“How much is a little bit?”
“One or two drops a day.”
She said, “Let me ingest your blood, then. I want to be with you forever. I don’t want to become old and wrinkled while you’re still so young and youthful-looking… Our children…”
Staring at her, Jin Qingyan answered, “If you keep worrying about this problem, you’ll continue being troubled and fretting over it. For example, you’ll be worried about our grandchildren and the following generations, because when you’ve lived enough, you would want them to be just like you too. So, stop worrying about these problems that are uncalled for. I’ve already thought about our future.”
“What are your plans?”
“Once Yiheng is old enough and capable of running the company, I’ll hand everything over to him. We’ll then travel around the world or move to a place where nobody knows us. How does that sound?”
An Xiaoning could not help but feel a little melancholic, for she knew the cold harsh truth was that they would probably become immortal while their children will live like ordinary humans.
However, Jin Qingyan was right. There was no way they could interfere with the lives of their future generations. Hence, it would be best to let nature take its course.
She did not like the idea of letting him live on forever, all by himself.
Noticing that she was not answering him, Jin Qingyan seemed to have sensed something unusual about her. “Are you really that upset?” he asked.
“No, I just feel a little emotional to have suddenly realized this truth. However, I got over it and thought through it instantly. If I were to insist that our children become like us, they’ll probably wish the same for their own children. It’ll then become a vicious cycle, and everything is going to be so chaotic. We’ve already defied the laws of nature. As for our children, I think they should abide by the laws of nature and not follow in our footsteps. Don’t they always say that the best part of being a parent is enjoying the growing process of their children? Everyone is a unique individual. However, why does Xiao Chenyang have to feed Erlan with his blood secretly? Can’t he just tell her about it truthfully?”
“I guess it’s because Fang Erlan might be too afraid to drink his blood? Although it’s only a minute amount, I doubt most humans can stomach the fact that they’re drinking someone else’s blood.” Noticing that she seemed much more relaxed, Jin Qingyan continued, “But again, how would I know what he’s thinking? I can’t read his mind.”
An Xiaoning chuckled and remarked, “Poor Erlan. She’s probably going to be subdued by him.”
“Aren’t I pitiful too? You’ve completely subdued me as well. Why aren’t you showing me any sympathy?” Jin Qingyan protested.
Auntie Chen called, “Young Sir, Young Madam, it’s time for dinner.”
“Alright,” An Xiaoning responded. She then said to Jin Qingyan, “I’ll go call the kids in for dinner.”
….
During dinner, Fan Shixin handed An Xiaoning the investigation report that contained He Yi’s call history for the past three months. After taking a look, she discovered that there were a few numbers that he had been contacting rather frequently. He had also saved the numbers as contacts.
The moment she saw Wang Jinsheng’s name, An Xiaoning immediately checked her mobile phone to see that the numbers did tally.
Disappointment filled her heart.
She had no idea who the other names were. Hence, she instructed Fan Shixin, “Check up on the profiles of these names.”
“Alright. But according to the GPS tracker that we had planted in his car, he’s already gone to Mo Sha District now.”
“Mo Sha District?” asked An Xiaoning, who knew that it was a popular tribal area in A City.
It was the place of residence for several different tribes.
“Qingyan, does He Yi belong to a minority tribe?”
“No.”
“What is he there for, then?” An Xiaoning said to Fan Shixin, “Continue keeping close tabs on him. We’ll continue talking about it again after dinner.”
“Sure.”
Throughout the meal, An Xiaoning had an ominous hunch that there was a conspiracy planned against her. It almost felt like a premonition. She trusted her instincts and believed that she wasn’t just imagining things.
After dinner, she immediately proceeded to verify He Yi’s current location.
She decided to head to the location where He Yi’s car was at since it wasn’t too far away either.
Fan Shixin accompanied her and took over the duties of driving.
“Young Madam, why did you ask the bodyguards to find out his location and other information about him?”
“I find him really suspicious. Although there doesn’t seem to be any plot holes in his statement, that’s exactly the reason why I find it far too problematic. Besides, he has also found out that I was the one who bombed that tomb beside Shen Jia lake. I must find out who had tipped him off. He was initially tight-lipped about it and I had to coerce him into telling me that it was one of the archeologists who had leaked the information to him. I’ve now gotten a clear idea after looking at the investigation report.”
“Why did Captain Wang have to tell him those things? It’s not something that should casually be spread around,” said Fan Shixin.
“That’s where the problem lies. When I first got to know him, I thought he was a respectable man. However, the more I interacted with him, the more I started to find that he is greedy and overly ambitious. Well, at the end of the day, he steals from tombs. No matter how ambitious he may be, he can’t possibly raid every single tomb in the world,” An Xiaoning said while rolling down the window.
“Perhaps he dabbles in other stuff apart from tomb raiding.”
An Xiaoning leaned back against her seat and said, “I don’t know…”
Upon arriving at Mo Sha District, Fan Shixin pulled over and whipped out his tablet to find out the exact location He Yi was at.
After verifying the location, he placed the tablet aside and alighted from the car together with An Xiaoning.
They stopped at a house after walking for a short distance. Fan Shixin said softly, “Young Madam, he’s here.”
An Xiaoning walked toward the door and took a look at the unit number before sending a text message to Ma Jianguo to get him to check up on the residents of the house.
Being highly efficient, Ma Jianguo replied with the relevant information that she had asked for.
There was nothing unusual about the profiles of the residents. Hence, An Xiaoning wanted to find out what He Yi was getting up to inside the house.
She had to come up with a feasible solution. Thus, she stepped onto Fan Shixin’s back and climbed up the wall. As soon as she did, the dogs inside the house began barking incessantly. An Xiaoning did a flip and landed on the door while Fan Shixin frantically scurried toward the back of the house.
The dogs stopped barking after realizing that there seemed to be nothing amiss.
It was pitch black in the yard, and the only light source was coming from inside the house.
She dared not move about carelessly, for fear that the dogs would begin barking again.
When her mobile phone vibrated, she hurriedly unlocked it to see that it was a text message from Fan Shixin, who informed her of his intentions to bring the tranquilizer gun. She gave her approval and told him to be quick.
The gate of the house was never once opened.
An Xiaoning had no idea if she was being overly suspicious toward He Yi. She felt like a maniac who was sneaking onto the rooftop of someone else’s house at night…
When Fan Shixin returned with the tranquilizer, the dogs sensed his movement and began barking ferociously again.
