《If the Deep Sea Forgets You》 Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Hospital

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Prologue She did not know whether she was in a misty dreamscape, or whether she was in a hazy reality. As though submerged in the depths of the ocean, there was a vacuous, ink-like blue in all directions. There was nothing there, and it was incredibly quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the soft murmur of the current leaving one¡¯s side. Her body was extended wantonly in the ocean. It was unconsciously floating in the middle of the deep sea and slowly fluttering in the wind. She had been in slumber for a long time... ¡°Miss... Miss, you¡¯re awake!¡± A splitting migraine, a scorching belly, like a ravaging fire. She appeared to be lying on a bed, but the pain in her back was unbearable. Her hand was shaking uncontrobly. ¡°Doctor Zhang¡ªHurry, pleasee and check on her!¡± The voice next to her became more and more muffled, but the pain in her body became more and more obvious. She could not open her eyes, unable to see the world outside. ¡°She seems to have... fainted again.¡± Upon hearing this sentence, everything went quiet. She sank into the silence within the deep sea again, that vast and distinct fairnd. It was only there that she could no longer feel the suffering. ¡°She really has fainted again...¡± The nurse tried to pry her eyes open and shone a torch, wondering aloud in resignation, ¡°What should we do? it¡¯s already the fourth time this week...¡± The nurse turned to look to the front of the ward. Then, fiddling with the IV drip, she turned to Doctor Zhang, who had just rushed in, and said, ¡°What do you think, will she make it?¡± Doctor Zhang flipped through her medical records and answered helplessly, ¡°I¡¯ve already had to put her on critical watch twice this week, plus she was already injured to such an extent when she was sent in. Her lungs are hemorrhaging too. Any normal person would have already died a few times over.¡± There was nobody else in the ward. Leaning against the side of the bed, the two of them watched the slumbering patient while conversing nonchntly. ¡°Hmm... Doctor Zhang, what do you think about the background of this patient? It¡¯s been a week, but I haven¡¯t seen any friends or familye to visit her. It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°From what I heard, thisdy was found in the lobby of our hospital. A group of people were huddled around her, watching as shey motionless in a pool of blood. Everyone thought it was a corpse and fled in all directions!¡± ¡°Then who on earth sent her in for treatment? The operation costs and hospitalization fees all require a huge sum of money!¡± The nurse asked in a state of shock. From what she understood, the hospital would never save somebody who had copsed in the lobby and was on the verge of death¡ªsimply out of mercy. After all, death was a daily urrence at the hospital. They were all used to it. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, but it seems that somebody paid arge sum of money, took care of the administrative matters, and gave us permission to operate on her. The hospital charges had been paid for some time as well.¡± ¡°Wow, what a kind soul. All the medical fees were paid as well?¡± ¡°Who would pay for a stranger!? It must be somebody she knew, maybe a friend or a rtive.¡± The nurse cast a nce at the pale, immobile patient who looked anaemic. She pursed her lips. ¡°Well, as a person of unknown origin, it would be good if she were to wake up, but what should we do if she were to die here at our hospital?¡± Doctor Zhang rolled his eyes helplessly at the nurse. ¡°Even worse, she could go into a vegetative state. That would really be troublesome!¡± He looked at his watch and closed the medical docket. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time, I have to change shift. Keep a watch over her; if there are any updates, let me know.¡± The nurse tugged at him, thenughed, and said, ¡°I have to check on the other wards too, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll wake up any time soon.¡± The door to the ward closed once again, leaving behind a woman whoy in silence on the hospital bed. For the entire week, she had been lying there in deep slumber, sinking into a deep sea dreamscape¡ªwithout an exit. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Barrister Mo

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios At the entrance to thew courts, a swarm of reporters ran towards Mo Han when they saw hime out. They kept hounding him with questions. ¡°Barrister Mo, do you have anything to say after winning this case?¡± ¡°Barrister Mo, the opposing counsel said you had insufficient evidence, anyments?¡± ¡°Barrister Mo, everyone else seems to think that the litigant is guilty. With regards to the judge¡¯s acquittal of all charges for your client, do you think that there were any under-the-table arrangements? How much did you pay the judge to win the case?¡± Mo Han continually took firm steps forward without emotion. After hearing thisst sentence, his expression finally changed. Standing in front of the aggressive reporters, he said, ¡°Just because you think somebody is guilty does not automatically mean he is guilty. In court, we have already presented the clear truth in its entirety. If the media still decides to remain suspicious, I would suggest that you rey the video of the court proceedings. I believe you will find your answers in there. If you¡¯re unable to...¡± The cameras kept shing. Mo Hanughed lightly and continued, ¡°Then, I can only say that you are stupid.¡± Subsequently, he continued to move forward, leaving behind a group of wide-eyed people. Mo Han sat inside the car, tugged at his tie, and heaved a sigh of relief. In front of them, Liu Zhiyuan pped his hands excitedly and said, ¡°Barrister Mo, what a well-fought battle! It¡¯s already been a month, we finally have the results that we want. Did you see the furious looks of the opposing counsel? That¡¯s more than they can bear.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true! Our Barrister Mo, the ¡°Imperial Venomous Tongue¡± who has been said to maintain a straight record over the past five years, not losing a single case at all!¡± Little Zhang, who was in the passenger seat, chimed in. The exhausted Mo Han sat in the back, rubbed his eyebrows, and said, ¡°Back to the office.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still going back!? Barrister Mo, you have not slept in two days! Anyway, since the case has been won, you should go home and get some rest. Save your energy, there¡¯s still us at the firm.¡± ¡°Yes, thedies at the firm are still waiting for your energetic rebukes!¡± Little Zhang joked sarcastically. Everyone in the circle knew that he was a legend in the legal industry. Starting his ownw firm, he had be a leader in his field in just three years. Without mentioning the fact that he had never lost a case and just going by his looks, the thirty-year old had a mature face with a lean build. Just one look from him would leave an entire bevy ofdies smitten. This remained the reason why Mo¡¯s firm currently retained so many single females. ¡°There¡¯s still some work at the firm. You wouldn¡¯t understand. My car is over there too, so I¡¯ll still have to get it before I can head back home.¡± Mo Han¡¯s body leaned against the backseat. He had won the case, but had spent too much energy on it. Liu Zhiyuan helplessly started up the car. He wanted to persuade the barrister to go back home to rest, but from the rearview mirror, he spotted his tired face and he knew it was futile to persuade the workaholic. It was better to let him use this period of time to rest in the car, so he abided by his employer¡¯s wish to send him back to thew firm. When he arrived, Mo Han fixed his tie, clothes, and clutched his briefcase. He was back to how he was earlier outside; energetic and moving forward in brisk strides. Behind him, Liu Zhiyuan and Little Zhang tagged along. However, Mo Han sensed a strange atmosphere when he walked into the room. The further he walked in, the more he noticed that many of the people were ncing in the direction of the reception room. ¡°Barrister Mo... you¡¯re finally here.¡± Anna, his secretary, anxiously rushed towards him. ¡°What is it?¡± Puzzled, Mo Han asked in a low and raspy voice. ¡°Somebody is looking for you. The person has been waiting since the time you went to court this morning.¡± Mo Han gave a nonchnt look inside and replied, ¡°But there¡¯s no one scheduled for an appointment at the office today.¡± Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Do you know me?

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Anna shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. It¡¯s a young girl wearing a hospital gown. Her face was pale and it was rather frightening. All she asked was if you worked here. I said yes. Then she just sat there waiting.¡± Mo Han furrowed his brows and remained silent. ¡°Could it be someone you knew from a previous case? Or maybe somebody who wants you to help defend them? Poor thing.¡± ¡°What else did she say?¡± ¡°Nothing. She was just standing in a corner, waiting with her head bowed. I took pity on her, so I asked her to sit in the reception room and also whether she wanted something to drink. She didn¡¯t utter a single word.¡± Mo Han put down his bag. He still didn¡¯t have a clue who could be looking for him, so he went into the reception room. ¡°I¡¯ll go inside. You guys wait outside.¡± Pushing the door open, her back was the first thing he saw. Just as Anna had described, she had short hair, and she was skinny and pale. She wore a hospital gown and sat on a chair, facing him with her head slightly bowed. ¡°Were you looking for me?¡± Mo Han asked. The girl opposite heard him, turned, and stood up to face him. It was then that Mo Han saw her face clearly. She had a tiny face the size of a palm. She had short, somewhat messy hair with a pair of beautiful eyes. Perhaps due to the fact that she was wearing a patient¡¯s gown, she looked pale, sickly, and lifeless. She looked just like a soulless, beautiful puppet. The girl¡¯s eyes sized him up, moving her eyes all over his body as though she was looking for something on him. After a while, she asked, ¡°Do you know me?¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows, finding the turn of events odd. Few people would look so intensely at him. Even when he was in court arguing a case against somebody, he rarely felt the mysterious sensation he experienced now, as if lost in a thick fog. ¡°Sorry Miss, I don¡¯t know you. Actually, why are you here in my office?¡± he asked lightly. The girl looked back, anticipation filling her eyes. ¡°Can you try to remember? This is really important to me.¡± Mo Han chuckled and shook his head. ¡°My memory isn¡¯t bad. Nor do I wish to repeat myself.¡± The girl was disappointed after hearing this. She walked straight towards Mo Han before stopping in front of him. She took out a piece of paper from her pocket, raised her head, and red right back at him. ¡°Then... how would you exin this?¡± She had a tiny stature, barely reaching his shoulders, but her expression was intense. Mo Han took the piece of paper from her and had a quick look. It was only then that he realized it was an invoice from the hospital. It was dated a month ago. At the corner it was signed: ¡°Mo Han ¨C Mo & Associates.¡± Despite staring at the paper for awhile, he could not figure out when he had financial involvements with the girl standing in front of him. Just as he was feeling utterly confused, Liu Zhiyuan entered carefully, his posture stooping low in apology, ¡°Barrister Mo, I know who she is.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mo Han held the invoice in his hand, frustration apparent in his voice. ¡°Did you forget? Thest time we went to the municipal hospital to visit that old man who requested for the notarization of his will, arge number of people blocked up the entrance to the hospital, and refused to leave. We couldn¡¯t drive inside. You told me to get out and take a look. That¡¯s when I saw a girl lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Nobody cared about her as shey on the floor since she didn¡¯t have money for treatment. You were worried that the old man would die without having his will notarized. So you paid for her to be sent into the operating theater. I was the one who handled all the papers.¡± Liu Zhiyuan stole a nce at the girl opposite him. ¡°That¡¯s the girl who was on the floor.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t tell you to sign my name?¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone was cold. Zhiyuan felt a little wronged. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. When she was sent here, there was no next of kin, so there was nobody to sign the consent for surgical risks. The nurse asked for my name, so I just blurted out yours. After all, using your name can create a positive image for ourw firm.¡± The girl sitting beside them kept quiet. She listened to their entire conversation in silence. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: I Have Concentrated Sulphuric Acid In My Hand

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The girl sitting beside them kept quiet. She listened to their entire conversation in silence. Mo Han looked at this pale girl, still clothed in her hospital gown. Clearly, she had just escaped from the hospital. In a diplomatic fashion, he smiled at her. ¡°Miss, you now know the truth. Even though you could say ites down to our staff¡¯s oversight, but really, I¡¯m sorry. I honestly do not know you.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your family? You can give them a call, or, if you know their address, I can get him to send you there.¡± Mo Han looked at her pale face and her skinny body. He felt sympathy for her; she was likely still a student. The girl replied, ¡°I¡¯ve lost my memory. When I woke up in the hospital, I didn¡¯t know anything. I¡¯ve asked the nurses, but they said that you were the only person who I¡¯ve been in contact with at the hospital.¡± Her voice was raspy and low. When she said that, her face appeared calm and expressionless. Maybe it was the fact she remembered him, and knew nothing else, that resulted in such a silence. Mo Han felt somewhat moved. He could not help but be curious about her. He pointed to Liu Zhiyuan who was standing, dazed, in the doorway. ¡°In a little while, let him send you to the police station. The police should be able to help you find your family. ¡°You seem quite young so I figure you must be a student. We¡¯ll check with the different high schools and universities in the city. I believe we should be able to figure out who you are.¡± Mo Han¡¯s sentence was abruptly interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the police station. Can you temporarily... take me in?¡± He froze, along with Liu Zhiyuan, who was feebly attempting to hide his presence. They both stared at the girl in shock. Had he heard things correctly? She was actually going to ask the venomous-tongued Barrister Mo to take her in? When had his boss ever been so kind!? As he had expected, Mo Yanughed and told her, ¡°Sorry, youngdy. I don¡¯t have any special desire to take in a stranger who has nothing to do with me.¡± He turned his back coldly, and directed his attention to Liu Zhiyuan, who was still daydreaming. ¡°Liu, please send her off. We still need to get back to work.¡± As Liu Zhiyuan was about to lead the youngdy of unknown origin out, there was a suddenmotion outside the door. It sounded like many people shrieking in a noisymotion. Mo Han heard Anna¡¯s anxious voice. ¡°Sir! You can¡¯t do this. This is where we work. Please calm down and let¡¯s talk it out!¡± ¡°Tell that bastard Mo Han toe out now!¡± A man¡¯s angry voice bellowed. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Anna¡¯s shrill voice apanied the sound of tables and chairs falling over. As Mo Han walked out of the room, he saw that Anna had fallen onto the floor. Many people went over to help her up. On the floor were documents which were scattered in a mess. The tables and chairs were in disarray. Mo Han recognized that he had met them at the courts earlier. They were the family members of the victim. Leading them was a half-naked brute, who wore a tattoo on his left shoulder and had a fierce look. This was the victim¡¯s elder brother, who must havee here because he was upset over the loss of the case. Mo Han went forward. He stared coldly at the man. There was something in his voice which could not be ignored. ¡°Sir, please take note. This is a work environment. Not only will your presence be a nuisance to my staff, it will also disturb our work.¡± The chubby man dered, ¡°Mo Han! Don¡¯t pretend to be so righteous please. Did you pay off that old prosecutor? If not, why would your client be dered innocent? He even said there was insufficient evidence! What nonsense!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t judge an individual with your ignorance.¡± Mo Hanughed lightly and locked eyes with him. ¡°The truth has been revealed. Your brother¡¯s death has nothing to do with my client. The murderer is someone else. You should be asking the police about this and not disrupting our work!¡± Mo Han continued in a firm tone. He red at the chubby man with fierce eyes. ¡°Security! What are you waiting for? Somebody, please get the security officer and tell him to escort this man out. Don¡¯t let him cause such an embarrassing scene!¡± The man was enraged and raised his voice. ¡°My brother¡¯s dead! We¡¯ve found the murderer, but all because of a bribe, you¡¯ve let him loose. All you people should go to hell along with the killer!¡± All of a sudden, he took out a vial of liquid which hospitals would use for injections and let out a fierce, harshugh. He shook the bottle agitatedly as he shouted, ¡°You assholes! Do you know what this is?!¡± While everyone was frozen in shock, he grabbed thedy closest to him. Taking hold of her by her neck, he said, ¡°This is concentrated sulfuric acid. Just one drop... Haha... get ready for your face to be disfigured. What a pity! Such a beautiful face. She might even lose her life.¡± Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Do you dare to pour it?

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The female colleague was so frightened she kept screaming, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Save me! Save me! I don¡¯t want to get disfigured. Barrister Mo...¡± The colleagues around her could not believe such a scene would happen. Even the other family members standing behind the huge, rotund man stared at him in shock. They had no idea how he had acquired the sulfuric acid. Everyone looked at the man nervously, frightened beyondprehension. When he removed the cap from the bottle, everyone held their breath. Many timid female colleagues were so frightened they cried. He muttered to himself and cackled like a maniac. ¡°Where should I pour this? The eyes? The mouth? What do you say, Barrister Mo? Aren¡¯t you someone awesome?¡± The girl in his grasp let out a wail when she heard him. She struggled and whimpered, ¡°No... Please save me... Barrister Mo!¡± The fat man firmly gripped her by the neck and let out a maniacalugh. ¡°Don¡¯t move, you little beauty! I won¡¯t care if your face gets disfigured!¡± Mo Han tried to control his emotions. He stood there squarely and started conversing with the deranged man. ¡°Aren¡¯t you here to seek revenge for your brother¡¯s incident? Okay, let¡¯s sit down and have a one-to-one conversation. I agree to help you find the murderer, but please, this has nothing to do with my employee. Please release her.¡± After another thought, he added, ¡°If you¡¯re still worried, you can take me in exchange for her. I¡¯ll be your hostage instead.¡± The fat manughed crazily and fixed his gaze on Mo Han, with a perverse facial expression. ¡°Barrister Mo! Aren¡¯t you very capable? Now you¡¯re being humble and bowing down to me?! You were nothing like that in the courts this morning!¡± Just as the tense atmosphere continued, with everyone was staring at the barrister and the fat man, afraid that the acid would spill onto the girl identally, a faint female¡¯s voice suddenly emerged from the back. ¡°Sir, what you¡¯re holding in your hands is not sulfuric acid.¡± A voice said gently with a smiling tone. Heads turned simultaneously to that pale, sickly girl in the hospital gown. Just as she had been in the reception room, she did not wear much of an expression on her face. She seemed to be stating a fact. Her voice was strangely firm and clear. Manic, lust-filledughter erupted from the fat man. ¡°Youngdy, did your teacher not teach you about sulfuric acid? If you don¡¯t know anything, then keep your mouth shut!¡± She walked towards him and gave him a condescending look. Then she cast a sideways nce to the girl who had tears streaming down her face and asked the man, ¡°Do you dare to pour it?¡± Everyone was appalled by what she said. An evil man like him was capable of anything. Over the past month, the firm had been fighting against him in court. They knew he was involved with gangs. They had long heard of the tricks up his sleeve. But now, this youngdy was questioning his words. If the bottle contained sulfuric acid, what would happen if he poured it all over her? Mo Han was equally shocked and stood rooted to the spot. The fat manughed and said, ¡°You probably don¡¯t know who I am, right!? If you do know, quickly scram! Don¡¯t get in my way! I might spill the acid on you. Then you¡¯ll really be wailing in shock.¡± ¡°But this is not even sulfuric acid.¡± The girl had no intention of backing off. Instead, she was eager to lunge forward and grab the bottle in his hand. The man was enraged. Nobody has dared to go against him like this before. He released the woman he was holding and, in an instant, pushed the audacious girl to the ground. ¡°F**k you! Are you courting death!? I¡¯ll fulfill your death wish!¡± The liquid inside the bottle poured down onto her. Everyone in the firm started screaming; some of the more timid even fainted. The male staff immediately tried to pull her away, but it was toote. They watched as the acid sshed all over her. The moment Mo Han saw the acid spill onto her, his heart skipped as he held his breath. He had not felt this way in a long time. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Secret of the Acid

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Things came to a halt for two seconds. By the time they had snapped out of their daze, they realized that the girl waspletely fine. She stood up and smiled, but did not say a word. The fat man was taken aback when he saw that she was fine. He stared at the bottle in his hand in disbelief. ¡°Impossible! This is impossible!¡± He raised his foot in rage, wanting to kick the girl one more time. But somebody came over and pulled him away, protecting her in a timely fashion. Thepany staff saw that their boss, Barrister Mo, had pulled the girl aside before rushing forward to deliver a beautiful spinning kick, sending the fat man down to the floor. He quickly pressed down on the man and restrained him. His entire body mped down on the struggling man until he stopped moving. ¡°Security,e over here. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you,¡± Mo Han stated indifferently as he stood up and massaged his wrists. The chaos had stopped temporarily. Everyone turned to look at the girl who had spoken. She had been hurt to begin with, plus the burly man had kicked her, so now she was even paler. Her expression remained unchanged as she looked at the mess on the ground. ¡°You! Come with me. Everyone else, please tidy up the office.¡± Mo Han looked at the girl and walked into the reception room from before. She entered and stayed at the door. Mo Han took a seat in the middle of the room, loosened his tie, and asked, ¡°So, what happened just now?¡± She looked at him in confusion. ¡°What do you mean what happened just now?¡± ¡°How did you know that wasn¡¯t sulfuric acid?¡± Mo Han exined patiently. ¡°I guessed,¡± she replied casually. Mo Han smiled as he sized up the fearless young girl in front of him. ¡°Now then, you are incredibly brave.¡± Then his smile disappeared, like a lion waiting to catch his prey, his fingers tapped the table gently. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. how did you know that it wasn¡¯t sulfuric acid?¡± His seemingly casual voice actually left one feeling intimidated. It was a certain anxiousness that was difficult to describe. Perhaps it was this presence that caused every opponent to lose to him terribly in the courtroom. She looked at his tapping fingers and took on a weaker stance. ¡°Well, I know that sulfuric acid is actually colorless with an oil-like texture. His was different and looked more like water.¡± ¡°Just that?¡± Mo Han retorted. ¡°Concentrated sulfuric acid is seldom used. Dust gathers on the openings. It¡¯s easy to tell at a nce that his bottle was frequently used. Maybe he took the wrong bottle by ident when he was at the hospital.¡± ¡°How do you know all this?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know... I told you... I¡¯ve lost my memory. There are lots of things that I can¡¯t understand.¡± Mo Han fell silent and leaned against his chair, pondering as he tapped the desk asionally. The atmosphere was that of a lion about to pounce. It was very difficult to ignore. The atmosphere in the room remained tense, and it was so quiet that you could hear the ticking on the wall clock as each second passed. ¡°Barrister Mo, please take a look at this. There¡¯s a case regarding W city which requires your handling,¡± Liu Zhiyuan opened the door and said to him nervously. Mo Han walked to the door and said to Liu Zhiyuan, ¡°Send her to the police station. She¡¯s lost her memory, do a search and see if we can find out who she is. I¡¯ll be right there after I finish off some work here.¡± Liu Zhiyuanplied with his employer¡¯s instructions and gestured to the girl to leave with him. The girl hesitated for a very long time and looked at Mo Han from the corner of her eye, seemingly unwilling to leave. However, she finally followed Liu Zhiyuan out the door after some hesitation. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Abdominal Wound

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios A case in W City required Mo Han to chair a sudden meeting. After suggesting a strategy to deal with the situation, he walked out of the conference room. Originally, he had wanted to drop off his things and head straight to the police station. He knew some of the officers there. He wanted to ask about the situation regarding the unexpected visitor because he realised that it was the first time he knew so little about somebody at all. Having worked as awyer for so many years, he did not have to wait for somebody to speak before he knew what they were thinking. And this time, he felt that the girl did not seem simple at all. However, Liu Zhiyuan had returned before he left the office, where he was poring over some documents. Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows and walked up to his desk. ¡°Why were you so quick?¡± Lin Zhiyuan immediately stood up respectfully when he saw his boss approach him. ¡°Barrister Mo, she snuck off before we reached the police station.¡± ¡°Snuck off?¡± ¡°Not long after the car started, sheined about having a stomachache and asked to be sent to the washroom.¡± Liu Zhiyuan whispered, unwilling to look at his boss out of guilt. ¡°She didn¡¯t seem like she was faking it, so I drove to the nearest washroom and waited for her outside.¡± ¡°I waited for a long time, but she never came out. I asked people who were passing by to check on her, and they said that there was nobody in the washroom.¡± He observed that his boss¡¯ displeasure was growing by the minute and his voice was growing softer. Mo Han stated coldly, ¡°So... you came back alone.¡± This expression was usually kept for the moments when he experienced trouble in court, which was definitely not a good sign. He groveled, his head hanging low. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, just continue your work,¡± Mo Han answered coldly. The enigmatic girl who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere had disappeared so suddenly. He had nothing to do with her, and he had already gone beyond the call of duty by paying her medical bills. Besides, her family would certainly look for her and bring her home. She was probably a student and had to go back to her studies. As he was pondering this, heughed to himself. What did any of this have to do with him? They would likely never meet again. He strode into his own office and started working on another case. After the girl had snuck out of the cubicle, she walked for a long time. She only dared to stop after seeing that Liu Zhiyuan was nowhere near her. But once she did so, she realized everything around her was unfamiliar. People moved around in all directions, passing her by, but she did not know a single person. They were smiling and conversing with one another as they brushed past her. At that moment, she felt that she was invisible, that she did not belong to this world. She did not know who she was; she did not even know if anyone had any connections with her. Earlier, when she had asked the man to take her in, she had been, in fact, shocked to hear it herself. She just wanted to stay next to him no matter what happened. After leaving the hospital, he was the only person she knew to be rted to her. In a certain sense, he had saved her life. But she could tell that he was cold. He did not like to interact with strangers. The reason he paid for her hospital fees was only because he didn¡¯t have a choice. She knew it would be impossible for somebody like him to take in a stranger like her. As she wandered around, she felt her abdomen hurting. She lowered her head and saw blood oozing across her clothes. The rotund man who¡¯d kicked her must¡¯ve ripped open her stitches. The pain grew more and more intense. She winced and hunched over in agony. She needed a fresh change of clothes and some attention to her wound. Moreover, walking along the streets in a hospital gown was attracting too much unwanted attention. But she had no money. How would she buy clothes? Where could she go? Her eyes surveyed the surroundings. She finally caught sight of argemercial building. There must be a staff washroom inside. Maybe she could head there. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: She¡¯s a Thief!

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios She did not have a clue what her job had been before she had lost her memory. But somehow she was able to pass through the security barriers easily. She found a changing room with a tiny shower inside. She could hear the faint trickle of water and people¡¯sughter. Vapor lingered in the air. In the middle of the changing room, there was a long bench with lockers lining both sides. On the bench was a set of clothes that had not been stored away as the owner had just gone to shower. She walked over and sat down on the bench. She removed the blood-stained top and inspected her wound. There was a mirror directly opposite her. She looked up and saw the top half of her body in the mirror. Instantly, she was left stunned. When she had woken up from the operation, she only knew that she had been injured. There was a thick bandage wrapped around her abdomen. But only when she looked at herself in the mirror did she realize that there was more than one injury on her body. The wound on her abdomen had burst open and the entire bandage was soaked in blood. On her chest was another wound, a deep one. It looked as though she had been stabbed by a dagger. She could vaguely make out the blood stains within. Her left arm was wrapped in bandages too. Greenish and purplish bruises were scattered all over her body. There were minor injuries left too. She inspected her face carefully in the mirror. She noticed that her face was a pale ashen white. The color had drained from her face and her eyes were soulless. Her eye sockets were recessed deeply. Without any exaggeration, she resembled a corpse. Who was she? What had she experienced before she lost her memory? Why did have no clue at all? What happened to the injuries on her body? Why hadn¡¯t anyone looked for her all this time while she was hurt? There were so many questions she wanted to know the answers to. A stir in the bathroom disrupted her thoughts as the noises of people¡¯s footsteps echoed constantly. She nced over and hurriedly put on a loose-fitting blouse and a grey overcoat she took in passing. Holding the hospital gown, she rushed out the door. ... The next time Mo Han saw that girl was two dayster. That day, he had just left the firm. It was close to ten at night and he was driving home. On his way home, his nicotine addiction kicked in. He opened up his trunk and realized that his cigarette box was missing. He parked the car on the side of the road, grabbed his wallet and went to the nearest supermarket to buy a packet of cigarettes. It was at the entrance of the supermarket where he saw her. She had changed into a different set of clothes, but she was still as pale and anaemic as two days ago at the office. She looked especially tired. At that moment, the cashier was berating her. She did not say a word, nor did she lower her head. She just stood there silently and leaned against the counter, holding a hand to her forehead. Since it was alreadyte at night, there was no one else in the supermarket. The cashier¡¯s voice seemed to be particrly loud, as she began to yank her. Mo Han had no clue why he walked up to them. He never made it a habit to be a busybody. But that night, he walked up to them and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She turned her head and saw him. She was only a little shocked, but she did not look at him any further. She continued leaning against the counter with one hand on her abdomen, looking a little ufortable. ¡°She stole something,¡± the cashier said. The girl helplessly rolled her eyes without speaking. Mo Han turned to her. ¡°Did you steal something from her?¡± ¡°I just took something from the supermarket and asked if I could take it as a loan, but she refused.¡± Upon hearing this, the cashier was consumed with anger. Pointing at her nose, she eximed ¡°Youngdy, you have quite some nerve! You don¡¯t have money but you¡¯re here reasoning with me? Why are you buying things if you don¡¯t have any money?¡± ¡°The point is, you were even insisting on taking it with you. If this isn¡¯t stealing, what is? If you don¡¯t talk some sense now, I¡¯ll call the police. You better believe me!¡± The cashier ced her hands on her hips,pletely agitated. Mo Han looked at the items on the counter. All of them were food items: snacks, instant noodles, chips, and two bottles of water. Like someone uninvolved, he turned to the cashier and said, ¡°One box of S-brand cigarettes please.¡± Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Restaurant

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The cashier was still murmuring to herself as she took the cigarettes. ¡°Please wait, Miss. We still need to talk this over before I send you to the police station.¡± ¡°Sir, that will be 50 yuan.¡± ¡°Can you tally up this youngdy¡¯s as well? I¡¯ll pay for hers as well.¡± Mo Han calmly fished for his wallet. The cashier was shocked and stared back at him, displeasure evident on her face. ¡°What? Saving the damsel in distress? Sheesh. What a waste of everyone¡¯s time. The total is 108 yuan, sir.¡± As Mo Han walked out carrying the bags, the girl followed behind him. She remained silent with her head bowed. He stopped and leaned against a streetlight, turning his face to ask her, ¡°Are you very afraid of going to the police station?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± The girl replied, bowing her head low. ¡°So, you ran away from the car that day because you were frightened of going to the police station.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± The girl replied. ¡°Why did you steal the shop¡¯s items?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t steal, I told her,¡± she attempted to exin. ¡°Nobody permitted you to do so, and you didn¡¯t pay. This constitutes stealing ording to thew,¡± Mo Han replied logically. The girl¡¯s voice was barely audible. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± Mo Han let out a chuckle as he leaned against the streemp, squinting into the night as he lit the cigarette in his hand. He exhaled as he puffed out a wisp of cigarette smoke. In the dim light, the me from his cigarette butt was especially eye-catching. ¡°The clothes you¡¯re wearing, did you steal those too?¡± The girl smiled bitterly. ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°Have any of your friends and familye looking for you?¡± ¡°Hmph! No, I¡¯ve lost my memory. I wouldn¡¯t know even if they came.¡± Mo Han finished smoking the cigarette, extinguished the butt, and threw it in a bin nearby. Calmly, he said to her, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The girl looked at him. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°To eat.¡± She hadn¡¯t thought that she would see him again after the first time, let alone that he would treat her to a meal at that very moment. Seeing him walk towards his car, her heart fluttered. She followed him and entered the car. Mo Han brought her to an elegant Western restaurant. As they entered the restaurant, the manager rushed forward with a smile when he saw Mo Han. ¡°Barrister Mo, why are you visiting our humble restaurant at such ate hour?¡± Barrister Mo retained his calm tone as he uttered, ¡°To eat.¡± The manager saw a short-haired girl next to him. She wore a wrinkly gray gown with patient bottoms. She was surveying the restaurant with wide, beady eyes. His curiosity immediately took the better of him. Besides his American girlfriend, he had never seen Mo Han bring a girl to the restaurant before, let alone such a young girl. He rapped Mo Han¡¯s shoulder softly, a smirk spreading across his face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me! Are you having an affair? But this girl here... she¡¯s really young for someone your age.¡± Mo Han shot a nce at him and sputtered, ¡°Bai Yu, if you have the time to make a joke, why don¡¯t you use your time to calcte the annual fees you owe myw firm instead?¡± Horrible capitalistwyer , Bai Yu thought to himself. ¡°Can¡¯t even crack a joke, bigshotwyer! So, where are you sitting? What do you want to eat? The same as before?¡± Mo Han sat at a table nearby and looked at the girl sitting opposite him. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± She was not fussy about food. ¡°Anything is good. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Mo Han turned back to Bai Yu and said, ¡°The usual. Make it two, please.¡± Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Don¡¯t Worry, I Won¡¯t Die.

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios After the dishes were served, the two of them ate silently. Neither spoke. She was truly hungry; she had not eaten anything since she had left the hospital; hence, her stomach was cramping. She had had no choice but to go to the supermarket, hoping to get something to eat on credit. But she had not really thought that things would escte so quickly. The cashier had wanted to send her to the police station. She wolfed down her food and looked at the man opposite her. Mo Han¡¯s meal had only been half eaten. He ate with his back very straight, his erect posture exuding a sense of security. He was silent while he ate with his head constantly lowered. His deft actions made it obvious that he frequently patronized Western restaurants. Looking at the soup dish with only a small portion of soup remaining, she was no longer hungry. But she was bored, and sitting here watching him eat was awkward. She decided to get up and use the washroom. ¡°Excuse me, I need to go to the washroom.¡± Just after finishing her sentence, she identally knocked her abdomen against the corner of the table while standing up. Instantly, there was a searing pain in her abdomen which overwhelmed her body. She grimaced as she held her abdomen with her hands. Staring down at herself, she realized that her hand was covered in blood. Some of the blood had soaked into her clothing. Her wound must have opened again. Mo Han stopped eating, fork and knife still in his hand. When he saw that she was gripping her abdomen in pain, he looked unnerved. ¡°What happened?¡± She was in so much pain that she could not speak, and her teeth were chattering. Mo Han felt something was amiss. He walked up to her and it was only then that he saw the blood pouring from her abdomen. The bottom half of her clothes were soaked in blood. He immediately held her shoulder. He asked with furrowed brows, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She replied weakly, ¡°My wound... it has split open. Can you please take me to the hospital?¡± Mo Han carried her to the car, prepared to drive to the hospital. Bai Yu was sitting at the front counter when he saw Mo Han, who was carrying the girl, leaving in a hurry. He chased from behind and kept asking, ¡°Eh! What happened? Can you please tell me what¡¯s happening?¡± Mo Han carried the weak and nearly weightless girl and said, ¡°I¡¯m bringing her to the hospital, put this meal on my tab.¡± From behind, Bai Yu leaned forward. ¡°Bring me as well! There¡¯ll be an extra person to help out.¡± Mo Han started driving the car whilst the girly weakly in the backseat. Both her hands were on her abdomen, fresh blood bleeding through her fingers. Bai Yu sat next to her. Shocked at what he was seeing, he asked Mo Han, who was driving as fast as possible, ¡°What¡¯s happening to her? How did she get soaked in so much blood? Wasn¡¯t she fine just a moment ago?¡± ¡°Her wound burst open.¡± ¡°Wound? What wound? From her present situation, it¡¯s definitely not a small wound. What trouble did this little girl get into?¡± Bai Yu looked at her pale face, almost as though she was about to faint, and felt somewhat afraid. ¡°She¡¯s not going to die here is she?¡± Bai Yu spoke without thinking, looking at Mo Han who was driving with utmost seriousness. In the driver¡¯s seat, Mo Han had a steely expression and did not say a word. The girl, who was lying next to Bai Yu as though she had fainted, suddenly struggled to open her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t die, I¡¯m just bleeding a little more.¡± Bai Yu had a face of disbelief as he looked at the girl, who could still say she was fine, despite the pain she was going through. He could not help but wonder, what was the background of this girl? How could she remain so calm? She was bleeding so much. Any other girl would have been scared to tears, but she still had time to debate with him about whether she would die or not. Furthermore, Mo Han was a man who tended to keep a distance away from strangers, as icy and distant as a mountain. Why would he take the initiative to drive her to his restaurant for a meal? What exactly was their rtionship? Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Is She Your Sister?

