Blood Queen - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: A New Encounter

 

***

 

August 5, Monday night.

 

As the lights began to shine, the SUV drove through the glittering streets of C City. Outside the window, skyscrapers stood in rows, outdoor screens of various sizes alternated, and different light and shadows danced across the young driver’s face.

 

The car stopped in the parking lot of a luxurious building. Zhong Jing, dressed in casual formal wear, walked briskly and pushed open the doors of the Golden River Club.

 

As far as he could see, the Golden River Club was quite busy today, with handsome brothers, beautiful women, and career elites everywhere.

 

After nodding to greet several familiar club employees, Zhong Jing walked straight to a secluded corner.

 

As long as there were no other guests, that spot was basically his exclusive area. There was a high-end gaming laptop on the small table. If bored, he could play games without disturbing other guests.

 

Checking his watch, there was still half an hour before his scheduled meeting time with Jiang Yan. Zhong Jing simply opened the laptop, preparing to kill some time.

 

“Zhong Jing, it’s been almost a month since we last met.”

 

Zhao Peng came over from the side, fist-bumped Zhong Jing, and asked curiously, “Sister Wan probably won’t be back until after midnight today. Why did you come so early?”

 

“As it happens, Jiang Yan contacted me yesterday, saying she needed to handle some money matters. What’s up? Has Master now started pampering both sisters like treasures?”

 

Zhong Jing lit a cigarette for himself and offered one to Zhao Peng. “How come I don’t see her? It’s been 3 months since I first met Jiang Yan. She’s lucky to have encountered Huang Gu and you guys during the early stages of her blood invasion.”

 

Without lighting the cigarette, Zhao Peng just turned his head to glance at the staff passageway door in the depths of the hall, his expression a bit strange: “Jiang Yan is still eating, but it’s not that she’s lucky, it’s that we’re luckier… or maybe unluckier, who knows.”

 

Zhao Peng left, leaving behind the last half of his sentence, which left Zhong Jing somewhat puzzled.

 

“Brother Zhao Peng, you can go eat now.”

 

Jiang Yao came over carrying a tray with a glass of water on it. This was the standard reception service for all guests, after which there would be no so-called service. If you wanted to eat or drink anything, you could help yourself at the dedicated bar.

 

“Who is he?”

 

Having previously noticed Zhao Peng chatting with an unfamiliar young man, seemingly quite familiar, Jiang Yao was a bit curious.

 

“Hehe, one of us,” Zhao Peng said with a smile before walking away.

 

One of us? That means he’s Sister Wan’s person…

 

Jiang Yao had already gotten used to the male and female colleagues here, especially after experiencing a life-and-death situation. Once she learned from Zhao Peng that someone was “one of us,” her attitude became particularly relaxed.

 

Today, Jiang Yao was wearing a sailor-style JK uniform with white over-the-knee stockings. Her light golden long hair and long legs shimmered under the golden lights, enough to strike down the titanium alloy dog eyes of any peer.

 

This was Zhou Ping’s strong suggestion. Jiang Yao had hesitated for a long time at first because she hadn’t worn long-legged stockings in these 3 months, and Jiang Yan, who was in charge at home, hadn’t bought any either.

 

But she couldn’t resist her own game and anime double otaku attributes. Now, as if she had eaten the forbidden fruit, she was actually quite pleased with herself, twisting and turning in front of the full-length mirror for several minutes.

 

“Hey, I haven’t seen you before!”

 

Jiang Yao put down the tray and sat down familiarly next to Zhong Jing. Then she caught sight of the game loading screen on his laptop and her eyes immediately lit up. “You play this too? We should team up sometime. What’s your ID?”

 

Hmm? A newcomer?

 

Zhong Jing looked at the JK girl who had so casually sat down beside him with some surprise. That dazzling light golden long hair and the faint body fragrance left him momentarily stunned.

 

However, from the standpoint of a die-hard 2D aesthetic, Jiang Yao’s image hit all of his weak spots! More crucially, this wasn’t cosplay, but a genuine blonde girl!

