My Manor

"Boss, have you really decided not to deal with those little guys? You know, they are lions too." Enor-Cessi couldn't help but ask, watching Jiang Hai walk out of the forest. There was a hint of unease in his voice; it was indeed a troubling matter.

"We'll talk about it when they start showing signs of aggression," Jiang Hai replied with a smile but didn't elaborate further. He was confident that these lions wouldn't pose a threat in the future.

Earlier, Jiang Hai had the opportunity to deal with the mountain lion family. However, seeing their pitiful state, he decided against it. Sometimes, his heart was just too soft.

But as Enor-Cessi pointed out, they were lions, and Jiang Hai knew he had to remain cautious.

Before leaving, he infused the lioness with spiritual energy, which he shared equally among the five cubs. This energy should make them recognize him as their master, though not as obediently as dogs would. After all, the amount of energy he used was minimal. Jiang Hai had tamed Dasha with over twenty drops of blood and a substantial amount of spiritual energy to reach the bond they had today.

This is the difficulty of taming wild animals. At this moment, Jiang Hai had no intention of making these mountain lions his pets. As long as they didn't attack humans, he wouldn't bother them. After all, the forest was full of rabbits and pheasants year-round, so he didn't need to worry. Still, he made sure to inform Dasha not to allow large animals near the water area in the future. This time it was a mountain lion, next time it might be a brown bear or a polar bear. Jiang Hai felt a little uneasy just thinking about it.

When Jiang Hai made it clear that he wouldn't deal with the mountain lions for now, Enor-Cessi and the others exchanged glances. While the mountain lions posed some threat, they didn't think much of it since the injuries of the lions were severe.

They didn't know about the magical effects of Jiang Hai's spiritual energy, but from what they had seen, the mountain lion was on the brink of death.

As for the five cubs, without their mother, they would struggle to survive even in Jiang Hai's forest.

Not commenting further on Jiang Hai's compassion, the group left together.

Once they exited the forest, everything seemed to fall back into place, continuing on its original course.

Days passed, the sun rose and set, and everything moved forward step by step.

Events like the opening of the World Expo and the British general election had little to do with Jiang Hai directly, but he still kept an eye on them. First, there was his manor. In late May, Zhang Dehai and the Walmart Group arrived. Perhaps because of the incident in Atlantic City, Pra-Walton didn't come herself. Instead, she sent her assistant, a beautiful woman who wasn't very friendly toward Jiang Hai. She conducted the handover mechanically.

The second batch of 2,000 cattle, as well as Zhang Dehai's 300, were sent to the slaughterhouse. Originally, six handovers had been planned, but it seemed four would suffice.

The only person still holding out was Qi Li in the imperial capital, but there was nothing for her to rush; it was just a matter of time.

The decoration of the western restaurant was nearly complete, though it would take some time for the flavors to settle. Recently, Qi Li had been in contact with air transport companies and warehouses. She was quite ambitious about Jiang Hai's beef, and she was aware of his ties with Feng Yunchen and Ai Xiaoxi. What troubled her, though, was dealing with these two women. Like Feng Yunchen, she found it difficult to navigate her feelings because of the complexity of Jiang Hai's relationships. It truly felt like a double-edged sword.

Time moved on, and Qi Li, like everyone else, kept busy. She and Jiang Hai didn't know what the future held.

Once the cattle were processed, Jiang Hai's account would grow by over 300 million US dollars. There were fewer cattle left on the manor, but Jiang Hai's cowboys were happy because these cattle were exceptionally valuable.

Lately, Jiang Hai and Cindy Clive hadn't spent much time together—not because they didn't want to, but because they hadn't spent any time together at all.

With the town's development, Cindy had been transferred to the town government by the mayor. Her role was to plan and implement initiatives to attract foreign tourists. The Winthrop town government had proposed turning the area into a tourist attraction and submitted project applications to the state.

The state, while not overly enthusiastic, had approved everything. Unlike in China, where the central government tightly controls local governments, here the state couldn't intervene directly. The cooperation between Jiang Hai and the town government avoided a lot of red tape.

Though the Massachusetts government wasn't thrilled, it was a good thing for them too. As Winthrop's GDP increased due to tourism, everyone benefited.

Jiang Hai, though not a stingy boss, was not one to throw money around without oversight. He insisted on knowing exactly how funds were being spent and was strict about quality. If the work was subpar, he had no problem having it redone.

Moses Adams, his lawyer, was just as diligent. When a construction company tried to cut corners by replacing three steel bars with two, Jiang Hai immediately halted the project, filed a lawsuit, and had the work redone with a new team. Moses made sure the company didn't get away with it.

After some initial hiccups, construction in Winthrop had finally hit full stride. New streets were being built, seaside villas were being settled, shops were springing up, and shooting ranges were expanding.

The town was bustling, and the residents were pleased, knowing that the tourist project would provide them with new opportunities for income, whether or not Jiang Hai and the town profited.

But for Jiang Hai, after his sixth failed meeting with Cindy Clive, he felt a pang of disappointment. Deep down, he had developed strong feelings for her. However, love and responsibility weren't the same thing, and there had been no substantial progress between them. The lack of contact was making their relationship grow distant.

Jiang Hai felt it too—Cindy Clive wasn't ready to enter his world, though she seemed to have some affection for him. If things continued as they were, who knew where they would end up?

Throwing his phone onto the sofa beside him, Jiang Hai stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

His mind wandered through the faces of the women in his life, the ones who might become his partner. First, there was Feng Yunchen, with whom he had shared a brief connection. Although they had only dated for one night, Jiang Hai's feelings for her had changed since then. However, he knew there could be no future between them, as she wasn't ready to be his lover.

Next came Ai Xiaoxi, a girl Jiang Hai didn't know well. She had given him her most precious gift, but like Feng Yunchen, hadn't made her feelings clear. Without that clarity, Jiang Hai couldn't make a decision.

After those two, Cindy Clive's face flashed by, followed by Selena Gomez, whose brief affair was a mistake, and Qi Li's fleeting image—one that Jiang Hai quickly dismissed from his thoughts.

Qi Li had been someone he knew best, but to be honest, she had the least chance of being with him.

When Jiang Hai left home and prepared for his future, it seemed unlikely he would end up with Qi Li. Even though he had deep connections with her, his chances with her seemed slim.

As he lay there, reflecting, his heart was no longer empty like it had been when he went to the town's primary school a few months ago. Now it was filled with many faces—many women, including Darlene, Marianne, and Aphra, who had always been supportive despite everything. But after considering it all, Jiang Hai felt a profound loneliness.

"No one seems like they could stay with me," he muttered, placing his hand on his forehead. "Guess I'm just destined to be alone."

Having read novels and watched TV shows about wealthy people and their lovers, Jiang Hai never really understood whether those stories were true or not. He'd always assumed rich people had lovers everywhere, but now, as a billionaire, he didn't even have a proper girlfriend.

Sighing, he wondered what his next step should be. At that moment, just when he thought he had no one left, a beautiful figure appeared outside his manor.

(To be continued.)