Chapter 5: Head Pat

The rest of the meal was enjoyed in pleasant, quiet contentment.

"Let's go." After finishing, Fu Yunshen stood up with a lazy expression. "Kid, I'll go all the way and see you home."

Nie Chao was about to ask what he would do, but was silenced by a single look: "..."

Fine, he'll walk himself.

*Sigh, a brother has no human rights in front of a woman.*

Nie Chao followed behind them, feeling quite sorrowful.

Ying Zijin thought for a moment. "That won't be necessary. Looking at it any way, I already owe you."

Aside from surface-level information like his age and name, Fu Yunshen was someone whose important details could not be calculated. Perhaps it was because her abilities had not yet recovered, or perhaps...

It was better to keep her distance as much as possible.

"Hmm?" Fu Yunshen pulled out his car keys and smiled upon hearing this. "How do you owe me? You reminded Nie Chao; isn't it a fair trade?"

He paused, his lips curling into a smile. "Tell you what, if you truly feel you owe me, why don't you tell me some gossip about Shanghai?"

Ying Zijin looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Gossip?"

She knew what gossip meant—it referred to interesting anecdotes and rumors, not the divination of hexagrams.

It seemed there were still many things of the 21st century she needed to learn.

"Haven't you just returned?" Fu Yunshen rested his hand on the car door. "So, how about it? Satisfy my curiosity?"

He raised his hand in a gesture of invitation.

Ying Zijin's gaze faltered.

When she first came to Earth, she had stayed in Europe for three hundred years, traveling across the continent under various identities. Consequently, she was well-versed in the various etiquettes of all European royal families.

This gesture originated from the British Royal Family, but it had been abandoned in the first half of the 16th century.

"If you don't get in the car soon, your little uncle will be coming out in a moment," Fu Yunshen said, glancing sideways. "Look at me—I have no power or influence. What if he arrests us both?"

This single sentence prompted the girl to make a decisive choice, sliding into the passenger seat.

Fu Yunshen raised an eyebrow. "Is Jiang Moyuan really that intimidating?"

Ying Zijin replied indifferently, "Just a nuisance."

Fu Yunshen was momentarily stunned; he clearly hadn't expected such an answer. A low chuckle escaped his lips as his eyes crinkled.

The light brushed over the man's fine black hair and danced downward, tinting his features with a pale gold hue.

His crimson lips provided a sharp contrast to his naturally pale, cool skin, making him look every bit the devilish charmer.

He rolled up the window. "I heard Jiang Moyuan brought you from Qingshui County to Shanghai?"

"Yes." Ying Zijin recalled. "He said he wanted to send me to Qingzhi to study."

Qingzhi High School was the top-ranked high school in Shanghai. Any student from its honors class could enter Imperial University, and its rate of admission to key first-tier universities was over 98%. Parents fought tooth and nail to get their children in.

Ying Zijin looked out the window, narrowing her eyes. "I had a car accident on the way and went to the hospital."

The accident hadn't caused any fatal injuries, but it led the Ying family to discover her existence. She possessed the extremely rare Rh-null blood type, identical to Ying Luwei's.

This blood is also known as "Golden Blood"—a true universal blood that can be transfused to anyone of any blood type. However, if the donor lacks blood, they can only receive Rh-null blood.

There are fewer than a hundred people in the world with the Rh-null blood type. Even the Ying family could not provide a sufficient blood supply in time when Ying Luwei was injured.

She happened to be the perfect candidate.

Fu Yunshen's fingers paused slightly. "Because of this, the Ying family adopted you?"

Ying Zijin propped her head up with her hand, answering nonchalantly as if it had nothing to do with her. "A living blood bank delivered right to their doorstep—why wouldn't they want it?"

Rh-null blood has another unique property: a person can only donate once; after that, they develop antibodies.

If a second donation is forced, it results in death.

But she wouldn't die.

That was why the Ying family kept her around.

Fu Yunshen turned his head, his gaze lingering for two seconds before he suddenly reached out and patted her head.

Like a little kitten.

Ying Zijin turned her head slowly, her expression blank, though a hint of killing intent surfaced in her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Telling you not to overthink it," Fu Yunshen said, looking straight ahead. "Fasten your seatbelt. We're leaving."

**

Thirty minutes later, the car stopped at a hillside villa complex.

"Remember to rest early." Fu Yunshen looked at the girl as she stepped out of the car. "Drink more longan and red date soup."

Ying Zijin's eyelashes fluttered slightly. "I know. Thank you."

"I hear you say thank you so many times a day, my ears are getting calloused." The man rested his long forearm on the car window and chuckled. "If you really want to thank me, give me a divination sometime."

In an unprecedented move, Ying Zijin rubbed her head, looking slightly helpless. "Fine."

Hearing this, Fu Yunshen seemed to think of something, looking thoughtful for a moment.

He didn't leave immediately, adding lazily, "Alright, go rest. The night is too dark; I'll watch you walk in."

Ying Zijin nodded. "You too."

After saying goodbye, she turned and walked toward the villa cluster.

Before she could reach the villa, the door opened, and the butler of the old residence stepped out.

His gaze was harsh and scrutinizing. "The Second Miss finally deigned to return?"

The girl stood at the bottom of the steps, her long eyelashes dusted with frost, and snow settled upon her hair.

Her wrists were slender and pale, her veins clearly visible; her frame was so thin she looked as if she might collapse if the wind blew too hard.

The butler frowned at the sight, but he did not forget the instructions given to him by the people inside.

He spoke up. "The Madam said that since the Second Miss's rebellious nature is so strong that she left the hospital so willfully, then the Second Miss should not come home tonight either."

"The Second Miss may enter only when she admits her mistake."

"Second Miss, please leave."

His tone was thick with sarcasm.

The butler's expression was full of dislike and a hint of annoyance.

This Second Miss did nothing but cause trouble all day long; she deserved to suffer a bit.

He wanted to see how long she could endure in such heavy snow.

Ying Zijin looked up and finally spoke. "Move."

This reaction was unexpected, causing the butler to freeze.

He knew this Second Miss's temperament—she was usually timid and never dared to talk back. How could she dare to defy him today?

The butler's face darkened with displeasure. "Second Miss, stop being willful. If you act sweet to the Madam, say a few kind words, and admit your mistake, won't everything be fine?"