chapter 36

Chapter 36

Past the age to love someone?

Ning Qiuyan was utterly puzzled by these words. Could loving someone really be related to age?

In his view, if he truly fell in love with someone, then no matter how much time passed, no matter how old he became, he would love with unwavering devotion-that was his most beautiful vision of love at eighteen.

But suddenly, Ning Qiuyan realized that Guan Heng was already over a thousand years old.

Anyone with such a long life would have witnessed the vicissitudes of the world and all its myriad forms. And just as Guan Heng himself had said, he’d had a few fleeting romances; love and desire, he had tasted them all, and was no longer interested.

Ning Qiuyan’s heart began to race. Did this mean-

“Back to the previous topic.”

That insignificant thought hadn’t even surfaced before it was completely extinguished. Guan Heng’s light words pulled Ning Qiuyan’s mind back.

Guan Heng continued, “Other than Jiahua Island, have you ever visited any other islands?”

Any talk of “love” was now thoroughly ended, and the probing into personal matters stopped there.

Ning Qiuyan was clutching a puzzle piece in his hand, his palm already sweaty. What had he just been daydreaming about? Even if Guan Heng’s answer was that he still wanted to fall in love or find a partner, it wouldn’t be with him… What was there to be disappointed about?

Ning Qiuyan glanced up at Guan Heng, trying to appear calm: “No. But I know a lot of people around me who have been.”

Guan Heng was looking at him.

So he lowered his head again and placed the puzzle piece where it belonged.

Guan Heng said nothing more.

Ning Qiuyan wasn’t exactly slow; he guessed that Guan Heng must have a reason for asking these things, so he asked, “Are you thinking of visiting other islands?”

At this moment, Ning Qiuyan was still naively imagining-maybe he’d guessed right, maybe Guan Heng wanted to go out and see the world, perhaps buy another island, move somewhere new for a change of scenery. But Guan Heng immediately replied, “No.”

“As I said earlier, Wutong wants to vigorously develop its tourism industry,” Guan Heng said. “Besides Jiahua Island, they plan to develop seven other islands, including Du Island, connecting these places to create a maritime sightseeing route.”

Ning Qiuyan was stunned by this news and looked up again: “What?”

His shock mirrored the reaction of everyone on the island who heard the news for the first time.

Du Island was an unspoiled place, with pristine and pure natural scenery.

If it were developed into a tourist destination and its beauty destroyed, what a pity that would be!

“Isn’t Du Island the one you bought?” Ning Qiuyan asked anxiously. “It’s your private property, it shouldn’t be included in their development plans. You have the right to refuse, don’t you?”

“I don’t have the right to refuse,” Guan Heng said. “When I first bought Du Island, it was indeed traded as private land. Over the past hundred years, there have been several changes in procedure, and with changes in the system, the legal clauses have changed as well. Now it’s still my private property, but even if I refuse, the government has the right to forcibly develop the land-for example, any minerals or oil on the island fall within their interests. If I can’t accept it, I can only sell Du Island to the government.”

No one can own a piece of land for two hundred years.

Just as Guan Heng had changed his name many times, every few decades, the ownership of the land had to be updated. After society modernized, it was through these procedural changes that Guan Heng inevitably lost some rights.

Ning Qiuyan remembered seeing a tourism promo on a big screen in the city, and now he understood why Du Island had flashed by in the footage-it all made sense.

He couldn’t help but furrow his brow tightly: “That’s just too unfair.”

“It’s not so bad,” Guan Heng said. “This Sunday, they’ll send the first group to negotiate, and I’m prepared.”

Ning Qiuyan looked at Guan Heng, whose dark eyes were calm and steady, as if this was just a routine episode, while he himself seemed to be overreacting.

Thinking about it, it made sense-the owner of this island wasn’t some entrepreneur or rich heir, but Guan Heng, who had lived for over a thousand years and whose connections ran unfathomably deep.

Du Island was Guan Heng’s home; of course he was prepared.
Ning Qiuyan wore his emotions on his face. As he listened to Guan Heng, his expression shifted from anxious to curious, making him truly resemble a loyal and innocent little animal.

