spring bite mark

Chapter 191 Yan Changye's Complaints
Even though they already had their suspicions, and the test results were not yet available, Huo Mingcai and Wang Ying cautiously refrained from revealing the truth.

"Last time you told me you were from Beijing," Wang Ying said, her eyes pleading, her tone undisguisedly ingratiating. "There aren't many Beijing-style dishes in Chongqing, but there are a few Peking duck restaurants. I don't know if they're authentic..."

"I can handle spicy food," Jiang Manman said gently. "Hot pot and skewers are both pretty good."

"You can handle spicy food!" Wang Ying's eyes lit up with even more delight. "How about we grab some hot pot nearby?"

Jiang Manman nodded in agreement.

Just as it was dinner time, Huo Mingcai booked a private room at a hot pot restaurant next to the Yudu International Hotel. The three of them sat down, and the waiter first served a pot of tea and a few side dishes.

Huo Mingcai ordered the hot pot base and side dishes, and then asked Jiang Manman several times in a soft voice about her preferences for ingredients before placing the order.

Despite his best efforts to conceal it, Jiang Manman could still detect a slight tremor in his voice.

She initiated the conversation: "Last time I went to Jiaheng Community, I didn't see... Uncle."

Huo Mingcai was already completely focused on her, and now that she had spoken, he was afraid of being too slow to reply:
“I own two supermarkets and a farm. I’m very busy during the day. I don’t get back to Jiaheng Community until the supermarkets close at 10:30 p.m. The routes in Chongqing are winding, so I usually don’t get back until after midnight.”

Jiang Manman hummed in agreement: "I see."

This indirectly explains why there are always men appearing and disappearing mysteriously in Wang Ying's house at night.

She poured them both a cup of tea and chatted casually, "Chongqing is a great place. I'll probably stay for another week before returning to the capital. Do you have any recommendations for good food or fun places to visit?"

Wang Ying tightened her grip on the cup: "You, you're going back to the capital? Actually, Chongqing is quite a good place to live, the pressure isn't as great as in the capital."

“My career and family are both in the capital,” Jiang Manman said tactfully. “But if we really have that kind of relationship, I will come back to see you often, and you are always welcome to make the capital your second home.”

Wang Ying's expression softened slightly: "Are you... alright in the capital?"

Jiang Manman smiled and said, "It's great. My current parents are very good to me, they treat me like their own daughter. If you have time, why don't you come to the capital and have a meal with them, so you can get to know them?"

Huo Mingcai sighed, "Then we definitely have to pay a visit! Over the years, we've had nightmares every night about the hardships our youngest son has endured. We never imagined he would be adopted and raised so well."

He said this from the bottom of his heart.

Although Jiang Manman didn't say what her adoptive parents did, just by looking at her demeanor, it's clear that she was raised in a pampered environment for a long time.

Wang Ying couldn't help but ask, "Before you were adopted... that policewoman just said you were staying in a human traffickers' den, did they bully you?"

“There was definitely bullying, and beatings and scoldings were commonplace.” Jiang Manman lowered her eyelids and calmly talked about that distant past. “But maybe because they saw that I was good-looking, they thought they could raise me to sell for a good price, so they avoided hitting my vital parts. At that time, many children had their hands and feet broken. I was lucky and survived until I was rescued.”

Wang Ying's eyes suddenly reddened: "I can't even imagine how much suffering you've endured in those places where human traffickers operate..."

“It’s all in the past.” Jiang Manman smiled casually. “I’m already very lucky. There’s no need to dwell on those unpleasant memories.”

"That's right, that's right, it's all in the past!" Wang Ying wiped her eyes, still feeling as if she were in a dream.

The dishes have been served one after another.

During the meal, Huo Mingcai kept using serving chopsticks to cook vegetables for Jiang Manman, while Wang Ying was also busy, preparing several special dipping sauces for her and carefully explaining the authentic ways to eat various ingredients.

During this time, Huo Yungui called several times, but Huo Mingcai and Wang Ying, who were too busy to pay attention, decisively hung up.

Jiang Manman looked at the incessant calls on Huo Mingcai's phone and said, "If you're busy, Uncle, you can leave first."

“No rush, it’s your brother.” Huo Mingcai paused, seemingly realizing that the matter hadn’t settled yet and it wasn’t quite appropriate to say it like that, so he changed his words, “I also have a son, the same age as you—it’s really our fault, the two siblings looked very alike when they were born, and we always thought that they would grow up to look like each other. All these years we’ve been searching for him in various cities based on his appearance, we never imagined…”

He never imagined that his daughter would grow up to resemble her father more and more, bearing absolutely no resemblance to her full brother. Jiang Manman: "..."

To avoid being bothered by their annoying son, Huo Mingcai and Wang Ying both turned off their phones and continued to eat hot pot with Jiang Manman. They ate slowly and chatted idly, and time flew by.

But even the most heartwarming banquet must eventually come to an end.

After eating hot pot and drinking tea for a while, it was already 10 p.m.

Both emotionally and logically, it is not appropriate to have any further interaction while the relationship is still undecided.

Jiang Manman stood up to say goodbye: "I really enjoyed the meal tonight, Uncle and Aunt. Once the results are out, whether it's true or not, please allow me to treat you both to a meal in return."

Wang Ying then stood up: "Where do you live? Your...uncle and I will see you off."

Jiang Manman pointed to the Yudu International Hotel next door: "I'll stay here."

She hesitated for a moment: "Would you like to come up and sit for a while?"

Wang Ying waved her hand: "No, you should go and rest. We'll watch you go in."

Jiang Manman nodded politely: "Then, see you the day after tomorrow."

She walked gracefully towards the hotel, with bodyguards discreetly protecting her from the shadows. As she entered the elevator, Jiang Manman glanced around and saw Huo Mingcai and Wang Ying still standing there, staring longingly, as if they hadn't seen enough.

The elevator door slowly closed.

Jiang Manman withdrew her attention from Huo Mingcai and his companion, and gestured to the aloof and stern bodyguards: "You should try to stay in the shadows for the next few days, so as not to frighten the Huo family."

The bodyguards replied respectfully, "Yes, madam."

Back in the suite, while Jiang Manman was taking a bath, Yan Changye called her again via video.

He had just finished showering. The child had been sent to the old house today, and he seemed rather lonely and dejected, listlessly glancing at his phone screen.

"Has Madam returned to the hotel?"

"Just got back," Jiang Manman said softly. "I'm taking a bath."

Yan Changye sat up straight, his gaze deepening slightly, and a slight smile played on his lips: "Taking a bath... let your husband see?"

Jiang Manman: "...Don't be silly."

Yan Changye clicked his tongue lightly: "I've missed Madam so much these past few days."

"Don't we video chat every day?"

“How can it be the same through a screen?” Yan Changye sighed softly. “I’m starting to regret agreeing to your request for half a month. From now on, I’ll only go out for a maximum of ten days.”

Jiang Manman ignored his complaints and got down to business: "I'm going to meet my relatives."

She briefly recounted what had happened that day.

Yan Changye ate his wife's melon with great interest: "You clearly brought those two test reports from last time, so why did you go to the police station for a second test?"

(End of this chapter)