Chapter 36: She Is an Ancestor Here with Me

These words shocked even Zhuang Yumian, who was standing nearby. Staring at the man’s dark, fierce brow, she turned her head away with a flicker of impatience.

Silence hung on the line for a few seconds. “He Lian, if you’re just looking for fun, Jinzhou is full of women for you to play around with. If you don’t like the local girls, you can pick whoever you want from the prominent families in Jinggang, but Jiang Yu is off-limits.”

This clearly stepped on He Lian’s red line. Moving the phone away from his ear, he switched on the speakerphone, refusing to let that filthy voice stick close to his ear.

“He Shaoming, do you think I’m like you?”

“He Lian!”

“The only thing we have in common is that our surname is He. That’s all.”

“He… Son, the Song family has long-standing ties with Jingyue’s great-grandfather. The old master’s body isn’t even cold yet, and you’re charging over to wield knives and guns at them. Do you have any idea how much it will affect me if this gets reported? The Song family has been generous enough; they only ask that you return Jiang Yu. You’re an adult now, so stop causing trouble for me.”

Unmoved, He Lian appeared to outsiders like a completely filial-lacking descendant: “Causing trouble? He Shaoming, I was raised by Old Man He. What does it have to do with you? When have you ever cared about me?”

“I am caring about you right now!”

“Heh, Vice Mayor He sure carries a mighty official air,” He Lian curled his lips coldly. “In that case, why don’t you give it a try—see whether offending the Song family is scarier, or if offending me is.”

“You!”

Honking horns sounded outside the gates of the Fortress.

The guard at the watchtower leaned over to look before hurrying down.

Knowing that He Shaoming’s people had arrived, He Lian brought the phone back to his ear: “He Shaoming, no one is taking Jiang Yu away from me. For the sake of us being father and son, I’ll leave your people’s corpses intact.”

Just as He Shaoming was about to fly into a rage, He Lian hung up the phone.

With his hands in his pockets, he walked into the courtyard with absolute composure.

As the heavy gate pulled open, a red Guoya sedan drove in. The guard stepped forward to open the door, and Xu Yan, He Shaoming’s assistant, adjusted his suit cuffs as he stepped down.

He looked around the surroundings, pushing up the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Xu Yan deeply disliked the wild, barren nature of the Fortress Camp. It was far inferior to the prosperity of Jinzhou’s business district. If it weren’t for official business, he wouldn’t step into yellow sand with his leather shoes for the rest of his life.

Spotting He Lian, Xu Yan strode over with his chin held high, intending to deliver his orders, only to find a handgun pointing straight at him, looking dark and menacing.

“Second Master?” Xu Yan offered a insincere smile. “It’s me, Uncle Xu.”

He Lian raised an eyebrow: “I’m shooting at you precisely because it’s you.”

Xu Yan’s heart skipped a beat. How had this man gotten even more of a bastard than when he was young? He gave a forced laugh and took a step forward, only to hear a loud gunshot as a bullet blasted a crater half a meter away from his left toe.

Hearing the gunshot, team members scattered around the area surged over like a tide, surrounding Xu Yan completely.

As a mere pampered, soft-skinned stooge, when had he ever seen so many rough men with scowling faces? Swallowing hard, he mustered his strength and took another step forward.

Bang!

This time, the bullet crater was only thirty centimeters from his shoe tip.

He Lian’s precision was spot-on.

Xu Yan didn’t dare move an inch further. Knitting his brows, he said, “Second Master, this is Vice Mayor He’s wish. I will safely escort Miss Jiang Yu back to Yangcheng, so please don’t make things difficult for me.”

He Lian didn’t want to say another word: “Get lost.”

Xu Yan: “Please understand my position. I have to report back to your father.”

He Lian: “Fine. Then I’ll blow a hole through your foot. You can go back and say I tried to kill you. Who knows, seeing your unwavering loyalty, He Shaoming might even give you a raise.”

Xu Yan’s heart went cold, and he hurriedly pulled his foot back: “He Lian, you… you’re being completely unreasonable!”

He Lian gave a lukewarm smile: “I’m already being very refined.”

“But Miss Jiang Yu staying at the Fortress will only bring trouble, won’t it?” Xu Yan refused to give up. “She can’t even take care of herself, and this place is full of rough soldiers…”

Bang!

Before Xu Yan could finish, he felt a piercing pain at his toe. Letting out a sharp scream, he saw a tear blasted across the tip of his leather shoe, barely missing his toes.