Guan Heng rested his elbow on his knee and revealed the answer: “The island has a unique ecological environment, with several endangered rare plants. I’ve already invited experts to conduct an assessment. They’ve issued a professional report and will come to the island with government officials this Sunday.”

Ning Qiuyan suddenly understood. No wonder there had been some changes in the mansion and people seemed busy-it was all for this meeting.

“I saw Granny Bai and Lu Qianque discussing something together,” Ning Qiuyan mused. “It seemed like they were talking about the menu.”

“Yes, they’re preparing a banquet for the three-party meeting. It’s the first time, and those people will stay for a few days before leaving. There’ll be another meeting next month,” Guan Heng explained. “Lu Qianque will attend as my lawyer.”

Lu Qianque is actually a lawyer?

Ning Qiuyan hadn’t expected him to have such an identity.

“Will you be attending as well?” Ning Qiuyan asked.

“Yes.” Guan Heng’s dark eyes met Ning Qiuyan’s. “That’s why I need you here.”

Ning Qiuyan was taken aback, not expecting the topic to shift back to himself.

“Rest well tomorrow,” Guan Heng said finally. “Come see me again the day after tomorrow.”

*

“Come see me again the day after tomorrow.”

The day after tomorrow was Sunday-the day of the three-party meeting.

Ning Qiuyan knew Guan Heng was referring to the blood donation, but when Guan Heng said it, it felt like a special agreement between them, filling Ning Qiuyan with a secret sense of anticipation.

However, even though he was supposed to see Guan Heng again on Sunday, they still saw each other over the next two days.

Because of the meeting, Guan Heng was sleeping less. When Ning Qiuyan went upstairs to work on his puzzle, he twice saw Guan Heng and Lu Qianque talking in the small lounge on the third floor.

Ning Qiuyan was afraid of disturbing them and wanted to leave, but Guan Heng, standing inside, glanced at him lightly, and Lu Qianque greeted him as if they didn’t mind at all, so he stayed. The puzzle room was some distance from the lounge, so Ning Qiuyan couldn’t actually hear what they were saying.

After finishing their discussion, Lu Qianque came to the puzzle room to chat with Ning Qiuyan.

He appeared silently, which should have been unsettling, but Ning Qiuyan merely paused for a moment when he saw the black leather shoes suddenly at the door-he was already used to it.

“Sorry, I’ll remember to make some noise next time,” Lu Qianque said.

Ning Qiuyan said it was fine.

Lu Qianque walked in and looked at the puzzle. “Was this a gift from Mr. Guan?”

Ning Qiuyan nodded.

Lu Qianque asked, “There’s still so much left. Why not ask Gu Yu to help you?”

Ning Qiuyan had been hiding upstairs working on the puzzle. Gu Yu, finding the house stuffy, had already run off to the farm. Facing Lu Qianque, Ning Qiuyan was too embarrassed to admit that Gu Yu had gone to find Guan Ziming at his own suggestion.

Fortunately, Lu Qianque knew his kid well and quickly said, “Forget it, he’s too noisy. Mr. Guan probably wouldn’t allow him upstairs anyway.”

Ning Qiuyan thought, you guessed right.

Guan Heng really disliked noise.

Ning Qiuyan always felt more relaxed around Lu Qianque, so he asked, “Mr. Guan said you’re a lawyer.”

“Yes, surprised I have a legitimate profession, aren’t you?” Lu Qianque smiled. “After all, I have to make a living.”

Ning Qiuyan really couldn’t tell Lu Qianque was a lawyer. He’d thought, like Guan Heng, he probably didn’t need to do much.

Lu Qianque circled the puzzle, then sat down beside Ning Qiuyan, helping him fit a few pieces with interest. “A long time ago, I worked as a lawyer for a few years. Later… I could only hang up my shingle as a consultant. No choice-I’m active at night and can’t meet many normal clients.”

Lu Qianque’s meaning was clear. A Vampire working as a lawyer naturally had limitations; unable to appear during the day, he probably only worked for their own kind, like acting as Guan Heng’s lawyer.

Ning Qiuyan had always been curious why Guan Heng said they couldn’t be killed by sunlight, yet still avoided it so much.

