Chapter 209: The Overbearing Approach
April 1st, Wednesday, a good day for marriage and childbirth.
At the Shengci Hospital, Special Disease Unit, W District, City C.
Jiang Yao lay expressionlessly in the treatment room, rolling up her sleeves as Su Xiaomeng took blood and placed it in different colored collection tubes.
“Hey, Xiao Yao, why did Aunt Wan arrange for you to take these tests?”
Su Xiaomeng glanced at the closed treatment room door, shook the blood collection tubes in her hand, and lowered her voice: “I can’t shake the feeling that these tests you’re doing seem like you’re preparing for pregnancy?”
With that, Su Xiaomeng deliberately wore a mischievous smile.
Jiang Yao’s expression immediately soured, and she quickly shook her head: “How could that be! I don’t know what bizarre assessments your family is doing behind the scenes!”
“Forget it, there’s nothing for me to think about but to save my skin… who told me I’m more special than my sister.”
Jiang Yao murmured weakly, her mind filled with images of Jiang Yan looking weak, and that so-called similar regal aura.
After secretly looking at the health check-up data on Zhong Jing’s computer and having a private communication with Wan Yue, Jiang Yao had learned almost everything she could know. The conclusion that Jiang Yan could not have children and was merely a fake queen made her feel a vague discomfort that she couldn’t articulate.
It seemed that this discomfort also mixed with a feeling known as jealousy.
Why has she been so unfortunate since childhood, being ridiculed and bullied for her looks?
Why has Jiang Yan always been healthy, well-liked, and popular?
Even if they were both contaminated by grandmother’s blood, why did she draw the worst fate?
To avoid the possibility of mental and physical breakdown, she had to accept artificial insemination. Every time she thought about it, goosebumps would rise all over her body, but she had no better choice. What kind of malicious fate was that!
Lost in thought, Jiang Yao felt irritable, lying on the bed without a desire to move.
“I heard Dr. Lu say last time that you and Jiang Yan have already surpassed half-step baron strength… Ugh, even my grandpa kept it from me. Actually, it’s better to know less, as long as you guys are okay.”
Su Xiaomeng put away the blood collection tubes, propped her chin with her hand, looking somewhat pensive.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you, yesterday Zhong Jing’s mom came to my house and boasted to my mom. She said Zhong Jing is going to get engaged to He Jian Qing Ya in Japan next month, and their family is giving a Hokkaido estate and ranch as a return gift!”
“She also said Zhong Jing is now running his own business and is worth billions of euros. Tsk, tsk, look at the Zhong family’s pride, with talk of matching backgrounds and fated marriages…”
As soon as Su Xiaomeng’s words fell, Jiang Yao straightened her back, sitting up with a face full of disbelief.
“Although today is April Fool’s Day, I’m not joking around, and I’m not trying to sow discord!”
Seeing Jiang Yao’s sudden emotional shift, Su Xiaomeng quickly raised her hand, a bit aggrieved: “What do you mean by your feelings for Zhong Jing? I feel like you don’t dislike him; how could that He Jian Qing Ya tramp keep getting ahead?”
“What feelings could I possibly have for him? He still wants to marry that old witch from Japan, right? Well, I can’t just go kill her!”
Jiang Yao felt that wild boar again surging in her head, rampaging, and her anxiety hit an all-time high.
Su Xiaomeng rolled her eyes, looking at Jiang Yao’s slightly flushed face with disdain: “This isn’t a funny joke… that He Jian Qing Ya is just taking advantage of your youthful ignorance to get Zhong Jing.”
However, given Zhong Jing’s character, there’s probably even more to this. I heard that people born on April Fool’s Day are natural romantics and enjoy thrills.”
Jiang Yao froze for a moment, her mind suddenly clear: “April Fool’s Day, April 1st… Zhong Jing was born today?”
Su Xiaomeng also froze, blinking several times before covering her face in frustration: “After half a year, you still don’t know Zhong Jing’s birthday? It’s today!”
Realizing it, she suddenly thought of something and quickly leaned closer to Jiang Yao: “Hey, I’ve read an article saying that boys born on April Fool’s Day will have partners coming from the southwest or northeast.”
“Look, your hometown is in S Province, which is southwest. He Jian Qing Ya is from Japan, which is northeast. It’s clear he can only choose between you and He Jian Qing Ya?”
After saying that, Su Xiaomeng sighed softly, probably thinking that Jiang Yao was completely out of the race.
Jiang Yao, however, fell into another contemplative state, completely missing what Su Xiaomeng just said.
“Sorry, I had some stuff at home this morning.”
