Surrounded by Wolves
Resigned to her fate, Jiang Wu shut her eyes for a moment, then opened the door.
The moment Jiang Yaping stepped in, she wrapped an arm around Jiang Wu. “Sweetheart, I came to spend the weekend with you. Are you happy?”
Jiang Wu couldn’t manage to smile. “Happy.”
Huo Yingli stood behind them, watching Jiang Wu’s expression, a faint, knowing smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
Then, as if sensing something, he looked into the house. “You’re home alone?”
“Mm… uh, well, not exactly.” Jiang Wu struggled to answer. “There are also the housekeepers.”
She took a deep breath and forced out a smile. “Didn’t Dad have guests today?”
“Why did you come over?”
Jiang Yaping didn’t even bother mentioning it. “Let your father entertain his own guest.”
“I wanted to see how you’ve decorated your new place.” As she spoke, Jiang Yaping walked straight into the house.
From behind her, Huo Yingli explained to Jiang Wu, “Do you know who Dad’s guest is today?”
“Who?”
“Li Sheng.”
Jiang Wu paused for a moment — the name rang a faint bell.
Whenever her parents were having problems, Huo Tingshan loved bringing up that name. From the way he talked about him, Li Sheng sounded like an old flame of Mother’s.
“Li Sheng recently came to Hong Kong. Dad probably ran into him at some sort of business reception.”
“Dad invited him to our house to discuss business without even asking Mom.” Huo Yingli said, laughing softly. “Dad isn’t really trying to discuss business. He’s getting older, but somehow he’s become even more childish.”
Jiang Wu understood immediately. “Showing off, then?”
Flaunting how happy his marriage was in front of his wife’s old flame — for a man in his fifties, that was more than a little childish.
“Who can blame him? Li Sheng has never married. The old man feels threatened.”
Jiang Wu let out an “ah.” “No wonder he didn’t let me go home.”
Before she could finish complaining about Huo Tingshan, she saw Jiang Yaping walking toward the enormous built-in cabinet in her house. “This cabinet isn’t bad…”
Jiang Wu sucked in a sharp breath. “Mom! Mom, Mom, Mom!”
She stopped Jiang Yaping. “Put the things down first.”
Only then did Jiang Yaping realize she was still holding the gifts she had brought for Jiang Wu.
She handed them to the housekeeper beside her. “This cabinet…”
Jiang Wu immediately positioned herself in front of it. “Um, is it really appropriate to leave your guest at home by himself?”
At the mention of the guest, Jiang Yaping lost interest in the cabinet.
She was immediately annoyed. “He just came over, sat for a bit, and left. Not even half an hour.”
“Your Uncle Xiao Li must think so poorly of me now.”
“Your father pulling a stunt like this, I don’t even want to look at him right now.” Jiang Yaping warned Jiang Wu, “Don’t you dare take his side.”
Jiang Wu was caught off guard. “I won’t, I won’t.”
Jiang Yaping looked a little dejected. “I’m staying here for a couple of days.”
Jiang Wu had never imagined that, one day, her mother’s runaway destination of choice would be her own house.
Her lips moved, but seeing that there was no way to persuade Jiang Yaping to go home, she could only get her out of the living room first. “Then, then, then let me get a room ready for you.”
“Come on. You can pick whichever room you like.” Jiang Wu practically dragged Jiang Yaping upstairs, along with the housekeeper, to choose a room. Leaving Huo Yingli alone in the living room for the moment.
Jiang Wu had actually been a little worried about that.
But by the time she’d gotten Jiang Yaping settled, calmed her down for the time being, and come back downstairs.
She stopped worrying.
Because there was nothing left to worry about.
The three men in the living room were already sitting face to face.
Jiang Wu wanted to pass out.
Following Huo Qingzhi’s instructions, the housekeeper carefully brought Huo Lingyi a brand-new set of clothes so he could change out of his pajamas and leave as quickly as possible.
Huo Lingyi asked first, “Why do you have clothes here?”
Huo Qingzhi didn’t seem bothered by the accusation. “Aren’t your clothes here too, being washed?”
Huo Yingli, thoroughly enjoying the drama, took out another bag and handed it to the housekeeper. “Mm. Soon enough, mine will be here too.”
