Chapter 267: I Have My Own People
Back at home, the four girls acted as if nothing had happened, sitting together on the sofa to rest. Even though the house was small, it was cozy with so many people around.
“Little Yu, what do you want to eat tonight? I’ll have someone make it for you,” Jiang Kekai continued to spoil Xia Yu without a second thought. Xia Yu, feeling no need to be polite with her beloved Sister Little Ning, pondered for a moment and said, “Sister Little Ning, I want fish—the steamed kind! I love it!”
“Alright, you’ve been a good girl today, so we’ll have fish,” Jiang Kekai said, ruffling Xia Yu’s hair. She then turned to Jiang Hanhang and Xia Ling, “What about you two? Speak up if you want something!”
Jiang Hanhang lazily hung onto Xia Ling’s shoulder, like a cat in a sunbeam, “I’m good! I’m tired of everything. I just need something to eat; I don’t really care.”
“Me too! I don’t want anything specific. Big Bad Guy, just manage it however you want,” Xia Ling added, completely on the same wavelength.
Looking at the two ditzy girls who had zero opinions, Jiang Kekai couldn’t help but shake her head in defeat, “Well then, what do you want to do after dinner?”
Jiang Hanhang immediately shot back, “I don’t want to go out! Going out means sweating. I want to stay home!”
Xia Ling nodded vigorously in agreement, “No way! I need to go to school tomorrow. Staying home is the best! Going out is too exhausting!”
“Alright, since you all won’t consider a stroll, how about we spend the evening in my and Little Yu’s room…?”
Jiang Hanhang was quick to chime in, “Are we gaming?”
Before Jiang Kekai could finish, she got a playful knock on the head from Jiang Kekai, “What are you thinking? I meant study time with me and Little Yu.”
Xia Ling just sat there, eyes wide.
Jiang Hanhang squeaked, “No, no, no! I can handle all that stuff! Little Ling, let’s bail on this Big Bad Guy and come out for dinner!”
With that, she tried to drag Xia Ling out, but bam! Jiang Kekai, who was also standing up, sat her back down on the sofa with all the finesse of a ninja. Defeated, Jiang Hanhang resorted to her cutest whiny act, “Nooo! I just got out of school! I don’t want to study; I have a traumatic past with studying! Can’t you just take Little Ling with you?”
Xia Ling was like, “…”
But this did no good. Jiang Kekai was immune to her antics, “No negotiations.”
Jiang Hanhang huffed, “…”
Just then, Xia Le walked in from outside.
He didn’t say a word; just glanced at the four girls in the living room before heading straight to his room. “Sis, don’t you think Big Brother has been acting weird lately?” Xia Ling asked Xia Yu.
“Has he?” Xia Yu shot back.
“Yeah! He’s usually not this much of a hermit when he comes home.”
Jiang Kekai shot a side-eye to the two sisters chatting away without a care, “You two are way too chummy. At my school, he’s friends with that annoying group and even goes to bars with them.”
“What’s a bar?” Xia Yu’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
“Kids don’t need to ask too many questions.”
Xia Yu: “…”
Xia Ling: “…”
Jiang Hanhang: “Cheh~”
Meanwhile, at a posh restaurant in Peng City, Doctor Y, Lin Family Head, and Huang Family Head were gathered once more for a meal.
“Doctor, that kid Xia Yu is totally ungrateful! What’s your next move? Should we kidnap him? Jiang Kekai can’t always be by her side, right?”
“Kidnap? Do you even know what kind of world we’re in? You have to consider the consequences. What if Jiang Kekai retaliates?” Doctor Y sighed.
Honestly, Xia Yu’s rejection took him by surprise. After all, he offered such a high price—how could she refuse?
Thinking about this, Doctor Y couldn’t help but down a shot of liquor, “Well, it’s done. I’m pretty sure Xia Yu is the person I’m looking for. Now, how do I get her to voluntarily cooperate on my experiment? It’s better to solve this peacefully.”
No kidding, Doctor Y wasn’t some wicked guy; his previous reluctance to collaborate with Doctor T proved that. The only reason he wanted to explore that experiment now was his scientific interest. He didn’t want to offend anyone, just play the middleman and keep things low-key.
But that seemed rather difficult.
“So Doctor, if Xia Yu won’t cooperate, could we just use her bl**d or hair for the experiments?”
Doctor Y was curious, “Do you have those things?”
