"August Hollen." The face-blind man introduced himself politely.
Jian Jing noticed that he paused slightly when he said his surname, as if he had omitted a syllable, but she didn't pay much attention to it and simply said his surname: "Jian."
It was a friendly title, and Hollen quickly accepted it: "Are you a friend of Melanie's?"
"Friend of the groom's friend, what about you?" Jian Jing looked at him. He had a typical Western face, and a similar temperament could be found in many foreign historical dramas.
Hollen said: "Leo and I are good friends. So, your friend is the oriental friend that Leo met in the university?"
“Obviously.”
"Leo is very happy that he can come with his friends." Hollen finished smoking the cigar in his hand and smiled, "He always wanted to have a lively wedding."
Jian Jing was surprised to hear this: "So, how many guests will there be?"
"It can be too much, but fortunately it can also be too little," Hollen said.
"Yes." Jian Jing smiled and changed the subject, "Where can I find coffee?"
Hollen pointed to the hall at the end: "The flower hall should have what you want."
At the end of the corridor on the first floor is a protruding reception hall with gorgeous French windows on three sides. There are several armchairs of different styles randomly placed, some are padded, some are carved walnut, and some are copper-covered mahogany, obviously from different historical periods.
There are many oil paintings hanging on the wall, most of which are about winter castles and are dark in style.
There was a desk, a piano and a chest of drawers against the wall. On the chest were a coffee machine, a cigar box and a set of blue and white porcelain tea sets.
"There's black tea in the cupboard," someone said behind him.
Jian Jing turned around and saw a thin and pale face with a high and straight nose, deep eye sockets, and irises of an extremely rare violet color. In terms of appearance, she was not pretty, but the melancholy between her eyebrows was very special.
She thought for a moment and asked, "Are you Sal?"
"You can call me Leo." His voice was very soft, but it was hard to hear. "You are Jian Jing, a little friend of Mucheng."
The pronunciation of "little" rises slightly, creating an intimate tone.
"You pronounced our names very accurately." Jane Jing was friendly as always. "For me, 'Jane' will do."
Leo nodded and opened the cabinet: "Tea?"
"Coffee," she said.
Leo took out the coffee beans, poured them into the grinder, and shook the handle to slowly grind them into powder. At the same time, the water in the kettle was heated to the appropriate temperature.
Pour the coffee powder into the filter paper, inject a thin stream of water, and brew it several times.
The extracted brown coffee liquid "drips" down, steaming out a fragrant aroma.
He opened the built-in small refrigerator, which was empty, and quickly picked up the phone: "Mary, please send a jug of fresh milk and sugar cubes to the reception room."
Then he apologized to Jian Jing, "There are too many things to do at the wedding, and the reception has lasted for a week."
"It's important." Jian Jing said, "I'm glad to be able to attend your wedding, especially in a castle like this."
Leo seemed a little surprised and asked, "Do you like this castle?"
She said, “It’s very interesting.”
Leo blinked quickly: "Thank you, but this is really... unexpected." Facing her puzzled look, he had to explain, "After all, this is a very old house, with poor lighting, and it's very old. It's not a comfortable place."
"Yes," he emphasized, "this is a good place, you must fall in love with it."
Jian Jing was surprised. Leo's tone seemed to be advising her not to fall in love with a scumbag.
"The milk and sugar you asked for." Mary brought in a jug of fresh milk and said kindly, "Why did you go to the kitchen yourself for such a small thing?"
Leo immediately said: "Sorry, Mary, I'm sorry for causing trouble for your work."
Mary's expression softened: "You don't need to apologize, but I hope you will think carefully..." She glanced at Jian Jing and switched to French, "It's best to reconsider your marriage. I always agree with you doing this."
Jian Jing: Pretend not to understand.
Leo's reply was concise and powerful: "I have thought it through."
Mary left with a look of disappointment on her face.
"Jane, I'm sorry I have to leave for a while." Leo said, "Dusk and I are good friends. He helped me a lot during the Great Depression. Please don't be restrained and feel free to visit."
Jian Jing said: "Thank you."
He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Jane, this is an old house."
She understood: "Yes?"
"I've been at home a long time, and I haven't repaired it for a long time. If," he paused and said slowly, "there are any strange noises, it must be the wind blowing into the gaps between the bricks and stones. Don't be afraid."
As if to prove that what he said was true, before he finished speaking, a strange sob came from somewhere in the room. It was almost imperceptible, as distant as the whistle of a steam train, and as strange as the giggle of a witch.
Jian Jing's expression changed immediately. The facial muscles that had become loose due to the long journey were lifted by invisible threads. She underwent a Thermage treatment in just a few seconds, and she felt refreshed.
"Oh," she laughed, "now I believe it. Old houses are a little scary."
Leo showed a slightly visible sign of relaxation.
Dinner starts promptly at seven o'clock.
Kang Mucheng and Si Yingjie arrived at the dining room fifteen minutes in advance, and soon after, Hollen arrived. Kimberly and her husband came downstairs around 6:50, and they avoided having to recognize strangers again.
At 6:55, Jian Jing arrived.
She sat down next to Kang Mucheng and said, "It's snowing outside again."
Si Yingjie looked tired and muttered, "What's so strange about this?"
Jian Jing said: "I'm afraid of the temperature dropping."
"Don't worry, the castle is warm enough," Hollen said.
At this time, a slim woman came down from upstairs.
She was very beautiful, with long black hair, snow-white skin, blue eyes, and a frail and cold demeanor, just like the famous French beauty Angie Hjelm.
