Chapter 235: Absurd Reality
Wan Yue kindly allowed Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao to take a few days off, not only because their trip to the Wang family had impacted both of them, requiring time to digest and adapt, but more so because she wanted Jiang Yan to keep an eye on Jiang Yao, to stabilize her emotions and prevent any unexpected incidents.
However, the news of Jiang Yao’s sudden pregnancy left Su Xiaomeng, who was ordered to come over the next day for an early pregnancy check-up, utterly shocked and completely unprepared.
She never expected that this girl, who seemed carefree and had various ridiculous shortcomings in her eyes, would suddenly be in such a significant situation.
Inside, Su Xiaomeng already had an answer to who the father of the child was, but she dared not mention it on the surface.
She had even received hints from her grandfather, Jin Furong, that Jiang Yao’s identity was, in fact, some consensus reached between the Wang family and Wan Yue.
Aside from trying to distract Jiang Yao’s low mood and attention with light conversation, Su Xiaomeng couldn’t offer her relatively new friend more help.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan continued to play the role of a qualified older sister and caretaker, managing Jiang Yao’s life with great care, something that made Su Xiaomeng, who had been an only child since childhood, particularly envious.
April 25th, Saturday.
Early in the morning, Jiang Yan had completed all the housework, even preparing Jiang Yao’s lunch in advance and packing it into thermal containers.
“Sister, are you leaving so early?”
Jiang Yao, wearing pajamas and yawning, walked into Jiang Yan’s bedroom and found her dressed in a beige floral long-sleeve chiffon dress, sitting at the vanity and fixing her hair into a rare half-ponytail.
“Yeah, it’s Saturday, time to switch off. Ru Ru asked me to assist him with some basic subjects… I told Miss Su that she would come over before noon, and you can go shopping together after you eat, then return for dinner.”
“If you’re still tired, you can lie down after breakfast; the clothes in the washing machine can wait. I’ll take care of them when I return.”
Having finished her hair and lightly groomed her brows, Jiang Yan picked up her canvas shoulder bag.
“Sister, you should really change that bag; it’s so outdated, it doesn’t match this outfit at all.”
Jiang Yao followed Jiang Yan, unable to help but mutter a comment.
Holding onto the wall by the entrance, she slipped on a pair of white casual mid-heel shoes. Jiang Yan turned her head back and smiled, non-committal.
With Jiang Yan gone, Jiang Yao was left alone on the sofa, dozing off.
Half an hour later, looking at the bright sunshine outside, Jiang Yao thought for a moment and took out her phone.
“Xiaomeng Jie, it’s me…”
“Yeah, today my sister and I are going to the old house to sort out some things… Right, we might not be home during the day, so don’t come over. Um, how about tomorrow instead?”
A minute later, Jiang Yao tossed her phone aside and walked back into her bedroom to change.
She really didn’t feel like seeing anyone except Jiang Yan and planned to just stroll around aimlessly, soaking up the sun.
She could still feel the evident shock and profound implications in Su Xiaomeng’s eyes when she gave her a physical check-up yesterday.
“Hmph, what’s so strange about it? You shouldn’t get pregnant either…”
Jiang Yao grinned, slipping into a set of comfortable sportswear.
Shengci Hospital, top-floor special care unit.
“Hm? Was that a call from Xiaoyao just now?”
Zhong Jing, putting on his suit jacket, stared at the phone in Su Xiaomeng’s hand.
“Oh, you used to call her Jiang Yao, and now it’s Xiaoyao, Xiaoyao…”
Su Xiaomeng blinked a few times, revealing a mischievous smile:
“Originally, we had a shopping date scheduled, but the time was suddenly changed. She gave a rather flimsy excuse, wondering if you had arranged to meet her?”
Facing Su Xiaomeng’s teasing, Zhong Jing rubbed his nose, slowly sat down, and pointed to her office computer: “So, how did the check-up go this time?”
Su Xiaomeng put away her smiling face, typed a few keys on the keyboard, then showed a serious expression:
“The Engel family’s medication has shown really good effects so far…”
But what?