 

Yes, she should be Jiang Yao. Indeed, even prettier than the image on her new ID card, especially that natural light golden long hair… Zhong Jing was dazed for several seconds before he began to scrutinize her intently.

 

“You don’t recognize me? Are you new here?”

 

Zhong Jing didn’t put on any airs, directly lighting a cigarette in front of the blonde girl, with a hint of a playful smile at the corner of his mouth.

 

“Uh, I’ve only been here for less than half a month.”

 

Probably feeling that she had encountered a senior here with deep experience, like Zhao Peng, Jiang Yao suddenly felt a bit nervous.

 

“No wonder. I thought you looked unfamiliar. Brother Zhao brought you in, right? What’s your surname?”

 

Zhong Jing picked up the glass of water and took a slow sip, his expression nonchalant.

 

“Jiang Yao. Sister Wan brought me in. I do some odd jobs here,” Jiang Yao said casually, playing with her golden ponytail. “What about you? What do you do here? You seem to have a good relationship with Brother Zhao Peng.”

 

“Me? I mainly… how should I put it, deal with some money-related matters. Actually, I rarely come here.”

 

Zhong Jing told the truth. After all, as Sister Wan’s disciple, the resources he controlled had always been a key support for the normal operation of the Golden River Club.

 

“Then it’s similar to Brother Zhao Peng, both doing the most important things. Sister Wan trusts you guys a lot.”

 

Jiang Yao nodded, seeming to understand but not quite. Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly seemed to discover something and stood up abruptly with an expression of utter shock: “Wait! You’re… a normal person!?”

 

“Hehe, can’t sense it?”

 

Zhong Jing held back a strong urge to laugh out loud, deciding to continue teasing her. He rummaged in his suit for a while and took out a small tin box containing chewing gum, casually shook it a few times, then mysteriously put it back in his pocket.

 

“Oh, I see… you’ve taken a special drug. No wonder.”

 

Jiang Yao had a sudden realization and nodded lightly.

 

“My surname is Zhang, you can call me Brother Zhang… Is Xiao Yao used to this place yet?”

 

Glancing at Zhao Peng who occasionally looked in his direction, Zhong Jing quickly turned his body slightly to hide his expression.

 

“How should I put it… I can occasionally chat with Sister Ping and Sister Ling. The others look young, but I’m afraid their real age might be terrifying if revealed. They don’t play games or watch anime, they can just sit there for hours, it’s very boring. Brother Zhao Peng is the same.”

 

As she spoke, Jiang Yao took out her phone, looked around, and said with a mischievous expression: “Brother Zhang, you must have this installed, right? What’s your UID? Let’s play a match?”

 

Zhong Jing chuckled and quickly took out his own phone. The two of them huddled in the corner, playing so engrossingly that they lost track of time. After a big win in one game, caught up in the excitement, they even exchanged contact information on social media.

 

Compared to the inscrutable Jiang Yan, Jiang Yao seems to be a very simple person. It’s a pity she’s a vampire… As the second game started, Zhong Jing glanced at the light-haired girl beside him, the smile never leaving the corner of his mouth.

 

“Mr. Zhong, sorry to keep you waiting… Hm? Xiao Yao, are you hiding here playing games during work?”

 

A familiar voice came over. Jiang Yao looked up to see a black-haired girl wearing a sleeveless black-collared white shirt on top, a pencil skirt with black stockings on the bottom, and a white jacket over it all, standing not far away looking at her.

 

“Ah? Sister…”

 

Jiang Yao hurriedly stood up, stealing a glance at Zhong Jing beside her.

 

“I have important business to discuss with Mr. Zhong. Don’t overdo it with the games.”

 

Seeing how familiar the two seemed, Jiang Yan frowned, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy. Her tone towards Jiang Yao became somewhat stern: “Go help at the drinks counter, Sister Ping is almost overwhelmed.”

 

“Mr. Zhong? Isn’t his surname Zhang?” Jiang Yao was stunned, slowly turning to stare at Zhong Jing.

 

“Hey, Zhong Jing, Miss Xiao Yao’s mid lane is pretty good! Next time it’s my turn!”

