The Real Heiress Just Wants to Be a Lazy Fish - Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Recovery

To prevent external interference, Qian Ran had specifically constructed an environment similar to an alternate dimension within the room. As long as the outer walls of this space remained unbroken, people outside could not affect her, nor could she sense the situation outside.

Thus, when the ritual ended and she heard the piercing sound of an alarm, she froze for a moment before realizing that something had happened at the Special Affairs Bureau.

Someone reacted faster than she did. Just as Qian Ran snapped out of it, Jiang Zitan had already sprinted out. She discovered that Tongtong, who was supposed to be sitting outside obediently waiting for her, had disappeared. Only the hat used to cover her horns remained.

Jiang Zitan’s face turned pale. She asked Qian Ran under what circumstances the Bureau would trigger such an alarm.

Before becoming a “government employee,” Qian Ran had been a frequent guest of the Bureau. Generally, triggering this alarm meant they were facing extreme danger.

Qian Ran originally wanted to go ask about the situation, but with Jiang Zitan there, she didn’t dare leave. No one knew the situation outside; what if Jiang Zitan was attacked while she was gone? There were many talented people in the Bureau; they wouldn’t necessarily need her help.

“Wait, wait a minute!”

Zhao Zhilian was startled by the sudden change in the young girl’s expression. Seeing the large figure behind her approaching, he scrambled backward, falling clumsily onto his backside.

“I’ll move! I’ll move out! Just don’t hit me, don’t hit me anymore!”

Tao Yitong tidied her skirt and stood up gracefully: “Now that’s being obedient.”

“Remember, move as soon as you get back. Move out immediately. Don’t let me see you again, or else…”

“Yes, yes, I’ll move back immediately. I’ll move right away.”

“Good boy.” Tao Yitong smiled faintly. “Uncle Zheng, ask him how much he owes and give him the money.”

“Yes, Young Miss.” Uncle Zheng’s face was solemn, his respect for the Young Miss reaching an unprecedented height.

“What? You’re not renting anymore?” Chen Huishu stood up with a frown. “How can you just stop renting out of the blue?!”

Zhao Zhilian wore a mask, revealing a pair of eyes swollen purple. “I’m just not renting. Why does a stinking woman have so much crap to say?”

Chen Huishu was both anxious and angry. People from outside rarely came to this place. They had finally rented out the small room upstairs, and now this person was quitting!

“I can’t refund the rent to you!”

“Keep it if you want.” Zhao Zhilian didn’t bother arguing with the woman. He made Chen Huishu bring the agreement, signed his name, and pushed the door open to leave.

Hearing the noise, Jiang Zitan quickly pulled her sister into the room and closed the door they were using to eavesdrop.

However, the house had poor soundproofing. Heavy footsteps moved along the floorboards to the ceiling above their heads, followed by the sound of heavy objects being dragged. Zhao Zhilian had wrapped his luggage in bedsheets and dragged it away.

“Sister, did that man leave?” Jiang Xianshun’s eyes shone brightly, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but turn up.

“Yes.” Jiang Zitan knelt down and stroked her sister’s hair.

Although Jiang Xianshun was only thirteen this year, she was very sensible. She knew her sister disliked Zhao Zhilian. Now that he was gone, she was happy: “He’s finally gone.”

Just as Jiang Zitan was about to speak, a knock came from the door. The two sisters exchanged a look. Jiang Zitan stood up and opened it.

Chen Huishu stood at the door, dissatisfied: “What are you doing, keeping the door closed.”

Jiang Zitan said nothing, just looked at her.

For some reason, Chen Huishu grew angry whenever she saw her: “Stop spending all day in your room doing nothing. There’s so much work at home. If you’re this lacking in discernment, what will you do after you marry!”

After this long rant, Jiang Zitan still had no reaction. Only her phoenix eyes remained icy, staring like knives.

Chen Huishu felt uneasy but couldn’t say why. She pointed upstairs: “Go upstairs and clean up for me! Clean it until it’s spotless!”

Jiang Zitan didn’t even nod. She moved past her silently, grabbed a broom and dustpan, and went upstairs.

