Blood Queen - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: They Are Heroes

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Early the next morning, Jiang Yao left the house in a hurry.

Jiang Yao’s physical reactions before her period this time were much more comfortable than Jiang Yan, naturally making her feel more at ease psychologically. Jiang Yan, however, was still like last time, with various strange discomforts that couldn’t be pinpointed, and the feeling of unease remained.

Internal hormone inhibitor, external hormone inhibitor, small golden pill, temperature-raising medicine… After a combination of treatments, Jiang Yao felt she was fully prepared.

“Bentley, huh? This car must be expensive, right?”

On the way to the G District International Convention Center, sitting in Zhong Jing’s luxury SUV, Jiang Yao looked around curiously, though she refrained from touching everything.

“You don’t know much about cars? This year’s latest plug-in hybrid city SUV, over 3 million yuan, but still not enough to impress some women.”

Zhong Jing smiled, gently turning the steering wheel as the car headed towards the elevated bridge.

The view gradually opened up, and the blue SUV lifted onto the elevated bridge seemed to be flying over the bustling city, passing through streaks of colorful, intense sunlight.

The city’s main roads on Sunday had fewer vehicles than usual, allowing for higher driving speeds. While glancing at the rearview mirror, Zhong Jing’s peripheral vision also caught sight of Jiang Yao’s delicate and cool outfit.

A snow-white T-shirt paired with gray-black denim shorts, and light golden hair left loose instead of tied in a ponytail. Apart from slightly groomed eyebrows, there was almost no trace of makeup on her face, presenting a pure and charming natural beauty.

On Jiang Yao’s snow-white legs rested a handbag containing a set of JK uniform specially prepared by Zhong Jing for this outing, which was also part of their conspiracy.

This outfit was a 100% replica of the female protagonist’s costume from a popular anime, made with high-quality materials and exquisite craftsmanship. Compared to those that only imitated the appearance but were poorly made, this was in a completely different league, suitable for daily wear.

Not to mention Zhong Jing’s own law firm income, just the so-called pocket money provided by Zhong’s mother every month was enough for him to indulge in these 2D pleasures to the fullest.

Hearing Zhong Jing’s casual teasing and looking at the bag in her hands, Jiang Yao suddenly recalled Jiang Yan’s expression of hesitation before they left.

“Zhong Jing… are you still trying to hit on me?”

Jiang Yao suddenly turned her head, blinking her beautiful big eyes, her expression particularly serious.

The speeding SUV experienced an almost imperceptible sway. Zhong Jing gripped the steering wheel tightly, turning his head slightly with a look of bewilderment, somewhat caught between laughter and tears. “Don’t joke around! I’m driving!”

“I’m asking you, are you trying to hit on me!?”

Jiang Yao’s brows began to furrow slightly, her neck and ears faintly turning red, but her words remained unchanged.

“Did you take the wrong medicine? Asking such a silly question again? How could I have any thoughts about a vampire? Do I have a death wish?”

Zhong Jing grinned, starting to slow down. In the distance, between the tall buildings, the majestic and enormous silhouette of the Q District International Convention Center could already be seen.

Probably feeling that his gaze had lingered on her when he turned his head earlier, Jiang Yao hugged the paper bag on her legs to her chest, pouting, seeming to have some special emotion.

“Oh… Well, let me tell you, don’t get any ideas about me. I don’t like men!”

“Hey, what a coincidence, neither do I!”

A few seconds later, neither Zhong Jing nor Jiang Yao could hold back, and they both burst into laughter.

……

……

Near noon, at the W District Orphanage.

Shortly after Jiang Yao left, Jiang Yan anxiously welcomed her period.

Although the physical tension and anxiety were far less than the first time, and the excruciating abdominal pain that tormented her body and mind had also eased considerably, it still caught Jiang Yan off guard as it came a day or two earlier than expected.

After some preparation and repeated checks, time had slipped away. By the time Jiang Yan hurriedly arrived at the orphanage, it was almost noon.

Carrying her bag with spare clothes, Jiang Yan had just walked through the orphanage gates when she once again saw a familiar figure near the orphanage’s bulletin board not far away.

Today, Meng Huai was no longer in casual clothes. His well-fitted military uniform and straight, proportionate figure stood as still as a bell.

Slowly walking up to Meng Huai, her gaze also turned to the bulletin board. In front of Meng Huai were photos of two martyrs, with a large amount of biographical information written below. This represented the orphanage’s remembrance of these two outstanding young people, and was also the orphanage’s pride.

“Hmm?”

Probably sensing someone beside him, Meng Huai slowly turned his head, then revealed a slight smile. “What a coincidence, we meet again. Are you here to volunteer today as well?”

“Mr. Meng, good afternoon.”

