Chapter 24

The Old Woman picked up a few eggs and glanced over at the deer pen.

Ning Qiuyan felt he was being rude and immediately turned his face away, but then heard her call out from a distance, “Is that Xiao Ning?”

There were no other outsiders on Du Island, so everyone knew he was the one who had come to donate blood-Ning Qiuyan.

He turned back, trying to look at her with a normal expression, but when Granny Bai faced him directly, her severely damaged face struck him with an even greater impact than before.

“Hello,” he steadied his expression and replied politely, “My name is Ning Qiuyan.”

Granny Bai smiled gently, her scars twisting even more grotesquely with the motion. “Come, help Granny pick up the eggs.”

She beckoned him over.

Ning Qiuyan tossed all the carrots to the deer and walked over.

The chickens in the coop were startled by his intrusion and clucked noisily. Guan Ziming went to shoo them away and said to Ning Qiuyan, “This is Granny Bai, the cook in the kitchen. She arranges all the meals on the island.”

Ning Qiuyan was a bit surprised-so this was the Granny Bai whom Uncle Kang had mentioned as someone who didn’t like to meet people?

He seemed to understand some of the reasons now, but also felt a sense of closeness. All those delicious meals he liked were made by her.

Guan Ziming didn’t intend to say much more, only added, “You can collect the eggs from this nest, but not from that one yet. Be gentle when placing them, so you don’t break any.”

Ning Qiuyan nodded, “Okay.”

Even though he’d never done this kind of work before, Ning Qiuyan still knew how to collect eggs. The three of them quickly filled a basket to the brim, and with some extras that wouldn’t fit, Guan Ziming found another container to hold them.

The truck was still waiting for them. The driver stood nearby smoking, and on the empty seat was a thermal box for Guan Heng’s blood bags.

Everyone was quite friendly, and the atmosphere during their conversation was peaceful and pleasant.

If you ignored the owner of Du Island and just looked at the people and the environment, you might think you were in a paradise far removed from the world.

Ning Qiuyan, even now, couldn’t bring himself to dislike this place.

In the truck bed were several logs cut from the mountain, along with some wild vegetables and mountain goods. Guan Ziming helped Granny Bai into the truck bed; the roads here weren’t dangerous, and the truck moved slowly, so she usually sat on the pile of straw in the back.

The baskets and basins of eggs needed to be secured, or they’d get cracked during the bumpy ride.

Granny Bai said to Ning Qiuyan again, “I can’t carry these by myself. Xiao Ning, come help me.”

It was getting late in the afternoon.

Ning Qiuyan needed to head back anyway, so he got on the truck with Granny Bai. Sitting in the truck bed like this for the first time felt a bit novel to him.

The vehicle crawled through the woods, the air at the entrance was cool and damp, fresh and invigorating. As the scenery retreated like a painting, it seemed every frame his eyes caught was even more beautiful.

Except for the slight jolts that made Ning Qiuyan nervous about the eggs in his arms each time.

“Child, how old are you this year?” Granny Bai asked.

“Eighteen,” Ning Qiuyan replied.

“Still so young,” Granny Bai said with concern. “What’s wrong? Are the meals lately not to your taste? I changed the menu, but even when they bring the food back, there’s still so much left over.”

Ning Qiuyan replied awkwardly, “No, your cooking is delicious…”

Granny Bai said, “I’ve been cooking on this island for decades. No matter how good the food is, everyone gets tired of it. It’s rare to have someone new here, so making meals for you each time makes me happy. Next time, eat a bit more, okay?”

Ning Qiuyan obediently agreed.

They didn’t talk much on the truck. After getting off, Ning Qiuyan helped carry the eggs and wild vegetables into the kitchen.

The kitchen was much larger and brighter than he had imagined.

Unlike other places where the curtains were always drawn during the day, the kitchen had an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, letting all the light in. Standing by the window, you could see the dense, deep green fir trees, as if you could breathe in the forest air and feel like you were in an art gallery.

“The gentleman never comes to the kitchen,” Granny Bai said as she walked over. “This is my domain.”

Guan Heng probably didn’t eat human food, so he wouldn’t come here.

Thinking this, Ning Qiuyan turned around and unexpectedly met Granny Bai’s gaze. At such close range, her face was even clearer to him, and Ning Qiuyan’s heart trembled-he felt his reaction was too much and impolite, so he quickly lowered his lashes.

“No need to feel guilty. It’s normal to be scared at first sight; I’m used to it,” Granny Bai said kindly. “Come, help Granny put this in the cabinet. I can’t reach.”

Ning Qiuyan blushed and took the item from her as instructed.

The young man was still growing taller, and he easily reached the overhead cabinet and put the item away.

“At first, I used to scare myself when I looked in the mirror. Sometimes I wouldn’t go out for days, and people on the island would be startled when they saw me. Over time, I stopped going out much.”

Granny Bai was very open about her appearance; her words showed she was a person with a very peaceful heart.

Ning Qiuyan turned back and asked softly, “How did you get hurt?”

Granny Bai continued handing him things, explaining as she did, “I was bitten.”

Actually, Ning Qiuyan had vaguely guessed. Combining the censored victim photos in the news and Su Jianzhou’s descriptions, Granny Bai’s injuries matched his suspicions.

The “Monster” he saw that day was even more brutal than he had imagined.

The sharp fangs and blood-red eyes he saw were just one possibility, but Granny Bai’s wounds showed him one consequence.

A shocking consequence.

