Chapter 674 - Chapter 674: 641

Chapter 674: 641

A luxury SUV pulled away from the airport, heading for the Guanjiang Residential Complex in the new district.

Jiang Yan volunteered to show off her driving skills and was serving as the driver, but she stared unblinkingly ahead, motionless, like a wooden figure. She completely ignored the side and rearview mirrors and was practically lying on the steering wheel, as if she wanted to stick her head out the window.

This driving posture was very dangerous.

“Damn, does that person know how to drive? They just rushed out from behind. If I hadn’t been driving steadily, I almost crashed when switching lanes.” Jiang Yan was startled to find a car suddenly beside her, and it was really close.

A car had been following them for a while and seemed to be gathering courage. Finally, it made up its mind to overtake from the right side.

Yang Jian saw the relief on the other driver’s face after he had finished overtaking.

“Expensive cars do have their benefits.” He saw many vehicles dared not follow too closely, unconsciously maintaining a distance.

After all, it was a luxury car worth several million, which somewhat entitled one to a bit of the road. This made things much easier for Jiang Yan.

Sitting next to him, Zhang Liqin smiled and said, “President Yang, although Jiang Yan got her license a long time ago, she has no driving experience. She’s a novice.”

“It’s okay, let her practice more. There’s no rush,” Yang Jian said before turning to look out at the city.

Compared to after the Hungry Ghost incident, the city seemed to have regained some vitality. It was no longer deserted and silent. There were more cars on the road, and more lights in the city. It looked like things were picking up.

This was a good thing.

Yang Jian certainly didn’t want the city he was responsible for to be a cold Dead City.

“Is my mom asleep at this hour?” Suddenly, he asked.

“Auntie hasn’t been staying at home lately. She said she went back to her hometown to have a look. She’s been gone for a few days now. She had just left the last time you were here,” Zhang Liqin replied.

Yang Jian remembered his hometown.

Dachang City, Yang Town, Meishan Village.

His hometown wasn’t far away, a mere thirty-minute drive. However, a few years after his father died during his childhood, his mother had a falling out with her brothers back home. Then, they only returned during the New Year for a few days, and didn’t visit otherwise. So, he was estranged from those relatives, almost to the point of being strangers.

The reason for the fallout had to do with some property disputes, which Yang Jian vaguely remembered.

Before his father died, he had acquired a fair amount of assets in the countryside: a large fish pond, a forest, a big vegetable garden, and so on.

Nowadays, these things might not be considered valuable because they had no developmental potential, but back then, in the impoverished countryside, they marked one as wealthier than most. However, within a few years of his father’s death, some uncles had taken over these properties. His mother, Zhang Fen, had argued over this several times, but as a widow and orphan, they ultimately had no recourse.

In ancient times, this would be akin to cutting off someone’s means of survival.

Back then, Yang Jian was still in school and too young to have any say in the matter.

“Right, with the New Year coming up, it’s normal for my mom to go back to the countryside,” Yang Jian remembered.

Though there were quarrels, the roots could not be cut. When it was time to return, they had to go back.

Thinking back, he and his mother had experienced numerous hardships living in the city, which contributed to his character flaws.

“One of these days I need to take the time to go back and settle those old matters,” he said to himself.

Yang Jian felt that the past needed a resolution. Although they seemed like trifling matters to him, they might have been thorns pressing into his mother Zhang Fen’s heart for decades.

Additionally, he became curious about his father’s identity.

Old Qin at the headquarters had mentioned it, but whether it was true or not, he didn’t know. However, if it was true and his father’s death was related to a supernatural incident, then some clues must have been left behind. And those clues were most likely to be found back home, making the trip necessary.

“Yang Jian, what are you thinking about?”

Zhang Liqin asked softly, leaning closer and surreptitiously hooking her arm through Yang Jian’s, while casting a glance at Jiang Yan, who was driving ahead.

Jiang Yan didn’t even check the rearview mirror, so how could she notice them?

However, Zhang Liqin didn’t see anything wrong with the situation. She thought Jiang Yan had the right to like Yang Jian, and so did she. After all, Yang Jian wasn’t married, nor did he have an official girlfriend. Even if their relationship was discovered one day, they could just compete fairly.

She wasn’t an eighteen-year-old girl anymore; there was no need for pretense. As a mature woman, when it was time to act, she acted.

“Is something the matter?” Yang Jian snapped back to reality.

“Nothing important, I was just wondering if you’re going to the office tomorrow. I’m your secretary, after all. I need to arrange things beforehand,” Zhang Liqin said, blinking her eyes playfully.

“Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” Yang Jian said. “I’ve just returned, and there’s nothing urgent.”

Zhang Liqin nodded and didn’t ask further.

Soon, the car arrived back at the Guanjiang Residential Complex.

Although there was nobody in the villa, the lights were still dazzling.

After the supernatural event, Jiang Yan and Zhang Liqin had both been left with a fear of the dark, the fear of being alone, always feeling insecure in the darkness, as if ghosts could appear anywhere. That’s why they liked to turn on all the lights wherever they were.

But this little trouble wasn’t much. Real trouble would’ve been a mental breakdown.

“You both go ahead and return, I’m going to make a trip to Wang Shanshan’s place,” Yang Jian suddenly said.

“That’s suspicious.” Watching Yang Jian drive deeper into the complex, Jiang Yan frowned, sensing that things were not simple.

“What’s suspicious?” Zhang Liqin puzzled.

Pouting, Jiang Yan said, “It’s so late and he’s still going to Wang Shanshan’s, there must be something fishy going on, and it’s even possible he won’t come back.”

“Isn’t that an exaggeration? Yang Jian doesn’t like Wang Shanshan, they’re just ordinary classmates,” Zhang Liqin said. Although she didn’t know what had happened to Wang Shanshan, her woman’s intuition was pretty accurate.

