The Byoukidere Is Her Sweetie

Chapter 130: 130: Lord Fang Bao is about to discipline the bad guys
 

On December 28th, the Jiang Family held a banquet at their old mansion to celebrate Old Lady Jiang’s birthday. Old Lady Jiang personally sent out invitations, calling upon the distinguished families and wealthy merchants of the Imperial City to join in the celebration.

The invitations sent out by Old Lady Jiang required respect from both the elite of the business world and the military and political spheres.

By 7 p.m., luxury cars were parked a hundred meters away from the Jiang Mansion.

The guests had almost all arrived, and the yard was set with traditional Chinese dining tables, with red lacquered wood and old round tables. There were eight tables on the inside and eight on the outside, exuding the flavor of an old ancestral mansion.

Old Lady Jiang sat at the first table on the left, taking the central seat. The Lu Family hadn’t arrived, while elders from the Xue and Qiao Families sat in the seats of honor.

Old Lady Jiang wore a maroon cheongsam and draped a fur over her shoulders today. Her graying hair was meticulously arranged, radiating authority and neatness. She turned her head and asked softly, “Where’s Brother Zhi?”

Jiang Fuxi stepped forward from behind her and replied, “He’s not feeling very well and said he would come later.”

Old Lady Jiang became concerned and instructed, “Go and wait outside his room. Be careful and let me know immediately if there’s anything wrong with him.”

Jiang Fuxi acknowledged with a ‘yes’ and went back into the house.

During the banquet, someone said with a chuckle, “Isn’t this Wei Ning’s daughter? She’s grown up beautifully. If only Wei Ning were still with us—”

But before the speaker could finish, they were pulled back by the person beside them.

Old Lady Jiang’s face already showed displeasure.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Ɲ0νǤ0.сο

The guest who had spoken realized their mistake and hastily offered wine as an apology. Everyone in the circle knew there were two topics not to be mentioned at the Jiang’s: Old Lady’s fourth daughter, Wei Ning, and the Jiang Family’s young master, Jiang Zhi. One died mysteriously, and the other suffered from an unusual illness; they were the two great secrets of the Jiang Family.

Now, let’s see what the “not feeling very well” young Master of the Jiang Family was up to.

Inside the room, the light was dim, and Jiang Zhi leaned against the headboard, where an ominous ‘exorcism painting’ hung. He was holding a smartphone, focusing intently on… chatting on WeChat.

Of course, he was chatting with his girlfriend.

The first voice message: “Fang Bao~”

The tone was melodious, enough to send shivers down the spine.

Yet, within ten seconds, there was no reply.

Jiang Zhi sent out a second voice message: “Fang Bao.”

This time, the allure was gone, but still, there was no reply.

The third voice message: “Xu Fang.” Not Fang Bao, but Xu Fang.

Zhou Xufang still did not reply.

The fourth voice message: “Xu Fang!” Note the slight irritation now, but it’s not anger—more like petulant insistence.

After waiting for another ten seconds with no reply, Jiang Zhi became impatient. He always replied to her instantly; couldn’t she do the same? Didn’t she care about him anymore, love him anymore, or concern herself with him anymore?

The fifth voice message: “Zhou Xufang!”

Calling out his girlfriend by her full name was a red alert.

Just as Jiang Zhi was about to lose his patience and was almost ready to storm over to Zhou Xufang’s house to catch her, she finally replied with a single word: “Hmm.”

Just one word.

Jiang Zhi felt neglected. He grabbed a handful of his hair, ruining the hairstyle his stylist had carefully crafted. He demanded through his phone, “Why did it take so long for you to reply to me?”

His dissatisfaction was almost tangible through the screen.

Zhou Xufang sent a voice message at last, not just one word this time: “I can’t look at my phone right now.”

Fine, his anger subsided a bit, and his tone softened: “What are you doing?”

Zhou Xufang replied promptly: “I’m climbing through a window.”

Jiang Zhi: “What window?”

Jiang Zhi: “Whose window?”

Zhou Xufang: “Yours.”

There was the sound of wind in that voice message. Jiang Zhi didn’t understand it at first and listened again.

Suddenly, someone shouted from outside the window: “Jiang Zhi.”

He looked up, stunned.