The door was pushed open, and Zhong Jing appeared at the treatment room door, panting, his suit jacket in hand, sweat dripping from his face.
“Oh, did you see my message? Heh, you guys chat.”
Su Xiaomeng quickly tidied up her things, winked at Jiang Yao, and smiled as she exited, intentionally bumping into Zhong Jing as she passed by.
Jiang Yao turned back blankly, looking at Zhong Jing, then at Su Xiaomeng’s retreating figure, her face flushed and feeling as if her brain was boiling.
“What, are you talking bad about me again?”
Zhong Jing frowned, looked at the door, and casually threw his suit jacket onto a nearby chair.
“You’re celebrating your birthday today? You’ve never told me that.”
Jiang Yao blinked her big eyes, her expression a bit awkward.
“Well, you never asked? Besides, if I said I’m celebrating my birthday on April Fool’s Day, you wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
Zhong Jing casually grabbed a bottle of glucose injection from a nearby shelf, uncapped it, and started pouring it into his mouth, grimacing as if it didn’t taste as good as he expected.
“Su Xiaomeng told you, right? This year is my zodiac year, and they say you have to keep a low profile when celebrating your birthday during your zodiac year, so I didn’t tell you.”
Zhong Jing smiled as he glanced at his watch, looking relaxed: “Are you done with the tests now? Let’s go out for a meal; I bet you’re hungry.”
Jiang Yao remained seated on the treatment bed, showing no signs of wanting to get up, lost in her thoughts, and after several seconds, she quietly said: “Zhong Jing, what kind of birthday gift do you want?”
Zhong Jing stopped his hand that was grabbing his suit jacket, turned around with a hint of curiosity: “With that expression and tone, it doesn’t sound like you’re wishing me a happy birthday; what’s going on?”
“Zhong Jing, let’s hang out today!”
Jiang Yao shook her head, suddenly laughed, jumped off the bed, and hugged Zhong Jing’s arm: “Last year, you celebrated my birthday; this year, I’ll celebrate yours!”
“Hmph, are you sure it’s for me, or do you just want me to accompany you on your birthday?”
Zhong Jing snorted lightly, a teasing smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
“Isn’t it all the same? Let’s go eat, then play video games, go to the amusement park, then watch a movie, and end the night singing at the KTV!”
“Celebrating my birthday, and in the end, it’s just the two of us, all activities you like…”
“Or you could call He Jian Qing Ya back, then it would be three of us.”
……
This was probably the least attended, most eventful, and tightly scheduled birthday Zhong Jing had ever had.
After dinner, they rushed to a nearby commercial area, played at the arcade until noon, and even bought a handheld game console as a birthday gift.
After lunch, they headed to C City’s famous large amusement park and tried all kinds of thrilling rides.
After dinner, they went to a cinema and watched “The Wandering Earth” together.
Then, over two hours later, they burst into a karaoke venue, rented a large room, ordered a huge table of drinks, and sang like crazy for an entire afternoon.
Throughout the day, Jiang Yao did not mention the rumors about Zhong Jing and He Jian Qing Ya’s upcoming engagement.
Because of the alcohol, Zhong Jing could only leave his car in a parking lot near the KTV. It was not until close to midnight that they helped each other and took a taxi back to Jiang Yao’s house.
It is said that blood clans have strong stomachs and metabolisms, but they are not very tolerant of alcohol. However, at least in Zhong Jing’s case, his alcohol tolerance was not much higher than Jiang Yao’s.
During the two hours in the KTV room, Zhong Jing lost count of how much he had drunk and felt completely dazed. Jiang Yao, too, was red-faced, the smell of alcohol on her breath.
In the dim alley, Zhong Jing supported Jiang Yao, who was shivering and struggling for several minutes without managing to open the gate. In frustration, Jiang Yao grabbed Zhong Jing’s arm, stepped back a few paces, activated her blood, and jumped right in!
This crazy entrance startled Zhong Jing awake from his drunkenness; rubbing his sore arm, he turned pale.
“I’ll take you back to the Windflower Villa tomorrow; I’ll sit for a bit and then head back…”
On the sofa in the living room, Zhong Jing, reeking of alcohol and slurring his words, tugged at his tie, struggling to light a cigarette that took several tries to ignite, clearly struggling with the coordination of his brain and body.
While Jiang Yao, after her brief blood rush, was more affected by the alcohol, her whole being slumped over the sofa, slightly dazed.
“Zhong Jing, don’t leave… just sleep in my sister’s main bedroom tonight.”
Jiang Yao turned over, resting her head on Zhong Jing’s lap, her drunken eyes gazing at his face, her voice soft and her gaze sparkling with something inexplicable.