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios After arriving at the hospital, Mo Han carried her and sent her straight to the ident & Emergency theater. When a nurse frantically pushing a stretcher saw the girl in his arms, her eyes widened, saying, ¡°Aren¡¯t you... that patient... who ran away?¡± When the nurse saw that her abdomen was covered in fresh blood and saw that she was pale, her expression changed. She looked at the two men standing next to her. ¡°What happened? How did she get herself into such a state?¡± Mo Han replied, ¡°The wound in her abdomen burst.¡± The nurse turned her head to look at the girl on the stretcher and furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°You suffered, didn¡¯t you? We told you that you had just woken up and your body has yet to fully recover but you snuck off. What good has it done you? Look at what state you are in, with you back here again?¡± Her abdomen felt so painful like it was being set on fire. She looked pained and said, ¡°Miss, if you don¡¯t dress my wounds again, I¡¯m really going to die, it hurts so much.¡± The nurse looked her in the eye and looked back at Mo Han. ¡°Go downstairs and get the paperwork and payment done.¡± After saying this, she pushed the stretcher inside and started to dress her wounds again. ¡°Go downstairs and pay the medical bills. I¡¯ll follow her.¡± Without waiting for Bai Yu¡¯s reply, Mo Han strode after the nurse. Bai Yu stomped his feet on the ground and shouted, ¡°Eh... Are you just going to ignore me like that? Wait for me, I don¡¯t even know where the cashier is!¡± He saw that Mo Han had already walked off quite far, so he pursed his lips and unwillingly went to handle the registration. Doctor Zhang gave her local anesthesia,y her on a white bed, and prepared some basic equipment to stop the bleeding before he began stitching up the wound again. He wore a mask and looked at the patient, who had widened her eyes and closed her mouth. She looked like she waspletely fine. Heughed and said, ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time your wound burst, right? Let¡¯s see if you will run away again! ¡°It¡¯s lucky that you regained consciousness. For somebody who tried to run away while her body hadn¡¯t fully recovered, the rupturing of your wound is considered rtively minor. ¡°Have you ever thought about what would happen if your wound became infected or diseased? If you end up with a fever, it won¡¯t be as simple as stitching up a wound here anymore.¡± As Doctor Zhang stitched the wound, he advised the patient who had given them trouble from the moment she was sent in. When she was sent in, there had been two major wounds on her body. Each of them could have easily taken her life. Her abdomen was pierced through, causing significant internal bleeding. Her chest had a wound as well, about 0.3 cm away from her heart. She had beenatose for over two weeks and had been in the operating theater three times. Warnings of her critical condition had been triggered four times. After that entire ordeal, she had been awake for barely a day before she snuck off. He felt that the fact that her medical record could be disyed as one of the hospital¡¯s miracles. After stitching her up, Doctor Zhang removed his gloves and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a little rest here. I¡¯ll take a look at your wound again after the anesthesia has subsided.¡± After Doctor Zhang left, he saw Mo Han, who happened to be standing in the doorway. Naturally, he thought he was the family of the patient, so he took off his mask and asked him to follow him to the duty room. ¡°Her body hasn¡¯t fully recovered. Don¡¯t let her do any vigorous exercises. If her wound were to split open again like this time, it won¡¯t be so easy to treat.¡± Doctor Zhang said while seated in his office chair. ¡°You¡¯re her brother, right? Why did it take so long for you to find her?¡± Doctor Zhang asked. Mo Han felt a little baffled. He was about to exin, but he could only hear Doctor Zhang¡¯s tirade. ¡°She¡¯s been lying here in the hospital for two weeks and I haven¡¯t seen a single family member visit. When she woke up, she had already lost her memory. She wanted to look for all of you but she didn¡¯t know where to start looking. It¡¯s not that I want to criticize you, but how much do you really care about her? She barely survived, please take good care of her.¡± Doctor Zhang saw that Mo Han was just sitting silently on the chair facing him with a calm expression on his face. He thought puzzledly to himself... Are they really brother and sister? Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Heartache

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios After a short pause, Mo Han spoke. ¡°What sort of injuries did she have when she was sent here?¡± Doctor Zhang took out the medical docket and exined, ¡°When she was sent here, she was still breathing faintly. Her abdomen had been stabbed, causing internal haemorrhage. Her blood vessels were blocked and she suffered arge stab to her left chest as well, very close to her heart. Two cuts on the left arm, one cut on the right arm, and some minor scratches on her back. She had two broken ribs, but everything has been patched up. What remains are the bruises, nothing major.¡± The cold medical jargon caused the apathetic Mo Han to suddenly experience some emotional changes. Doctor Zhang, who was sitting right next to him could feel the coldness in his eyes and became a little frightened unknowingly. He looked at Mo Han¡¯s expression and let out a huge sigh. ¡°Your sister is really lucky! She was lying in this hospital, with no one to save her. If not for a kindhearted person who paid for her hospitalization fees and her operation charges, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to receive treatment at the ident & Emergency. If it had been anyter, she would be dead by now.¡± Aftering into contact with so many cases, Mo Han had made contact with many violent criminals. He had seen firsthand how violent they could be, but he did not have any feelings towards them. He was unusually objective and calm. All he wanted was to understand the litigant¡¯s situation. He never felt sympathy for any of the defendants. For the longest time, he had only wanted to win the cases he was handling. Everyone in the industry said he was a cold-bloodedwyer with a heart of steel. Even the most violent cases were handled by him in a methodical fashion. Due to this, he could approach things from a very objective point of view, and had be famous in the industry. More and more people wanted him to help them in theirwsuits. They all knew that Mo Han never lost the cases he was involved in. He knew it clearly himself as well. After so many years, there was nothing else that could perturb his emotions. But now, something had changed. When he saw the expressionless girl being stitched up on the hospital bed and heard the doctor describe her injuries, he suddenly felt his heart ache slightly. If he had not paid for her treatment that night, perhaps she would really be dead by now. ¡°Why did she lose her memory?¡± Mo Han took some time before asking. Doctor Zhang said, ¡°There are many possibilities. To be honest I don¡¯t really know myself. Her head did not suffer any blows, but perhaps she has an intense fear of something in her past. As she doesn¡¯t want to recall the past, her brain has selectively forgotten her memories.¡± Doctor Zhang said, ¡°About this, you don¡¯t have to worry. You are her brother. There are many memories that can be retrieved again. The most important thing right now is to recover her physical condition.¡± When Mo Han went to the ward, he did not enter. He stood outside and looked at the girl lying on the hospital bed, observing her quietly through the ss windows. Perhaps it was a result of the anesthesia. She remained quiet andy there quietly. Her eyes were wide and it was a mystery what she was thinking about. Her face was still a little pale, her short hair framed her tiny face and her eyes deeply sunken. She looked exhausted. At that moment, the girl in front of them was like an abandoned, broken doll. For some inexplicable reason, Mo Han felt irritated. He was about to take a packet of cigarettes from his pocket to smoke. But as he was about to light up, he remembered he was in a hospital. He was not permitted to smoke here, so he gave up. He ced the cigarettes back into his pocket. ¡°Why are you standing here?¡± Bai Yu had gone to great lengths to make the payment before finding the ward. There, he saw Mo Han standing outside without entering. He looked inside and saw the girl lying down safe and sound. ¡°How is she?¡± Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Marriage Pledge

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Why are you standing here?¡± Bai Yu had gone to great lengths to make the payment before finding the ward. There, he saw Mo Han standing outside without entering. He looked inside and saw the girl lying down safe and sound. ¡°How is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just been sewn up. Her anesthesia hasn¡¯t worn off yet.¡± Bai Yu found Mo Han¡¯s expression a bit odd. His face was as dark as charcoal and it was unclear what had angered him. It had been a while since anyone had seen him with such an expression. Most of the time, he had a serious face and he seldom smiled. Nobody could really guess what he was thinking. Even as a friend who had known him for eight years, he could not remember thest time he had seen Mo Han with such a dark expression. ¡°What is your rtionship with this girl? Why haven¡¯t I seen her before?¡± Bai Yu asked. ¡°I met her two days ago. She came to my office in a hospital gown asking me about her identity.¡± Mo Han recalled the first time they met, stifling augh. Bai Yu failed to understand as he cocked his head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mo Han said, ¡°She has lost her memory. She can¡¯t remember anything. One month ago, I came to this hospital and unintentionally paid for her treatment, saving her. When she woke up, she took the invoice and came looking for me at my office, asking me if I knew her.¡± ¡°You paid for her treatment?¡± Bai Yu was in disbelief that such a cold-heartedwyer like Mo Han would be so generous. ¡°The old man from the Lu family was on his deathbed in the hospital. I had gone to the hospital to await the notary testament. She had fainted in the hospital¡¯s yard and there was a huge crowd. The car couldn¡¯t go in, so I had no choice but to get Liu Zhiyuan to pay for her treatment. In a way, I saved her life.¡± Bai Yu smiled. ¡°So this means you are basically her savior.¡± Bai Yu propped his arm over Mo Han¡¯s shoulder and sniggered teasingly. ¡°So... did shee looking for you... to give herself to you?¡± Mo Han brushed his hand away. ¡°Do you want me to call the publishers?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Mo Han enunciated every word, ¡°Your imagination is good enough to write a novel.¡± While the two of them were speaking outside the ward, they didn¡¯t notice that the girl who was lying inside was struggling to get up. The anesthesia on her abdomen had subsided a little and she could feel the recesses of pain. But she no longer wanted to lie down in bed like she had been doing for the past month. She struggled to get up and saw the two people outside. She pushed open the door, leaning against its frame. ¡°Can you bring me back?¡± she asked Mo Han who was standing to the side. Mo Han turned his head to look at her, before realizing that she had already gotten out of bed. ¡°Why are you up?¡± ¡°I hate hospitals. I want to leave.¡± Mo Han wore a cold expression. ¡°The doctor said that your body is still unwell. You can¡¯t leave the hospital.¡± The girlughed. ¡°What would I do if I stay here in the hospital? I do not have a single cent on me. I can¡¯t pay the hospital fees.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°The payment has already been made. You can stay here until you recover fully.¡± Bai Yu looked squarely at him, thinking to himself, the hospital bill was paid by me. The girl did not understand why the man with a cold face had said that he did not recognize her a few days ago. He had acted as though he did not want to be associated with her at all when they were at his office. Then why was it that after a few days, he was treating her to a meal and paying for her hospital bills? ¡°Don¡¯t waste your money. It¡¯s not necessary. I feel fine.¡± Mo Han chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re leaving? It¡¯s three in the morning. Where are you going? Are you going to roam the streets?¡± ¡°Anywhere. I just don¡¯t want to be in a hospital.¡± Bai Yu looked at the two of them. They looked like they were about to fight each other, but he could not say anything. He was about to open his mouth to persuade them, but his phone rang. There was an urgent call for him, and he needed to return. Bai Yu silently hung up the phone and observed the tense atmosphere between the two. ¡°I¡¯ve stayed with both of you for long enough. I have to go now, have a good talk.¡± Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Come to My Home

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios After he left, the two of them stood in silence at the ward¡¯s entrance, both silent. Mo Han softened his tone. ¡°Stay in the hospital, wait until your body is fully recovered. Then I¡¯ll send you to the police station and I¡¯ll find out where your family lives.¡± The girl was stubborn. ¡°I¡¯m not going to the police station.¡± Mo Han got quite angry. ¡°You¡¯re an amnesiac, you¡¯re injured, and you don¡¯t want to stay in the hospital. Nor do you want to go to the police station. Tell me, where can you go? Look at yourself, nobody would care even if you died outside!¡± The girl kept her head lowered; her abdomen was still in some pain. She leaned against the wall weakly and did not look back at him. ¡°I¡¯ve been unconscious in the hospital for one month. Nobody came to look for me. If my family wanted to look for me, they would¡¯ve alreadye to see me while I was dying.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as one persones to see me... As long as they tell me, who I am and why I¡¯m here.¡± The hospital was eerily quiet at three in the morning. The bright whiteness of the hospital corridors was piercing to the eyes. Only the two of them were in the hallway, debating where to go as the tension built up. Mo Han could not see her expression as she bent her back and leaned against the wall. She was wearing an oversized gray blouse. He found it a jarring sight and was unsure of what he was feeling in his heart at that instant. After a rather long time, he thought back to the scene at the hospital. It was then that he finally understood. That was the sensation of heartache. The present him had yet to realize that the girl had begun to creep into his life silently. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The girl heard Mo Han¡¯s gentle voice, as though he had acquiesced. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°My home.¡± He turned around, the sound of his footsteps gradually sounding. In the quiet and dim hospital corridor, she could hear the man¡¯s steady footsteps. He walked in front and she followed behind. She stopped her footsteps as she saw the tiny light at the end of the corridor and the man¡¯s long, muscr build. At that instant, she felt that he was leading her towards the outside world. It was as though she could only trust him. Perhaps, from the very first look, she had felt that he would give her a sense of security. By the time Mo Han had driven her back to his ce, it was already four in the morning. He switched on the lights quickly as the girl surveyed her surroundings. The first impression she had of his home was one that it was cold and bleak, just like him. The gray and white color scheme was very minimalist. His home was very clean and even the wooden flooring had very little dust, but it was empty and there were very few decorative items. After a cursory nce, she knew he was rarely at home. She felt like she had entered a workaholic¡¯s home. ¡°In a moment you can sleep here in this guest room. If you are cold, the nkets are all inside the cupboard.¡± Mo Han opened a door and exined to her. ¡°My room is next to yours. If there¡¯s anything you need, you can let me know.¡± After saying this, Mo Han nced at her once again and paused for a while. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get changed. If you don¡¯t mind, you can wear my clothes first.¡± The girl stared down at her own crumpled, gray, blood-spotted top and blue-and-white hospital bottoms. She did not retort, for even she did not want to wear such a depressing outfit. ¡°In the morning I¡¯ll have to go to the office. You can take a rest first. We can have a proper discussion about your problems again in the evening when I¡¯m back.¡± The girl did not speak, paying attention to his every word. At that moment, she had no reason to dispute him. Mo Han took out a long-sleeved cotton top and long pants which he seldom wore and passed it to her. ¡°So that¡¯s that. Get some sleep first.¡± Mo Han closed the door and left when he heard her call out to him. ¡°Um... thanks.¡± She looked at herself, a small smile creeping across her mouth as she spoke with a very sincere voice. From the time he had first met her, he had never once seen her smile. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Who is She Exactly?

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios What Mo Han did not know was that she did not sleep at all after he had left. She could not sleep at all. A few days ago, while she was roaming the streets wearing her hospital gown, she had not felt any desire to sleep. All she had felt was pain and coldness. During those two days, she had hidden underneath a yground slide and nobody had discovered her. If it had not been for the day when she had been so hungry she had to go to a supermarket to ask for some food, she would have continued staying in that corner. The light in the room was switched off, leaving only the faint evening light to illuminate her room through the windows. She changed into the clothes he gave her and sat on the bed for some time before she felt a faint warmth. She could clearly hear Mo Han outside, washing up, closing the door, before a long silence. She had just begun to feel sleepy. Her head rested on the bed and she felt drowsy. But then she heard themotion outside. She wanted to get up to take a look, but her mind was groggy. Her head felt heavy. She was not aware she had fainted, because she had sunk into that bottomless sea again. That deep, vacuous ocean where she had found herself submerged when she had been at the hospital. Mo Han went to the police station one more time. He temporarily left aside a secondary appeal case which he had been preparing. What he really wanted to figure out now was the true identity of that little girl who was now in his house. He also wanted to know how to deal with this tricky situation. He was a frequent visitor to the police station, since he had had to handle a great number of criminal offenses over the years, so he had a good working rtionship with many of the police at the station. He had also received a great deal of useful information from the police. ¡°Is Old Zhang here today?¡± Mo Han queried one of the junior detectives. The junior detective did not recognize the famous Barrister Mo, so he distractedly pointed to one of the rooms. ¡°He¡¯s in the interrogation room. Why don¡¯t you wait inside his office for a while.¡± Mo Han walked into Old Zhang¡¯s office and waited patiently. Roughly one hourter, Old Zhang finally returned to his office. He opened the door, shocked to see an erect but silent Mo Han. ¡°Barrister Mo, why are you here?¡± ¡°I have an issue that I might need your help with.¡± Old Zhang touched his head tenderly and smiled. ¡°Why are you being so polite? Just now, Little Zhang told me somebody was looking for me. I was thinking who it might be! Turns out it¡¯s you! It¡¯s been a while since you paid us a visit, right?¡± Old Zhang put down his documents, walked to the drinking fountain, and passed a cup of water to Mo Han. ¡°Barrister Mo, it must be something important for you toe down to our police station personally. What is it? What do you need my help with?¡± Mo Han cut to the chase. ¡°I want you to help me investigate someone.¡± Old Zhang saw the severity of Mo Han¡¯s facial expression and understood that this was no trivial matter. He let Mo Han sit on the chair opposite him and asked, ¡°Who are you looking for? What is his or her name?¡± Mo Han replied, ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a name.¡± Old Zhang was taken aback. ¡°No name? How am I to investigate?¡± Mo Han paused for a moment. ¡°She¡¯s... lost her memory. Her family hasn¡¯te to look for her either. I want you to help me do a search on her background.¡± Old Zhang ruminated. ¡°In that case... it¡¯s going to be a bit tricky.¡± Mo Han thought to himself. ¡°Can you help me check the closed circuit television of the hospital¡¯s entrance from one month ago, on April 14th? She was discovered there.¡± Old Zhang rose from his seat and took Mo Han to the monitoring room. He rewound the tapes and looked for the video recordings from that day at the hospital. The two sat on chairs with grim and serious expressions. Carefully, they inspected the video recordings, unwilling to miss even one suspicious segment. Mo Han tried to recall the exact time he had visited the hospital, watching the tape from an hour before his visit. Atst, half an hour before he had arrived, Mo Han discovered something strange. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Nobody Would Save Her

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Half an hour before he found the girl lying in front of the hospital, a ck car had driven to a hidden corner in front of the hospital. The number te could not be seen. The car stopped and nobody got out. The back door of the car was open, but it was difficult to make out the faces of the individuals through the dim lighting. After a short while, Mo Han saw a bloodied girl getting kicked out the car. She resembled an abandoned straw sack. The moment he saw her, his heart trembled. She was still conscious. She struggled to stand, sping her abdomen as she trembled while walking forward. Maybe it was because she couldn¡¯t make out her directions, so she only walked two steps forward, when she stumbled and fainted in the hospital lobby. Afterwards, she never stood up again. Slowly, the crowds started to gather. They all gathered around the girl who could not get up. They were perplexed and started to discuss with each other, unsure whether she was dead or alive. But not a single soul ventured forth to save her. Old Zhang rewound the videotape to the moment the suspicious car opened its door. The screen was frozen at the moment the girl had been booted out of the car. ¡°How strange! Why would this girl get thrown out of the car?¡± Mo Han had a serious expression on his face. He furrowed his brows, his thoughts a mystery. He remained silent the whole time while staring motionless at the ck sedan on the monitor. Old Zhang could sense that this girl came from aplicated background. Obviously, before she had fallen down in front of the hospital, she had already been injured by a bunch of people. It was even to the point that those people did not want her to live. As to the reason for why they brazenly left the nearly dying her in front of the hospital? He could not even begin to fathom the answer. Mo Han asked, ¡°Is it possible to find out who was inside the car?¡± Old Zhang shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a little difficult. The segment on the tape where they abandoned this girl is actually a visual blind spot. We can only make out the color of the car and how big the car is. As for the number te and the people inside... it¡¯s going to be tough to figure that out.¡± After saying this, Old Zhang looked at Mo Han, who appeared to have a nervous facial expression on his face, and asked him suspiciously ¡°What does this girl have to do with you? Is she your case¡¯s victim or the litigant?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s just somebody I know. It has nothing to do with my case,¡± Mo Han answered tly. Old Zhang smiled and patted his shoulder. ¡°Barrister Mo, you actually made a personal visit to our station and it¡¯s not even for your own case. I¡¯m quite curious myself as to what this girl looks like.¡± Mo Hanughed as well in an attempt to change the subject. ¡°There¡¯s something else I¡¯ll need your help with.¡± Old Zhang patted his own chest with conviction. ¡°Tell me! Even if I don¡¯t give anyone else time, I¡¯ll have to give the great Barrister Mo some time! We¡¯re talking about the topwyer of S City here!¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Can you provide me with the records of girls under ten who have disappeared from S City over the past ten years? Preferably those who are orphans? Even those with parents who do not live in the city will be fine.¡± Old Zhang was puzzled. ¡°What do you want those for?¡± Mo Han answered. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I won¡¯t do anything illegal. I¡¯m awyer after all.¡± Old Zhang trusted Mo Han. Even though Mo Han was awyer, he had majored in economicw. The cases he fought were usually corporate cases and he never touched civil cases. However, his desire to get the information about missing girls baffled him. Old Zhang opened up a cupboard and started flipping through a pile of papers, pointing to the dust that had umted. ¡°Of course I can provide you with some information. Anyway the information is of no use to me. Maybe you can even use it to help me look for a couple of people.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal another day.¡± Old Zhang refused the offer. ¡°Enough of that! Barrister Mo, I¡¯m certain many people would want to apany you for a meal. Those big bosses involved inwsuits most certainly want your help as well. I doubt I deserve such treatment.¡± Mo Han smiled lightly, took the documents, and rose from his seat, unwilling to intrude any further before making his way back to the office. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Why Are You So Stupid?

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios After a long period of slumber, the girl awoke hungry. She did some rough calctions. Since she had woken up, she had not been full once. The only time she had eaten was when Mo Han had taken her to the Western restaurant for steak. Unfortunately, she had been barely satiated before she had to be rushed to the hospital as a result of the rupturing wound in her abdomen. A dreaded ce like a hospital was somewhere she never wanted to go back to again. She walked barefoot, her long-sleeved top long enough to cover her hands, while she wore bottoms belonging to the only man she knew. Helplessly, she pulled up the bottoms of her pants to reveal her tiny ankles. Taking small steps, she stepped gingerly on the wooden boards of his home. The first ce she walked to was the fridge. She opened it and unsurprisingly, there was nothing inside she could eat. It was stocked full of bottled water and beer. The emptiness of the fridge gave her a feeling that this was not a normal person¡¯s fridge. Does he never get hungry? The girl felt depressed as she pulled open the freezerpartment below. Finally, she found bags full of frozen dumplings at the lowest rung. She rejoiced inwardly. She had finally found something a fridge should have. Now, filling her stomach was of utmost importance. The girl decisively took the dumplings into the kitchen, boiled some water, and put the dumplings inside. Once she was inside the kitchen, she surveyed the utensils and kitchen tools. They appeared to have been untouched for an unknown period of time. The girl furrowed her brow deeply. So his kitchen was the most abnormal part of the house! After cooking the dumplings, she took therge bowl and sat on the dining chair, crossed her legs, and tucked into the food happily. She had eaten just a few, when there was a loud noise outside the door. It was Mo Han. When he came back, he froze when he saw the girl wolfing down the food hungrily at the kitchen table. Her pant legs were rolled up high and she resembled a child that had secretly worn an adult¡¯s clothes. Mo Han was suddenly ovee with a sense of guilt. His clothes had never been worn by anyone else before. He put down the documents and changed into his slippers, asking, ¡°When did you wake up?¡± ¡°Just a while ago. I felt hungry.¡± The girl did not raise her head and she was quite unclear in her reply. She was struggling with the dumplings in her mouth. Mo Han walked up to the front of the table and looked at the dumplings inside the bowl. He furrowed his brows and lowered his voice, asking, ¡°Where did you get those dumplings from?¡± The girl thought he was about to me him for selfishly eating his food. She replied, ¡°From the fridge.¡± Mo Han turned and entered the kitchen. When he saw the half-open dumpling packet on the counter, he picked it up and inspected it. Then he sighed deeply in exasperation and looked at the girl who was still eating. ¡°Did you check the expiry date on the packet before you began eating?¡± The girl was stunned and stopped eating momentarily. ¡°What?¡± Mo Han picked up the packet in his hands. ¡°These are from half a year ago which I forgot to throw out.¡± The girl looked at the dumplings inside her bowl and bowed her head. ¡°I was too hungry and there was nothing else in your fridge.¡± Mo Han saw that her eyes were still glued to the bowl of dumplings. He went up to her and took away the bowl. ¡°Don¡¯t eat any more. I¡¯ll take you out for a meal in a while.¡± The girl said innocently, ¡°But I¡¯m very hungry right now, can you let me finish this first?¡± Mo Han¡¯s facial expression changed as he replied in mild irritation, ¡°It¡¯s already expired! Be patient, I¡¯ll take you outside for some food. After we¡¯re done eating I have something important to discuss with you.¡± She could tell that this man meant what he said and in the present scenario, she chose to keep her mouth shut and follow him out for a meal before he angrily kicked her out of his house. After she hadfortably tucked into her meal outside and had her stomach was satiated, shey in Mo Han¡¯s carfortably and rested her eyes. This was the happiest day since she had woken up. Mo Han remained in silence the whole time. He was focused on driving the car, asionally looking at the somewhat tired little girl in the passenger seat. She was wearing his clothes and she had put on a coat since they had been dining outside together. All the clothes she wore belonged to him. This made him feel slightly odd. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Please Give Me an Identity

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Moments after reaching home, Mo Han picked up the document he had tossed aside before sitting on the sofa. ¡°We need to talk.¡± The girl did not understand what he meant, so she stood rooted to the spot in confusion. Was he about to kick her out? Even though she had only been there for one day? Mo Han loosened his tie and flipped through the documents. ¡°I went to the police station today.¡± She kept her head lowered and said nothing. ¡°Your family might not have been contactable for thesest few days,¡± Mo Han said. The girl did not react. She had a calm expression, as though everything he was saying had nothing to do with her. Mo Han had thought that she would be at least a little upset, but she didn¡¯t seem to be reeling in despair as he had imagined. ¡°A few days ago, you helped me out at thew firm. Now you¡¯re alone. But you¡¯re no longer a child; I can¡¯t send you to a welfare home, so...¡± For some reason the confidence he exuded in court deserted him at that moment. He was lost for words as he faced the girl. The girl looked nkly at him, not understanding. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a status for you.¡± Mo Han realized that his sentence could have various meanings when he finished. He quickly rified, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. What I mean is, you can stay here in my home and live here temporarily.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re trying to say is that you¡¯ll give me a name, a past that people will know about?¡± The girl was in disbelief. She had been thinking about how he would kick her out in a few days and no longer care about her. But she had never thought that he would help her. It was quite funny when she came to think of it. Mo Han took out some of the documents and showed them to the girl. ¡°These are the missing orphans in S City over the past ten years who are simr in age and looks as yourself. I spent the afternoon reading the information and I found this. Take a look.¡± The girl picked up a few thin, yellowed documents. On them were some simple family background details, and a passport photo of a girl. The girl in the photo was staring expressionlessly at the camera. ¡°But, are she and I...?¡± This girl looked nothing like her. ¡°Photos from the past are blurry, so they won¡¯t lead to any suspicion. It¡¯s been so many years, it¡¯s normal to have changes.¡± ¡°So, you basically want me to be her?¡± Mo Han nodded slowly. ¡°Pretty much.¡± The girl could not find any appropriate expression, so instead sheughed bitterly. She looked at the girl¡¯s details on the sheet of paper. She had a beautiful name¡ªXia Qingyi. Maybe after some time, this could be her name. ¡°A lost orphan¡¯s background is really easily to manipte. I¡¯ll tell everyone that you¡¯re a sister my family had adopted who has just returned. Until you regain your memory, you can use this identity.¡± ¡°If you agree to it, I¡¯ll make the proper arrangements for this over the next few days. Your identity card and other important documents will be prepared for you as well.¡± ¡°If you say that I¡¯m your adopted sister, what will your parents say?¡± The girl asked worriedly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. My parents live overseas; I¡¯ll let them know about it.¡± Mo Han did not seem at all worried about his family¡¯s situation. His mother had always wanted a daughter, but life had not turned out that way. After giving birth to him, she was unable to get pregnant again. Not having a daughter had always been her biggest regret. As for his father, he had his own business abroad. For him, as long as it posed no threat to his interests, he would turn a blind eye towards it. Mo Han¡¯s expression became stern. ¡°I¡¯m awyer, I won¡¯t do things pro bono. Before you find your own family, I¡¯ll be responsible for all your living expenses. Of course, once you regain your memory and return to your own family, I¡¯ll be asking for all the expenses back.¡± ¡°In other words, because you helped me once, I¡¯ll give you an identity, take up your future expenses, and give you a stable life until you remember who you are.¡± The girl mulled over his words silently. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Hello Xia Qingyi

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°So? Are you going to make a decision?¡± Mo Han sat on the sofa, spreading out both his hands. The girl looked at his stern expression and she suddenly felt like he resembled an ancient king interrogating a prisoner in cuffs. Are you prepared to die? Her future had basically been prepared by him. Whileatose in the hospital, she had often had a dream, a dream that she was surrounded by a deep blue sea. In her dream she kept sinking, until she could clearly see the inky blue seawater floating in front of her eyes. It was quiet there and there were no living creatures. She tried to scream for help, but she found that she could not utter a single sound. More horrifyingly, she had no idea whose name she was calling. Her only memory was that she was frightened, desperate. There was a moment when she suddenly felt that she was a part of the ocean. When she woke up, that fear took a long time to subside. It clutched her heart. Every time the doctors and nurses came to her ward, they would ask her whether she remembered anything and she would always shake her head. She hated the feeling of beingpletely ignorant. She was actually living in this world, but why was it that nobody knew her and nobody could tell her about her past? She didn¡¯t want to live like this anymore. She looked at Mo Han and smiled bitterly. ¡°It looks like this is the only path for me.¡± I¡¯ll follow behind you and go in the path you have prepared for me, into an unknown world. Because, in this world, you are the only one I trust. Mo Han rubbed the bridge between his eyebrows and looked at his watch. Time had passed so quickly that it was already 10 pm. He rose to take his documents in preparation to leave. ¡°It¡¯ste. Go to bed.¡± Suddenly, the girl asked him, ¡°Does this mean that from now on, you¡¯re going to be my brother?¡± Mo Han froze momentarily. He wasn¡¯t used to the term ¡®brother¡¯ at all. ¡°At least before you regain your memory, before you return to your real family. In legal terms, I¡¯ll be your brother.¡± Mo Han stood up, looking at the girl in his ridiculously oversized clothing. The sleeves extended beyond her elbows and the pant legs were rolled up. Her tiny frame only reached his shoulders. She was as skinny as a malnourished child. Gently furrowing his brows, he said, ¡°Tomorrow, continue staying at home. You haven¡¯t fully recovered yet so don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± The next morning, Mo Han finally dismantled the ¡®workaholic¡¯bel given to him. He could count the number of hours he spent at the office over the past two days on his fingers. That morning, he made a call to his secretary while driving to tell her he would bete due to some personal matters. His secretary¡¯s tone sounded as though she had encountered something earth-shattering, since everyone in the office knew that their employer, Barrister Mo, had never once beente due to personal matters. In fact, he hardly ever expended his energy on matters beyond work. The urgent matter that Mo Han was referring to was the need to organize all material rted to Xia Qingyi. Even though there were many people who had seen her that day at the office, it was better that she kept a low profile. The fewer people that knew about her, the better. An identification card and a letter of intent had to be created as soon as possible. For now, the most important thing was to find out which orphanage Xia Qingyi had belonged to and where she had been ¡®adopted¡¯ter on. This would help in the process of adoption and it would be easy to create Xia Qingyi¡¯s life experience. As for the identification documents, when the legal procedures and documents were in ce, everything else would fall into ce. Everyone knew that his efficiency was topnotch. He busied himself for the entire day and got all the documents in order. All that remained were some documents for Xia Qingyi to sign and an up-to-date photograph. When he returned, Mo Han realized it was already six in the evening. He had originally told his secretary he would arrive slightlyte, but now there was no need to go back. So he made another call and let her know that he wouldn¡¯t be going into the office today and would postpone the evening¡¯s meeting until tomorrow. Obviously, he never imagined the reaction his secretary had when she heard him over the phone. What?! Workaholic Barrister Mo is taking a day¡¯s leave?! In the past, during the seven days of holiday during National Day, he had spent six of those days at the office! Now he¡¯s taking urgent personal leave? Should we be celebrating or should we be disappointed? Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Why Are You Sleeping Here?

