Two Girlfriends?

Looking over Blood Rose’s exquisite face, Grandmother was overjoyed. Is this my grandson's girlfriend? she thought. With a figure and face like that, she’s truly an exceptional young woman. "Sit, please sit!" Setting down the steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers, Grandmother pulled out a high-backed chair and warmly ushered Lady Sandao to a seat. The Old Hag was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected the old woman to be so hospitable. With a stranger suddenly appearing in her home, shouldn't she have questioned her first? Then again, it was also possible that Bai Lan had moved about in this body before. Lady Sandao nodded gently, exuding a natural nobility and elegance as she said, "Many thanks!" She sat down with graceful poise. This girl... Grandmother couldn't help but look Lady Sandao up and down again. Setting aside her striking looks and figure, the girl’s speech and manner gave Grandmother a very wondrous impression. Very elegant, very well-bred, yet possessing the pride of high society—no, not pride, but nobility. This aura wasn't something a girl from an ordinary family could fake. Looking at her, Grandmother felt as though she were seeing a young lady from a prestigious family of the old society, whose reserved nobility—steeped in a lifetime of luxury—shone as vivid and eye-catching as fireflies in the dark. A girlfriend with a wealthy background... Last time, he rode home in a rich woman's sports car... It was that rich woman who resolved Yuanjun's promotion issue, but Yuanzi insisted they were just ordinary friends... Grandmother pieced together various bits of information in her mind. Back then, she had confronted her grandson over "rumors on the street," but Zhang Yuanqing had flatly denied it, insisting he wasn't a kept man and that the rich woman was merely an ordinary friend. At this thought, Grandmother called toward the bedroom: "Yuanzi! Yuanzi, come out here a second." Suspecting Yuanzi really was being kept, a flare of anger rose inside her. No response came. Grandmother pushed open the bedroom door and peeked inside, but her grandson wasn't there. "Where is Yuanzi?" she turned and asked the Old Hag. The Old Hag had already picked up her chopsticks with poise and was savoring the delicious dishes, turning a deaf ear to Grandmother's question. Grandmother thought to herself, This girl is a bit aloof. "Mom, is the beast back yet?" Having washed her hands, his aunt stepped out of her room. Catching sight of the woman seated at the dining table eating elegantly, her footsteps paused for a moment before resuming. She sat down beside the Old Hag with easy familiarity and nodded. "I'm Jiang Yu'er! What's your name?" Lady Sandao sat upright, not turning her head as she replied coolly, "Bai Lan!" Grandmother said, "Then I'll call you Lanlan. Yu'er, give Yuanzi a call and ask where on earth he's wandered off to." Jiang Yu'er glanced at the Old Hag and trotted into the room. A few seconds later, Grandmother heard a ringtone coming from her grandson's room. Well then, he hadn't taken his phone. Beep, beep— Just then, the sound of an access code being entered came from the foyer. The security door swung open, and dressed in a burgundy suit jacket and black skinny pants like an old nightclub playboy, Uncle entered, bringing his wife and son along. Having heard that Yuanzi was bringing his girlfriend home today, Uncle had been delighted, saying he wanted to meet his future niece-in-law. Aunt had a strained relationship with Grandmother and hadn't wanted to come at first, but Chen Yuanjun had said Yuanzi's girlfriend was the benefactor who had helped resolve his promotion. Upon hearing that, Aunt said they definitely had to see her. The family of three fixed their gazes on "Blood Rose." Uncle was extremely pleased with Blood Rose's face and figure, feeling only a beauty like this was worthy of his mantle's successor. Aunt was also very pleased. Born of a prominent family herself, she saw in Yuanzi's girlfriend an air of nobility that girls of modest background lacked. With such an aloof, elegant, and noble bearing, she was surely a young miss from one of Songhai's prominent clans—no wonder she could resolve Yuanjun's promotion. Chen Yuanjun froze. Wasn't Yuanzi's girlfriend the goddess from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau? Wasn't she Guan Ya, who drove the blue sports car? Had he switched? "Oh, it's you folks," Grandmother greeted them, seeing it wasn't Yuanzi, and ushered everyone to take their seats. She made the introductions: "This is Yuanzi's