The Real Heiress Just Wants to Be a Lazy Fish - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Feeding

Tao Yitong swore this was the first time she had ever snuck out at night to raid the fridge for food, only to be caught red-handed by Jiang Zitan.

Moreover, her late-night hunger pangs were partially Zitan’s fault. Although the sweet scent she had inhaled from Jiang Zitan earlier that evening had temporarily soothed her appetite, it was only a fleeting relief. About two hours later, her hunger exploded with a ferocity stronger than before. She had been driven to desperation when she crept out to find a snack.

The bun in her mouth was one Auntie Sun had steamed and left in the fridge. There had been two; she had already finished one. The filling was meat, and while cold food would normally give an ordinary person diarrhea, Tao Yitong was no ordinary human. Despite her frail and sickly appearance, her constitution was extraordinary; she could eat dozens of such buns without an issue.

Jiang Zitan, now dressed in a black silk nightgown and holding a water glass, looked at Yitong with the bun still hanging from her mouth. She instinctively asked, “Has that bun been heated up?”

“Mmm-hmmm,” Yitong mumbled unclearly.

Jiang Zitan hurried forward, intending to take the bun and warm it up, but before her hand could reach it, Tao Yitong shrank back.

That pitiful expression made Zitan’s hand freeze in mid-air. She felt that if she took the bun away now, she would be committing a heinous crime.

“Tao…” Jiang Zitan suddenly hesitated on how to address the sister who had just returned. “Miss Tao” was certainly too formal, and calling her by her full name felt distant, especially since the girl had already called her “Sister.”

“Can I call you Tongtong?”

Tao Yitong nodded.

Jiang Zitan’s fingers twitched. Yitong’s hair was fine and soft with a bit of a natural curl; looking at it gave Zitan a sudden urge to reach out and pat her head.

“Let’s heat the bun in the microwave before you eat it. It’ll only take a moment.” Jiang Zitan paused, then finally reached out and gave Tao Yitong’s head a gentle rub.

Tao Yitong blinked. If anyone else had dared to touch her head like that, their hand would have been broken before it even made contact. But since it was Jiang Zitan, she didn’t dislike the feeling.

Well… it definitely wasn’t just because the woman was beautiful. Most importantly, being near her relieved the hunger!

Five minutes of charging, two hours of battery life!

If it weren’t for her mission, Tao Yitong would be more than happy to stay by Jiang Zitan’s side. Once this mission is over, I’ll have two trustworthy people research what this strange power in Jiang Zitan is. Maybe it can solve my chronic hunger issue.

Ding! The bun in the microwave was ready.

Jiang Zitan didn’t realize she had just accomplished a heroic feat: taking food from Tao Yitong’s mouth was something even her superior wouldn’t dare to do.

However, feeding her sister wasn’t going to be that simple. In the time it took Zitan to turn around and pour a glass of water, the bun had vanished, and a soft growl emanated from Yitong’s stomach.

Her expression was exactly like a stray animal waiting to be fed. Jiang Zitan couldn’t hold out for even two seconds before she opened the fridge again. There was no more ready-made food.

It was the middle of the night, and she didn’t want to wake Auntie Sun, so she rummaged through the shelves and pulled out a pack of dried noodles.

“Want some noodles?”

“Yes!” Yitong replied instantly.

The stove was lit, and a pot of water began to boil. Tao Yitong took the initiative to wash the greens.

Jiang Zitan’s cooking skills were mediocre just barely edible. She rarely cooked while living alone. If it weren’t for the increasingly loud protests from Yitong’s stomach, her first choice would have been takeout.

However, Tao Yitong wasn’t a picky eater. Aside from her staggering appetite, she was easy to please. She ate a simple bowl of vegetable noodles with such gusto that Jiang Zitan almost thought her cooking had improved. Curious, Zitan took a bite of her own work…

It was bland and tasteless. She had clearly skimped on the salt. It was far from “good.”

“I should probably just order you some takeout,” Jiang Zitan said, putting her bowl down and telling Yitong to stop eating.