The layout of the second floor was similar to the first. Many rooms were locked because Zhao Zhilian had only rented one small room; the Jiang family feared he would ruin the house.

Jiang Zitan opened the door to Zhao Zhilian’s room. It looked as if a tornado had swept through. Beer bottles, instant noodle bags… trash was thrown everywhere. The room was so full of garbage there was almost nowhere to stand. A foul odor had intensified in the stifling heat; the stench hit her nose the moment she opened the door.

Jiang Zitan frowned. She stepped over the trash to open the window, only to find it was broken—the screen was riddled with cigarette burns. She inspected the room and found the quilt was also full of burn holes, and the electric fan was broken.

“Sigh.”

Jiang Zitan pursed her lips, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and went downstairs to get a large sack to start packing the trash. She worked until dark. She was exhausted from the heat, yet only half the trash had been removed.

She wiped down a cleared patch of floor and sat down to rest. Night deepened, and the stars and moon appeared. Since the window was broken, watching the night sky was convenient. She took two large gulps of water and was about to continue when she heard laughter from downstairs.

Jiang Shibao was back; the family was having dinner together. The cheerful laughter sounded piercing in the quiet house. Jiang Shibao’s tone was excited: “Really?!”

Chen Huishu laughed: “Really!”

“Where is he from?!”

Chen Huishu’s tone was full of joy: “Jing City. You wouldn’t know—he’s from a big city. He rented the entire second floor. Truly a rich man, so generous…”

“Eh? Bao’er, where are you going?” Chen Huishu called out.

Jiang Zitan turned her head as she heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. It was Jiang Shibao.

Jiang Shibao stood at the top of the stairs, clutching the railing, smiling smugly: “Jiang Zitan! Someone from the big city rented our house!”

“Don’t let them see you! You hear me? You’re dirty and smelly! Don’t embarrass our family!”

After saying that, he stomped back downstairs. After a moment of silence, the laughter resumed below.

Jiang Zitan sat there for a long time before turning her head back.

Dirty… and smelly?

She pulled up her collar and sniffed. It did seem a bit unpleasant.

The next day, Jiang Zitan woke up very early. The trash upstairs wasn’t finished yet. She went back up with a large sack.

Only a few minutes into cleaning, she heard footsteps. Two strange women were talking as they came up the stairs. Jiang Zitan was stunned. Are they the new tenants?

The two women were also stunned to see Jiang Zitan. Once they realized who she was, they hurried over. One said, “No need for you to do this, little sister. You don’t need to do this, go downstairs.” The other nudged her: “Someone hired us specifically to clean. You don’t need to do this, little sister.”

Jiang Zitan was pushed downstairs, where she saw Jiang Shibao and his classmate standing at the entrance. Jiang Shibao pointed upstairs: “See? Those two women are the nannies hired by the person from the big city.”

“So cool.” The little classmate’s eyes were full of longing.

“It’s just how it is! They specifically rented our house!” Jiang Shibao held his head high, acting very proud.

“Shibao, your family is so amazing. Even big city people rent your house!”

“It’s just how it is!” Jiang Shibao said.

Jiang Zitan walked past them with an expressionless face. Jiang Shibao raised his eyebrows and called out: “Jiang Zitan!”

“You remember what I said, right? Don’t hang around people; don’t embarrass our family!”

Jiang Zitan’s footsteps paused slightly. She frowned but said nothing, opening her door to return to her room.

After a nap, Jiang Zitan woke up to take Jiang Shibao to his tutoring class. Perhaps because the new tenant arrived and he wanted to show off, Jiang Shibao—who usually hated going to class—kept telling Jiang Zitan to ride faster. Once they arrived, he jumped off the bike and ran inside with his backpack.

Jiang Zitan watched him enter before turning her bike around. It was a hot afternoon. She sweated all the way home, where she saw a white truck parked at her gate. Several men were standing by the truck, unloading heavy pieces of furniture one after another.

Standing a distance away, Jiang Zitan’s chest heaved slightly as sweat dripped from her scalp to her jaw. She saw it. Almost every piece of heavy furniture being carried down was pink.