Huo Lingyi asked again, “How many days have you been staying here, Eldest Brother?”
“As many days as you want to stay, I’ll stay a few more.”
Huo Yingli said, “Then I can keep you company.”
Not again.
Jiang Wu had witnessed scenes like this countless times growing up. The instinct to break up their fights had practically been built into her.
The first step in mediating was always to give Second Brother a smack and make him shut up.
Huo Qingzhi reminded Huo Lingyi, “Go change. Otherwise, when Mom comes downstairs and sees you dressed like this in your little sister’s house…”
“You’ll get beaten.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang again.
The housekeeper went to check and soon returned.
In the silence, Huo Yingli guessed, “Dad’s here?”
The housekeeper could only nod.
When someone was rendered utterly speechless, it was hard not to laugh.
Ever since Jiang Wu had moved in, her house had never had this many visitors in a single day. Resigned, Jiang Wu went downstairs to open the door.
Huo Lingyi ultimately listened to Huo Qingzhi and went to the guest room to change first.
When the door opened, Huo Tingshan looked at the scene inside with considerable surprise. But the first thing he asked was, “Where’s your mother?”
Jiang Wu looked at him twice. “Third floor.”
“Good girl, Wenni.” Huo Tingshan patted Jiang Wu approvingly and headed upstairs to find Jiang Yaping.
After Huo Tingshan left, Wen Ciying appeared in Jiang Wu’s line of sight a short distance behind him.
Jiang Wu finally laughed. Clearly, the house wasn’t lacking one more person. “Come on in.”
As if she had already guessed what was going on, Wen Ciying’s eyes gleamed with amusement as she swept her gaze over everyone in the house. “Well, this is lively.”
Jiang Wu had no idea how this weekend was any different from going back to Cloud Peak Bay. Except that every member of the family had now been assigned their own room in her villa in Kowloon Tong.
Even Huo Qingzhi had been forced to sleep separately.
Jiang Wu’s villa was much smaller than the one at Cloud Peak Bay.
Perhaps because it felt more intimate, everyone was constantly crossing paths as they moved up and down the stairs, coming and going throughout the house.
Wen Ciying commented, “Home is too boring. Yours is much more interesting.”
Jiang Wu narrowed her eyes, sifting through the meaning behind her words. “So, you guessed Mom would come here, and you brought Dad over to find her?”
“Just bringing him along to liven things up.” Wen Ciying was, in fact, more interested in watching the drama herself. “Now hurry up and thank your sister.”
In a way, Wen Ciying really had done her a huge favor.
Otherwise, Jiang Wu would probably be trying to figure out how to stop the three brothers from starting another war.
At the moment, the battle between her parents took priority over the battle between her brothers.
Still, Jiang Wu couldn’t shake the feeling that whenever Wen Ciying told her to “thank your sister,” it sounded suspiciously like when her brothers told her to thank them.
They were teasing her.
Jiang Wu put on a dignified air and gave a little hum. “What if you’re the younger sister?”
“I checked the medical records. I was born at thirty-six weeks, and you were born at thirty-five.”
“That isn’t how you calculate it.”
Wen Ciying gestured. “Thank your sister?”
Jiang Wu turned her head away. “No.”
In the study, Huo Qingzhi impatiently urged Huo Tingshan, “It’s been all afternoon. You still haven’t managed to coax Mrs. Jiang?”
Huo Tingshan remained composed. “Mrs. Jiang isn’t as angry anymore.”
“Then why aren’t you going home?”
Huo Tingshan had experience with this. “I still need a few more days of coaxing before she’ll be willing to go home.”
Huo Qingzhi: “…”
Huo Tingshan wasn’t pleased about being lectured by his son. “Speaking of which, what are you doing here?”
Huo Qingzhi calmly flipped through a document. “I’m waiting for you to coax your wife into going home, then I’ll go back to where I’m supposed to be.”
After asking, Huo Tingshan felt he had wrongly blamed him. His son was so concerned about his parents’ relationship—quite a filial son.
They stayed at Jiang Wu’s place for several days.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong media reporters who were obsessed with celebrity gossip continued their usual stakeout outside Cloud Peak Bay, but for quite some time, they didn’t manage to photograph a single person.