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios When Mo Han reached home, he thought she would be sitting in the living room. But when he entered the living room he realised that she was not there. He shouted and nobody responded. In the end, he pushed open the door to the spare bedroom. Strangely, there was nobody inside either. Didn¡¯t I tell her to stay at home? Where did she go? He stood at the entrance to the bedroom and he suddenly heard a small noise emanating from his own bedroom. He turned and started walking towards the noise. When he pushed open the door, he was shocked by the scene facing him. There was a gray cotton rug next to his bedroom¡¯s entrance. The little girl had curled her body, sleeping on the ground with a thin nket covering her body. There was a bottle that had fallen over next to her leg. She must have identally kicked the bottle while she was asleep. He furrowed his brow. Why did shee to his bedroom to sleep on the floor? He walked over and bent down, nudging her. ¡°Get up! Get up!¡± She opened her eyes in a blur and squinted up at him. She asked, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why are you not sleeping in your own room? Why are you sleeping on the rug in my room?¡± She noticed that he did not like others invading his personal space, so she stood up, tugging the nket alongside her and exined, ¡°My mattress was too soft, so I couldn¡¯t sleep. The floor was too cold and hard, so I was too ufortable. I searched everywhere and your rug was the best space to sleep. Sorry about that.¡± Mo Han saw that she felt wronged and imagined her trying to find a good spot to sleep during the day, like a pet. He almostughed to himself thinking about it. His expression softened as he said, ¡°Come out for a little while. I have something to tell you.¡± Having just awoken, her brain was still in a fog. She took the nket and squinted her eyes, following behind him... Just then he stopped in front of her. Her slow reaction meant she bumped her head into his back. ¡°Ouch...¡± She massaged her forehead in pain. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going,¡± Mo Han chided gently, as though teaching a child who had just started school. She lifted her head to look at him, pouted in dissatisfaction, and remained quiet. ¡°Take a look at these documents,¡± Mo Han said. She put down the nket, took the documents from him and flipped through them page by page. The further down she looked, the more surprised she was. This man could actually organize everything about Xia Qingyi within one day! The thick packet of documents contained all known traces of Xia Qingyi since she had disappeared. He had listed all of her experiences and, most surprising of all, many of the documents had official government seals on them. She felt a little scared. ¡°Are these documents fake?¡± Mo Hanughed. ¡°Everything on these documents is legal, everything has immediate legal effect. Do you still think they are fake?¡± ¡°But...?¡± Mo Han said in a deep, quiet voice, ¡°All you have to know is that you are my mother¡¯s adopted child. You are my sister Xia Qingyi. Don¡¯t worry about the rest.¡± He pointed to the bottom corner of the document and ced the pen on the desk. ¡°Sign your name here. Tomorrow you can get your identification card and your proof of residence.¡± She looked at the documents, hesitant to sign them. After signing, she would have a real identity. Even if she was using a fake identity, impersonating someone else. This was all she had ever wanted, but now... ¡°Why... w-why are you helping me?¡± She finally asked him. What she had not expected was to see Mo Han freeze. It was as though he had been thrown by the question. But he only paused for a moment before he smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been awyer for so long, nobody has ever spoken to me in such a way. I¡¯m not helping you. I¡¯m getting myself out of a tricky situation.¡± She did not say a word. She smiled, letting out a long sigh, she signed her name: Xia Qingyi. Hello, Xia Qingyi. From today onwards, I¡¯m going to be you. Allow me to use your identity, until the day I regain all my memories. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Hero with the Stone-cold Face

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios After signing her name, she turned and smiled at the man sitting behind her on the sofa and reached out her hand. ¡°Brother... I¡¯m relying on you for my livelihood now.¡± Having lived for over thirty years, it was the first time Mo Han had heard someone calling him ¡®brother¡¯. He had no brothers or sisters himself; in fact, he was always silent. When he was young, there would be some people who were so-called daughters of his father¡¯s friends who would speak in dainty voices and tug at his sleeves, calling him ¡°Brother Mo.¡± Back then, the only sensation in his heart had been irritation. Those little girls who wore sundresses and revolved around him were each more annoying than thest... When he grew up a bit and started school, because of his good looks, he was always firmly one of the top three guys in his year. There would be some girls from the other sses who ran to his ssroom and gossiped about him, while stealing nces at him secretly. He would overhear them saying, ¡°Look! It¡¯s the hunk with the stone-cold face.¡± The only person who still kept in contact with him and whom he had a good rtionship with was his friend Bai Yu. Bai Yu often said, ¡°Your stone-cold face is most appropriate for those little girls with their crushes. They would look up to you as a crush. But on the other hand, you would never ever be someone who is brother or boyfriend material.¡± The experience of putting Mo Han in the role of a boyfriend was one that Shen Rou had taken on in the ce of countless girls out there. Having him as a boyfriend was every bit as good as not having one. Worse still, she had left for America. With the two of them staying in different countries, always busy with work, they could go more than half a month without being in contact. The lucky thing was that nobody had had the misfortune of being a sister of his. From the time they were kids, be it at school or at home, they would have had to face his stone-cold face everyday. Heck, he wouldn¡¯t even have shown them any words of concern at all! But what Bai Yu didn¡¯t know was that the identity of Brother had in fact already been assigned to someone, for them to go through a round of that misfortune! Mo Han arranged the paperwork on his desk before rising to remark, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for your identification toe back to us. When you¡¯re feeling better, I¡¯ll send you to school.¡± Xia Qingyi was shocked and was caught in a daze for a moment or so. ¡°I¡¯m going to school?¡± Mo Han didn¡¯t understand her expression. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked him, ¡°You¡¯re allowing me to go to school?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a high school student? If you don¡¯t go to school, what will you do?¡± She pressed her lips together in helplessness and walked up to him. She puffed up her chest and raised her eyes. With a steely re, she looked at him with a sort of invisible confidence in her tone. ¡°What I can tell you with certainty is that... I¡¯m an adult now.¡± Xia Qingyi stood very close to him. Mo Han only had to lower his head to make out her curled eyshes and that faint breathing of hers. Unknowingly, he took a step back and smiled gently. ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t tell.¡± Dissatisfied, she harrumphed and red at him in a huff. ¡°I¡¯ve already passed the age for high school enrollment. Besides, it¡¯s too childish to go to school. I¡¯m not going.¡± Mo Han looked at this little girl who was talking about maturity in front of him andughed. ¡°So what do you want to do then?¡± ¡°Go out to work,¡± she replied. Mo Han looked her over. ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I can learn.¡± Even when she said she didn¡¯t know, she was feisty. She didn¡¯t want to be like the rest of those small children,sitting in a ssroom memorizing academic material and answering questions. That would be way too burdensome. ¡°You still look like a student. You¡¯ll know nothing heading out into the working world. It¡¯s too early.¡± Mo Han¡¯s face was stone-cold. ¡°If you really want me to go to school, then you have to be prepared that I¡¯m going to miss school everyday. I don¡¯t want to cause trouble for you,¡± Xia Qingyi said with some seriousness, looking at Mo Han¡¯s face without any sign of relenting. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You¡¯re too young. Go to school.¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone was unrelenting, too. Xia Qingyi stared at him, and her voice grew louder. ¡°I told you. I¡¯m no longer a little child. I¡¯ve alreadye of age. I have my own opinions, and I have the right to be responsible for my own actions too. You cannot stop me!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stop you? Right now I¡¯m your legal guardian. I¡¯m your brother. I have the right to watch over everything you do alongside providing guidance to you.¡± Mo Han had no idea why he was suddenly saying all this. It was as though he was suddenly going with the flow and epting this sister of his that had popped out of nowhere! Chapter 22

Chapter 22: I Like Sleeping On Your Rug

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Even if you are my brother now you can¡¯t do that.¡± Xia Qingyi did not understand why Mo Han would suddenly mention him being her brother. They were clearly not rted! However, the stalemate of a situation before her had made her understand just how difficult it was to reason with awyer. Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows and kept quiet. Since childhood, there had been very few people who had defied Mo Han¡¯s wishes. There were also very few people who would argue with him properly, as now. From a young age, Mo Han had disliked speaking too much. Silent yet rational, he was someone who would consider things thoroughly beforemitting to them. However, once he did something, he would seldom change his mind. Besides, at the end of the day, reality often proved that his decision was the correct one. So, it was only natural that the people at thew firm would follow and agree with his methods and thoughts. However, right now, things were different. Mo Han looked back at the angry Xia Qingyi, who was still ring at him as though she had been wrongedpletely, and let out a sigh of exasperation. For some reason, his heart softened. ¡°How about this? You don¡¯t have to go to high school. But you have to go to school. Anyway, I won¡¯t let you go out to work.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t go to high school, what school is there for me to go to?¡± Xia Qingyi was befuddled once again. ¡°Attend university. You can major in anything you want. If we confirm it, you should be able to attend your sses within three days.¡± ¡°But...¡± At the end of the day, the conclusion was still that she would have to head to school obediently. Towards that, she still felt some reluctance. She was not intentionally trying to worry Mo Han. It was just that, subconsciously, she had a feeling that schooling and her were very foreign entities. To her, studying was something that was thousands of miles away. She did not know what she had been like before she had lost her memory and whether she was really as Mo Han had said¡ªa high school student who should be studying diligently in school. Even though she had lost her memory, she didn¡¯t feel all that interested in her past. In fact, she did not want to know what had happened to her or why she had almost died in the hospital with an entire body of injuries. Actually, she could guess without even thinking¡ªshe knew that those people must not have wanted her to live. Let them presume that she had died in the hospital then. Right now, she was Xia Qingyi, somebody else altogether. She was the sister of this cold-faced Barrister Mo, whom she had known for less than a week. Yet, she was even causing him trouble right from the start, arguing with him over the issue of schooling. This seemed pretty selfish of her. Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han¡¯s face¡ªone that did not permit anyone to rebuke him for anything at all¡ªand lowered her head, choosing topromise. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go to university now. You can choose my major as you deem fit. Just choose whichever you think is decent, I suppose.¡± Mo Han looked at her. ¡°What changed? Didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯t go to school no matter what?¡± Xia Qingyi spoke up, ¡°You¡¯re my brother now. I¡¯m listening to you.¡± Mo Han¡¯s frosty face finally rxed. ¡°You¡¯re still young at the end of the day. It¡¯s still better to learn more things out there. In university, go think about what you want to do. It¡¯ll be much easier on you to find a job when you get outter on.¡± Xia Qingyi did not refute him, choosing to just nod. Mo Han looked with sudden unfamiliarity at the girl who had all of a sudden be as gentle as a cat. He did not know how to describe this feeling. Clearly, she was going along with his wishes, yet Mo Han had an ufortable feeling, as though he had done something wrong instead. He wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth he realized that he did not know what to say. Giving up, he just waved her away. ¡°Go to sleep earlier, alright? Once your injury gets better in a couple of days or so, I¡¯ll send you to the school to register.¡± Xia Qingyi clutched her nket obediently, and walked towards her bedroom slowly as though nothing had just happened. Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows and rearranged the documents on the table that Xia Qingyi had just signed. He flopped down onto the sofa. Looking at the area with her signature in her neat handwriting, his mind drifted unconsciously towards how serious she had been when she had signed her name. Since when had he started wanting to help her? He did seem to have a clue himself. It seemed to be the time she was at the hospital¡ªwhen she had wanted to leave the hospital despite beingpletely lifeless and drained. Or maybe it was the time when he had witnessed on video how she had been kicked out of the car. Xia Qingyi had never thought she would be staying next to Mo Han either, using the identity of his sister. She understood clearly that her identity was just an empty shell. It was true that Mo Han had saved her life, but as he had said, it had been an ident. He was the most famouswyer in this city. What had he not seen before? It was already extremely fortuitous for her to have him provide a ce to call her own. But now, he had even legally allowed her to take on the role of his sister, just to give her an identity. Xia Qingyi postted in her heart that perhaps he was just taking pity on her. After some time, he could just wave his hand and shoo her away, treating her as a stranger once again. She furrowed her eyebrows and thought about why Mo Han was doing this, but she was unable to think of anything. The man¡¯s facial expression remained uniform; it was much too difficult to ascertain his thoughts. She shook her head, told herself not to think anymore and held on to her nket, preparing to head to bed. But when she walked to the bed and looked down at the soft bed, thinking that she could fall right asleep after lying on it, she was stuck. She truly did not want to sleep in this bed. She had only managed to fall asleep here because she had been so tired yesterday. Comparatively, she still preferred the rug in Mo Han¡¯s bedroom. Furthermore, the lighting in the room was awful. Once night fell, there was barely any light from the outside. The darkness created a particrly lonesome feeling. It was really quite scary being all by herself. She pursed her lips, pulled the nket over herself reluctantly andid down on the bed. Her wound had not healed fully and she was extremely exhausted. But lying there, she was unable to getfortable, no matter what she tried. She did not feel sleepy, not even slightly. She could not understand how those before her could fall asleep so readily on a bed like this. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: I Like You Being Here

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Zzz... Zzz... Midnight¡ªMo Han¡¯s bedroom emitted a tiny noise. Mo Han had always been a light sleeper. Even though the sound in his room was insignificant, it still woke him up. He sat up and looked around him. He could not see anything but he listened closely. The sound seemed to have disappeared again. Hey down again, still somewhat suspicious. Closing his eyes, he continued to sleep. But within two minutes, he jerked awake when a thought urred to him. His wide eyes were ovee with shock as he sat up and flung off his entire nket, peering at the floor next to his bed. Indeed, as he had guessed, the person lying on the rug¡ªcurled in a nket while sleeping deeply¡ªwas none other than the sister of his who had just moved in, Xia Qingyi! Speechless, he got off his bed and switched on the light in his room. The light immediately filled the entire room. He crossed his arms, frowning, waiting for the person on the floor to wake up. Xia Qingyi squinted her eyes with a dazed look as she shielded her face with her hand, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. She buried her face in her nket, not understanding what was going on. ¡°Why did youe to sleep in my room?¡± Mo Han wore a pair of cotton pajamas and stood with an erect posture. He looked down coldly at Xia Qingyi who was struggling into consciousness by now. ¡°Your rug is the mostfortable,¡± Xia Qingyi said innocently. Mo Han had never met a person who had not liked sleeping on the bed or the sofa and preferred sleeping on his rug instead. So he said helplessly, ¡°Go back to your bed and sleep.¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s too soft. I can¡¯t sleep. I already told you this afternoon.¡± Mo Han could not understand her behavior. Seeing her sit pitifully on the rug while exining why she enjoyed it with apletely straight face confused him beyond words. He gave in and said to the girl who was lying on the rug refusing to get out, ¡°Can you go back to your own room and sleep. I¡¯ll take the rug from my room and put it in yours. You can sleep in your own room.¡± Xia Qingyi seemed to be dissatisfied with his suggestion. Even if he took the rug back to her room; it was so dark¡ªshe did not dare to sleep there. As for where she was right now, as soon as she lifted her head she could see someone next to her. She wouldn¡¯t be afraid this way, right? She really did not want to go back to her own room, so she continued to lie on the rug undefeated by his dismissive attitude. She inteced her hands and said to him in a pitiable voice, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to that room. Your ce here is the mostfortable! You can continue to have your sleep in peace! I won¡¯t make a mess, I won¡¯t sleep talk, I won¡¯t grind my teeth and I promise I won¡¯t disturb your sleep.¡± Mo Han did not ept her suggestion, choosing to stay quiet with his icy look the entire time. ¡°It¡¯s true! And anyways, I¡¯ll be sleeping below your bed in any case. You won¡¯t be able to see me! ¡°My room is especially dark; there¡¯s no light at all and I¡¯m scared. Wait till I get used to it over these few days and I¡¯ll go back, is that okay?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han, who seemed to be totally unmoved and continued, saying, ¡°On the ount that I¡¯m a patient, would you just give in to me a little? After a few days. Just a few days! Once my body is better, I¡¯ll return to that room and sleep there.¡± In order to express how hurt she was, she pressed down on the wound which had been re-dressed a few days ago, wailing with a pale face, ¡°If... I go back to that room... tossing and turning, and can¡¯t get to sleep... and end up causing my wound to split open once more, what should I do? I¡¯ll probably have to go to the hospital again and it¡¯ll be a waste of your money and time at the end of the day. What do you say...¡± Mo Han furrowed his brow and interrupted her, ¡°Okay, fine, you don¡¯t have to say anymore.¡± Xia Qingyi stopped for a while and waited to see what else he had to say. ¡°As you wish. You can sleep on the rug for the next few days then. Just make sure you don¡¯t disturb me.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled with satisfaction. It looked like this stone-faced brother might have some humanity in him every once in a while. Although Mo Han agreed, he remained tight-lipped. He understood that ever since she had appeared in front of him, his old habits were in danger of going extinct at any given moment. ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me. Remember that.¡± He called out to the girl, as he turned off the lights, his expression troubled. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Buy Whatever You Want to Buy

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios When Mo Hany down, he cast a nce beneath his bed. Xia Qingyi was sound asleep on the rug, clutching her nket, with a look of absolute bliss on her face. He could not understand what was sofortable about this rug in his bedroom that she insisted on sleeping there. But one thing he had to admit was that Xia Qingyi was extremely quiet while she slept. Mo Han had originally thought that as he was a light sleeper, he would not be able to sleep tonight. To think that Xia Qingyi slept without making a sound! She was so quiet, even her breathing was barely audible. In this extremely quiet atmosphere, Mo Han fell into a deep slumber. When he woke in the morning, it was to the sound of his rm for the first time in history! In the past, he would naturally awaken half an hour before the allotted time set by the rm clock. He turned off his rm clock and sat up. He could see the girl sleeping soundly on the floor. Her hair was a little messy¡ªshe was still wearing the clothes that he had given her yesterday. She clutched the rug to herself in one hand while hugging the slippers he had under his bed in the other! Mo Han rolled his eyes and then nudged her gently with his feet. ¡°Time to get up!¡± The girl furrowed her brow and turned over, still holding his slippers, seeming not to have noticed what was happening. ¡°Wake up and pass me the slippers.¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice was louder this time round. Xia Qingyi had just woken from her slumber. She looked at Mo Han who was frowning and rubbed her eyes, still uncertain about what was happening. Mo Han took the slippers away from her as though nothing had happened, and walked towards the bathroom. ¡°Wake up. Today we¡¯re going to take you to the hospital to get a check-up and change your medications.¡± Xia Qingyi got up, ruffled her hair while looking half-asleep before returning to her room with the nket. Not long after, while Mo Han was still brushing his teeth, Xia Qingyi surveyed her room and how empty it was. She was still wearing the clothes he had given her. She ran over to the bathroom and knocked on the door, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring a change of clothes. What should I do? I don¡¯t have my personal toiletries either.¡± It was then that Mo Han remembered that ever since she had woken up in the hospital, she had been wearing the oversized cotton shirt he had given her. She had no clothes of her own. ¡°Before going to the hospital, I¡¯ll buy some for you. Wear the one I¡¯ve given you first. I¡¯ll give you a card. Just head to the supermarket to buy all your daily necessities yourself after we¡¯re back.¡± Xia Qingyi left again silently, washing her face simply. She did not have anything else to do afterbing her hair so she sat on the sofa outside and waited for Mo Han toe out. Mo Han was wearing a neat suit with a blue tie. He had the trademark stone-cold expression that allwyers possessed. Holding an office bag, he strode down the stairs inrge steps. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mo Han called out to her when he came downstairs. Xia Qingyi followed him into the car, and as Mo Han started up the engine, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about buying clothes. I¡¯ll drop you at the entrance of the shopping mall and give you a card. You can buy whatever you need to, and when you¡¯re done shopping give me a call.¡± Recalling something once again, Mo Han continued, ¡°Oh wait, you don¡¯t have a cell phone, do you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll also buy you a cell phone. It¡¯ll be much more convenient that way.¡± ¡°When am I going to school?¡± ¡°Not until your wound gets a bit better. I¡¯ll let you report to school once the doctor gives his approval.¡± ¡°Is the school far from home?¡± For Mo Han, the word ¡®home¡¯ was something very alien to him. In his mind, it had been been a long time since that word had appeared. In his world there was only a location, a house¡ªthere was no concept of home. ¡°Not far. There¡¯s a hostel on the campus. If you don¡¯t want to live there, you cane back and live here.¡± Chapter 25

Chapter 25: We Are Siblings

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°I¡¯ll juste back here and live then.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled as she answered. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to work today?¡± Xia Qingyi inquired again. Mo Han concentrated on driving the car and answered her calmly, ¡°After sending you to the hospital, I¡¯ll go to the office.¡± Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the hospital. After Mo Han had parked his car, he walked straight ahead while Xia Qingyi followed close behind. The crowded hospital bustling with people still brought some fear into her heart. She hated the smell of disinfectant in the air, she hated the expressions of pain and numbness. Rather than saying she hated it, a more appropriate expression would be that she feared it. She was scared, scared of seeing those pale sickly faces. After they had gotten ill, the way they walk would often bring pained expressions. Life started to feel insignificant, as there was no way of telling when one would be gone. She did not want to be like them, but she understood clearly that she was one of them. A person who had fainted and had just woken up after one week. A person who had lost her past. ¡°Take off your clothes and let me look at your wound.¡± The doctor wore a mask and looked at Xia Qingyi without any expression. Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han a little ufortably. He was standing there as straight as a pencil. He did not have much of an expression, merely turning away at a slight angle so that he was not looking at her. She turned back. Lifting her blouse, she felt too embarrassed to show the doctor the wound on her chest, hence only revealing her bandaged abdomen. The doctor nced once at her and saw that the bandage had already been soaked through with blood and frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t I just change your medication and re-dress it a few days ago?¡± Xia Qingyi smiled awkwardly. ¡°I... unintentionally... ripped my wound yesterday as I was going up the staircase.¡± ¡°I told you already, try not to exercise, just lie in bed. Given your state, I should¡¯ve made you stay in the hospital for observation.¡± Xia Qingyi heard the word ¡®hospital¡¯ and started to exin, ¡°Please don¡¯t... I was just careless, it¡¯s nothing really.¡± The doctor looked at the tall man, who stood there without uttering a single word, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re the patient¡¯s rtive, yes?¡± Mo Han nodded his head. ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship? Are you uncle and niece?¡± The doctor looked at both of them curiously. But no matter how he looked at it, they did not bear any resemnce to each other. Mo Han¡¯s expression cooled. He red at the doctor, causing the doctor to shudder. Hesitating for a moment, he replied, ¡°We are... siblings.¡± The doctor had intended to say something, but was interrupted by Mo Han¡¯s cell phone. Without waiting for the doctor to respond, he looked at the screen, lowered his head, left the room and picked up the phone call outside. ¡°What is it?¡± Mo Han asked in the corridor, using hushed tones. ¡°Barrister Mo, where are you now?¡± Liu Zhiyuan spoke anxiously on the other end. ¡°I¡¯m in the hospital.¡± ¡°President Zhang¡¯s ex-wife came to ourw firm. They¡¯ve changed a representativewyer, saying they¡¯ve found some new evidence that could cause us to lose our case.¡± ¡°What kind of evidence?¡± ¡°There¡¯s some audiovisual information... it¡¯s a videotape of President Zhang epting a bribe.¡± Mo Han¡¯s facial expression changed. Regarding this case of property division from a divorce, the entire team had been working on it for over a month. All their information was ready. Given no unexpected circumstances, there should not be any huge issues when they attended court tomorrow. President Zhang¡¯s businesses and properties could remain untouched. But now Zhang¡¯s ex-wife has suddenly provided them with video footage. If the footage was genuine, things might get a little moreplicated tomorrow. ¡°What should we do?¡± Liu Zhiyuan had no idea. ¡°Did they ask for any particr conditions?¡± Mo Han calmed down, in an attempt to analyze the situation logically. Zhang¡¯s ex-wife was a greedy person. Since she had showed up at his office with this important piece of evidence the previous day at his firm and not at tomorrow¡¯s proceedings, it definitely meant that she had ulterior motives. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: I¡¯ll Come and Get You in a Short While

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Did they ask for any particr conditions?¡± Mo Han calmed down, in an attempt to analyze the situation logically. Zhang¡¯s ex-wife was a greedy person. Since she had showed up at his office with this important piece of evidence the previous day at his firm and not at tomorrow¡¯s proceedings, it definitely meant that she had ulterior motives. ¡°She didn¡¯t say. She¡¯s sitting in reception right now. It looks like she¡¯s waiting for you to return.¡± ¡°I... will be at the office in a little while. Let¡¯s discuss things when I get back.¡± Mo Han hung up, opened the door and entered the doctor¡¯s room. Xia Qingyi was holding up her top. Hearing the door open, she turned towards him, revealing her smooth white skin and the wound on her abdomen. The doctor was bent over removing her dressings. By the looks of it, he was going to reapply the dressings for her. ¡°There¡¯s an urgent matter at thew firm. I have to make a trip back.¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qinyi kept quiet. There was no way to tell what she was feeling at that moment. She was merely bowing her head and watching the doctor¡¯s actions. Mo Han walked closer, took out a credit card and some cash and passed it to her, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able toe back in time. Take this money and go to the nearest shopping mall to buy some things, give me a call when you¡¯re done shopping, I¡¯ll take you back.¡± Xia Qingyi had no choice but to raise a hand to receive the items before, casually cing them on the doctor¡¯s table. She turned to him and said with a smile, ¡°I understand, if you have something to do, please head back first.¡± The doctor looked perplexed as he watched the two of them. This so-called ¡°brother¡± of hers did not hesitate at all as he pushed the door and left. As for her, her gaze did not follow him as he left either. She continued to sit there nonchntly as the doctor dressed her wound. This didn¡¯t seem like something a pair of siblings would do. Both of them were way too emotionally calm; nothing about the scenario resembled the atmosphere gently bickering siblings usually had. So after Mo Han left, the doctor couldn¡¯t help but ask her, ¡°Is he really your brother?¡± Xia Qingyi had not thought that he would ask such a question. She paused for a moment before recovering quickly. ¡°Yes, he is. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°What kind of a brother abandons his sister by herself at a hospital?¡± ¡°No choice, he¡¯s busy with work. Our parents are both overseas, it¡¯s just me and him together.¡± She was still smiling, but there was a pained look on her face. Some things couldn¡¯t be hidden, no matter how detailed and urate the identification documents were, it still couldn¡¯t change the reality of her not having an identity. Even the doctor could tell that he didn¡¯t seem like her brother at all. After the bandage had been changed, Xia Qingyiplied with the doctor¡¯s instructions to pick up other kinds of medication at the pharmacist. When she left the hospital, she kept her head low and noticed she was still in Mo Han¡¯s clothes. Her top was so big it might as well have been a dress. She furrowed her brow in dissatisfaction. To the mall it is, you¡¯ve gotta buy yourself some wearable clothes. You¡¯ve just got here, but you don¡¯t even have any basic daily necessities. Just thinking about it sounds shabby. With that thought, she went to the nearest shopping mall. The shopping mall was so huge that she could not find her way around. She looked around for a long time time before she found a shop selling clothes. However, when she went there and saw an extensive disy of clothes, she started to worry again. She was a person that hated troublesome affairs. The easier everything was the better. Something such as shopping to buy clothes, which demanded a lot from her mentally and physically, truly troubled her. Furthermore, going through thisrge shopping mall filled with people in nothing but a man¡¯s oversized shirt made her feel like a nutcase. Just as she was thinking about that, a salesperson at the counter smiled and walked over. ¡°Excuse me, can I help you? Xia Qingyi shrugged and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to buy some clothes.¡± The salesperson sized her up, pointing to a piece of clothing the mannequin was wearing, continuing to smile at her. ¡°Your body size is rather petite, so you could consider this. It should suit you.¡± Xia Qingyi followed her gaze and inspected the piece of clothing. It wasn¡¯t bad. ¡°Hmm okay, I¡¯ll take this one then.¡± The salesperson was shocked by what she said. She had encountered numerous customers who were unable to decide on a single piece of clothing. But she had never encountered a customer who bought something so carelessly without even checking the price! She stayed rooted to the spot in shock, unsure of how to respond. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: I Am His Sister

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Is it expensive...?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°388 yuan for the whole set.¡± ¡°Hmm... I¡¯ll take it then..¡± The saleswoman was still a little frazzled from selling a piece of clothing in under a minute. ¡°Just help me to take a look. As long as it¡¯s in my size, isn¡¯t too expensive and is suitable, I¡¯ll buy it.¡± Xia Qingyi felt exhausted. She sat on the sofa, looking at the salesperson, evidently unconcerned about shopping. The salesperson looked at her apprehensively. Seriously? This is happening? Was she really here to shop? Just like that, under the shocked gaze of the salesperson, shepleted the fastest sales transaction in the shop¡¯s history. After she made her purchase, she changed into one of the new outfits she had just bought in the changing room and walked out with her shopping bag. By the time she had everything she needed, she realized that the sky had darkened as she exited the shopping center. Layers of clouds pressed threateningly together overhead. It looked like it would rain. She thought about what Mo Han had said about calling him when she finished shopping, but as she picked up her cell phone, she noticed that the address book was empty. It was only then that she realized another deadly problem. She did not have his phone number. Mo Han had realized that she did not have a cell phone and could not make a call, but he had not realized that she didn¡¯t have his number either. Furthermore, even if she were to try to head home now, she could not remember what his house looked like. Thest time she had visited, it had been three in the morning. It was dark outside and she could not see anything. She could only remember that the door to his house was orange. But what use was that?! She couldn¡¯t tell the driver that the ce she wanted to go to a ce that had an orange door, right!? Xia Qingyi realized that she had gotten herself into a particrly awkward situation. She looked at the sky outside and let out a deep sigh. The streemps hade on and the air outside was moist, signaling an iing storm. Standing at the side of the road and thinking for some time, she decided to get a taxi to Mo Han¡¯s office, since this was the only ce she recognized. When she arrived at Mo Han¡¯s office, she had remembered her injuries and was walking particrly carefully so as to not exert pressure on her wounds. By the time she moved her bags to reception, she was sweating profusely and she was so exhausted she could barely lift herself up. She could only sprawl on the reception desk and pant heavily while dropping her bags. The receptionist looked at her strangely and asked, ¡°Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?¡± Xia Qingyi was still panting heavily. ¡°I¡¯m... I-I¡¯m... looking for... your Barrister Mo.¡± The receptionist Zhang Li thought that this was one of Mo¡¯s clients for a case, so she replied in a professional manner. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but if you don¡¯t have an appointment, you can¡¯t see Barrister Mo.¡± Xia Qingyi remembered that thest time she hade to the office, thisdy had not been here. Instead, it was a short, bearded man. There were only two possibilities. Either thisdy had worked his shift or he had worked thisdy¡¯s shift. It now seemed that thetter was a bigger possibility. She caught her breath and stood up. Even though she felt a little uneasy, she managed to mumble, ¡°I¡¯m Barrister Mo¡¯s younger sister.¡± The receptionist Zhang Li was taken aback. She had never heard Barrister Mo mention that he had a sister? Barrister Mo had a great reputation within the legal industry. Could this be some new trick thought up by this person so that she could have Barrister Mo look over her case? But she was panting and carrying a lot of things so it didn¡¯t seem likely? Xia Qingyi saw that Zhang¡¯s expression remained disbelieving, so she started to exin, ¡°I really am Barrister Mo¡¯s sister. Just give him a call and let him know.¡± Chapter 28

Chapter 28: A Dull Ache

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Half-suspicious, receptionist Zhang Li deliberated for a moment but eventually decided to dial Mo¡¯s direct line. ¡°Hello? Barrister Mo?¡± ¡°Barrister Mo is in a meeting right now, he¡¯s not here.¡± It was Mo¡¯s assistant. ¡°Erm... Th... There¡¯s someone at reception iming to be his sister. She wants to see him.¡± Zhang Li¡¯s face remained doubtful as she looked at her. ¡°Sister? Never heard of one. I¡¯ve followed the boss for years and he¡¯s never mentioned a sister? Is she an imposter?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know... So should we tell Barrister Mo or not?¡± Zhang Li¡¯s gaze flicked towards Xia Qingyi. ¡°What for! He¡¯s troubled with President Zhang¡¯s case right now! Zhang¡¯s ex-wife just left the office and demanded some impossible conditions. Barrister Mo and the otherwyers areing up with a strategy at the moment!¡± The assistant was frustrated just talking about the case. They had spent the whole day working non-stop on the videotape from Zhang¡¯s ex-wife, without any chance for a break. ¡°Oh... okay... I¡¯ll figure something out on my end.¡± Zhang Li hung up the phone. Xia Qingyi sprawled on the front desk. She could not make out the phone conversation but from the way the receptionist kept looking in her direction when she spoke, as though considering something, her instincts told her that the oue was not what she had hoped for. ¡°Sorry, Barrister Mo is in a meeting, we can¡¯t reach him right now. Why don¡¯t you wait a little while?¡± The receptionist knew this was just a dy tactic. She knew that Barrister Mo hated when non-employees came into the office, disturbing his work. The receptionist tried her best to ask Xia to leave while convincing herself that she was doing so on the grounds of Barrister Mo¡¯s principles. Even if she refused to leave, it would be time to go home in a couple of hours. ¡°I¡¯ll just wait here then.¡± What the receptionist had said was exactly what she thought. Knowing she would not be able to contact him for a short while, she moved all her things over to an empty space in front of the reception desk, sinking into a chair to catch her breath. Normally, she did not care about her self-image when she was extremely tired. At that moment, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair; the wound in her abdomen had just started to hurt. She ced her hand on her blouse, and checked it carefully. Thankfully, there was no blood. Because the wound was dressed tightly, her chest was constantly feeling stuffy, constricting her breath flow. After settling down, Xia Qingyi¡¯s mind could not help but ponder about the sort of person she had been in the past. Where was her family? Why had none of theme looking for her at all? How did she end up with those injuries on her body? What about her memories? Why didn¡¯t she have any of them at all? As long as the questions remained unresolved, they continued to y over and over in her mind, like a cat¡¯s ws, asionally giving her heart a tug, making her feel very isted. The noise that disrupted her thoughts was not shouting from the front desk, but growling from her belly. She rubbed her belly softly and looked at the time on her cell phone. She had waited for an hour and it was now eight in the evening. Aside from a bottle of milk she had drunk in the morning, she had not eaten anything all day and was feeling very hungry. She went to the front desk. The receptionist was busy and barely noticed her. Xia Qingyi felt bored, so she stood up and walked to the front entrance, pulled the curtains back and looked out from one of the windows. The sky hadpletely darkened. The bright reds and greens of the traffic lights glowed in the darkness. The rain had started; tiny drops began to pelt down. Standing on one of the highest floor, she could feel the coolness of the air outside. Just as she was looking out the window and her thoughts diffused everywhere, Xia Qingyi heard a familiar voice. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Don¡¯t Be Any Stricter With Her!