The transition caused Zhong Jing’s brows to furrow slightly.
A peculiar phenomenon appeared in your check-ups over the past three weeks, with testosterone levels significantly exceeding that of an average male. Zhong Jing, have you been particularly active in love lately? Haha!
Su Xiaomeng’s serious facade suddenly cracked, laughing uncontrollably, one hand even slamming on the table with no hint of modesty.
Well, the Engel family explained that this is just a side effect and has no major impact… Hey, don’t be so dramatic!
Zhong Jing’s lips twitched a couple of times, then he shook his head helplessly.
Zhong Jing, you’re recovering, which is a good thing; my family hasn’t found any safety issues with the medication. However, I can’t believe the Engel family would easily invest in you. Have you considered what price you might have to pay?
Su Xiaomeng pushed a bottle of unlabelled medication across the table towards Zhong Jing and issued a warning.
Is it Mr. Jin’s view, or your own? Never mind; the initiative isn’t really in my hands; I’m merely posturing, going with the flow. As for the price, it’s what they desire…
Zhong Jing picked up the bottle of medicine, rolling it around in his hand with a mysterious smile. After a few seconds of silence, he stood up, preparing to leave.
Zhong Jing, how long has it been since you saw Xiaoyao?
Su Xiaomeng suddenly asked, looking at his back.
She’s already working at her new company and sees them every day; a few days ago, she accompanied my master to the Wang family and is now on vacation… What is it you want to say? Why are you being so evasive?
Zhong Jing turned back, looking puzzled.
Isn’t it that next month you’re going to Japan with He Jianshingen for an engagement ceremony? How are you going to handle things with Xiaoyao then?
Su Xiaomeng brushed her loose hair aside, carefully choosing her words.
My affair with He Jianshingen isn’t settled yet; it’s all my mother fussing about that. As for the rest, Su Xiaomeng, you’re worrying too much.
Zhong Jing scoffed, striding out of the doctor’s office.
As the door slowly closed, Su Xiaomeng exhaled deeply, left with no choice but to follow through with the established protocol and send Zhong Jing’s medical check-up results to the Wang family’s medical research center.
Arriving at the parking lot, he opened the car door and looked back at the Shengci Hospital building, seeming to recall something, he pulled out his phone.
Like yesterday, Jiang Yao’s phone was still off, suggesting she had intentionally set it that way.
He pulled out the small medicine bottle again, took out a translucent capsule similar to fish oil, scrutinized it for a few seconds, then slowly popped it into his mouth.
With a gulp of mineral water, the familiar warmth spread in his stomach, feeling pleasant and revitalizing his spirit; even a hint of restless thoughts surfaced in his mind.
What kind of method will the Engel family use to lure me into their traps? I’m looking forward to it…
Zhong Jing chuckled as he tossed the medicine bottle onto the car frame and started the engine.
He intended to drop by his personal office to follow up on the wire transfer he was supposed to handle, considering it had been quite a few days and he hadn’t received a response from the Hong Kong side.
It was still the riverside park not far from the Golden River Club.
Today the weather was exceptionally nice and, coinciding with Saturday, there were noticeably more leisure-seekers in the park. Families interacting with children, companions with elders, couples strolling hand in hand, making the park, already small in size, feel crowded.
Jiang Yan and Meng Huai could only retreat to a corner behind a rockery in the park, effectively shielding them from any outside disturbances.
With her period now over for a few days, Jiang Yan’s boiling blood demonstration finally displayed the expected results, generating strong interest from Meng Huai.
It must be said, had it not been for her unfortunate mixed-blood lineage, Meng Huai might have been the most talented new blood clan member Jiang Yan had ever encountered.
In just over four months since becoming a blood user, Meng Huai’s boiling blood control nearly approached the standards of old knights like Xiao Ai.
In Jiang Yan’s perception,
Meng Huai spent considerable time purifying the black blood clan’s feeding factors from his body, and so far had not undergone any genuine personal training, yet he managed to stay steady in the ranks of mid-level knights.