“No, no, the noodles are great!” Yitong shook her head. With such a fragrant “human delicacy” standing next to her, even mountain seafood would taste like chewing cotton not to mention these noodles were just a bit light. Compared to the things she had eaten while on a mission in Africa a month ago, this was a feast!

As she finished her own bowl, she even kept an eye on Zitan’s half-finished portion. Tao Yitong didn’t hide her longing. How could Jiang Zitan let her eat leftovers? She quickly stated that there were more in the pot; she had “accidentally” cooked too many.

By the time Tao Yitong was on her third bowl, Jiang Zitan’s expression shifted from surprise to something else. Her sister’s ravenous behavior, looking like someone who had just escaped a famine, brought that ridiculous suspicion back to her mind.

“Tongtong… have they not been giving you enough to eat these past few days?” Jiang Zitan had assumed that no matter how much her adoptive parents disliked their biological daughter, they wouldn’t stoop to starvation. The Jiang family was wealthy; a single person was easy to feed. But seeing Yitong finish three bowls and still look unsatisfied made her resolve waver.

“The family prepares food for me. It’s just that I eat a lot. Mother said it would be embarrassing in public, so I have to learn restraint. She’s doing it for my own good.”

“Tonight I was just so hungry I had to come find something. Sister, please don’t tell her.” Her words carried a faint hint of calculated innocence, her large watery eyes blinking. It was a trap easy to fall into. “Little Fish” had said that Jiang Zitan had the lowest resistance to this look.

Sure enough, a look of pity appeared in Jiang Zitan’s eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. But don’t eat too much; eating this late can cause indigestion.”

“Don’t take what Mom says too heart. I’ll have my secretary take you out for meals from now on.” Zitan knew she couldn’t change her mother’s mind, so it was better to just take the girl out herself.

Tao Yitong flashed a shy, sweet smile. “Thank you, Sister.”

Plan successful! Short-term meal ticket secured!

Jiang Zitan thought to herself that no wonder Yitong looked thinner than her photos; she had been starving at home. But is she eating too much? Will she be okay? Zitan observed Yitong’s face unhealthily pale, with little color in her lips. Was her health poor? She decided to arrange a family physical exam soon. She couldn’t rely on her parents to look after Yitong’s well-being.

As Zitan was lost in thought, Tao Yitong, who had scraped the pot clean, suddenly remembered something.

“Sister, do you plan to go back and pay your respects to Mom and Dad?”

Jiang Zitan froze. Tao Yitong quickly added, “I mean… your biological parents.”

“Yes. Once these busy days are over, I’ll set aside time to visit them.” Zitan had planned to go, but the recent fallout with the Li family over the engagement had been messy. The Li family was making things difficult for the company, and she couldn’t leave yet.

“Let me know when you’re ready. I’ll take you,” Yitong offered. “They’re buried in the village. Outsiders might not find it, and the villagers speak a dialect you won’t understand even if you ask for directions.” Thinking of the winding mountain roads, she wanted to be sure Zitan wouldn’t get lost.

Jiang Zitan smiled and thanked her.

“No need for thanks! There wasn’t much left behind by Mom and Dad. I packed what I could when I came, but only a few photos have any sentimental value. I keep them in my bag; would you like to see them?” When Zitan nodded, Yitong prepared to head to her room.

“I’ll go with you.” Jiang Zitan stood up. The files had only described the Tao parents in two short sentences. She wanted to ask, but since Yitong was so young back then and it was a painful subject, she hadn’t known how to bring it up unless Yitong did first.

As they stepped out of the kitchen, Tao Yitong suddenly sensed something wrong. She stopped abruptly, a shadow of grimness crossing her face.

Because she stopped so suddenly, Jiang Zitan almost collided with her.

“What is it?” Zitan asked.

“Nothing. I just saw a bug fly past, it startled me.” Yitong masked her expression with a smile.

Something is here. A presence was flickering in and out within the villa.

