Chapter Two: A Blood Transfusion for Our Little One
1887 Words
Fu Yunshen’s gaze sharpened, and he tilted his head slightly.
The streetlights gleamed brightly, reflecting off his deep-set, almond-shaped eyes, casting a soft, almost seductive glow across his face. It was hard for anyone to resist being drawn in by his gaze.
As the girl came closer, Fu Yunshen could clearly see the faint, bluish veins beneath her pale skin. She looked fragile, too fragile, and a small flicker of concern crossed his expression.
Neil felt his own sweat intensify.
There was no way she overheard him talking badly about her, right?
Although he was a black belt in karate, a grown man, just watching her fight had him feeling like he’d be outmatched by her, even if she used only one hand.
Just as he was lost in thought, the girl stopped right in front of him. She lifted her gaze, still hazy from sleep, and spoke.
"You—"
Neil’s legs went weak. Before he knew it, he was kneeling in front of her. "I’m just a gossip, I didn’t mean any harm, please, have mercy on me, big shot!"
Fu Yunshen raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Kneeling with one leg, so respectful. Are you proposing?"
Neil froze. "..."
His uncooperative leg!
Zijin raised an eyebrow at Neil, her expression calm and measured. "In three days, at 7 p.m., you’ll encounter a bit of trouble on the corner of 1st Avenue. But don’t worry, it won’t be life-threatening. Seven days later, at noon, I suggest you avoid the area around South Street or else your life could be at risk."
Neil stood frozen, completely stunned.
Fu Yunshen, clearly intrigued, flicked his fingers, his voice a low, amused drawl. "Little one, you can tell the future?"
Zijin didn’t respond right away but simply said, "Thank you."
Her words of thanks were a distraction. Whether anyone helped her or not didn’t matter. She was testing whether her once-sharp foresight still held up.
It seemed she still had a long way to go to fully recover her abilities, but for now, what she could do was enough.
Neil, utterly lost, asked, "Huh?"
Fu Yunshen gave Neil a sideways glance, then focused back on the girl. His amber eyes, full of charm and intensity, never left her. He spoke with a hint of amusement, "Little one, just thanking him? You’re making it too easy on him. What do you say?"
Zijin paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face.
Neil, still in shock, couldn’t help but mutter, "Seven, what’s going on? You’re the one bullying the little girl, and now you're making her thank you? What’s up with that? Have you taken some weird medicine today?"
A grown man acting this way? Was this even possible?
He had never seen Fu Yunshen behave this way with another woman.
Fu Yunshen ignored him completely. His gaze remained fixed on the girl, intense and steady, like he was trying to read her very soul. His voice dropped lower, a teasing lilt to it. "Little one, you did a reading for him, why don’t you do one for me?"
Zijin withdrew her hand, completely unfazed by the strange stares from the people around her. Rolling up her sleeve, she continued walking.
New York City was the second largest international metropolis in the country, a place where both the economy and technology were rapidly advancing, yet it was chaotic, filled with many gray areas and underground gangs. Such events were not uncommon here.
"Did you see that, Seven?" Neil took a long time to recover, pinching his leg and wincing. "I clearly remember, this little girl just came into the hospital the other day. And now she can take on five guys like that?"
"Yeah, I saw," Fu Yunshen replied, his hands casually tucked in his pockets as he observed the girl’s retreating figure. "But her skills, they don’t seem to belong to any one style. It’s a mix of Muay Thai and maybe some judo."
Neil blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Every move she made was deliberate," Fu Yunshen smiled, a hint of amusement in his voice. "If she'd exerted just a bit more force, those five guys wouldn’t have just been on the ground, they’d be in the hospital."
Cold sweat dripped down Neil's face. "No way... Could this little girl really be trained in some ancient martial arts?"
Ancient martial arts, blending traditional techniques with modern science, made their practitioners far stronger than someone like him, skilled in karate.
There were indeed practitioners of ancient martial arts in America, though they were rare. Some ancient martial arts families had faded away since the 21st century, and even wealthy families in cities like New York were searching for true practitioners. If one of them could recruit a real martial arts master, their family could rival the old financial empires of Europe.
If this girl from the Ying family was truly skilled in ancient martial arts, why was she being used as a blood donor? The Ying family would be treating her like a priceless treasure, not just a convenient blood bag.
"Ancient martial arts?" Fu Yunshen's eyes narrowed, his interest piqued.
Just then, the girl turned and walked back toward them.
Fu Yunshen’s gaze sharpened, and he tilted his head slightly.
The streetlights gleamed brightly, reflecting off his deep-set, almond-shaped eyes, casting a soft, almost seductive glow across his face. It was hard for anyone to resist being drawn in by his gaze.
As the girl came closer, Fu Yunshen could clearly see the faint, bluish veins beneath her pale skin. She looked fragile, too fragile, and a small flicker of concern crossed his expression.
Neil felt his own sweat intensify.
