Chapter 13: Jiang Is Yanyan’s Medicine

Qin Jiang spoke bluntly, without a hint of mercy in his tone.

Bai Chuchu was stunned as she stared at the man’s face in disbelief. There was indeed a hint of Qin Jiang in it, but he was far handsomer than the Qin Jiang she remembered.

Of course, she wouldn’t admit that much of his handsomeness came from the effect of the supercar.

But why would Qin Jiang demand that she pay compensation?

He was clearly obsessed with her and would even risk his life for her!

Could it be…

Bai Chuchu glanced at the woman in the passenger seat: dark red hair, an aggressively domineering aura, and an undeniable air of nobility in her every move.

Th-this-this was obviously—Aunt Yan Liang!

That bloodthirsty, terrifying lunatic—shouldn’t she be imprisoning and torturing Qin Jiang right now?

Yet she let Qin Jiang drive out in a luxury car—could she be deliberately testing the relationship between Qin Jiang and her?

“Yan… Yan… Aunt?”

Bai Chuchu didn’t even have the courage to say Yan Liang’s name. She had no right to.

The Bai family was a marginal branch of the Yan family. She only knew Yan Liang was her aunt, but even at family gatherings she stayed on the sidelines—meeting Yan Liang was a luxury.

All she knew was that the madwoman was only twenty years old, younger than her, yet the most terrifying presence in the Yan clan.

Yan Liang sat back, raising an eyebrow mockingly while suppressing her anger as she watched Qin Jiang and Bai Chuchu’s performance.

She couldn’t act rashly—Jiang would harm himself.

But… did they really take her for a fool?

If Qin Jiang weren’t here, she’d kill this woman who irritated her right now.

“Bai Chuchu, cut the crap and pay up,” Qin Jiang urged again.

He could already feel Yan Liang’s patience running thin. He didn’t have time to waste with Bai Chuchu.

“Qin Jiang, you’re asking for the moon—Chuchu only tapped the car window, so the car’s fine, why make such a fuss?”

“Besides, how could you demand such high fees for simple depreciation? You’re clearly taking revenge because Chuchu’s been close to Young Master Li! You’re just trying to get attention!”

“You even rented a pretty girlfriend and a fake luxury car to set this up—so childish. Tell me, how much did you pay to rent them? Is extorting Chuchu supposed to cover the costs?”

Yu Qian didn’t know Yan Liang, and from her angle behind Bai Chuchu, she couldn’t see Yan Liang’s face clearly.

But now that she had recognized Qin Jiang, she instinctively insulted him.

After recognizing Yan Liang, Bai Chuchu feared the worst and quickly guessed that Qin Jiang’s harshness was coerced by Yan Liang. He probably had to pretend to break up with her.

Qin Yun had said that Qin Jiang had fallen into Yan Liang’s favor. If he placated her and secretly infiltrated the Yan family to obtain their business secrets, Qin Yun’s privately built business empire could rise and surpass the Yan clan.

So now, she absolutely could not expose her relationship with Qin Jiang.

Bai Chuchu quickly pulled Yu Qian aside. “Sorry Qin Jiang, I only accidentally tapped the car window—$200,000 is too much. I’m a junior in college without a job, I really can’t afford this.”

Qin Jiang replied coolly, “Then go ask Qin Yun for it!”

“I’ll give you three days. No matter what you do, transfer the money into this account.”

Qin Jiang produced a card, and on it was a string of bank account numbers.

But perhaps it was meant to convey some other information?

Bai Chuchu hurriedly took it.

She feared Yan Liang would stop her.

…

Qin Jiang drove off from Huajing University at speed, the tension in the car steadily dissipating.

The two returned to Liangyue Manor.

Yan Liang went to the study.

Mo Da and Mo Er hadn’t been ordered to release Song Jie, so they brought Song Jie to Liangyue Manor too.

Then they casually threw him down beside Qin Jiang.

Inside the study.

“Investigate what that string of numbers Qin Jiang gave Bai Chuchu actually means.”

She didn’t believe it was merely a bank account number.

“Yes, Ms. Liang.”

The bloodshot gleam in Yan Liang’s eyes grew stronger, prompting Zhou Ning, who had been at her side, to warn aloud, “Ms. Liang, you should take some calming medicine first. I’ll call the doctor right away.”

The high-pressure work demands from leading a huge conglomeration had left Yan Liang chronically on edge—she suffered from bipolar disorder as well as severe insomnia and anorexia.

Yan Liang hadn’t eaten anything all day.

She was very thin, her complexion chronically sickly pale. Though small in stature, her overwhelming presence hid how fragile she really was.

Yan Liang rubbed her temples. Fatigue washed over her, but her nerves remained taut, a wave of irritability enveloping her.

She was close to losing control over her murderous destructive urges.

“No need. I’ll go calm down in the dissection room.”