girlfriend. You can call her Lanlan. That wretched boy Yuanzi, heaven knows where he's run off to." The Old Hag's mere two days of modern experience weren't enough for her to understand what "girlfriend" meant. "Don't mind him, let's eat first," Grandmother said as she served bowls of rice for everyone. Grandfather looked toward the Old Hag, looking her over before nodding slightly in approval. A smile squeezed onto his stern, solemn face as he asked gently: "Lanlan, is it? How old are you?" The Old Hag knitted her brows slightly. For the sake of the food, she replied aloofly: "Since this seat's birth, more than a thousand years have passed. In cultivating the Dao, seasons lose their meaning; I have long forgotten my exact age." The air suddenly went dead silent. The expressions and movements of the entire family froze on the spot. Grandfather forced himself to ask, "What do your family elders do?" The Old Hag said flatly, "Earthly emperors." Grandfather forced himself further, asking, "How did you and Yuanzi meet?" By now, the Old Hag had gathered that "Yuanzi" was likely Yuanshi Tianzun's childhood name. "He awoke me from the stone coffin beneath the Mountain God Temple." Lady Sandao never lied. The bowl in Grandfather's hand clattered, rolling onto the table. The family exchanged silent glances. Even Uncle, normally the most adept at socializing, had no idea how to follow up on that. Just then, the Ghost Bride leaned toward the Old Hag's ear and whispered: "Your Ladyship, the mortals of this world know nothing of cultivation. Please do not frighten them." The Old Hag thought to herself, The mortals back in this seat's day knew nothing of cultivation either, yet none were frightened. Not only were they unfrightened, they sang praises of this seat's merits and built temples and statues in my honor. Even so, the Old Hag adopted her maidservant Bai Lan's suggestion and said indifferently: "A mere jest." The family let out a collective sigh of relief. Uncle let out a hearty laugh and chimed in, "Lanlan really has a sense of humor! No wonder Yuanzi likes you; that boy loves telling jokes too. Let me tell you..." *** Outside the residential complex, Zhang Yuanqing stood on the curb cradling a bouquet of roses. Amid the heavy flow of traffic, he spotted the familiar blue sports car. Covering a distance of less than a hundred meters, the sports car stopped and started in traffic, taking a full ten minutes before reaching the gate of the complex. Taking advantage of the car being halted by the barrier gate, Zhang Yuanqing tapped on the window, and Guan Ya unlocked the door. Zhang Yuanqing slipped into the passenger seat. Looking Guan Ya over, he offered the roses with a smile: "For my favorite Sister Guan Ya." Guan Ya was still somewhat unaccustomed to this. With a taut expression, she gave an "mm," took the bouquet into her arms, and steered with one hand, pretending she didn't care. Her outfit today was quite intriguing: a knee-length, beige pleated skirt, a cartoon graphic tee, and a pair of plain white sneakers. Her face was completely bare of makeup. She wore no earrings, necklaces, rings, or accessories of any kind. Clean and refreshing, simple, elegant, and sweet. It made her look at least three or four years younger. Guan Ya was a classic mature beauty—busty with a slender waist and long legs, her mixed-heritage features exuding the alluring charm of a mature woman at every turn. The tags associated with her were "workplace goddess," "sex siren," "commanding female boss," and the like, bearing no relation whatsoever to a young girl. Her deliberate effort today to dress down her age had an obvious purpose: to match Zhang Yuanqing's age. To a twenty-one-year-old college student who hadn't formally entered society, the elders' impression of his girlfriend would usually be framed around notions like "peer," "young girl," and "innocent of the world." Hence, any elements highlighting mature feminine allure or the status of a wealthy woman had been summarily discarded without consideration. Zhang Yuanqing was delighted. Although Guan Ya grumbled about it being a bother, her actions were honest; she wasn't treating tonight's dinner as a mere formality. "Just park over there. That's my family's parking spot," Zhang Yuanqing said downstairs, pointing to a space along the edge of the green belt. His family owned four parking spaces—two for his uncle's family and two for his grandparents'. When they bought the apartments back then, each household was gifted one parking spot. However, Grandfather felt two weren't enough and spent money to buy