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Little Zhang, please give me the documents President Zhang sent over yesterday.¡± Mo Han strode over confidently. He walked to the front desk, but before he had even nted his feet firmly there, he turned to leave. Zhang Li, who had not expected Barrister Mo to appear, stood up hurriedly and began frantically searching for the documents on the desk. When Xia Qingyi saw that Mo Han was about to leave, she desperately called out in an effort to stop him, ¡°Brother!¡± Mo Han and Zhang Li turned their heads to look at her. The former was perplexed, but thetter was shocked. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± For a moment, Mo Han had not recognized her. She had been wearing the hospital gown and that oversized top of his for the past few days, so he had never seen her wear regr clothes. Mo Han realized that she was actually rather beautiful. Her skin was fair, her short hair framed her tiny face perfectly, and her eyes seemed to sparkle like stars and draw people to her gaze. ¡°I forgot where home was,¡± Xia Qingyi said. Suddenly, Mo Han remembered that he had left her at the hospital and told her to call him so he would pick her up. They had been having a meeting at the office about President Zhang¡¯s situation all day, so he hadpletely forgotten that he was supposed to pick her up. It had just slipped his mind. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have your phone number.¡± Xia Qingyi shrugged. Mo Han sighed. He could not believe he had forgotten something so important. He walked up to Xia Qingyi, looked at the bag on the floor and furrowed his brows. ¡°You carried all these bags over here by yourself?¡± ¡°I called a taxi, but yes, I carried them over here by myself,¡± Xia Qingyi answered his question. When the receptionist saw the two of them talk back and forth, she was stunned intoplete silence. Since when did Barrister Mo have a sister? Why had she not heard about her before? ¡°Why didn¡¯t you juste in? How long have you been waiting here?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°An hour or so. Not too long. The receptionist told me that you were having a meeting. She asked me to wait here.¡± Mo Han looked coldly at Zhang Li. His tone was so grim that it scared her. ¡°Why did you tell her to wait outside?¡± Zhang Li immediately bowed apologetically. Her voice was shaking as she said, ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry... I didn¡¯t know... I didn¡¯t know she was your sister.¡± ¡°Do you say the same thing to every single person who asks for me?¡± Mo Han stared at her. He did not raise his voice, yet it filled the room, leaving no space for other sounds. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... No, I thought...¡± Zhang Li¡¯s voice quivered. She looked like she was about to cry. Her body shook forcefully as she bowed her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to make any decisions on your own in the future. Write a report and have it sent to my office tomorrow.¡± As Xia Qingyi looked at Zhang Lin, who was about to burst into tears, she felt sympathy for her. She tugged on Mo Han¡¯s sleeves. ¡°She didn¡¯t mean to. Don¡¯t be any stricter with her.¡± Mo Han turned his head to look at the small fair hand tugging on his sleeve. His heart slowly softened. He led her into his office without another word. ¡°Have you bought everything you needed?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ve bought everything. I¡¯m just a little hungry.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you eat out?¡± ¡°I was too busy shopping, so... I forgot.¡± Xia Qingyi noticed that everyone had been looking at her as she¡¯d walked into the firm. Their gazes had made her feel ufortable, so she had just followed Mo Han closely, trying hard to hide her very existence. She had no idea that Mo Han had never brought anyone else to his office. Although he did not like to discuss personal matters at work, his expression did not seem unhappy. Everyone was no doubt secretly trying to guess who this girl was. Liu Zhiyuan had been observing her from the moment she had entered. He thought that this girl looked familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen her. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Pitiful Eyes

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios It was only when she and the boss were approaching him that Liu Zhiyuan suddenly had an realization. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the little girl who was fighting with the fat man the other day at the office?¡± Mo Han stopped and looked at him, only just realizing that he had seen what had happened to her at the hospital, as well as the fact that he had never seen her before then. If that was the case, this matter of him calling the girl Xia Qingyi would be suspicious. He showed no emotional change on the surface, just a colder tone. ¡°No, you¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± ¡°But...¡± Liu Zhiyuan was still pretty certain that she was that girl. ¡°You¡¯ve remembered wrongly. She¡¯s not that girl. This is my sister.¡± Mo Han corrected him with a straight face. Liu Zhiyuan touched his chin and looked at the girl opposite him, still thinking that she bore a striking resemnce to the girl who wore the hospital gown and hade to the office. The girl did not seem to mind that he was looking at her and she did not try to avoid his nce either, simply looking back at him. ¡°Brother, was there someone who looked a lot like me who visited in the past?¡± Xia Qingyi raised her head up and smiled innocently, looking at Mo Han who was standing erect next to her. This was the first time the both of them had shown such chemistry, with one leading and the other following. Mo Han quickly continued, ¡°There was a girl who had visited in the past, and to be honest, she did look a little simr to you.¡± ¡°Who is she? Do you know her?¡± Mo Han looked at Xia Qingyi¡¯s innocent smile, thinking about how she could star in a movie and make a good actress. ¡°I didn¡¯t know her. Just some unknown patient.¡± Mo Han answered, solemnly. Liu Zhiyuan, overhearing the conversation between the two, felt bewildered and touched his head. He started to doubt his own recollection, and looked closely at Xia Qingyi again. ¡°Now that I¡¯m taking a closer look, she doesn¡¯t really look like her.¡± Mo Han recovered his ¡®professional¡¯ mode, one that was cold and stern and said ¡°Have you finished getting information on President Zhang¡¯s ex-wife? If you¡¯re done, send it to my office shortly.¡± After he had finished delegating work to Liu Zhiyuan, he went ahead, leading Xia Qingyi into his office. The moment she entered his office, her jaw dropped and her eyes flicked left and right. ¡°Wow! Your office is huge!¡± His office was shaped in an arc. On one side was a floor-length ss panel where you could stand and see the beautiful night sky outside. On the right side of the door was a rectangr sofa chair. A pure ck table was located in the corner of the room, simple and without adornment. Behind the desk was another door which remained closed. It was probably a ce for resting. Mo Han did not mind her looking around his office. He sat in his office chair, picked up some papers from the table and continued to gather information for the court cases the next day. ¡°I¡¯m very busy today. Stay here for a while. I¡¯m knocking off in a bit and we can head home together.¡± After realizing that her resting ce had merely shifted from the reception outside to the office here, Xia Qingyi¡¯s mood dampened a little. After all, she had been hungry for an entire day now. Any longer and she could faint. ¡°Erm... can you... can you help me order some takeout?¡± Xia Qingyi could not hold herself back from asking. Mo Han raised his head, looked at her pitiful eyes and kept quiet. He heard her continue, ¡°I¡¯ve had almost nothing to eat for the entire day now. I¡¯m really famished.¡± He dialed his secretary¡¯s line outside and said, ¡°Order takeout and bring it in to my office.¡± The assistant, who was in the middle of work, was shocked. The boss had never ordered takeout before. ¡°Well... what do you want?¡± Mo Han looked over at Xia Qingyi who was staring at the phone hopefully, and asked softly, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± When one was this hungry, how could they think about anything else? ¡°Anything¡¯s fine, as long as the portions are big.¡± Mo Han replied to his assistant, ¡°You can decide what to order, just be sure to order lots.¡± Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Boy Toy

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios After the food arrived and Xia Qingyi¡¯s appetite was sated, she wiped her mouth and sat on the sofa, satisfied. This was when she saw Mo Han seriously inspecting the document in front of him, one hand under his chin, mulling something over. He held a pen and sat on his office chair, immobile. As Xia Qingyi was watching him closely, the door to the office opened. ¡°Please enter.¡± said Mo Han, putting down the documents in his hand. ¡°Boss, here is the information which you requested this afternoon, regarding Zhang¡¯s ex-wife.¡± When Liu Zhiyuan entered the room, he could not help but nce over at Xia Qingyi a few more times. ¡°Are there any new discoveries?¡± Mo Han thought about the tape that had been sent over by Zhang¡¯s ex-wife and furrowed his brow. After sending President Zhang¡¯s ex-wife off in the afternoon, he had called up President Zhang, asking him about the videotape to which he denied its existence adamantly, but when Mo Han asked about the exact situation, he would always yammer and mince his words. There were obviously some things Mo Han, this plenarywyer, knew nothing about. As for the conditions suggested by Zhang¡¯s wife, she had asked for 12% of Zhang¡¯s corporation, one that he was absolutely unwilling to agree to. There was no man who would take his hard-earned shares and concede them to his ex-wife withoutint. President Zhang was unwilling to back down, and his ex-wife had been pressuring him the whole time. Now, this situation was very disadvantageous to President Zhang. If they continued in this manner without finding a solution, things would be very pessimistic when they went to court the next day. ¡°No, I¡¯m just looking up her personal information. I¡¯ve also fished out some photos from her social media ounts. They¡¯re all lifestyle shots, not very useful.¡± Mo Han did not look pleased. He lowered his voice and said ¡°Got it. You can leave now.¡± Earlier, in the reception and the office, Xia Qingyi had known nothing about his case. After Liu Zhiyuan left, she could tell that Mo Han was not in a good mood, so she walked carefully to his desk and asked ¡°Is everything okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Keeping his head bowed, he stared straight ahead at the information he had just received. The table was scattered with pictures that Zhang¡¯s ex-wife had sent over. Xia Qingyi picked one of them up and looked at it. Immactely done makeup, a rigid expression, not one hair out of ce. The photo clearly depicted shoes, clothes and essories in the style of a rich tai-tai 1 . There was a photo of ady in the bathroom in her pyjamas. Feeling a strange sensation ovee her, Xia Qingyi picked up a few of the photos and inspected them carefully. ¡°How old is President Zhang?¡± Xia Qingyi asked suddenly. Mo Han did not understand why she was asking such a question. ¡°Probably about 45 years old.¡± Xia Qingyi inspected the photo for a while, as though she was certain of something, before passing the photo over to him, telling him to take a look. Mo Han took the photo from her hands and looked at her with an incredulous expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Look carefully at the shelves behind the mirror in the washroom. Those cosmetics on top.¡± Mo Han took one look. It was just an assortment of bottles and lotions, which he did not find strange. ¡°Why? Do you recognize these brands?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Look at the white bottle, the toner. It¡¯s for men. This toner brand is typically for a 20-something year-old man.¡± ¡°What you mean is...¡± Mo Han looked as though an idea had just struck, and his eyes lit up. ¡°The photo was taken a year ago. If I¡¯m not wrong, Zhang¡¯s ex-wife had a ¡®boy toy¡¯ before she got divorced. By the looks of it, they¡¯ve been in a rtionship for a long time.¡± Chapter 32

Chapter 32: A Handsome Face

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi continued to analyse. ¡°It appears that President Zhang and his ex-wife have been on bad terms for a long time. She¡¯s definitely mentioned divorce to Zhang before, but why didn¡¯t Zhang agree? It¡¯s not like his ex-wife is anybody special or powerful. It should be rtively easy to divorce her.¡± Mo Han finished what she had to say, his eyes filled with steely determination and certainty ¡°Unless... she had something on him.¡± What that ¡®something¡¯ was remained for them to find out. What they knew for sure was, it was definitely not President Zhang¡¯s ex-wife who had sent over the embezzlement tape. The events in the tape had happened after they were divorced. She would definitely not try to threaten him using the tape. Mo Han suddenly wondered whether they could find out more from the tape. He searched for the tape and handed it over to Xia Qingyi. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s anything wrong with this tape? The videotape was short,sting around a minute and a half. The video was taken from a corner of the table and they could clearly see Zhang¡¯s movements and facial expressions from the side. Next to him was his assistant, a handsome young man. He stood quietly at the side of the door, head lowered, seemingly disinterested in their conversation. Thest ten seconds of the tape had no image, just an audio recording of their voices. It was unknown if it was a result of the tape or the failure of the camera. However, the tape clearly showed that it was Zhang who hadmitted embezzlement of public funds. Xia Qingyi watched the tape repeatedly. Mo Han looked at her expression from time to time. There was not much change. She was just furrowing her brow slightly, as though she was thinking of something. ¡°Anything?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand left the mouse. She paused, did not speak and after some time, paused the video halfway through, her eyes fixated at the screen. After a short while, as though she had figured something out, she slowly chuckled. ¡°This video is fake. It¡¯s been digitally altered.¡± Mo Han looked at the image suspiciously. He had asked the IT department toe and look at it in the afternoon. They all said it had not been Photoshopped or altered digitally. Xia Qingyi could see through Mo¡¯s querying expression and continued, ¡°The logic isn¡¯t right. The entire tapests for one minute, with the whole time spent discussing the embezzlement. There aren¡¯t any ws and it couldn¡¯t be more detailed.¡± ¡°So?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange? A normal person discussing illegal matters would try and avoid the sensitive words. But in the videotape, President Zhang and the person he was speaking to didn¡¯t at all. They were emphasizing the words ¡¯embezzlement¡¯ repeatedly. Thest 10 seconds were just a ck screen. Clearly there was enough evidence in the rest of the tape; why are there seemingly useless noises at the end?¡± ¡°This can mean one of two things. One: she¡¯s doing this for show and making a seemingly superfluous point. Another is that the entire tape is fake; half of its contents have been digitally altered.¡± ¡°The IT department says there¡¯s nothing wrong with the videotape.¡± Mo Han looked at her quizzically. Xia Qingyi smiled. ¡°That can only mean that the people in your IT department aren¡¯t very good! Why not find an audiovisual specialist from outside and ask him?¡± Mo Han could not believe the problem which had been troubling him the entire day could be easily resolved using what Xia Qingyi had said. He remembered that the first time he had seen her, she was easily able to solve the riddle of the ¡®sulfuric acid¡¯ in the hands of the fat man. Twice already. Rather than saying she had gotten lucky, it probably meant that she... Xia Qingyi felt like she had solved a problem. After she saw the contemtive look on Mo Han¡¯s face, her mood lifted, her spirits brightened and she tapped his shoulders lightly. ¡°Brother! Do you feel like I¡¯m really clever now?¡± Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Sleeping Next To You

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han recovered; turning his head to look at her calmly, he shuffled the remaining documents in his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be too happy. These are just small problems. President Zhang was hiding something and this problem still hasn¡¯t been resolved.¡± Xia Qingyi pursed her lips and looked around the room. It just so happened that the clock on the wall had just reached 10pm. It was already sote. Xia Qingyi looked at the Mo Han, who was still working. He was still fixated on his documents, rearranging what he wanted to say, flipping through a very thick book of economic principles. ¡°Can we go back? It¡¯s already 10pm.¡± Mo Han looked at his wristwatch. It really waste. He stood up and stopped what he was doing, but there was no sign of him preparing to get off work. He put on his suit jacket. ¡°Come on, let me send you home.¡± Xia Qingyi was a little shocked. ¡°Will youe backter?¡± Mo Han took his car keys. While he was walking he said, ¡°Tomorrow morning, President Zhang¡¯s case is going to be re-opened. There are some details in the documents that have not yet been confirmed. We need to prepare it beforehand.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s already sote!¡± ¡°We¡¯re used to it.¡± Mo Han¡¯s expression was always cold. Even when he was walking there was an aura, not allowing people toe close. The others in the firm had already gone home. There was no light in the corridor, except for some of the tablemps in the office. The two of them followed the dim lights and went outside. Mo Han walked to reception and brought everything that Xia Qingyi had purchased inside. He called the elevator to go downstairs to the carpark. The elevator wasing up. Xia Qingyi kept ncing at the numbers which kept jumping. ¡°Were the ideas I gave you a moment ago useful?¡± ¡°The things you¡¯ve said are all theoretical. But inw what we need is proof. Let¡¯s say that the things you told me were true. How could you prove them without any evidence?¡± ¡°So... that¡¯s useless?¡± Xia Qingyi could not help but feel a little disappointed. Mo Han looked at her and said, ¡°No, not entirely useless. At least I have an idea.¡± Xia Qingyi could not help but smile. Her tone brightened. ¡°So, do you think you can win tomorrow?¡± Mo Hanughed lightly. The elevator door had just opened. He walked into the elevator, without answering. ¡°I¡¯ve found you a good school, S University, majoring in Human Resources. Everyone knows it¡¯s a good university and a good major. I¡¯ve finished all the application procedures. When you feel a little better, I¡¯ll send you there.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xia Qingyi was clearly not interested in going to school. She just followed along. Mo Han was a man of few words. He was rather quiet. Xia Qingyi did not say much either. She had been tired the whole day and her energy levels were low, so when she sat in the car, the fatigue of the day came rushing back. She sunk into the upholstery, lying down with her neck tilted to the side. She could feel her entire body rxing. She was so tired she could barely lift a finger; all she wanted to do was to sink into a deep sleep. Mo Han saw her like this and said, ¡°Buckle your seatbelt.¡± Xia Qingyi did not make a sound. She just furrowed her eyebrows, curled up into a ball and continued to rest her head on the car window, not knowing whether to sleep or not. Mo Han let out a sigh, released his safety belt, buckled her belt and started the engine. As he entered their neighborhood, Mo Han turned into the carpark beneath his house and parked the car. He released his seatbelt and saw Xia Qingyi, who was fast asleep. She had no intention of waking up at all. ¡°Wake up! Sleep upstairs.¡± Mo Han pushed Xia Qingyi. Xia Qingyi was feeling incredibly sleepy. When she awoke in a daze, in the dim lighting, she could see Mo Han leaving his car and walking away. She was so tired she wanted to fall back into slumber once more. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: I¡¯m Sleepy, Brother.

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Wake up. We¡¯re about to go upstairs.¡± Mo Han came down and walked to the car door on the side that Xia Qingyi was sitting. He did not know if he shouldugh or cry, seeing her fall asleep again. He looked down at her, rapping on the car window. ¡°Xia Qingyi, get down now!¡± Xia Qingyi jerked awake once more. She looked at Mo Han, who looked slightly angry, with half-opened eyes. She felt as though her body was slowly sinking into a mud paddy that was so soft she could not feel anything. Lethargy invaded her, and shepletely forgot the situation she was currently in. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy, brother. Just let me sleep for a while.¡± The voice was barely audible, as though it wasing from a long way off. Mo Han¡¯s heart could not help but soften at the thought of Xia Qingyi being out the whole day with her injuries. Not only that, she had gone to his office to wait for him to get off work until it was 10pm. He bent down to carry her princess-style, resigned to the fact that she was not going to wake up any time soon. He locked the car with the hand that was carrying her upper body, and headed towards his house. She was really light. The petite girl only reached his shoulders. He could feel her backbone and the thickyer of bandages wrapped around her as he carried her, still deeply asleep. With the light bounce of her calf that was hooked over his arm, it was as if he was merely carrying a small animal, like a cat. He could not help but think about the origins of her wounds, as he traced the bandages on her body. How could anyone show such disregard for her life? He would find out the truth eventually. By the time Mo Han had ced Xia Qingyi back in her bedroom, and had taken everything from the car, it was already close to midnight. He returned to thew firm to handle the remaining work ahead of tomorrow. He had a vague idea of what to do for President Zhang¡¯s case now. No matter what President Zhang had done, Mo Han only needed to know that President Zhang¡¯s ex-wife¡¯s video was a fake. As long as he held onto that fact in court, President Zhang¡¯s ex-wife would not be able to get the 12% of thepany that she had demanded. It was not necessary to exin anything further regarding the other parts of the case. The opposing party might be able to find ws in his defence if he had continued to exin anymore. It was merely amercial case. He only needed to settle the economic aspect regarding thepany shares and the matrimonial aspect of shared assets between the divorcing couple. Anything beyond that was out of his jurisdiction, especially when regarding civil aspects of thew. He worked alone in his office, arranging the materials and filling in any missing details to his best ability from 1 to 7AM. The trial started at nine in the morning and continued before finallying to an end at noon. The verdict for the case was finally passed down. ¡°Barrister Mo, you were so amazing just now! How did you know that Zhang¡¯s ex-wife¡¯s tape was fake?¡± Li Jing¡¯s eyes sparkled in admiration for Mo Han, having followed Mo Han into the courtroom as a staff member of thew firm. President Zhang¡¯s ex-wife¡¯s demand for 12% of thepany¡¯s shares had been rejected, and ording to the judge¡¯s verdict, as per the norm for a couple¡¯s shared assets, she only received a property. Mo Han merely smiled as he quietly walked down the steps outside the courtroom. ¡°Barrister Mo lived up to his reputation. I thought that there would be no hope in court today, with the ruckus President Zhang¡¯s ex-wife had caused yesterday, but Barrister Mo still managed to find evidence! This is too amazing!¡± Li Jing softly whispered to Liu Zhiyuan, who was beside her as she stared at the straight posture of Mo Han from behind, while a few colleagues followed behind Mo Han. ¡°Never question Mo Han¡¯s ability. After all, he was the legend of our school¡¯sw faculty back then!¡± Liu Zhiyuan said. ¡°Does he have a girlfriend then?¡± Li Jing eyed Mo Yan dreamily with infatuation, as her admiration for him grew stronger. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: This Isn¡¯t My Brother

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°He says he does, but none of us have seen her. She works in America and is beautiful, apparently.¡± Li Jing¡¯s facial expression changed, ¡°He has a girlfriend?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a shame that I¡¯ve never had the chance to meet her.¡± Mo Han drove, with his colleagues from thew firm sitting at the back of the car. They were looking for a ce to have lunch, before heading back to thew firm to continue working. Mo Han¡¯s phone in his bag rang. Mo Han nced at his phone, before asking Liu Zhiyuan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, to check who was calling. ¡°It¡¯s a local unknown number without caller identification.¡± Liu Zhiyuan ced the phone in front of Mo Han for him to take a look. ¡°Answer it. If it¡¯s a stranger, just hang up.¡± Liu Zhiyuan answered the phone. ¡°Hello...?¡± ¡°Hm? This isn¡¯t my brother¡¯s voice?¡± Xia Qingyi double-checked the number, but she had dialed correctly. ¡°Who is calling, please?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Xia Qingyi, Mo Han¡¯s sister.¡± Liu Zhiyuan immediately thought of the girl that had suddenly appeared at his boss¡¯ office the night before. He passed the phone to Mo Han, and mouthed, ¡°It¡¯s your sister.¡± Mo Han was still focused on driving, looking straight ahead, ¡°Please take out the Bluetooth earphones from my bag and pass me the phone.¡± ¡°When did you get my number?¡± Mo Han asked, after putting on the Bluetooth earphones. ¡°I got itst night. I saw your name card in your office yesterday, and just took it with me. You always ask me to call you, but you never gave me your phone number,¡± Xia Qingyi said. Mo Han had been so busy handling President Zhang¡¯s case these past few days that there had been many things that had slipped through the cracks, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been so busy these few days that I forgot about it. Is anything the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at school, and have already seen the staff. She says that we need to hand over some documents regarding our family background, but I didn¡¯t have any. So, I just wanted to ask if you had any?¡± ¡°You¡¯re at school?¡± Mo Han had not thought that she would have gone to school already. ¡°Yes. I was bored at home this morning, so I just came to school,¡± Xia Qingyi answered casually. Compared to Xia Qingyi¡¯s casual tone, Mo Han¡¯s tone was less pleasant. He was obviously not too happy with Xia Qingyi¡¯s actions. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to rest at home for a few days? And to go to school only when you¡¯ve recovered?¡± The people in the car were shocked into motionlessness at Mo Han¡¯s chiding tone. They all knew that he rarely wore his current expression. If it appeared, it would mean that the case he was handling was very tricky and troublesome, and that they all needed to work overtime. Xia Qingyi exined, ¡°Well... I feel fine. I went for my check up yesterday. The doctor said that I¡¯ll be fine as long as I don¡¯t do any vigorous exercise. Aren¡¯t you the one that wanted me to go to school?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me know before you went to school?¡± ¡°I called your phone but you must¡¯ve been in court and didn¡¯t pick up.¡± Mo Han had no idea how to continue questioning her, merely asking, ¡°Have you met your ssmates?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met them. I just had one lesson. I¡¯m calling you only after ss had ended.¡± ¡°Are you adjusting well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m adjusting okay. There isn¡¯t really anything that I¡¯m ufortable with.¡± Xia Qingyi asked again, hesitation clear in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t have ss at night but I don¡¯t want to go home so early. Can Ie and stay at your office?¡± Mo Han paused momentarily. He did not like his personal life ovepping with his work life. He was always been busy and had little time to care about his personal matters, with his time split between the courts and thew firm. Due to President Zhang¡¯s case, his life had been a mess as he shuttled back and forth between the two ces. It was why he had forgotten to pick up Xia Qingyi from the hospital, and had caused her to wait in vain at his office for long periods of time. Since she was legally his sister now, it was his responsibility to take care of her. Though, he did not seem to be doing a very good job as he seemed to have neglected her. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Siblings with Different Personalities

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°If you¡¯re bored, juste over. It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t disturb me.¡± Mo Han spoke slowly. ¡°Really?¡± Xia Qingyi sounded abnormally happy, as her tone unconsciously became higher. ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone in the car nced at him after he had hung up the phone. Liu Zhiyuan¡¯s curious eyes was the most obvious since he was sitting in the front passenger seat. Liu Zhiyuan blurted out, ¡°Boss, is that really your sister?¡± Mo Han retorted with an indifferent expression, ¡°Yes, else whose? Yours?¡± ¡°But, since when do you have a sister? Is she your biological sister? Howe we¡¯ve never seen her before?¡± Liu Zhiyuan continued babbling. Mo Han stared straight ahead, as he answered calmly, ¡°My mother adopted her while she was overseas. She came back from overseas recently, wanting to stay here for a while.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s adopted.¡± Liu Zhiyuan opened his mouth wide, ¡°No wonder. I was wondering why she doesn¡¯t have the same surname as you.¡± Having heard that Barrister Mo¡¯s family had adopted a younger sister, the people sitting in the back of the vehicle had became interested. ¡°Is it the short haired girl that we sawst night at the office?¡± ¡°I saw her yesterday. She has big soulful eyes, and she¡¯s quite pretty too.¡± ¡°How old is she? She seems pretty young. Is she still going to school?¡± Mo Han listened to the endless questions from the people sitting behind andughed, ¡°She¡¯s just a regr girl. She is still attending school. There¡¯s no need for you all to be so curious.¡± ¡°How can we not be curious? She¡¯s your younger sister.¡± Liu Zhiyuan said, ¡°To be honest, boss, I¡¯ve never heard you talk about your family. This is, in fact, the first time I¡¯m hearing the term ¡®younger sister¡¯ from you. It¡¯s a pretty rare asion.¡± Mo Han merely smiled. He had a distant rtionship with his parents, unlike most others. His father was mostly strict and silent with him, and while his mother often called him, she tended to talk about topics that he did not wish to discuss. Very few people knew he was a child who had grown up under intense pressure from his parents. There is often some resignation hiding behind the topics that others did not talk about. After reaching the office, Mo Han continued his day as usual. He attended a meeting, checked the invoices of the cases on hand, and made phone calls to various people to understand the various aspects of the cases he had. His life went back to how it had been previously¡ªconsisting of only work, work, and more work. This situation continued until it was temporarily disrupted with the arrival of Xia Qingyi as evening neared. Learning from the mistake that had caused her to be scolded by Barrister Mo yesterday, Zhang Li hurried over and brought Xia Qingyi to Mo Han¡¯s office personally once she saw her arrive. Xia Qingyi could tell that Zhang Li was not very well. Even with the concealing effect of the foundation she had used, Xia Qingyi could still see the dark circles under Zhang Li¡¯s eyes. Though Zhang Li was constantly smiling, her smile did not reach her eyes. Xia Qingyi thought that perhaps she had not slept well after being scolded by Mo Han. Sheforted Zhang Li, ¡°My older brother has a quick temper. You must have felt wronged when he scolded you yesterday. Please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Zhang Li had not thought that Xia Qingyi wouldfort her. She froze for a second, ¡°...It¡¯s okay. It was my fault that I didn¡¯t do things right.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you did anything wrong. You were just doing your job, after all. He made a big fuss.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°But what? Don¡¯t think too much, just listen to me.¡± Zhang Li stared at Xia Qingyi in surprise. Xia Qingyi¡¯s personality waspletely different from her boss¡¯. Her boss was too strict, and prioritized efficiency over everything else. He ced work at the center of everything he did. His face was constantly expressionless, and it was rare to see him smile. But Xia Qingyi was different. It was obvious from the look in her eyes that she was full of energy. She liked to speak, and liked to smile as well. She cared about the feelings of others and evenforted others. They were definitely a pair of siblings that werepletely different from each other. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Dressed Up Particrly Handsomely

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi walked into the office, greeting Mo Han, who had his head bowed as he worked. He merely lifted his head up to nce at her, nodded to acknowledge her greeting, before refocusing on his work. Xia Qingyi pouted once she saw that Mo Han was not going to give her any attention. She moved around his office for a while, before she randomly picked up a book and started to read. It was a pity that most of the books in Mo Han¡¯s office were rted to legal statutes. Xia Qingyi had only read for a few moments, yet she could feel her eyelids closing. Sleepiness was starting to overwhelm her. Deciding to put down the book, Xia Qingyi nced quickly at Mo Han, who continued working. She then pushed open the door and left the office quietly, wanting to get some fresh air outside. Li Jing, Mo Han¡¯s assistant who was sitting outside of Mo Han¡¯s office, saw Xia Qingyi leaving the room. She stood up immediately and asked, ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡± Xia Qingyi jumped in shock. ¡°Nothing... much. It was too stuffy inside, so I decided toe out for a walk.¡± ¡°Do you need me to get you a ss of water? What would you like to drink?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble you. I¡¯m not thirsty.¡± Xia Qingyi pointed to the office Mo Han was in and asked Li Jing, ¡°Is my brother normally like this?¡± ¡°What do you mean, like this?¡± Li Jing did not understand what Xia Qingyi meant. ¡°Like he only knows how to work and does not talk much.¡± Li Jingughed. Her eyes filled with respect and admiration for Mo Han, ¡°Ever since I joined thew firm, Barrister Mo has been like this. He is very conscientious and extremely meticulous when he works. Although he is a man of few words, he is always able to make the opposing party speechless in court. He is one of our city¡¯s most well known and sessful barristers. If anypany has amercial case in court, he¡¯s the first person theye to.¡± Xia Qingyi stared at Li Jing¡¯s extravagant smile. She could not resist the urge to disrupt Li Jing¡¯s fantasy, ¡°Actually... he¡¯s not as good as you think he is.¡± Li Jing looked at her with bright eyes, ¡°You are the younger sister of Barrister Mo. You should know more about Barrister Mo than us, right?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about him, actually. I¡¯ve juste back from overseas. We... rarely saw each other in the past.¡± ¡°But... you¡¯re his sister?¡± ¡°I was adopted. I was adopted in America when I was a teenager. At that time, he was in this country. So, we never had the chance to meet.¡± Xia Qingyi felt that she was so used to lying now that she was not the least bit embarrassed when she had to. ¡°If that¡¯s so...¡± Li Jing sighed. Xia Qingyi continued casually, ¡°Barrister Mo isn¡¯t any different at home and at work. If he¡¯s not sleeping, he¡¯s working in the study. He¡¯s rather dull. We don¡¯t even cook when we¡¯re hungry. We tend to eat outside instead.¡± Li Jing was excited to hear all this. She asked with a bright, shy smile, ¡°Then... is he particrly handsome when he¡¯s wearing casual clothes at home?¡± Xia Qingyiughed. ¡°There¡¯s not much of a difference... He looks how he does in his usual attire.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°Why not... How about...I¡¯ll take a picture and show you someday.¡± To Li Jing, Xia Qingyi was a lot friendlier than Barrister Mo. The more she talked to Xia Qingyi, the morefortable she felt. She was very casual and was not awkward, despite her background. She was always smiling. Even when she was talking about her older brother behind his back, she was smiling. Xia Qingyi sat on the chair next to Li Jing. She sat to the side of Li Jing while she worked. Even though there was not much differencepared to being in the office with Mo Han, the advantage of staying here was that Li Jing would chat with her once in a while so she was not bored by herself. Some of Mo Han¡¯s colleagues in thew firm would greet her or even chat with her when they passed by. Anyhow, it was better than facing the workaholic older brother who never spoke. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Please Do Not Sleep Here Anymore

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios In the office, Mo Han looked up after a long time, only to realize that Xia Qingyi was gone. She had been quietly reading on the sofa when he hadst seen her, though he knew that she would not have been able to understand a single word in the book. Mo Han stood up, wanting to go look for Xia Qingyi as he ced the documents in his hands down. He saw Xia Qingyi the moment he left his office. She was sitting next to Li Jing, smiling widely as she chatted away with a male colleague next to her. He frowned. The male colleague stood up immediately once he saw Barrister Mo. He hastily greeted Mo Han, before picking up his documents and hurrying back to his office cubicle. ¡°Why did youe out?¡± Mo Han asked Xia Qingyi. Xia Qingyi was slightly upset that the person she was speaking had ran off the moment he saw Mo Han, ¡°It was too stuffy in the room, so I¡¯ve came out to walk around.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to disturb people working?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. He just happened to be passing by so we merely exchanged some words. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s stopped working,¡± Xia Qingyi retorted, unwilling to back down at her brother¡¯s words. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t just walk around like that. Can¡¯t you tell me when you¡¯re going out?¡± ¡°Do I have to tell you even when I leave your office? Besides, if I had told you in the office, wouldn¡¯t I have been disturbing your work?¡± Li Jing shuddered with fear as she silently watched the entire conversation next to Xia Qingyi. She had never seen someone refute Barrister Mo like this. Mo Han was perplexed as he faced this ¡®sister¡¯ he had suddenly gained. How could it be that he was usually so silver-tongued in court and could handle any situation easily, yet when it came to Xia Qingyi, he was suddenly tongue-tied? ¡°I want to go home now.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han with pitiful eyes, putting an end to the bickering. She knew that this was something that would always be useful in dealing with Mo Han. As expected, Mo Han merely looked at her, resigned, ¡°Let me take you back then, it¡¯s already sote.¡± ¡°Are you stilling back to the office?¡± Mo Han noted that it was already 8PM as he nced at his wristwatch. ¡°I¡¯m noting back. It¡¯s time to get off work.¡± The attention of everyone in the building focused on Mo Han as they heard his words. They did not understand. Would they not be working overtime until 9PM today? Why was Barrister Mo going home at this time? He was usually the one who stayedtest. Mo Han nced around the office and told his subordinates, ¡°Everyone worked hard for this morning¡¯s case. You don¡¯t have to work overtime untilte tonight, please go home earlier.¡± Everyone widened their eyes at this. What was going on? This was the first time they had been allowed to go home at 8PM. This was not Mo Han¡¯s style. Barrister Mo did not notice the various reactions of his colleagues as he casually returned to his office to tidy up his belongings. He then carried his briefcase, took his car keys and left thew firm with Xia Qingyi. Nevertheless, old habits die hard, and Mo Han lived up to his workaholic nature. He reminded Liu Zhiyuan to email him the information regarding Shengda Shopping Center¡¯s economic dispute case before he left. When they arrived home, Xia Qingyi went straight to Mo Han¡¯s room. She washed up, before pulling a nket to her usual spot beside Mo Han¡¯s bed to sleep on it. ¡°Go back to your room to sleep.¡± Mo Han saw Xia Qingyi already lying down on the rug, eyes closed and ready to sleep as he entered his room to get some clothes to change into. ¡°It¡¯s not raining today and it¡¯s not toote either. Why do you like sleeping on the rug in my room?¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows as he paced up and down the room. Xia Qingyiy there silently with her eyes closed. Her body was slightly tensed. She was slightly afraid that Mo Han would chase her out of his room. Knowing that she was not asleep, Mo Han came closer to her. He looked down at her, feeling a little helpless. ¡°Let me tell you, this is thest time. I¡¯ll buy you another rug that is exactly the same as this tomorrow and ce it in your room. Please do not sleep here anymore.¡± Xia Qingyi sighed as her body rxed. The corners of her lips turned up slightly into a smile. She was happy as long as she could sleep here for one more day. She did not know why, but sleeping here next to Mo Han gave her a strong sense of security andfort. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Holding Her In His Arms