A dark figure dangled in front of the window, one hand holding a phone, the other waving: “Jiang Zhi, I’m here.”

This little female ghost.

Jiang Zhi was both surprised and more startled. He threw off the covers, got out of bed without even putting on shoes, and ran over to scold her: “You’re risking your life! Hold on tight, don’t fall.”

She remained upside-down, steady as a log. Something dark was wrapped around her head, and her eyes peeking out were somewhat comical.

“I won’t fall. My legs are hooked onto the security bars above.” She clung to the window, pressing her face forward, her nose stuck in the gaps of the security bars—now looking even more comical, “You go and put on shoes first.”

Jiang Zhi didn’t leave. Standing on the warm jade floor in just socks, he opened the inside window and watched the girl, hanging outside the security bars, with amusement: “Did you come to see me because you missed me?”

His smile resembled that of a concubine in ancient times, who had been favored and undoubtedly wanted to strut around the palace victoriously.

Zhou Xufang: “No.”

One second a favored concubine, the next frozen out; Jiang Zhi: “…” Had there been no security bars, he’d have dragged her into the room and pinned her to the bed until she admitted it.

“Go put on your shoes.”

Jiang Zhi went back to the bedside, put on his shoes, and came back: “If you don’t miss me, then why come at all?” There was annoyance, mixed with reproach.

Zhou Xufang said, “I came to protect you.”

That was all it took.

Jiang Zhi’s annoyance vanished entirely, his lips curling into a smile.

See how easily he’s appeased.

But Zhou Xufang wasn’t actually trying to appease him; she was serious: “Today, your family is having a birthday banquet, and many people are here. I was afraid someone would harm you, so I came.”

Although she wouldn’t say it out loud, she was constantly thinking about him.

Jiang Zhi leaned on the window sill with his head poking out. Though separated by a security window, it gave him the illusion of visiting a prison cell: “Reach your hand in.”

“Hmm?” Zhou Xufang’s head pushed forward a bit, bending the security window slightly.

He leaned a bit more forward, his back arched: “Give me a kiss.”

“Oh.”

Zhou Xufang reached her hand through.

Jiang Zhi took off her glove, pecked her hand briefly, then immediately put the glove back on her: “Hold onto the security window tightly. I’m scared you’ll fall.” His heart was pounding with fear.

Just as Zhou Xufang got a grip on the window, a voice was heard: “Someone’s coming.”

“Hide well.”

She hooked her feet on the top of the security window and sprang up, her head disappearing from above the window.

Jiang Zhi really didn’t know how many tricks this girl had up her sleeve; he was beyond nervous: “Xu Fang, did you fall? Are you still up there?”

Above him, a voice tinged with guilt replied: “I’m here.”

Relieved, Jiang Zhi coughed as he walked toward the bed and lay down, mussing up his hair a bit more and drooping his eyelids to feign a frail and sickly manner.

He occasionally let out light pants and coughs, lying there as if languishing in a half-sleep.

After a while, a knock on the door indeed followed.

Jiang Zhi coughed a couple of times, his breathing slightly rapid and laborious, and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

The voice was soft and gentle; even unseen it conveyed a sense of poise and graciousness.

Jiang Zhi’s attitude was neither cold nor warm: “What’s the matter?”

Jiang Fuxi, outside the door, inquired: “Are you feeling any better? Do you need me to call Shiyu over?”

Qin Shiyu was the physician for the Jiang Family, and as long as Jiang Zhi stayed in the old house, Qin Shiyu would also stay overnight to be available for consultation at any time.

He refused, his tone indifferent: “Not necessary.”

Jiang Fuxi’s temper was always gentle: “Then rest well.”

“Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough…”

Inside the room, coughs came in bursts, and when they subsided, Jiang Zhi called out: “Jiang Fuxi.”

Jiang Fuxi responded from outside the door.

“Don’t linger at my door.” His tone was clearly impatient.

Jiang Fuxi paused for a moment, her hand clenched at her side briefly before relaxing. After a short while, she replied: “I’ll be downstairs. Call for me if you need anything.”

Then it was quiet.

Jiang Zhi waited a little before getting out of bed and walking to the window. He whispered for ‘Xu Fang’: “Are they gone?”

A head suddenly popped up from above: “They’re gone.”

