in excruciating pain.
……
……
Sixty-one years ago, during that tumultuous red era, the new Hua Country, having shed the burdens of the old times, was being built with unprecedented enthusiasm, evolving every day.
Meanwhile, in the world of blood kin in Hua Country, after nearly a century of bloody internal and external wars, it was the same for bloodline families, both large and small, as well as the rogue blood kin gangs—they were all in desperate need of revival.
The hermits turned into the Hermit’s Alliance, which, after bold reforms that questioned the background of heroes, rapidly expanded into one of the largest rogue blood kin forces in New Hua Country. It was during that time that Wan Yue, still a blood servant, joined the Hermit’s Alliance and quickly ascended to the central position due to her enviable talent, becoming a key figure cultivated by the dominant house.
Wan Yue was the most valued rising talent among the elders of the dominant house. Beautiful and intelligent, cold and proud, yet hard-working and ambitious, she naturally attracted the admiration of many outstanding young men.
In just thirty-eight years, with her ordinary blood type and the title of “second genius,” Wan Yue became a baron of the Hermit’s Alliance, marking an extraordinarily bright future in the post-war alliance where talent was scarce.
As for the first genius, that would be the youngest half-viscount of the Hermit’s Alliance, Chu Songming, the direct descendant of the elder of the central council, Elder Chu.
The notion of beauty and heroism seemed to be one of the most traditional tales within the Hermit’s Alliance. Especially for a prodigy like Wan Yue, perhaps only Chu Songming was worthy of her.
Thus, as most expected, Wan Yue, who usually looked down upon other men, predictably chose Chu Songming. The two quickly fell into passionate love and held an engagement ceremony on the eve of Chu Songming’s ascension to sleep.
According to Elder Chu’s previous plans, once Chu Songming successfully ascended to viscount, it would lead to their wedding night.
At that time, many believed that as the brightest future daughter-in-law of the Chu family, Wan Yue would certainly become one of the leaders of the dominant house, eventually even assuming the role of elder in charge—perhaps even a central elder.
Unfortunately, the dark curse of the blood kin genes sent an unexpected demon, leading this enviable couple to a tragically horrific end.
A knight from the dominant house, who often acted like a sycophant in front of Wan Yue, forcibly severed this red thread of fate.
This person was Cheng Yuushan, who joined the Hermit’s Alliance a few years after Wan Yue, reportedly having wandered around the southwestern borders.
To break through his own growth bottleneck, Cheng Yuushan chose to fall into depravity and attacked Chu Songming during his sleep as a viscount. Not only did the Hermit’s Alliance lose a super genius, but Wan Yue also lost a fitting match, opening the curtain for internal strife within the Hermit’s Alliance.
Another person, said to be on good terms with Cheng Yuushan, Zhuang Jianfei, unexpectedly let the former go at a critical moment, forcing Wan Yue to leave the Hermit’s Alliance to seek revenge, leaving her in hysterics for twenty years.
Sister Wan, what are you thinking?
At eight in the morning, in a luxurious restaurant on a high floor, a charming middle-aged woman smiled as she looked at the lost-in-thought leader of the wind flower.
“How about we celebrate the Spring Festival in G City this time? It’s been many years since the two of us have gathered,” proposed Deng Baoyi, a baroness from Siberia, and an elder of the Hermit’s Alliance, who, along with another elder, old Mr. Feng, had long been based in the southern coastal provinces of Hua Country.
“Sister Deng, I was pondering, the Wang family has sent quite the force this time, not only a count at the helm but also over ten high-level combatants ranging from barons to viscounts. How could they not subdue the Liang family’s rebellion?”
Having just bathed and carefully groomed, Wan Yue looked even more stunning, her sexy and graceful figure complemented by a rose-red silk dress and a white mink stole, adding a touch of seduction to her natural elegance.
“Who knows? If they can’t handle such a small issue, and it’s almost spilling over to here, it shows that the Wang family is not all that…” Seeing Wan Yue’s figure and her manner while holding a wine glass, a hint of jealousy flashed in Deng Baoyi’s eyes, and though she maintained an amiable front, her words were quite sharp.
“I’m just helping Brother Xiang with a small task to earn some pocket money; it doesn’t even compare to how Sister Deng enjoys a comfortable life in this glamorous world, with several considerate blue friends around…”
Wan Yue smiled, picked up a piece of cake from the table, and directly pushed it to Deng Baoyi’s face.
“I’ve always known that Old Mr. Feng is quite vigorous for his age, and Sister Deng, you look as youthful as ever. You and your master make a formidable team, contributing greatly to the Hermit’s Alliance, and it’s quite enviable.”