Inopportunely, Jiang Zitan thought of the pink coupe she had seen not long ago. A blurry image formed, but she quickly dismissed it. Impossible. Someone driving that kind of luxury car would have no interest in their countryside, let alone renting a room.

As Jiang Zitan rode past, Chen Huishu was standing uncomfortably by the door. Her face was stiff, devoid of her usual abrasive manner. She looked entirely cautious. Seeing Jiang Zitan return, she even offered a greeting.

“You’re back.”

Jiang Zitan: …

Jiang Zitan felt a shiver of disgust and prepared to go inside. Chen Huishu quickly grabbed her arm: “You child, hurry, help the uncles unload the things.”

The workers by the truck quickly refused: “No need, Ma’am. This is our job.”

Chen Huishu gave a stiff smile, not understanding. In their village, people always asked relatives to help move, so she thought these workers were relatives of the new tenant. She wanted to gain favor: “This child of mine is very capable; let her give you a hand.”

The workers couldn’t refuse, so they told Jiang Zitan: “Then, little sister, help us assemble that stool. You can’t handle the heavy lifting anyway.”

Jiang Zitan nodded silently. She knelt in the corner by the door and began to assemble the computer chair. Chen Huishu looked down and saw there were blueprints, which looked troublesome. She grew anxious again: “Don’t let her do that. She’s just a girl, inherently stupid. She should do the mindless heavy labor!”

The lead worker had a daughter of his own. Hearing her speak of her own girl like that, he became displeased: “Why don’t you go back inside? we can handle this; we don’t need you here.”

Chen Huishu looked annoyed but didn’t dare say anything, returning to her room unwillingly. Jiang Zitan watched her close the door, then went back to her blueprints.

The lead worker smiled at Jiang Zitan: “Take your time. Just don’t break it. It’s okay if you can’t figure it out.”

Jiang Zitan gave a soft “Mm” and started assembling the parts. The lead worker took a sofa upstairs and came back down to find the chair nearly finished.

“Impressive.” The lead worker raised his eyebrows in genuine praise. Jiang Zitan gave him a nod and continued.

A moment later, a shadow fell over her again. Jiang Zitan thought it was the lead worker coming down again and didn’t look up. She was just one step away from finishing. As she tightened the last screw, a slightly spoiled-sounding female voice came from above.

“Not bad at all.”

Jiang Zitan froze and looked up. A young girl in a white dress was standing in the midsummer sun, wearing a straw hat adorned with two small pale yellow flowers. She knelt down, took off her hat, and revealed an eye-catchingly fair, beautiful face. Her peach-blossom eyes were smiling at her.

She smoothed a stray strand of hair, reached out, and placed the hat on Jiang Zitan’s head. Jiang Zitan, completely off guard, smelled the perfume coming from her. Not offensive, not strong light, yet with a sweet scent.

Jiang Zitan looked up and crashed into her honey-colored pupils. Those clear pupils, lighter than most, clearly reflected how disheveled she looked now.

“Thank you,” Jiang Zitan heard the other say.

“Does this feel better?” She massaged Tao Yitong’s temples; Jiang Zitan didn’t know if this method would work.

“Yes!” Tao Yitong nodded like a chick pecking grain. Whether it was true or not, her mental state improved significantly.

The next second, Jiang Zitan felt the world spin as she was pinned to the bed, followed by the scent of sweet peach drawing closer.

“Sister, I want to…”

She acted coquettishly, her tail brushing against Jiang Zitan’s leg. Though her tone was inquiring, her movements didn’t skip a beat.

Truly… a little pervert.

Jiang Zitan raised her hand to gently stroke the back of her neck, indulging her in everything.

The night swallowed the last trace of light. The lights in the room remained off. As desire rose, the crimson in Tao Yitong’s eyes gradually faded, and a trace of clarity awoke within the chaos.

She heard the sound of ambiguous panting and found herself kissing those sweet, soft lips. She felt as if she were having an unspeakable dream. In the dream, the other person’s scent made her feel familiar and safe. Without a doubt, it was Sister.

Sister?!!!

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