“I can’t stay over at your place… isn’t that inappropriate? I won’t go home for my birthday, and my parents will be worried where I am!”
Zhong Jing halfway through tugging his tie paused, visibly surprised.
“Well, well, I heard you rarely go home, so… tomorrow morning…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Yao clutched her mouth and rolled off the sofa, rushing into the bathroom where the door slammed shut, followed by the sounds of violent vomiting.
Zhong Jing released a deep breath of smoke, smiling helplessly.
In the dim light, through the frosted glass door of the bathroom, a blurry silhouette could be seen, accompanied by the sound of running water, evoking some ambiguous scenes in Zhong Jing’s mind.
Zhong Jing shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel the images in his head. But at that moment, with his head foggy, suppressing one heated thought only caused another to rise.
Hurrying into the kitchen, he splashed his face with cold water and let out a long sigh of relief.
“Zhong, Zhong Jing, can you bring me the bath towel from my room, it’s on this stool… and the sleeping dress is in the second wardrobe.”
The bathroom door opened slightly, steam wafting out, followed by a snow-white arm reaching through.
Behind the door, Jiang Yao had regained a bit of clarity, her face showing nervous anticipation as she stared intently at the gap.
A minute later, footsteps approached, soft fabric was handed over, and the footsteps faded, seemingly heading to Jiang Yan’s room.
Once again submerged in the hot water, Jiang Yao felt her face becoming even hotter, the strange yearning that had waned over the past few days surged back within her, unstoppable.
……
Lying on the bed, Jiang Yao felt as if she had entered a low-grade fever, her entire body radiating an abnormal heat, her mind consumed by an anxious feeling that was hard to suppress.
In a hazy state, she faintly heard the noise of the shower from the bathroom, seemingly Zhong Jing could not resist the alcohol and was washing up.
Still in a drunken state, Jiang Yao tossed and turned in her blur, sometimes awake, sometimes disoriented, sometimes frantic.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when, in the dark room, Jiang Yao suddenly sat up, cupping her face with her hands and shaking her head—she recalled that dream where she merged with a giant brain-like monster, enjoying Zhong Jing’s caresses.
Not even turning on the light, Jiang Yao swayed unsteadily, barefoot, and slipped out of her bedroom.
The door to Jiang Yao’s room was slightly ajar, casting a faint light that indicated the bedside lamp was on.
“Hm? Why aren’t you asleep yet? It’s almost 2 AM.”
Zhong Jing, drinking a cold cola from the fridge, was still scrolling through business documents on his phone when he saw a young girl’s figure standing in the doorway, staring blankly at him.
“Zhong Jing… I can’t sleep, I want to hear you tell a story…”
In a light purple silk sleep dress, the girl with golden hair wrapped around her slender figure approached, her skirt barely reaching her hips, revealing two long, fair legs that moved slowly. Her face was flushed, eyes shimmering with an ethereal mist, and her mouth curled up in a strange, sultry smile.
“Story? How old are you… hey, want to drink some cold cola to sober up?”
Zhong Jing, who had barely regained a bit of composure thanks to the cold cola, now felt warmth rushing back to his head, his last shred of rationality warning him.
Jiang Yao moved even closer, her expression growing increasingly strange. Even her originally sparkling eyes seemed to surface with a heated glow like boiling water.
Jiang Yao turned off the bedside light and fell onto the bed, wrapping her arms around Zhong Jing’s neck.
In the dimly lit room, Jiang Yao twisted her body, climbing into Zhong Jing’s arms, the warm breaths from her mouth brushing against the young man’s face close by.
Zhong Jing felt as if his entire body had been frozen, rigid and stiff. His surprise transformed into panic.
“Hey, it’s hard for me to handle this…”
“It’s hard to handle what…”
Jiang Yao’s hand brushed against Zhong Jing’s face as she let out a strange giggle.
“If something happens, I need to declare it in advance… I…”
“What do you mean something happens…”
Jiang Yao rested her head on Zhong Jing’s chest, laughing more wantonly, her forehead, cheeks, and ear temperature rising further, even her body beginning to tremble slightly.
“Xiao Yao, stay clear-headed, I’ll carry you back to your room to sleep!”
Zhong Jing sensed Jiang Yao’s body growing hotter as his suppressed desires resonated, quickly shaking his head and grabbing her shoulders, sitting up.
“Isn’t it fine right here? What’s with the acting… I’ve fed this to you on a plate… You didn’t miss taking advantage of me in my dreams, you know…”
Jiang Yao had completely sunk into an intoxicating state, using her strong physique to press Zhong Jing back onto the bed.