Perhaps to highlight her respect for her relatives and friends, she wore an evening gown that outlined her slim figure. Around her neck hung an opal necklace and on her hand a ruby ring. She looked like a noble lady attending a banquet, dignified and elegant, blending in with the atmosphere of the castle.
Si Yingjie let out a slightly noticeable gasp.
"Meira." Kimberly called her sister's name affectionately, "It's great to finally meet you."
"Kimmy." Melanie called her sister by her nickname, a faint smile on her beautiful face, "I'm so glad you can come."
Kimberly introduced her husband: "This is Carl, my husband."
Melanie and Carl nodded in friendly acquaintance.
"Everyone is here." Leo came in from another door, took his fiancee's hand and sat down, raised his glass and said, "Thank you all for coming from afar to attend my wedding."
Everyone cooperated and took a sip of champagne together.
"Ding--", the antique clock in the dining room rang, it was seven o'clock.
Mary pushed in a dining cart and served everyone food skillfully.
The appetizer was a mixed vegetable soup with local vegetables, lettuce (? ) leaves, spinach, potatoes and strange beans, with a lot of tomato sauce, sour and sweet.
There were also a few slices of bread with fish fillets, lemon and rosemary on top.
Jian Jing tried a bite. The bread was toasted crispy, the fish fillet was very fresh, and the meat was tender.
"Honey, this fish fillet reminds me of my honeymoon with Carl." Kimberly was in high spirits and kept chatting with Melanie, "Sushi, hot springs, and cherry blossoms. What about you? Antarctica, Africa, or Asia?"
Melanie seemed to have a poor appetite and only drank two mouthfuls of soup. She said: "I know, maybe it's Egypt, maybe it's the South, Leo doesn't like places that are too cold."
Kimberly: "Egypt is a great place, isn't it, Carl?"
Carl: “Yeah, I like the culture there.”
"What are you going to do?" Kimberly asked enthusiastically, eager to make some comments on the wedding.
Melanie, however, was worried and responded reluctantly: "We'll talk about it when the time comes."
Kimberly put down her knife and fork, took a sip of champagne, and muttered, "Mera, you really look like a woman who is about to get married."
Melanie smiled bitterly: "I don't know why, the closer we get to the wedding, the more nervous I get."
"Honey, you must be too tired. Do you want to go home and rest?" Leo asked with concern.
"It's just a slight headache. I'll just take some painkillers later," Melanie replied.
Si Yingjie commented: "Premarital phobia."
At this time, Mary's dining car arrived again, and each person had an extra small hot pot.
That’s right, hot pot, but it’s not clear soup or butter, it’s cheese hot pot. Prepare the meat, vegetables, mushrooms and other side dishes in advance, put them in the cheese pot and cook them, and you can sprinkle some chili powder if you like.
Jian Jing took two bites and her stomach protested: This is hot pot!
The main course was Italian ravioli stuffed with ham, which tasted okay.
"I hope you enjoy today's food." Leo said, "Mary, if you are busy, you can sit down and eat with us."
Mary said coldly: "Come on, George can handle it alone."
Leo showed a helpless expression and didn't force it.
"It's weird." Si Yingjie said again.
Jian Jing didn't respond and drank the champagne in the glass.
Mary immediately took out a new bottle, uncorked it and put it aside without any intention of pouring it out.
Leo, on the other hand, stood up immediately, took the bottle and poured wine for everyone, and explained: "The weather is not good, everyone else has gone home, Mary and George have too much work, so let me serve everyone."
Kang Mucheng said: "We came here just for a quick meal, there's no need to be so polite."
"It's okay." Leo, without any aristocratic airs, refilled the guests' cups one by one. When it was Melanie's turn, he deliberately poured only half a cup, "You should drink some."
Melanie said gently, "Don't worry about me, it's just a little bit." As she said that, she picked up the champagne glass and took two sips.
"Auguste, I think you will like this taste, it's too sweet." Leo said, "Do you want to try red wine? I'll go get it next door."
Hollen shrugged. "You know me, it's fine."
That’s when the incident happened.
First there was a loud "clang" and the wine glass in front of Melanie fell over, scaring everyone.
Everyone looked at her and saw that her teeth were clenched, her neck and back were stiff, and she was showing obvious symptoms of spasm.
Leo's face turned pale: "Meira!"
"Does she have epilepsy?" Jian Jing asked.
Kimberly screamed, "Meira doesn't have this disease."
"It must be poisoning." Jian Jing said as she quickly stepped forward to support Melanie's body while scanning the dishes and drinks in front of her.
After a moment's thought, she reached out her hand, dipped some champagne, and put it in her mouth to taste it.
Sweet with a hint of bitterness.
A new line of words appeared on the status bar of the character panel: Alkali poisoning.
After two seconds, the writing disappeared.
Since the immunity was turned on, the character panel has shown new tricks. She said "Pah" twice and said firmly: "Send her to the hospital, she needs gastric lavage."
Leo picked up Melanie in panic and rushed out the door.
Kang Mucheng immediately said: "I want to drive, where should I park the car?"
"In the garage, I'll take you there." Hollen's response was also slow.
But ten minutes later, George Xiong's loud voice rang out: "It's okay, the snow is too heavy, and the car will be stuck if it drives to the hospital. Ask Mary if she has any help, she is a doctor!"
In the chaos, Mary calmly commanded: "Send her back to her room, Uncle George, please get the medicine box - is there anyone who can tell me how she got back home?"
Leo said, "I know, God, it was fine just now."
Kang Mucheng said: "Maybe it's food poisoning."
Hollen: "Everyone eats the same thing, but she eats the same thing."
"Strychnine poisoning." Jian Jing put her hand to her mouth and said loudly, "Can you induce vomiting?"
There was silence at the door.
Mary: “You can try.”