August 25th, Sunday.
For any bad thing, the first time is always the worst, but once the first time is accepted by others, a few more times don't seem so strange. The Blood Clan advancement dormancy that Zhong Jing shouldn't have been exposed to was probably just like this.
As long as he didn't get in the way, Jiang Yan couldn't be bothered to argue with Zhong Jing, who was stubbornly sitting in the corner of the room refusing to leave. After all, his concern had no malicious intent.
Today should have been Jiang Yan's day off, but she still kept watch in the room. These past days, she had barely left Jiang Yao's side, not only getting little rest but also having several hundred milliliters of blood drawn to give Jiang Yao "supplemental meals."
After adding Jiang Yan's blood to the knight's blood, Jiang Yao returned to normal, sleeping exceptionally peacefully and sweetly, as if having a long, beautiful dream.
This was a very extravagant conclusion that Zhao Peng had verified: Jiang Yao's initial blood dependence syndrome was extremely severe, and even with non-ordinary human blood, she was only interested in rare blood types.
The weak yet sharp aura emanating from Jiang Yao's entire body made Xiao Ai and the others envious.
That was blood energy protein accumulating in her body, a sign of complete renewal undergoing changes in both quantity and quality. It belonged to the declaration of having one foot already in the knight realm, and this was only after four days.
Jiang Yao's performance exceeding expectations obviously had no possibility of advancement failure, indicating limitless prospects ahead. Everyone's tension completely dissipated.
Zhao Peng was no longer as polite and courteous as before, directly issuing Jiang Yan an eviction order, demanding she must go home and rest for a day or two.
With a handbag containing a few clothes that needed washing, Jiang Yan left Golden River Club with fatigue and relief. Instead of choosing to take a taxi or subway home directly, she walked slowly down the street, experiencing long-missed relaxation.
Not far away, at the entrance of a public kindergarten, this year's parent-child enrollment visit ceremony was taking place. Dozens of young parents led their precious children, taking group photos at the kindergarten entrance. Behind the parents and children was a countdown banner for the opening.
Seeing the reminder showing seven days remaining until opening, Jiang Yan suddenly realized that today was her birthday!
She had heard that people who became Blood Clan midway through life had a tradition of treating the day of their blood infection as their new birthday, but she obviously lacked this awareness...
Looking around at all the high-rise buildings and bustling traffic, hearing the noisy yet cold clamor in her ears, Jiang Yan suddenly fell into confusion, standing dazedly on the street, at a loss.
It was already past twelve noon, and Meng Huai still stood by the bulletin board of W District Children's Welfare Institute, staring intently at the gate.
A few minutes later, a familiar girl's figure finally appeared at the end of his vision.
The corner of Meng Huai's mouth slightly curved upward, then he strode over. Without waiting for her to greet him, he directly took the handbag from Jiang Yao's hand. "Quarter past twelve. Calculating the time, you definitely haven't eaten either. The welfare institute staff cafeteria still has food. Let's go together."
This series of words and actions from Meng Huai left Jiang Yan stunned, mouth slightly agape, taking quite a while before she moved her feet to follow behind him.
"Mr. Meng, how were you so certain I would come today? I almost forgot today was Sunday volunteer time. If I had come half an hour later..."
Sitting at a table in the corner of the cafeteria, Jiang Yan managed a forced smile.
"Mm, if you hadn't come, I would have eaten by myself in another quarter hour."
Meng Huai buried his head in his meal, speaking in a flat tone, as if he hadn't been waiting here specifically, maintaining his consistently low emotional intelligence in expression.
Jiang Yan smiled and casually rearranged the vegetable plates in front of Meng Huai according to distance, but didn't serve herself any rice.
"Not eating? No appetite?"
Meng Huai looked up to ladle soup, seeing the empty bowl in front of her, and frowned slightly.
"Today I... I want to go buy a cake..." The girl suddenly looked up and slowly stood.
"Wait!"
A hand reached over, not touching Jiang Yan but clearly expressing a stopping gesture. Meng Huai stood up, put on his military cap, and without waiting for Jiang Yan's response, strode out.
Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes... Not until the welfare institute cafeteria staff began cleaning up did Meng Huai return to the table with a small paper box, a faint layer of sweat visible on his forehead.
Untying the colored ribbon on the box, an exquisite round cream cake appeared before Jiang Yan. White cream, red strawberries, blue blueberries, green mint leaves, black chocolate powder, and a few orange characters.
"How old?"
Meng Huai poured out a pile of number candles from a small plastic bag, then looked up to ask.
Jiang Yan was confused again. After a few seconds, she silently picked out a "2" and a "1" from the candle pile.
"Mm, happy birthday."
Meng Huai used the complimentary matches to light the two candles representing "21 years old," then gently pushed the base plate toward Jiang Yan.
"Meng... Meng Huai, how were you certain I wanted a birthday cake just now?"