Instead, they eventually caught a whole group of people surnamed Huo coming and going from Kowloon Tong.
It wasn’t until Jiang Wu’s second painting had been fully restored that the couple finally returned home, coincidentally when the family had an invitation to an end-of-year banquet.
Winter on Hong Kong Island wasn’t particularly cold. Crisp winds swept through the Shing Mun Reservoir, beneath a vast, open sky. It was the perfect season to auction that painting of falling leaves.
Jiang Wu sat in a corner of the venue and watched as the painting was auctioned off and purchased by an elderly collector. An indescribable happiness welled up inside her.
A certain percentage of the auction proceeds would be paid to the museum as compensation for its collaboration.
After everything ended, Jiang Wu returned to the research institute. Bu Yu told her, “Mr. Su is here. Sister Lan asked you to go over to receive him.”
Jiang Wu felt a little nervous when she heard that. She agreed and grabbed the restoration materials before going to meet him.
Mr. Su was in the museum’s exhibition hall. The museum was closed to visitors today, and some of the display cases were being cleaned. So, there were no visitors in the exhibition hall.
Jiang Wu walked over to the old gentleman. After thinking it over several times, she decided to admit her mistake first. After all, her first painting had been purchased by her brother. It hadn’t exactly been a completely natural sale.
After all, once a painting was sold at auction, the museum would also inform Mr. Su which collector had purchased it. He had always known.
Jiang Wu felt she couldn’t simply brush the matter aside and pretend everything was fine. The first thing she said when she saw Mr. Su was, “I’m sorry.”
Mr. Su looked at her in surprise when he heard this, then smiled. “Why are you apologizing?”
“I’ve looked at both paintings. The restoration preserves them in their original state, the completeness is excellent, and the workmanship is very careful.”
“And today’s auction results were quite good, too.”
Jiang Wu explained, “There were some complications at the first auction.”
“I heard someone deliberately drove the bidding price too high and disrupted the market.” Mr. Su nodded. “And then someone stepped in and stopped the bidding by making an enormous bid.”
Jiang Wu hadn’t expected him to know the details so well. “You knew about all that?”
Mr. Su explained, “My assistant was there.”
“Child, this isn’t a big deal. You actually did very well. Why are you so nervous?”
“I thought you were a lively, talkative young girl.” The old gentleman laughed. “I didn’t expect you to tie yourself up in knots over this, as if you don’t allow yourself to make another mistake in this industry.”
“Relax. Even if the bidding really did get driven too high, so what? Do you think I’d blame you?”
“A cultural artifact’s value comes not only from its craftsmanship and technique, but also from the meaning it carries, the person who created it, and who owned it.”
“I don’t interfere with its value, but perhaps we all become part of the expression of its value…”
“As long as we do our part in protecting and preserving it, with a clear conscience, that’s enough. How much it sells for—that’s its own business.”
As Mr. Su spoke, he looked toward the display cases beside them. They stopped in front of one of them, and coincidentally, it was the seal box Jiang Wu had donated to the museum.
“But for you, what’s important is you.”
“What do you want? What do you want to do?”
Jiang Wu could tell there was more behind his words. “What I want to do is this.”
There was no one else in the exhibition hall.
“There should be more than that.” Mr. Su looked at the seal box as he continued. “Someone who only wants to do this wouldn’t spend a huge amount of money buying cultural artifacts, only to donate them to a museum afterward.”
“I’ve looked into your background during this time.”
Jiang Wu looked at him.
And the old gentleman brought up, one word at a time, the things she had deliberately buried and never intended to mention again.
“National-level classified project, former Ancient Text and Archives Restoration Research and Judicial Artifact Appraisal Team, outstanding candidate, Jiang Wu.”
“Skilled in extracting information about the provenance and ownership of cultural artifacts and ancient texts, and in constructing evidentiary chains for tracing their origins.”
“Working with cultural heritage authorities, diplomatic departments, police, courts, and other agencies to trace and recover cultural artifacts lost overseas.”
Jiang Wu stopped Jiang Yaping. “Put the things down first.”