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han had never met such a clingy person before. He went out of the room with the clothes he was going to change into. After changing, he went to the study to finish the rest of his work. Just as he was about to close the door, he heard a soft voice from the floor, ¡°Please turn off the lights. Thank you.¡± Mo Han shook his head, turning off the bedroom¡¯s light wordlessly. He continued to work in the study for next few hours. He had a short teleconference with somewyers working overseas to discuss about how the shares for Shengda Shopping Center were divided. When the teleconference had ended, Mo Han nced up at the wall clock, noting that it was already 11PM. Mo Han rubbed the bridge of his nose. He shut down hisputer, ready to go to sleep. He was a little surprised when he returned to his room to find a small heap covered in a nket on his rug when he turned on the lights. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was Xia Qingyi. He turned off the lights, making use of the faint moonlight shining in from the window to return to his bed to sleep. Xia Qingyi slept very quietly. There was close to no sound except for the faint breathing sounds. He thought he would be able to fall into a deep sleep after a short while, as he usually did. This time, he appeared to be wrong. After a while, he heard soft sob from nearby, just as he was about to fall asleep. The sound was soft, as if its owner was trying not to cry. He did not pay too much attention to it, but the cries grew louder and clearer and felt like a loud wail in the end. Mo Han broke out from his sleep haze straight away. The cries seemed to being from the floor where Xia Qingyi was. He got out of bed straight away and turned on themp. The dazzling light brightened the room immediately. Mo Han covered his eyes as they adjusted to the sudden light. After a while, he opened his eyes to see something he would remember for his rest of his life. The rug on the floor was pushed messily to one side. Xia Qingyi was curled into a ball, as her body was not covered by anything apart from the thin pajamas she was wearing. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself. Trails of tears covered her face as she kept crying. Her brow was tightly knitted as she started to wail loudly in anguish. The entire room echoed with the sound of her cries. Mo Han was shocked. He knelt at her side and pushed her softly. He asked, as he did not know if she was still sleeping, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Xia Qingyi continued crying. Her face was covered with tears, as she cried shakily, ¡°Let me... go... Please...¡± Mo Han had a suspicion that she was dreaming. He held her in his arms as he called her name. He wanted to wake her up from her dream, ¡°Wake up! It¡¯s just a dream!¡± She kept crying. Mo Han could not tell which were tears or sweat on her face as her messy hair stuck closely to her face. Xia Qingyi kept shaking as she continued to cry and whimper. Her arms curled around her head protectively, as if she was trying to hide away from something. Mo Han could not help but worry at her state. He had never seen her cry, and even though he knew that she was just having a nightmare, he felt his heart ache for the first time at the sound of her cries. He could only shake her vigorously to wake her up from her dream, ¡°Xia Qingyi! Xia Qingyi! Wake up!¡± It may be that Xia Qingyi had heard his voice, as her breathing started to calm and returned to normal. Her eyes finally opened. Though, she probably had not realized what was happening as she stared nkly at Mo Han with her tear-filled eyes. He was staring back at her anxiously, and she could feel the lingering warmth of his fingers while being in his embrace. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Mo Han finally let out a relieved sigh when he saw that Xia Qingyi was awake. Xia Qingyi touched her face, which was covered in tears. Her throat was dry and painful. How she had ended up in this situation was also aplete mystery to her. She could only stare at Mo Han nkly, unsure of how to answer him. ¡°Did you have a nightmare?¡± Mo Han released Xia Qingyi, before sitting by the side of his bed. When Xia Qingyi opened her mouth, she could feel that her throat was as parched as sandpaper, ¡°...I think I did...¡± Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Go Sleep on the Bed

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°What dream did you have?¡± Xia Qingyi wiped her face with her hand. She tried her best to recall her dream, only to realize that she could barely remember anything. She did not even know why she had cried. ¡°I... don¡¯t know... I can only remember... my hand clutching a knife. It was really dark around... and I kept walking forward... I... I don¡¯t know why I cried. I really don¡¯t know...¡±Xia Qingyi only knew that her mind was very confused. The memories of her dream were blurry and fuzzy. She did not know where she was. A strong sense of helplessness wrapped around her heart as she felt the tears streaming down her face after she woke up. ¡°I¡¯ll get you a ss of water,¡± Mo Han said as he nced at her tired face. When Mo Han was back, he noticed that Xia Qingyi had remained in the same position as when she had awoken from her dream. She was hunched on the floor, with her head resting on her knees. She was thinking of something, her expression lifeless, though Mo Han did not know what it was that she was thinking. ¡°Stop thinking about it. It¡¯s just a nightmare.¡± Mo Han walked over and handed the ss of water to her. ¡°Do you think that... I... killed someone?¡± Xia Qingyi suddenly asked. Her thoughts were still questioning the ¡®her¡¯ in her dream. Mo Han froze and turned to smile at her. ¡°What are you thinking about? There¡¯s no rationale for the things that you¡¯re saying. Hurry up and drink your water. After you¡¯re done drinking, wash your face and go back to sleep.¡± ¡°I... really didn¡¯t kill anyone?¡± Xia Qingyi blinked and looked up at Mo Han seriously. Mo Han took in Xia Qingyi¡¯s appearance. Her eyes were red from all the crying. She had tears covering her face and messy hair. He replied, ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. Trust me. Don¡¯t make too many assumptions because of a dream that had no basis of the truth. Now, hurry and wash your face. Then, go back to sleep.¡± Xia Qingyi listened to Mo Han¡¯s words obediently and rose up to head to the washroom. After she stood, she realized that both of her legs were like jelly. She felt as though she had just returned from Hell. She was still feeling a deep, lingering fear from the dream. She stared at her tear-covered and pale reflection in the mirror, as both of her hands propped her up on the sink while the tap ran. For the first time, she felt that she was a stranger to herself. To a certain extent, a dream is a psychological reflection of real life. Many strange and unusual dreams can be exined by real-life incidents. What about her dreams? What did the dreams she had had when she had beenatose for a month in the hospital mean? Also, why had she cried in her dream tonight? Could it be that her injuries were rted to the knife in her dream? She suddenly realized that she seemed to have forgotten something important about dreams. They could help to exin all the questions she had currently. ¡°Xia Qingyi.¡± Mo Han had knocked on the door from outside. Xia Qingyi reined in her train of thought. She quickly turned off the running tap, ¡°Yes, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Is everything alright in there?¡± Mo Han had been paying attention from the moment she entered the washroom, but there had been no other sound except for the sound of running water. He was afraid that something else may have happened, so he had run to the washroom. Xia Qingyi opened the door. She smiled as she replied, ¡°Nothing is wrong.¡± ¡°You should go sleep on the bed.¡± Mo Han nced at his bed. The nket had already been made and ced neatly on his bed. Xia Qingyi looked at him questioningly. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I told you to go to sleep so you should just go to sleep.¡± Mo Han had knelt down as he tidied whatever was on the floor. ¡°Are you going to sleep outside?¡± Xia Qingyi blinked at him pitifully, as if she was a small animal that was about to be abandoned. Mo Han stopped momentarily. He looked up at Xia Qingyi, ¡°I¡¯m not going out. I¡¯m going to sleep on the floor.¡± Xia Qingyi rxed momentarily. She sat by the side of the bed. She watched as Mo Hany down on the rug. The nket covering his upper body was not big enough to cover his long frame. Knowing that he was afraid that she would not sleep well and have another nightmare warmed her heart. Her lips curled upwards, and she said, ¡°Thank you, older brother.¡± Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Half-exposed shirt

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han had already shut his eyes. ¡°Stop talking. Turn off the lights and go to sleep.¡± Xia Qingyi got up and walked over the huge obstacle lying on the floor to turn off the lights. Somehow as she returned to Mo Han¡¯s bed, her heart had slowly calmed down. There was no point thinking about certain things now. She would just solve them to her best ability when they really urred. What she wanted now was to enjoy every present moment. She was awoken by Mo Han the next day as usual. Mo Han was already dressed in an exquisitely made suit when she opened her eyes. He was standing by the table, looking for a document he had left there the night before. ¡°Hurry up and get out of bed. I¡¯ve already bought breakfast. It¡¯s on the dining table outside.¡± ¡°Okay... What time is it now?¡± Xia Qingyi was so sleepy she could barely open her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s already eight AM.. Do you have any sses today?¡± Every ounce of sleepiness left Xia Qingyi at once. She jumped out of bed like a carp jumping out of water, ¡°Oh no! I have ss today! What do I do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you there in a while.¡± Mo Han had already fastened his tie and put on his watch. Since Mo Han would be sending her, which would definitely be much faster than taking public transport, Xia Qingyi thought that she couldze in bed for a while longer. With this thought, shey back down on the bed, ready to get a few minutes more sleep. Having noticed that Xia Qingyi had no intention of getting out of bed, Mo Han put down his office bag. He moved to lift both the nket and her, snapping, ¡°Get up now! Don¡¯t me it on me if you end up beingte.¡± Xia Qingyi pouted and grumbled as she scratched her neck. She had slept too well due to the big,fortable bed. Her hair was so messy that it wasparable to hay. She squinted as she forced herself to freshen up in the washroom. Mo Han looked down at Xia Qingyi. His angle just so happened to let him catch a faint glimpse of her cleavage under her over-sized pajamas. He turned his head immediately and acted as though nothing had happened. Now that he thought about it, Xia Qingyi had once dered angrily to him that she was not a child but an adult. Looking at this situation, he started to believe it. Xia Qingyi was still incredibly sleepy as she slowly brushed her teeth in the washroom. Even after washing her face messily, her eyes were still squinted with sleepiness. Her clothes were a mess. One of the buttons of her top had opened, revealing the silky white skin of her bosom. Mo Han turned back to look at her unintentionally, only to see her slightly revealed breasts once again. He furrowed his eyebrows, ¡°Hurry up and go change your clothes.¡± Xia Qingyi nodded softly to acknowledge Mo Han¡¯s words. Her actions, however, were still slow as she strolled past Mo Han to get her clothes from her so-called room outside. Xia Qingyi was still in a daze when she had got into the car. She hugged her bag, which contained the materials she needed for the sses that day. She leaned against the car window with her head slightly tilted, watching people hurrying to and fro. Mo Han could tell that Xia Qingyi was not interested in attending school at all. She had only agreed to go so that he would not worry. Nevertheless, Mo Han continued to nag, ¡°Just try to learn as much as you can in school. It would be useful for when you¡¯re working in the future.¡± Xia Qingyi merely hummed to acknowledge Mo Han¡¯s words. She did not know why, but she felt that attending school was not her thing. The boring words irritated her whenever she looked at them. She did not understand why so many people racked their brains trying to earn a spot in a university. ¡°You should go home by yourself after school. I have some matters to attend to at thew firm and can¡¯t get away. Do you know your way back?¡± Mo Han stared at the road ahead as he steered the car. ¡°I know my way back. You can just focus on your work.¡± ¡°If you feel bored, you cane to my office.¡± Xia Qingyiughed as she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright! It¡¯s even more boring at your office. I¡¯ll just go home instead.¡± Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Fear

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi got excited at the sudden thought of the gossip she had heard yesterday at thew firm. She turned to look at Mo Han, who had been immersed in driving, and said, ¡°Older brother, I heard from your colleagues that you have a girlfriend. Why haven¡¯t I met her?¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Who told you that?¡± ¡°Why do you care who told me? She¡¯s my sister-inw, why haven¡¯t I heard you talk about her at all? Mo Han¡¯s expression barely changed, as if he was about to talk about something of little importance. He calmly continued, ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to say about her. She¡¯s in America and we¡¯re both pretty busy.¡± What Mo Han did not mention is that he and his girlfriend, Shen Rou, had had an argument about a month ago, owing to his busy work schedule and the long distance issues. It had been a while since they hadmunicated. Not only so, he had slowly forgotten about Shen Rou with his recent cases and Xia Qingyi¡¯s arrival. He had only remembered all these with Xia Qingyi¡¯s reminder of his girlfriend. ¡°But... shouldn¡¯t you still call each other no matter how busy you are? I haven¡¯t seen you call anyone outside of work. Older brother, you shouldn¡¯t neglect your girlfriend¡¯s feelings because of work.¡± Xia Qingyi was confused. She would never have known about her older brother¡¯s girlfriend if she had not heard the gossip from his colleagues. His life basically revolved around work. The atmosphere in the car turned icy. Mo Han¡¯s tone was icy. ¡°This is a personal matter. Don¡¯t ask so much. You only need to worry about yourself.¡± Xia Qingyi froze. Perhaps because she had spent thest few days with Mo Han, she had felt that the thick frostyyer protecting Mo Han had melted slightly. She thought that maybe as a friend, she would be able to care for him and alleviate his work. Though, looking at his expression now, Xia Qingyi¡¯s mood dropped. She had overstepped her boundaries. ¡°I got it. I won¡¯t ask anymore.¡± Xia Qingyi quietly said. Mo Han had regretted it the moment he had spoke. He knew that his tone had been too harsh. He was used to being more forceful, facing aggressive opposingwyers at work. He tried to neutralize his tone as he spoke to Xia Qingyi, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... What I meant is... that I¡¯ll settle my own problems.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Mo Han nced at the quiet Xia Qingyi. He did not know how to exin himself. Nothing seemed to enough. It was normal for Xia Qingyi to show concern as she did not know anyone here and he was the closest person to her. In return, he had made her unhappy because of his issues with Shen Rou. Mo Han went to speak again. Xia Qingyi, however, interrupted before he could speak, ¡°The school is right in front. You can just drop me by the side of the road.¡± Mo Han looked out the window. They had arrived at her school unknowingly. He stopped the car as he watched Xia Qingyi got out of the car with her bag. He stopped her asking, ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll buy it for you on my way hometer.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes sparkled, ¡°I want to eat the red bean pastry from the shop we hadst time.¡± Mo Hanughed, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring some home for you tonight.¡± Xia Qingyi turned happily to walk into the school. Mo Han wanted tough as he watched her bounce up her steps. She was so easy to appease. It took just one red bean pastry to make her happy immediately like a child with candy. Due to the fact that she had just entered the school, Xia Qingyi did not know any of her ssmates. They were all strangers to each other. Xia Qingyi was not eager to get to know them. She had only agreed to attend school because she did not want Mo Han to worry. She always treated matters she was not interested in coldly. Neither did she initiate contact; she always waited for people to approach her instead. She always sat right at the back of the ssroom. She acted as though she was paying attention, but her mind always drifted elsewhere. The other students in the ss had barely noticed someone new was present. Xia Qingyi spent a day in ss like that. After her night ss had ended at 8.30 PM, she tidied her things. She was ready to go home to eat the red bean pastry that Mo Han had said he would bring home for her. It was already dark outside. The dim street lights seemed to have covered the world like an invisible. She was utterly unfamiliar with the school campus. After her ss had ended, she found herself in an unknown corner after much clueless stumbling. She scratched her head, realizing that she surrounded by trees. The lush volume of leaves from the trees covered every ray of light, as darkness surrounded her. The air waspletely still and silent. It was too quiet. She was suddenly terrified. She turned to leave immediately, only to hear a soft voice. It sounded as though someone was stepping on the leaves, creating a crunching sound. Xia Qingyi was definitely afraid to hear such a sound in this extremely silent ce. She quickened her footsteps to head towards where there was light, only to trip over something unknown and fall to the ground. Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Murderer

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios She had touched an unknown liquid when she had fallen. Her hands were unusually sticky. She rubbed her ankle as she stared at the huge thing that had tripped her with furrowed eyebrows. It looks like a rock, but it was softer and bigger than a rock. She could not see clearly at all with the darkness around her. She stood up to push away the leaves that were blocking the light to get a clearer view. She took a few steps back in sudden, immediate fear. It was a dead body. More precisely, it was a dead female. The white dress on the female¡¯s body was crumpled and pulled all the way up to her chest. The bottom half of the female¡¯s body was an utter mess. There was blood everywhere. The blood was bright red, with a metallic smell. It took Xia Qingyi a few moments to realize that her hand was covered in blood. Her ankle was covered in blood too. Xia Qingyi knew that she had to stay calm. She did not know if the girl was still alive. She took out her mobile phone from her bag and dialed 120 and 110. Once done, she quickly retreated to the side of the road and sat down by a rock. She did not dare to look at the female. She calmed herself down, pulling her thoughts into order as she considered what had just happened. The police had arrived first. A few policemen in uniform walked over at the sight of Xia Qingyi, who had blood smeared over both her hands. One showed his badge, and said, ¡°Hello, I am Police Office Zhang Yang. May I ask if you were the person who reported this?¡± Xia Qingyi stood up. She only nodded, exhausted from what had just happened. ¡°Can you tell us about the entire process that led up to your call to us?¡± A policeman wearing a hat took out his notebook in preparation to take down the details. Xia Qingyi looked towards the cordoned-off crime scene. Countless people entered and exited the area as some took photographs while others engaged in discussion. She asked instead, ¡°Is the girl dead?¡± Zhang Yang looked at her oddly. ¡°There are no vital signs.¡± Zhang Yang continued, ¡°What state was she in when you first saw her?¡± ¡°Her face was pale. Her dress had been pulled up to her chest and her underwear had been pulled down to her knees. Both of her hands were bruised. There were signs of a struggle. There must have been a rope tied behind her. There were other smaller injuries on the rest of her body, though I didn¡¯t see them properly. She only had one red shoe on. There was a lot of blood on the ground, mostly under the upper half of her body. Hm... I think that¡¯s all I remember.¡± Xia Qingyi tried her best to recall everything she could. Zhang Yang started to look uneasy after hearing Xia Qingyi say this. The majority of people would have been frightened to tears if they had encountered such a situation and would immediately have asked to go home. This student who looked like a delicate little girl, however, was able to describe the crime scene calmly and in detail. His suspicions were growing. ¡°Who are you?¡± Zhang Yang¡¯s expression grew solemn. Xia Qingyi blinked. She smiled awkwardly, ¡°My name is... Xia Qingyi.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with the victim?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a rtionship with the victim. I just happened to be passing by and discovered her identally.¡± ¡°This is such a hidden corner. How did you get here identally?¡± Zhang Yang¡¯s questions started to be more aggressive. ¡°I¡¯ve just started attending this school. I was on my way home but I got lost trying to find my way out.¡± ¡°Is there anyone that can prove it?¡± ¡°No¡± Xia Qingyi stared at the police officer, who looked at her as if he was staring at a criminal. She could not help but ask, ¡°Police Officer, are you treating me as the murderer?¡± ¡°Before we finish the investigation, anyone could be a suspect. We seek your cooperation.¡± Zhang Yang replied with conviction and anger. Xia Qingyi smiled at this, ¡°Please think about two issues before you suspect me. Firstly, the victim¡¯s clothes were ruined, and there were many small injuries on her body. She seems to have been sexually vited. If I were the murderer, how could I, a girl, have raped an unknown girl? Secondly, unless I¡¯m wrong, the fatal injury to the victim was the cut to her throat, which resulted in excessive blood loss. The murdering weapon used was something like a surgical scalpel used in a hospital, which is easy to carry around and is both sharp and quick. Now, how could a young and weak girl like me have had the strength to subdue her before killing her?¡± Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Aloofness Behind the Smile

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Zhang Yang was struck dumb at Xia Qingyi¡¯s words. He felt that this girl was no ordinary person. Her thoughts were very meticulous and she had noticed many small details. She was also able to point out the issues that many others would have ignored. Xia Qingyi did not want to deal with the police anymore. ncing at her watch, she realized that it was already 9.30 PM. Mo Han would have finished work and brought home the red bean pastries by now. ¡°As the person who reported this case, you will have toe to the police station to answer further questions.¡± Zhang Yang said. Xia Qingyi was about to say something, only to be stopped by her phone ringing. It was her older brother calling. ¡°Where are you? Why aren¡¯t you at home?¡± Mo Han had called her in a hurry after he found that Xia Qingyi was not at home. He had returned home after lining up for half an hour to buy the pastries. ¡°I... I¡¯m still at school. Something¡¯s happened here.¡± ¡°What happened? Is it urgent?¡± ¡°There¡¯s been a murder in school. The police are asking me some questions to find out more details.¡± ¡°A murder?¡± Mo Han tensed up. ¡°Yes. I was the first to find the body, so the police are asking me some questions now.¡± Mo Han¡¯s furrowed his brow. ¡°Stay in school for the time being. I¡¯ll pick you up from there.¡± Xia Qingyi agreed, before she asked, ¡°Have you bought the pastries?¡± Mo Han was speechless at the fact that she could still think about her red bean pastries at a time like this, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve bought it. I¡¯ll bring it over to you in a while.¡± The corners of Xia Qingyi¡¯s mouth curled up. She contained her smile when she saw the stern police officer staring at her. She bid Mo Han farewell before hanging up the phone as she waited for the police officer¡¯s questions. ¡°When you found the body, did you notice anything else that was of particr significance? Xia Qingyi thought of the sound of footsteps stepping on leaves she had heard. However, she did not understand how if those footsteps had belonged to the murderer, why had they left her instead of killing her when they had realised she was at the scene? But if the footsteps belonged to something else, surely this was too much of a coincidence in such a quiet ce? She thought about it, before deciding to tell Zhang Yang about the sound she had heard, ¡°I think I heard footsteps before I found the girl. It was the sort of noise you get when you step on leaves.¡± Zhang Yang took down the notes diligently. Although he had suspicions about the girl¡¯s true identity, he could not deny that her descriptions had given him many clues. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°No.¡± Zhang Yang closed his notebook, ¡°It¡¯ste today so I¡¯ll leave it here. Pleasee down to the police station tomorrow and we¡¯ll do a more detailed verbal report.¡± Zhang Yang passed the pen to her, ¡°Please write down your contact details here.¡± Xia Qingyi did not take the pen. Instinctively, she did not want to have anything to do with the police. ¡°I have ss tomorrow. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have the time to visit the police station.¡± ¡°Is attending ss more important or is the case more important? You have to understand clearly that this is not just a regr robbery, but a murder!¡± Zhang Yang had just entered the police force, and was still filled with fervour to solve a huge case. Now that he was finally involved in a murder case, he felt slightly peeved that the person who had reported the case was behaving as though she was not involved at all. ¡°But I¡¯ve already told you everything I know. There wouldn¡¯t be anything new from what I¡¯ve told you today even if I go to the police station tomorrow.¡± Xia Qingyi argued. Just as both parties were at an impasse, Mo Han walked over from afar. He merely nced at Xia Qingyi as he stepped between her and Zhang. His voice was gentle as he smiled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She¡¯s still young; she doesn¡¯t know the weight of her words. Please don¡¯t be offended, Officer.¡± Xia Qingyi kept quiet as she nced at Mo Han unhappily. Zhang Yang stared at Mo Han, who was wearing an exquisitely tailored suit. Mo Han was tall and handsome with a lean body. His faint smile made him appear aloof. It was obvious that he was elite. Zhang Yang felt an invisible pressure as Mo Han stood in front of him, even d in his police uniform. Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Blood on her hands

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°And you are...?¡± Zhang Yang asked. ¡°I¡¯m Mo Han, awyer and her brother.¡± His name was incredibly familiar to Zhang Yang, as if he had heard the name somewhere before. His eyes lit up suddenly, ¡°Are you Barrister Mo that Old Zhang is always talking about?¡± ¡°You know Old Zhang?¡± Zhang Yang smiled and scratched his head, ¡°Old Zhang is my mentor. He guides me with my work at the police station.¡± Old Zhang had mentioned that Barrister Mo had helped him solve a pretty tricky fraud case a few years back. As a result, Old Zhang had always been very grateful to him. Remembering what his mentor had said, he smiled awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realize that you¡¯re Barrister Mo. Actually, there¡¯s not much more to be done here. You can both go home.¡± Mo Han replied, ¡°Thank you. If there¡¯s anything that pops up, feel free to contact me anytime. Old Zhang has my phone number. We¡¯ll definitely do our best to help the police to solve the case.¡± Mo Han bid farewell to Zhang Yang, before driving Xia Qingyi back home. Just as they entered the living room and turned on the lights, Xia Qingyi started to ask impatiently, ¡°Where¡¯s my pastry?¡± Mo Han noticed that Xia Qingyi¡¯s hands still had dried blood on them as he turned to look at her. He knitted his brows. He took her hands in his and examined them carefully. He asked, ¡°Why is there blood on your hands?¡± Xia Qingyi pulled her hands back after ncing at them, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I fell down at the crime scene. The blood belongs to the girl.¡± Mo Han checked her body, only to find that there were some traces of blood on her ankle as well. ¡°What about your leg?¡± Only when Mo Han mentioned it did Xia Qingyi finally feel pain in her ankle. She had probably grazed her ankle when she had tripped over the rock earlier. She was nonchnt about it as it did not hurt as much anymore, ¡°The blood on my leg was from the fall. I¡¯ll be fine after cleaning it.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s attention was no longer on her ¡®injuries¡¯. She was incredibly hungry. She had wanted to came back for food after school, only to be dyed unexpectedly by what had happened earlier. She whined to Mo Han, ¡°Where¡¯s my food? I¡¯m hungry!¡± Mo Han nced at her, ¡°Clean yourself up first. I¡¯ll give you the food once you¡¯ve cleaned the wound on your leg.¡± Xia Qingyi unwillingly returned to the bathroom to clean her wound and to remove the blood stains. She then moved to her bedroom to bring out the medicine bottle, before sitting on the sofa with her legs bent. She opened the bottle and started to pour the medicine on her wound carelessly. Watching, Mo Han interrupted, ¡°Do you know how to clean a wound?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him innocently, ¡°How do I do it then?¡± ¡°Where are the cotton buds?¡± Mo Han walked up to her resignedly and took the medicine bottle. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I couldn¡¯t find any in the bedroom.¡± Mo Han could only find a cotton ball in one of the living-room drawers. He squatted by the sofa, holding Xia Qingyi¡¯s feet wordlessly. He poured the medicine onto the cotton ball carefully, before rubbing the medicine on her wound. His actions were so gentle that Xia Qingyi felt a little afraid, as though it was the calm before the storm. His palm was rough with callouses. The faint itchiness from Mo Han¡¯s hold on Xia Qingyi¡¯s feet made her slightly ufortable. She wanted to retract her feet nervously, only for Mo Han hold onto her leg tighter, ¡°Stop moving around. I¡¯m applying the medicine!¡± Xia Qingyi could only stare at the sight of Mo Han applying medicine to her wound. She could not help but sigh once Mo Han had finally released her leg. Mo Han got up to put away the bottle of medicine. He then came back with a te of red bean pastries, ¡°The pastries were a little cold, so I¡¯d put them in the microwave to heat them up.¡± Xia Qingyi epted the te happily, and started to eat the pastries without a care for what she looked like. Mo Han watched Xia Qingyi ate as if she was a little hamster. She kept stuffing food into her mouth even when her cheeks were full. He could not help butugh. It was bliss to watch her eat, and it always made him feel like eating too. It seemed like he would have to buy more red bean pastries in the future. Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Another victim

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios All of the students were jittery due to what that had taken ce in school. Everyone was talking about the rape-cum-murder case. The crime scene had been cordoned off and no one was allowed to enter the area. Many female students were too frightened to go out anymore. The campus was practically empty by eight P.M. Xia Qingyi was mostly nonchnt. She went to school when it was time for her sses and barelymunicated with her ssmates, as per usual. Apart from that, she spent most of her time after school either at Mo Han¡¯s office or at home. She was busy when it came to ss time, but once sses were over, she had quite a bit of time to rx. The only thing that Xia Qingyi did not expect was that Zhang Yang woulde to speak her again. ¡°Excuse me, is there a student called Xia Qingyi in this ss?¡± Zhang Yang walked right into the ssroom, d in his uniform. He showed his badge to the teacher who had been interrupted mid-lecture. Silence fell in the ssroom. All eyes cast their attention on Xia Qingyi, who had been scribbling in her notebook at the back of the room. Xia Qingyi froze as she heard her own name. She looked up to see several men in uniform on the teaching podium. Xia Qingyi raised her hand ufortably, her head lowered. ¡°I am.¡± Zhang Yang looked at her. ¡°Can I ask you toe outside for a while?¡± Xia Qingyi forced a smile as she stood up wordlessly to leave the ssroom through the back door. Once she had left the ssroom, there wasmotion as students discussed what had happened. Their imaginations ran wild, some students even debating whether this new student could be the psychotic serial killer. A normal person¡¯s words might not be that credible but someone with special status, such as the police, would have others take their words as true about 80% of the time. This was how many rumors slowly turned into the ¡°truth¡±. Xia Qingyi was expressionless as she asked Zhang Yang straight away, ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡± Zhang Yang¡¯s face was stern. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble, but pleasee with us.¡± Xia Qingyi smirked at this. ¡°What is it now? Do you still suspect me of being the murderer?!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I just wanted to discuss something with you.¡± She looked at him curiously. ¡°There was a body found early this morning on the main street in the Eastern District. The method was exactly the same as the murder that took ce in your school.¡± In the previous case, Zhang Yang hadpared Xia Qingyi¡¯s analysis to the final report by the forensic doctor and found that the two had mostly matched. For instance, the wound on the victim¡¯s neck was made by a surgical scalpel. Not only that, but the victim had indeed been sexually vited before her death and had shown evidence of a struggle. The policemissioner was especially concerned with this case. He had enlisted many external personnel to assist with it, but the murderer had left too few clues at the crime scene. There was nothing suspicious on the CCTV footage as well, which had caused the case toe to a dead end. A panicking Zhang Yang had suddenly thought of Xia Qingyi. Even though he had had a poor first impression of her, he had somehow felt that Xia Qingyi was able to discover some important clues after the questioning that night. It was not until the murder this morning that Zhang Yang had finally felt that he should meet Xia Qingyi. However, for unknown reasons, Xia Qingyi was reluctant to go to the police station. He had no choice but to find a caf¨¦ near her school where they could sit down for him to listen to her opinions. Chapter 47

Chapter 47: A Talented Person

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Did the victim this morning really die in the exact same manner as the one at school?¡± ¡°They both died from excessive blood loss due to a slit to their throats.¡± ¡°Can I take a look at the photos of the crime scenes please?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. Zhang Yang hesitated for a moment. Nevertheless, he took out the photos from the document file and passed them to her. Xia Qingyi examined the photos closely. Simrly, blood was everywhere. The throat was slit. The victim¡¯s clothes were also ruined. The victim must have been humiliated when she was still alive. ¡°Don¡¯t these photos scare you?¡± Zhang Yang asked as he watched Xia Qingyi¡¯s unchanging expression. She merely looked at the photos with full concentration. He was a little surprised. There were police officers who found themselves getting ufortable when they looked at crime scene photos. It had taken him a long time to get used to looking at photos when he had first started to investigate murder cases. Xia Qingyi nced up at him. She smiled softly, ¡°There¡¯s not much to be afraid of. It¡¯s just some dead people.¡± Zhang Yang kept his mouth shut. He watched as she flipped through the few photos of the crime scene repeatedly. He recalled something that his mentor had told him ¨C there are some people where it is clear what they are suited to do with just a nce. Everything they do will show this unusual capability. It is a special capability that others cannot achieve even if they dedicate their lifetime to it.. ¡°Is there anything you can tell from the photos?¡± Zhang Yang asks. Xia Qingyi put down the photos and picked up the coffee cup on the table. She turned to Zhang Yang¡¯s eager eyes, ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything.¡± Zhang Yang bent forward, speechless, as he looked at her, ¡°You haven¡¯t been able to find anything even though you¡¯ve been looking at the photos for such a long time?¡± Xia Qingyi shrugged, ¡°Nope. From the photos, there¡¯s not much of a difference from school. The only difference is that the location of the crime is different.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t what you¡¯re sayingmon sense?!¡± Zhang Yang rolled his eyes at her. He put away the photos unhappily. He had thought that Xia Qingyi would be able to find a new clue. He was beginning to suspect that his intuitions were wrong in telling him that Xia Qingyi could help him. ¡°It¡¯s only been a week between the two murders. If the murderer is truly the same person as in the previous case, aren¡¯t they a little impatient?¡± Xia Qingyi seemed to be talking to herself. Zhang Yang nced at his watch. It was nearly time for his meeting back at the police station. He got up to leave. He was not able to walk too far before Xia Qingyi stopped him by calling out, ¡°Please watch out. There¡¯s a chance... I¡¯m saying maybe... that there¡¯ll be more simr cases.¡± Zhang Yang was grim, ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how you solve your cases. But from the photos, I can feel that the murdered is slightly disturbed psychologically. He hates women, especially women who are young and beautiful. He is slightly impatient and is probably thinking about a repeat performance.¡± Zhang Yang doubted her. ¡°Is what you¡¯re saying true?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an 80% chance.¡± ¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡± Zhang Yang asked. ¡°Focus the scope of your investigation towards the hospital.¡± Zhang Yang wanted to ask more but Xia Qingyi¡¯s mobile phone rang at that moment. She stood up with her belongings as she signaled to him that she was leaving. Zhang Yang had no choice but to leave it as it was, as he returned to the police station with his notebook. It was Mo Han calling. Xia Qingyi picked up the phone as she walked, ¡°What¡¯s up, Older Brother?¡± ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m outside. The same officer from a few days ago wanted to find out more about the case.¡± Chapter 48