“This time I must stop Jiang.”

“I won’t allow him to see those things again…”

“He will see me as a monster.”

Sadness and loneliness tinged Yan Liang’s voice.

To everyone she was a monster—but she couldn’t control herself.

At thirteen, Yan Liang’s father had thrown her into an organization that trained killers. She was caged and made into a “human beast” in an underground arena.

Like livestock, she had to fight others and beasts to survive.

Before leaving, her father bent over, gently stroked her face, and said in a tender tone, “Liang, your sister died here—she wasn’t fortunate enough to return to enjoy life at the Yan home.”

“She had nothing in the Yan family, no position even. If you die, you’ll end up the same as her.”

“The Yan family doesn’t need useless daughters.”

In the end, Yan Liang wiped out the organization with a sickle and returned to the Yan ancestral home on the night of her coming-of-age ceremony.

No one knew what happened that night.

All anyone knew was that the heir who should have inherited the Yan family was left confined to a wheelchair, Master Yan suffered a stroke and was paralyzed, and Madam Yan was committed to a psychiatric hospital.

Only the youngest member of the family, Yan Zuo, was studying abroad at the time—everyone thought he had escaped a catastrophe.

Rumors that the Yan family’s heiress was a bloodthirsty killing monster spread throughout the city.

At eighteen, Yan Liang personally took over the Yan clan.

No one dared to argue or object. Her hands truly were stained with blood.

In the basement.

Under the pale incandescent light, a woman in a pure white surgical gown toyed with a sharp scalpel.

“Flay the skin…”

“Dismantle the bones…”

“If I make it into a new doll to accompany me, do you think Jiang will dislike it?”

The woman’s dark red hair was tied up, her clear eyes reflected a pool of blood as she perfectly cut away a smooth, delicate piece of skin.

She stared at the object in her hands with near-obsessive fascination, as if admiring a perfectly crafted work of art.

“Or, make Jiang into a doll—then he’d be like it, forever accompanying Yanyan~” The girl’s head tilted, her tone turned naïve and innocent.

There was none of the decisive, seductive killer personality she showed in public—at this moment she seemed to have shed her disguise and fully released her pathological mind.

Zhou Ning clicked his tongue at the skinned rabbit. Despite having witnessed Yan Liang’s madness many times, he couldn’t help feeling a chill down his spine.

And this was only a rabbit.

What had she once been forced to dissect with her own hands in the organization’s underground lab?

He didn’t dare imagine.

“Ms. Liang, please take some medicine!”

Zhou Ning had followed Yan Liang since she was fifteen. By then the girl’s innocence had long been gone.

“Take medicine?”

“Hmm… Jiang is Yanyan’s medicine!”

“Call him over?”

Blood and bits of flesh stained the white surgical gloves on Yan Liang’s hands. As if recalling something, she suddenly tossed aside the scalpel and reverted to an innocent, childlike tone.

She murmured, “No, Jiang will be scared.”

“Then chain him up first.”

She then produced chains and handcuffs, her clear eyes reflected Zhou Ning’s sweat-drenched face.

“You look afraid of Yanyan too—why not make you into a doll as well~”

“No one is allowed to run away—you must forever and ever accompany Yanyan…”

Panic flashed through Zhou Ning’s mind.

Help! Whenever Yan Liang had an episode, he was overwhelmed, despite being jaded from blood and violence.

Just as he was about to lose his mind…

There was a sound at the basement door—Butler Xu’s voice sounded like heaven to Zhou Ning’s ears.

“Young Mistress, Mr. Qin is looking for you everywhere.”

“He’s on his way to the basement…”

Yan Liang blinked her blood-tinged eyes innocently, as though pondering whether the words were true.

Would Jiang come to her of his own accord?

Did he… miss her too?

Her crazed eyes miraculously calmed, and her voice returned to a cold indifference, “Stop him.”

In this state, she’d scare Jiang.

But she was curious—was Qin Jiang coming to her because he wanted to make new demands?

“Is he looking for me for something?”

Butler Xu dared not enter the basement, because that was Young Mistress’ private domain—apart from Zhou Ning, anyone who entered never came back out.

“He said he brewed nourishing pork bone soup for you.”

“He wants you to drink it while it’s hot.”

Yan Liang was surprised and pleased.

It was unbelievable that Qin Jiang would care about her health.

Even if he was acting again, she couldn’t recall him ever playing this role before—she found herself intrigued.

As long as he was willing to care for her, she was happy.

“But Young Mistress, there must be something wrong with Qin Jiang’s soup—you must not drink it.”

Butler Xu had watched Yan Liang grow up. As a child, she had been charming, clever, and beautiful—almost idolized in the Yan household.

But at thirteen, the girl mysteriously disappeared.

Like Yan Liang’s sister, she vanished at thirteen. But the elder sister never returned home.