While it’s said that love blinds one to flaws, objectively speaking, Zhou Xufang hanging upside down was quite a scary sight, and Jiang Zhi felt that it could serve as inspiration for a horror film in the future.

“Do you want to come in?”

“I won’t come in.” Zhou Xufang’s eyes, which were exposed outside, were filled with worry, “Are you really feeling unwell? You were coughing so severely just now.”

Jiang Zhi replied: “I was just bluffing her. It’s not that serious.”

But how serious was it really?

Zhou Xufang felt increasingly bemused about Jiang Zhi’s illness.

She also had a question: “Is Jiang Fuxi really your biological cousin?” She emphasized the words ‘biological.’

Jiang Zhi confirmed: “What about it?”

If this were a novel or a K-drama, she surely would have been adopted.

Zhou Xufang shook her head, stating it was nothing, though she didn’t know how to express her thoughts—she just felt there was something strange, not knowing where the strangeness lay, only that it was strange.

Suddenly, her ears twitched: “Someone’s coming again.” She swiftly climbed back atop the security window.

Jiang Zhi lay back down and started coughing again.

It wasn’t Jiang Fuxi this time, but another girl had come.

The girl knocked on the door quite loudly, her tone neither subdued nor delicate like Jiang Fuxi’s. She was exuberant and enthusiastic: “Jiang Zhi.”

It was Ming Lao, Ming Saiying.

“Jiang Zhi.”

Jiang Zhi didn’t want to respond.

Ming Saiying didn’t knock again. Instead, she leaned against the door, refusing to leave: “I know you’re in there. I heard your coughing.”

Jiang Zhi remained silent, but she wasn’t lonely, chatting away to herself: “You don’t need to get up. Just lie there.”

Jiang Zhi didn’t have any intention of getting up anyway.

Ming Saiying wore a red tube dress. In the dead of winter, even though the Jiang Family had coal fires lit throughout, she shivered in the cold. Yet, determined to see Jiang Zhi, she had unflinchingly removed her thick cotton jacket.

Rubbing her nearly frozen hands, she chuckled: “I heard from my brother that you’ve been ‘straightened out.’ I have no particular agenda, just here to line up. If you break up with your girlfriend, I can be the replacement backup—”

Jiang Zhi couldn’t bear to listen any longer and dialed a number on his phone.

“Lin Wanwan.”

After Ah Wan let out a strange sound, she asked: “What’s up, boss?”

Jiang Zhi was curt: “Drag away the person outside my door.”

Ah Wan let out another strange sound, “But I’m squatting in the toilet.”

It was constipation, you know, that kind of pain.

Jiang Zhi said, “Come here immediately.”

Ah Wan, “…”

That demon Jiang Demon!

When Ah Wan got there, Ming Lao was leering at Jiang Demon’s door, saying in a disgustingly fake, nauseating, and affected voice, “sweetly,” “I’ll wait for you.”

Ah Wan touched her not-so-clear stomach, “Miss Ming.”

Ming Saiying put on a perfunctory fake smile, “Oh, it’s you, big guy.”

“…”

Ah Wan hated when people called him ‘big guy’ or ‘strong man.’ Was it his fault for being tall and strong? Annoyed, he said, “I have a name.”

As Ming Saiying moved away from Jiang Zhi’s door, guessing that Jiang Zhi couldn’t hear her anymore, she reverted to her true nature, letting out a hearty laugh, “With that girly name of yours, I just can’t bring myself to call it.”

The second thing Ah Wan hated most was when people said his name was girly.

He didn’t want to exchange another word with this manly woman, his face, the picture of ‘honest simplicity,’ was full of cold indifference, “Please leave.”

Ming Saiying showed no intention of leaving, hugging her numb arms, so cold she wanted to spew curses, “I haven’t finished talking with your boss yet.”

Ah Wan said without changing his expression, “Please leave.”

Everyone invited to the Jiang Family banquet today was someone significant, and Ming Saiying had quite a reputation outside, her temper flaring, “Rush for what, hurry, hurry, hurry, if you rush me one more time I’ll—”

Ah Wan didn’t listen and directly grabbed her hand, dragging her out.

She had dressed elegantly for the sake of appearance, and with both her arms bare, her pale arms were instantly marked by the grip of a towering one-meter-ninety man; her anger fully ignited, “Hey, where are you touching!”

