Chapter 180: Something Happened at the Manor

"Boss, I don't agree with you doing this."

Listening to Moses Adams' voice on the other end of the phone, Jiang Hai lay on the bed helplessly.

When he got off Qi Li's car, it was actually quite far from his home—about ten kilometers.

Today was New Year's Eve, and there were no taxis running on the street at this hour.

If the weather had been good, ten kilometers wouldn't have been very far for Jiang Hai. With his physical fitness, he could have run there in just over an hour. But today was different. The ground in Bingcheng was very slippery, and it had snowed in the past two days. Walking quickly was difficult, let alone running. He was reluctant to call his good buddies, as they, too, were at home for the New Year. So, Jiang Hai walked for more than three hours before finally making it back home. Fortunately, he could tell east from west, south from north, or else it would have been even harder to find his way. When he arrived home, even with his strong physique, he was exhausted. He took off his clothes and shoes and collapsed onto the bed, but he still remembered what he needed to do: apply for a divorce.

However, as soon as he finished talking to Moses Adams about it, Moses Adams opposed the idea.

"Why? I'd rather give her half of the estate!" Although he was reluctant, Jiang Hai was now resolute. He understood now the truth of the saying, if you don't make a decision, you'll face the consequences.

"No, no, no, this isn't about the estate. I understand what you're saying, but it's not about the money. Remember those girls in your estate? Eight employees and two adopted girls," Moses Adams said seriously when he heard Jiang Hai's frustrated words. Jiang Hai, now calmer, listened intently.

"When you adopted those two girls, you could only approve them if you were married. And those girls? You could only hire them because you were married. If you divorce now..."

"Then I'll let them down. I'll help them find better jobs. But as for Darlene and Marianne, there's nothing I can do." Hearing Moses Adams' hesitation, Jiang Hai sighed. This marriage felt like a sword hanging over his head, leaving him completely at a loss. To rid himself of it, he was willing to give up half of his wealth.

"It's not just about whether these girls stay or leave. You adopted them too recently, and it'll be easy for politicians to accuse you of fraud. If you get divorced, the judicial department might intervene and investigate the source of your wealth. Since you're still a Chinese citizen, you don't have to worry about imprisonment, but you could be deported back to your country. Your property in the U.S., the manor, could be confiscated." Moses Adams explained clearly, leaving Jiang Hai even more troubled.

"Dammit! So I don't get a penny? What should I do now!" Jiang Hai cursed under his breath.

It's said that the barefoot don't fear those wearing shoes. Jiang Hai had always been barefoot, but now he was wearing shoes, and he'd given half of them to Qi Li. It felt like a knife stabbing his heart. If there was nothing left, what was the point of living?

"Actually, this is easy. If you want a divorce now, it's best to find someone else to marry first. Then, after the divorce, get married in the U.S. immediately. If there's no gap in between, it won't be too troublesome for us to operate." As expected of a lawyer, Moses Adams always had bad advice. Find someone to marry? Jiang Hai thought about the women he knew. None seemed suitable. But right now, this appeared to be the only way.

"Fine, let's go with that for now. I'll talk about it more when I get back." Since he couldn't get anywhere with Moses Adams, Jiang Hai leaned against the headboard, staring at the ceiling as he began to think about the women who had been part of his life.

First, he considered sleeping with someone he knew. Maggie was definitely not an option. The watch-selling girl whose name he didn't even remember wasn't an option either. As for Feng Yunchen, whom he'd met after returning, he was a bit tempted when thinking about her, but as she had said, she wasn't ready to date him. With her background, she could be his lover, but Jiang Hai wouldn't agree to make her his wife.

Apart from the three, he knew other women, but the eight women at the manor were definitely not options. Although he pitied their backgrounds, he wasn't looking for a career to take home. Darlene and Marianne—damn, they were his own girls. He wasn't a beast, so he wasn't that frivolous.

Beyond these women, there was only one person he knew who could be considered as a potential marriage partner...

"Cindy Clive?" Looking up at the white ceiling, Jiang Hai saw Cindy Clive's face in his mind. He was stunned for a moment. He had never considered her before, but now, he thought she was a great candidate. She had good looks, a great height, and was a primary school teacher. That meant if they had children in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about their education. Though he didn't know her personality too well because they hadn't met much, Jiang Hai thought she was a good person.

"Such a good girl right next to me, and I didn't even notice." Thinking back to Cindy Clive, Jiang Hai chuckled. He hadn't thought of her in that way before, and he hadn't paid much attention to her.

But now that he thought about it, she seemed perfect. In his eyes, she had no flaws and was full of advantages. If he could marry her, it would be a great choice.

"Since I've decided to try, how do I pursue her?" Jiang Hai had never thought about this before. After all, he had never pursued a woman before. Now, out of nowhere, he had to figure out how to do it.

Turning on the TV to watch the Spring Festival Gala, Jiang Hai picked up his phone.

"Would it be awkward to call her directly? Maybe I should send a text message first?" Looking at Cindy Clive's contact on his phone, he hesitated for a moment before sending a simple greeting message. However, after waiting for a while, there was no reply. Just when Jiang Hai started to feel foolish, his phone rang.

"Sorry, I was in class just now. Are you still in China?"

Seeing Cindy Clive's message, Jiang Hai sighed in relief. He remembered that although it was already midnight in China, it was still noon in Boston if he accounted for the time difference.

"Yeah, I'm still in China. I hope I didn't disturb you during class!" Jiang Hai hesitated but replied to Cindy Clive's message. Not long after, she responded.

Seeing her reply, Jiang Hai quickly typed a response, but since they had only met a few times and weren't very familiar with each other, their conversation didn't last long. Then, a message from Cindy Clive caught Jiang Hai's attention.

"I heard the guys at your fishery had some conflicts with the fishermen in Boston a few days ago. I think everything is fine now!"

Jiang Hai's heart skipped a beat.

"A conflict? How come I didn't know about it!" He had no time to continue texting and immediately called Edward Anderson. The manor was jointly managed by him and Robinson Garcia. Robinson handled the ranch, while Edward took care of the fishery.

Now, something had happened. Why hadn't Edward told him?

"Beep, beep..." The phone rang a few times before Edward Anderson picked up, his voice rough and familiar, with laughter in the background. Jiang Hai felt slightly reassured. It seemed like it wasn't too serious. "I heard you had a conflict with the fishermen in Boston. What happened?"

Edward chuckled. "Hey, it's nothing serious. Andrew and others were patrolling when they found a fish thief. We fired a warning shot, and they dared to fight back. We chased their boat off, but when they were hiding, one of them fell into the sea and... was bitten by the shark you raised."

Jiang Hai's eyelids twitched. This was unexpected.