Surrounded by Wolves
Jiang Wu’s lips trembled slightly. “Oh. Okay.” She forced the syllables out one at a time, but still couldn’t bring herself to say, Thank you, Brother.
Bang. She slammed the bathroom door shut again. And found herself alone inside with that little undergarment of hers, already soaked through, thoroughly hand-washed clean, and now hanging in the bathroom to drip-dry.
Jiang Wu’s face, from her cheeks to her ears and neck, was visibly flushed, a deep, explosive red. In the vanity mirror, all she could see was a blushing apple of a girl standing there, utterly at a loss. She splashed cold water on her face twice, but still couldn’t cool herself down.
She brushed her teeth, her mind in turmoil. Before long, there was a knock on the bathroom door. Huo Qingzhi’s voice came from outside. “What do you want for lunch?”
Jiang Wu bit down on her toothbrush and ordered in a slightly aggrieved tone, “Crab roe soup dumplings.”
“Mm.” Hearing the little whine in her voice, Huo Qingzhi still spoke in a businesslike manner. “We need a housekeeper. I’ll have Lu Heng pick out some profiles and send them to you later. I’m going home to get a few things. Message me if there’s anything else you need.”
Only after Jiang Wu heard the front door close did she slowly shuffle out of the bathroom. Her head was still buzzing. She hadn’t really listened to what Huo Qingzhi had said. She only knew that he seemed to be going back to get some things.
He had left some tea and snacks on the table for her. Jiang Wu sat down and started scrolling through her contacts until she found Liang Xiaoyue.
[Ah Wu: Sister, sister, are you free?]
Liang Xiaoyue was probably busy. Half an hour later, she replied.
[LXY: Not today, babe. What’s wrong?]
[Ah Wu: Nothing. I just want to escape my family.]
[LXY: ?]
Liang Xiaoyue thought she meant her family of origin and didn’t even dare ask further.
[LXY: I’m heading to Paris in a couple of days for a fashion week collaboration. I remember they invited you too. Want to come together?]
Jiang Wu remembered that Liang Xiaoyue’s family ran a top luxury jewelry brand. They were regulars at fashion shows, so as representatives of a top luxury brand, of course they would be attending.
[Ah Wu: They did invite me. But if they revoke my invite, then I’m not going.]
[LXY: If you don’t have anything else going on, just come with me. Who cares whether they invited you or not? Consider it my invitation.]
Liang Xiaoyue paused for two minutes, then forwarded her information about an auction.
[LXY: And check this out. Help me spot anything good.]
It was the same auction Jiang Wu had seen yesterday. She figured she might as well go.
[Ah Wu: Okay. When are you leaving?]
[LXY: I can’t leave until Friday.]
Jiang Wu couldn’t wait.
[Ah Wu: Then I’ll go to Paris tomorrow and wait for you.]
[LXY: Tomorrow???]
Once Jiang Wu made up her mind, she closed the chat and immediately contacted Cherry to book a flight. She started calculating how long it would take her to pack, leave the house, and get to the airport. The flight she booked wasn’t for tomorrow at all. It was for tonight.
Jiang Wu didn’t even bring a suitcase, only packed a small bag. Halfway through, she heard someone ring the doorbell. Thinking Huo Qingzhi had come back, she quickly hid the bag. When she opened the door, however, she saw Lu Heng and Bingbing.
Lu Heng was carrying a cat carrier. He smiled at her. “Madam.”
“No, no. Don’t call me that yet.” Jiang Wu took Bingbing from him and let Lu Heng inside. “Is Bingbing moving over too?”
“Yes. Sir asked me to bring him over as well.”
Lu Heng had people move over the little cat villa Bingbing had used at Cloud Peak Bay and set it up in the new room. He also handed Jiang Wu her lunch. “Sir still has some things to take care of. He’ll be back later.”
Jiang Wu nodded, already forming a plan in her mind. She let Bingbing out of the carrier so he could get used to the new environment.
Fortunately, Jiang Wu had already lived in this house for some time, so her scent was everywhere. Bingbing didn’t show any signs of stress and quickly began adapting to his new surroundings.
Lu Heng handed Jiang Wu several housekeeper résumés as well. “These candidates are all highly educated and experienced. They have nutritionist certifications, senior chef certifications, maternal and infant care certifications, and medical care qualifications. See which one you prefer. Once you decide, you can let either me or Sir know.”
Jiang Wu agreed.
Lu Heng didn’t stay long. Once everything was put away, he left.
After lunch, Jiang Wu stayed with Bingbing the whole time. He barely went near his little cat villa. Instead, he remained in their bedroom and refused to leave. Probably because the bedroom contained the most familiar scents.
Jiang Wu didn’t chase him out. She put a little cat bowl, food, and water in the bedroom. Once she was sure he had settled in, she rubbed his little head twice. “All settled in, bb?”
Bingbing narrowed his eyes comfortably and purred. Jiang Wu dug out the little camera robot again and set it beside him, pointing it toward the cat.