While the secret blood’s effect played a large part, it was undeniable that Meng Huai seemed to be born for his existence as a blood clan member. His mother, Meng Xiang, had early on left him with a formidable foundation.
It did not seem meaningful for Meng Huai to push himself further up, considering that the ceiling for mixed-blood clans would only reach the peak of mid-level knights at best.
Refining basic realms, accumulating experiences, and growing to the peak of half a baron was still no small accomplishment—this was the best growth plan Jiang Yan drafted for Meng Huai after considering Zhao Peng’s advice.
In less than an hour, the not-so-abundant blood energy protein in Meng Huai’s body had been boiled out almost completely, and at this moment he was gulping down the tea Jiang Yan had brought.
“Meng Huai, that’s enough for today. For the next couple of days, try to avoid boiling blood and rest up to prevent a blood thirst crisis… By the way, I just received news from Zhong Jing; the wire transfer has been sorted out.”
Jiang Yan glanced at the text on her phone and smiled as she took her canvas shoulder bag.
“That’s good; maybe I’ll need your help in the future.”
Meng Huai nodded, pondered for a moment, and switched topics: “That day at the Wang family, was it your sister’s health that had issues? I sensed she was very strong while boiling, but it seemed a bit unstable.”
“There were some minor troubles; the Wang family elder gave some suggestions… Sorry, Meng Huai, you were left alone during those couple of days at the Wang family.”
Jiang Yan was clearly avoiding the main point, looking down as she rummaged through her shoulder bag and pulled out a plastic box filled with fruit pieces and a few pastries, handing them to Meng Huai.
“I’m fine; as long as you all are doing well… I heard there’s only one Duke of the Three Dogs; I didn’t expect Wan Jie to connect with the old Duke of the Wang family.”
Meng Huai’s expression was calm as he grabbed a pastry, unwrapped it, and started chewing slowly, then took a seat on a stone bench by the rockery to ease the leg soreness from earlier exercise.
“Well, the Wang family is preparing to restore intelligence cooperation with the Dark Arrows to jointly respond to the crisis of the domestic black blood clan, which concerns national stability. Wan Jie means that although the Hyacinth is small in number and weak, it should still participate.”
Jiang Yan placed the fruit box on the edge of the rockery, adjusted her skirt, and looked up at Meng Huai’s face: “I heard from Wan Jie that you were out that night… Meng Huai, do you know Han Jie from the Han family?”
“Yeah, he was transferred to my unit from the Dark Arrows headquarters last summer to investigate a case of a Dark Arrows member’s blood invasion and escape. He’s a very capable intelligence officer.”
Meng Huai nodded and glanced around, as if wary of eavesdroppers, while his peripheral vision kept sneaking glances, evaluating Jiang Yan’s expression.
Jiang Yan subtly trembled, but her demeanor remained relatively composed.
Logically speaking, Meng Huai, having suffered blood invasion and then being seen by a former comrade, should not have reacted the way he did that night. Meng Huai was effectively admitting that he was still in touch with the Dark Arrows; he remains a member of the Dark Arrows…
Jiang Yan lowered her head slightly, feeling an unsettling sensation inside, but it was far milder than her previous reaction on the old street.
“I see… The Wang family elder and Wan Jie both regard this person as reliable, someone to trust… Meng Huai, now the Wang family, the Hyacinth, and the Dark Arrows are basically allies.”
I know you have secrets; I won’t pry, but Wan Jie absolutely won’t let it slide. Meng Huai, can you change your mindset and not make things difficult for Wan Jie?
At this point, Jiang Yan unconsciously pinched the edge of her skirt.
“Yeah.”
Meng Huai turned his head away, avoiding Jiang Yan’s gaze, feeling inexplicably agitated.
It was a sense of being deliberately ignored or tolerated despite having clearly displayed a poor performance, as if he were being blocked on stage to perform.
