Chapter 161: The World After Awakening
February 8th, Saturday, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Lantern Festival.
The last day of the spring festival holiday at Hyacinth Manor, Wan Yue has arrived, and it is said that she will stay for a long time, which excites the little blood servants.
Many people would “coincidentally” meet Wan Yue in the corridors, hoping to get her attention.
The reason is simple: ever since Xiao Mei received a special reward and became a successful attendant, in this period of time, two more high-tier blood servants have gained this favor and are currently in the process of upgrading to dormancy. Perhaps in ten days or half a month, new attendants will successfully “graduate” and leave this quiet, comfortable but incredibly dull deep mountainous forest.
Now, Hyacinth Manor has almost turned into a “sleeping camp,” with a few days ago three high-tier attendants transferred from the Gold River Club, all quietly in the process of upgrading to dormancy.
If nothing unexpected happens, within three months at the latest, Hyacinth Manor will welcome three more knights.
But that’s not all; just the night before last, another unconscious person was sent to Hyacinth Manor, and this time, their identity seemed to be even more unique and astonishing.
A mysterious young man, tall and handsome, during the time before being injected with internal and external hormone suppressors, emitted a unique “impurity” aura that confused and oppressed the little blood servants, often making them think of their regrettable past.
Yes, he is a member of the Black Blood Clan, a mysterious young knight who is often in a state of half-consciousness.
If it weren’t for Wan Yue’s presence, along with several powerful knight seniors keeping watch, all the little blood servants would probably live in fear, unable to sleep peacefully.
Suddenly, many people lay within Hyacinth Manor, but overall, the feedback was all positive.
……
……
In the past two days, apart from lunchtime, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao stayed in a deep valley near Hyacinth Manor, engaged in the study of Siberian lineage subjects.
Until dusk approached, when their blood energy protein had almost been exhausted, the Jiang sisters returned to the main building of the manor.
“Sister, did you brainwash Wan Jie?”
In the dormitory’s bathroom, Jiang Yao, tired and sweaty, leaned against Jiang Yan, mumbling weakly, “I just feel that you and Wan Jie are both quite strange for actually bringing Meng Huai to Hyacinth Manor.”
From the moment they arrived at Hyacinth Manor in the morning, Jiang Yan acted as if it had nothing to do with her, and she hadn’t asked about Meng Huai at all, nor had she approached the floor where Meng Huai was staying. This struck Jiang Yao, who was prepared to eat popcorn with mixed feelings, as very odd.
“What brainwash? Aren’t you tired? At this time, you’d still think about other matters…”
After a whole day’s workout, which cannot be said to be extremely efficient but was definitely very engaging, Jiang Yan was exhausted to the point where she barely had the strength to take off her clothes.
Jiang Yao turned around, hugged Jiang Yan, resting her head on Jiang Yan’s shoulder: “Sister, if he really goes crazy or becomes foolish for the rest of his life, it’s okay to say, but what if he wakes up? You two just staring at each other…Yikes, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps!”
Stealing a glance at Jiang Yao’s head, Jiang Yan reached out to mess up her hair and chuckled, “What’s not to learn? You’ve learned to insult people as well as Xiaoping Jie and Xiaoling Jie…”
“Xiao Yao, Wan Jie is right. He’s actually no different than a rookie who has been blood-infected. No matter his thoughts or habits, he has to learn to recognize this world from scratch. So stop viewing people through colored glasses; don’t you remember how we came through?”
“It’s all in the past; it’s already turned over. I’m mentally prepared…”
Jiang Yan’s calm demeanor caused Jiang Yao to lose further arguments. She grabbed the towel from the bedside, and it was time to shower and change.
……
……
Night fell, and whether it was the main building of the manor or the small square, all sorts of lanterns representing the Lantern Festival were lit, shimmering with the last festive spirit of the Spring Festival holiday. To this end, the little blood servants had been busy for almost half a day.
For Wan Yue’s instruction to “live like a real person,” Hyacinth seemed to care more about these ceremonial aspects of life than anyone else, sparing no effort in terms of time, energy, and money.
The return of the instructor and chef Zheng Shaolin raised the quality of food for this festival significantly. Small groups of little blood servants gathered in the kitchen to help prepare dinner. Then others noticed some small disruptions; Xiaoling, who temporarily took over as the instructor for March, actually had quite a good relationship with Zheng Shaolin.
It’s no wonder that during Zheng Shaolin’s severe injury period, Xiaoling, who stayed alone at Hyacinth Manor, appeared highly anxious or even quite melancholic. It seems the man that Xiaoling allegedly liked was indeed Zheng Shaolin.
In order to ensure the Jiang sisters got sufficient nutrition during their stay at Hyacinth Manor, Zheng Shaolin went all out. The food he provided was of a special quality, rich in color, aroma, and taste.
The appearance of two extraordinarily powerful seniors at dinner sent many little blood servants starry-eyed. One had introduced a brand new tactical training outline for Hyacinth, while the other had supposedly defeated a British baron with only half a step to baron rank. Either was an existence to be looked up to.