It was said that Deng Baoyi became an elder due to her relationship with Old Mr. Feng. However, within the Hermit’s Alliance, only a few knew about the sordid relationship between the old salt smuggler Feng and his female disciple.
Rumors even suggested that there were suitors under Deng Baoyi’s skirt among some of the smaller, legitimate families in southern coastal Hua Country.
It seemed that touching upon her soft spot silenced Deng Baoyi, causing her to frown and become momentarily speechless.
“I know Old Mr. Feng doesn’t intend to see me, but I only have one message for him: the central council of the Hermit’s Alliance is basically a shell of its former self. If he merely fixates on Old Mr. Feng’s position, he won’t profit much in the future.”
Moreover, if the Wang family truly cannot handle the Liang family’s matter, the next step would likely be to strike from the shadows. Some murky waters can be fished in, but one must not let others know… I have heard that the Liang family previously blocked your and Old Mr. Feng’s financial routes… If the Liang family encounters misfortune, wouldn’t you and Old Mr. Feng be delighted?
Wan Yue’s sarcastic remarks came naturally, especially as someone who was once the most dazzling elite in the Hermit’s Alliance. Her cold and proud demeanor directly overwhelmed the already guilty-feeling Deng Baoyi.
“Wan Yue, what do you mean?! Didn’t you vow not to engage with the Hermit’s Alliance anymore? Why are you worrying now? Do you think Elder Chu and Xiang Zuxing value you that much?”
It seemed as if her deepest secret had been exposed, and someone’s emotions began to unravel, their face turning a mix of red and white with fury.
“Alas, listen to what Sister Deng says; actually, I have always been an outsider. I’m just here to watch the excitement and see what tricks you all can come up with… Just don’t go too far, or it will be hard to clean up later.”
Wan Yue dropped the napkin, twisting her “little waist” and floated away.
The middle-aged woman’s expression turned grim at this moment, staring at Wan Yue’s retreating back with gritted teeth, trembling with anger.
……
……
In S Province, City C, at a five-star hotel.
In a luxurious presidential suite, Tsurumi Haruka stood in the center of the living room, bowing her head, not daring to make a sound.
Fujiwara Kiryuu sat on the sofa, his hawk-like eyes sharply fixed on his distant niece, his nose slightly twitching.
“Haruka, you’ve violated the taboo of boiling blood, and your injuries are so severe, do you plan to hide this?” He paused. “I suppose you didn’t expect me to suddenly come to City C.”
Fujiwara Kiryuu stood up and slowly walked over to Tsurumi Haruka, his short stature forcing him to maintain eye level with her. He reached out, pinching her chin and twisting it as if admiring a human doll.
“I’m sorry, Uncle… I was just a bit anxious…”
In Tsurumi Haruka’s eyes, there was a hint of disgust and pain, but she still appeared terrified, her voice trembling: “I was executing my mission… eliminating those who obstructed…”
As she spoke, Tsurumi Haruka retreated two steps, kneeling on the floor with her forehead resting on the back of her hands. This extremely submissive posture brought a satisfied smile to Fujiwara Kiryuu’s face.
“If it were any other woman, displaying jealousy would be normal, but it shouldn’t happen with you.”
Fujiwara Kiryuu squatted in front of Tsurumi Haruka, running his fingers through her hair, his expression gradually darkening. “As my subordinate, you should know what kind of woman she is. I don’t want you to conceal this from me or use them as private bargaining chips… It’s worthless for them to be injured!”
Fujiwara Kiryuu’s words struck Tsurumi Haruka like a bolt of lightning, causing her scalp to tingle and her body to tremble lightly, burying her head and not daring to utter a word.
“Have you been meeting privately with people from the Engel family? Did they ask you to contact Jiang Nuo? What do you hope to gain from the Engel family… Remember, we are only engaged in limited cooperation with the Engel family, taking what we need. As for their hidden ambitions, do not touch them.”
After finishing his words, Fujiwara Kiryuu walked back to the sofa, took a tea cup from the table, and began to savor the tea slowly.
It turned out that Uncle Kiryuu had already placed spies among my vassals and close aides, knowing my every move. Tsurumi Haruka gritted her silver teeth, tightly closing her eyes, her complexion turning pale.