Only then did Jiang Yaping realize she was still holding the gifts she had brought for Jiang Wu.
She handed them to the housekeeper beside her. “This cabinet…”
Jiang Wu stepped directly in front of it. “Um, isn’t it a little inappropriate to leave your guest at home alone?”
At that, Jiang Yaping completely forgot about the cabinet.
She was immediately furious. “He only came over for a little while before leaving. He wasn’t even here for half an hour.”
“I don’t even know what Uncle Xiao Li must think of me now.”
“Your father handled this terribly. I don’t want to see him for the time being.” Jiang Yaping reminded Jiang Wu, “And don’t you dare put in a good word for him.”
Jiang Wu was caught off guard. “I won’t. I won’t.”
Jiang Yaping looked a little dejected. “I’m staying here for two days.”
Jiang Wu never imagined that one day, her mother’s destination after running away from home would be her house.
She moved her lips. Seeing that there was no way she could persuade Jiang Yaping to go home, she could only get her out of the living room first.
“Then, then, then I’ll get a room ready for you.”
“Come on. You can see which one you like.” Jiang Wu firmly took Jiang Yaping upstairs, along with the housekeeper, to choose a room.
That left Huo Yingli alone in the living room.
Jiang Wu was still a little worried.
But after settling Jiang Yaping in and temporarily calming her down, Jiang Wu went back downstairs.
And then she stopped worrying.
Because there was no point anymore.
The three men in the living room were already sitting face-to-face.
Jiang Wu wanted to pass out.
Following Huo Qingzhi’s instructions, the housekeeper carefully brought Huo Lingyi a brand-new set of clothes so he could change out of his pajamas and leave as quickly as possible.
Huo Lingyi asked first, “Why are your clothes here?”
Huo Qingzhi didn’t seem bothered by the question. “Aren’t your clothes here too, being washed?”
Huo Yingli, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, pulled another bag out and handed it to the housekeeper. “Mm. Soon enough, mine will be here too.”
Huo Lingyi asked again, “How many days have you been staying here, Big Brother?”
“As many days as you want to stay, I’ll stay a few more.”
Huo Yingli said, “Then I can keep you company.”
Here we go again.
Jiang Wu had seen scenes like this countless times growing up.
The instinct to break up their arguments had practically been built into her.
And the first step was always to give Second Brother a smack and make him shut up.
Huo Qingzhi reminded Huo Lingyi, “Go change. Otherwise, when Mom comes downstairs and sees you dressed like this in your little sister’s house…”
“You’ll get beaten.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang again.
The housekeeper went to take a look, then returned.
In the silence, Huo Yingli guessed, “Dad’s here?”
The housekeeper could only nod.
When someone was rendered utterly speechless, it was hard not to laugh.
Ever since Jiang Wu had moved in, her house had never had this many visitors in a single day.
Resigned, Jiang Wu went downstairs to open the door.
Huo Lingyi ultimately listened to Huo Qingzhi and went to the guest room to change first.
When the door opened, Huo Tingshan looked at the scene inside with considerable surprise.
But the first thing he asked was, “Where’s your mother?”
Jiang Wu looked at him twice. “Third floor.”
“Good girl.” Huo Tingshan patted Jiang Wu approvingly and went upstairs to find Jiang Yaping.
After Huo Tingshan left, Wen Ciying appeared in Jiang Wu’s line of sight a short distance behind him.
Jiang Wu finally laughed.
Clearly, the house wasn’t lacking one more person.
“Come on in.”
As if she had already guessed what was going on, Wen Ciying’s eyes gleamed with amusement as she swept her gaze over everyone inside.
“Well, this is lively.”
Jiang Wu had no idea how this weekend was any different from going back to Yunding Bay.
Except that every member of the family had now been assigned their own room in her villa in Kowloon Tong.
Even Huo Qingzhi had been forced to sleep separately.
Jiang Wu’s villa was much smaller than the one at Yunding Bay.
Perhaps because the space was more intimate, everyone was constantly crossing paths as they moved up and down the stairs, coming and going throughout the house.
Wen Ciying commented, “Home is too boring. Yours is much more interesting.”
Jiang Wu narrowed her eyes, parsing the meaning behind her words. “So you guessed Mom would come here, and you brought Dad over to find her?”