As she installed it, she muttered, “You’ve adjusted. I’m the one who hasn’t.”
“Stay by yourself a little longer. Your daddy will be back soon.”
Once Jiang Wu had prepared everything, she slipped out the door like she was fleeing for her life while the kitten wasn’t paying attention and before Huo Qingzhi returned.
That evening, Huo Qingzhi was held up by Huo Yingli at the Group’s office building. Almost at the same moment, both of their phones buzzed with the same alert.
Huo Yingli looked at his phone, then got up and left the room. At that exact moment, Lu Heng’s call came through.
Huo Qingzhi answered and immediately heard the anxious voice on the other end. “Sir, I went to deliver dinner and found that Madam is gone. Her phone is off. Do you know if something happened?”
The office remained silent for a long time.
“Hello? Sir?”
Huo Qingzhi stared at the red dot on his screen, which showed she had already boarded the plane. His voice was low, warm, and husky. “I know.”
She had been scared off.
Aside from real estate and energy, the Huo family now operated another industry.
Aviation.
And the flight Jiang Wu had boarded happened to belong to their own company. Their airline placed special attention markers on its highest-tier VIP guests, providing comprehensive service throughout their journeys.
Huo Qingzhi leaned lightly against the back of his chair. His long fingers slowly rubbed the pen resting in his palm. With every movement, the veins across the back of his hand stood out.
It was hard to imagine how that same hand had pressed that seemingly delicate piece of intimate clothing beneath the water, soaked it thoroughly, poured detergent over it, clenched it, scrubbed it, and washed it clean.
Huo Qingzhi had considered pretending he had never seen it. That would have made it easier to preserve the habitual brother-sister boundary Jiang Wu had always drawn between them.
But why should he?
~~
Inside the cabin, Jiang Wu took the VIP passageway and had only just settled into her seat on the upper deck when a flight attendant approached with a service booklet reserved for VIP guests. “Ms. Jiang, welcome.”
Jiang Wu froze, a sudden realization dawning. She turned to look at the airline logo, then looked toward Cherry a short distance away, who had been frozen mid-step. “What’s wrong?”
“This is our family’s airline, isn’t it?”
Cherry thought she was pleased. “Yeah. I sent you several flights, and you picked our own company’s flight at a glance. But this one really is the fastest, and it’s also the most comfortable.”
Jiang Wu blinked. The flight attendant was still arranging things beside her. “Ms. Jiang, these are your amenities, and here is the menu. Would you like us to prepare your bed now?”
Jiang Wu barely managed to recover. “Later.”
The flight attendant said something else, but Jiang Wu didn’t hear a word of it. She was doomed. Her brother definitely knew already.
The moment she boarded the plane, headquarters would have received the notification.
Cherry noticed that something was wrong and asked quietly, “What happened?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Wu couldn’t exactly explain the whole situation, so she could only comfort herself with the thought that Huo Qingzhi would have discovered she was gone when he got home tonight anyway. He had simply found out a little earlier.
Jiang Wu leaned against the side, still restless, though she felt much better after dinner. She had already run away. What was there left to be afraid of? She had come out to have fun.
After landing, Jiang Wu dragged Cherry along with her through two days of adjusting to the time difference. By the time she had rested enough, Liang Xiaoyue had more or less arrived in Paris as well.
The organizers began notifying guests one by one of the timing for the first reception. To Jiang Wu’s surprise, she also received a call from the fashion show organizers asking whether she wanted to attend the reception two nights later.
Jiang Wu only cared about one thing. “Will the media be invited?”
“Please rest assured, ma’am. No outside media have been invited to this reception.”
The staff member on the phone was extremely polite and proceeded to explain the schedule for the next few days. It was still early, after all, and many of the brands hadn’t arrived yet. The venue was also still being set up. But now that the first group of brand representatives had arrived, the organizers had to start arranging events.
Jiang Wu twirled a lock of curled hair around her finger and chatted idly with the organizer, getting a general idea of the current situation and which brands would be attending. There were several brands she was quite interested in, along with a few currently popular young actors.
Jiang Wu didn’t know much about the young actors, but Liang Xiaoyue did. She sent her photos of them.
[LXY: They’ll be our companions for the event. They have endorsement obligations. It’ll depend on whether we ladies are willing to give them the honor.]
Jiang Wu’s freshly done nails tapped out a reply.
[Ah Wu: Sis, you really know your way around.]
[LXY: You just need more exposure. Are you going or not?]
[Ah Wu: Yes! Of course I’m going!]
Jiang Wu put down her phone, told Cherry the schedule, and started choosing a dress.
On the night of the reception, traffic streamed endlessly outside the venue as one luxury car after another entered the underground parking garage. From there, dedicated staff escorted the guests to the reception hall.
Liang Xiaoyue had arrived early and was sitting on a sofa to one side. She sent Jiang Wu her location.
About sixty percent of the guests had already arrived, and the hall was lively with people mingling and socializing.
Liang Xiaoyue had barely been seated for long when several people approached her and greeted her cautiously. “Sister Yue!”
