The Golden Cane and the Wild Rose - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

“Okay.”

Without a second thought, Jiang Musheng agreed to her request.

“Who are you looking for, Aran? Tell me a little more clearly.”

“My dad. He hasn’t been home for over a month. I don’t know his real name. He never told me. Even when I went to school and filled out the forms, I was listed as an orphan. He said it was best not to let anyone know I was his adopted daughter. He was afraid of bringing trouble to me.”

“An adoptive father whose name even his adopted daughter doesn’t know…” Jiang Musheng pondered for a moment. “Is what he does very dangerous?”

Yun Ran nodded. “He often came home with injuries on him.”

“Do you know who he works for?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes. My dad said he works for you. When I was a child, he often used you to scare me.”

“No wonder Aran is so afraid of me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you find your dad. Since he works for me, he should be easy to find.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Jiang Musheng raised his hand and gently parted her wet hair that was covering her eyes. His deep voice was very soft. “Give me more useful information, like his code name or physical features.”

Yun Ran wished she could pour out everything she knew at once, but because she was in such a hurry, her words were a jumble.

“Aran, don’t rush. Take your time. I’ll help you find your dad.”

Jiang Musheng’s promise gradually calmed Yun Ran’s anxious heart.

“My dad has a terrible scar on his face, like a centipede, slanting from under his right eye to his left jaw, and…”

A sudden rumble of thunder startled Yun Ran, and she forgot where she had left off.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky in front of her, and Yun Ran’s body went stiff. She was most afraid of thunderstorms.

“Ah Ran.”

Jiang Musheng called her name, but she didn’t react. He simply picked her up and shouted into the sea, “Alan, bring Xueyu ashore. We’re going home!”

Alan protected her young lady as they came to shore, but the wind was strong, and the waves were rolling in fast, making it hard to stand.

“Alan, I’m scared.”

“It’s alright,Jiang Xueyu . I’ll get you to shore safely.”

The frail Jiang Xueyu felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her. In this safe enclosure, she struggled to walk towards the shore.

She saw the large waves crashing against Alan, but Alan’s steps remained steady.

‘Alan is also a girl,’ she thought.

But Alan was a strong and capable girl, which was why she could be by her side to protect her.

Jiang Xueyu suddenly felt a little confused. Before she had even left the suddenly dangerous sea, she began to think.

She wondered if Alan was chosen by her brother to protect her because she was strong and capable.

She wondered if Alan worked so hard to become strong and capable just so she could protect her.

“Jiang Xueyu, we’re on land.”

Alan said excitedly. Jiang Xueyu gave her a happy smile.

Jiang Musheng had already carried Yun Ran to the car and came back with two dry outer garments, which he handed to them.

“Get in the car and go home. Each of you take one and don’t catch a cold.”

The wonderful afternoon ended due to the sudden bad weather, but Jiang Xueyu still had a great time.

In the car, she sat in the back with Yun Ran and her brother. The three of them were a bit crowded. The driver and a bodyguard sat in the front.

Alan and the other bodyguards were in the car ahead of them, leading the way.

Jiang Musheng noticed his sister’s gaze and asked, “Did you have fun with Alan this afternoon?”

“Yes,” Jiang Xueyu said, pulling her gaze back. “What about you, big brother and sister-in-law? Was it fun sunbathing on the beach?”

Yun Ran gave an awkward cough.

The next second, the fake cough turned into a real one, three coughs in a row.

Jiang Musheng said, “You didn’t change in time. You might be catching a cold.”

“It’s fine.” Yun Ran turned her head, covering her mouth. “This is just the early stage of a cold. If I’m careful, it won’t get worse. It’ll go away easily.”

Her dad was often not home, and she was alone most of the time. She had a lot of experience taking care of herself.

Usually, in a situation like this, she would just take a hot bath, avoid the cold wind, and sleep it off.

She wasn’t born with a privileged life like Little Sister Xueyu and never had the luxury of being delicate. Not being delicate had turned out to be a good thing.

Jiang Musheng said, “You should still have a doctor look at you when we get home.”

“Xueyu should too.”

“Mr. Jiang, you don’t need to go to so much trouble for me. I’m not a porcelain doll. I’m really fine. I’ll be good by tomorrow morning.”

“Of course you’re not a porcelain doll. You’re my person.”

A sneeze that was about to come out stopped at the tip of Yun Ran’s nose. Her sneeze, along with her whole body, froze.

“Big brother, I’m not a porcelain doll either. I didn’t even cough or sneeze. I don’t need to see a doctor.”

With a big explosion, Yun Ran let out a heavy sneeze. Her throat hurt so much she wanted to cry.