“Just bringing him along to liven things up.” Wen Ciying was, in fact, more interested in watching the drama herself. “Now hurry up and thank your sister.”
In a way, Wen Ciying really had done her a huge favor.
Otherwise, Jiang Wu would probably be trying to figure out how to stop the three brothers from starting another war.
At the moment, the battle between her parents took priority over the battle between her brothers.
Still, Jiang Wu couldn’t shake the feeling that whenever Wen Ciying told her to “thank your sister,” it sounded suspiciously like when her brothers told her to thank them.
They were teasing her.
Jiang Wu put on a dignified air and gave a little hum. “What if you’re the younger sister?”
“I checked the medical records. I was born at thirty-six weeks, and you were born at thirty-five.”
“That isn’t how you calculate it.”
Wen Ciying gestured. “Thank your sister?”
Jiang Wu turned her head away. “No.”
In the study, Huo Qingzhi impatiently urged Huo Tingshan, “It’s been all afternoon. You still haven’t managed to placate Mrs. Jiang?”
Huo Tingshan remained composed. “Mrs. Jiang isn’t as angry anymore.”
“Then why aren’t you going home?”
Huo Tingshan had experience with this. “I still need a few more days of coaxing before she’ll agree to go home.”
Huo Qingzhi: “…”
Huo Tingshan wasn’t pleased about being lectured by his son. “Speaking of which, what are you doing here?”
Huo Qingzhi calmly flipped through a document. “I’m waiting for you to coax your wife into going home. Then I’ll go wherever I’m supposed to be.”
Huo Tingshan reconsidered and decided he’d misjudged his son.
His son was so concerned about his parents’ relationship. What a filial boy.
They stayed at Jiang Wu’s place for several days.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong media reporters who were obsessed with celebrity gossip continued their usual stakeout outside Yunding Bay, but for quite some time, they didn’t manage to photograph a single person.
Instead, they eventually caught a whole group of people surnamed Huo coming and going from Kowloon Tong.
It wasn’t until Jiang Wu’s second painting had been fully restored that the couple finally returned home, coincidentally when the family had an invitation to an end-of-year banquet.
Winter on Hong Kong Island wasn’t particularly cold. Crisp winds swept through the Shing Mun Reservoir, beneath a vast, open sky.
It was the perfect season to auction that painting of falling leaves.
Jiang Wu sat in a corner of the venue and watched as the painting was auctioned off and purchased by an elderly collector. An indescribable happiness welled up inside her.
A certain percentage of the auction proceeds would be paid to the museum as compensation for its collaboration.
After everything ended, Jiang Wu returned to the research institute. Bu Yu told her, “Mr. Su is here. Sister Lan asked you to go over and assist.”
Jiang Wu felt a little nervous when she heard that.
She agreed and grabbed the restoration materials before going to meet him.
Mr. Su was in the museum’s exhibition hall. The museum was closed to visitors today, and some of the display cases were being cleaned.
So there were no visitors in the exhibition hall.
Jiang Wu walked over to the old gentleman.
After thinking it over several times, she decided to admit her mistake first.
After all, her first painting had been purchased by her brother.
It hadn’t exactly been a completely natural sale.
After all, once a painting was sold at auction, the museum would also inform Mr. Su which collector had purchased it.
He had always known.
Jiang Wu felt she couldn’t simply brush the matter aside and pretend everything was fine.
So the first thing she said when she saw Mr. Su was, “I’m sorry.”
Mr. Su looked at her in surprise when he heard this, then smiled. “Why are you apologizing?”
“I’ve looked at both paintings. The restoration preserves them in their original state, the completeness is excellent, and the workmanship is very careful.”
“And today’s auction results were quite good, too.”
Jiang Wu explained, “There were some complications at the first auction.”
“I heard someone deliberately drove the bidding price too high and disrupted the market.” Mr. Su nodded. “And then someone stepped in and stopped the bidding by making an enormous bid.”
Jiang Wu hadn’t expected him to know the details so well. “You knew about all that?”
Mr. Su explained, “My assistant was there.”
“Child, this isn’t a big deal. You actually did very well. Why are you so nervous?”