However, from the perspective of a high-level blood clan member, Wan Yue’s almost limitless disregard felt like it bore other implications. Was she waiting for him to admit it, or did she not believe he could stir up any trouble at all?
Maybe Wan Yue truly hopes that I will continue to get along with Jiang Yan,
Ultimately accepting my blood clan identity and integrating into the Hyacinth… Thinking about Wan Yue’s usual graceful demeanor, combined with her occasionally sharp gaze like a dagger, an extreme sense of discomfort surged in Meng Huai’s heart.
This discomfort wasn’t merely due to a power disparity or true timidity, but rather a helplessness and suspicion after being seen through by the other party.
“Meng Huai, actually, I want to tell you something… about Xiaoyao.”
Jiang Yan bit her lip, her grip on the skirt quivering as her expression became increasingly conflicted. This subtle change drew Meng Huai’s attention back.
“This was supposed to be a total secret… But I think you should know… Xiaoyao is pregnant; the child in her belly is…”
Jiang Yan hesitated, finding it hard to voice, not just from the perspective of needing to keep it a secret for Xiaoyao but also a kind of empathy.
Meng Huai’s body shook, slowly turning to lock eyes with Jiang Yan’s face, his voice even slightly pitched: “It’s Zhong Jing’s?!”
Jiang Yan didn’t answer directly, merely staring vacantly at the ground.
Another Zhong family man, and now a blood clan woman has offspring?!
Meng Huai’s mouth twitched several times before he finally turned his head in silence, unsure how to evaluate this absurd reality.
In his mind, the unruly and carefree face of his younger brother Zhong Jing rose—Meng Huai suddenly felt a surge of wanting to hit someone.
“I mean, if one day, it becomes absolutely necessary, could you think of a way… This is my selfish wish. I don’t know if this goes against the will of the Wang family elder and Wan Jie, but I know you have the ability to protect Xiaoyao and the child!”
As for the rest, I will bear it; I’ll handle it! Whatever I say, no matter if it holds value in the future, please keep it confidential.”
Today is your day off; I won’t delay your personal schedule. I’ll leave now, and we’ll continue next Saturday.”
Saying this, Jiang Yan raised her head, showing a determined expression, adjusted her skirt’s hem, and slowly stood up.
Jiang Yao is pregnant, and the child’s father is Zhong Jing; are they really just two other women blood-infected by their grandmother, and not what I imagined…
Meng Huai felt his scalp prick with discomfort, causing generalized unease.
After walking a few dozen meters, Jiang Yan turned her head back, noticing that he hadn’t caught up and felt slightly disappointed.
“He does have feelings for me, but he’s not someone who enjoys long-term companionship with women. If I hadn’t come, he’d rather spend his day off alone than take the initiative to contact me…”
“Alas, actually, I’m not used to being with him all the time either.”
After standing for a few seconds, Jiang Yan abandoned the plan to turn back and invite Meng Huai to lunch.
…
…
After parting with Jiang Yan, Meng Huai solved his lunch problem alone and hurried back to the Golden River Club, locking himself in the temporary dorm while under the peculiar gaze of Liang Tai and Xiao Dong.
Han Jieqian: I’m in the capital, aiming to return to C City next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Han Jieqian: The materials you wanted have already been sent to a third-party cloud disk; please check, and for the other matters, we can discuss them in person.
As he scanned the text messages, Meng Huai pondered for a moment, pulling out his password-protected suitcase from under the bed, preparing to start a fresh round of intelligence analysis work.
The accumulated materials overwhelmed him, and even with Meng Huai’s full-hearted effort, he felt an immense mental burden.
Intelligence analysis isn’t something everyone can excel at; probably only someone like Han Jieqian has the ability to peel relevant threads from countless seemingly unrelated clues.
Xia Yan and Gu Yao grew up in an orphanage in District W… Xia Yan has deep feelings for the welfare institute; even after blood invasion, she secretly sent money and was caught by Han Xiao once.
Meng Huai crossed his arms over his chest, his computer screen displaying a dizzying array of open document windows.