Liang Xiaoyue looked up and saw two young women.
“Sister Yue, do you remember us? We met at the charity gala before. We even exchanged contact information.”
The two chimed in one after another, eagerly trying to get closer to her. “Yeah. We didn’t expect to run into you here. This is wonderful.”
Liang Xiaoyue maintained a proper, courteous expression. “Hello.”
“This is our first time at an event like this, so we don’t really know our way around. It’s such a relief to finally see someone familiar.”
As they spoke, they sat down beside Liang Xiaoyue. “Sister Yue, are there any brands you’re hoping to collaborate with this time?”
Liang Xiaoyue wasn’t about to reveal her real plans to them, so she politely named the biggest brand present as a convenient shield. “Onyxaura. We’ve discussed a possible collaboration.”
“Someone from Onyxaura is here too?” The two girls looked around excitedly. After all, it was one of Europe’s enduring top luxury jewelry brands, a name that had remained at the top for half a century.
“Onyxaura’s Second Young Master is here.” Liang Xiaoyue pointed them in his direction. Not far away stood a young man in a white suit, with blue eyes and golden curls, an unmistakable air of privilege and refinement about him. “If you want, you can go say hello.”
“No, probably not.” The two girls looked intimidated. “You can tell at a glance they wouldn’t bother with us. Sister Yue, you don’t know. Not everyone is as approachable as you. We tried greeting a few people over there earlier, and they barely acknowledged us…”
Before they could finish, a stir rippled through the crowd near the entrance. Almost everyone turned toward the source of the commotion at the same time.
Jiang Wu appeared at the entrance in a blue off-shoulder mermaid gown. The clean, flowing lines of the dress hugged and revealed the graceful curves of her figure in just the right way, like a carefully carved portrait brought to life.
Jiang Wu handed her sunglasses to a nearby attendant, took a glass of champagne, and entered.
One of the girls whispered, “Is that Jiang Wu? She can still come to these events?”
They leaned closer to Liang Xiaoyue. “Sister Yue, have you heard about what happened with her family?”
Liang Xiaoyue glanced at them.
Before she could answer, they continued. “I’m guessing the organizers already sent out the invitation and didn’t have time to take it back. Otherwise, with her current status…” They left the sentence unfinished and shook their heads meaningfully. It was enough for anyone to understand what they meant.
The two edged even closer to Liang Xiaoyue. “I remember Jiang Wu once outbid you for something you wanted at an auction. Why would she even do that?”
“Exactly.”
The two echoed each other so smoothly that Liang Xiaoyue didn’t even get a chance to speak. She simply listened with amusement.
“Maybe we should go say hello to her later. It would be awkward if nobody talks to her.”
The words had barely left their mouths when, from the corners of their eyes, they caught sight of a white figure crossing through the crowd toward Jiang Wu. It was Onyxaura’s Second Young Master, the very man they had just been secretly watching. The two instantly fell silent.
The Second Young Master walked up to Jiang Wu. No one knew what he said, but he extended a hand toward her. Jiang Wu naturally placed her hand in his. The young man bent down and gave her a courteous, gentlemanly kiss on the hand.
Liang Xiaoyue watched the expressions on the two girls’ faces turn wonderfully complicated. Without saying anything more to them, she stood with a smile and gestured politely. “You two carry on. I’m meeting someone.”
Then the two girls watched in stunned disbelief as Liang Xiaoyue walked toward Jiang Wu.
?
The person Liang Xiaoyue was meeting was…?!
What did that mean?
Weren’t those two always fighting over items at auctions? Didn’t they have a bad relationship?
“…” And they had just spent all that time badmouthing Jiang Wu to Liang Xiaoyue!!!
Jiang Wu chatted briefly with the Second Young Master. He mentioned, “I invited your brother Yingli too. You didn’t come together?”
“Second Brother?” Jiang Wu smiled, speaking fluent French. “I didn’t know he was coming too. If I’d known, we could’ve come together.”
“He probably just landed this morning.”
The Second Young Master’s gaze fell on the necklace around Jiang Wu’s neck. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. After a brief pause, he asked, “Forgive me for asking, but this pink diamond is…”
Someone beside him said, “That looks like the Rose Nebula pink diamond that was auctioned off a few months ago. It sold for 230 million.”
Jiang Wu blinked in surprise.
The Second Young Master looked at her confused expression and suddenly smiled. “The color and quality look exactly the same.” He explained, “The Rose Nebula pink diamond is known as a stone symbolizing steadfast love. I was at the auction myself. The sale was private, so no one could find out who the buyer was. But now I’m genuinely curious. Ms. Jiang, is there someone special in your life?”
Jiang Wu’s heart dropped. Huo Qingzhi had given it to her without telling her what it meant.
At almost the exact same moment, Huo Yingli, who had just entered the hall, happened to hear those words. His gaze fixed without blinking on the pink diamond at Jiang Wu’s throat. The flashes of fire within the gem made his eyes sting.