Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The fifth People’s Hospital occupied more than a thousand square meters and was located right at the heart of the imperial capital’s central business district. It was also an asset in the medical industry owned by the Jiang family. This was why entry to the sixth floor of Building 6 was restricted to members of the family only.
Knock, knock, knock.
Three knocks sounded from the door. If one listened closely, one could hear that those knocks were made with utmost caution.
“Master Jiang.”
“Go away.”
A man’s voice, cold and impatient, echoed in the ward on the other side of the door.
The man who had knocked the door was Ah Wan, Jiang Zhi’s bodyguard cum assistant who was around the age of thirty. One could tell from his looks alone that he wasn’t a sophisticated person. Both his scores in terms of IQ and EQ were certainly not something to call home about and he had darker than average skin but his body was built with well-developed muscles.
It was precisely because Ah Wan wasn’t sharp enough that his master had had to spend the night freezing by the seaside before being discovered by the authorities. Luckily, they had come before certain opportunistic kidnappers that lurked the corners of the imperial capital made an appearance. If that hadn’t been the case, the consequences would be unthinkable.
“Oh.”
Ah Wan silently backed away from the door, not daring to further provoke his employer.
Because of the bone-chilling wind which the young heir had been exposed to last night as well as due to his particularly delicate nature, he was currently suffering a cold. The sound of coughing could be heard even from outside the ward. The young master had a bad temper especially when his illness flared up, so it was a wise decision to refrain from further instigating his anger.
Of course, that applied to everyone except the second young master of the Xue family.
“Brother Zhi!”
While he was nowhere to be seen, his carefree voice would arrive first in one’s ears, proclaiming his arrival.
Just as the door to the room was pushed open, a glass shattered near Xue Baoyi’s feet. Hm, it seemed that the beauty had been angered.
Xue Baoyi was referring to Jiang Zhi when he spoke of the word “beauty”. He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. The purple-dyed hair from before had now been transformed into a neat crew-cut that nicely complimented his near-perfect facial features. A grin flashed across his face as he poked at Jiang Zhi.
“Hey, what a bad temper you have!”
The young master Jiang, who indeed had a bad temper, sat on his bed in a stereotypical plain, checked patient gown that was draped loosely over his shoulders. His skin, almost as pale as ivory, contrasted with his lips which were the color of pink cherries.
As angry as he was, he couldn’t stop the coughs from overwhelming him.
It pained Xue Baoyi to see his Jiang Zhi in such a helpless state.
“Alright, alright, cool down.” Xue Baoyi coaxed him with a comforting tone followed by a playful jab. “Y’know, your body is so fragile that it might just break down from your anger. I’d be devastated if that were to happen.”
The second young master of the Xue family had no such underlying issues… well, with the exception of his addiction to beautiful ladies. That being said, they were all incomparable to Jiang Zhi. In hindsight, Xue Baoyi felt impressed with himself for remaining straight throughout his entire life. Just how tough could his will be?
He hurried forward to soothe the beauty down by gently rubbing his back.
Jiang Zhi instantly pushed the man away in disgust. Glaring coldly at him, he asked, “Have you checked it?”
Xue Baoyi laughed as soon as he heard Jiang Zhi’s question. He then pulled a chair over to the side of the bed.
“Man, I didn’t even have a chance to sleep last night.”
Who dared to mess with his fraternal brother? Such an act implied that the second young master of the Xue family was already dead, outrageous indeed!
Jiang Zhi couldn’t muster up the energy to react to Xue Baoyi’s statement and went straight to the point.
“Who was it?”
“The fourth-in-line of the Ming family. I heard that there was originally going to be a hero to save the abducted princess, but for that to happen, the princess must first be taken away.”
Xue Baoyi smiled cheekily at Jiang Zhi.
“You’re so beautiful that what they did would be closer to an art heist than a kidnapping.”
Although specific details about the Ming family were not as widely known as compared to the “Big Four”, they were still rich and affluent members of the nobility in the imperial capital. The fourth-in-line of the Ming family was a young lady, complete with bodacious curves, but she was certainly lacking in the brains department. It seemed that merely feasting with her eyes was no longer enough to feed her desire especially after having Jiang Zhi’s image burned into her mind for so long.
Xue Baoyi rolled an unlit cigarette between his fingers while the other hand fiddled with a lighter. He then noted. “This has nothing to do with the Ming family. It was all the doing of that spoiled woman. As the saying goes, ‘the toad longs to feast upon the flesh of a swan1’, and you were certainly going to be gobbled up if it were not for us.”
He scratched his brow and added, “So, how do we deal with this?”
Jiang Zhi lay there weakly, his face sickly-pale as if his body had been completely drained of its blood. He forcibly suppressed his coughing as his listless eyes blinked from time to time, deep in contemplation.
“Throw her into the sea.”
Xue Baoyi was just about to praise his friend for his saintliness when their conversation was interrupted by the door opening.
“This society is ruled by law. Don’t mess with it.”
A pair of slender legs came into view first, followed by a seemingly handsome face with deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and a pair of thin lips. The man gave off an unsettling vibe as well as vague hints of cynical pessimism.
He was the heir of the Qiao family, Qiao Nanchu.
Of the imperial capital’s “Big Four” families, with the exception of the Lu family, the remaining families of Jiang, Xue, and Qiao enjoyed a relatively close relationship owing to the efforts of its younger members such as the three that were present in the hospital room right then.
Jiang Zhi then lazily added on to his previous command. “Make sure she survives.”
Xue Baoyi understood what that meant; let her know what a teaspoon of death tasted like, that should do the trick without soiling one’s hands!
“Aye, my master!”
“What’s the matter?” Qiao Nanchu asked as he inched closer before choosing to lean against the cabinet near Jiang Zhi’s bed.
