My Manor

Sitting on a stone along the path in the woods of Jiang Hai, he glanced at Ai Xiaoxi, who was fiddling with the camera beside him.

Today's shoot was in the forest, with two sets of clothes. Since they were in the wilderness, they wouldn't be going fully nude like the previous day. For the second set, they only removed the top of the first outfit, covering their vital parts for the shoot. Compared to yesterday, Feng Yunchen's method was much better. At least Ai Xiaoxi wasn't so shy in front of Jiang Hai that she couldn't perform. Although she was still a little reluctant, her pure look made a difference.

After seeing the final shots, Jiang Hai felt a wave of protectiveness for her—he wanted to hold her and comfort her.

The shoot went smoothly. After an hour, Ai Xiaoxi finished, and it was time for Feng Yunchen to take her turn. When Feng Yunchen went to the car to change, only Jiang Hai and Ai Xiaoxi were left in the area.

To be honest, the relationship between Jiang Hai and Ai Xiaoxi was… awkward. There was a bit of ambiguity, a hint of embarrassment, and some awkwardness. Jiang Hai couldn't help but feel like he had taken advantage of her. He couldn't stay silent, though, because if he did, he'd feel like a heartless man.

Jiang Hai wasn't a saint, but he wasn't a bad guy either. He wasn't like those people who acted as if they had principles and dreams. For Jiang Hai, he had no principles—and no dreams. His dream was simple: endless money, doing nothing every day, and enjoying good food and entertainment. Now that he'd achieved this dream, everything he was doing felt like following his heart.

He felt guilty for Ai Xiaoxi, so he tried to break the awkwardness between them.

"Um, do you like photography?" Jiang Hai asked hesitantly, looking at Ai Xiaoxi who was still fiddling with the camera.

"It's okay. What girl doesn't like taking selfies?" Ai Xiaoxi nodded as she responded. "It's just that SLR cameras are really expensive. The cheaper ones in China are over 2,000 yuan, and they don't come with lenses. The better ones cost over 10,000 yuan. This one I'm using is over 15,000 yuan."

Jiang Hai nodded, noting her words. In fact, SLR cameras weren't cheap even in the U.S., though for Jiang Hai, these prices didn't matter much.

"I don't know much about them. I only know there's Canon, Nikon, and the like. I've only ever had enough money to buy the cheapest compact camera when I was in China," Jiang Hai replied with a half-smile.

"This is Canon. Even though people here look down on the Japanese, their brands are really strong, especially in electronics." Ai Xiaoxi continued, not giving it much thought.

She was speaking the truth. There was a natural animosity towards Japan in China, especially in the Northeast, where Jiang Hai's family was from. His grandfather had told him that no one in the Northeast didn't harbor some resentment towards Japan. Of course, it wasn't just the Japanese—they hated the Russians too. The Russians had caused significant harm to China, but over time, they became allies, so people were expected to suppress that hatred. By Jiang Hai's generation, that resentment towards Russia had mostly faded.

However, the government's propaganda ensured that hatred toward Japan never truly waned. Even so, Jiang Hai had to admit that Japan's industrial development was impressive. The Japanese had become a powerhouse in several industries—automobiles, cameras, rice cookers, and pharmaceuticals. Even Jiang Hai's family's rice cooker came from Japan.

As Ai Xiaoxi continued talking about cameras—telephoto lenses, short focal lengths, continuous shooting—Jiang Hai felt like he was listening to a foreign language. He had no interest in photography, and in his earlier years, he'd heard people say that photography could ruin your life. Now, hearing all the technical terms, he was lost in confusion. But since Ai Xiaoxi seemed to be enjoying the conversation, Jiang Hai pretended to listen carefully, though his facial expression betrayed his lack of understanding.

Seeing his confused expression, Ai Xiaoxi smiled reproachfully.

"You don't need to explain things I'm not interested in. I told you, what happened last night was my choice. Don't feel bad." She lowered her head, speaking softly.

"But…" Jiang Hai didn't know how to address the situation. He knew that offering anything to this girl was complicated, but he didn't know what to do.

"You don't have to feel guilty. I have a boyfriend, so don't blame yourself. When I entered this industry, I knew it would be hard to maintain my dignity. Instead of giving myself to a random rich guy, I figured it wouldn't be so bad to give myself to you. Like Sister Chen said last night, being with you for the first time might not be a bad choice," Ai Xiaoxi said, her face flushed. Despite her resigned expression, Jiang Hai felt even more embarrassed.

At that moment, he was at a loss for words. He wasn't good at speaking, and even if he were, he couldn't bring himself to ask her to be his girlfriend or make any promises.

So, after a long pause, he tried a different approach.

"Well, we're friends, right? I guess we don't know each other that well, so maybe we could introduce ourselves?" Jiang Hai suggested, his voice a little childish. Ai Xiaoxi couldn't help but want to laugh, but there was more sadness in her eyes. This man seemed like a good person.

"Okay." Despite thinking it was a bit childish, Ai Xiaoxi gave a loyal reply.

"I'll go first. My name is Jiang Hai, born in 1988, from Bingcheng. I've lived in China all my life but moved abroad last year. I had a failed marriage…" Jiang Hai briefly introduced himself, sharing details of his life, including his manor, so Ai Xiaoxi could understand him better. He didn't try to hide his past marriage, knowing Ai Xiaoxi would find out from Feng Yunchen anyway.

"I'm Ai Xiaoxi, from Shandong Province, born in 1993. I'm 22 years old. I was in my third year of college but had to drop out because of family issues. Now I'm working as a model and SG, just like Sister Chen. I signed a contract with XX Economic Company," Ai Xiaoxi shared, not revealing too much.

Jiang Hai could sense the sadness in her voice and wanted to ask why she dropped out of school or what had happened at home. If it was a money problem, he could easily help her. But he held back, sensing Ai Xiaoxi didn't want to talk about it.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a scream from Feng Yunchen.

Startled, Jiang Hai immediately dropped the reflector he was holding and rushed toward the car. There, he saw Feng Yunchen, now in a leather jacket, stepping out of the car. In the bushes opposite her, a large mountain lion was glaring at her.

"Damn, it's another mountain lion!" Jiang Hai cursed. He recognized the creature; after all, he had caught one only a few days ago.

With a burst of energy, Jiang Hai jumped forward, landing directly in front of Feng Yunchen to shield her from the mountain lion.

"Get in the car, quickly! And get Ai Xiaoxi in the car too!" Jiang Hai shouted. His sudden appearance startled both Feng Yunchen and the mountain lion. As the lion hesitated, Feng Yunchen rushed into the car, while Ai Xiaoxi followed suit, grabbing her camera and locking the door.

"Jiang Hai, get in the car!" Feng Yunchen opened the door slightly and called to him, but Jiang Hai shook his head.

"Don't worry about me. This mountain lion is no match for me. But I do think it looks familiar," Jiang Hai said, eyes fixed on the animal.

He studied it closely, then frowned. "Wait a minute. Isn't this the one I caught last time?"