Jiang Yan placed her hands in front, holding the handles of her cloth bag, and bowed slightly in greeting. This was the etiquette she had gradually cultivated at the Golden River Club.

“Just call me Meng Huai… um… may I ask your name…”

Meng Huai looked the young woman up and down, her elegant and gentle beauty carrying a hint of aloofness that made him hesitate to speak further.

“Jiang Yan.”

Looking up at Meng Huai, who was almost a head taller than her, Jiang Yan appeared very composed.

“Jiang Yan? Is that the ‘Jiang’ from ‘river’, or the ‘Jiang’ from ‘ginger’? What’s your relationship with the old director of this place, Jiang Chunhua…” Meng Huai showed a hint of confusion.

“I just happen to share the same surname as the old lady, it’s a coincidence.” Jiang Yan smiled.

“Comrade Meng, please just have a simple lunch, everything’s ready in the cafeteria!”

As they were talking, a leader from the orphanage approached from afar, inviting them to lunch.

Meng Huai’s visit today was not only driven by personal emotions but also brought a “300,000 yuan donation” surprise to the orphanage, so this kind of special treatment was only natural.

“It’s still a quarter to 12, and it takes about 40 minutes by subway from J District to here. I’m sure you haven’t had lunch yet, let’s go together.”

Meng Huai bent down and directly took the cloth bag from Jiang Yan’s hand. His seemingly gentlemanly gesture of sharing the burden for a woman was visibly straightforward and domineering.

Jiang Yan was very familiar with Meng Huai’s way of doing things, so she didn’t put on airs and directly followed behind him, which made the orphanage leader who came to notify them about lunch feel a bit awkward.

Probably not knowing Jiang Yan’s background, but seeing her familiar relationship with Meng Huai, and her being such a beautiful young girl, the orphanage leader decided to step back at the last minute, leaving the carefully prepared lunch for their private world.

Meng Huai’s dining etiquette had a huge disparity with his external image, or it could be called a bad habit.

Lacking the gentleness or considerateness of dining with a girl, Meng Huai, as always, buried his head and ate quietly, without a smile. The exquisite four dishes and one soup in front of him were habitually stared at by Meng Huai as he ate from the nearest plate, which was quite peculiar.

Looking at his familiar eating manner, Jiang Yan smiled and took the opportunity while he was getting more rice to directly rearrange the plates on the dining table.

Meng Huai was stunned, his gaze moving from the table surface to gradually meet Jiang Yan’s eyes, his expression slightly surprised.

Oh no, I forgot that I’m now… Jiang Yan’s heart skipped a beat, realizing she had been a bit careless.

Because those plate-arranging actions just now were unique to the former Xia Yan.

When in the Black Armor Squad, occasionally dining alone with Meng Huai outside, as long as it wasn’t a rotating table, Xia Yan would always rearrange the plates on the table to cope with her captain’s single-minded eating habit.

“I… My sister has this bad habit of only using chopsticks to pick food from the plate in front of her. I noticed you’re the same, even worse.”

Jiang Yan’s smile grew wider, unaware that a layer of cold sweat had formed on her back.

Meng Huai suddenly smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, nodding slightly, then continued with his own way.

“Mr. Meng, I saw you standing by the bulletin board for a long time, is there something special about it?”

Jiang Yan, whose real appetite could almost equal two Meng Huai, had to strongly resist the urge to eat heartily, maintaining the eating speed and etiquette of a well-bred young lady, while trying to divert his attention with a topic.

“Mm, they were two of my good comrades… unforgettable, they grew up in this orphanage and sacrificed themselves not long ago.”

Meng Huai put down his chopsticks, sitting up straight as if reporting to a superior, his expression solemn.

“I see… They’re all martyrs, they must have no regrets.”

For some reason, the words “unforgettable” heard by her ears became exceptionally tragic, piercing her eardrums with a dull pain. Jiang Yan’s nose stung, and she quickly lowered her head as a tear slid from the corner of her eye.

“Miss… Miss Jiang?”

Seeing the young woman suddenly cry, a hint of panic appeared on Meng Huai’s face, but his body remained rigid in his seat, somewhat at a loss.

In this country, soldiers have always been looked up to. This respect doesn’t come from their authority as a violent institution, but from the close heart-to-heart connection with the Chinese people over nearly a hundred years, making everyone love and admire them from the bottom of their hearts.

At least, that’s how Meng Huai interpreted the sudden emotional outburst of the girl in front of him. Martyrs were an even higher existence among soldiers, enough to move people.

“They must have fought until the very end, they all did their best, right? They are heroes, aren’t they…”

Jiang Yan raised her head, her radiant smile shattered by streaks of tears, a bit sad, but more relieved.

“Yes!”

A few seconds later, Meng Huai nodded heavily.