“I thought you were a lively, talkative young girl.” The old gentleman laughed. “I didn’t expect you to tie yourself up in knots over this, as if you weren’t allowed to make even one more mistake in this field.”
“Relax. Even if the bidding really did get driven too high, so what? Do you think I’d blame you?”
“A cultural artifact’s value comes not only from its craftsmanship and technique, but also from the meaning it carries, the person who created it, and the people who have owned it.”
“I don’t interfere with its value. But perhaps all of us will become part of the way that value is expressed.”
“As long as we do our part in protecting and preserving it, with a clear conscience, that’s enough. How much it sells for—that’s its own business.”
As Mr. Su spoke, he looked toward the display cases beside them.
They stopped in front of one of them, and coincidentally, it was the seal box Jiang Wu had donated to the museum.
“But for you, what’s important is you.”
“What do you want? What do you want to do?”
Jiang Wu could tell there was more behind his words. “What I want to do is this.”
There was no one else in the exhibition hall.
“There should be more than that.” Mr. Su looked at the seal box as he continued. “Someone who only wants to do this wouldn’t spend a huge amount of money buying cultural artifacts, only to donate them to a museum afterward.”
“I’ve looked into your background during this time.”
Jiang Wu looked at him.
And the old gentleman brought up, one word at a time, the things she had deliberately buried and never intended to mention again.
“National-level classified project. Former Ancient Books and Archives Restoration Research and Cultural Heritage Forensic Appraisal Team. Outstanding alternate candidate.”
“Jiang Wu.”
“Skilled in extracting information about the provenance and ownership of cultural artifacts and ancient texts, and in constructing evidentiary chains for tracing their origins.”
“Working with cultural heritage authorities, diplomatic departments, police, courts, and other agencies to trace and recover cultural artifacts lost overseas.”
Jiang Wu hadn’t heard those words in a very long time. For a moment, her thoughts drifted back several years.
“Every one of your professional assessments was ranked first. The only thing standing in your way was your background.”
Mr. Su paused. “Actually, your teachers were heartbroken to lose a gifted student they had spent six years training. They were hurting, too.”
“Don’t blame them.”
“I don’t blame them.”
“And don’t blame yourself, either.”
Jiang Wu paused. Her voice was very soft. “I don’t blame myself, either.”
Mr. Su asked her, “You just feel wronged, don’t you?”
“A little.”
“That’s understandable.” He nodded.
“We always endure all kinds of grievances for the people and things we love, and yet we’re willing to do it.”
“I met with your teacher, Professor Yuan. He asked me to persuade you to let it go, but I don’t want to tell you that.”
Mr. Su’s train of thought shifted abruptly. Soon, he brought up another matter. “How is my ancient text coming along?”
Jiang Wu thought about it. “It may still take a few months.”
Mr. Su nodded. “No rush.”
“I brought you another one as well. I’ll have my assistant bring it to you later.”
“If the restoration of these two texts goes smoothly, they should contain the records you mentioned last time, the Eastern Han-era Xiezhi judicial seal that was lost in Britain, as well as records of how it was preserved in the imperial court during the Ming and Qing dynasties.”
As Jiang Wu listened, her expression gradually changed to surprise. She took a moment to process his words. Once she realized he was serious, she explained, “If this involves an important chain of evidence…”
“Would you consider giving it to a professional…”
“I don’t understand this, and I don’t know whether the records inside will be important.” Mr. Su interrupted her. “But from the sound of it, you understand this much better than I do.”
“What I mean is, child, if you can restore these two texts and uncover important information…”
“Then go to Beijing.”
“I can’t promise you anything more than that. But at the very least, this is what you want to do.”
“Consider it my thank-you gift to you.”
~~
Indeed, there wouldn’t be anything more.
Jiang Wu felt that if she could restore them from their battered, unrecognizable state and send them to Beijing as part of the chain of evidence, that would already count as briefly touching the place she had once dreamed of reaching.
It was indeed what she wanted to do.
Maybe one day, the artifact could truly make its way back to China, and perhaps her name would even appear on the list of people to thank.
Jiang Wu brought the ancient texts back to the restoration room. Looking at the sheets of paper spread neatly across the table, she murmured to herself, “I’m not going to dare hope for anything more.”