“Fine, fine, fine! You won’t listen, will you!”

Muttering curses, Xu Yan limped back onto the car.

That Guoya sedan sped out of the main gate almost like a fleeing escapee, vanishing from sight.

Seeing this, He Lian motioned for the surrounding team members to disperse. He tossed the handgun to Zhuang Yumian, his eagle-like gaze sweeping across her face: “Don’t ever pick up He Shaoming’s calls again. Understood?”

“Yes,” Zhuang Yumian gritted her teeth. “But the Ministry of National Security wants you to go to Jinggang…”

“If the Ministry of National Security issues a punishment, I’ll take it,” He Lian said coldly. “There’s no need for you to emphasize it over and over.”

“Also, don’t think I don’t know that you washed Jiang Yu with cold water last time.”

Zhuang Yumian’s fingertips went numb. She suddenly remembered that cold and hot water usage at the Fortress was logged. After struggling for a few seconds, she braced herself to argue back: “Everyone at the Fortress bathes with cold water. If she can’t handle it, it only proves she’s too weak and doesn’t deserve to stay at the Fortress. She’s just a burden.”

He Lian’s voice rolled over Zhuang Yumian’s head like a thunderclap: “This isn’t the Song family. At the Fortress, and here with me, Jiang Yu is an ancestor. Do you understand?”

“Besides, for words like ‘Jiang Yu is too weak’ to come out of your mouth—Zhuang Yumian, are you still a soldier I personally trained?!”

The woman lifted her head. Thinking of something, a flicker of complexity welled up in her pupils as she murmured a response.

Only then did He Lian take wide strides upstairs.

Jiang Yu wasn’t on the bed in the bedroom. Instead, she was kneeling in front of the canvas, her brush dipped in blue paint as she kept dabbing at it frantically, not even turning around when He Lian called her.

He Lian glanced at the half-open window, realizing that Jiang Yu had heard the conversation just now. Hurriedly turning her shoulder, he found her cold, tiny face drenched in tears!

“A-Yu?”

He Lian hurriedly used his fingers to wipe them away, anxious as if his heart were burning: “It’s alright, it’s alright, don’t be scared. Even if Old Master Song crawls out of his grave to ask for you, I won’t hand you over.”

He pulled Jiang Yu into his arms, only to find her trembling violently.

Jiang Yu wasn’t scared; she was feeling an uncontrollable rush of intense emotion. Even if she were sent back, she wasn’t afraid of dying—after all, living was far more torturous for her.

Her only fear was that her deep vengeance wouldn’t be exacted!

She wanted everyone in the Song family dead!

She wanted them to feel that having their skin peeled and tendons pulled was a merciful gift!

“Good girl, A-Yu.”

He Lian had no idea what she was thinking, but seeing her terrified to this extent, he froze in bewilderment.

Jiang Yu really did understand everything, she just couldn’t express it.

She had instinctual reactions.

She would smile when happy, cry when scared, glare when angry, and even twist his arm in revenge when he accidentally hurt her—though her strength was so weak it felt no more painful than a mosquito bite.

He wanted to help Jiang Yu become a normal person again, to reopen the heart’s door that had been shut tight by the Song family’s abuse. Though the path ahead was long and difficult, He Lian was least afraid of tackling tough obstacles.

After all, the little simpleton had chosen him first.

He Lian carried Jiang Yu back to the bed. As soon as they lay down, she snuggled into his embrace, her slender arms wrapping tightly around his narrow waist as if the two were inseparable.

Yet He Lian had no improper thoughts at this moment. Patting her back, he glanced toward the bedside and caught sight of the chaotic lines on the canvas—wild and menacing, looking like evil ghosts trying to crawl out of a swamp.

He Lian knit his brows slightly, a familiar sensation welling up in his heart.

Yet he couldn’t pinpoint where he had seen it before.

After waiting with difficulty for Jiang Yu to fall asleep, he walked over, picked up the drawing paper, and examined it for a long while. This bizarre, otherworldly painting style was eerily similar to Song Xueyan’s works.

Was A-Yu imitating her older sister, or…

He Lian’s eyes narrowed. Glancing back at the sleeping Jiang Yu, he walked downstairs to call Zhuang Yumian.

The woman hurried over, looking as though she had been about to find him as well: “Commander, Master He called just now. He said the Song family will be visiting Han Palace on the morning of the day after tomorrow.”

He Lian carefully folded the drawing paper, running his fingertip along the fold line toward the right: “Just in time. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take Jiang Yu back for a visit.”

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