Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 918: There Will Always Be Such a Day

After going through various procedures to retrieve Uncle Jin's belongings from the bank vault, Ouyang Jie did not immediately open them.

Before leaving, Zhong Luoyue had booked a nice hotel suite for Ouyang Jie. Although this gesture meant little to Ouyang Jie, it was better than nothing.

Additionally, while the hotel was nice, it couldn’t compare to those under the Song Dynasty’s management. However, considering the relationship between Song Ying and Zhong Luoyue, Ouyang Jie had nothing to say.

This was supposedly a place for recuperation.

It was a resort-style hotel near the sea.

Ouyang Jie drew all the curtains in the room before opening the items Uncle Jin had left in the bank vault: a box.

However, there was no key; it was a box with a combination lock. Looking at the series of numbers on the lock, Ouyang Jie found himself in a bit of a dilemma… The box seemed specially made and unlikely to be opened by force.

If it were forcibly opened, it might damage the contents inside.

Ouyang Jie instinctively bit his finger—this was something Uncle Jin had left him, but Uncle Jin had never given him any hints about the code.

This meant that the password was likely something Ouyang Jie already knew or something related to him and Uncle Jin.Suddenly, Ouyang Jie had an idea and quickly entered a set of numbers—this was the date he was rescued by Uncle Jin after leaving the orphanage, and the number of digits matched what the lock required.

"YES!"

With a click, the lock opened, and Ouyang Jie instinctively clenched his fist. He exhaled and began to carefully open the box.

Inside were only a few items: a CD, a recording pen, a sealed test tube about twenty centimeters long, and a jade lock with the characters "Ouyang" engraved on it.

Additionally, at the bottom of the box, there were several documents. Ouyang Jie glanced at them and was surprised to find they contained proof of Uncle Jin's assets and real estate, as well as contracts transferring all his properties to Ouyang Jie.

Trained by the legendary "Gambling God" Tu Shenyi, Ouyang Jie had excellent mental arithmetic skills. After a rough calculation, he found that Uncle Jin’s inheritance was unexpectedly large.

Among these inheritance transfer documents, Ouyang Jie also found a birth certificate.

There was no father's name; only his mother's name was written with the characters "Ouyang." The birth certificate was in Chinese... Ouyang Jie rubbed his forehead and instinctively picked up the jade lock from the box. The engraved "Ouyang" seemed related to his origins.

But Ouyang Jie remembered that he had never seen such an item since he had memory—yet this was left for him by Uncle Jin… Where did Uncle Jin get this jade lock from?

"Uncle Jin... what are you hiding from me?" Ouyang Jie took a deep breath, picked up the recording pen, and pressed play.

It was Uncle Jin's voice.

"A Jie, when you hear this recording, it means I have had an accident. So, I mainly want to tell you a few things; you can consider how to proceed next."

Ouyang Jie placed the recording pen on the table and sat up straight.

"First of all, there’s no doubt you are my biological son. You were placed in an orphanage by me, and when you escaped, I had no choice but to bring you back to my side. The reason Tu Shenyi took you as a disciple was also a request from me."

At this moment, Ouyang Jie felt his mind go blank. He instinctively pressed the pause button, needing time to digest what Uncle Jin had just said.

Father… Uncle Jin was his biological father?

All these years, his father had been right beside him? The urge to know more compelled Ouyang Jie to press play again.

"... I never intended for you to forgive me; I’m just recounting the past. When I was the 'Gambling Demon' Jin Wucheng, I was ruthless, and I had many enemies. Your birth was an accident, and I did not want your existence to be a burden, so I abandoned you. Ouyang is your mother's surname, and the jade lock in the box is something she left for you. As for your mother, to be honest, I don’t know much about her background. My time with her was brief, and a year later, someone brought you to me."

"I've said it before, there's no doubt you are my child; this has been verified... I'm sorry for breaking the illusion you had of your biological parents."

Hearing this, Ouyang Jie couldn’t help but smile bitterly… He didn’t really resent Uncle Jin; he just couldn’t accept this fact all at once.

Having entered the gambling world himself, Ouyang Jie understood the dangers that came with it—he was someone who loved but was afraid of love.

