Chapter 13
Inside the Pu family villa.
"Please don't bother." Jiang Wanwan took the fruit plate from Aunt Pu with both hands and placed it on the coffee table.
Looking at the beautiful and sensible young teacher in front of her, Pu's mother liked her very much and sat down with her on the sofa.
Jiang Wanwan had just learned that Pu Yuan had a piano lesson today and was not at home, so only Jiang Wanwan, Pu Yuan's mother, and the maid in the kitchen were in the house.
Seeing that the time was right, Jiang Wanwan began to recount Pu Yuan's performance at school, while observing Pu's mother's expression as she spoke.
Mrs. Pu was a generous and dignified woman who looked to be only in her thirties, but outsiders did not know that she was actually fifty years old.
Upon hearing about Pu Yuan's behavior at school, Pu's mother's brows furrowed more and more, as if she hadn't expected her daughter to behave this way, but at the same time, there was a hint of embarrassment in her eyes.
"I understand, Teacher Jiang. I'll definitely give her a good talking to later."
Seeing how cooperative the other party was, Jiang Wanwan felt much relieved. Before coming, she was worried that Pu Yuan's parents would not be willing to communicate.
Through their subsequent conversation, Jiang Wanwan learned that Pu Yuan's father was a business tycoon and her mother was a screenwriter with some fame.
Jiang Wanwan couldn't help but think that Pu Yuan's boundless imagination might have been inherited from her mother.
As they chatted, the two somehow ended up talking about martial arts.
Pu's mother lamented, "I'm currently preparing for a martial arts drama, but martial arts are almost lost these days, and it's hard to write about the modern martial arts world."
Jiang Wanwan felt this deeply. Her father knew some martial arts and was a member of the city's martial arts association, but apart from sparring with his friends in the park every morning, he didn't do much else.
According to her mother, Ms. Fang Qing, her father only practiced martial arts because he had nothing better to do.
Thinking of how her usually refined father would jump up and argue at this point, Jiang Wanwan couldn't help but chuckle. "My father does know a little martial arts, but it's just a hobby."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Madam Pu scrutinized Jiang Wanwan for a while longer, her eyes growing brighter. "Your father wouldn't happen to be Jiang Linfeng, would he?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanwan looked up abruptly, staring at the other person in surprise. "How did you know?"
Upon receiving Jiang Wanwan's confirmation, Pu's mother's expression softened even more, and she excitedly said, "So you really are Brother Jiang's daughter. No wonder you look somewhat alike."
The middle-aged woman seemed lost in some kind of memory, her gaze towards Jiang Wanwan filled with affection. She took a sip of tea and slowly told Jiang Wanwan a magical story.
Pu's mother was from Jiangnan and lived in Fuzhou in her early years. It was only after meeting Pu's father that she moved to the capital.
“I used to live near the Sixth Alley, and Brother Jiang helped me out once by chance. I never imagined that we would meet again in the capital…”
Jiang Wanwan found this story extremely fascinating.
When she was a child, she was not in good health. In order to help her improve her health, her whole family went to stay with her aunt in the south for a period of time.
Jiang Wanwan's aunt married a man from the south. Her uncle's family happened to have an empty house in their hometown, so Jiang Wanwan and her family of three stayed there temporarily.
However, Jiang Wanwan was only a few years old at the time, and she had long forgotten what happened during that period, let alone her neighbors.
Suddenly, Aunt Pu took Jiang Wanwan's hand and said gently, "I was confused back then and didn't have time to thank Brother Jiang before you all left. It's fate that we meet again now. If you need any help in the future, just ask!"
Looking at Aunt Pu's sincere face, Jiang Wanwan smiled and nodded, "Okay, thank you."
"Don't mention it, it's all I should do."
Of course, Jiang Wanwan didn't know the specific reasons behind this. If it weren't for Pu Yuan, she might never have crossed paths with Pu's mother in her entire life.
The reason why Pu's mother treats her this way now is perhaps simply because she is her daughter's homeroom teacher.
She didn't know much about her parents' relationship, so she was self-aware enough not to take advantage of their kindness and just treated it as polite talk in the adult world.
Jiang Wanwan glanced at the time and realized that a long time had passed, so she got up to say goodbye to Aunt Pu.
Aunt Pu wanted Jiang Wanwan to stay for dinner, but Jiang Wanwan politely declined.
"Okay, then I'll have the driver take you. Please don't refuse this time."
Jiang Wanwan couldn't resist his insistence and finally had no choice but to agree.
Seeing this, Pu's mother smiled and personally escorted her outside.
As soon as the door opened, they saw Pu Yuan returning from her piano lesson. The girl was bending over, as if she was about to pick up a bag from the ground.
Upon seeing Jiang Wanwan, Pu Yuan's eyes lit up, and she quickly ran to the two of them.
"Teacher Jiang, why are you leaving so soon?" The girl blinked her big, bright eyes, her expression showing reluctance.
She really liked Jiang Wanwan, thinking she was beautiful, kind, and very cultured.
So today, she deliberately asked her piano teacher to end the get out of class 5 minutes early so that she could come back sooner and spend more time with Jiang Wanwan, but she still ended up being late.