Jiang Zhi coughed. This time, his face had grown subtly flushed.
Qiao Nanchu poured a glass of warm water for Jiang Zhi before proceeding to explain, “I’ve looked through the security footage of the clubhouse. All that was captured was a dark shadow darting across the hallway and then followed by an error.”
As if he was watching a detective show unfold, the corners of the man’s eyes wrinkled as he smiled cunningly.
“Do you remember anything about your abductor?”
Jiang Zhi rested his head on a pillow, and with what little energy he had left, he replied softly, “I didn’t get the chance to see too clearly.” He shut his beautiful eyes for a moment, perhaps to recall the memories of the incident before continuing, “Around five-foot-seven, kinda lean, but had remarkable strength.”
“Cough, cough, cough..”
He coughed a few times, prompting him to wet his throat with some water before adding, “She had pretty eyes.” That person wore a hat and a mask. Due to the mist that had settled on the shoreline, he was only able to vaguely make out her outline. Even her voice had been distorted by the blowing wind. Still, he could remember that it sounded very nice, but at the same time, it was as cold as the seawater that night.
Qiao Nanchu scratched his lip while listening attentively to the clues provided by Jiang Zhi.
“Slightly shorter huh.”
Five-foot-seven and with remarkable strength. The latter was essential as it explained how the abductor was able to carry Jianzhi over such a great distance.
“Oh, and she’s a woman.”
From his tone alone, they could feel the dissatisfaction in his voice.
He was the little prince of the Jiang family, a precious gem that was raised by the hands of nobility. How could they allow him to go through such an ordeal, especially one that was conducted by the hands of a woman.
Brother Zhi hated women, and that was a fact well-known to those around him.
Xue Baoyi laughed at Jiang Zhi’s final remark.
“Women, huh?”
His interest was piqued by Jiang Zhi’s choice of words.
“But to imagine that one day, you’d point out the beauty in someone else’s eyes. How about it? Do you not despise women anymore?”
Jiang Zhi was gay and he had orally confirmed it himself. For all these years, he had not shown the slightest interest in women. The same, however, could be said about his interest in men with the exception of a certain young man, memories of which he kept locked away in his heart.
Jiang Zhi ignored Xue Baoyi’s joke as he was more preoccupied with the lingering dizziness that stirred up his anger.
“She said she was a professional runner.”
Qiao Nanchu rested his hands on the cabinet door, knocking some obscure rhythm unconsciously before announcing, “I think I know who you’re talking about.”
Jiang Zhi raised his eyelids and stared at the man.
“I’d been following her for half a year, codename Z.” Qiao Nanchu grabbed the empty glass which he had previously passed over to Jiang Zhi, rubbing it as he continued relaying more information.
“A female with unknown age, an unknown address and unknown nationality, but when it comes down to business, she’s top-class”
Professional runner—This term had emerged only recently.
As long as you paid and granted, the amount was big enough, these professional runners would complete all errands that you ordered them to do. As for whether or not assassination, prostitution, or arson and the likes were off-limits, that was a debatable subject.
“Interpol has been tracking her for a long time. However, they couldn’t even detect a trace of her phantom. All we know is that she arrived at the imperial capital since last year and has been commissioned just a handful of times. However, they were all high-value missions and so far, there have been no failures on her part.”
Qiao Nanchu was working with the police. He had worked in the Crime Intelligence Department for a number of years and this particular case had apparently caught his interest.
Xue Baoyi on the other hand was a businessman. He couldn’t care less about such brain-wrecking cases. Just then, his eyes met a case of tasty-looking sweets contained in a glass box fixed with thousands of crushed diamonds, resting on a cupboard beside Jiang Zhi’s bed. A mere glance was enough for him to recognize who this item belonged to.
That container was exquisitely crafted, and he couldn’t help but reach over to touch it.
Jiang Zhi slammed a fist on the table and slowly uttered, “Don’t touch it.”
It was as if he had been caught staring at Jianzhi’s precious treasure!
Xue Baoyi snorted at Jiang Zhi’s reaction.
“You’re a man now, why the hell are you still eating marshmallows? What are you, a sissy?”
Jiang Zhi picked a pink-colored one and popped it into his mouth, all while giving Baoyi the evil eye.
To be honest, Brother Zhi from the Jiang family was eccentric to the core. He had a bad temperament, hated roses, despised women, didn’t like to drink, and couldn’t stand the smell of cigarettes. He would always maintain that indifferent expression regardless of who he was talking to.
However, he certainly loved his marshmallows. While he didn’t eat much in one go, there would always be marshmallows at his bedside, in his office, or his lounge, to name a few places, and they would always be stored in boxes made of the most expensive materials available. No one dared to touch these boxes, fearing reprisal from the young master.
Outside the Yuquan Bay, there was a convenience store that remained open for 24 hours. At this time, the sky was painted in different shades of golden-orange as the sun began to set, and there was no one else in the shop.
Upon closer inspection, there was one single person, squatting in front of a rack at the back of the store. Donning a black sweatshirt and a baseball cap, her pale white ankles peeked out from underneath the pitch-black pencil pants as she shifted about in the same squatting position.
“Pink packaging with a rabbit mascot.” The person turned over to the girl behind her and asked, “Is that marshmallow no longer available here?”
Almond eyes, upturned lips, a cold and distant gaze, it was apparent that she didn’t smile often as her lips remained in the same, pursed manner the entire time. Her skin was fair, almost translucent, and the yellow-tinge of the setting sun was reflected in her eyes, making it seem as if her eyes were glowing. Her eyes were as mesmerizing as the starry sky during summer, and like the stars, they shone brightly but showed hints of loneliness and desolation.
Her name was Zhou Xufang and she would come to the store every three or four days to buy those marshmallows she had described earlier.