 

Zhong Jing grinned, as if he didn’t care at all about teasing her for half an hour earlier.

 

“So you’re Zhong Jing, the one who processed our new ID cards… You’re f**king sick in the head!”

 

Probably feeling that she had been fooled, Jiang Yao’s face instantly turned cold. She picked up the tray that had been sitting on the table for a long time, cursed, and walked away in three quick steps.

 

“Zhong Jing, I’ve noticed you really enjoy fooling people.”

 

Jiang Yan sat down, quietly looking at the young man who exuded frivolity from the inside out, her tone as cold as when they first met.

 

“You’re not the first person to say that to me. I can see you care a lot about Miss Xiao Yao.” Zhong Jing lit a cigarette nonchalantly, as if he was long used to questions like Jiang Yan. “What, are you still angry about me tricking you out of 90,000 yuan last time?”

 

“No, that was just my lack of understanding. Besides, I had no choice but to trust you unconditionally in that situation. It wasn’t your self-perceived cleverness.”

 

Jiang Yan’s tone gradually became calm, seeming not to care that she had also once been fooled by him.

 

“Alright, mainly because I might not have a business deal like yours once in a year. Gotta make the process and result a bit more interesting, right?” Zhong Jing shrugged indifferently and stood up, walking towards the bar area of the hall. “Let’s have a couple of drinks? And talk more about your plans.”

 

Still in need of his help, Jiang Yan had no choice but to stop dwelling on his attitude of being as stubborn as a mule.

 

Behind the bar, Zhao Peng was still smiling as he wiped glass cups. Seeing Zhong Jing and Jiang Yan approach, he directly pushed over two cocktails that had been prepared in advance.

 

“I plan to send money to an elder relative of mine, and do it annually. The amount is quite large and needs to be anonymous, at least not allowing her to associate it with me and Xiao Yao. Here’s the remittance information.”

 

Jiang Yan took a small sip of her cocktail and passed over a piece of paper.

 

“W District Orphanage… Jiang Chunhua…”

 

Zhong Jing read the contents of the note softly, then folded it and put it in his suit pocket. “No problem. First, you withdraw the cash from your bank card and give it to me. Then I’ll remit an equal amount to her from a random account at a Hong Kong bank. As for the handling fee, let’s say 10% of the remittance amount.”

 

As he spoke, he raised his glass in a gesture of toasting to seal the deal.

 

“Still want to play games? I’ll only give you 5%. If you’re not willing, I’ll figure out a way myself.”

 

Jiang Yan clinked glasses with him, then drank all the liquor in one go. The alcohol reddened her lips, which glistened enticingly under the golden light.

 

“You help me remit 100,000 yuan first, then give me the receipt, and I’ll give you the cash. Since we’re both working for Sister Wan, you don’t need to worry about me defaulting.”

 

“Look, aren’t you the one asking me for help? And you want me to advance the money first?” Zhong Jing was somewhat amused and exasperated.

 

“It’s nothing, purely because I can’t stand you. Also, thank you.”

 

With that, Jiang Yan left Zhong Jing and walked away alone.

 

Hehe, not seeing her for 3 months, she seems to have become much more womanly, just her temper is still as tough as ever… Watching her swaying figure walk away, Zhong Jing chuckled helplessly.

 

Turning his head, he met another cold gaze from afar. Looking closely, it was Jiang Yao at the fruit and vegetable drink counter opposite. Zhong Jing laughed again.

 

…

 

…

 

The clock in the Golden River Club struck midnight again, and the lights in the now empty hall gradually dimmed.

 

In a private room on the second floor, Zhong Jing finally waited for Wan Yue to return quietly.

 

Today, Wan Yue had returned to her avant-garde style, and her expression was cooler.

 

“Over the past half month, I’ve gradually gathered some information from the group’s information center. The early archival data is very fragmented, and I’ve been querying and collecting in segments, mainly to avoid my father’s suspicion.”