Knowing what her daughter was thinking, and not wanting to embarrass Jiang Wanwan, Pu's mother interrupted, "Xiaoyuan, what are you holding in your hand?"
Upon hearing this, Pu Yuan's attention was indeed diverted. She smiled broadly and said, "It's a gift from my brother, but he's not coming back to celebrate my birthday with me again this year—"
The girl's eyes drooped slightly, and she looked quite disappointed.
Tomorrow is Pu Yuan's birthday. In recent years, her brother has always brought her a gift the day before, and then left in a hurry without even eating. I never expected that he wouldn't even come home this year.
Through her conversation with Pu's mother, Jiang Wanwan learned that Pu Yuan had an older brother, but she didn't ask too many questions, only knowing that the brother was much older than Pu Yuan.
At that moment, a car stopped in front of the villa; it was the Pu family's driver.
After saying goodbye to the Pu family mother and daughter, Jiang Wanwan got into her car and left the villa area.
At this moment, near a dilapidated old residential building.
A man was passing by an alleyway when he caught a glimpse of a fight taking place inside. He slowly looked away, without even changing the rhythm of his steps, intending to pretend he hadn't seen anything and leave.
Suddenly, a scream came from the alley: "Brother Ye, help me!"
Upon hearing the voice, Kuang Ye instantly showed a regretful expression, as if he was annoyed that he had been discovered.
Although he knew the people who were being beaten inside, he couldn't be bothered with their business, since he was a born bad guy.
However, he was also extremely good at disguising himself. Now that he had been discovered, Kuang Ye had no choice but to stretch his muscles and slowly walk into the alley.
Soon, more wails came from the alley. Only one man stood there unharmed, still clutching a tie that had been torn from someone's body.
Blood dripped from the black tie, flowing through the cracks in the bluestone slabs.
"Thank you, Brother Ye!" The man who had asked for help slowly stood up, his face bruised and swollen, his bright red hair particularly eye-catching.
He was beaten by a group of thugs on the street. One of the thugs' girlfriends had taken a liking to him, so he was caught off guard and attacked today.
Fortunately, Kuang Ye appeared in time, otherwise he would have been beaten to a pulp today.
The sky had darkened, and the stars twinkled, captivating and mysterious.
Jiang Wanwan had been running around all afternoon and was already very hungry.
She asked the driver to stop at a food street not far from her rented apartment, intending to treat herself to a nice meal after her first home visit.
The food stall was already quite crowded, with grilled oysters, lamb skewers, enoki mushrooms wrapped in tin foil, potato slices, and a bottle of Beibingyang soda – it was simply divine.
Jiang Wanwan loved the streets and alleys of the capital city at night, where the bustling city had a warm, lively atmosphere that made people want to immerse themselves in the comfortable evening breeze.
After eating and drinking her fill, she let out a burp and prepared to stroll home alone.
The dim light of the streetlights filtered through the leaves, casting orange shadows, while in the distance, the lights of countless homes, scattered yet harmonious, adorned the tranquil night.
Jiang Wanwan was in a very good mood, amusing herself by stepping on her shadow under the lamp.
Suddenly, she heard a lot of footsteps behind her, and her pupils contracted sharply.
Could it be some thug or bad guy again?
If that's really the case, then she's had a really bad day. Jiang Wanwan couldn't help but quicken her pace.
At the same time, the footsteps behind her seemed to quicken, and she could even see dark shadows behind her.
There was an alleyway ahead, and Jiang Wanwan thought that if the people behind her were still following her when she got there, she would have to call the police.
The quiet night was filled only with the faint sound of footsteps, which instilled a sense of inexplicable fear in those who heard it.
When she reached the intersection, the group was still following her. Being followed repeatedly, Jiang Wanwan became quite annoyed.
She suddenly stopped, turned around abruptly, and shouted at the people behind her, "If you keep following me, I'm calling the police!"
As he spoke, he held up his phone screen to them; the emergency number was already entered, and he was just waiting to press the call button.
The group of men in suits behind him stopped and looked at one of the men, who seemed to be their leader.
The leader stared intently at Jiang Wanwan for a few seconds, his gaze probing and sharp.
His gaze was fierce and murderous, something that no normal person should have. Jiang Wanwan felt uneasy under his gaze and unconsciously took a step back.
Just when she thought she was about to meet with misfortune, the other party suddenly said something in some foreign language, and then the group of men in suits all bypassed her and quickly left.
Under the streetlights, Jiang Wanwan gasped for breath, still shaken. She tried to take a step, but almost fell, only to realize that her legs had already gone weak.
No, she needs to take a break.
Jiang Wanwan slowly moved to the side of the road, leaned against the corner of the wall and squatted down, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.
"Ugh—" A muffled groan of pain suddenly came from the deep alley.
Jiang Wanwan shrank her shoulders, instinctively wanting to run, but then, in the dim light, she realized that the other person seemed to be an injured man, who didn't appear to be dangerous.
So, mustering her courage, she slowly stood up and moved deeper into the alley...
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