My Manor

With a loud bang, the door of a room in a villa somewhere in the imperial capital was pushed open from the outside. A man in his thirties stormed in, his face filled with anger. As the door swung open, dazzling sunlight spilled into the dark room, causing the man curled up in bed to shield his eyes with his hands.

The room was pitch black. The curtains hadn't been opened, leaving the entire space in darkness.

Seeing the man on the bed, the intruder cursed inwardly before walking over to the window and yanking the curtains open, letting in even more sunlight.

"What are you doing?!" The sudden burst of light made the man in bed roar in frustration. He sat up, his hair a disheveled mess like a bird's nest, glaring at the other man with anger in his eyes.

"You're still alive? I thought you were dead, so I was about to call someone to collect your body," the man sneered.

Hearing those words, the man on the bed froze for a moment, then his expression returned to indifference. He got up slowly, his bare upper body exposed, grabbed a bottle of wine from the bedside table, and took a swig without saying a word. Through the sunlight streaming in, the state of the room became clear—it was an absolute mess. Clothes, food containers, empty wine bottles, and trash were strewn everywhere. Yet, the man seemed completely indifferent to the chaos, focused only on his drinking.

"How dare you drink?!" The visitor's temper flared. He strode over and knocked the bottle from the man's hand.

The man on the bed jumped to his feet instantly, grabbing the visitor by the collar, his bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely.

"If I don't drink, then what? Tell me, what else can I do?!" he shouted in fury.

"How about fulfilling your responsibilities as the second young master instead of living in drunken debauchery every day?" the visitor replied coldly, emphasizing each word.

"Responsibilities? Don't talk to me about responsibilities!" The man's voice trembled with rage. "The last time you talked about responsibilities, you made me betray the woman I loved most. You said it was just a business deal. Business? That's bullshit! You took her away from me forever! And now, you want to lecture me about responsibility?! What's there to talk about?!"

The visitor's face darkened as he listened to the outburst. "Enough of your nonsense! Everything I did was for the family. If I had to make the same choice again, I would do it without hesitation! And let's not forget—if it weren't for you, the Qi family would've become a subsidiary of our company long ago. But instead, look at where we are now! Do you have any idea how much we just lost because of that woman you care so much about? Five hundred million! A full five hundred million! Do you know how many women you could have for that kind of money?!"

The man shoved him away, his voice laced with icy disdain. "Stop living in a fantasy. That woman is married now. Get over it."

He adjusted his tie, taking a moment to compose himself before delivering his final words. "You have five minutes to pull yourself together. My father and I are waiting for you in the hall. Don't let us down again." With that, he turned and left the room.

The man standing by the bed slowly sat back down, his hands trembling, his eyes hollow and lifeless. His entire demeanor screamed of deep unwillingness and regret.

Meanwhile, in the president's office of the Qi Corporation, Qi Li was smiling as she gently stroked a framed family portrait on her desk. It was a photo taken when she had just returned from studying abroad.

There were five people in the picture—Qi Li, her parents, and her two younger sisters. The two sisters, however, were people Jiang Hai had never met.

He had only heard about them. The older sister wasn't Qi Li's biological sibling. She was an illegitimate daughter, taken in by the family when she was ten years old. The relationship between her and the family had always been strained, and after Qi Li angered her father to death, the elder sister cut off contact with the family altogether. Rumor had it she was now pursuing research in the United States.

The younger sister was twenty years old. Jiang Hai had seen her once during his childhood. Frail and sickly, she had always been in poor health and couldn't endure much physical strain.

With the family burden resting solely on Qi Li's shoulders, she had become the pillar of the Qi household.

Qi Li put the photo back on her desk, leaned back in her chair, and took off her shoes. She curled up in the sofa chair, her usual tough demeanor melting away, revealing her fragile, wounded side.

"Next, we'll have to brace ourselves for the An family's retaliation," she muttered softly to herself.

But none of this had anything to do with Jiang Hai.

It's said that husband and wife are like birds of the same forest—until disaster strikes, and they fly their separate ways.

In Jiang Hai's mind, they had never been husband and wife.

In fact, in the past year or so, the only time he had ever touched Qi Li was when they exchanged rings at their wedding ceremony. He hadn't even held her hand since then.

That suited him just fine. After all, any mention of holding hands would be frowned upon now.

Jiang Hai lay in bed, gazing at the snow squirrel and young eagle fighting over a nest in the distance.

Four days had passed since his last hunting trip. After being bitten by the snow squirrel that day, he had bled again. The little creature's sharp teeth could crack acorns, so Jiang Hai's skin was no match for it.

At first, he had no intention of keeping the creature. But circumstances had changed.

Two days later, after feeding on his blood, the two little animals—the snow squirrel and the young eagle—had grown noticeably stronger. They were livelier, smarter, and their physical strength had visibly improved. Jiang Hai even found himself struggling to keep up with their energy.

The two animals loved to wrestle for the nest. Initially, Jiang Hai would intervene, but eventually, he gave up and let them sort it out on their own. As long as neither of them was seriously hurt, he wasn't going to interfere.

Yesterday, he finally gave them names. The young eagle, which constantly chirped "jiujiujiu," was named Jiujiu.

As for the snow squirrel? There was no way he was going to call it something basic like Zhizhi. Jiang Hai prided himself on his creativity when it came to naming.

So, he decided to call the little guy Fangya—after its prominent fangs.

Jiang Hai was quite pleased with the names. They felt fitting.

After settling the two creatures into their new home, Jiang Hai spent the day feeding them and ensuring they were comfortable.

Then, it started to snow again.

At first, it was just a light snowfall. But after Jiang Hai had dinner at Mrs. Philemon's house, it turned into moderate snow. By the time he woke up the next morning, it had become a full-blown snowstorm.

Boston loved its snow.

Unlike other northern areas, Boston's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean gave it a strong marine climate. This meant more rain in summer and more snow in winter, along with gusty winds.

The snowstorm raged all day, with only brief pauses in intensity. After lunch, the snow began falling heavily again.

Staring out the window, Jiang Hai couldn't help but feel lazy. When it snowed, he lost all motivation to go outside.

Instead, he spent his time lazing around like a salted fish—watching cartoons, TV shows, American dramas, NBA games, and playing video games.

When the weather was good, he would at least go out for a walk. But with the heavy snow outside, he didn't feel like moving at all.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Bang, bang, bang."

Curious, Jiang Hai stood up and glanced out the window. He saw Philemon standing outside with a box in his hands.

"Wait for me," Jiang Hai called out. He hurried downstairs to open the door.

The moment he opened it, Philemon stepped inside, shaking off the snow on his coat. "Wow, it's snowing hard out there. I bet Boston will issue a snow warning soon."

"We're not in Boston," Jiang Hai chuckled, shaking the box. "What's in here? Food?"

Philemon grinned. "Yep. My wife made it for you. She said it wasn't right to take your money without giving you something in return. So, I brought it over while it's still hot."

Looking at the lunchbox, Jiang Hai felt a warm sensation spread through his chest. The boredom and coldness that had settled over him melted away, replaced by a deep sense of gratitude.