“Haruka, the master chose to work with the Engel family and the James family back then. Even knowing many truths, he only chose to take on the role of a third-level investor. You should understand the reasoning behind this. Let them consume each other against the blood kin of Hua Country—we cannot become the second Tanaka family…”
“Or, as they say in Hua Country, those European and American families and the blood kin of Hua Country are like the clam and the snipe contending, and what we need to do is to observe the changes quietly. We can stir the waters slightly, but we shouldn’t bet until the end. This is the way of survival that the James family taught us in the last battlefield…”
Having said this, Fujiwara Kiryuu shook his head regretfully and took out a sealed letter. “Your injuries cannot be delayed. Take this and return to Japan immediately; the family will arrange your aftercare. Otherwise, it could damage your foundation… Remember, the Fujiwara family is your true support.”
“Yes, thank you for your guidance, Uncle…”
Tsurumi Haruka raised her head, wearing a subservient and respectful smile.
……
……
Jiang Yan returned. Except for the exceedingly excited Liang Qiao, most members of the wind flower had no idea what Wan Yue had gained from her trip to the south. But as long as Wan Yue didn’t say anything, no one dared to genuinely inquire.
With only a few days until New Year’s Eve, upon learning that Wan Yue could not return in time, both Xiao Dong and Xiao Wen were somewhat disappointed, while Jiang Yao was in high spirits, already preparing to move back to her own home.
After all, she had been staying in Zhou Ping’s apartment for almost a month; she was still not accustomed to it. Zhou Ping was still at work, while Jiang Yao took half a day off to pack up her clothes and personal items.
Zhong Jing was responsible for packing the boxes.
“Just keep packing without rummaging inside.”
Jiang Yao’s face turned red as she directly stopped the young man’s movements, her big beautiful eyes wide open.
Zhong Jing, squatting beside the suitcase, looked up with a puzzled expression. “If you just shove everything in like this, it will waste a lot of space.”
Saying this, he pulled out a fur-collared coat that was covering a strap at the edge of the suitcase, and with a casual tug, a pink lace undershirt was suddenly in his hand.
Hmm, real material, no thick padding to fake it… Zhong Jing pinched with his fingers, smiling lewdly.
The atmosphere instantly froze, as if a sense of foreboding rose around the girl. Zhong Jing grinned and quickly wiped the smile off his face, carefully folding the item in his hand and gently placing it in the corner of the suitcase.
At this moment, Jiang Yao felt her head boiling with heat, unsure how to respond.
“I told you not to rummage!”
A few seconds later, Jiang Yao came back to her senses, grabbed a colorful piece of paper from the coffee table, rolled it up into a baton, and slammed it on Zhong Jing’s head.
“Tch, I’ve seen enough girls’ underwear, don’t overreact; what’s with the pride? I feel like you used to not care about this stuff much…”
Zhong Jing raised his hand to block the girl’s wild strikes, smiling as he sorted through several of her clothes, finally stretching his back and standing up. “Look, isn’t it tidy and efficient? Two suitcases can be packed up.”
I didn’t use to care about this? No way, I was only like that at home…
Jiang Yao shrank to the side, her face still flushed, lowering her head to stare at the now crumpled rolled-up paper in her hand. She took another sneaky glance at Zhong Jing’s face, finding him still pretending to be serious and shameless as ever. The girl’s ears were burning, and her heart skipped erratically.
Zhong Jing, do you have some kind of illness? Why does your face often look unwell?
Perhaps spending enough time together, the nuances of the young man’s face had become very familiar to Jiang Yao. Some abnormal expressions on his face made her feel a twinge of worry inside.
Is there? Probably stayed up too late last night.
Zhong Jing rubbed his face, turned to look at the dressing mirror in the bedroom, not feeling like anything was different.
Zhong Jing, have you… slept with that Japanese woman?
Unconsciously touching her hot ears, Jiang Yao leaned forward, blinking her eyes and lowering her voice.
“Tsk, tsk, what do you care about this all day? Didn’t you and Su Xiaomeng team up to be sure I have no bargaining chips?”
Zhong Jing lit a cigarette, grabbing an empty can of cola beside him as an ashtray, “In your eyes, I’m just a silver-plated wax gun head. Even if I stripped her bare, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it.”
As soon as the words fell, Jiang Yao’s crumpled paper rolled directly onto Zhong Jing’s head, and then she threw a furry slipper at him. The young man tilted his head to evade it, grinning shamelessly.
Once Jiang Yao’s brief temper was exhausted, Zhong Jing returned to a serious expression, locking eyes with Jiang Yao. “Actually, I want to ask you, is there a way for you and Jiang Yan to slow your growth rate as much as possible?”
Can one control their growth speed? What do you mean… Jiang Yao was stunned, looking at her own body, bewildered, “Did someone tell you something?”