There was no way she overheard him talking badly about her, right?
Although he was a black belt in karate, a grown man, just watching her fight had him feeling like he’d be outmatched by her, even if she used only one hand.
Just as he was lost in thought, the girl stopped right in front of him. She lifted her gaze, still hazy from sleep, and spoke.
"You—"
Neil’s legs went weak. Before he knew it, he was kneeling in front of her. "I’m just a gossip, I didn’t mean any harm, please, have mercy on me, big shot!"
Fu Yunshen raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Kneeling with one leg, so respectful. Are you proposing?"
Neil froze. "..."
His uncooperative leg!
Zijin raised an eyebrow at Neil, her expression calm and measured. "In three days, at 7 p.m., you’ll encounter a bit of trouble on the corner of 1st Avenue. But don’t worry, it won’t be life-threatening. Seven days later, at noon, I suggest you avoid the area around South Street or else your life could be at risk."
Neil stood frozen, completely stunned.
Fu Yunshen, clearly intrigued, flicked his fingers, his voice a low, amused drawl. "Little one, you can tell the future?"
Zijin didn’t respond right away but simply said, "Thank you."
Her words of thanks were a distraction. Whether anyone helped her or not didn’t matter. She was testing whether her once-sharp foresight still held up.
It seemed she still had a long way to go to fully recover her abilities, but for now, what she could do was enough.
Neil, utterly lost, asked, "Huh?"
Fu Yunshen gave Neil a sideways glance, then focused back on the girl. His amber eyes, full of charm and intensity, never left her. He spoke with a hint of amusement, "Little one, just thanking him? You’re making it too easy on him. What do you say?"
Zijin paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face.
Neil, still in shock, couldn’t help but mutter, "Seven, what’s going on? You’re the one bullying the little girl, and now you're making her thank you? What’s up with that? Have you taken some weird medicine today?"
A grown man acting this way? Was this even possible?
He had never seen Fu Yunshen behave this way with another woman.
Fu Yunshen ignored him completely. His gaze remained fixed on the girl, intense and steady, like he was trying to read her very soul. His voice dropped lower, a teasing lilt to it. "Little one, you did a reading for him, why don’t you do one for me?"
Zijin narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Don’t listen to him, little one," Neil hurriedly added, seeing the tension. "You’re not the kind of girl those rumors say you are. We’re not bad people. You’re welcome to let us take you wherever you want to go."
"That’s fine," Zijin said, shaking her head as she turned to leave.
But as she walked away, she staggered slightly, the aftereffects of blood loss making her momentarily unsteady.
She pressed her hand to her temple, her eyes clouded with a faint coldness.
Just then, a lazy voice called out from behind.
"Little one."
Zijin stopped and turned.
The man was casually leaning against the glass door, still exuding that same roguish charm. "Your benefactor says to thank you for your warning. He’s inviting you to dinner tonight."
The Han Pavilion
After the waiter set the table, Neil couldn’t wrap his head around the situation. He looked at the girl, her eyes calm and distant. "You really agreed to go? Don’t you fear getting tricked? What if we’re the bad guys planning to poison you?"
And wasn’t it strange that Fu Yunshen, who never paid attention to women, was inviting her to dinner?
Zijin leaned back in her chair, her eyes half-closed in rest. "Because I’m actually hungry."
Neil sputtered. "..."
"Yeah, just this. And add a plate of stir-fried pork liver," Fu Yunshen said, folding the menu and glancing up with a smile. "The little one’s too thin. She needs some blood replenishment."
The waiter nodded and went off to prepare the food.
Han Pavilion was the only restaurant in the city that refused Michelin ratings. It only accepted ten tables per day, and reservations had to be made three months in advance.
Neil glanced around, then turned to Fu Yunshen, still in disbelief. "Seven, you don’t know the owner of Han Pavilion, do you? Even my family’s patriarch would need a reservation for this place."
"I don’t know them," Fu Yunshen replied casually, resting his arm on the back of the chair. "Maybe they just like my face."
"Miss Ying, you heard that, right? Seven’s always talking nonsense. Don’t take him seriously," Neil added with a wave. "But since it’s rare for Seven to invite us to dinner, feel free to eat. He might be lacking in everything, but not in money."
"Quite the coincidence," Zijin responded lightly. "I’m just lacking in money."
Fu Yunshen’s eyes lifted in surprise.
"You need money?" Neil blinked. "Doesn’t the Ying family give you any?"
The Ying family’s servants received a salary, let alone an adopted daughter.
"I’m not good at studying. I never learned proper etiquette or tea ceremonies," Zijin replied indifferently. "Why would they give me money for something so embarrassing?"
Neil was speechless.
Fu Yunshen’s lashes fluttered slightly, his lips curving into a small smile. "Little one, they clearly don’t know what they’re missing. Your table manners are even more refined than those of ancient royal families from the Eastern Empire."
- Writer