Chapter 48: She¡¯s a Hostess

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han knitted his brows. ¡°Isn¡¯t that case already over?¡± ¡°It¡¯s another rted case. He came over to ask me something.¡± ¡°Do you have ss tonight? Come home for dinner once you¡¯re finished talking,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°Go home for dinner? You¡¯re ending work early today?¡± Xia Qingyi spoke with surprise and delight. To her, the nights when Mo Han did not have to work overtime were rare and few, so she would have her dinner at school. ¡°Yes, there are fewer cases at the office these days, so I cane home early. Is there anything you want to eat?¡± Mo Han had already put hisptop in the backseat of the car. He put on his seatbelt, wore his Bluetooth earphones and prepared to drive home. Xia Qingyi giggled. ¡°Anything¡¯s fine, as long as it¡¯s filling.¡± Mo Han was already used to her sense of taste. She was terribly easy to cater for ¨C she was neither picky with her food nor would she cause trouble. This made him feel as though he was raising a well-behaved child instead of providing for a younger sister. ¡°Remember toe home early,¡± Mo Han only realized this was the first time he had said something like this to someone. There were greater signs of life. When he lived alone, he never thought that there would be a day when he would say this to someone else. ¡°Yes, I¡¯lle home immediately,¡± Xia Qingyi replied sweetly on the other end of the telephone. Xia Qingyi was actually quite interested in Zhang Yang¡¯s case. However, what she cared about was not how to find the murderer. What she cared about was why the murderer would want to kill multipleplete strangers. From his methods, it was clear that he was a terribly clever and cautious person ¨C he knew how to utilise the simplest tools to murder someone in the shortest amount of time and achieve his goal. The times of death were all at night. The first murder scene was in the forest of a school campus, the second was on the streets, and one of them was a crowded ce. Clearly, he was unting his achievements, killing the victim by stabbing and letting the blood stter across the ground. He was making it stimting for the audience; he wanted attention. Often, a murderer was just like an ordinary person, indistinguishable from the people around them. But what was clear was that he did not seek the approval and acknowledgement of others in real life; he wanted a sort of novelty that could excite the public. To him, the feeling of seeing the people beneath him struggle painfully was satisfying. There were just a few points that she was unable to figure out. What was the rtionship between these victims? Why did he select these particr girls as his targets? She waspletely puzzled by these questions. Until now, the information she had obtained from the crime scenes was too little, it was not enough topletely work out the mysteries of this case. She had to wait until the murderer made a mistake. At school the next day, Xia Qingyi was sitting in the middle of the ssroom when she heard a few ssmates beside her softly discuss the homicide that had taken ce a few days ago on campus. ¡°I heard that girl suffered a tragic fate. Her throat shed and all her clothes had been ripped off!¡± Zhong Wenjing murmured. Xia Qingyi smiled and said nothing, continuing to read her book quietly. All truths contained differing levels of falsehood. ¡°That girl was from an art institute, her family went mad after they heard that she had died. They refused to bury her and insisted on waiting until the truth was revealed before giving her a proper burial.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, her boyfriend is the only one who¡¯s no longer as dedicated. It¡¯s only been a few days but he¡¯s already ying around with a girl from our school a few dayster! Really!¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey... there¡¯s gossip here! Come and listen!¡± ¡°What gossip? Don¡¯t keep silent! Hurry up and say it!¡± ¡°Do you guys know? That girl who died was actually a hostess! Slept with guys hundreds of times a long time ago!¡± ¡°Really! I¡¯d say! No wonder her roommate said she rarely returned to her room at night, she¡¯s probably out and about doing her business!¡± A girl at the sideughed. Chapter 49

Chapter 49: The Third Victim

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The longer Xia Qingyi listened, the more irritated she became. She stood up and started to leave when she suddenly froze. She seemed to have thought of something, something important. If the first victim had been a student with a hidden identity of a prostitute, and the second victim was an ordinary white-cor worker with a hidden identity, then perhaps their hidden identities could be rted as to why they were targeted by the murderer. She thought back to the photograph. The girl was lying in the middle of the street, the ground covered in blood, and her clothes were still in ce. What kind of clothes was the girl wearing at the time? A short-sleeved yellow top, a pleated skirt, with high heels. Her hair was wavy, with traces of heavy makeup residue on her face. She had not returned home straight after work, and went to a crowded street wearing heavy makeup instead. The time of death was midnight, there were no signs of struggle before her death. The murderer was so quick that she had no time to scream before her throat was slit and she bled to death. She could be a prostitute as well. This thought suddenly came to Xia Qingyi. Immediately, her mind cleared. If this was true, this meant that the murderer¡¯s next target was definitely a woman who appeared to be proper in public, but was selling her own body. Xia Qingyi wanted to contact Zhang Yang immediately and tell him her theory. After rummaging in her bag, she finally found the name card he gave her and called him. The moment the call went through, she heard his flustered voice, seemingly talking to someone beside him. ¡°Go and maintain order... other than police officers, no one else is allowed in!¡± ¡°And also... tell the crowd no photography allowed! The media is not allowed to enter either!¡± ¡°Zhang Yang...what¡¯s going on?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. It was only then that Zhang Yang noticed that the person on the phone was Xia Qingyi, and said dully, ¡°Another person was killed.¡± Xia Qingyi felt her heart skip a beat, and heard Zhang Yang¡¯s cold voice on the phone brimming with anger. ¡°The victim is a teacher. Someone discovered her at the school field, with a sh across the throat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, the time interval between the killings are getting shorter and shorter. It hasn¡¯t even been 3 days and there¡¯s another one.¡± ¡°Have you found anything yet?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t made much progress. The superintendent scolds us every time we have a meeting.¡± Zhang Yang had never worked a serial murder case, so the pressure from the superiors was making him miserable, and still they did not even have a suspect. ¡°The previous victim was actually a prostitute. If the pattern follows, the victim this time should also be a prostitute.¡± Zhang Yang frowned. ¡°Prostitute?¡± ¡°Technically not one, we can only say that they are people who make use of their bodies in transactions.¡± Zhang Yang let out a sigh. ¡°What¡¯s the use of knowing that they are prostitutes? There are still no leads on the murderer. Three people have already died and we are still unable to find any useful information.¡± In less than a month¡¯s time, there had already been three rape-homicide cases. The tricky part was that they had been unable to find any leads on the murderer, and even the security cameras did not capture anything unusual. Due to mounting pressure from the media, the superintendent had allocated more people to the station to help out, but still, no progress had been made. Zhang Yang felt that if there were still no leads in this case, he would have to pack up and leave soon. The phone went silent, but the screen remained bright when Zhang Yang looked at it, the timer continuing to run. ¡°Hello? Hello? What is it?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s distant voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°He will continue to return to the crime scene.¡± Chapter 50

Chapter 50: I Will Wait for You to Return

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°He wants to relive the pleasure of the moment when he killed someone. By going back to the same ce at the same time, he can feel the thrill once again.¡± Zhang Yang kept silent and considered what she had said. ¡°If it¡¯s possible, he would even go to the police station. He¡¯s too confident, he thinks you¡¯ll never find him. He wants to go to the station to see the police busy working on his case, racking their brains to find him. This would give him even more pleasure than killing people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible, isn¡¯t it?¡± Zhang Yang felt incredulous just thinking about a murderer who would dare toe into a police station. ¡°You can¡¯t just treat him like a murderer, he¡¯s more abnormal than you can imagine. You can see this from the photographs of the crime scene.¡± ¡°Back then, I had trouble figuring out whether the rustling of the tree leaves I heard at the scene that day belonged to him. But now that I think about it, he was probably standing right beside me around that time, because he wanted to see me panic personally when I saw the body. He didn¡¯t kill me only because he felt that the time wasn¡¯t right.¡± It frightened Zhang Yang to hear her talking in this manner. Thinking about how the murderer had stood right behind Xia Qingyi terrified him. ¡°Weren¡¯t you scared?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why I wasn¡¯t scared.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s tone was rather light. ¡°I can only help you until here, it¡¯s up to you to believe me or not. If you want to catch him, then you should work on it. Look for an ordinary person loitering at the exact time and ce when the crime wasmitted. ¡°If all goes well, that would be the murderer.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t your way of thinking too bold?¡± Zhang Yang was a little disbelieving. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me then forget it, I have nothing more to say.¡± Zhang Yang said, ¡°I¡¯ll mention what you told me to my mentor and see what he says.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at the crowd walking past her before she realized she had to go to ss as well. ¡°I have to go to ss, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Since she had evening sses that day, it was already nine P.M. by the time Xia Qingyi arrived home. She was sitting on a rickety public bus looking at the view outside the window on her way home when Mo Han called. ¡°Have you reached home?¡± Mo Han had been sitting at the office arranging his documents when he looked up and realized it was already nine P.M. Somehow he felt the need to call Xia Qingyi knowing that she was probably on her way home around this time. ¡°No, I¡¯m still on my way home.¡± ¡°Why are you sote today?¡± ¡°I had a ss at night, I just got onto the bus.¡± ¡°Is everything at your school... okay recently?¡± Mo Han thought of the murder case that took ce at their school a few days earlier. It seemed to have sparked quite a bit of discussion. ¡°Not really, the school almost closed down. There are police everywhere on the campus, we have to be careful even when we walk around,¡± Xia Qingyi pouted. She could not help butin every time she brought up this matter. ¡°Take a few days off school if you¡¯re scared. Don¡¯t go to school anymore,e to the hospital and get your injury checked.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not scared, it¡¯s just really troublesome. You never know when you might be stopped for a random check, and the security at the main gates is really tight, I have to go through so many procedures just to leave school,¡± Xia Qingyi felt that she was going to be annoyed to death if this matter did not end soon. ¡°It¡¯ll get better after some time.¡± ¡°Brother, when are youing home?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. Mo Han stopped flipping through his documents and raised his head when he heard the sentence. Such a simple sentence, and yet it had been a long time since he had heard someone say it to him. Even his own parents would rarely say it. They were always too busy, living their own lives and upied with their own jobs. It seemed that there had never been someone who just looked forward to himing home. Chapter 51

Chapter 51: I¡¯ll Go to Bed First

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°I¡¯m almost done, I just need to finish some work here,¡± Mo Han replied. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t forget to bring me something delicious to eat when youe home, I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Anything, as long as it¡¯s not too spicy.¡± Mo Han reached home at 10 P.M, holding the takeaway bought from a shop near his office. He had only wanted to buy Xia Qingyi¡¯s portion originally, but he had ended up buying two portions. For some reason, his appetite had grown ever since Xia Qingyi moved in. He had just walked into the hallway and changed into his slippers when he saw Xia Qingyi sitting cross-legged on the floor in loose pyjamas, revealing her skinny legs. She was leaningfortably against the sofa and watching television. ¡°Isn¡¯t it cold sitting on the floor?¡± Mo Han ced the food on the table. Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes sparkled with glee once she saw that her food had arrived. ¡°It¡¯s not cold, it¡¯s reallyfortable.¡± She walked to the table and opened up the packets of food, ¡°You seemed to have bought a bit too much, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I¡¯m eating as well.¡± Xia Qingyi took one look at him and grinned. ¡°That¡¯s perfect, apany me and let¡¯s eat together.¡± Mo Han removed his tie single-handedly, unfastened the sleeve buttons on his wrist and walked towards the bedroom. ¡°Hold on, leave the food on the table, I¡¯ll change before I eat.¡± Xia Qingyi was still staring at the partially opened packets of food. ¡°Hurry up!¡± After Mo Han had changed into his casual wear, Xia Qingyi was already sitting properly at the dining table, chopsticks in hand, her eyes fixated on the food. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s eat,¡± he had barely finished the sentence before Xia Qingyi helped herself to the food. Mo Han saw how famished she was andughed to himself. He picked up his chopsticks and started to eat as well. When Xia Qingyi was eating, she seldom looked at the people around her, and would rarely speak. She would stuff her mouth with food, her eyes big and round, so she would end up looking like a starved animal when she ate. ¡°Eat slower, nobody¡¯s here to snatch your food.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten dinner, and I¡¯ve been hungry since noon,¡± Xia Qingyi pouted. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you eat dinner?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the murder case that happened in school. The police officers have been asking me about the case repeatedly since I was the one who reported it, so I¡¯ve had to postpone my meals.¡± ¡°You just have to tell them everything you know. I know the police officers here, so if you find it too inconvenient, I can talk to them and ask them to find you less often.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, the case should be resolved soon.¡± Mo Han squinted, and lifted his head to see her eating her food earnestly. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯ll probably end soon, haven¡¯t the police been taking a lot of actiontely?¡± Mo Han wanted to ask more questions, but when he saw that Xia Qingyi was quietly focused on eating her food, he bent his head and continued to eat. After the two of them finished eating, Xia Qingyi washed up and calmly headed towards Mo Han¡¯s bedroom clutching the rug in her hands as usual, while Mo Han took hisputer to his study room to finish up some iplete work. ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll go to bed first,¡± Xia Qingyi shouted from the entrance of the bedroom. Mo Han did not respond. He realised that there was no way he could change her habit of wanting to sleep on a rug in his bedroom. She was always searching for some small reason to convince herself to sleep in his room. And Mo Han realized that he was slowly starting to ept this strange habit of hers. Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Arms Around Her Waist

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Have you finished packing? You¡¯re about to bete!¡± The morning of the next day, Mo Han was standing beside his car in a navy suit, looking at his watch as he urged Xia Qingyi, who was dawdling and packing her things inside. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll be right out!¡± Xia Qingyi held something in her hand as she rummaged through the items on the sofa with the other, looking for a book that she had left here. ¡°Brother, have you seen my book?¡± Xia Qingyi could not find it anywhere. ¡°I left it on the table for you yesterday, didn¡¯t you see it?¡± Xia Qingyi dashed to the table, snatched the book and rushed towards the door. She changed into her shoes unsteadily, grabbed her bag and locked the door before she ran towards Mo Han. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be this flustered if you woke up earlier,¡± Mo Han said as he leaned against the car window. ¡°I couldn¡¯t wake up early even if I wanted to,¡± Xia Qingyi muttered. She had just reached Mo Han¡¯s side when she dropped the book she was carrying. She let out an exasperated sigh, turned around and bent down to pick it up. As Xia Qingyi bent down, Mo Han¡¯s eyes identally fell on her exposed waist. He wanted to turn away at first, but he glimpsed something strange. Xia Qingyi picked up her book and was about to straighten up when she felt someone behind her. Then she felt her waist being held, and a finger gently rubbing against her skin. She jolted and nced over her shoulder to see Mo Han standing behind, seemingly looking at her waist. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Xia Qingyi could not understand what was happening. ¡°What¡¯s this on the back of your waist?¡± Mo Han said coldly. Xia Qingyi pulled up her clothes and craned her neck to take a look but she could see nothing, ¡°What is it? Is it a scar?¡± Mo Han released the hand that was holding onto Xia Qingyi¡¯s waist. ¡°Seems to be a tattoo.¡± Xia Qingyi furrowed her eyebrows and continued to crane her neck, wanting to take a look. ¡°Tattoo? Why don¡¯t I know about this? What kind of tattoo is it?¡± Mo Han spoke coolly, ¡°It¡¯s the back view of a man, with two English letters, C&L.¡± When she heard the two letters, Xia Qingyi froze, and some fragments of images arose within her mind. A man was standing behind, a finger touching the skin of her waist. Xia Qingyi could clearly feel her heart pounding within her chest when she heard the two letters. In that moment, she felt that she was falling into that vast, infinite ocean, as though she was lying on the hospital bed again. That had to be an important memory. If not, her body would not have reacted in this manner. Mo Han saw that Xia Qingyi was lost in thought and said, ¡°Do you remember something?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him, nodded, and then shook her head, replying in a small voice, ¡°Nothing much.¡± Mo Han looked at his watch again. ¡°Then let¡¯s go, if not we really will bete.¡± In the car, Xia Qingyi leaned on the window thinking about the scene that had appeared within her mind. From the moment when she had lost her memories until now, this seemed to be the first time that she had remembered something from the past by herself, and it had made her rather curious. She had been living toofortably for this period of time at Mo Han¡¯s ce, and she hade to regard Mo Han as her older brother. She had almost forgotten that she was someone who had been abandoned at the hospital without a past or memories. What was she like in the past? She wanted to know. She wanted to know what her family was like. She wanted to know what her friends were like. She wanted to know what kind of environment she had lived in. She wanted to know why she had be like this. She wanted to know everything about herself. And she wanted to know that she was not merely an inconsequential person without an identity nor a past. Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Girlfriend

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Still thinking about that tattoo?¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head. ¡°If you can¡¯t figure it out then stop thinking about it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see the tattoo on my back. Take a photo of it for me, I want to see it.¡± Mo Han merely held the steering wheel and made a turn at the crossroad as he said in an emotionless tone, ¡°Okay.¡± Xia Qingyi was in ss when Zhang Yang called her again. Her ss had a very strict teacher, so she was lucky that her phone was on silent mode. She bent down and secretly switched off the phone. After that, Xia Qingyi sent a message. I¡¯m in ss! Zhang Yang messaged back immediately. I¡¯ve some good news to tell you, the murderer has been caught. Alright. Why are you so calm? Don¡¯t you want to know how we caught him?! How did you catch him. We caught him at the site where the teacher was killedst night. I told my mentor those words you told me a few days ago. The superiors didn¡¯t believe it and said it was too subjective. Since I couldn¡¯t send someone to monitor the site, I could only convince a few pals to watch the site with me these few nights. We just happened to see someone standing still at a spotst night. I thought that was strange, and thinking about what you said, I felt that something was wrong, so we arrested him. Did he struggle? No, I thought this was strange too. He was very calm when we arrested him. Where is he now? At the police station, awaiting interrogation. Xia Qingyi looked at the words Zhang Yang sent. Her fingers paused at the keyboard for a while, before she sent a sentence back to Zhang Yang. He will remain silent and is secretlyughing on the inside, because he is waiting for the moment when you will release him because of theck of evidence. After Zhang Yang saw what Xia Qingyi had sent, he felt his heart jolt. He turned and walked towards the interrogation room at the end of the corridor. He had not gone in yet, so he did not know the situation inside. He understood what Xia Qingyi meant. The murderer was extremely clever¡ªhe wore gloves when hemitted the crime, and even if he raped the victims, he did not leave any traces of semen on their bodies. All they could find was some lubricants for condoms, and the DNA samples that could be retrieved from the 3 victims were too damaged to be used forparison with his DNA. Even if they were a match, it would take a lot of time to confirm, and the suspect would have to be released by then. Without any clear evidence, they would have to release him. Once he was out, it would not be easy to detain him again. Xia Qingyi quickly sent over another sentence. Let him see some erotic pictures, especially pictures of voluptuous girls in red underwear. Say something provocative to him, and you will get some of the information that you want. Will this work? You won¡¯t know unless you try. Good luck. After that, Xia Qingyi stopped receiving any messages. Sometimes, people lived under illusions. It could make you selectively forget the things that had always been with you your entire life, it could give you a peace of mind, and let you feel as though the future would always be like the present. The moment the illusion fell apart was the moment you have to face reality, and you had to wake up and remember those things you had chosen to forget. To Mo Han, the phone call from Shen Rou was the moment he woke up. Shen Rou and he had not been in contact for a long time. Thest time they had spoken, they had a fight on the phone and agreed to give each other some space. That had been about a month ago. He hesitated, but as the phone continued to ring, he sighed and picked it up. Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Marriage

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Will you never take the initiative to call me if I don¡¯t call you first?¡± Shen Rou¡¯s tone was slightly usatory. Mo Han put down his pen, ¡°No.¡± ¡°I know, you¡¯ll say you¡¯re too busy. As if I¡¯m not! I¡¯m working myself to death over here everyday, and I¡¯m the one who has to take the initiative to call you whenever we fight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Mo Han said. After hearing his apology, Shen Rou quietened down a little. ¡°It¡¯s been more than a month since we contacted each other, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They had been together for 3 years. She had not taken the fight with Mo Han to heart, and it had not really been a fight anyway. It was just that she had unintentionally brought up the project she was in charge of in America to Mo Han, and Mo Han had disagreed with her methods, saying that she was too impatient. At that time, she was already in a bad mood due to being scolded by her boss, and when she heard his rebuke, she had ended up fighting with him. Whenever Shen Rou lost her temper, Mo Han mostly stayed silent and never argued with her. It was just that the longer they were together, the more irritated she became with how he would never say a single word whenever they fought. She got so angry that she told him to stop contacting her and take some time off to cool down. ¡°Mo Han, let¡¯s stop our cold war and make up.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve missed you.¡± Shen Rou said gently, ¡°Mo Han, do you want toe to America?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t we talked about this before? I don¡¯t want to go to America to work.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to work here? There are clearly more opportunities for you to develop your career here, plus your parents are over here as well, so it¡¯ll be more convenient for you to meet up with them.¡± Mo Han stayed silent. He could not say that it was because of his parents that he did not want to move to America. He actually did not tell Shen Rou much about his parents. After all, his rtionship with his parents had never been close since he had grown up. They would only discuss work-rted things, and rarely interacted with each other during their personal time. She only knew that his parents lived in America, while he had moved back to China by himself to establish his career after he graduated from university. ¡°If you want me to visit you in America, I can fly over there after some time. If you¡¯re talking about working over there, then forget it.¡± ¡°But we have to get married eventually. We can¡¯t always just live separately like this. Sooner orter we have to find a ce, we have to visit your parents, so living in America¡¯s the best ce!¡± Shen Rou could not understand why he had always refused to move, when it was clear that he would have much more better opportunities and could build a greater reputation for himself in America aspared to in China. Mo Han was surprised to hear Shen Rou talk about marriage. He felt that it was still too early to talk about marriage, and had never thought of going to America to marry and settle down. ¡°Shen Rou, I don¡¯t know if you misunderstood. I never said that I want to return to America. My career is here, and I don¡¯t intend to leave here for some time.¡± Hearing this, Shen Rou felt irritated. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight with you again after we¡¯d just reconciled. Let¡¯s talk about this problem next time.¡± Mo Han said nothing. ¡°That¡¯s it, I¡¯m hanging up, let¡¯s talk next time,¡± Shen Rou did not wait for Mo Han to say anything and hung up. Mo Han looked at his phone screen and sighed. He could feel some frustration building within him. He switched off his phone, ced it at the side, and continued to work. Chapter 55

Chapter 55: I¡¯ll Carry You

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Ever since thew firm he had established had gotten on track, he had be very busy. He received a lot of requests for his help on tricky cases as a top tierwyer. He wanted hisw firm to gain an even greater reputation and have a wider range, so there were a lot of things he had to do himself. He did not really have any hobbies. Due to his aloof nature, he did not have many friends other than Bai Yu. How busy his career was did not matter much to him, and he alwaysughed off beingbelled a workaholic by others. So when the secretary opened his door and said that it was already 10 P.M., and whether he was going back soon, he realised that he had not made the best use of his time. He had be a workaholic. ¡°You can go home, I still have a little more to go.¡± The secretary wanted to leave, but as she was pushing the door open she turned around hesitantly and said, ¡°Boss, there¡¯s always work for you to do, so please take care of your health.¡± Mo Han smiled. ¡°I know.¡± After the secretary left, he finished up the report for thest case, rolled his shoulders and prepared to leave. He nced at his phone before he remembered that he had switched it off earlier, no wonder it had been so quiet during work today. Mo Han switched on his phone and saw that it was almost nearly eleven, and that he had a few unreceived calls from Xia Qingyi. He thought about it and realised that Xia Qingyi would usually call him on her way home from school and ask him what time he would be heading back, but he had forgotten to tell her that he would be veryte. Mo Han switched off all the lights, and walked in the darkness thinking about whether he should call her back. But she was probably already asleep as it was already 11P.M., so he did not call in the end, thinking that he just had to move more quietly when he reached home. It was almost midnight. There were few cars on the road, so he only took 11 minutes to drive home. He parked his car, took his car keys and briefcase and was walking towards his house when he had a strange feeling. His house was on the 12th floor, and somewhere far below, he saw that there was someone at the stairs to his building. After walking closer, his eyes widened ¨C it was Xia Qingyi! Mo Han quickly walked over and found Xia Qingyi lying crooked against the wall, a rug covering her legs, sleeping soundly with her eyes closed. Mo Han hurriedly shook her awake. ¡°Wake up, wake up.¡± Eyes still heavy with sleep, Xia Qingyi raised her head and looked at him and said softly, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Why are you sleeping here in the middle of the night?¡± Mo Han was a little angry. ¡°Waiting for you,¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him. Mo Han felt his heart jolt in his chest and asked, ¡°Why did youe downstairs to wait for me?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s legs were sore because she had sat cross-legged for a long time. She stretched them out and massaged them. ¡°I called you when I reached home, but your phone was switched off. I didn¡¯t want to sleep that early, so I went to watch some television while I waited for you. But I got bored, so I took the rug and went outside for some fresh air while I waited for you. I just fell asleep after sitting for so long.¡± ¡°If my phone is switched off, didn¡¯t you think of calling to my office, and then go to sleep by yourself first?¡± Angry that she hade out to wait all by herself, Mo Han became irritable. He was unaware of how intimidating his manner was. ¡°You think I wanted to wait for you, it¡¯s just me alone at home, I was bored and I can¡¯t fall asleep,¡± Xia Qingyi did not know why he was angry. It was she who had waited for him for such a long time and she was the one who was affected, not him. ¡°Why are you so stupid!¡± Mo Han stood at the stairs, looking at Xia Qingyi who was still sitting on the floor, sighed and said, ¡°Why are you still here! Go home and sleep.¡± Xia Qingyi pouted and red at him. It was only when she went to stand that she realised that her legs were too numb to stand. Frowning, she massaged her legs and grimaced in pain. Mo Han sighed again, bent down and softened his voice. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll carry you.¡± Chapter 56

Chapter 56: I Will Come Back Early

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi peered at him and stayed unmoving on the spot. ¡°Why are you still standing there like a fool, don¡¯t you want to go upstairs and sleep!¡± Only then did Xia Qingyi climb on his back and curled herself up into a ball, her eyes staring fixedly at the whorl on his head. It was only after Mo Han stood up with her on his back that he realized how light she was. His hands felt how bony her legs were. She did not put her arms down around his neck, but had carefully ced them on his shoulders in a cross. He could even feel the bones in her thin arms. ¡°I left work toote today,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me next time, watch some television if you¡¯re bored and you¡¯ll fall asleep after a while.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mo Han reached a hand out to press for the lift button, and the two of them entered the lift. Xia Qingyi said, ¡°My legs aren¡¯t numb anymore, you can put me down now.¡± Mo Han released her and ced her on the ground. Hugging the rug close to herself, Xia Qingyi leaned against the back wall and kept silent, watching the number on the lift increase. ¡°I will try toe back early next time,¡± Mo Han spoke slowly. Xia Qingyi watched him out of the corner of her eyes and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Mo Han had never thought that there would be a day when someone would sit at his house downstairs and wait for him to the point of falling asleep. Never had anyone done this before. Even for the years together with Shen Rou, they had only gone out to restaurants. Both Shen Rou¡¯s and his sense of time had always been rather urate, so they never had to wait for each other. When he was in university, he would see girls sitting at the dorm downstairs doing nothing as they wait for their boyfriends, and he had always thought that it was something foolish. They would continue waiting aimlessly despite not knowing when their boyfriends would return. Why bother wasting their time on something so trivial and meaningless? Except that, today, after seeing Xia Qingyi wait for him downstairs until she fell asleep, aplicated mix of emotions stirred within him. He did not like it and he was not happy about it, which was why he had lost his temper. He did not know why, but he felt his heart soften when Xia Qingyi looked at him as she said that she was waiting for him. He could almost understand how the boys from the dorms had felt at that time when they ran happily towards their girlfriends knowing that the girls had waited for them. Just thinking that there was someone who would wait for you made him feel happy. Xia Qingyi no longer felt sleepy the moment she reached home, likely because she had slept outside for so long. Now that she felt more awake, the memory of her telling Mo Han to help her take a look at the tattoo on her back this morning resurfaced in her mind. ¡°Help me take a photo,¡± Xia Qingyi ran to Mo Han¡¯s side. ¡°Take what photo?¡± Mo Han had just taken off his suit and was sitting on the sofa resting. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d help me take a photo of the tattoo on my back this morning?¡± She passed her phone to him. It was only then Mo Han remembered. He took her phone, stood up and waved for her toe closer so that he could take a clearer photo. Xia Qingyi moved over with her back facing him. He held onto her waist, pulled up her shirt with one hand and looked at the tattoo again. The back view of a man¡¯s upper body. The tattoo was actually a picture of an outline. Even if the outline was drawn using a few simple strokes, you could tell that the back view belonged to a capable man. The tattoo was simple yet clear without much embellishments, it was likely that it was by a rather skilled tattooist. Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Returning to China

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios No matter how long Xia Qingyi looked at the phone, she did not feel anything close to what she had in the morning. She did not see anything that helped spark her memory, and she felt nothing looking at the two letters. Xia Qingyi even suspected that the scene that had appeared this morning was a figment of her imagination. ¡°Have you remembered anything?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Then stop thinking, go to sleep, it¡¯s already sote.¡± ¡°If one day I remembered everything, what should I do?¡± Mo Han froze for a moment, then smiled gently. ¡°What can you do? Didn¡¯t we agree that we would send you back to your life if you remembered everything? I¡¯m not your real brother after all.¡± Mo Han could clearly see from Xia Qingyi¡¯s face that she was dejected. He forced himself to smile and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, you have to leave eventually.¡± She raised her head and stared at Mo Han, her expression back to normal, and said quickly, ¡°I¡¯m going back to sleep, you should go to sleep too.¡± If everything went smoothly, Xia Qingyi would return back to her own home after she regained her memory, Mo Han would receive some remuneration for the period of time he had taken care of her, and the two of them would no longer have to continue this strange adoptive sibling rtionship. He was still a cold taciturn workaholic after all. It seemed like everything would return to as it was before. Except, no-one could predict what the future held. Mo Han did not know what Xia Qingyi regaining her memory would mean to him. Everything had already changedpletely. It was after the call with Mo Han that Shen Rou suddenly decided to return to China. She had not seen Mo Han for three months already. Thest time she had seen him was because there was a case overseas that required his attention, so he met up with her in America. They had gone through periods even longer than three months of not seeing each other since she had left the country a year ago. But for some unknown reason, Shen Rou had an inexplicable urge to return after that phone call. She felt that Mo Han had changed a little, though she had no idea whether it was good or bad for her. The main reason was that she missed Mo Han, she wanted to spend more time together with him. So she took one month¡¯s leave despite objections from her employer and returned to China. It was already seven p.m. when she arrived at the airport. Originally, she had wanted to call Mo Han and ask him to pick her up, but he would definitely still be working at this time, and he hated being disturbed during work. Anyway, she had the keys to his house, so she thought that she should go back first and wait for him at home to surprise him. Therefore, she put her phone back into her pocket, carried her luggage and called for a taxi to Mo Han¡¯s house. Mo Han was going to be so delighted when he returned and saw her at home. It was only when Shen Rou moved the luggage into the living room did she feel that something was wrong. Something felt off. She looked around the surroundings cautiously. Her eyes swept across the vase of fresh flowers on the table, and there were traces of someone entering and leaving the kitchen in the morning. There was a cushion with a cotton floral print, a gray rug, and even a pair of shoes one size smaller than hers. Wrong! Wrong! Everything felt wrong! Mo Han would definitely not ce things like flowers in his house, he did not use the kitchen, and it was more likely that he would buy lifestyle products like the cushion at the supermarket. And the pair of shoes at her feet definitely belonged to someone else. Someone else was living in this house, possibly a woman, and she had lived here for a long time. Chapter 58

Chapter 58: To Receive a Lashing

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Shen Rou felt as though she had been plunged into ice cold water. She found herself unable to speak, her hands unusually cold, and every strand of her hair was trembling. Impossible! Impossible! She went mad and rushed into Mo Han¡¯s bedroom, trying to get rid the absurd thoughts in her head. But when she pushed the door open, she froze. There was a rug beside Mo Han¡¯s bed, and a second nket was lying on top of it. That clearly belonged to a woman. She stumbled into the other rooms, wishing for a sliver of hope that could prove that she was wrong. Unfortunately, she came across the wardrobe. The wardrobe was full of female clothes, and there was even a table with female toiletries on top. She felt her head hurt as though it was about to explode. Seeing all those clothes made her grit her teeth in anger. She could not stand it any longer, so she threw everything into the living room. She tried her best to damage them, flinging them using all her strength and stamping on them with her feet. And she did the same to the toiletries as well. She threw everything that appeared to belong to that woman. She could not let any traces of another woman remain here. Mo Han belonged to her alone! She did not know how that woman had shamelessly clung onto Mo Han during the time she was absent. But no matter what it took, she would definitely make that woman leave him. Shen Rou¡¯s hair had already be dishevelled from her rage. With both hands trembling, she wanted to call Mo Han and ask him exactly what was going on, what had happened during the period that she was not here. She had not yet made the call when she heard the sound of the door opening outside. Xia Qingyi just reached home, still carrying her bag on her shoulders. She looked down and wanted to change into her slippers but realized that her slippers had disappeared. She felt a little uncertain, and when she raised her head, she saw a beautiful woman ring furiously at her, her damaged clothes and belongings at the woman¡¯s feet. Xia Qingyi did not wear any shoes and slowly walked over in her bare feet. She did not walk far before Shen Rou rushed over and swung her palm across her face. ¡°Slut!¡± A red weal immediately appeared on her face. Xia Qingyi licked the corner of her mouth where it stung, and her head was a little giddy from the p. She steadied herself and raised her head to look at Shen Rou. Needless to say, even she could already guess who the woman was¡ªmost likely Brother¡¯s girlfriend. The woman was probably jealous after seeing her things. However, this seemed to be a bit too much. Xia Qingyi forced herself to smile. ¡°You¡¯re his girlfriend, right?¡± When she was standing at the entrance, she had originally thought that the woman, who was clearly hostile towards her, had probably misunderstood something, so she had wanted to go forward and ask about it. But the p the woman delivered had made her feel rather muddled. Shen Rou red at her and said with her teeth clenched, ¡°You¡¯re even aware that I¡¯m his girlfriend.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard it from other people.¡± Shen Rou could not contain her temper any longer, and swung her palm towards her again, but Xia Qingyi firmly caught her arm this time round. ¡°Hitting me once is enough, hitting me twice is against the rules.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hit you how many times I want to! You slut, nobody¡¯s going to bother you even if I make you bleed!¡± Shen Rou wanted to tear the woman in front of her apart. ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Mo Han?!¡± ¡°He¡¯s my older brother.¡± ¡°Brother! How affectionate! Brother and sister, huh, you think you¡¯re tricking a kid! How long had you been with Mo Han? Do you think he really loves you? I can understand that he was feeling lonely since we¡¯ve been apart for so long. You¡¯re merely just a tool for him to stave off his boredom! Don¡¯t kid yourself!¡± Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Apology