“Actually, it’s not impossible; those can only prove genetics. I want to know a lot more; having her in the lab to take samples would be ideal. The best option is for her to share what happened during that time.”
“Uh…that might be a bit hard. Even if we grab her, if she doesn’t cooperate, it won’t do us any good,” Lin Family Head sighed. “If that’s the case, we’ll need a long-term plan. It’d be best to have Xia Yu owe you a big favor.”
Huang Family Head smirked, clearly enjoying the drama. He wasn’t here for anything but revenge, and today he was just here to watch the show.
“Sounds good….” Suddenly, Lin Family Head realized what Huang Family Head was suggesting and quickly approached him to toast, “Brother Huang, when are you planning to act? Are you confident about getting away clean?”
Huang Family Head accepted his toast without hesitation, “You want a piece of the action, huh? That’s doable. I’ll contact you when I’m ready to make a move. You know how tricky it is when the Young Lady is around; we have to wait until they’re apart.”
But just then, Doctor Y interjected, “What level are you planning to go to? I want a healthy person, not someone hanging on by a thread.”
“Got it, breaking a few bones should be no problem, right? Jiang Bin came to warn us not to mess with the Jiang family, but he never said we couldn’t go after Xia Yu. Even if we get caught, I doubt he’d go to war over a kid from another family,” Huang Family Head chuckled.
Lin Family Head, with a grin, raised his glass, “Well then, cheers! Here’s to a smooth collaboration.”
“Cheers indeed,” Huang Family Head lifted his glass just the same. Out of courtesy and because he needed their help, Doctor Y lifted his glass, “Here’s hoping everything goes smoothly.”
Time passed as the four little cuties waited for Xia Hong and Wang Wenjuan to come back before they started their meal—a routine they maintained.
But… they got an unexpected guest.
That’s right; it wasn’t just Xia Hong and Wang Wenjuan coming home. Awkwardly, Jiang Heng, Grandpa of Jiang Kekai and Jiang Hanhang, walked in with them without a single warning.
Upon spotting that old dude, Xia Yu instantly recalled her past experiences at the Jiang house, especially that time she heard from Xia Ling that he had a hand in not letting her stay in the hospital. That made her extremely nervous!
Xia Yu wanted nothing more than to sprint back to her room, but as the old guy approached, she found herself frozen in place, watching to see what he was up to.
Ignoring Xia Yu and Xia Jing completely, Jiang Heng glanced at Jiang Kekai and Jiang Hanhang, commanding them, “Done playing? Time to go home. I’m taking you overseas.”
“No way! It’s comfy here; I don’t want to go back so early!” Jiang Hanhang wrapped an arm around Xia Ling as if that would keep her grounded.
Though Jiang Hanhang always teased Xia Ling, they had a visibly strong bond, and Jiang Hanhang was increasingly dependent on her.
As for Jiang Kekai, she stood her ground, “No, Grandpa. This place is unsafe for you, so you need to head back now. I like it here!”
Compared to Jiang Hanhang, Jiang Kekai had a stronger mindset, maintaining eye contact with Jiang Heng, not backing down one bit.
“Little Ning, are you still blaming me? Have you thought about the differences in our identities? Look at her,” Jiang Heng pointed at the still-frozen Xia Yu, “Do you really believe being with her will make you happy?”
That hit a nerve; Xia Hong, unable to stand by while his son was insulted, jumped in and yanked Xia Yu from the sofa, saying, “You go back to your room.”
Let’s be real; after the last incident, Xia Hong was super annoyed with Jiang Heng. If he weren’t Jiang Kekai and Jiang Hanhang’s grandpa, he wouldn’t have even brought her back. Xia Yu felt like she had been given a second chance and dashed back to her room faster than a rabbit, fearing that old geezer might send someone to knock her around.
Despite all this, once Xia Yu was back in her room, she didn’t run off to hide. Instead, she pressed her ear to the door to eavesdrop…
With Xia Yu gone, Jiang Kekai visibly relaxed. Even though this was her grandpa, she tossed her legs in the air, sitting confidently, “I can handle my own affairs. I don’t need your input. If you want me and Hanhang back home for New Year, you’d better chill.”
“Why should I? Somebody! Take the Young Lady and the Second Young Lady back!”
Jiang Heng barked his order, locking eyes with Jiang Kekai.
Suddenly, a ruckus erupted outside, but no Jiang family bodyguards entered.
Seeing that, Jiang Kekai wasn’t surprised. She had prepared for such things: “Here, I have my own people.”