Ah Wan ignored her and kept dragging her by the arm.

Ming Saiying fumed, and after a heavy push, which didn’t budge the solid man resembling an ox, she flailed about in a furious frenzy.

With a smack, her left palm hit Ah Wan’s face.

A solid slap, nails even scraping flesh.

Five finger marks instantly appeared on Ah Wan’s face. After slapping him, Ming Saiying herself was stunned, her eyes flitting left and right before she defensively exclaimed, “It’s not my fault; you were the one pulling me.”

Ah Wan, already troubled by constipation, felt even more so in his face.

A real man should endure! Endure! Endure!

He moved his cheek which had been stung by the slap, silent, continuing to drag her. Ming Saiying broke free, he grabbed her again, she pushed away once more.

Slap—

Another slap landed on his arm.

Ah Wan, “…”

He had his temper too!

Undoing a button on his suit, he pushed her forcefully, pinning her against the wall.

There was a thud.

The wall pinning was quite intense.

Ming Saiying was stunned, her pupils suddenly filled with a stern face, blinked three times, her face turning red, “Are you fucking touching me?”

Her voice trembled, both embarrassed and annoyed!

Ah Wan was angry too, his arm firmly pressing her down, “I’m not.”

Ming Saiying glanced down, “Then where is your hand?”

Silence for three seconds.

Ah Wan snapped out of it like from a nightmare, recoiling abruptly. Unfortunately, his shoe caught the hem of the girl’s dress, and as he jumped, the dress followed suit—down.

“Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah—”

Shrill screams followed one after another.

Zhou Xufang, rubbing his ears stunned by the noise, remarked, “Ah Wan seems to have caused trouble.”

Jiang Zhi heard the screams too but didn’t care, “He’s too dumb.” He didn’t have time to care about others; he needed to teach his own, “You play with him less in the future.”

Zhou Xufang went online, watched TV shows, and read novels, all led by Lin Wanwan. Recently, Lin Wanwan had even been secretly sending her novel perks…

The content becoming more and more explicit.

Zhou Xufang, clinging to the security window, blamed Jiang Zhi, “It’s your fault too.”

“How is it my fault?”

She frowned at her brow, murmuring her complaint, “Why do you have so many admirers? It’s so annoying.”

Sourly jealous, her mood not so bright, she didn’t want to eavesdrop, but they were making too much noise and her hearing too sharp; all the sounds kept drilling into her ears.

Ming Saiying bellowed, “You’re still looking! Turn around now!”

Ah Wan responded woodenly, “… Oh.”

Ming Saiying continued to roar, “Take off your clothes for me!”

Ah Wan kept being wooden, “… Oh.”

The young lady yelled with masculine force, “Don’t look back!”

The big man’s rebuttal was feeble, “… I didn’t look back.”

Then came the rustling sound of clothing.

After getting dressed, Ming Saiying grabbed her small purse and lunged at the big guy, “If I don’t beat you to death today, you pervert, I won’t be called Ming Saiying.”

A nearly two hundred kilogram hulk of a man held his head, “…”

This was completely the plotline of an overbearing female boss and her fragile little assistant.

While Zhou Xufang was enjoying the scene, about ten meters away, a voice suddenly interrupted.

“Younger Luo.”

Zhou Xufang climbed higher and stood on the anti-theft window, catching a glimpse of a spark and white smoke.

Luo Qinghe held a cigarette in her hand, mumbling ‘mm-hmm’ through puffs of smoke.

On the phone, the secretary Shen Yue said, “Han Feng wants to see you.”

She flicked ash off her cigarette. At night, her voice echoed, chilly and remote, “No need to meet him, tell him to go in peace.” A backyard lantern was lit; she stood backlit, her mobile phone screen’s light cast on her profile making her red lips seem fiery, “For those who should leave, lingering too long isn’t good for those left behind.”

Tap.

There was a noise behind her.

Luo Qinghe, using the light, looked back, “Who’s there?”

Behind a column in the corridor, someone emerged slowly, “Miss Luo.”

It was one of the Jiang Family’s servants, carrying a tray to the front yard to serve wine. Passing by, she heard someone on the phone, unsure whether to advance or retreat, she hid for the time being. Unfortunately, she knocked the tray against the column and disturbed the guest.