The communal dining process was simple yet warm, with spontaneous little performances and a super large red envelope moment from Wan Yue.
After dinner, there was a short period of indoor study. After Wan Yue personally reviewed the Jiang sisters’ training results, the time had already reached around 9 PM.
The regular communal life had led most people in Hyacinth Manor to fall asleep. After letting Jiang Yao have some free time, Jiang Yan walked a few laps inside and outside the building, then quietly appeared in Meng Huai’s room.
Doctor Lu was not there; he was probably discussing Meng Huai’s condition with Wan Yue. In this temporary single room acting as a ward, only two female nurse attendants from the Wang family remained, standing silently behind Doctor Lu.
“Miss Jiang, Doctor Lu will probably come for a checkup around 11 PM; you only have half an hour.”
Behind the dressing room screen, the Wang family nurse, who was already very familiar with Jiang Yan, lowered her voice as she took off her nurse uniform.
Soon, Jiang Yan changed into a nurse outfit, and the two Wang family nurses understood the situation and quietly exited the room.
After checking her outfit in the mirror, wearing a mask, Jiang Yan sat by the bed, staring blankly at the still-sleeping Meng Huai.
From the night before last until now, it was said that Meng Huai had awakened five times, but in his dazed confusion, he hadn’t realized he had changed to a new environment, and the emotional volatility and mental instability caused by the withdrawal reaction of the drug Fuzhilan still existed.
It seemed Wan Yue had made up her mind; apart from the necessary strong sedatives and restraints in emergencies, she resolutely no longer provided Jiang Yan’s blood to Meng Huai, causing the body that had managed to stabilize with great difficulty before to show signs of boiling blood disorder again.
“Meng Huai, is it very uncomfortable?”
In Jiang Yan’s ears, she could hear Meng Huai’s slightly chaotic heavy breathing; his face had a somewhat sickly flush, and when she touched his forehead with her hand, she could feel a low fever as well, not to mention the breath that had just managed to stabilize was already beginning to feel chaotic again.
Especially that slightly uncomfortable “impurity” aura always made Jiang Yan feel a strong sense of unreality regarding Meng Huai.
Looking back at the door behind her, Jiang Yan bit her lip beneath the mask, finally sighed, and quietly reached into her pocket.
A small, pocket-sized round-bottom flask contained about seventy to eighty milliliters of bright red blood. Jiang Yan carefully lifted Meng Huai’s head and brought the flask closer.
After just feeding him two or three sips, suddenly, a hand stretched out from the side and snatched the small flask away.
Jiang Yan was startled, turning her head to see a young female nurse with big eyes staring at her, ripping off her mask, and then gulping down the remaining blood from the flask before quickly pulling her mask back up.
The entire process was swift and clean, and with Jiang Yao saying, “What are you doing, Xiao Yao!”
The thief wasn’t anyone else; it was indeed Jiang Yao. Beneath the nurse’s cap that wasn’t properly worn was her light golden hair, and in the moment she pulled down her mask to drink the blood, Jiang Yan recognized her.
I wondered who had sneaked in, turns out it was you, sister.
Jiang Yao shook the empty flask in her hand and deliberately burped, mischievously saying, “Wan Jie said you’re not allowed to feed him blood anymore!”
I thought, how can you be so calm today? Turns out you had already planned to sneak in and make him a late-night snack? Wan Jie asked me to keep an eye on you, and it turns out she was right!
Feeling embarrassed, Jiang Yan turned her head, not daring to meet her sister’s eyes, and forced a bitter smile, “Who got you the nurse outfit, anyway…”
You can get someone to change clothes; can’t I? Tsk, tsk, sneaking is nothing special!
Jiang Yao started babbling, her eyes squinting in laughter, her face still wearing a proud expression of delight.
As she spoke, suddenly the young man on the bed let out a slight murmur, interrupting the sisters’ escalating banter, it seemed like Meng Huai was waking up again.
Jiang Yao was taken aback, turned to look at Jiang Yan, and then directly turned around, her steps quickening, and ran out of the room.
Meng Huai opened his eyes, twitching his nose as if searching for the suddenly vanished fragrance from just moments ago in his dream. Slowly turning, he focused on the space beside the bed where the dazed nurse was standing, his expression gradually clearing up but hinting at a touch of disappointment.
Jiang Yan felt her whole body tense up, her body tilting slightly, involuntarily avoiding Meng Huai’s gaze, and began to regret why she hadn’t left with Jiang Yao.
Who are you… don’t go!
The girl nurse in front of him, with bright eyes just above the mask, seemed somewhat familiar, and that faint aura and subtle fragrance were powerful impressions that had appeared countless times in his half-dreams.
For some reason, Meng Huai reached out and grabbed the nurse’s arm, as if afraid she would run away.
Meng Huai…
Jiang Yan’s body trembled slightly, and she instinctively lifted her hand to cover her face, her lips moving a few times beneath the mask before softly whispering the other’s name.
Meng Huai? Is it me?
Meng Huai slowly sat up, looking down at his body, then suddenly jumped out of bed, tearing off the IV line attached to his hand.