Yan Liang, however, came back on the night of her coming-of-age ceremony at eighteen, carrying a bloodstained sickle and wearing a blood-red gothic lolita dress…

That night, he hid under a table.

He heard the sounds of screaming all night and the girl’s childish humming of nursery rhymes—ones Yan Liang had loved as a child—but that night they became everyone’s nightmare melody.

“The stars in the sky twinkle and twinkle, by the roadside there’s a rag doll.
Rag doll, rag doll, why don’t you go home?
Do you have no home, no father and mother?
Rag doll, don’t be sad, don’t be afraid.
Let me lend you half of a mother, so we can share a home.
Let me lend you half of a father, so we can share a home…”

That night he thought he might die too.

A sharp sickle whisked the tablecloth from before him and Yan Liang looked at him with a docile expression, “Butler Xu, can you continue to take care of me like before?”

“Liang has no home anymore.“

At that moment, Butler Xu was filled with pity and stepped forward to embrace the blood-covered Yan Liang.

Young Mistress wasn’t in the wrong at all.

If the world couldn’t understand her, then he was willing to stand by her side against the world.

“Young Mistress, don’t be afraid—Old Xu will take care of you from now on.”

“I will never let Young Mistress be hurt again!”

He understood Yan Liang’s post-traumatic condition, which made him resent Qin Jiang’s repeated hurtful acts when he ran away.

And in the past, Qin Jiang had tampered with Yan Liang’s food more than once—despite knowing she was allergic to shrimp, he would tenderly peel them and feed the shrimp meat to her himself.

Since he was unable to leave, he used this to torment Yan Liang.

But Yan Liang treasured that small kindness and willingly let him feed her shrimp that could trigger severe allergic reactions and even be fatal.

In the end, she lay in the hospital for over half a month before recovering somewhat.

Yet, after returning home, Qin Jiang brought her other seafood dishes again.

Everyone at Liangyue Manor knew Qin Jiang intended to make Yan Liang suffer.

And yet she pampered him every time, willingly accepting those allergenic foods he fed her.

This time, he had brewed pork bone soup.

Was he up to some trick again?

Or was there seafood in the pork bone soup?

Yan Liang changed into clean clothes. When she left the basement, she finally used every ounce of energy to hide the faint blood-tinge in her eyes.

She had just vented.

Her mental state seemed somewhat more normal.

But Butler Xu and Zhou Ning couldn’t help worrying that Qin Jiang would come making trouble again.

No sooner had Yan Liang left the basement than Qin Jiang approached holding a bowl of soup.

Softness slowly rose in her eyes.

At times like this, Qin Jiang was always the gentlest with her, and she cherished it immensely.

“Wife, where did you just go?”

“I looked for you for a long time.”

Qin Jiang stepped forward. Perceptive as he was, he noticed a still-wet drop of blood on Yan Liang’s neck.

She… went to the basement again?

It reminded Qin Jiang of his previous life when he had accidentally entered the basement and seen her wearing rubber surgical gloves while dissecting a body.

That scene had pushed his fear of her to its peak.

Even now, trying his best to hide it, he couldn’t help being affected by that past terror.

“Sorry, I had something to attend to just now.”

If anyone could make Yan Liang apologize personally, it was probably only Qin Jiang.

Song Jie stood not far away, stupefied.

He guessed Qin Jiang was now being kept by a rich woman.

But… but… this was not the sort of rich woman he had imagined!

This woman was beautiful, had a great figure and immense wealth, and was utterly obedient and gentle with Qin Jiang.

This wasn’t a loss of dignity by marrying into his wife’s family! This was like going to heaven!

“It’s fine. I heard you haven’t eaten today, so I’ll feed you some soup to restore your strength.”

Qin Jiang still felt sorry for Yan Liang—her beautiful face looked a little haggard now.

Outside she always maintained a decisive, ruthless, cold-blooded demeanor.

But in front of him, Yan Liang would voluntarily drop her act.

Like an ordinary girl, she expected to be taken care of by him.

Her clear eyes stared at him eagerly, as if they could never get enough of him.

“Jiang, you treat me so well.”

If only he were always like this. Alas, it always turned out to be nothing more than just an act.

Butler Xu couldn’t stand it—he brazenly stepped forward and snatched the spoon from Qin Jiang. “Mr. Qin, the soup is too hot. I’ll try it for Young Mistress first.”

He had to ensure her safety.

“…Mm!”

Butler Xu took a gulp and couldn’t help closing his eyes.

Everyone waited with bated breath.

What poison had Qin Jiang put in this time?

Could it be to blind Yan Liang with poison?!

Zhou Ning panicked too. “Old Xu, how’s the soup? Is there any seafood in it?”

Butler Xu clicked his tongue— the pork bone soup seemed to dance across his taste buds, leaving him momentarily speechless.

“Mm…it’s so fresh~”

“Too incredibly fresh~”