Chapter 67: The Elegant Heiress and Her Aloof Bodyguard

Jiang Zao had completely forgotten about eating, her curiosity bubbling as she pulled Zhou Jiayan closer, urging her to tell more: “Come on, tell us everything! I’m dying to know.”

Zhou Jiayan gave Jiang Zao a helpless glance. “Alright. Considering you’re an expectant mother, I’ll bring a little sweetness to your pregnancy.”

Meng Qiaoyuan also set her chopsticks aside, eager to listen.

Blushing, Zhou Jiayan began to recall, “Du Bin started out driving me for a few days, and there were a few clashes. Then I moved in to live with you, and apart from the occasional WeChat message, nothing really progressed… My brother woke up… um… That day everyone was a bit down, and Li Mingyi’s shop was running a promotion on his social feed, so I went for a drink to drown my sorrows. I drank too much, and Li Mingyi took me upstairs to the lounge to rest. Du Bin happened to come pick me up, and the two of them ended up fighting…”

Jiang Zao raised her eyebrow. “Du Bin isn’t the type to get physical for no reason—there must have been something behind it.”

Meng Qiaoyuan nodded in agreement.

Zhou Jiayan scratched her head. “I was drunk… threw up on myself… and then… Li Mingyi helped clean me up…”

Meng Qiaoyuan exclaimed in surprise, “He undressed you?”

Zhou Jiayan slapped the table. “I told you, he was cleaning me up!”

“That’s not necessarily all,” Jiang Zao shook her head. “A man and a woman alone in a room, you unconscious, and he’s handling your clothes. That’s not right. Doesn’t he have any female staff at his shop? Why did he have to do it himself? Even if he were a stranger, Du Bin would still step in for a fight, let alone when you and Du Bin already had… well, some sparks.”

Zhou Jiayan cleared her throat, a bit embarrassed. “Ahem, it was more than just sparks… Du Bin is actually really good. Reliable and reassuring.”

Jiang Zao wholeheartedly agreed. “That’s true, Du Bin is indeed excellent. You’ve got great taste, girl~ Wait, so it was more than just sparks, you two…”

Judging from Zhou Jiayan’s shy demeanor, there was no need to say more.

Meng Qiaoyuan leaned back in her chair with a sigh, spreading her hands. “Is everyone so open nowadays? My sisters! One of you hasn’t even graduated college and your romance has taken the social circles of Jingzhou by storm; the other has had a whirlwind relationship for half a year, and in a few months, there’ll be a baby. Times are changing too fast. I, the elder sister, haven’t even held a man’s hand yet!”

Jiang Zao stretched out her hand. “Touch mine first, get a taste of it.”

Meng Qiaoyuan playfully swatted away the pale hand in the air and called everyone back to their meal.

While picking fish bones, Meng Qiaoyuan reminded Zhou Jiayan, “Du Bin is reliable, it’s good you’re dating him. You’re lucky to have someone who cares for you and you don’t need to marry for family interests. If you can spend your life with someone as dependable as Du Bin, that’s a blessing. But be careful—don’t follow Jiang Zao’s lead and let Du Bin prepare everything for you. If something unexpected happens, it’ll be a mess, and you haven’t graduated yet.”

Zhou Jiayan grinned flatteringly. “I know, I know, thank you, Qiaoyuan, for worrying about me~ Li Mingyi is a bit of a headache, could you help me out there, sis?”

Seeing Zhou Jiayan raise her juice glass, Meng Qiaoyuan rolled her eyes. “You’re always using charm and mischief to get your way. I’ll see what I can do, just don’t stress about it.”

After dinner and a quick cleanup, Jiang Zao sprawled on the sofa, watching Zhou Jiayan busy behind Meng Qiaoyuan but unable to actually help.

“Jiayan, sit for a bit, you’re making my head spin,” Jiang Zao called.

Zhou Jiayan was pulled onto the sofa and immediately grabbed Jiang Zao’s hand. “How many months is the baby now? Is it healthy? Are you healthy?”

Jiang Zao patted her hand reassuringly. “Both of us are very healthy. All the checkups have come back perfect.”

Meng Qiaoyuan passed by, wiping her hands with a tissue. “Healthy? When you were in Jingzhou, you almost miscarried, bled twice, fainted from hypoxia in the villa at Tingshan—how is that healthy?”

Zhou Jiayan’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Jiang Zao. “That day you shouted for Du Bin and ran downstairs—was it because of this?”

Jiang Zao nodded.

As one of those present, Meng Qiaoyuan vented her frustration. “Do you know how dangerous it was? If it weren’t for the resident doctor at the old mansion, always carrying oxygen and emergency gear, it wouldn’t just be the child—both mother and child could have been in trouble.”

Zhou Jiayan stroked Jiang Zao’s arm, her eyes reddening. “You’ve been through so much… I had no idea…”

Jiang Zao straightened up and smiled. “I didn’t tell you, so of course you didn’t know. Now you know you’ll soon be an aunt—are you happy?”

Zhou Jiayan pouted. “Not happy… You suffered so much, how can I be happy? Now you’re living in this tiny house, it’s hard to get around, and only Hui is here to take care of you. That’s not nearly enough.”

Jiang Zao felt a headache coming on. “Missy, how many people in the world can compare to the material conditions you grew up with? I’m already doing well, really—carrying hundreds of thousands on me, a house with no mortgage, a dedicated nanny for every meal. I’m practically spoiled.”

Meng Qiaoyuan looked up and said, “By the way, since you’re always home and bored, I saw online that some people use tablets to draw. It doesn’t look too hard, you could give it a try, just to pass the time. Find something to do, you can’t just sit around.”

Jiang Zao nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds great! I used to see classmates drawing often in college. But… I don’t have a tablet. How about we go buy one together? The mall isn’t far.”

Zhou Jiayan sprang to her feet. “Let’s go! Right now! We’ll also go to the mother-and-baby shop. As the aunt, I’ll wield my ‘money power’ and pay for everything!”

Jiang Zao raised her hand in support. “Go, Director Zhou! Keep me!”

Meng Qiaoyuan drove, the mall only ten minutes from Jiang Zao’s home—very convenient.

With the New Year approaching, the mall was still decorated with red banners from New Year’s Day, and festive slogans wishing prosperity had been pasted everywhere.

In the cheerful atmosphere, children who had the weekend off darted through the mall, lively and careless, making Zhou Jiayan nervous, afraid one might bump into Jiang Zao’s belly.

Jiang Zao tapped her. “Don’t frighten the kids. I’m not that delicate.”

Zhou Jiayan was alert in every direction. “You are delicate! My brother said… ahem, you’ve always been delicate, always.”

Whether Jiang Zao really didn’t hear Zhou Jiayan’s slip or simply pretended not to, Meng Qiaoyuan saw no crack in Jiang Zao’s expression as she scanned the signs for the mother-and-baby shop.

“The mother-and-baby shop is on the second floor, electronics on the first. Which do we go to first?”

Zhou Jiayan hurriedly replied, “Mother-and-baby shop first! I can’t wait to buy dresses for the little niece!”

On the escalator, Jiang Zao found it amusing. “How do you know it’s a niece? What if it’s a nephew?”

Zhou Jiayan retorted, “Only girls understand what mothers go through. Men are all ingrates, no matter their age. Why bother raising them?”

Meng Qiaoyuan gave her head a gentle push, shaking her head in resignation.