“Hello, this is the Special Confidential Action Group, Strategic Task Support Center; now verifying identity code…
“Immediately record and investigate this bank account’s incoming information over the past week, and collect the remitter’s information…”
Meng Huai took the confidential phone from the insurer, opened a few sheets of paper, and made a mark for every name and bank account read aloud.
He spent more than half an hour dictating all the contents to the Strategic Task Support Center.
“…Received, the investigation results will be sent to the storage within two hours; please keep an eye out for them.”
After ending the call, he removed his earbuds, put away the confidential phone, and shut down his computer, starting to close his eyes to rest and rejuvenate himself.
Outside the room, Liang Tai walked by nonchalantly, slightly pricking his ears. Unfortunately, the employee lounge’s door was soundproofed too well, leaving him utterly unaware of what Meng Huai was up to inside.
“Brother Liang, I’m off on Monday; let’s go watch a movie!”
On the other side, Xiao Dong approached with a bright smile.
At noon, on a bustling street, a girl with long blonde hair was wandering alone.
Having been out for several hours, even skipping lunch, Jiang Yao wandered aimlessly, occasionally receiving ambiguous glances from passersby.
Should I tell him? What would his reaction be…? What’s there to be afraid of? After all, it’s all arranged by the Wang family and Wan Jie; I just chose a way I preferred, and he’s well aware of it…
If he knew that this child, once born, would ultimately be handed over to the Wang family, would he have objections?
How would the Wang family treat this child? Use them for experiments, or dispose of them…? Why am I even thinking about this? Blood can turn people into monsters; it can’t possibly make a normal person!
Muttering a barrage of nonsense, Jiang Yao felt a familiar low fever response, feeling slightly dizzy.
She placed her hand on her lower abdomen, shaking her head helplessly. She knew this was a typical precursor to blood thirst. Although it could still only be considered early pregnancy, the intervals for blood thirst had quietly changed.
When she reached the half-baronet level, Jiang Yao’s blood thirst interval had extended to nearly a month. But after becoming a queen, that interval shrank back down to about three weeks.
Now, less than a week since her last blood draw, the signs of blood thirst had already returned.
Is this what Sister Tan said? Once a female blood clan member becomes pregnant, the blood thirst intervals will shorten and continue throughout the whole pregnancy?
What if it develops to a point where I need to drink blood several times a day? How is Sister supposed to provide so much blood… Suddenly, a grave realization hit Jiang Yao, and she couldn’t help but shiver, her face paling slightly.
On instinct, she turned around to head home, only to accidentally catch sight of a beautifully decorated storefront by the street.
The English flagship store specializes in high-end infant products for babies aged zero to three.
Jiang Yao didn’t know what compelled her to enter that baby goods store, idly strolling through aisles formed by rows of shelves.
Diapers, baby bottles, onesies… for summer, spring, and winter… Let’s see, if the pregnancy lasts like an ordinary person, the child’s birth should be around late January or early February next year?
Her pace slowed, her gaze scanning the colorful array of various baby products, Jiang Yao’s eyes glazed over, her mind swirling with strange thoughts.
“…May I ask how old your little one is? Are you preparing in advance yourself or planning to give a gift… Miss?”
A soft voice chimed in beside her, starting from a whisper and gradually filling her head.
“Ah!?”
Jiang Yao jolted awake, finally coming back to her senses.
Staring in shock at the sales clerk standing next to her, Jiang Yao’s face flushed as she felt a bit flustered.
“Miss, you look so seriously at the products; we really do have a lot of varieties and styles. If you tell me your needs, whether it’s for a boy or girl, I can help you with recommendations.”
The sales clerk smiled at the slightly embarrassed golden-haired girl, pointing to the shelves beside them, maintaining her politeness and enthusiasm.
“I’m sorry, I must have taken a wrong turn!”
Like a plague, Jiang Yao rushed toward the exit of the baby goods store, nearly colliding with a young couple pushing a stroller.
Panicked like a lost dog, Jiang Yao bolted out, not daring to look back.