Zhong Jing smiled, closing the suitcase, exhaling a puff of smoke, and sitting cross-legged on the floor. “I’m just an ordinary person, so I naturally don’t know how powerful you and Jiang Yan are, but Sister Ai and the others clearly have a different attitude towards you now. I feel this is not a good thing.”
Isn’t it what everyone looks forward to, that my sister and I have become stronger? How can that be a bad thing? Could it be that Tsurumi Haruka is whispering nonsense behind my back again?
Zhong Jing lowered his head and pondered, speaking in a deep voice, “No… I just feel that there is something suspicious; where there is smoke, there is fire. The principles of everything are just that simple.”
She firmly believes that the truth hides in the outcome; as long as you are strong enough, your opponents will only feel fear and dare not covet. But this is just the logic of an average person… Maybe… Hmm, I’m just saying, is it possible that the opponents are also waiting for that result?
If not, then even if the Wang family is secretly watching, the Engel family wouldn’t remain completely unmoved without a whisper of disturbance?
Having finished speaking, Zhong Jing shook his head with a bitter smile, “Forget it, discussing this with you may not be helpful. I should talk to Master or Jiang Yan instead. I hope my guess is wrong.”
“So cryptic, playing tricks…” Jiang Yao pouted, her interest waning, “Just say I’m stupid; you went off on a philosophical rant, only to beat around the bush to get close to me.”
“Alright, everything’s packed; you should head back to the club. I’ll send these directly to your house later. Jiang Yan is there, right?”
Stuffing the cigarette butt into the cola can, Zhong Jing stood up, assuming a normal expression.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go together?”
Feeling that Zhong Jing’s behavior was a bit odd today, Jiang Yao furrowed her brows slightly. “She has been tired from staying up all night; she has been sleeping since she came back last night. I didn’t follow along, worried that you might not even get into the house… Are you trying to send me away? Are you hiding something?”
Silently staring into Jiang Yao’s eyes, Zhong Jing let out a sigh after a dozen seconds, “You’re getting harder to fool.”
Under Jiang Yao’s curious gaze, Zhong Jing walked toward the sofa, picked up the travel bag he brought, and then took out a pile of strange electronic devices in front of her, each quite small in size.
“What are these…?”
Seeing Zhong Jing mysteriously looking around, Jiang Yao became even more curious. She reached for one of the little gadgets and played with it in the palm of her hand.
“Microphones, all equipped with wireless network functionality; they need to be installed in every room… Don’t worry, they only have recording functions.”
Zhong Jing said casually while searching for suitable concealed installation points.
“You’re crazy, a pervert! Installing these in Sister Xiaoping’s house? Are you planning to spy on her in front of me?!”
Jiang Yao’s face changed drastically as she pressed down on Zhong Jing’s arm.
“Still the same old story, some things are not what you see or what you think they’re as simple…”
Zhong Jing brushed her hand off, continuing his work with a chilling tone, “Before setting out, Master asked Su Xiaomeng to help investigate that man. It seems someone set him up, and Zhou Ping might not be telling the truth…”
“You’re quite secretive with her, and she knows how innocent you are… Can a woman in her twenties really treat you as a close friend?”
Saying this, Zhong Jing smirked, looking sly: “The wind flower is part of the blood kin world; perhaps it’s more brutal than you think.”
“Uh… Does that mean Sister Xiaoping is lying to me in her usual conversations?”
Jiang Yao’s expression darkened, gripping the hem of her dress, unsure what to think.
“Lying? Not necessarily; it’s more likely that she shares only half the truth. She’s been in the wind flower for over a decade; she’s not some pure little lamb.”
Zhong Jing shrugged, finally checking on the concealment of the installation before turning back to the not-so-great-looking Jiang Yao. “If everything is fine, that’s good. If anything happens, Master and you can also be prepared.”
“With dozens of people in the wind flower, Master can’t possibly attend to everyone, and Brother Zhao is still alive… So for such dirty work, let me handle it. Just pretend not to know. At worst, Zhou Ping will hit me once we get exposed.”
After speaking, Zhong Jing lit another cigarette, smiling brightly.
“Zhong Jing, you’re wasting yourself… I really don’t like this…”
After a long while, Jiang Yao slowly released Zhong Jing’s arm, revealing a hint of sadness.
“Haha, so you and Su Xiaomeng secretly set me up as a great thief? Do you actually like me?”
Zhong Jing laughed heartily, and just before Jiang Yao’s alarm bells rang, he dashed out of the bedroom.