Luo Qinghe hung up the phone, stood under the light without moving, a cigarette still in hand, her eyes thinly veiled in darkness, unclear in color, “Bring me a cup of wine.”

It was a young girl, not very old, presumably temporarily hired by the Jiang Family for the celebration; likely untrained and inexperienced, she was timid and shaky.

The girl poured a glass of red wine, her hands trembling as she offered it.

Luo Qinghe, observing the girl who dared not lift her head, accepted the drink with an indistinct smile.

The girl let out a sigh of relief and turned to leave.

Luo Qinghe squatted down, pinched out her cigarette, her voice slow and somewhat sharp, “Did I say you could go?”

The girl immediately stopped, her back arched, and she turned around nervously, “Do you have any further instructions, Miss Luo?”

Luo Qinghe smiled, stepping forward, and raised the cup of wine, pouring it over the girl’s head. The girl didn’t dare move, standing there shivering. Luo Qinghe continued to smile, her slender eyes slightly upturned, a chilling coldness in her gaze, “To live, one must understand the rules. Do you understand?”

“Un-understand,” the girl stammered, her tray wobbling, the glasses clinking together with a piercing sound.

Luo Qinghe placed the cup back on the tray; she leaned in close to the girl’s ear, her crimson lips barely moving, “What did you just hear?”

The girl’s face was drenched in wine; her hair disheveled and sticking to her forehead. She shook her head desperately, claiming to have heard nothing.

Luo Qinghe smiled, patting her shoulder, “Go on with your work then.”

The girl stumbled away.

On the anti-theft window ten meters away, Zhou Xufang had seen everything clearly and was livid, unable to help but curse softly, “Wicked woman.”

Jiang Zhi, from his angle, could not see below, “Who?”

“Luo Qinghe. She’s so annoying.” She looked away, “Jiang Zhi.”

“Hmm.”

Zhou Xufang wasn’t certain, so she asked him, “Would you be upset if I messed up your grandmother’s birthday banquet?”

His little ghost wanted to teach someone a lesson.

Jiang Zhi laughed, “Go ahead.”

In the Jiang Mansion’s front yard, guests packed the place, bustling with excitement. The Jiang Family had set up sixteen tables; the inner eight were mostly elders, while the outer eight were mainly filled with sons and daughters of Imperial City’s influential families.

Among them was Luo Yinghe.

Mr. Luo didn’t care much for her, so she was seated alone. As soon as she sat down, the young gentlemen at the table gave each other looks and glanced at her sideways.

Luo Yinghe faced them with a cold, cosmetically altered face, “What are you looking at?”

The young gentlemen smiled silently, giving the Luo Family some face, not stooping to her level, except for Ming Lao from the Ming Family, who was not one to hold back, and retorted, “What, is your temper tantrum making it a crime to look?”

Luo Yinghe had recently been ridiculed online for her temper tantrums, and this had struck a nerve, making her scream out, “Ming Yanghua!”

Ming Yanghua snorted at her, arrogantly, “I’m not deaf; don’t shout so loud.”

When spoiled rich kids clash with a princess, sparks flew.

Her phone rang.

Ming Yanghua gave Luo Yinghe a provocative look before answering, “What’s up now?”

It was his eldest sister, commanding, “Come here.”

“I’m busy.” Though he said this, his body had been well-trained by his sister to be honest; reluctantly, he got up from his chair and walked towards the main Jiang house.

On the other end, Ming Saiying was losing her temper, “Hurry up and come over, I’ve been harassed.”

Ming Yanghua laughed, “Really?!”

A light, floating voice behind him said, “Hey.”

Ming Yanghua paid no attention to what was behind him and kept walking, hands in his pockets, still gleefully teasing his sister: “Which Liang Mountain hero dared to harass you?”

The light, floating voice again said, “Hey.”

This time, Ming Yanghua heard it, turned around, and saw that on the opposite window, a dark shadow was moving.

The phone in his hand dropped with a clatter.

Ming Yanghua’s eyelids twitched, his legs trembling, “You-you-you——” How come this female ghost kept haunting him! “You-you-you-you, what do you want this time?”

“I’m not a female ghost,”

The dark figure fluttered, appearing right in front of him, “I am a Hell Messenger, Lord Black Impermanence.”