Jiang Yan still hadn't reacted.
"From the moment you entered, besides saying you wanted cake today, you've been absent-minded. Either you have something on your mind, or today has some special..."
Before he could say "significance," Meng Huai froze, looking puzzledly at the birthday candles on the cake, a strange thought appearing in his mind.
Today's birthday was the same day as Xia Yan's... Meng Huai looked up, glancing at the black-haired girl's face. After a few seconds, he smiled and gently shook his head.
"What's wrong?"
Jiang Yan looked curiously at the dazed youth, leaning slightly forward.
"Nothing..." Meng Huai removed his military cap, playing with it in his hands, seeming to hesitate about something. "I was thinking, could I use this birthday cake... to trade for telling you a story?"
A heavy, urgent, guilty smile mixed with a few traces of relief appeared on Meng Huai's face.
"Tell me a story?" Jiang Yan was even more confused. "What story?"
"My... my former squad leader's story. He also sacrificed his life a few years ago..."
Jiang Yan suddenly felt both amused and exasperated. This was truly the first time she had encountered a man with such low emotional intelligence, though she herself had once been considered quite clueless about romance.
Regardless of their true identities, just giving a girl a birthday cake and then telling her a story about a sacrificed soldier to celebrate her birthday could no longer be described as merely eccentric.
However, Jiang Yan had never heard the story of the previous squad leader of Xuan Jia Squad and was very interested. At least when Xia Yan was still in Xuan Jia Squad, anyone wanting to inquire about the previous squad leader was almost a taboo topic.
"Mm, let me start from the day I first met the old squad leader..."
Seeing that Jiang Yan didn't object, Meng Huai began speaking eloquently.
It wasn't until after seven in the evening, when a soft sound came from Jiang Yan's stomach, that Meng Huai stopped talking.
"Sorry, I got carried away..." Meng Huai awkwardly checked his watch, then looked at the empty cafeteria, and could only slowly stand up. "If you don't mind, let's go out to eat together."
"No, my sister is waiting for me at home. I was very happy to hear the old squad leader's story today. He was also a hero."
Jiang Yan silently complained about her uncooperative stomach, but maintained a polite smile on her face. "So next week, whose story will it be?"
Meng Huai was stunned for a moment, then smiled too. "I'll tell the story of a sister, a senior from when I was in military academy."
"Did she also sacrifice her life?"
Seeing his calm expression and nodding motion, Jiang Yan felt a sharp pain in her heart.
It turned out that Commander Meng's thoughts were far more delicate than his appearance suggested. He had never forgotten those brothers and sisters, just keeping them in his heart, tasting the loneliness alone with no one to share.
Jiang Yan grabbed her handbag, bowed slightly, and walked toward the cafeteria exit.
At the street side, watching the taxi disappear into the distance, Meng Huai finally turned back. Upon turning around, he discovered a familiar, beautiful woman in a dress standing at the welfare institute entrance.
"What are you doing here?" Meng Huai frowned slightly, taking several steps to reach Han Xiao. "When did you arrive?"
"Heh, first time I've seen such a stupid man who can tell a little girl stories in a cafeteria for six hours. I really didn't expect you to be so talkative."
Han Xiao showed a mocking expression, crossing her arms, her eyes scanning Meng Huai up and down. "You seem to look down on me, but do you really think she would like someone like you? That girl really gave you face, listening to your babbling. She really could keep her composure.
"What kind of people are we? Haven't you realized?"
Meng Huai stared intently into her eyes, speaking coldly. "Of all Shadow Arrow's operational squads, from squad leaders to team members, how many can survive more than ten years on the front lines? I'm approaching eight years. If I don't tell these people's stories, there might not be another chance..."
"You..." Han Xiao suddenly trembled all over, slowly lowering her head.
A tear fell to the ground. The usually heroic and decisive woman was actually wiping away tears as she cried. "So you've been hiding my brother's death from me."
Meng Huai was stunned, slowly approaching. After hesitating for a long time, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't touch me! Go die, all of you just go die!"
Han Xiao roared, retreating several steps, gritting her teeth as she vigorously wiped away her tears, then stubbornly raised her head again. "I didn't come looking for you today! I came to check the scene, to see if there were any planning oversights."
"What's there to see? It's all just a matter of setting fire..."
Meng Huai turned his head away, no longer looking into her eyes, stepping back two paces to hail a taxi.
Suddenly, Meng Huai felt someone grab his arm, then a soft body pressed against his back, arms encircling him, holding on tightly.
"Meng Huai... my brother is dead... Including my eldest cousin and second cousin, almost all the men of this generation in the Han family are dead, almost all dead... How much longer do we have to fight them..."
Feeling his military uniform being soaked with tears on his back, the body pressed against him trembling with sobs, Meng Huai could only close his eyes tightly and stand straight, powerless to do anything else.