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Shen Rou got even more agitated as she spoke. She tore her arm away from Xia Qingyi¡¯s grip, and gave her another p. Xia Qingyi felt giddy from the p and fell onto the ground. Shen Rou lowered her head and red at Xia Qingyi. ¡°Impossible! I¡¯m telling you! Mo Han belongs to me alone!¡± Xia Qingyi was furious after being pped twice. She steadied herself and stood up. How she wished she could p the woman and pull her hair until she begged for mercy. Until her mood was back to normal, exining everything could wait! Except that the moment she reached out her hand to make what she wanted a reality, Mo Han returned. Both of them looked towards the doorway at the same time. Xia Qingyi looked away, shifted her gaze elsewhere and kept silent. Rushing forward, Shen Rou grabbed Mo Han, pointed at Xia Qingyi and asked, ¡°Say it! Who is she? Why is she at your house?¡± ¡°Why are you back?¡± Mo Han looked at Shen Rou. ¡°Why can¡¯t I be back? If I hadn¡¯te back I wouldn¡¯t have known that you¡¯d let a woman into your house! Say it! What is your rtionship with her?¡± Shen Rou said tearfully, shaking Mo Han¡¯s arm. Mo Han felt his head hurting after seeing the pile of damaged things in the center of the living room. He knew that Shen Rou would definitely kick up a fuss after she found out that Xia Qingyi was living in his house. ¡°She¡¯s my sister!¡± Mo Han sighed. Shen Rou still could not believe it even after hearing what Mo Han said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know you had a sister? Are you lying to me?¡± Mo Han frowned, walked into the bedroom, took out a pile of documents and put them in front of Shen Rou. ¡°Take a look, all the papers are here!¡± Shen Rou took the documents and looked at them doubtfully. The entire adoption procedure was there without a single missing detail, and it was clearly written on the documents that Xia Qingyi was adopted by his parents in America when she was 12 years old. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ever mention to me that you had a sister?¡± ¡°I only found out recently,¡± Mo Han said. He walked over to Xia Qingyi¡¯s side, who still had not said a single word, and only then did he clearly see that there were two handprints on her face. He looked back at Shen Rou. ¡°You hit her?¡± ¡°I...¡± Mo Han said sternly, ¡°Apologize.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know who she was at that time, I thought...¡± ¡°Apologize!¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice boomed. Shen Rou had never seen Mo Han lose his temper, and he had never spoken in such a loud voice to her before. This made her feel really unhappy. ¡°Even if I was wrong, why do you have to be so rude to me?¡± ¡°A mistake is still a mistake. Apologize,¡± Mo Han said. Shen Rou turned and looked at Xia Qingyi, who had been quietly looking at her the entire time. This made Shen Rou feel a little uneasy. In the end, she eventually lowered her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± After Xia Qingyi heard what she said, she did not look at Shen Rou again. She just walked over and knelt down beside the damaged things to tidy them up. Most of the clothes were only dirtied, so they could still be worn after washing them. But the things like the nket and toiletries were totally crushed with their bits and pieces all over the ce. ¡°You gotta go and get me some things again,¡± Xia Qingyi said as she tidied up. ¡°Stop tidying, just throw them all away, I¡¯ll get you new ones,¡± Mo Han sat on the sofa, hands atop his head, and seemed to be in a bad mood. ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s tone was firm. Mo Han raised his head to look at her kneeling on the ground and heard her say, ¡°I don¡¯t want new stuff, I just want these.¡± It was only then Mo Han realized that she had not looked at him directly from the moment he came in until now. Xia Qingyi tidied up her things, stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take my stuff out of your bedroom. I¡¯ll sleep in the guest room, so that I won¡¯t disturb both of you in the future.¡± Chapter 60

Chapter 60: I Can¡¯t See Through Him

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Shen Rou walked over and sat beside Mo Han, cuddling up to him gently. She could see that he was unhappy, so she wanted to soothe his temper and said, ¡°Alright, I was too rash today, I won¡¯t do it again. You¡¯re tired too, we should go to bed early.¡± Mo Han felt tired. He had never felt tired in the past, so why was he tired today? He could not move at all, as though his entire body was immersed in mud. Mo Han heard the sounds of Xia Qingyi opening and closing the doors, and saw her hugging the thick rug close to herself as she walked alone into the guest room that she had been unwilling to stay in previously. Shen Rou saw that Xia Qingyi had closed the doors, and spoke softly into Mo Han¡¯s ear, ¡°When did this sister of yours came? Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this thest time I called?¡± Mo Han suddenly felt his head throb. ¡°I forgot to tell you, there wasn¡¯t enough time.¡± He detached Shen Rou¡¯s arms from his body and said tiredly, ¡°You just came back, unpack your things and go to sleep first. I want to be by myself for a while.¡± Shen Rou did not dare to make Mo Han angry again, and said softly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first, join me soon.¡± Mo Han nodded his head. He sat at the sofa by himself for a long time. There had been no noisesing from Xia Qingyi¡¯s room for a long time. She was probably asleep since she had gone to bed early. On the contrary, there were still some soundsing from his own room. As that the sounds from his room were getting quieter, he suddenly felt like smoking. He was not addicted to smoking, but he would smoke a couple of cigarettes asionally when he felt too stressed at work. It was actually the first time for him that the need to smoke had arisen out of the blue. Mo Han stood up, fished out a lighter and cigarettes from the drawer, opened the window and went to the balcony to smoke in the dark. He was smoking halfway when he heard the sound of movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Xia Qingyi walking to the kitchen for some water. He did not know whether she had seen him, only that she seemed like she was going back to her room immediately after getting some water. ¡°Xia Qingyi,¡± Mo Han spoke. Stopping in her tracks, she turned around, looked at him expressionlessly and did not speak. ¡°Come here,¡± Mo Han said as he sucked in a breath of smoke. ¡°I was going back to sleep after getting some water.¡± ¡°I want you toe here,¡± Mo Han nodded his head at the space beside him. She thought for a while and walked over eventually, but she stood at the entryway instead, keeping a distance away from him. ¡°What is it?¡±¡± ¡°Are you angry?¡± Xia Qingyi smiled scornfully. ¡°Letting someone p me twice for absolutely no reason, how is that worth getting angry about?¡± ¡°She is... too reckless, I¡¯ll apologize to you on her behalf,¡± Mo Han said as he looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m not that petty, she¡¯s already apologized to me.¡± ¡°Apply some ice to your face. If not it¡¯ll swell tomorrow,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°I know.¡± Xia Qingyi actually could see through many people. Some did not even have to speak, and she would be able to tell what they were like purely from their facial expressions and bodynguage alone. However, she realized that she had never been able to see through Mo Han. She knew as much as the people around him. Every time she thought that she understood him a bit more, he would always immediately disprove her theory. ¡°Do you know the real reason why I¡¯m angry?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. Mo Han looked at her. ¡°You don¡¯t acknowledge me as your adopted sister in your heart at all.¡± ¡°Why would you think so?¡± Mo Han asked, furrowing his eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯ve never mentioned me to your real family before,¡± Xia Qingyi directly looked into his eyes. Mo Han had never seen such a look in her eyes before. So sharp and intense, as though it prated right through his heart. Chapter 61 - Suspect

Chapter 61: Suspect

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°I thought as much.¡± Xia Qingyi said in a self-deprecating tone, ¡°You¡¯ve always seen me as a burden. After I regain my memory, you¡¯ll not hesitate to dump me. You might not even wait until I regain my memory to do so.¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone became stern as well, the cigarette in his hand extinguished unknowingly some time ago. ¡°It¡¯s indeed my fault that I did not mention you to neither my parents nor Shen Rou. But these matters areplicated, I¡¯ll exin to you in more detail when I have time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to exin anything to me.¡± Xia Qingyi felt as though she waspletely and hopelessly lost. In the past, she had not felt much when she had heard others say that Mo Han was a cold-hearted person, that he was overly rational. After seeing that he had actually never mentioned her existence to anyone else, she felt that he was prepared to send her off and remove all traces of her at any moment. ¡°I can no longer go into your bedroom now that your girlfriend has returned. I¡¯m not going to sleep there in the future. I¡¯ve disturbed you enough.¡± Mo Han was rather unhappy to hear that her tone was bing increasingly distant. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t sleep well in the guest room?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Xia Qingyi added, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡± In actuality, Xia Qingyi did not give Mo Han any time to reply. She turned and walked away with her cup of water right after she finished speaking. Mo Han knew that there was no point in speaking to her when she was angry, so he did not say anything. He would find a time to exin it to her in the future. Except that Mo Han could not calm down after Xia Qingyi left. He threw away the extinguished cigarette in his hand and took out a new stick. Xia Qingyi returned to the guest room and switched off the lights. The moment she sat on the floor and thought about what had happened just now, she no longer felt like sleeping. But she did not sit for long before the phone in her pocket rang. ¡°Hello?¡± Xia Qingyi sounded a little unhappy. ¡°Me, Zhang Yang, that police officer,¡± His voice sounded really happy from the other end of the line. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Did you see the message I sent to you a few days ago?¡± ¡°What message?¡± ¡°That suspect had confessed. In thest few minutes, I followed your method to agitate him, I didn¡¯t expect him to really be flustered and let his tongue slip. We followed the clues and found the material evidence before we arrested him.¡± ¡°Oh, that message, I saw it.¡± ¡°I wanted to call and tell you earlier, but it got so busy after we caught the suspect, so I forgot to call you when I was free,¡± Zhang Yang said. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s work that you had to do,¡± Xia Qingyi maintained an indifferent attitude. Zhang Yang really wanted to thank her. If it had not been for her analysis, the case would not have been solved that easily. ¡°How about I treat you to a meal sometime, to thank you for your help on the case.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to,¡± she rejected him without any hesitation. ¡°You...¡± Zhang Yang wanted to persuade her, but she interrupted, ¡°I¡¯m not in a good mood today, I don¡¯t want to talk anymore, let¡¯s talk some other day.¡± ¡°Why are you...¡± Zhang Yang had not finished speaking, but the phone on the other line went dead. Speechless, he shook his head and switched off his phone. Chapter 62 - I love you

Chapter 62: I love you

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Shen Rou was still awake when Mo Han had went back to the room. She seemed to be in a good mood as shey on his bed while ying with her phone. ¡°Why are you only back now?¡± Shen Rou pouted as she put down her phone to look at Mo Han. Mo Han sat by the side of his bed, taking off his watch to ce it on the shelf, ¡°I just happened to remember that I have some work to settle.¡± Shen Rou hugged him from behind. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she leaned to ce a chaste kiss on his cheek, ¡°Why are you still the same old you? The only thing you still know is to work.¡± Mo Han¡¯s expression showed slight exhaustion as he unconsciously moved slightly away , ¡°Why are you still awake?¡± ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± Shen Rou smiled as she moved to kiss him on the lips, only to be pushed away quickly by Mo Han, ¡°I¡¯m a little tired today. Go to sleep early.¡± Shen Rou was a little unhappy as she let go of him to lean against the headrest of the bed, ¡°Is this how you treat me after I came all the way from America?!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have acted that way earlier.¡± Mo Han replied. Shen Rou leaned against the wall behind her. She hugged her arms as she frowned slightly, ¡°I¡¯ve already apologized to her. What else do you want me to do?¡± Shen Rou stared at Mo Han¡¯s back in confusion, ¡°I¡¯m curious. Why haven¡¯t I heard you mention this adopted sister before?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only just found out about this too.¡± Mo Han replied indifferently, ¡°She traveled all the way from America by herself to look for me.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve let her stay at your ce? Why didn¡¯t I know that you were so warm-hearted, Mo Han? She¡¯s just a stranger to you, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve really treated her as a younger sister?¡± ¡°She is my younger sister.¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone was one that was intolerant of questioning. ¡°So what if she¡¯s your younger sister? Do you have to start an argument with me just because of her when I¡¯ve juste back?¡± Shen Rou felt a little wronged and was unwilling to back down. Mo Han kept quiet for a while, before he sighed heavily. He then stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to shower now. If you¡¯re sleepy, sleep first.¡± However, Shen Rou was still awake when Mo Han was out from the shower. She was still sitting in the same position as she stared directly at him without a word. Mo Han merely went to turn off the lights before lying down on one side of the bed and covered himself with a nket. Shen Rou moved to hug him tightly the moment hey down. If Mo Han wanted to move slightly, she would then hug him tighter to keep him in ce, so that he could not move anymore. ¡°Mo Han, let¡¯s not fight, alright?¡± Shen Rou whispered softly in the darkness. ¡°I love you. Let¡¯s not leave each other again. Let¡¯s not separate again.¡± Shen Rou murmured as she cuddled against Mo Han¡¯s chest. Humans often chose to lie to themselves to run away from situations they did not wish to see happen. They would often weave a perfect illusion to tell themselves that everything was fine. It was not that they did not know what was going on. It was just that they did not want to confront reality. Shen Rou had been trying to run away from the fact that her rtionship with Mo Han had started to crack a long time ago. She was just unwilling to confront that fact, because it would mean that she would have to leave Mo Han forever if she were to do so. She knows very well that Mo Han never went back on his decisions once he had made them. Xia Qingyi was already dressed properly as she ate her breakfast at the dining table when Mo Han left his bedroom after having just woken up the next day. ¡°Why are you up so early?¡± Mo Han walked towards Xia Qingyi dressed in his home clothes and his bed hair ¡°Hm, I can¡¯t go back to sleep after I¡¯ve woken up in the morning.¡± Xia Qingyi did not spare Mo Han a nce as she continued to eat the sandwich that she had made herself. Chapter 63 - To be together forever

Chapter 63: To be together forever

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han pulled out a chair and sat opposite of her. He looked at the half eaten sandwich in Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand, ¡°Where¡¯s mine?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My breakfast.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t make it for you.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make it?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to eat it.¡± Mo Han nced at her, ¡°Remember to make more next time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to make breakfast for you.¡± Mo Han knocked the table as his voice turned cold, ¡°If you don¡¯t make more, you won¡¯t be able to eat the portion that you made for yourself.¡± Xia Qingyi finally turned to nce at him, though she looked away quickly. She stood up, taking the bag ced on the chair beside her, ¡°I¡¯m full. I¡¯m going to school now.¡± Mo Han replied after her, ¡°Come back earlier tonight. I have some things to discuss with you.¡± Xia Qingyi acted as if she had not heard anything as she left the house without turning back. Shen Rou walked out of the bedroom the moment Xia Qingyi had left. She was still wearing her pajamas as she yawned, ¡°Are you going to thew firm today?¡± Mo Han hummed once in reply as he stood up to head to the kitchen. He opened the fridge to take out an apple that Xia Qingyi had bought from the supermarket a few days ago for his breakfast. ¡°Can I go to thew firm with you?¡± Shen Rou asked as she drank water. ¡°Why do you want to go to thew firm?¡± ¡°Nothing much. I just wanted to be with you and to see if your working environment is still the same.¡± ¡°Thew firm is a ce for work and I don¡¯t want to bring any personal feelings there. It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t go.¡± Mo Han said. Shen Rou knew that Mo Han had always been like that, that his work was always more important than her. But, she just loved him too much. She had spent too much effort to woo their school¡¯s cold and handsome top student back then. She had to learn topromise. She had given up too many things in order to stay by his side. She had even left her country for an internship and job position overseas just to be able to stand by his side better. She really loved him, and she could not let such a small matter make all her previous efforts go to waste. ¡°When are you free then? Let¡¯s go out and have fun since I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult to go out and have fun since a case I have is about to open in court these few days.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°You should go out with your old friends first since you¡¯ve only just came back. It¡¯s been a while since you guys have met up.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been in contact with them for a while. Maybe I will contact them in a few days. I¡¯ll just rest at your ce for these few days. It¡¯s been a while since I was able to rx with a whole free day.¡± ¡°Just stay here for the moment then. I¡¯ll take you out if I have the time in a few days.¡± Shen Rou broke into a smile as her eyes sparkled, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll take a short break after I¡¯m done with this case.¡± Mo Han still loved her. He definitely still loved her. If not, he would not have been willing to spend time with her. It was her that had overthinked. She might have been too sensitive since it had been too long since they had met, Shen Rou thought to herself. She rushed over to Mo Han and hugged him. She stood on tiptoes to kiss him on his lips, ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for you at home!¡± Mo Han did not have much of a reaction as he said, ¡°Okay. Now, let me go to work. It¡¯s time for me to go.¡± Shen Rou was all smiles as she let him go, ¡°I¡¯ll make something delicious for you at home, just wait for me.¡± Mo Han returned to his room for a change of clothes. He knotted his tie, tidied his belongings and put on his shoes before he left the house. Shen Rou stood in a corner. The scene felt exceptionally sweet, like they were a young couple that had just gotten married. She could already imagine their future lives together. They would be together forever and ever.

AsStudios

Please support us on Patreon. We have MANY advanced chapters avable there! https://.patreon/ifthedeepseaforgetsyou Chapter 64 - Like they had known each other

Chapter 64: Like they had known each other

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi was rather absentminded in ss that day. Or to be exact, her absent-mindedness was more obvious that day aspared to how she acted usually. She did not even hear her ssmates talking to her as she merely kept her head down to scribble and doodle all over her paper. She did not have many friends. They were just ssmates who sat with her in ss. Unknowingly, she did not seem to like to chat with them. Though, it might have been that they did not seem to have manymon topics to talk about. They would sit together and discuss about which celebrity was more handsome excitedly, but she had no idea who the celebrity they were talking about was. They would discuss which brand had nicer clothings, but she had even less knowledge about clothes than about celebrities. To her, it was fine as long as the clothes could be worn. They would always click their tongues and dismiss her opinions by saying that normal people like them could neverpare to people like her who were pretty and had a nice figure. After a while, Xia Qingyi talked less and less. She could tell that they seemed to hold some sort of hostility against her. It did not matter if she did not know where this hostility originated from. She felt this deep sense of unfamiliarity whenever she saw them holding hands and jumping around happily on the streets. Her old life was probably not like this, she thought. If not, it would have not been so unfamiliar to her. The funny thing, however, was that she did not even know how her past was like. A strong sense of helplessness always swamped her whenever her thoughts went in this direction. After school, Xia Qingyi turned and sighed after bidding farewell to her ssmates. She had no sses in the afternoon. She thought about what she should do and where she should go. She would have decided without a thought to go home and watch the television while eating snacks if it was the usual. But the situation that day was a little special and she did not want to go back that early. Just as she was still contemting on what to do, her mobile phone rang in her bag. She picked it up to see that it was Zhang Yang calling. ¡°Hello?¡± Xia Qingyi said. ¡°Are you in a better mood now?¡± Zhang Yang asked gleefully. With his words, Xia Qingyi was reminded of what had happened the day before. Her heart dropped once more. ¡°I¡¯m feeling okay, I guess. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Why are you like that? Can¡¯t I talk to you without a reason?¡± Zhang Yang asked. ¡°No.¡± Xia Qingyi replied immediately. That made Zhang Yang unhappy. ¡°Hey hey... Why are you acting so rudely?!¡± He added hurriedly, ¡°Okay, okay. Do you have ssester?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice. Let me treat you to a meal then. Didn¡¯t I say I wanted to thank you for that case yesterday? I have some other things to ask you as well.¡± Xia Qingyi had easily guessed that Zhang Yang woulde looking for her once more for the case. She wanted to reject his offer, but had suddenly realized that she would have a reason to not go back so early if she went to get a meal with him. As a result, she took back the words that she was about to say as she replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Zhang Yang was a little surprised that she had agreed to the meal so easily, though he did not think too much about it. He merely told her the ce and said that he would rush over in a while. It was an hourter that the two finally met again. ¡°Let me show you something.¡± Zhang Yang took out a photo the moment he had saw her. ¡°What is this?¡± Xia Qingyi took the photo to take a look at it. ¡°It¡¯s a photo of the murderer. It was taken outside during the police interrogation.¡± Zhang Yang said as he looked at her, ¡°He lookspletely decent. I was still afraid that I had arrested the wrong person if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he had revealed himself by saying the wrong things when he was worked up.¡± Xia Qingyi nced at the photo before returning the photo, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong. It is him.¡± Zhang Yang was confused, ¡°Why are you so sure? You haven¡¯t even met him in person.¡± Xia Qingyi smirked, ¡°No matter how normally a person can act, their eyes will always reveal their secret.¡± Zhang Yang took the photo and looked at it closely again. The photo was merely a normal one that was taken when the murderer was in interrogation. He could not tell any difference. ¡°But I don¡¯t see any abnormalities?¡± Xia Qingyi smirked once more, ¡°You will naturally learn how to read their eyes once you¡¯ve met enough people who are like this.¡± ¡°Have you met these type of people many times before?¡± Zhang Yang was puzzled once more. Xia Qingyi had been too mysterious from their first meeting until now. I have met too many people like them. The words in Xia Qingyi¡¯s mind almost rolled off her tongue, though she managed to stop herself almost immediately. Why would she say something like this? It seemed as if she had said this sentence before. She could even almost see the sarcastic expression on her face when she had said it. Chapter 65 - My Brothers Girlfriend

Chapter 65: My Brother¡¯s Girlfriend

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios She tried to think hard again, only to find that she still had no recollection of her memories. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhang Yang found it weird for Xia Qingyi had stopped suddenly. Xia Qingyi could not remember anything still as her train of thought was pulled back by Zhang Yang. She looked up to give Zhang Yang a small smile, ¡°Nothing.¡± Zhang Yang asked once more, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been wanting to ask how you¡¯ve been able to guess the murderer¡¯s psychology spot-on all the time for this case?¡± Xia Qingyi was stunned at the question, ¡°I don¡¯t know either. It just... seemed toe to mind.¡± Zhang Yang stared at her in surprise. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t really know how you police solve your cases or apprehend the suspects. Somehow, I was able to guess their psychology with a look at the crime scene. I had simply followed their train of thought and reasoned that the murderer will appear at the crime scene again. Also, the suggestion I gave to provoke the murderer with those photos was actually a guess. I wasn¡¯t very certain about that either.¡± Zhang Yang widened his eyes at her, ¡°What else can I say then? The only thing I can probably say is that you have a talent in this.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled, ¡°Not really. I can only tell a bit more than you at most.¡± ¡°Would you consider a career in the police force to solve cases with me?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xia Qingyi rejected without hesitation. ¡°Why?¡± How could Xia Qingyi tell him that she was merely using another person¡¯s identity to live? Not to mention, she just did not seem to like the police. She replied curtly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say already that I don¡¯t know how to solve cases? I can only see people a bit better at best.¡± ¡°But, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re wasting your talent here?¡± If it was wasting her talent, then so be it. She did not want to understand a person¡¯s psychology better than others anyway, Xia Qingyi thought to herself. ¡°I just want to focus on my studies right now.¡± Xia Qingyi was silently mocking herself for saying such a ridiculous thing. ¡°What are you studying?¡± ¡°Human resource management.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to learn about a course that makes you busy doing misceneous work while sitting in an office all day? Xia Qingyi merely smiled as she kept quiet. In her mind however, she was scolding Zhang Yang endlessly. She chose not to express this. ¡°Would you consider finding a part-time job?¡± Zhang Yang was trying to find a new topic to talk about to stave off his boredom. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just look at your current boring student life. I know the boss of a detective agency that usually helps their clients to investigate some things privately. The working hours are not fixed and the job is quitefortable usually. They need people with your talent. The pay isn¡¯t low either. Do you want me to talk to the boss to let you work for him?¡± Xia Qingyi was hesitating. This job that Zhang Yang mentioned seemed quite good. She was not repulsed by the idea, at least, and thought that the job was quite suitable for her. She had wanted to work originally, not study anyway. But she knew that Mo Han would definitely not agree to the idea. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I think I¡¯m fine like this.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. Let me know whenever you want the job.¡± It was alreadyte evening when Xia Qingyi was done chatting with Zhang Yang. At the thought of seeing Mo Han¡¯s girlfriend who had pped her twice yesterday, she was still annoyed and reluctant to return home. Xia Qingyi had never thought about finding trouble with Shen Rou. All she wanted was for that girlfriend of Mo Han to not find trouble to her. It would be best if they never get the chance to talk to each other. It would also be fine if they just ignored each other when they met. But, Mo Han and Shen Rou will probably get married eventually. What would she do when they have to live together once Shen Rou bes her sister-inw? She could not possibly bear the same attitude towards Shen Rou forever if they were to stay under the same roof. Also, it was not certain if Mo Han, legally her older brother, would chase her out of his house. It would be too easy for Mo Han to abandon a stranger since they were not blood rted in the first ce. Her heart could not help but to ache at the thought of Mo Han chasing her out of his house in the future. Where would she go if she were to leave him? She did not know anyone.

AsStudios

Please support us on Patreon. We have MANY advanced chapters avable there! https://.patreon/ifthedeepseaforgetsyou Chapter 66 - The lying woman

Chapter 66: The lying woman

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios She had managed to return home only slightlyter than usual even having moved in the slowest way possible. Not only so, the thing that she had wanted to see the most happened right as she stepped into the house. Shen Rou was looking at her affectionately on the sofa with an apron wrapped around her waist. Xia Qingyi merely nced at her once without a word. She changed her shoes, wanting to walk past her to return to her bedroom immediately. ¡°Younger sister.¡± Xia Qingyi jumped in shock at Shen Rou¡¯s voice. She had almost thrown the keys in her hands. Shen Rou had already moved towards her to pull on her elbow in the meantime. She smiled at her, wanting to pull her to sit on the sofa. Xia Qingyi forced a smile as she shrugged out of Shen Rou¡¯s grip on her elbow. She said, ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯m your younger sister.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Mo Han¡¯s younger sister, so that means you¡¯re my younger sister too. I¡¯ll address you the same way Mo Han address you.¡± ¡°Mo Han has never called me that either. I¡¯m not really close to Mo Han since I¡¯ve only met him for the first time a while back. You can just address me by my name.¡± Xia Qingyi did not bother to keep a smile on her face anymore. Shen Rou was silently happy at this. She had originally thought that this Xia Qingyi who had suddenly appeared was very important to Mo Han. Though, it seems that she was just a nobody. ¡°Than I¡¯ll just call you Xiao Xia if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Shen Rou pulled her arm once more, as she said, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind my attitude yesterday, I wasn¡¯t very nice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I do mind.¡± Xia Qingyi could not care to show any consideration for Shen Rou¡¯s feelings. Shen Rou wanted to re up. She had merely pped Xia Qingyi twice; who was she to be so arrogant? When had she ever apologized to someone so humbly? When had she ever talked to another woman so softly? ¡°It was my fault. Just me this older sister. Look, I¡¯ve even cooked dinner to apologize to you.¡± Shen Rou was still smiling on the surface as she pulled Xia Qingyi towards the kitchen. Xia Qingyi nced at the dining table which was full of food, then nced at Shen Rou. Sheughed in ridicule in her mind. This woman was a shameless liar. The rubbish bin still had the takeaway bags from a hotel. She was wearing a nice apron but did not have any cooking odor on her. It was a bit of a stretch to say that she had cooked all of the dishes on the dining table. ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry. You should eat with older... Mo Han... instead.¡± Xia Qingyi turned to walk towards her bedroom. Shen Rou shouted behind her, not giving up, ¡°Let¡¯s eat together then! Mo Han should be back soon.¡± Such a double-faced woman, Shen Rou should be the one who did not want to eat with her instead, Xia Qingyi thought as she walked. When Mo Han came back, Shen Rou was still sitting on the sofa, watching the television with the apron still on her. The entire house was so quiet that only the broken conversation sounds from the television could be heard. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Shen Rou went to wee Mo Han. She stretched her arms to wrap them around his neck, wanting so badly to hang on him. Mo Han put down the document bag in his hand while he used his hands to put some distance between the two of them, ¡°Let go first. I need to loosen my tie.¡± Shen Rou moved away slightly, turning to pull on his elbow instead, ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ve made a lot of food for you.¡± She led Mo Han towards the kitchen to let him have a nce of the untouched dishes on the dining table, ¡°The food seemed to be a little cold now. I¡¯ll warm them upter. You shouldn¡¯t eat cold food since your stomach isn¡¯t good.¡± Mo Han nced at the dishes on the table as he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not that hungry now, just leave the food there first.¡± He took off the suit jacket he was wearing and pulled off his tie. He asked, ¡°Is she back yet?¡± Shen Rou became slightly unhappy as she knew who Mo Han was talking about. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s back. She¡¯s been in her bedroom for a while.¡± Mo Han put down his clothes as he turned and walked towards Xia Qingyi¡¯s room. Shen Rou pulled his arm, as her expression fell, ¡°We haven¡¯t even talked properly since you¡¯vee back but you¡¯re going to find her already?¡± Chapter 67 - I Want to Stay by You

Chapter 67: I Want to Stay by You

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han turned to look at her, ¡°There¡¯s some things that I need to discuss with her tonight.¡± Shen Rou sneered, ¡°What is it that I can¡¯t know?¡± Mo Han nced at her, as he said, ¡°It¡¯s just some things that happened in school. You cane in and listen if you want to.¡± Shen Rou¡¯s heart rxed a little at this, ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen to your meaningless conversation.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Don¡¯t just leave the dishes that you cooked like that. You should go eat first.¡± ¡°No, I want to eat together with you.¡± Shen Rou whined. Mo Han sighed, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go talk to her first, thene back and eat with you.¡± Shen Rou finally smiled, ¡°Go quickly. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Mo Han knocked on Xia Qingyi¡¯s door, but no-one responded. Mo Han peered through the gap under the door to see that there was no light. ¡°Are you asleep?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asleep.¡± Xia Qingyi replied grumpily from inside. Mo Han kept quiet as he opened the door. There was no light in the room apart from the small sh of light shining into her room from the living room so he could not see where she was. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you turn on the lights?¡± he asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you I was asleep?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s tone was oneced with slight resentment. She had originally thought that Mo Han would close the door after hearing what she had said and leave what he had wanted to say to the next day. She had thought wrong. Mo Han turned on the lights of the room with a loud click, and the room was suddenly filled with light. Every corner of the room was exposed to him, while Xia Qingyi had her arms wrapped around her legs. She was sitting on the floor by the bed as she used her hand to block her eyes from the sudden light. ¡°Can¡¯t you say something if you¡¯re turning on the lights?¡± Xia Qingyi shouted. Mo Han did not reply as he closed the door behind him. He walked up next to her and looked down at her, ¡°Why are you back so early today?¡± Xia Qingyi continued to stare at the empty window outside with her back facing him, ¡°I don¡¯t have night sses today.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you eat dinner outside?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare to hear you say that.¡± Mo Hanughed. ¡°What did you want to talk to me about when you mentioned it in the morning?¡± Xia Qingyi took the initiative to ask. Mo Han sat on her bed as he looked out of the window like she did. ¡°I was in a hurry this morning. Now that I¡¯ve thought about it, we should discuss itter instead.¡± Xia Qingyi mentally rolled her eyes, though she felt slightly d. She had been afraid that Mo Han had wanted to tell her to move out, that he had wanted to chase her out of his ce. ¡°It¡¯ll be too rushed tonight. It¡¯s hard to exin everything about it properly in such a short time.¡± Mo Han had changed his mind the moment he had entered the house. He should find a chance with ample time for them to sit down properly to discuss about the rtionship he had with his parents. For now, he just wanted to rx while he sat next to her. That was why he had kept quiet and followed Xia Qingyi¡¯s gaze out of the window, as quietness lingered in the room. ¡°What do you think they¡¯re doing?¡± Xia Qingyi seemed to be talking to herself as she stared out of the window with her head tilted at an angle. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What are they¡¯re doing? My real family...¡± Xia Qingyi repeated. ¡°I think they should be looking for you.¡± Mo Han could see a tinge of loneliness as he stared at Xia Qingyi¡¯s thin back. ¡°But why do I think that they¡¯ve given up on me?¡± Xia Qingyiughed bitterly. If they had not given up on her, why did they note to look for her in the hospital after the doctor had given her four consecutive critically ill notices? If they had not given up on her, why had they note to look for her after she had recovered? If they had not given up on her, why were all the memories that she could recall bitter and anguishing? ¡°How long can I stay here?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. She was asking him when she would be chased out of his ce. Mo Han¡¯s heart ached for a second. He caressed the small girl¡¯s soft hair in front of her, as the words left him, ¡°You can stay until they find you.¡± Xia Qingyi froze. She kept silent at the feeling of his hand moving against her hair. Chapter 68 - Sick With Flu

Chapter 68: Sick With Flu

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The next morning, Xia Qingyi had the flu. Only Xia Qingyi knew that she had not slept for two consecutive nights. She had not actually slept for the entire night when Mo Han had asked her why she had woken up so early that day. She had tossed and turned on her bed without any hint of sleepiness. She had eventually decided to just sit on the floor with the windows opened as she listened to the quiet night outside. Xia Qingyi had been very tired after Mo Han had left her roomst night, but she found herself in the same situation as the night before. She could not fall asleep the moment shey on the bed. She sighed heavily as she wrapped herself in her nket. However, after opening the window to lie on the floor, she had quickly fallen asleep. Only, she had not expected that it would rain that night. When she woke up in the morning, all she knew was that her head was dizzy and sleepy and that her throat was so dry that she could not say anything. Her body too, felt so sore that she did not want to move. She struggled to sit up and saw that the nket on her had long been kicked to the side by herself while her clothes were moist. She took a deep breath, only to find that her nose had been blocked. Her voice was alsopletely off from her usual one when she spoke. She got up with her nket in her hands as she went to look at her phone. It was only seven A.M. It was still raining when she looked out of the window to see the gray and cloudy sky. She closed the window and decided to go take a hot shower to rid the coldness from her body. After her shower, Xia Qingyi was ready to go get a ss of water from outside with her wet hair. The moment she walked out however, she had coincidentally bumped into Mo Han. Mo Han had also just woken up. He was a little surprised to see her in this state. Did she not usuallyze in bed until veryte before she got up? Why was she up so early these past two days? ¡°Why did you wake up so early?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi walked to the kitchen to get a ss of water. Her throat continued to hurt even after drinking the ss of water, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Xia Qingyi froze once she had spoken. She had originally thought that her throat was only slightly sore, thought she now knew that her throat was so dry after what had just happened. She could barely hear her voice, as it sounded as if someone had taken a chainsaw to her throat. Mo Han froze as well, ¡°How did your throat be like this?¡± Xia Qingyi took another ss of water, ¡°I have the flu.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep wellst night?¡± Mo Han realized that her face was slightly pale when he walked towards her. Xia Qingyi nodded, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯d just taken a hot shower. I¡¯ll be fine in a while.¡± Her voice was so dry that it was hard on his ears. Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows, ¡°Go and buy some medicine. Don¡¯t dy buying it.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Mo Han watched as she replied to him with her eyes closed as if she was just humoring him. It seemed as thought she had not even registered what he had said. He was slightly angry that she seemed to only know how to nod her head as she stood there with her pale face, ¡°Did you hear what I¡¯d just told you? Go and buy your medicine. Do you know where the pharmacy is?¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ll buy the medicine at the school¡¯s hospital when I go to school for sster.¡± Xia Qingyi did not want to say anything else. Her throat hurt whenever she spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to school today if you don¡¯t feel too well. You can just excuse yourself with your teachers.¡± Xia Qingyi turned her head to nce at him before saying, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I only have a sore throat.¡± Xia Qingyi finished her water as she added, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like talking anymore today. My throat hurts too much. Please do not talk to me anymore. Also, I¡¯ll go to school myselfter.¡± With that said, she returned to her bedroom as she walked past Mo Han with her dizzy head and squinted eyes. Mo Han was about to open his mouth to nag at Xia Qingyi more as he stared at her retreating back, just as Shen Rou walked out from his bedroom. She wanted to greet Xia Qingyi properly at the sight of her walking towards her bedroom dizzily. However, her mood soured at the sight of Xia Qingyi¡¯s expression that seemed to not pay any heed to anyone. She did not greet Xia Qingyi, opting to walk towards Mo Han instead. She held onto his arm, ¡°Did you just wake up?¡± Mo Han hummed shortly in response. Chapter 69 - Disgusting words

