Chapter 29: The Plan to Tame the Young Lady (Part One)

Jiang Zao set the medical kit on the coffee table with a blank expression. She rummaged through it, pulling out a bottle of iodine and some cotton swabs. She was just about to tend to Miss Zhou, who looked like a weeping beauty, when the girl suddenly grimaced in pain, startling Jiang Zao into freezing mid-motion.

"Where does it hurt? Is it the bone or the skin?" she asked, frowning in concern.

Zhou Jiayan pouted, "It hurts everywhere..."

Jiang Zao was at a bit of a loss. "Should I take you to the hospital?"

"I don't want to go," Zhou Jiayan replied, dabbing at her tears. Her waterproof makeup had held up perfectly, not a smudge out of place.

Du Bin, witnessing the stalemate, stepped forward. "Miss Jiang, may I take a look? I have quite a bit of experience with fractures and dislocations."

Jiang Zao set down the iodine and made room for him. "Go ahead."

"Brother..." Zhou Jiayan seemed reluctant to let anyone else touch her and quickly turned to Zhou Lichuan for help.

Zhou Lichuan comforted her with a gentle pat on the head. "Du Bin knows what he's doing. Let him check you first."

Left with no choice, Zhou Jiayan braced herself as Du Bin examined her. His large, calloused hands radiated a heat that startled the delicate young lady, sending a shiver of goosebumps across her skin.

After a thorough examination, Du Bin straightened up and addressed Zhou Lichuan and Jiang Zao. "It doesn't seem serious. There's some bruising from hitting a hard object and some abrasions where the skin's broken. Disinfect with iodine for now, and later get a tetanus shot to prevent infection."

Jiang Zao glanced at the bleeding scrape on her shoulder. "Come with me to change into something more comfortable for treating the wound. We'll talk about the rest after."

Zhou Lichuan agreed. "Go ahead, and let Zao take a look to see if you have any other injuries."

Jiang Zao led Zhou Jiayan into her own room. As Zhou Jiayan clutched her shoulder and scanned the room’s furnishings, she noticed at once that it was clearly lived in long-term. She couldn’t help but ask, "Why do you sleep in a separate room from my brother?"

Jiang Zao was rifling through the wardrobe when she shot back through the openwork partition, "Why should I share a room with your brother?"

"Aren’t you his kept lover? Why would you sleep separately?"

Jiang Zao’s hand paused mid-search, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "If that's what you want to believe, I can't stop you."

"That's a disgusting thing to say. Sounds just like those men who don’t want to take responsibility."

Jiang Zao found it rather amusing. "Since you’re back in the country for a while, you might as well spend more time online."

Zhou Jiayan slumped onto the simple sofa, frustrated. "I tried, but I just got angry and stopped. There’s nothing nice online, and they're even talking about my dad..."

Jiang Zao handed her a set of clothes. "These are new but already washed. They’re just loungewear, comfortable for home. Do you mind?"

Zhou Jiayan took the pale pink set; it was soft, clean, and faintly fragrant—just like Jiang Zao herself.

She accepted it without airs, head lowered. "Thank you."

Jiang Zao smiled. "Why are you blushing? I haven’t worn them. I just washed them and put them away."

"I know..."

After Zhou Jiayan changed into the loungewear, Jiang Zao carefully checked her over. Finding no other wounds besides the shoulder scrape, she finally relaxed.

"Good, no other injuries. The family doctor will come later to give your brother an IV drip, and you’ll get a tetanus shot. The place where you were hurt is full of rust—can’t be too careful."

"My brother needs an IV?" Zhou Jiayan shot upright in disbelief.

Jiang Zao tugged her sleeve, making her sit back down as she continued to apply the iodine. "He’s been on them since you last came over. There’s too much going on at the company, so his surgery has to be postponed a few more days."

Zhou Jiayan looked guilty. "Is it because I upset him last time?"

Jiang Zao chuckled. "No, it’s just a coincidence."

"Then it must be Dad who upset him," Zhou Jiayan mumbled, head lowered.

Jiang Zao said nothing, taking up the bottle of iodine and continuing to treat the wound. That was between father and daughter; she, as an outsider, had no place to comment.

Zhou Jiayan took a deep breath. "Actually, I’ve more or less figured things out. I’ve asked a lot of people these past few days and pieced together the general story. Dad hasn’t been the same since my brother left. I thought he’d withdraw from the world... I never expected... Ah, same blood, different fate. My brother is the child of the woman Dad loved most."

Jiang Zao paused, the cotton swab still in her hand. "You and your brother don’t share the same mother?"

Zhou Jiayan nodded. "That’s right. You didn’t know, did you? Even my cousin doesn’t know. Only the elders in the family do, not even my brother. I overheard by accident when my brother had his accident. He’s always treated me so well, and yet we have different mothers."

Jiang Zao tossed the cotton ball away and capped the iodine, her mind full of Zhou Kuan.

Once Jiang Zao finished tending to the wound, Zhou Jiayan dashed out, her footsteps quick. Zhou Lichuan was giving instructions to Du Bin and stopped talking when she appeared.

Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Lichuan said to her, "Be careful these next few days. We’ll change your bodyguards and driver. If something like this happened, it means they weren’t doing their job. Du Bin will drive you for a few days; with him, you’ll be safe."

Zhou Jiayan looked Du Bin up and down, chin lifted in defiance. "I don’t want to. He looks fierce. If I go out with him, all the handsome guys who want to talk to me will be scared off!"

Her haughty, imperious demeanor was a sharp contrast to the tear-streaked face from before.

Zhou Lichuan shook his head helplessly. "While you’re in the country, you’ll do as I say. Otherwise, I’ll have someone send you back to school."

Hearing Zhou Lichuan’s serious tone, Zhou Jiayan dared not retort. He was never one to go back on his word, and she didn’t want to be sent back to school so soon. The cafeteria food there was dreadful, and the whole country was just as bad.

...

After dinner, Miss Zhou left with Du Bin, still grumbling. Jiang Zao stayed behind to accompany Zhou Lichuan on a walk downstairs to help with digestion.

"You've been preoccupied since you got back this afternoon. Want to talk about it?" In the glow of dusk, Zhou Lichuan’s face was all gentle warmth.

Jiang Zao pursed her lips thoughtfully before speaking. "There’s a lot on my mind. Something’s off about what happened to Zhou Jiayan today. Zhou Kuan’s two children are both full of surprises. And Meng Qiaoyuan has been acting oddly lately."

Zhou Lichuan stretched his neck and shoulders, his voice taking on a lazy drawl. "I’ve already gotten to the bottom of what happened to Zhou Jiayan today. Do you want to hear about it?"

Jiang Zao nodded eagerly. "Of course! Who was so reckless as to try an abduction in broad daylight?"

"It was Lin Rui. Zhou Kuan knew the moment Yan Yan returned to the country, which means Lin Rui knew as well. He wanted to play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress at her lowest point, but you beat him to it."

Jiang Zao froze, then understood. "So... the alliance between Lin Rui and Zhou Kuan isn’t as solid as it seems. If he’s resorting to this, he must be desperate. What about the other two things?"