 

Without any small talk, Zhong Jing placed several printed papers on the table and pointed to one line, saying: “This is from 2004, when the group began to expand new production lines on a large scale, importing large quantities of animal organs from South Australia, declared at customs as raw materials for animal organ extract preparations.”

 

“Mm, I know about this. Your father made a fortune for several years with these patented pharmaceuticals. Theoretically, if there really was something from abroad being brought in, it could possibly fool customs by being hidden among these disgusting animal organs. Mm, continue…”

 

Wan Yue lit a cigarette and listened to Zhong Jing’s explanation with a very serious expression.

 

Zhong Jing smiled helplessly and pointed to another line: “This is from 2006, when the group obtained the relevant license and established an animal and plant inspection laboratory, the first private animal and plant pathology inspection laboratory in S Province.”

 

“In its early stages, it accepted a batch of diseased pig samples from D City, under the pretext of commissioned inspection to determine the cause of the disease. I checked the business information of Tiantang Agricultural Trade from more than a decade ago, and they indeed established a farmer-commissioned pig breeding supply channel in D City at that time.”

 

“13 years ago… The timing basically matches up. You suspect it was this time?” Wan Yue furrowed her brows.

 

“Just this isn’t enough to prove your hypothesis, Master. Let’s look at this next…”

 

Zhong Jing opened a new printout and pointed to a specially highlighted section: “After the inspection was completed, all the pig samples used as the control group were returned to Tiantang Agricultural Trade for their own disposal!”

 

Wan Yue suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the room, her expression becoming increasingly intriguing: “Hehe, what a clever way of switching things around. If there really was something that couldn’t see the light of day, it should have been hidden inside these pigs returned to their original owner!”

 

“The Tang family in D City, probably starting from this time period, suddenly became much more active, ruthlessly eliminating Black Blood Clan and wandering vampires in D City and surrounding cities… Are they raising gu?”

 

Wan Yue seemed excited as if she had suddenly understood everything, but Zhong Jing’s expression became a bit uncomfortable.

 

“Yes, after that, the scale of Tiantang Agricultural Trade’s commissioned farming kept expanding, and my dad’s pharmaceutical group became the main domestic buyer of animal organs from Tiantang Agricultural Trade. It was also from that time that various patented drugs and health products from the Zhong Pharmaceutical Group began to emerge one after another.”

 

“There’s no concrete evidence yet whether the Zhong Pharmaceutical Group was involved in the production of several special vampire drugs. Even if they were, these drugs ultimately flowed into the vampire world, which is beneficial to us. I’m just concerned about what that thing the Tang family got from abroad has been raised into!”

 

Wan Yue sat back on the sofa, looking intently at the confidant she had nurtured since childhood: “Xiao Jing, you’ve already helped me solve the first puzzle. Thank you.”

 

Quietly looking at the woman whose appearance hadn’t changed in over a decade, Zhong Jing felt a wave of sadness. He slowly stood up, his face showing confusion: “Master, am I what they call a traitor to humanity? And one who first targets his own father…”

 

“What if your father is guilty? Or say, he indirectly aided evil…”

 

Wan Yue carelessly sat back in a single-person sofa, crossing her legs. The sexy long legs at the end, her small feet were playfully dangling her high heels: “Maybe your father is really just a broker who caters to all sides. After all, what I’m worried about ultimately points to the Tang family, points to vampires, not ordinary people, so your anxiety is unnecessary.”

 

“Hehe, Master, you’ve put my mind at ease again…”

 

Reflecting on Wan Yue’s words, Zhong Jing suddenly felt the gloom in his heart dissipate a lot.

 

“That’s as far as we can investigate. Go back to being the rich young master of the Zhong family, Xiao Jing.”

 

Wan Yue smiled as she picked up her small bag, extinguished her cigarette, and swayed her body towards the room door. Just before leaving, she suddenly turned back: “However, I must warn you again, don’t easily toy with the girls here. You’re just an ordinary person, if you don’t have any true feelings, you can’t afford to play…”

 

Watching Wan Yue leave, Zhong Jing rubbed his nose, awkwardly turning his head away, his mind once again picturing Jiang Yao’s cute face glaring at him as she left work.