novelinnhs Chapter 9: Taste and Doubt
Chapter 9: Taste and Doubt
The extended Lincoln limousine stopped outside a private villa.
The maid waiting at the door had prepared an advanced wheelchair in advance, which could be connected to the back seat of the modified vehicle.
Jiang Huaimeng can switch from a car seat to a wheelchair on her own without needing any assistance.
After getting out of the car, the maid pushed Jiang Huaimeng towards the villa.
She instructed, "Prepare a cup of coffee for me later."
"Yes, Mr. Jiang."
We returned to the designated washroom.
Jiang Huaimeng's wheelchair slowly and mechanically tilted back, allowing her to lie flat on the wheelchair.
Two maids who attend to Jiang Huaimeng's daily needs then took the appropriate tools to wash her face and hair, wipe her body, massage her feet, and perform other daily care.
These tasks are essential for people with disabilities; otherwise, a body that has not responded for more than ten years can easily develop problems due to blocked meridians.
Even if a cure for this genetic disease does emerge internationally, patients who cannot recover due to their own reasons will likely suffer a mental breakdown.
Jiang Huaimeng closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle and skilled massage from the maids.
What lingered in his mind was the scene that had just unfolded in the warehouse.
She has always believed that humans are extremely logical animals, and that there is no love or hate without a reason.
Everyone has a visible motivation for everything they do.
Just like what she herself has done in secret over the years out of hatred, everything has a source.
So when she learned that Lin Zheng was setting up a hospital for her and planned to use all his personal money to treat her, her first question was why he would be willing to go to such lengths for her.
She was genuinely curious, curious about what this man was thinking.
So when that not-so-long story was clearly told by him, Jiang Huaimeng felt an unprecedented shock and emotion.
From their first meeting as children, to her secret crush on him in the middle of his life, and then to their planned marriage later on.
He did all this to win over people and hearts, trying every means to make himself happy and think of himself.
It turns out that there has always been a man in my life who has been paying attention to and liking me.
It felt just like a dream, yet it was happening right before my eyes.
Especially when he mentioned having short hair and wearing boys' clothes when he was a child, Jiang Huaimeng was transported back to her childhood.
This kind of thing was known only to her family and Xiaoxi; no one else knew about it. Even her childhood fondness for eel rice was something that even her ordinary relatives couldn't know.
She hasn't eaten eel rice since elementary school, and the nanny who used to make it has long since retired and returned to her hometown.
Did you ever give him half a bowl of rice when he was in kindergarten?
Hmm, I don't remember very clearly, but based on the scene he described, I seem to have a vague impression of it.
Yes, that must be true.
Because at that time I really liked helping others, and it seems that someone once asked me for food, and I gave it to him.
Little did he know that this small gesture would have such an impact on him to this day.
There's also the matter of love letters... I did receive a few love letters during my elementary school years, but at the time, I thought these peers were a bit naive.
So those things were thrown away without even being opened. I should have kept them...
I'm curious to know what he wrote to me back then. It must have been some childish love confession, right?
What would a little boy say to a little girl?
I really want to take a look.
And...and he even sneaked into my house after I got sick, just to come see me. How mischievous of him!
Did they see me crying and know I like birds, so they used birdsong to comfort me?
Hmph~ I didn't even know it was him, so doing all this is just a waste of time.
"President Jiang? You seem to be in a very good mood tonight. Is there something good happening?"
The maid's words suddenly interrupted Jiang Huaimeng's thoughts, but she was not angry. Instead, she opened her eyes and looked at the maid.
Pretending nothing happened: "Happy? How can you tell I'm happy?"
The maid smiled: "I've been taking care of Mr. Jiang for a long time. I don't know about other things, but can't I tell if you're happy or angry? Usually, even if you're happy, you just smile for a moment and then nothing more. But tonight, ever since you came back, you've had a smile on your face."
Jiang Huaimeng frowned: "I've been laughing the whole time?"
The maid nodded and smiled, "Yes, you've been smiling the whole time. Did the company close some big deal?"