Everyone has regrets.
Jiang Wu thought.
She accepted those regrets as part of the life that made her who she was.
Before the New Year holiday, all her work was finally wrapped up.
The shops along the streets gradually began hanging festive red lanterns, while the trees were covered in strings of colored lights.
Jiang Wu spent a long time choosing New Year’s gifts and brought home a pile of delicious food for the holiday.
Huo Tingshan had originally planned to take everyone on vacation to Dubai, except Wen Ciying, who said she wanted to return to Beijing.
Huo Tingshan didn’t force her. After all, she was an adult now and had her own choices and ideas.
This time of year, Dubai had escaped its usual heat and was at its most comfortable and pleasant.
As soon as the plane landed, you could see hot air balloons over the vast desert beach, and, occasionally, the unique winter fog, with towering skyscrapers piercing through the clouds and fog, standing between the mist and the clouds—a breathtaking city in the sky.
They stayed in a vacation villa inside a private nature reserve.
Huo Qingzhi wasn’t particularly interested in vacationing with his parents, but Jiang Wu was willing to come along.
The villa’s butler showed them around and let them choose their rooms. Apart from the master bedroom belonging to the married couple, everyone had a room of their own.
Huo Qingzhi had just put down his things and stepped out of his chosen room when he happened to run into Jiang Wu, who was also getting ready to go downstairs for dinner.
When Jiang Wu saw him, she didn’t know why, but she suddenly started laughing. “Brother, getting used to your new room?”
Huo Qingzhi hadn’t understood why she was so amused.
Now he did.
He gave a quiet laugh. “Not used to it. I’ll switch.”
“That won’t work.” Jiang Wu refused seriousness. “There are only five bedrooms in this villa.”
Huo Qingzhi looked at her. “I want to try yours.”
Jiang Wu replied regretfully, “Too bad. Mom and Dad are here.”
“Actually, I’m very reluctant to be apart from you too, Brother. But there’s nothing we can do right now.”
The meaning in Huo Qingzhi’s eyes deepened.
Calling him “Brother” like that was almost an open provocation—a deliberate reminder that, with their parents present, Huo Qingzhi couldn’t do anything beyond act as her older brother.
Jiang Wu was absolutely doing it on purpose.
She loved seeing the slight irritation on Huo Qingzhi’s face, that helpless expression he wore when he couldn’t do anything about it. There was something particularly satisfying about teasing someone who appeared proper and upright on the surface, but had a darker streak underneath.
Especially when he couldn’t indulge that darker side.
After a moment of silence, Huo Qingzhi approached her without showing any expression.
Jiang Wu leaned against the side and watched his shadow fall toward her. Then she casually called out, “Mom!”
From nearby came Jiang Yaping’s voice. “What is it?”
Huo Qingzhi had no choice but to stop.
Jiang Yaping was in the third-floor sitting area and came over when she heard them.
Jiang Wu easily slipped away from Huo Qingzhi’s attempt to corner her and went up to link arms with Jiang Yaping. “I was asking Eldest Brother what he wanted for dinner. What about you?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.” Jiang Yaping gestured. “I’ve already ordered dinner with the butler. Just tell me what you want.”
With that, Jiang Yaping urged Huo Qingzhi, “You too. What kind of older brother are you? Don’t make your sister worry about things like this.”
Huo Qingzhi’s dark eyes were half-lidded as he looked at Jiang Wu. “Okay.”
Jiang Yaping headed downstairs to check on the dining arrangements.
Jiang Wu followed her. Before leaving, she deliberately mimicked Jiang Yaping’s voice right beside Huo Qingzhi’s ear. “What kind of older brother are you?”
After being suppressed for so long, the moment she got even a little chance to fight back, she started getting cocky.
Jiang Wu just wanted to annoy him.
But the rising tone of her voice carried a teasing hook. It merely brushed against his heart before she walked away.
That faint sting transformed into an endless itch. The harder he tried to scratch it, the emptier it felt.
Huo Qingzhi’s gaze sharpened. Following the spiral staircase, he watched her back disappear downstairs like a little white swan.