"I’ll leave your origins at that. Next, I want to explain why I've been with Tu Shenyi for over a decade."

"Tu Shenyi, the so-called 'Gambling God,' the guy who lost a finger, is not human; he is a bloodsucking demon, a legendary vampire."

Ouyang Jie’s hand trembled.

Fearing he had misheard, he quickly rewound the recording and listened to it again.

"... he is not human; he is a bloodsucking demon, a legendary vampire."

Once more.

"... he is not human; he is a bloodsucking demon, a legendary vampire."

Again.

"... he is not human; he is a bloodsucking demon, a legendary vampire."

Ouyang Jie finally stopped rewinding because he recalled the hospital incident—the local government's and military's lockdown, the complete handling of the deceased overnight, and Zhong Luoyue's cautious mention of it all made Ouyang Jie realize that what he encountered in the hospital were genuine zombies, not victims of the so-called 'zombie bath salt.'

With the existence of such unnatural beings as zombies, the possibility of vampires also became… plausible?

Ouyang Jie picked up the test tube from the box.

"... This is the blood I extracted from Tu Shenyi during that time. In fact, I drew quite a bit of his blood for research, but until now, I’ve been unable to analyze the blood composition of a vampire. If you’re interested, feel free to look into it. I’ve set up the lab in Los Angeles; it's also one of the assets I've left for you."

There was much more about Uncle Jin’s research on vampires over the years, such as the weaknesses he had discovered and the feeding habits of vampires, but none of this was what Ouyang Jie most wanted to hear.

What he truly wanted to hear was brushed over by Uncle Jin in just a few sentences at the beginning of this recording… What a heartless man.

Yet, the moments he shared with Uncle Jin in the vineyard castle over the years began to surface in his mind, and tears gradually welled in Ouyang Jie’s eyes.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he calmed down a bit… Suddenly, he remembered something.

He remembered that he had indeed been bitten by a zombie; however, during his examination at the hospital, there were no abnormalities. No matter what kind of test it was, he passed safely. Otherwise, even with pressure from the American embassy, he wouldn't have been released so easily.

"Why... am I okay?"

He was puzzled and could only keep this question to himself for the time being.

Later, Ouyang Jie took a long time to calm his emotions. After that, he used the hotel's equipment to open the last item in the box that hadn’t been studied: a CD.

However, when Ouyang Jie saw the contents on the CD, his previously calm demeanor was shattered instantly—he was shocked, terrified, and even felt a chill as he watched the video content frame by frame.

It was a cruel video of vampires hunting humans—within the video, there was an elderly woman who, after feeding, transformed into a beautiful figure. It was someone Ouyang Jie recognized: Madam Eve, a friend of his master, Tu Shenyi, who vacationed at the castle every year.

There were also leech-like monsters—transforming from human forms into monstrous appearances and then back again.

In that moment, Ouyang Jie felt as if life had turned into a nightmare, with all the bad things coming in succession.

That day, Ouyang Jie did not leave his room in the resort hotel at all.

---

The scenery along the highway was rushing by.

This was Song Ying's beloved car, a supercar that could definitely turn heads on the road—at this moment, there were only two people in the car: Song Ying and Luo Qiu.

It was early morning, and Luo Qiu had been dragged out of the room by Song Ying, who wanted someone to drive on the highway. Because he usually valued his sleep schedule, Luo Qiu initially suggested Song Haoran, who seemed to enjoy nightlife.

But Song Ying said she couldn’t find Song Haoran and didn’t know where he had gone.

So Luo Qiu continued to recommend others—ultimately, he was chosen by Song Ying. Later, Luo Qiu understood something: his initial strategy of refusal was wrong; he should have agreed right away, and then Song Ying might have chosen to back out selectively because he accepted so quickly.

"You don't want it? Then I want you… and so on."

"Miss Ying, you’re speeding. This is dangerous; please reduce your speed."

Although there were only Song Ying and Luo Qiu in the car, there were more than one supercar on the highway—behind them was a white Alfa Romeo, closely following, driven by Gan Hong.

"This isn’t even my top speed! You can keep up, then we’ll talk!" Without a second thought, Song Ying turned off the car’s communication device and slammed on the gas pedal again.

