Afterlife Department

Chapter 228 – Respect

"My lady! What are you doing here?!" her maid cried and immediately covered her with a blanket. 

"Bring the car here, hide it." She told her, but her gaze never left the manor afar. 

"What…" the maid muttered, but then saw her young lady's serious expression. Such a child, yet already acts like an adult. She can only follow him. 

After 8 hours… 

"My lady… aren't we leaving?" the maid asked. It's already too long they are staying in the car! "I recognize that family crest. It's the Huo manor. Do you want to go inside?" she asked. 

"No." Mary Jackson answered. 

The maid. "…" then why are you staring at it for so long? 

Maybe they did wait for too long, since they saw a child ran outside the gate. "Get him." She ordered. 

The guard immediately moved and seized the child that was startled before he brought him inside the warm car. 

"Young master! Please put on more clothes! That child won't run far!" a servant of the Huo manor cried while she followed Huo Jinghua. 

"No… he disappeared!" Huo Jinghua said. "He's still sick! Why did he run out?!" he was mad, but his eyes showed concern. 

"Young master, he's just a beggar child you picked up. If you want, we can pick up another child – " she suggested. 

"Leave it!" Huo Jinghua said. "I already liked Cui! You go find him!" he told the guards. 

"Yes!" they answered and disappeared into the darkness. 

"Who…" the people inside the car turned when they heard a weak voice. 

"Rayver." Mary called. "I'm Mary." She told him. 

"Ma… ry…" Rayver weakly muttered. 

Mary sighed when she saw him delirious. "Bring him to a clinic." She told the driver. 

"Yes!" 

Since Huo Jinghua took care of Rayver, Rayver's condition got better and he came to full health the next day. He can't remember he sneaked out, and didn't believe his nurse maid. Since Mary saw he really didn't remember, she then just kept silent. 

She remembered this memory because she saw Rayver Quinn's eyes earlier in the Hoobite Planet when he saw them two. Whether he recognized them, or he felt empathy with two males thus he released them, she doesn't know. She only knew that Rayver Quinn seemed to…

"Madam?" a soldier called. "Is something wrong?" he asked. 

Mary Jackson turned and smiled. "Nothing. I'll go prepare some food for your boss." She told him. 

"Do you need help?" he asked. 

"I do. Thank you." 

As they left, they didn't notice a starship in a stealth mode. A pair of eyes watched them disappear from the window. Only then did the invisible starship left. 

Three days later. 

"You looked better compared before." Jiang Ce said when he met with Mary Jackson. He looked at her glowing skin and blushing cheeks. 

"Thank you." Mary Jackson shyly answered. "And this is?" she asked when she saw a young woman sitting beside Jiang Ce. 

Jiang Ce smiled. "Harry is worried for my safety. He arranged a bodyguard for me, but a female bodyguard." He explained. 

"… I didn't know he is a jealous type of a man." She said. 

Jiang Ce chuckled. "He doesn't look like the type, right?" he asked, but his face looked proud. 

Mary Jackson smiled. 

Jiang Ce paused when he saw her expression. "Did something happen to you?" he asked. 

"Hm?" 

"Precisely, to you and Huo Jinghua?" Jiang Ce corrected. 

The female bodyguard looked at the two and discreetly excused herself. 

"So?" Jiang Ce stared at Mary Jackson. "Meiying…" he called. "I truly regret the years I haven't been with you, and neglected my part as your elder brother." He sighed as he lowered his head. 

"No… it's just…" Mary Jackson stammered. She guiltily looked at Jiang Ce. "It wasn't your fault we were separated…" she sighed as she stared at her drink, looking at her reflection. "From what you said just now, I realized…" she said. 

"Realized what?" 

"I think… Jinghua doesn't love me enough." Mary Jackson finally answered. 

Jiang Ce's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" he exclaimed. 

Mary Jackson closed her eyes. "Ge… I know, Jinghua is very in love with me." She said. 

"Then – " 

"But don't you think, his love for me is like that of a younger brother to his elder sister?" she asked. 

Jiang Ce gaped at him. "Meiying, you… does brothers and sisters kiss?!" he exclaimed. 

"Ge…" Mary Jackson's eyes watered. "Our kisses… hugs… don't you find something else from it?" she asked.

"What would I – " Jiang Ce muttered before he paused to ponder. 

Mary Jackson bitterly smiled. "Ge… if we kiss right now, what will you make of it?" she asked. 

Jiang Ce stared at her, stunned. "You kiss me out of… respect." He muttered under his breath. It felt like something lit up in his mind and he stared at Mary Jackson. 

Mary Jackson chuckled. "I know…" she said. 

"Meiying." Jiang Ce called as he tried to save the situation. "Don't you think you're just overthinking things?" he asked. "You were too affected with xiao Ling's passing, so you – " 

Mary Jackson shook her head. "It actually just made me clear my mind." She sighed. "Jinghua… he's too polite with me. Do you know – " she looked at him. " – we haven't even done it, even after 3 years of marriage?"

"Wha – " Jiang Ce's draw dropped. "Is he incapable?" he asked, his eyes looked curious. 

Mary Jackson smiled. "Although he didn't get up because of me, but that's because – " she said and looked at the monitor on the wall. " – he just didn't meet his fated person… or may have met him, but they were separated for too long… he forgot him… as well as his feelings." She muttered. 

Jiang Ce turned to look at where she was looking at, only to see Rayver Quinn's handsome visage on the screen. "Meiying…" he called when he felt something had dawned on him. He slowly turned towards her and felt his heart ached when she saw her pained smile. "Could it be – " 

"Yeah." She spoke, her voice seeming to sigh. "I knew, yet I still stole Jinghua from him." She confessed.