“It happened many years ago,” Granny Bai said, her tone as calm as if she were talking about someone else. “Too much Venom was injected; I should have died-death would have been better than infection. At the critical moment, the gentleman arrived and saved my life. The Venom wasn’t expelled, so I was left with these scars. I suppose I’m lucky to be alive.”
Ning Qiuyan paused for a second or two before continuing to put things into the hanging cabinet.

Granny Bai said, “After so many years, sometimes it still feels like living through a nightmare.”

After putting everything away, Ning Qiuyan asked, “I heard that wounds heal faster here. So, was your recovery also thanks to Mr. Guan?”

He couldn’t help his curiosity and asked again, “Last time the power went out, a kitchen helper was injured. Has he recovered as well?”

Ning Qiuyan could now somewhat understand what Guan Ziming had said, but as for how it was achieved, he still had no clue. It was like the wound on his palm-it seemed to have healed overnight.

It was simply a medical miracle, but everything here could no longer be explained by science.

“Of course, it’s all thanks to Mr. Guan,” Granny Bai said with a smile. “That kitchen helper-you just saw him. He drove us back.”

Ning Qiuyan understood now; the injured helper was the driver.

*

That night, Lu Qianque’s helicopter landed on a clearing by the freshwater lake, in the Forest.

He got off the helicopter and glanced at the frozen lake. The snowy landscape eased some of the emotions stirred by his journey across the sea.

In a flash, a silent shadow swept by, and Lu Qianque’s tall figure appeared at the entrance of the mansion.

Uncle Kang was already waiting there. As they entered, they exchanged a few brief words.

Lu Qianque smiled with interest and headed straight for the third floor.

Guan Heng stood by the window in the darkness, his cold, sharp profile as unchanging as ever.

Hearing Lu Qianque’s almost inaudible footsteps, he didn’t turn around, only said lightly, “You’re here.”

“Sir.” Lu Qianque nodded respectfully to Guan Heng’s back. “The matter wasn’t too tricky, but it did take some time to handle.”

After discussing business, Lu Qianque joked, “I heard you had a falling out with Little Puppy.”

Guan Heng didn’t much like the nickname Little Puppy either, so Lu Qianque toned it down a bit and continued, “I also heard you punished him by making him slaughter a sheep.”

Guan Heng turned around. “You think he shouldn’t have been punished?”

“Of course he should have. Without a lesson, how would he remember?” Lu Qianque’s eyes flickered, and he nodded again. “I’m not questioning you, sir, but how long has it been since you interacted closely with humans? Especially-humans of that age.”

Guan Heng’s long hair draped down his back, his expression unchanged, as if waiting for Lu Qianque to continue.

“Our way of thinking is completely different from humans,” Lu Qianque said. “You can’t imagine how fragile they can be-not just physically, but mentally. Forcing him to slaughter a sheep, let me put it this way: it’s like taking a Little Puppy who doesn’t know the dangers of the road to witness a car accident. All they remember is how terrifying and cruel the accident was, but they can’t connect the cause of the accident to crossing the road.”

Guan Heng spoke: “So you mean he didn’t learn his lesson.”

Lu Qianque smiled slightly. “Yes.”

Guan Heng looked at him coolly, as if to say that the current outcome proved Lu Qianque’s opinion wrong.

But Lu Qianque continued, “He did kill the sheep. With his level of obedience, it’s hard for him to refuse you. But the real result is: he’s afraid of you, so he avoids seeing you.”

His worldview had just been overturned, realizing the existence of others unlike himself, and then he witnessed a horrifying scene of abuse and indirectly experienced the act of slaughter.

Lu Qianque knew that sending Ning Qiuyan to Du Island was pushing him into a world he feared, which was already a kind of forced growth.

Guan Heng’s punishment accelerated Ning Qiuyan’s acceptance of everything, pushing him beyond his limits, but due to irresistible circumstances, he still went through with it.

Uncle Kang was right to say Ning Qiuyan was strong-an ordinary person would likely have collapsed.

Guan Heng’s way of thinking was indeed different from humans. Even now, as Lu Qianque pointed it out, he still couldn’t understand.

But he wasn’t someone who couldn’t accept advice. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Is this your new parenting philosophy?”

“Not by choice,” Lu Qianque replied. “After raising a child for over ten years, constantly taming him, I’m almost forced to remember what it’s like to be human.”

The topic didn’t continue, as if it were just a small interlude in the room.

Guan Heng turned back to look out the window, and Lu Qianque walked over as well.

Looking down from the third-floor window, they could see the back of the building clearly.

Ning Qiuyan was wearing an oversized coat and a scarf, squatting in the snow, building a snowman.

There was no one else there. In the night, Ning Qiuyan’s figure looked small and solitary.

A snow shovel was tossed aside, and on the bench lay roasted sweet potatoes Granny Bai had given him, which seemed to have gone cold. His movements were slow, as if he was just passing the time while lost in thought.

Seeing this, Lu Qianque said, “I’ll go have a word with him.”

Lu Qianque had brought back some news that Ning Qiuyan would want to know.

Guan Heng agreed.

Lu Qianque took a few steps, then turned back. “By the way, since he’s being so disobedient, I’ll leave his things with you for now.”

After handing over the items, he nodded and stepped back two paces before striding downstairs.

Guan Heng took Ning Qiuyan’s phone. When he turned it over, the screen lit up, showing a photo of Ning Qiuyan and a woman.

Their heads were close together, and their features were very similar.

The boy held a trophy in his hand, his clear eyes shining brightly. He smiled without a care, his brows raised in pride.

Outside the window, downstairs.

Lu Qianque walked out of the building, and Ning Qiuyan sprang up from the snow.

He seemed a bit excited and called out Lu Qianque’s name.