Jiang Huaimeng snorted and looked at the ceiling: "Actually, it's not something to be happy about. It's just that something very special happened that I found interesting. I didn't expect it. Oh, right."
She suddenly asked, "Since you two have been with me for so long, do you know what my favorite animal is?"
The two maids exchanged a glance, and then spoke at the same time, but their words were different.
"A puppy? I saw President Jiang petting someone else's puppy before."
"The kitten, right? Didn't a kitten accidentally run into the yard that time and rub against President Jiang's leg?"
Even though she hadn't guessed correctly, Jiang Huaimeng felt an inexplicable surge of joy.
As expected, I didn't know. It makes sense, since I rarely talk to people about my hobbies, especially since I've never kept any animals.
It's perfectly normal that ordinary people, or even those closest to them, wouldn't know.
But Lin Zheng... he knew.
It's impossible to know these things unless you truly love yourself.
Humans, especially men, are only genuinely curious about things they really, really want.
He's had a crush on me since kindergarten...
Humph.
Judging from his carefree personality, I guess he's probably fantasized about a lot of random things with me over the years, but this is the first time I've ever heard of it.
They almost never knew.
After the maids finished massaging and caring for Jiang Huaimeng, they washed and dried her hair.
I changed her into a light gray-black nightgown and pushed her to the bedroom.
"Mr. Jiang, your coffee is ready."
Jiang Huaimeng sat by the window, gazing at the vast city in the distance. She glanced back and saw Shen hope, who had been waiting outside for quite some time.
"How long have you been back?"
The maids withdrew, and Shen hope entered the bedroom, closed the door, and came to her side: "I came back after dropping off Lin Zheng. He said he would visit President Jiang in a few days to thank you for your help tonight."
Jiang Huaimeng took a sip of her coffee; it tasted exceptionally good today.
"Does he intend to investigate the kidnappers' matter further?"
"He didn't say anything. Although he said he was scared or something, I didn't think he was actually that scared. He's quite mischievous and not as timid as people say."
Jiang Huaimeng: "I could tell during the interrogation that she was very different from what you investigated. She wasn't as bad as the information you gave me suggested."
Shen Xi understood the meaning behind the words and lowered her head to apologize: "I'm sorry, President Jiang, it was my fault for not handling things properly and giving you the wrong information."
There was no reply from the other party, so Shen hope slowly looked up at Jiang Huaimeng.
Under the moonlight, Jiang Huaimeng looked as if she had stepped out of a painting. Her delicate profile was as if sprinkled with the glow of the moon, making her bright, beautiful and incomparably stunning.
Especially today, compared to the past, her usually cold face had an indescribable gentleness. This gentleness complemented her cold beauty, and Shen hope felt that this was the first time she had seen Jiang Huaimeng like this.
"General Jiang..."
Jiang Huaimeng's tone carried a hint of anger:
"You really made me very unhappy with what you did, and you almost caused a big problem. You should be more careful. I happen to have something else for you to investigate, and you absolutely cannot cause any more trouble this time."
"Yes!" Shen hope knew she had gotten herself into big trouble this time. "I will definitely do my best this time and will not disappoint President Jiang again."
Jiang Huaimeng took another sip of coffee, her lips pressed against the rim of the cup, and her instinctive wariness resurfaced.
"I just thought about it, and there's still something I don't understand: is it true or false that Lin Zheng has a chaotic private life and countless ex-girlfriends? What's going on?"
According to him, he should have liked me since childhood. How could someone like that have a messy private life? If he likes me, why would he be with other women? It doesn't make sense. Go and find out for me.
She turned her head slightly, and Yu Guangli's expression was very strange: "I'll give you a few more days this time, but the information must be accurate. If you make another mistake, I won't forgive you. Also, starting today, I will monitor his every move and report to me every day, word by word."
"Yes...but Mr. Jiang, I have something I'd like to ask..."
"explain."
"So you don't intend to kill him anymore? If that's the case, then...you really intend to marry him..."
Jiang Huaimeng paused for a moment upon hearing the word "marriage," then looked out the window again: "Go take care of the things I asked you to do first. I have my own plans."
Shen hope frowned, but had no choice but to nod.