A vacation villa was different from their family home.
The interior of a single villa here was designed as a compact, interconnected space. Unlike their home, where the rooms were separated so extensively that it could take forever to get from one to another.
And because the design prioritized the views, natural light, and the intimacy of a family vacationing together, there were plenty of terraces and enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.
In some rooms, if the curtains weren’t drawn, you could even see directly into the neighboring rooms. The bedrooms were lined up close together, and some had direct access to the courtyard outside.
This wasn’t their home at Cloud Peak Bay. It was indeed very inconvenient to do anything secretive here.
Huo Qingzhi went downstairs and took his seat at the dining table.
Before long, Huo Yingli and Huo Lingyi also appeared in the dining room one after another.
Huo Yingli said, “Yo,” as he arrived. “Everyone’s here.”
He sat down and immediately invited Jiang Wu. “I’ve got some game discs in my room. Want to come play tonight?”
“Sure.”
Huo Tingshan reminded him, “Don’t keep your sister up too late. We just arrived today. Rest early.”
Huo Yingli agreed. “I know.” Then he asked casually, “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
Jiang Yaping told them, “We’re going to a charity gala tomorrow. You kids can do your own thing.”
Huo Tingshan added, “Don’t follow us.”
Huo Yingli thought he was overthinking it. “Nobody’s following you to watch you on your date.”
Huo Tingshan clicked his tongue. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
After dinner, Huo Tingshan sent the four of them back to their rooms.
Huo Yingli went back first to tidy up his room.
Right in front of Huo Qingzhi, Jiang Wu walked into Huo Yingli’s room.
Huo Qingzhi lingered at the doorway for a moment, then sent Jiang Wu a message: [Don’t play too late. Remember to tell me when you get back to your room.]
Jiang Wu was probably busy and didn’t see it, so she never replied.
Huo Qingzhi sat alone in his room, able to see Huo Yingli’s room still lit up some distance away.
Around eleven at night, a figure finally moved in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window. Huo Qingzhi watched Huo Yingli walk over to the window and, from across the distance, cast him a meaningful glance. Then he reached over and pulled the curtains that hadn’t been fully closed shut until Huo Qingzhi couldn’t see anything anymore.
The lights inside went out.
Huo Qingzhi sat in silence for a while before looking down at his phone. Jiang Wu still hadn’t replied.
The clock on the wall moved silently, its hands eventually coming together at midnight.
If Jiang Wu returned to her room now, she would find her good Eldest Brother sitting in her room. The doors and windows were tightly shut, and the curtains were drawn completely closed.
In the darkness, the small table beside Huo Qingzhi held the ring and watch he had taken off earlier. In his hand was the leather strap he used to fasten his shirt, which he tapped against his palm once every so often.
As though he were counting how late she was. Or perhaps thinking about what punishment he should give her.
No married man could tolerate his wife spending the late hours of the night in another man’s room without a word.
Five hours.
If Huo Qingzhi hadn’t known both Huo Yingli and Jiang Wu so well, five hours in the dead of night would have been enough time for a man and woman to do many things in a room together.
Huo Qingzhi considered himself more than patient enough already. Ah Wu was the type to forget the pain once the wound healed.
Last time he had just told her, and she’d already forgotten the moment something fun came along. And that, too, was only because he hadn’t actually lost his temper with her last time.
Kissing is hardly a punishment. It’s too lenient.
The clock ticked past one in the morning, and still no sign of Jiang Wu coming back, nor any sign of replying to his message.
Huo Qingzhi rose to his feet. He wasn’t waiting any longer. He knocked on Huo Yingli’s door, and it was a long time before there was any movement inside.
The door creaked open.
Huo Yingli was wearing a deep-V sleep robe, the collar plunging almost to his navel, the muscles of his chest and abdomen clearly visible. Every inch of him carried that languid, rakish air, as if he’d just rolled straight out of bed.
Behind him, the room was dim and hazy. A small night light had been turned on to answer the door, casting a murky yellow and deep red glow, steeped in an indefinable ambiguity.
Matching the scene, Huo Yingli raised an eyebrow at his brother, provoking him. “She’s asleep. What? Only you’re allowed to coax her to sleep, and I’m not?”