spring bite mark

Chapter 24 That Absurdity
On the way back, Jiang Rong tried to find topics to talk about several times, but Jiang Manman showed little interest.

When she arrived at No. 1 Mansion, she was already in bed. She wasn't sleepy, but inexplicably depressed.

After reading some design-related books, Yan Changye called.

He was still in a meeting. From Jiang Manman's perspective, she could see a large group of people in the conference room, and further out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the dazzling lights of Shanghai's Duye City were reflected.

"You're so busy, why are you video calling me?" Jiang Manman's tone rose. "Besides, you only left this morning, so we've only been apart for twelve hours at most."

"We've been in meetings all afternoon, and after discussing for ages, we haven't come up with a single useful solution." Yan Changye's eyes were sharp, and his delicate face showed a hint of disdain. "I'm having a fit of stupidity. I'm just getting some fresh air at the door and checking on Madam."

Jiang Manman: "Mm."

Yan Changye stared at her for a while: "Is Madam in a bad mood?"

"No, I'm just really tired today." Jiang Manman's almond-shaped eyes swept over his face. "You didn't sleep at all last night, aren't you sleepy now?"

Yan Changye said sarcastically, "My wife knows I have a lot of energy."

Jiang Manman: "...Is there anything else? I'm going to sleep now."

"What's the rush? It's only eight o'clock." Yan Changye glanced at his watch, a little pestering. "There's an auction in Shanghai the day after tomorrow. The auction house sent over the list of items. I saw a fragment of a Tang Dynasty street scene illustration on it. Should I bid on it and let my wife do some research?"

Jiang Manman thought of the man who had recently gone viral for lighting sky lanterns several times.

On a whim, he went to the capital's auction, lit five sky lanterns, and won two bowls, a basin, two pieces of rags, and two shallow dishes.

As soon as he returned, he proudly showed these things to Jiang Manman: "Madam, the patterns on these items are your style. Take them and study them carefully..."

Jiang Manman looked at the bowls, plates, and tattered cloths, her feelings were somewhat complicated.

These items have some research value, but not much; she wouldn't gain as much as spending a day in a museum.

But this man bid fifty times the starting price for these items, which was already inflated, and then he lit a sky lantern, making it even more difficult for anyone to compete with him. Of the nearly 60 million items she won, under Yan Changye's expectant gaze, she kept only two shallow dishes from the Ming and Qing dynasties, donating the rest to a museum.

When the museum curator received the item, his expression was quite complicated:
“Miss Jiang, you should keep a closer eye on your Mr. Yan, who tends to get carried away. Every time something even remotely related to design comes up, he turns the entire auction into chaos…”

Saying it was 'chaotic' was obviously a joke. That young master from the Beijing elite circle had such an elegant demeanor that he could easily outshine everyone in any situation. He would simply snatch things up gracefully, throwing money around until his opponents dared not utter a sound.

At this moment, when Jiang Manman heard the man mention the auction again, she almost reflexively said, "No need."

Yan Changye paused for a moment, his voice languid: "Doesn't Madam like it?"

“My expertise is limited; I can’t research things with historical value. If you really want to buy me something, take me to the next auction, and I’ll choose it myself.”

"Alright then." Yan Changye nodded reluctantly, but Jiang Manman still caught a hint of a smile in his eyes.

Seeing that he still wanted to continue chatting, Jiang Manman reminded him, "You should go to your meeting."

Yan Changye gave a lazy "hmm": "I'll probably be up until one or two in the morning tonight. My wife should go to sleep early. Your husband will be looking for you again early tomorrow morning."

Jiang Manman nodded slightly.

After hanging up the phone, Yan Changye dispelled most of the gloom he had brought back from the clubhouse entrance.

Jiang Manman felt a little better, picked up her pajamas and took a bath. When she returned to bed, she found several missed calls.

It is the landline phone number of one of the hotels under Jiang Manman's name.

She called back. On the other end, the customer service representative spoke respectfully: "Madam, I'm sorry to bother you so late, but there's something I need your permission for."

Jiang Manman: "Speak."

"It's like this, five years ago, Chairman Yan personally ordered that Presidential Suite 1001 be sealed off, and no one except you and Chairman Yan was allowed to use it. I wonder if Madam still remembers this?"

Jiang Manman's fingertips holding the phone suddenly turned icy cold: "Yes, I remember."

“We have someone taking care of that room every day. The hotel is changing the bedding these past two days to get rid of the old stock. I don’t know if room 1001 will stay as it is or if it will also be changed?”

Jiang Manman remained silent.

The customer service representative continued, "The new bedding uses more expensive silk filling and a velvet duvet cover, from the most expensive international brand—it's much better than the old one. In addition, the sofa, appliances, and bathroom system will also be upgraded. Madam, what do you think?"

It took Jiang Manman a while to find her voice: "...Keep it as it is."

Customer service representative: "Yes, ma'am."

Jiang Manman hung up the phone without knowing how.

As she huddled under the covers, she suddenly felt a chill, and the pent-up frustration that hadn't been completely suppressed swept over her entire body in an instant.

That night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

My dreams are filled with that uncontrollable absurdity in room 1001—

At that time, she had broken up with Xie Yuheng for almost a year.

A year may not seem like a long time, but it's enough for someone to let go of a longing.

She started a new life and founded her own Muchan brand, but was kidnapped on her way from school to the Muchan studio.

After a long period of torment, she was bound hand and foot and taken to suite 1001 of the Imperial Capital Hotel.

Inside the suite, an ambiguous fragrance wafted, its aroma lingering softly.

She struggled to get up, walked to the door, and tried to pry open the suite door with her elbow, but couldn't.

Outside the door, a somber conversation could be heard from several kidnappers:

"We didn't kidnap the wrong person, did we? We've been given a strict order to get that girl into Mr. Xie's bed."

"We're definitely not wrong on our end, but we don't know if the source of the information is reliable."

"Don't worry, the person who leaked the information is the girlfriend of that rich kid in Beijing's elite circles. She said that Mr. Xie is eyeing this girl, so it must be true."

"The men guarding outside say Mr. Xie has come in," another kidnapper urged. "We should leave now."

Jiang Manman stood at the door and turned pale the moment she heard the words "Mr. Xie".

Inside the suite, the aromatherapy scent grew stronger, making me feel as if insects were crawling all over me, a tingling and uncomfortable sensation. Outside the door, however, approaching footsteps and the ingratiating, fawning words of a strange man could be heard:
"Mr. Xie Yuheng, we have prepared a small gift for you in your room. This is your room key."

Several seconds later, that all-too-familiar voice came through, dignified and indifferent: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

(End of this chapter)