Surrounded by strange blood Clan auras, the dark and filthy basement that one would reflect upon seemed to loom in the front of the world, almost coming out. Like a stress response, he broke into a cold sweat, feeling threatened and even tingling at the scalp.
This is safe!
Believing the other might enter a state of mental chaos again, Jiang Yan quickly grabbed a strong sedative syringe from the bedside and prepared for a boiling blood response.
This… is safe?
Meng Huai was stunned, looking around again, revealing a more confused expression.
Everything in front of him was clear and bright, tangible to the touch, so real it felt hard to believe.
Whether it’s the girl next to him or some places outside the room, the blood Clan pheromone energy was pervasive, strong and weak.
If one had to describe it, it was all soft, peaceful, joyful, and other comfortable emotions, devoid of any hostility. It was completely different from the hellish, quasi-real, despairing, and terrifying dark basement nightmare.
Am I still dreaming…
Meng Huai looked at his hands, growing more anxious. “Who am I? Where is this?”
Meng Huai, you don’t need to be afraid anymore. Jiang Yan slowly walked up behind Meng Huai, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally reached out to embrace the young man’s body from behind, “This is your new home; you are safe now.”
Just like that poignant, sad rainy night three months ago.
Just like that basement filled with despair, blood, and death one month ago.
The lost soul finally found a substantial home in Jiang Yan’s embrace.
……
In a luxurious private room, Wan Yue quietly watched the surveillance screen before her. For more than ten minutes, the mysterious smile at the corner of her mouth hadn’t faded.
Doctor Lu stood beside Wan Yue, and two female nurses from the Wang family, who were responsible for caring for Meng Huai, stood silently behind him, without saying a word.
“Doctor Lu, may I ask a rude question: are you married?”
After casting a last smile at the footage showing a certain man and woman sticking together, Wan Yue clicked a finger, turned off the screen, and then turned on her chair to face Doctor Lu, elegant yet somewhat mischievous.
“Uh… yes… Ms. Wan, monitoring Miss Jiang Yan like this isn’t very appropriate, is it?”
Doctor Lu appeared awkward, forcing a smile that seemed increasingly strained, as though the act of spying on Wan Yue through the monitor had considerably tarnished the baron’s dignity.
“Hehe, the entire Hyacinth Manor belongs to me, what I want to see doesn’t require their consent. What if he goes crazy, and I don’t keep an eye on him?”
As an experienced person, Doctor Lu found it amusing seeing these young people acting shy as they cuddled. It was clear as day compared to your Deputy Director Jin.
Wan Yue scoffed, clearly unimpressed, exuding a rogue charm.
Turning to look at the two compliant nurses behind her, Doctor Lu felt even more awkward; he wouldn’t dare readily judge his boss.
Old Jin’s reputation is widely known as that of a scoundrel in the Wang family, yet for some reason, he still thrived, managing to maintain ambiguous relationships with certain female doctors at Shengci Hospital even now.
Wan Yue walked to the windowsill, pushed the window open, lit a cigarette with a flick of her hand, and her smile gradually faded: “No more jokes, Doctor Lu, tell me about Li Huai’s condition over the past few days, and give me some advice too.”
Finally discussing business, Doctor Lu’s expression returned to normal, even showing a bit of excitement: “Ms. Wan, Mr. Li was previously diagnosed with irreversible brain nerve system damage, but today I discovered that his brain damage is actually recovering; many residual drug components in his body are almost fully metabolized!”
“And there are also significant signs of alleviation in the withdrawal response from Fuzhilan! If it weren’t for his physical condition, I would find it hard to imagine what external conditions could achieve this!”
As for further suggestions, I believe having a familiar person accompany him would be the best rehabilitation method for recovering his memories and finding himself.”
At this point, Doctor Lu slightly turned to avoid the gaze of the female nurses behind him, lowering his voice somewhat bashfully: “Um, Ms. Wan… Can I inquire about what medications he has taken since leaving Shengci Hospital, or if there have been any food changes?”
“I’m not clear; perhaps your and Old Jin’s treatment methods back at Shengci Hospital had their effects; it just requires some time for the outcomes to be visible.”
Wan Yue slightly shook her head, completely denying Jiang Yan’s secret blood transfusion to Meng Huai from earlier.
“Oh, is that so… what a pity. It would have been nice to have continued clinical monitoring records.”
Doctor Lu’s face showed regret, as if he had missed out on something significant. However, a few seconds later, he raised a question: “By the way, I saw in the footage earlier that Miss Jiang Yan seemed to feed Mr. Li blood…”
It was just a desperate attempt; thinking he might be blood-thirsty and wanting to feed him a bit, it was only futile effort… the brain in love, truly beyond cure!
Wan Yue came back to her senses, smiling with composure, as if she had already seen through some people’s intentions: “Doctor Lu, we’ve all seen these young love stories; caring can lead to chaos, don’t you think?”
Hearing this somewhat forced explanation, Doctor Lu could only nod, while the two Wang family nurses behind him were stifling their laughter with their hands over their mouths.
……