Tao Yitong had been here for a week without incident, but since Jiang Zitan’s return, ghosts and monsters were appearing one after another. Since a major cold case twenty-eight years ago humiliated the Special Affairs Bureau, the city had been scoured repeatedly. Even minor spirits were rounded up. Haishi should be one of the most stable cities in the country. She hadn’t seen this kind of activity since she was transferred here.

Are they all after Jiang Zitan?

The monster’s form was unique; Yitong couldn’t locate the physical body. She remained on high alert, unsure of how it would attack.

Suddenly, in the silent villa, Jiang Zitan’s phone rang.

Zitan checked the caller ID it was Xiao Ran. Calling this late… was she calling to cry about her ex again? It had happened before, so Zitan wasn’t surprised. She didn’t notice Yitong quietly falling half a step behind her, nor could she see the black, ghostly energy swirling around her phone in the dark.

Just as Jiang Zitan was about to press ‘Answer,’ she felt her foot catch on something. She lost control and tumbled backward!

“Watch out!”

The expected pain didn’t come, because someone had acted as her cushion.

Jiang Zitan’s phone flew out of her hand as she fell. Tao Yitong caught it with lightning speed while simultaneously shielding Zitan as they hit the floor.

Thud!

Tao Yitong’s face twisted for a second. Jiang Zitan wasn’t heavy, but the impact had hit her old injury. This was the second time today. When your luck is out, even cold water gets stuck in your teeth! People called her a jinx, but she felt the Jiang family was the one jinxing her!

Jiang Zitan heard Yitong take a sharp breath. She realized the girl might be hurt.

“Tongtong!”

Tao Yitong’s face was terrifyingly pale, and cold sweat dripped from her brow. Zitan wanted to help her up but was afraid of causing secondary injuries.

In the confusion, Tao Yitong quickly tapped the ‘Answer’ button on the phone. However, the screen flickered twice and automatically hung up. The ghostly energy vanished instantly, as if afraid she would catch it and find its source.

Hmph, coward. It runs faster than a rabbit once it realizes I’m not someone to mess with! But she had memorized the scent of that power. If it dared to show up again, it wouldn’t escape.

“I’m taking you to the hospital!” Jiang Zitan’s voice was trembling.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Tao Yitong sat up after catching her breath.

“No, we have to go to the hospital!” Her sister’s face did not look “fine.” Jiang Zitan supported her, her voice unusually stern.

Tao Yitong couldn’t win the argument. Fortunately, the Bureau had treated her old injury before the mission, so a regular hospital wouldn’t be too shocked by her condition.

At the hospital.

After the examination, the doctor told Jiang Zitan not to worry; the fall wasn’t serious.

Before Zitan could breathe a sigh of relief, the doctor continued, “However, the patient shows signs of malnutrition and anemia. The family needs to pay attention; she shouldn’t be dieting like this…”

“I understand. Thank you, doctor.” Malnutrition and anemia… it wasn’t a crisis yet, but she needed care. Zitan thought of her parents’ attitude and again considered moving Yitong out to live with her.

Once the doctor left, Zitan looked at her phone and remembered Xiao Ran’s call. She had forgotten to reply because of the accident. Not knowing if her friend was asleep, she sent a text.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ran replied instantly. She first sent a question mark, followed by a voice message.

“What? You fell down the stairs? Are you okay? Do you need me to come help?”

“Oh, the ‘other one’ caught you? Is she alright then?”

Jiang Zitan replied: She’s fine, just some bruising.

“That’s good. But… I just checked. I didn’t call you tonight?” Xiao Ran’s voice was confused. When she saw the message, she thought she’d developed early-onset dementia. She hadn’t been drinking, and even after checking her call logs, there was no outgoing call to Jiang Zitan.

 Jiang Zitan stood under the pale hospital lights. For some reason, a chill spread from her heart.

She stared at Xiao Ran’s reply for a long time before typing: I might have misseen the caller ID.

Jiang Zitan checked her own logs. Her last call was from her secretary at 10:00 PM. There was nothing after that.

She had fallen down the stairs after midnight.

If no one called, then whose name had she seen on the screen?

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