No, this script doesn’t fit! Can the things in your dreams count on me? Zhong Jing felt his wrist pinned by Jiang Yao, unable to move at all.
“Ugh! Don’t tug at my clothes!”
Amidst Zhong Jing’s feeble resistance, Jiang Yao unilaterally tore open his shirt, her flaming skin pressing against his bare chest.
Zhong Jing, you definitely like my body; you think I don’t know?
There’s something wrong; Jiang Yao definitely has a problem… Zhong Jing finally sobered up completely, cold sweat breaking out all over him.
Jiang Yao, Xiao Yao, we can talk more, like today’s “The Wandering Earth”; I think some scenes were pretty powerful…
As he spoke, Zhong Jing struggled to extend a hand, trying to turn on the bedside light.
“Don’t turn on the light… don’t want to talk, are you trying to buy time? Or do you really have no confidence as Dreamjie said?”
Jiang Yao laughed, completely devoid of a drunken demeanor, appearing clear-headed, and even teasingly mocking.
“No, are you planning to get heavy-handed?”
Zhong Jing firmly held Jiang Yao’s shoulders, unable to find a retort.
Isn’t it fine? After all, it’s my first time; I’ll let you have it on your birthday…
As he finished speaking, Jiang Jing’s soft and graceful silhouette was momentarily outlined against the dark backdrop, and with a sudden movement, there was a tearing sound.
Jiang Yao ripped her sleep dress apart, fully revealing herself, wishing the lights were on.
You want to go heavy-handed? Haha, I’ll fight back! Zhong Jing swallowed hard, alcohol flooding back, and carelessly, with a fierce expression, his hands aimed toward Jiang Yao’s body.
“Zhong Jing, you really haven’t touched a woman before?”
“Who said that? I’ve touched one back in college!”
“Scumbag, haven’t you seen the books? It’s not this part!”
“I know! Just because you said it like you understand! Hey, be gentle with your hands, don’t activate my blood!”
“I’m not that twisted, ah… you too, be gentler, don’t squeeze!”
In the dark room, the two hot bodies clumsily, arrogantly, and hastily intertwined.
They both thought of themselves as the best but were otherwise inexperienced.
Neither found the proper words to convey their current physical and mental states.
The warmth and comfort of a new experience spread throughout their bodies, and amidst the fog and excitement, Zhong Jing finally recognized the ridiculousness of the night—Am I, am I really being forced?
At this moment, deep within the preserve of local traditions, another empty courtyard’s roof, a vigilant Wang family baron and three knights simultaneously inhaled sharply.
Just a few hundred meters away, a terrifying wave of strange energy began to rise, tearing apart and consuming all probing attempts around it.
……
The bright spring light streamed through the curtains, heralding a new day, another busy day for shepherds.
Zhong Jing stood by the bed, showing his teeth nervously, hands trembling as he struggled with his tie, his face still bearing an expression of lingering shock.
On the bed, the golden-haired girl lay coiled in the blankets, only half her head showing, fast asleep.
Three times, or four times… she was so fierce! Zhong Jing recalled the events of the night before, still feeling it was like a dream.
After getting dressed, the chaotic thoughts finally dispersed, Zhong Jing sighed, a bitter smile on his face, reaching out to stroke Jiang Yao’s beautiful golden hair.
“Mmm… Zhong Jing, it’s still early…”
Jiang Yao turned over, revealing her lovely flushed face, her mouth curving in a strange smile, quietly observing Zhong Jing.
“Ugh… now that we…”
Zhong Jing smiled ruefully, slightly tilting his head away.
Jiang Yao rolled up her blanket, slowly sat up, and groped around her pillow, pulling out Zhong Jing’s cigarette pack and cleverly presenting it to him.
“Well, shouldn’t we smoke a… post-coital smoke?”
Jiang Yao blinked her beautiful big eyes, half-smiling, her face flushed deeply.
“I… don’t use that kind of joke carelessly.”
Zhong Jing grinned, utterly at a loss for words.
“I’m going to get dressed… go to my room, help me get some, including my underwear…”
Jiang Yao leaned against the head of the bed, tightly gripping the blanket around her, her expression becoming increasingly awkward.
Zhong Jing exited the bedroom, the door creaking shut. Jiang Yao touched her abdomen again, recalling some bizarre physical changes she had experienced in recent days.
After stepping into the queen’s realm, her once anxious state returned to a smooth and steady operation like an oiled machine, feeling comfort from the inside out.
Outside the door, a sound of Zhong Jing slapping himself could be faintly heard, and Jiang Yao turned to look, wrapping herself completely in the blanket a few seconds later.