“It’s because they’re classmates that it’s dangerous. It means they’ve known each other for at least three years, unlike me, who’s only known him for half a year,” Jiang Yan said, feeling a sense of crisis.

Zhang Liqin laughed, “Don’t overthink it. It’s so cold outside, I’m going back to take a bath.”

At this moment.

Yang Jian had returned to the Republic Era ancient house that had since been renovated.

Wang Shanshan was not here, and the door was tightly closed.

However, his visit was not entirely to see Wang Shanshan, but to place the Ghost Child, after all, keeping such a paranormal entity at home was unsafe. It was only slightly more prudent to place it in this ancient house from the Republic of China Period, far away from the residential complex, far from crowds.

“Do not leave this room,” Yang Jian commanded.

But he immediately felt that this was not appropriate.

If the Ghost Child was confined here, it wouldn’t realize its full potential. It should be secretly protecting the residential complex. After all, Yang Jian could not be vigilant 24 hours a day, but the Ghost Child could stay awake indefinitely, making it a very competent security guard.

“Protect this residential complex. If a strange ghost master enters, drive them away directly.”

He issued a new command, and this order would override the previous one.

The Ghost Child tilted its head as it looked at Yang Jian, carrying a backpack with a rotten Dead Man’s Head inside.

After a brief pause, the Ghost Child quickly became active, wandering around nearby, running back and forth, and soon disappearing into the greenery close by.

“Let’s leave it at that for now. Although the appearance of the Ghost Child might frighten some people, it’s better than them suffering from unclear paranormal attacks. After all, only a ghost can confront another ghost; absolute safety depends on the power of the Ghost Child,” Yang Jian felt there was nothing improper about this arrangement.

At least there were no signs of the Ghost Child losing control yet, and it was still trustworthy for the time being.

As Yang Jian was leaving the ancient house, he took another look at the third door.

He frowned and felt uneasy.

There were three doors in this ancient house, each made of different materials. The room with the Ghost Mirror had a wooden door, the Ghost Cabinet was in a room with a copper door, and this room had a door made of gold.

A door cast from Gold.

Not just the door, but the walls too were made of Gold.

“It’s like a safe-house from the Republic of China Period, yet also like a container for imprisoning ghosts. I have no idea what’s inside if opened,” Yang Jian, though curious, did not have a death wish to open the door.

Because the worst-case scenario was that it contained a ferocious ghost that even the former owner of the house had not been able to handle.

As long as it’s not tampered with, the house’s structural integrity and the stability of the gold material would prevent it from being opened for hundreds more years.

Yang Jian quickly returned to his place.

He went to the bedroom on the fifth floor, took a bath, and then sat on the bed to document the events of his business trip.

“I took a flight to Big J City, and on the plane, I encountered a paranormal event. It was a terrifying Dead Man’s Hand, a ghost’s hand…” He wrote speedily, giving a detailed description, even clearly documenting the people he met on the plane.

This notebook was both a record of Yang Jian’s experiences and a special archive of fierce ghost files.

He felt that these records would one day be of use.

While he was documenting his information, the bedroom door was opened by someone.

Yang Jian stopped writing abruptly and looked up sharply.

This was an almost instinctual alertness, especially while he was recalling the paranormal events he had encountered before.

“Yang Jian, it’s me. I saw the light in your room was on, so I came to check,” said Zhang Liqin, standing at the door in a bathrobe, apparently having just bathed. Her face was still flushed, looking quite seductive.

Yang Jian slowly withdrew his gaze and continued writing.

Seeing this, Zhang Liqin gently closed the door and walked into the room. Silent, she snuggled into the bed.

“You don’t need to keep me company. I’m not very interested in you,” Yang Jian said without looking up.

“It’s okay, just consider me as someone warming up the bed,” Zhang Liqin said, “After all, I belong to you, and I’ll be sticking to you in the future.”

Yang Jian stayed silent, still focusing on his notes.

Zhang Liqin didn’t disturb him anymore and just propped her head, watching him. For some reason, she felt very at ease, even though she knew that a terrifying ghost dwelled within Yang Jian’s body. She didn’t feel scared at all.

“Yang Jian, have you lost interest in me, or have you lost interest in everyone?”

Almost an hour later, as Zhang Liqin noticed Yang Jian was nearly done writing, she suddenly asked.

“Does it make a difference?” Yang Jian replied, glancing at her after realizing she wasn’t asleep yet.

Zhang Liqin stretched lazily, “Of course, it makes a difference. The former means you don’t like my type of woman, while the latter…”

She said with a wry smile, not daring to continue.

Yang Jian was silent for a moment and then suddenly pulled her close, capturing her hand to his chest, “Do you feel anything?”

Zhang Liqin didn’t resist the embrace. She was slightly startled; “What is it?”

“It’s heartbeats.”

Yang Jian spoke calmly, “Holding a woman like you, a normal man would definitely have an accelerated heartbeat, thinking some thoughts, but my heartbeat is very steady, with no change at all. With no change in heartbeat, there is no change in emotions, no emotional fluctuations, and without emotional fluctuations, there are no feelings.”

“If this continues for a long time, my emotions will gradually fade until they disappear completely. In the end, women and men in my eyes will just be living persons, and nothing different.”

“What affects me most now is not emotions but memories. If my memories begin to blur, I myself won’t know what kind of person I will become in the end.”

“Why don’t you try to regain your feelings?” asked Zhang Liqin.

Yang Jian replied, “The speed of regaining feelings can’t keep up with the speed of losing them. To put it bluntly, I don’t even know if I can cry anymore.”

“Even if you’re without feelings, you still have sensations,” Zhang Liqin said with a teasing smile, reaching out to turn off the light in the room.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co

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