A powerful push against their backs hit them… it seemed Luo Qiu could never restrain a woman who loved speed.

He collected his thoughts and asked, “You seem to have something on your mind?”

"When are you leaving?" Song Ying, however, retorted with a question, looking at Luo Qiu seriously, "Last time you told me you wouldn’t stay long at the Song family. But do you know that even if you leave now, my grandfather would already be reluctant to part with you… his goodwill towards you surpasses my imagination."

"So… do you want me to leave?" Luo Qiu asked softly.

At that moment, Song Ying suddenly slammed on the brakes; their bodies lurched forward due to inertia. When the entire supercar came to a sudden halt, there were already deep tire marks on the road… including those from Gan Hong's Alfa Romeo.

“No, what I want is for you not to leave.” After stopping the car, Song Ying turned her head, her pale pink hair falling to cover her left cheek, looking extremely serious.

“Why?” Luo Qiu said calmly. “Miss Ying, it seems you’ve never liked me very much. If I leave, wouldn’t that be a good thing for you?”

But Song Ying stared at Luo Qiu, her eyes unblinking and very serious, “I am me, and my grandfather is my grandfather. No matter how much I may dislike it, if it’s what my grandfather hopes for, I will do my best to achieve it. Do you understand? I have never seen my grandfather accommodate someone like this, as he did tonight. You are the first.”

Luo Qiu thought for a while and felt that this was probably related to what Mr. Blind had said during the wake, but in Song Ying's eyes, it seemed to have taken on a different flavor.

He shook his head, "Master Song's fondness for you is heartfelt; there’s no need for you to feel this way."

Song Ying suddenly said, "I remember telling you that my parents died in a car accident, right? But that accident was premeditated, orchestrated by someone from the village who had once disrupted a small kingdom's royal family during a mission."

Song Ying sighed, leaning back against the driver's seat, her hands gripping the steering wheel… she seemed to want to hold onto something, and it was evident that she was exerting herself.

"That was the first and only time I saw my grandfather cry." Song Ying recalled, “I lay alone in the hospital bed. The doctor said it was due to the impact from the car accident. But I had actually woken up long ago, yet I was too afraid to open my eyes… Later, when I did, I saw my grandfather. He was sitting next to me, covering his eyes with his hand… Do you know? Neither I nor anyone in the village could have imagined that at that moment, Song Tianyou would be such a helpless person."

She turned her head, a wan smile on her face, “You probably think this is ridiculous, right? A family that rose to power through war, killing daily, will naturally face the day they are killed… In fact, I had long since put my parents’ matters behind me and held no hatred toward anyone. But from the day I saw my grandfather cry in front of me, I secretly told myself. I vowed to pull the Song family out of this irreparable situation. So what if we started from war? I can invest; I will learn investment. I can move all the wealth of the Song family from the shadows into the light. I can cleanse the Song family completely… One day, I will turn the Song family into a white family, not a black one… One day, I will ensure my grandfather no longer worries about his loved ones dying in vendettas. One day, he can enjoy his old age in peace. One day… there will be such a day."

Luo Qiu listened quietly; at that moment, Song Ying was at her most beautiful, just like when she had warned Luo Qiu after handling someone cheating at the casino in the Song Dynasty Hotel.

That kind of determination, that feeling of protecting her loved ones with everything she had.

“Do you know? Later, when I heard Uncle Wu say that my grandfather secretly cried after meeting you that night and then slept very soundly, I was more jealous than ever. But… his happiness was unprecedented.”

Suddenly, Song Ying grasped Luo Qiu's hand and said earnestly, “So I hope you can promise me, unless absolutely necessary, please don’t leave, stay with the Song family, stay by my grandfather’s side.”

However, Luo Qiu slowly pulled his hand away from Song Ying's grasp and shook his head, “Miss Ying, it’s beautiful to maintain familial ties. But what if doing so means forcing others?”

“There are so many people in the world, living either for themselves or for others.” Song Ying resolutely answered, “I don’t care about that!”

“I cannot stay long with the Song family.” In the end, Luo Qiu still shook his head, “But…”

He didn’t finish that sentence as he frowned.

At that moment, several black cars sped onto the highway, menacingly approaching and surrounding the two supercars parked by the roadside…