He could have asked Lu Qianque, but he didn’t want to.

Hearing Lu Qianque say this, Ning Qiuyan felt a bit worried. “But the meeting on Sunday will probably be during the day…”

“I only need to provide advice and paperwork. Showing up at dinner is enough.” Lu Qianque looked at him and said, with a tone of relief, “Luckily we have you, Ning Qiuyan. Otherwise, I’d have had to fly to Country A a few months ago.”
Ning Qiuyan did not understand what he meant.

Lu Qianque said, “Do you remember I told you that Sir searched for a long time before he found someone like you?”

Ning Qiuyan nodded.

“Actually, most of us probably have such a ‘you’, it’s just that everyone’s opportunities are different,” Lu Qianque said. “My ‘you’ appeared very early, and she is from Country A.”

Ning Qiuyan asked, “So you also need… him?”

Ning Qiuyan could never bring himself to say the word ‘bite’, always feeling it was too bloody, so he asked vaguely.

It was enough that Lu Qianque understood.

Not only did Lu Qianque understand, he also answered his question: “No, because I don’t need his blood.”

“But if Sir hadn’t found you, then it would be different,” Lu Qianque added. “Then I might have to attend the meeting in Sir’s place.”

Ning Qiuyan grew even more confused.

Lu Qianque had told him before that his blood was special to Guan Heng, but without Guan Heng’s permission, Lu Qianque couldn’t tell him the specific reason. This time was no different.

So does everyone have their own exclusive blood donor?

After learning that there were others in the world in the same situation as himself, Ning Qiuyan felt a bit of kinship toward these strangers and asked, “What kind of person is she?”

“I’ve never met her,” Lu Qianque said. “I only know she’s a woman, and I know her name and address.” At this, Lu Qianque mused, “It’s been so long, she should be about the same age as Uncle Kang now.”

How could they bring an old woman with a happy family across the sea to this place? That was a problem. If they hadn’t found Ning Qiuyan, Lu Qianque really didn’t know how to handle it.

They only chatted for a short while before Lu Qianque had things to do and couldn’t stay in the puzzle room for long.

After talking with Lu Qianque, Ning Qiuyan was left with a new mystery in his heart.

He stayed in the puzzle room all morning, not resting for a moment. The progress was decent, but time was still tight for him; he didn’t know if he could finish in time.

However, after lunch, he didn’t return to the puzzle room right away. Instead, he went to the kitchen, wanting to help Granny Bai.

There were already a few people working in the kitchen.

Ning Qiuyan said he wanted to help too: “See if there’s anything I can do-moving things, washing vegetables, I can do it all.”

“No need,” Granny Bai said, waving him off. “They say there’s a banquet tomorrow, but it’s just a few extra dishes. With so many people helping me prepare, even I have nothing to do.”

As she spoke, she smiled and gently pushed him out: “Such nice weather, why do you always stay indoors? Child, spring on Du Island is beautiful. It’d be a shame not to go out and take a walk!”

Granny Bai was strong, and so Ning Qiuyan was obediently pushed outside.

Outside the mansion, the sun was indeed shining brightly.

Brilliant light filtered through the treetops, casting onto the lush green lawn, the forest, and the pale blue lake behind the house. The scenery was touched by the filter of spring, giving it a clean and magnificent beauty.

The fountain splashed, birds flapped their wings and flew into the woods, and a car returning from the farm stopped not far away to unload goods. Granny Bai went to greet them.

The sunlight and sounds made everything more vivid.

The gray, misty Du Island seemed to have shed its veil and become more real.

Yet when Ning Qiuyan turned his head, he could still see the quiet mansion.

It hadn’t changed.

Every window was tightly covered by panels, the third floor was no exception.

It stood there, casting a huge shadow, silent and unmoving.

Ning Qiuyan withdrew his gaze and decided to follow Granny Bai’s advice and take a walk around the island.

Spring on Du Island should be colder than in Wutong.

He had already stepped out of the shadow and into a patch of sunlight beneath the treetops, but still felt a bit cold. So he pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, shoved his hands into his pockets, and slowly walked into the woods.