two more. If I'd known parking spots would appreciate so ridiculously later on, I would've bought a few more back then! Grandfather often lamented in this manner. Guan Ya parked the car and left the roses inside. "Huh? Take the flowers with you," Zhang Yuanqing, having already climbed out of the sports car, urged when he saw this. Guan Ya rolled her eyes and ignored him. The two walked side by side into the residential building. The moment they stepped into the elevator, Zhang Yuanqing saw Little Doubi phase through the elevator doors, wailing loudly as he wrapped his arms around Zhang Yuanqing's calf. The shrill crying sounded like a baby who had been denied milk for three days straight. Guan Ya couldn't see spirit servants, but her keen perception as a Swordsman drew her gaze to Yuanshi's calf. "It's my little spirit servant. Probably lost a video game and is throwing a tantrum..." Zhang Yuanqing explained, bending down to pick up Little Doubi. After a brief communication, he decoded the truth of the matter from the baby's disjointed "descriptions." The Old Hag had returned. Her aura had frightened Little Doubi. She's finally gone back... Zhang Yuanqing felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. As long as the Old Hag hadn't returned, his heart couldn't rest easy. The deterrence of this ancient Day Wanderer was simply too overpowering. As the elevator ascended slowly, Zhang Yuanqing absorbed Little Doubi into his abdomen to nurture him. Soon putting the Old Hag out of his mind, he took a deep breath and quietly took Guan Ya's hand. "If you get handsy again, I'm leaving!" Guan Ya glared at him fiercely and pulled away gently. We've already done all that grinding, what's holding hands? Right, can't act like a hypocritical gentleman... Zhang Yuanqing kept his life mentor's teachings firmly in mind and clasped her soft, delicate little hand once more. Guan Ya put up only a token resistance. Ding! The elevator doors opened. Holding her hand, Zhang Yuanqing stepped out of the cabin and said: "My grandmother has been talking about you all day, constantly asking me whether you can eat authentic Songhai cuisine, whether you prefer salty, mild, or spicy flavors. Oh, right, my uncle and aunt are coming too. "Today I'm introducing you to everyone." As he spoke, he punched in the passcode. Guan Ya quietly took a deep breath. She hadn't actually wanted to come because Yuanshi's grandmother recognized her. Back when Team Two investigated Lei Yibing's disappearance, the team members had visited the home to gather evidence. She remembered the old woman's attitude hadn't been welcoming at all back then, terrified they had come to arrest her precious grandson. Now, in the blink of an eye, the female constable who had come investigating was suddenly the grandson's girlfriend. What would the old lady think? —This woman must have seen how handsome my grandson is and abused her authority to secretly rob the cradle. The mere thought made Guan Ya feel awkward. Beep, beep— Zhang Yuanqing finished entering the passcode, unlocked the security door, and called out loudly: "Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back—" The moment he stepped into the foyer and looked toward the dining table, he froze dead in his tracks, the smile on his face stiffening. At the table, Uncle held a wine glass in one hand and picked up food with his chopsticks in the other, babbling endlessly to the Old Hag about Yuanzi's childhood. The Old Hag paid him no heed, focused entirely on eating her food. Grandmother chimed in from time to time. Given the "grandson's girlfriend's" aloof refusal to respond, the atmosphere at the table was somewhat awkward. Seeing that the main person had finally returned, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked over. The Old Hag lifted her eyelids and cast a cool glance toward the foyer, looking as pure and graceful as a white lotus. "Yuanzi, where have you been? Lanlan has been sitting here for a while now—" Just as Grandmother was about to scold her grandson for being inconsiderate, she suddenly spotted Guan Ya, who was being led in by the hand behind him, and stopped short in shock. Uncle's brag-and-bluster posture seized up, leaving him stupefied. Aunt's eyes widened in astonishment. She glanced at Guan Ya, then turned her head to look at "Bai Lan." Jiang Yu'er, who had been carefree and munching on food, saw Guan Ya being led in by the hand, and her pretty face darkened. As for Guan Ya, the nervousness on her face vanished in an instant the moment she saw the yin corpse "Blood Rose" eating with such elegance.