“Aran, you don’t have to be so strong when you’re with me.”

Ultimately, when they got home, Yun Ran was served a hot bath by the Filipina maid Jiang Musheng had arranged. She lay on a comfortable, soft bed while the Jiang family’s doctor examined her.

He took her temperature. She didn’t have a fever.

Jiang Musheng leaned down and touched her forehead with his own, then covered her forehead with his hand. He said to the doctor, “She said her throat hurt in the car. It hurt so much her eyes were watering. Can you give her something to make the pain go away and get better quickly?”

The doctor didn’t waste any time, making a diagnosis, prescribing medicine, and then personally preparing the right amount and temperature of water for her to swallow it with. She also had to drink a small bowl of a warm, stirred herbal remedy.

It really seemed like the medicine wasn’t so bitter anymore.

After drinking the medicine, Yun Ran felt much better, but without realizing it, a single tear slipped down her cheek.

“Ah Ran, are you crying? Are you still feeling very unwell?”

“No, I feel much better.”

“Mr. Jiang, you promised me. You’ll help me find my dad.”

“I already had people go look for him while you were bathing.”

Yun Ran felt a rush of warmth all over her body, both from her illness and from being touched.

But for some reason, even though Jiang Musheng was being good to her, a feeling of sadness and desolation always seemed to wrap around her.

Like a curse.

Jiang Xueyu, after her own bath and change of clothes, also came to see her with Alan. She said in surprise, “Big brother, why are you still in your wet clothes? You haven’t bathed or changed?”

It was only then that Yun Ran noticed. He must have been busy arranging for his subordinates to help her find her dad and watching over her, which was why he hadn’t had time.

Her dad, who was kind to her but had mostly raised her in a hands-off manner, had never been so meticulously concerned about her.

Yun Ran couldn’t control her heart anymore. No matter how cautious and hypocritical her flattery and dependence were, after tasting a bit of genuine care, some genuine feelings would begin to grow.

“Mr. Jiang.”

“Ah Ran, do you have something to say to me?”

“I’m fine now. You should go take a bath and change too, so you don’t get sick.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Musheng went back to his room. Jiang Xueyu, afraid she would be bored, stayed to chat with her.

“Sister-in-law, your dad went missing. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I was a little scared.”

“Scared of what? Of my big brother? That’s totally unnecessary. He just looks fierce and hard to deal with on the outside, but he’s actually very gentle, especially to his own people.”

“Even lions and tigers can be gentle, can’t they?”

Yun Ran smiled.

She thought of the masked ball and Jiang Musheng with the lion mask.

“Sister-in-law, are you afraid of thunder? I’ll sleep with you tonight.”

After Jiang Xueyu said this, she didn’t give Yun Ran a chance to refuse and climbed into the bed.

Yun Ran gave a helpless smile and asked, “How did you know I was afraid of thunder?”

“On the way back, when we were still in the car, you hid in big brother’s arms as soon as you heard the thunder and saw the lightning.”

“My big brother makes you feel very safe, right?”

“Yes,” Yun Ran didn’t deny it.

“Sister-in-law, big brother and I already think of you as one of us. You shouldn’t think of yourself as an outsider.”

“…Okay.”

She felt that she had become “one of them” a little too easily.

One big, life-saving lie had actually landed her by Jiang Musheng’s side. And Jiang Musheng had actually kept her and seemed to have some genuine affection for her.

‘Is love really such an unreasonable thing?’

She herself couldn’t say she had no feelings for Jiang Musheng now.

Dependence had turned into reliance, and begging had turned into a plea. She had definitely moved forward a great deal.

As Little Sister Xueyu spoke, her voice gradually grew softer, and she slowly fell asleep.

Just then, Jiang Musheng returned after his bath and change of clothes. He was still dressed as neatly as he had been when he left during the day. Yun Ran couldn’t quite understand why, but she never asked.

Perhaps it was just one of Jiang Musheng’s personal habits, and no one liked being commented on for their habits, let alone Jiang Musheng.

“Xueyu is asleep. Why aren’t you?” Jiang Musheng asked softly.

Yun Ran said, “Maybe it’s because of my upbringing when I was little. It’s always been hard for me to fall asleep and to sleep soundly.”

Jiang Musheng said, “In that regard, you’re very much like me.”

Yun Ran blinked in surprise.

Jiang Musheng gently picked up his sister and carried her back to her princess-like, dreamy room, then returned to Yun Ran’s.

He closed the door behind him as he came in.

Yun Ran couldn’t help but feel nervous, her heart pounding. ‘Is Jiang Musheng going to lie down with her too, like Little Sister Xueyu did?

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