My Manor

"Jiang, are you sure you don't need us to go with you?" Moses Adams asked in a hushed voice as he watched Jiang Hai pack his luggage. He was genuinely concerned—was Jiang Hai's safety guaranteed if he went back alone?

"Don't worry. Azarina will be with me—nothing will happen," Jiang Hai replied, shaking his head.

Last night, after receiving Qi Li's call and confirming the identity of his enemy, Jiang Hai had made up his mind—he would leave today.

Jiang Hai had never been the type to let grudges sit. If possible, he avenged them on the spot. If not, he struck back as soon as he could. The saying went that a gentleman's revenge was never too late, but Jiang Hai's philosophy was different—his revenge came swiftly, from morning till night.

So today, he was setting off immediately—get it done early and return early. As for bringing others along, he had no such plans.

Robbins and his team needed to manage the ranch. Edward's team had the fishery to oversee. Even Aphra and her group had responsibilities at the winery. Moses Adams had his hands full with construction and tourism projects in Winthrop Town, as well as handling the people Jiang Hai had warned would never leave once they entered. If things really escalated, Moses was one of the few people Jiang Hai could fully trust. He wasn't heartless, but his compassion was reserved for those who deserved it.

"Jiang, let's go with you!"

Seeing Jiang Hai pack, Darlene and Marian hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. Even though Jiang Hai was only their "father" in name, they were genuinely worried about him.

"Oh? That's fine," Jiang Hai responded, slightly taken aback. Then, as he thought about it, he realized it had been a while since he had adopted these two. Perhaps it was time to take them back to China, to show them where he came from.

After all, China was his homeland, and as his daughters—even if not by blood—they should at least know about his roots.

As for potential dangers? Jiang Hai wasn't concerned. China wasn't some den of tigers and dragons. Besides, Azarina was accompanying him this time, so he had little to worry about. As for Darlene and Marian, he could protect them.

"Jiang, I don't know exactly why you're heading to China this time, but I have a feeling you might run into trouble. Since I can't leave here, why not take Penelope with you?" Moses Adams suggested after a brief hesitation.

Hearing this, Jiang Hai paused for a moment.

Penelope Dahler. The daughter of Burke Dahler. He had met her a few times, but their interactions hadn't been particularly pleasant. He didn't know much about her, but Moses had a point. With his current status, encountering trouble was inevitable, and having a lawyer by his side could be useful. Besides, bringing along one more person didn't make much difference to him.

"Alright, she can take care of my estate while I'm away," Jiang Hai said after a moment's thought, nodding in agreement. Seeing Jiang Hai accept the suggestion, Moses Adams felt relieved.

He quickly called Penelope Dahler. While waiting for her, Jiang Hai finished packing his essentials.

Being wealthy had its advantages. He didn't need to bring much—just a few pairs of underwear, a change of clothes, and a charger for his phone. Anything else he could buy in China. After all, anything available in the U.S. could also be found in China—the only difference was the price. But money wasn't an issue for Jiang Hai.

Perhaps influenced by Jiang Hai's habits, the three women traveling with him also packed light. Four people, four bags—simple and efficient.

Jiang Hai then called American Express. As a Centurion Black Card holder with hundreds of millions in deposits, he could book flights at any time, to any destination, with ease.

He booked five first-class tickets to Beijing and waited for Penelope Dahler to arrive.

Fortunately, she was efficient. She packed quickly and drove over.

When she arrived, she seemed somewhat... hesitant. To be honest, she now believed that her father had made the right choice in working with Jiang Hai—Burke had already given her a substantial amount of money. Though she initially wanted to return it, her father insisted, having proven he could succeed in the cattle industry. So now, looking at Jiang Hai, she no longer felt hostility, just a bit of embarrassment.

"Since everyone's here, let's go!" Jiang Hai announced, then drove his war shield straight to New York's airport. There were no direct flights from Boston to China, and rather than waiting for a connecting flight, it was faster to drive straight to New York.

A few hours later, Jiang Hai and his companions arrived at the airport. After parking the car, they headed to the VIP lounge to wait. Soon, a flight attendant came to inform them it was time to board.

Jiang Hai's financial status ensured that they traveled in luxury. The first-class cabin provided them with spacious seating, onboard Wi-Fi connected to satellites for browsing or gaming, personal TVs for movies, and even a sky bar where passengers could chat.

Of course, Jiang Hai never went there—he preferred to keep to himself.

This level of comfort was exclusive to first-class; economy and business class passengers didn't have such perks. In addition, the cabin featured sleeping berths similar to train compartments, though they weren't particularly comfortable, especially for taller passengers.

Jiang Hai was already familiar with all of this—this was his fourth time flying first-class internationally. However, Azarina and Penelope seemed quite intrigued, curiously glancing around the luxurious cabin.

Not long after, the flight attendant instructed passengers to turn off their mobile phones for takeoff. Unlike in China, where phone usage was strictly prohibited even in airplane mode, U.S. airlines had varying policies. Some allowed airplane mode use during flights, while others required devices to be completely off during takeoff and landing.

Just as everyone was complying, a loud voice interrupted the cabin.

"Hey! Just relax, I'm on the plane now. I'll be in Beijing tomorrow. I'll bring your stuff back for you—don't worry, you'll never lose money with my deals!"

The source of the noise was a rather large man speaking loudly on his phone. His behavior immediately drew frowns from those around him.

Although many foreigners had negative first impressions of Chinese passengers due to such behavior, this man didn't seem to care. After several reminders from the flight attendant, he reluctantly turned off his phone, looking slightly embarrassed.

Once the attendant left, he leaned toward Jiang Hai and grumbled, "Man, American airlines are so strict. They actually watched me turn off my phone."

Jiang Hai chuckled to himself. If the guy had been more considerate, no one would've needed to monitor him.

What puzzled Jiang Hai more, however, was how this man had identified him as Chinese.

"How did you know I was Chinese?" Jiang Hai asked curiously.

"Oh, we Chinese people have a sense of brotherhood..." the man began.

Jiang Hai nearly laughed out loud. Brotherhood? More like a sales tactic. This guy was clearly trying to smooth things over.

"Well, actually, I saw your phone screen earlier—it displayed simplified Chinese. Let me introduce myself. My name's Wang Yang. I'm in the jewelry business. You can call me Fatty Wang. What about you, brother? What do you do for a living?"

"Jiang Hai. I run a cattle ranch in Boston," Jiang Hai replied with a smirk.

Nowadays, he preferred introducing himself as a cattle rancher or fish farmer. Whether others looked down on him for it didn't matter—he lived for himself, not for their opinions.

"A cattle ranch? Sounds like you own a pretty big estate!" Fatty Wang remarked with a grin.

(To be continued...)