My Manor

As they walked in, the four pets, which had been acting mischievous, almost immediately fixed their eyes on the two women.

Banya was fine; the snow squirrel was inherently cute, and it looked even more adorable with its head tilted as it stared at them.

However, Jiujiu, who had already grown up, and Xiao Huang and Xiao Bai, were not as friendly.

Xiao Huang's wolf-like eyes stared at them indifferently, sending chills down their spines.

Although Xiao Bai didn't have the same wolfish gaze, his imposing size made him look quite intimidating as he stood there.

As for Jiujiu, it resembled a wild beast. The way it looked at the two women could only be described as predatory, as though it considered them potential prey.

The two women froze, feeling the intense gazes of these animals and birds of prey.

"Don't worry, they won't attack. These are my pets." Noticing their obvious fear, Jiang Hai kicked the animals, urging them to behave. Under his command, the pets quickly relaxed. Xiao Huang, accustomed to being aloof, glanced at them briefly before turning away.

Xiao Bai, Banya, and Jiujiu were less cooperative. The three animals approached the two women, sniffing them curiously. But aside from Banya, neither woman had much tolerance for such close attention from animals.

"Alright, go play," Jiang Hai said, seeing the women frozen in fear. He set down his luggage, shooed the animals away, and guided the women upstairs.

"I had heard about rich people keeping wild animals, but I didn't believe it. Now, I see I was too naive," Feng Yunchen said with a smile, following Jiang Hai. While they had often seen such stories in the news, it was entirely different to experience it in person. The reality was a little overwhelming.

"Actually, they're not really wild animals," Jiang Hai explained with a smile. "The first one to leave is Xiao Huang, a Tibetan Mastiff. The black one is Xiao Bai, a Caucasian Shepherd Dog. They're both pet dogs. Banya is a snow squirrel I found on my estate. And Jiujiu, well, it's a bird of prey, a bald eagle, the national bird of the United States. But it's not fully grown yet."

Although they understood the animals were dogs, Feng Yunchen and Ai Xiaoxi still felt a little uneasy.

They reached the second floor and let out a collective sigh of relief. However, before they could fully relax, a door not far from them opened, and two figures emerged—Darlene and Marian.

"Hi, Jiang, you're back!" The two girls were a little surprised, seeing Jiang Hai with two women.

Earlier, Jiang Hai had mentioned he would be picking someone up, but he hadn't said he was bringing back women.

"Ah, you're back! Let me introduce you. These are the two guests who'll be staying with us for a few days. Uh, aunts, this is my middle school classmate, Feng Yunchen, and this is Ai Xiaoxi. And these two are my daughters, Darlene and Marian." Seeing them appear, Jiang Hai smiled and made the introductions. After all, they would be living under the same roof.

The two women seemed somewhat embarrassed upon hearing the title of "aunt." They felt they were still quite young, and while Feng Yunchen was of a similar age to Jiang Hai, Ai Xiaoxi, born in 1994, was only 22 years old. Having two 15-year-olds call them "aunt" was rather awkward.

Moreover, they hadn't known Jiang Hai had daughters of that age, and it was clear they couldn't be his biological children, so they must have been adopted. Still, they were presented as "daughters," which made the situation a bit confusing.

"Hello, just call us by our names. 'Aunt' makes us sound too old. You're so cute." Feng Yunchen, being more experienced, quickly responded with a smile, stepping forward to shake hands with the two girls.

Darlene and Marian exchanged a look. It was clear the two women must have some connection with Jiang Hai, and judging by their behavior, it was likely a romantic one—this was the kind of intuition only women could pick up on.

"Alright, you two can go play for now. I'll show them to their room." Noticing the tension between the four women, Jiang Hai quickly intervened to break the ice. He spoke to Darlene and Marian before taking his luggage and heading further down the hallway to the rooms he had prepared.

"You can stay here. Both rooms have private bathrooms and small living areas." Jiang Hai opened the door to one of the rooms and introduced it with a smile. He was quite proud of the space.

"Wow, this is really nice." The two women were impressed by the room's layout.

Indeed, the room exceeded their expectations. They had prepared themselves for something modest, but Jiang Hai's wealth was apparent. The room was luxurious, perhaps even more so than some five-star hotel suites.

The room had its own air conditioning, TV, a small living area, a spacious bathroom, and beautiful solid wood flooring. The large bed was more than enough for their needs.

"Forget about two rooms. When we leave, you'll have to clean them up anyway. I think this bed could fit three or five people. Let's just squeeze into one room so we can talk privately at night." Feng Yunchen glanced at Ai Xiaoxi, who seemed a bit dazed by the luxury, and made the suggestion. It wasn't that she had a particularly close relationship with Ai Xiaoxi or enjoyed sharing a bed, but there were some things she wanted to discuss.

"Oh? If you say so," Jiang Hai replied, somewhat surprised. Was there anyone who didn't enjoy sleeping alone? But since they preferred it, he didn't mind.

"If you're uncomfortable, you can sleep in the guest room next door. Darlene and Marian are staying here too, and I have more than a dozen rooms, so there's plenty of space." Jiang Hai smiled and explained further.

"You've been on a plane for over ten hours, and then more than four hours of driving. I imagine you're tired. I'll go downstairs and prepare some food. You two can rest first and join me for dinner. Afterward, you can sleep soundly," he added, before leaving the room.

As soon as Jiang Hai left, Ai Xiaoxi let out a relieved sigh and turned to Feng Yunchen with a look of mild complaint.

"Sister Chen, you didn't say your classmate was a rich man." Ai Xiaoxi looked at Feng Yunchen helplessly.

"Didn't I tell you? Haha, well, I didn't know he was this rich," Feng Yunchen shrugged, laughing at herself. Though she'd shared an unforgettable night with Jiang Hai, she had only seen his watch, and his residence in China had given little indication of his wealth. In her mind, Jiang Hai had just seemed like a successful rancher in the United States, but nothing more.

Now, seeing the villa and pasture, she had to admit she had underestimated him. "It seems Qi Li wasn't blind after all. This Jiang Hai is quite interesting."

For the first time, she considered the possibility of relying on Jiang Hai, thinking maybe this was a good choice.

"This villa, this ranch—did he mention he also owns a forest? And a sea as well? My god, I thought..." Listening to Feng Yunchen's slightly unreliable laughter, Ai Xiaoxi slumped onto the sofa in resignation.

"Thought? What did you think? That he was some poor guy? Come on, girl, stop joking. Get up, open the box, and take out the clothes," Feng Yunchen said, glancing at Ai Xiaoxi before standing up to handle the large suitcase.

"What are you getting the clothes for?" Ai Xiaoxi asked, still curious but getting up to help Feng Yunchen.

"We need to pick some nice clothes for his daughters. I didn't know he had such beautiful girls in the States. Since they call us 'aunt,' it's only right to bring them a gift," Feng Yunchen explained, a bit helplessly.

Ai Xiaoxi felt a twinge of discomfort. She was only 22 and was being called "aunt." It would have been fine if the other party was a baby, but these girls didn't seem much younger than her, making it awkward.

Still, as Feng Yunchen said, whether she liked it or not, this situation existed, so she had to go along with it.

As they opened the suitcase, a pile of clothes appeared before them—clothes that were meant for photo shoots, not for wearing. The number of sets was overwhelming. They had prepared so many clothes for the photo shoot, but some were too revealing for young girls like Darlene and Marian!