Chapter 69: Disgusting words

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Shen Rou said, ¡°I¡¯m going out today. I¡¯ve arranged it with my friends yesterday. I wanted to meet them since I¡¯m finally back.¡± Mo Han replied, ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s been a really long time since you¡¯ve been back after all.¡± ¡°Will you send me there?¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows as he said, ¡°Thew firm...¡± Shen Rou red at him, ¡°I don¡¯t care... I don¡¯t care! You have to send me there. I didn¡¯t even ask you to sit down and chat with them. All I want is for you to send me there!¡± Mo Han paused momentarily, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send you thereter.¡± Shen Rou broke into a smile as she hugged his neck, wanting to kiss him on his lips. Mo Han was about to avoid the kiss when Xia Qingyi walked out of her bedroom. She blinked nkly at the two¡¯s actions, before she tilted her head down. She then took the books that she had left in the living room yesterday and ced them in her bag. With a loud m on the door, she walked out without a word. Shen Rou did not know why but she had always felt some kind of hostility against this younger sister of Mo Han that had appeared out of nowhere. She would always have this strong urge to pull and hide Mo Han behind her as she could not help but feel nervous whenever she saw Mo Han and Xia Qingyi standing together. She knew that it was quite childish or a little hard to imagine that she would have such thoughts. But... She had a strong feeling that Mo Han would be taken away by Xia Qingyi. The thing was, she clearly knew that Mo Han someone who made others feel very distant from him. She had to admit this even though she was his girlfriend. Xia Qingyi had just bought her medicine from the school¡¯s clinic. She walked dizzily towards her ssroom with the medicine in her hand. She had came to the clinic in between the sses, which was why the teacher was still lecturing nonstop in the ssroom when she had returned. She pushed the ssroom door open carefully, opting to sit at thest row which was nearest to her instead of joining her friends at the front of the ssroom. She was toozy to take out the textbook in her flu-induced daze as sheid down on the table, ready to take a nap. After she had closed her eyes to take a nap, Xia Qingyi only woke upter due to the ringing bell. She lifted her head to see that people had started to leave the ssroom one by one. It might have been due to the nap but her mind was slightly clearer now. Her throat still hurt badly, however. She hurriedly got up to leave with her friends, seeing that the few friends that she usually left the school with had their belongings and were walking out of the ssroom. There was still a distance between them as Xia Qingyi followed behind them. She quickened her steps to catch up and just as she was about to open her mouth to call their names, the girl walking in the middle spoke. ¡°This feels great. I feel so much more at ease now that Xia Qingyi has finally left!¡± ¡°With her throat¡¯s condition today, it seemed like she had gotten the flu. Didn¡¯t she told us that she was going to get some medicine earlier?¡± ¡°Who cares about her? I feel so at ease even when she¡¯s not next to us for just a minute.¡± The other girl on the side agreed, ¡°Precisely. With her weird personality, what¡¯s the point of having a pretty face when she treats us so indifferently whenever we speak to her?! What is she so arrogant about? Not to mention that she sticks to us like gum everyday!¡± Xia Qingyi felt so disgusted as she listened to the conversation. She chose to keep quiet instead as she stared ahead at the ¡®friends¡¯ that had always acted nice in front of her yet were talking behind her back now. ¡°Also, wasn¡¯t she the first one to find the dead body when someone died at our school that day? If it was any other person, they would have cried from fear already. But her expression didn¡¯t change at all as she continued to do what she was supposed to do. What a weird person! I don¡¯t even know what they talked about when the police called her out of ss everyday.¡± ¡°The police might have suspected her of being the murderer. It¡¯s not something impossible.¡± Xia Qingyi did not know why she was still following them as she listened to their disgusting words. She just could not seem to control the urge to know what else these pretentious people could say of her. Chapter 70 - God brother and God sister

Chapter 70: God brother and God sister

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Also, did you see that brother of hers that day? The handsome one that drove the really nice car and wore a suit. I took a photo to show my friend and they said that he seems to be some kind of big shot with a strong influence in our city.¡± One of the girl said as she covered her mouth. ¡°I saw! They don¡¯t look alike at all. Maybe he¡¯s a god brother that she met outside? He¡¯s even willing to spend and treat her so well!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! They¡¯d probably end up in bed with her calling him as her GodBrother 1 !¡± the other girl by the side mocked. Xia Qingyi stopped when she heard thest sentence. Her fists were curled tightly as she could not keep it within her anymore. She tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths, but she still could not chase away the anger that had arose from hearing those words. She stared pointedly at the back view of the girls as she held tightly onto the bag of medicine and aimed it at the head of the person who had said those words. Using all her strength, she threw it at the person. ¡°Ah...!¡± That girl eximed as the bottles of medicine fell onto the floor with a loud thud. She was so shocked that she could not speak when she saw Xia Qingyi after turning her head back. Xia Qingyi walked over as she gave the girl a tight p. She seethed, ¡°You¡¯d better watch your mouth!¡± The few of them had never seen Xia Qingyi angry. Her eyes were overly fierce and piercing, as if they were a knife that could slice them alive. It made them feel extremely afraid, though the girl who had gotten hit still tried to act calm. She replied, not backing off, ¡°Why do I have to apologize? What I said is true!¡± Xia Qingyi smirked, giving the girl yet another p, ¡°You should know whether your words even carry any truth at all!¡± The girl who had gotten hit felt her temper rise suddenly after getting hit twice. She moved up to grab at Xia Qingyi, wanting to pull her down to the floor. The other girls next to her had also started to push Xia Qingyi daringly. When the bystanders on the side of the road saw this fight that had suddenly broke out, they spread out onto both sides of the road. They were afraid that they might unintentionally get hurt in this brawl, yet were unwilling to leave as they gathered around to watch andment on themotion. Xia Qingyi protected her hair with one hand while her other hand grabbed hold of the girl¡¯s hand. With a sudden sweep of her leg, the girl who had grabbed her hair was left sitting on the floor. The other girls hurriedly moved to help the girl up. Xia Qingyi panted heavily. Her head could not be any dizzier after being swung about by that girl. Even her view was still swaying as she looked at the people around her. ¡°People have to be responsible for the things they say!¡± Xia Qingyi said as she stared at the girl. It was probably because any pretentious rtions had been torn that they had nothing else to fear. That girl stood up to point at her nose as she screamed, ¡°What responsibility do I have to take? You¡¯re the one who throws yourself at any rich person you see like a wh*re! And you still call him older brother?! Aren¡¯t you embarrassed? We all knew from the start that he¡¯s not your older brother! He¡¯s Mo Han. Everyone in the city knows him, what kind of rtions can you have with him? You don¡¯t even have the same surname! He¡¯s obviously not rted to you! You¡¯re the thick-skinned one who threw yourself at him!¡± Xia Qingyi had never told them about Mo Han, nor had she ever mentioned that she had an older brother. She had always thought that they were separate entities and her making friends with others would not be affected by whatever rtionship she had with him. But, it seemed that she had thought wrong. All these disputes had grown just because they happened to have seen that one time when Mo Han had fetched her from school during the incident. ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯re talking about yourself?¡± Xia Qingyi said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± the girl was confused. ¡°You¡¯re probably the one who¡¯s being provided for.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s tone was soft, yetced with slight mockery. The girl froze, ¡°That¡¯s nonsense! What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You still can¡¯t understand what I¡¯m talking about? That thing in your bag was probably given to you by that man, isn¡¯t it?¡± The girl started to avoid her eyes as her voice grew weaker, ¡°I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re talking about?¡±

AsStudios

Please support us on Patreon. We have MANY advanced chapters avable there! https://.patreon/ifthedeepseaforgetsyou Chapter 71 - I Want to Drop Out

Chapter 71: I Want to Drop Out

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The other girls that had been supporting her looked at their so-called friend in disbelief at Xia Qingyi¡¯s words. ¡°You know very well what I¡¯m saying.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any reason to hide it for you since things havee to this state. I wanted to remind you to restrain yourself a little when I first saw it. After all, being a third party that wrecks other people¡¯s families isn¡¯t something that can be resolved by straight denial when it¡¯s found out by others.¡± That girl¡¯s face paled at her words, ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°Nothing much, just something that he had bought for you.¡± Xia Qingyi endured the dizziness in her head as she walked in front of her. She leaned in, as she whispered mockingly with her hoarse voice, ¡°Remember to keep it properly next time.¡± She ignored that girl¡¯s changing expression as she squatted down to pick up the bottles of medicine that had fallen earlier, before walking past them nonchntly. From now on, they were no longer friends. She was still alone in the end. Xia Qingyi did not stay in school any longer. She did not know if it was because of both the flu and the drama, but she had no energy left in her body. All she wanted to do was to find a ce so that she could sleep properly. She had decided to take out her phone as she walked by the road dizzily. She called her teacher in school, ¡°Hello? Hello, teacher, I don¡¯t think I can continue taking sses in your ss.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± the teacher froze. ¡°It¡¯s either I¡¯m dropping out of school, or I¡¯m changing my course. I¡¯ll go and settle the necessary processes tomorrow.¡± The teacher still could not understand what had happened as she kept quiet. ¡°It¡¯s because of a personal reason that I don¡¯t want to exin. I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience.¡± By the time the teacher had finally reacted and was about to ask why, Xia Qingyi was already saying, ¡°Thank you, Teacher. Goodbye.¡± The teacher had only realized the severity of the situation after the call had ended, and she had thought about what Xia Qingyi had just said. She hurried off to find out what had happened to cause Xia Qingyi to say what she had said. An hourter, she had found out that Xia Qingyi had fought on the streets with some of the girls in the ss after asking the students in the ss. She had even heard that they had argued, though she did not know the reason for the argument. The girl that she had fought with was also weeping and sobbing endlessly, not willing to say anything apart that Xia Qingyi had grabbed and hit her straight away. She did not say the exact reason either as her friends merely stood by her side. They merely shook their heads when the teacher had asked them about what had happened. The most they had said was that it was probably due to a personal grudge when the teacher had questioned them further. The teacher badly wanted to lose her temper as she was not able to find out exactly what had happened. The main problem now was that no matter who called her, Xia Qingyi could not be contacted and was nowhere to be found. The teacher hurriedly called Mo Han, who was Xia Qingyi¡¯s only contact, as she was worried that something may have happened to her, since Xia Qingyi seemed to be in a bad state. Mo Han was in a meeting when he received the call from the teacher. He had only noticed the unknown number on his mobile phone after the meeting as his mobile phone had been set to silent mode. He had originally wanted to ignore it. He then had realized that something might have happened seeing that the unknown number had called his mobile phone more than five times, and he returned the call. ¡°Hello? Can I ask if this is Xia Qingyi¡¯s older brother, Mo Han?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± The teacher said, ¡°My apologies for disturbing you, Barrister Mo, but something has happened to your younger sister in school. She ran off and we can¡¯t find her, which is why I¡¯ve resorted to calling you. Do you happen to know where she is?¡± Mo Han had only selectively heard the words that something had happened to Xia Qingyi. His eyebrows furrowed together tightly, ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°She¡¯d gotten into a fight with someone in school. She¡¯d even called me to say that she would drop out from school.¡± Chapter 72 - Why did you fight

Chapter 72: Why did you fight

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Why did she fight with the others?¡± Mo Han¡¯s impression of her was that although her personality might be a little overbearing sometimes, it was not that serious to the point that she would start a fight with others. Something must have happened that had made Xia Qingyi snap. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The girl that she fought with kept crying and wouldn¡¯t say any reasons for the fight. The ssmates with her merely said that it was due to personal grudges as the two had some friction between them. Your younger sister was rather impulsive today.¡± ¡°What kind of personal grudges do they have? When did the personal grudges start?¡± Mo Han was slightly angry. It was somewhat unfair to draw conclusions about what had happened with just that girl¡¯s exnation and without any proper investigation into what had actually happened. The teacher started to be afraid at the sudden seriousness in Mo Han¡¯s tone. She had long heard that Barrister Mo was a cold person with bad temper. She could feel herself starting to shake even though she had only heard his voice through the phone. She started to panic even more, ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry, Barrister Mo. We¡¯re currently looking for your younger sister. We¡¯ll definitely give you a proper exnation once we¡¯ve understood the truth about what happened from her after we¡¯ve found her.¡± ¡°How long has she been gone?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s been an entire afternoon.¡± ¡°An entire afternoon! Why is the school only notifying me now?! She¡¯s sick today. Are you only going to call me to get her at the police station after something had happened to her outside?!¡± Mo Han could not help but raise his voice, while the female teacher on the other side of the call almost cried in fear of his enraged voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! We¡¯ll try to find her as soon as possible.¡± The female teacher kept apologizing. Mo Han took a deep breath after he realized that his emotions were all over the ce, ¡°I¡¯ll go look for her and find out what happened. I¡¯ll make her apologize if it¡¯s her fault. If it was the other party¡¯s fault, I hope that you¡¯d treat the other person the same way.¡± ¡°Yes... Please be assured that we would definitely do so.¡± Mo Han rescheduled his remaining meetings after he hung up. He grabbed his car keys that were on his office table before leaving the office to go look for Xia Qingyi. Shen Rou had called him to ask what he was doing when he was on the road. He told her what had happened, and Shen Rou said that she wanted to go look for Xia Qingyi as well. Mo Han agreed. It was better to have one more person to look for her than to have none. When she got in the car, Shen Rou suggested he go home and check since Xia Qingyi might have gone straight home. Mo Han thought for a while, before saying that it was impossible. She asked for a reason, and Mo Han merely replied that Xia Qingyi did not really want to go home these few days since she was at home. Shen Rou¡¯s expression changed slightly at his reply. She fell silent as she continued to look for Xia Qingyi together with him in the car. Only, he could not find Xia Qingyi even after driving through the entire city. It seemed as though she had vanished into thin air without leaving any trace. Mo Han barely said anything in the car as he became more irritable with each second that had passed. Shen Rou even heard him taking deep breaths several times in an attempt to calm himself down. It was nine P.M when the two finally reached home. Mo Han had mentioned that he would file a report with the police if they still could not find Xia Qingyi by that night. They heard some small noise from Xia Qingyi¡¯s room the moment they had walked into the house however. Mo Han rushed over to open the door, only to find Xia Qingyi sitting on the floor with a small nket covering her legs. She was lying on the table as she shakily took her medicine. Xia Qingyi turned at the noise to see Mo Han, before turning her head back to continue looking for her medicine on the table. ¡°Where have you been?¡± Mo Han asked coldly. ¡°Where else could I have gone? I came back to sleep because of the dizziness.¡± ¡°Your teacher told me.¡± Mo Han said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°About your fight.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xia Qingyi continued to fiddle with the bottles of medicine on the table as she did not seem to treat it as a serious matter.

AsStudios

Please support us on Patreon. We have MANY advanced chapters avable there! https://.patreon/ifthedeepseaforgetsyou Chapter 73 - Sleeping on Your Bed

Chapter 73: Sleeping on Your Bed

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Give me an exnation.¡± Shen Rou listened to the two¡¯s conversation as she stood by the bedroom door. It was the first time she had seen Mo Han this angry. His straight face was enough to make anyone around him take a few steps back in fear. Xia Qingyi was probably the only one that dared to continue doing her own thing nonchntly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I¡¯m not in a good mood today since I¡¯m not feeling well. I was the one who went to look for trouble.¡± ¡°I want a reason.¡± Mo Han raised his voice. ¡°There¡¯s no reason.¡± Xia Qingyi raised her voice as well. Mo Han took a deep breath to calm his emotions, ¡°Then exin why you want to drop out of school.¡± ¡°I never said I wanted to drop out of school. I¡¯d told the teacher that it was either I change my course or I¡¯ll drop out.¡± Xia Qingyi could feel Mo Han¡¯s anger even though he had kept quiet. It was normal for him to be angry since he had done a lot so that she could go to school and here she was saying that she would not go to school just because she did not want to only after a few days. She would be angry too if she was in his shoes. ¡°I can change my course if you don¡¯t want me to drop out of school. I¡¯ll go to school to settle the procedures myself tomorrow. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Xia Qingyi finished calmly as she took the ss of water from the table. She nced at the bottle of flu medicine in her hands. She was about to drink it down when Mo Han snatched the ss of water. The water fell over her as Mo Han¡¯s angry voice sounded, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Xia Qingyi stared at him at a loss. ¡°I¡¯m taking my medicine.¡± ¡°You call this drinking medicine?¡± Mo Han tightened his grip on her wrist to make her look at the numerous identical bottles of flu medicine in her hand, ¡°Do you not want to live anymore?¡± Xia Qingyi came to her senses as she stared at both the medicine in her hand and the empty bottles on the floor. She did not even know when she had poured so much medicine out in her flu-induced daze. Shen Rou was a little worried as she watched the two seeming as though they were about to start an argument from the door. She had wanted to go up and say something, but she felt that she was not in the position to say anything at the thought of having only seen Mo Han¡¯s back view from the second he had entered the room. All she could do was watch silently as the two conversed. Xia Qingyi put a hand on her head as she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t notice since I¡¯m so dizzy.¡± Mo Han kept his eyes on her. She was sitting on the cold floor without anythingid on it. She looked so dizzy that she could slump down against the floor anytime. He suddenly understood something as he remembered that she had also been sitting on the floor when he hade to her bedroom yesterday. He asked, ¡°Have you been sleeping on the floor these few days?¡± Xia Qingyi seemed to acquiesce as she kept quiet. Mo Han smirked lightly as he ced both his hands on his waist, ¡°And I was wondering why you¡¯d suddenly gotten the flu today?¡± Xia Qingyi remained silent. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleep on the bed?¡± Mo Han asked as he tried to keep his angry at bay. He had only found out that Xia Qingyi had kept many things from his knowledge ¨C from the fight, her wanting to change her course of study, to the fact that she could only sleep on the floor as she could not get a proper sleep on the bed. ¡°You should know from the beginning that I can¡¯t fall asleep on the bed.¡± Xia Qingyi spoke. ¡°What about that time? Didn¡¯t you sleep alright in my room?¡± Shen Rou, who had been behind Mo Han, froze at his words. Why had Mo Han not told her that Xia Qingyi had slept on his bed before? What else does she not know about the two of them? ¡°I had only fell asleep when it was almost four A.M. on your bed that day.¡± Xia Qingyi said calmly. Mo Han had always thought that Xia Qingyi did not want to sleep in her bedroom alone as she was afraid of the dark. He had just found out, however, that it was because she just could not sleep well, that she could only sleep well on the floor. It was a pity that he had never realized this. Chapter 74 - Thrown on the bed

Chapter 74: Thrown on the bed

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°You really can¡¯t fall asleep at all on the bed?¡± Mo Han asked her after taking a deep breath. ¡°I can¡¯t fall asleep. Even if I did fall asleep eventually, I¡¯ll get nightmares.¡± Sadness glinted slightly in Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes as she said this. She had not told Mo Han about the nightmares that she frequently had. ¡°But, you¡¯ll have to sleep on the bed from now on.¡± Mo Han said as he stared straight at her. Xia Qingyi felt that the gaze that Mo Han had looked at her with always gave her goosebumps unknowingly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Get on the bed.¡± Mo Han eyed the empty bed. Xia Qingyi was a little afraid, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°To make you understand why you should only sleep on a bed.¡± Mo Han¡¯s eyes turned cold suddenly, ¡°Go out first, Shen Rou. Let her sleep.¡± Shen Rou did not understand what was happening as well, though she could tell that it was not something nice. She moved forward to pull Mo Han swiftly, ¡°It¡¯s hard to change a habit to sleep on the floor. Why are you forcing her to change?¡± Mo Han¡¯s attitude was strong. ¡°No, she has to learn how to sleep on the bed alone.¡± Xia Qingyi wanted to run away as she stood up. She, too, felt that nothing good would happen, but her wrist had been grabbed by Mo Han the moment she had stood up. Mo Han pushed her towards the bed, as she tried to push him away with both hands in fear. She wanted to leave, ¡°Let go of me!¡± ¡°Why are you concerned with where I sleep? Who are you to bother me? Let go of me!¡± Xia Qingyi shouted as she desperately tried to pull Mo Han¡¯s hands away. ¡°Who am I? I¡¯m your older brother!¡± Mo Han said. Shen Rou was pulling Mo Han on his side as well, ¡°Let go, Mo Han. Why are you using such a strong method? Can¡¯t we find a time to discuss this properly tomorrow?¡± Mo Han stared at Xia Qingyi as he continued to pull her. His eyes never left her as he spoke to Shen Rou who was next to him, ¡°Go out first, Shen Rou. I¡¯ll go back to sleep after I¡¯ve educated her properly today.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be educated by you! You pervert!¡± Xia Qingyi was still struggling against his hold. Shen Rou had yet to leave the room. Mo Han was seemingly enraged as he spoke to Shen Rou in a louder voice, ¡°Go out first.¡± He had never spoken to her with his voice raised, not even when they had argued. He merely kept silent most of the time as their arguments were often them giving each other the cold shoulder. Shen Rou suddenly felt that the current Mo Han was someone she had never seen before and was so unfamiliar. She nced at the two who were still arguing before leaving the room. However, just as she was about to walk out, she stopped in her tracks as she listened to the heated argument between Mo Han and Xia Qingyi. In that moment, she suddenly realized something, as the thought grewrger and upied her entire mind. No matter how much she did not want to admit it, Mo Han was no longer hers. Mo Han and Xia Qingyi were still butting heads after Shen Rou had left the room. Xia Qingyi¡¯s head had been originally dizzy and it was made worse by the pulling from earlier. All she could feel was that it was difficult to even breathe as she panted slightly. On the other hand, Mo Han had let go of Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand after pausing for a few seconds. He turned to walk towards the door, wanting to turn off the lights. Seeing that he had let go of her hand, Xia Qingyi quickly ran past him to the door in an attempt to leave the ce. She did not expect Mo Han to grab her wrist once again the moment she had reached the door. Mo Han turned off the lights with his free hand and darkness filled the room immediately. His actions were irrational to Xia Qingyi, ¡°What are you doing exactly?!¡± ¡°Teaching you how to sleep properly.¡± Xia Qingyi struggled once more, ¡°I don¡¯t want to! I don¡¯t want to! I¡¯ll sleep wherever I want to! It¡¯s my freedom. I didn¡¯t even affect you, who are you to bother me?!¡± Mo Han did not bother to continue reasoning with her as he bent down to carry her princess-style towards the bed. Xia Qingyi, who was in his embrace, jumped in fright as she continued to move about, ¡°Put me down, I don¡¯t want to sleep on the bed!¡± Chapter 75 - Do You Love Me?

Chapter 75: Do You Love Me?

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han did not listen to her as he threw her on the bed at once. He then covered her with a nket, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t go out until I see you sleep nicely tonight.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sleep even more with you here!¡± ¡°You definitely would not sleep properly on the bed if I go out.¡± Mo Han said as he said down at where Xia Qingyi had sat before. He rxed slightly at the sight of Xia Qingyi lying properly on her bed. ¡°I can¡¯t fall asleep. Even if I did fall asleep, I¡¯d wake up in a while because of nightmares. That is why I don¡¯t dare to sleep on the bed.¡± Xia Qingyi said, having decided that she should just be honest. Mo Han started to chat with her. ¡°What kind of nightmare?¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I dream about sleeping in the depths of the sea. There¡¯s a force behind me that keeps pulling me further down. The surrounding was sticky and ufortable. The bottom was also dark and I couldn¡¯t see anything. I¡¯ve been having this dream when I was still in aa in the hospital.¡± Mo Han made use of the small ray of light shining in from outside to open the drawer. He took out a bottle of medicine and poured a few pills out, before he gave the pills to Xia Qingyi for her to eat. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Flu medicine. It has some soporific content in it. Eat it.¡± Xia Qingyi took the pills unwillingly as she took the ss of water on the table to swallow the pills. She then turned her head towards Mo Han and said, ¡°You can go out now. I¡¯ll sleep properly on the bed. I¡¯ll continue to sleep even if I¡¯ve woken from a nightmare.¡± Mo Han merely sat at the bedside, ¡°I¡¯ll go out after you¡¯ve fallen asleep.¡± Xia Qingyi rolled her eyes and turned away from Mo Han instead of looking at him. She wanted to fall asleep when her head was feeling drowsy. Mo Han watched Xia Qingyi¡¯s back from the side. He spoke in the gentlest tone he had ever spoke in, ¡°Go to sleep. I¡¯ll be here protecting you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid even if you have a nightmare. I¡¯ll always be here.¡± Unknowingly, Xia Qingyi felt slightly at ease with her eyes closed. The difort she felt being wrapped by the soft nket on the bed had also slowly weakened. It seemed as though that she did not need to worry about anything with him around. It was alright to have a nightmare since there was someone apanying her when she woke up. Maybe, it was alright to try to believe for once. It was already two A.M. when Mo Han had finally returned to his bedroom. His legs were slightly numb from being sat on the floor for too long. He moved out of the room cautiously without a noise. He spent some time waiting for the numbness to go away slightly before he returned to his bedroom. His bedroom was pitch ck without a light. He thought that Shen Rou had already fallen asleep as he kept his movements to a minimum, not wanting to disturb her. He merely took off his jacket before he got into bed to sleep. The moment he got into bed, however, he heard Shen Rou, who had her back facing him, asking softly in the dark and lonely night, ¡°Will you do this to me too?¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Go to sleep.¡± Shen Rou resisted the urge to turn to look at him. She resisted the urge to cry as she said while holding herself back, ¡°Do you know, Mo Han, that I had thought that it would be great if I could be your girlfriend in the future when I saw you in my second year of university. All I needed was to put a little effort for you to be mine since I was beautiful and talented. Afterwards, I made friends with all your close friends and appeared in front of you everyday at appropriate times until graduation. You only became my boyfriend when we graduated. But now, I suddenly had the thought that wouldn¡¯t it be great if I was your younger sister, like Xia Qingyi is.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to think that way. She is her and you are you.¡± Shen Rouy down straight as she stared at the air in darkness. She said, ¡°But why do I feel that if you were to choose between your younger sister and I, she would be the more important one?¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Stop getting your thoughts into a dead end, Shen Rou. There¡¯s no meaning in this.¡± Shen Rou smiled. It might be due to the cover up from the dark, but she felt undoubtedly braver than usual. She asked a question that she had been wanting to ask for a long time, ¡°Mo Han, do you really love me?¡± Chapter 76 - Lets Break Up

Chapter 76: Let¡¯s Break Up

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Mo Han, do you truly love me?¡± But Mo Han did not reply, and only said, ¡°It¡¯ste, you should sleep, let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow.¡± Shen Rou did not continue speaking. She probably knew the answer in her heart. That night, theyid with their backs facing each other, yet they could not fall asleep. Xia Qingyi had a fever the next morning. When Mo Han opened the door, she was sitting on the bed with her head bowed, her breathing slow. Her face was red and her eyes seemed unfocused. Shen Rou waited at home as Mo Han sent Xia Qingyi to the hospital for an IV drip. They would have a proper talk about the problem from yesterdayter. When Mo Han returned from the hospital, Shen Rou was still sitting on the sofa, in the same position as when he left. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat?¡± Shen Rou shook her head. ¡°I have no appetite, I was waiting for you toe back.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go out and eat, we can talk as we eat,¡± Mo Han said. They went to a restaurant they had often visited in the past. While it was still the same ce, with the same old people inside, some things were now different. ¡°You probably have an answer to the question I asked yesterday,¡± Shen Rou asked with her head down. Mo Han paused for a while before he said, ¡°Yes.¡± Shen Rou took a deep breath, and did not dare to raise her head to look at Mo Han¡¯s eyes. She forced herself to smile and said, ¡°Say it.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°You¡¯re a smart person, you could probably guess my answer.¡± Shen Rou felt her heart sink, and could not stop her fingers from trembling. ¡°I want to hear it personally from you.¡± Mo Han could understand Shen Rou¡¯s feelings at the moment, but he also knew that this matter was not something that could be dragged on further. ¡°Shen Rou, let¡¯s break up.¡± The tears Shen Rou had been suppressing finally rolled down her face. She raised her head and looked at Mo Han. ¡°Why?¡± Mo Han sounded almost cold. ¡°You know that I don¡¯t actually love you.¡± Shen Rou wanted to cover her ears and stop listening, but she still heard him clearly. ¡°Then, why did you stay together with me? For three years! We¡¯ve been together for three years, how could you be so heartless!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I thought that we werepatible when we were together at that time. We saw eye to eye with each other in many ces. I don¡¯t deny that I did like you, that¡¯s why I wanted to try with you. But now... it hasn¡¯t reached the point where I love you.¡± Shen Rou nearly went forward and pped him, but she only smiled. ¡°Compatible?! Of course we werepatible, no-one else was morepatible than us.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Shen Rou, I know what you want. You want someone who loves you a lot, to prioritize you and topletely belong to you alone. But you have to understand that I cannot do this, and I¡¯m not going to change.¡± Tears were still streaming down Shen Rou¡¯s face. ¡°But... we¡¯ve been together for three years, three years.¡± ¡°Someone has to be ruthless out of the two of us. I know you can¡¯t do it, so it has to be me.¡± Ignoring the gazes of other people in the restaurant, Shen Rou pulled at Mo Han¡¯s hand and cried, ¡°No... no, Mo Han, take back the words that you said, we... didn¡¯t talk about anything just now... I don¡¯t care whether you love me or not, it¡¯s fine as long as you like me, we can try again in the future slowly, slowly...¡± Mo Han pulled her hand away. ¡°I came here today to clear everything up with you. I¡¯ve thought about this for quite some time after you returned, and I feel that I can¡¯t lie to you about such matters. Regarding the past, I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want this sentence... I want us to patch up... you can just continue to lie to me, alright,¡± Shen Rou said as she cried loudly, to the point of wailing towards the end. ¡°Shen Rou, let it go, you want to find someone better than me,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything else, I just want you,¡± Shen Rou cried. ¡°I just want you.¡± Shen Rou pulled at Mo Han¡¯s sleeve, crying as she said, ¡°I won¡¯t fight with your sister anymore, I know that she¡¯s your sister, your rtive. I won¡¯t bicker with you, I¡¯ll stop making you belong to just me alone, I don¡¯t want anything at all. Will you stay by my side please, please?¡± Mo Han frowned and said, ¡°Shen Rou, this has nothing to do with Xia Qingyi, this is about the both of us. You have to understand that what¡¯s going on between us has nothing to do with anyone else.¡± Chapter 77 - This Is No Longer Possible

Chapter 77: This Is No Longer Possible

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han stood up to leave after he finished speaking. As he reached the end of the table, Shen Rou suddenly asked a question from behind him, her voice soft, as though she had already epted the situation. ¡°Mo Han, is it truly no longer possible between us?¡± Mo Han said, ¡°This is no longer possible.¡± There were many rtionships in the world which, after facing numerous obstacles, had no happy ending in sight. Yet there were also those who were able to sessfully marry purely due to their love for each other. There were even more lovers who passed away peacefully. How many people would, because of true love, believe that they would be happy for every single day of their lives in the future by this person¡¯s side, that every dull moment would be amazing because of this person? Mo Han knew that he would not be that person for Shen Rou in the future. His days still remained the same even after being together with Shen Rou, and he had never believed that there would be someone who would be willing to spend the dull moments together with him in his future. Everyone in thew firm all felt that something special had happened today, for their boss Barrister Mo,beled as a workaholic, had note for work for the entire day. He had sent a message to the secretary in the morning that he might be a littlete as he had some personal matters to tend to today. Yes, he said he would be a littlete, yet he was still not here when there was only one hour left to go before work ended. The secretary wanted to call Mo Han and tell him that the documents needing his signature had umted into a big pile in his office today. But Mo Han did mention before that he was not to be disturbed during personal time, so she hesitated to do so. Mo Han called just as she was still pondering it. He wanted her to properly arrange the documents that needed his signature first as he would be reaching thepany to retrieve them soon. The secretary smiled as she nodded, and rushed to prepare everything. Sure enough, the firm could only continue to operate as per normal with Barrister Mo around. At that moment, Mo Han was driving to thepany in a rush after he finished calling his secretary, with an unhappy Xia Qingyi sitting next to him. Just this afternoon, she felt so much better after she was given an IV drip and had eaten her medicine, so she left the hospital and went to school to process her change in specialization. She had promised her teacher that she would go back and finish the procedure today. Except that she had not seen her teacher yet when Mo Han, who had gotten news about her from god-knows-where, appeared and took her back without giving her a chance to exin. Xia Qingyi was dead set on going to the school¡¯s administration building, but Mo Han immediately grabbed her arm and said that she could change her specialization, but he would let her do so only after she had rested for a few days and her body had be better. Who would believe that?! After a few days, you may send me right back into ss! But Mo Han refused to listen to Xia Qingyi. He was afraid that she would run away again, so he forced her into his car and made her follow him to his office for his documents before going home to rest. That was why Xia Qingyi was ck-faced from when she got into the car until now. When they reached hispany, Xia Qingyi could finally break away from Mo Han and ran off to find his subordinates to y with. Liu Zhiyuan and the people around him were much more fun to y with than the aloof Mo Han. Seeing the ungrateful Xia Qingyi chatting to Liu Zhiyuan and his subordinates looking as though she was not sick at all, Mo Han exasperatedly called his secretary into his office to manage the documents. As he was worried about Xia Qingyi¡¯s illness, and thinking that Shen Rou had probably reached home by now, Mo Han did not stay at the firm for long, so he only signed a few important documents and took the rest back with him. When he left, he had to call for Xia Qingyi, who was still chatting with other people. Thus, the secretary watched on with her mouth opened in surprise as the workaholic Mo Han left after staying in the office for 10 minutes. Something important had definitely happened today. Chapter 78 - Im Your Sister-In-Law

Chapter 78: I¡¯m Your Sister-In-Law

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The moment she reached home, Xia Qingyi saw that Shen Rou was packing her things by herself. Her luggage was in the center of the living room, and she was carrying a small bag while she tidied up some misceneous things. This certainly surprised Xia Qingyi. When Shen Rou saw that they had returned, she raised her head and immediately passed her eyes over Xia Qingyi, only looking at Mo Han. From the intense look in her eyes, there seemed to be many unspoken words she wanted to say. Xia Qingyi saw that her eyes were swollen and red. She had probably cried for a period of time. ¡°I have something to say to you,¡± Shen Rou said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to say,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°No, I want to say it.¡± ¡°Then say it here.¡± I want to speak to you in private,¡± Shen Rou looked at Xia Qingyi standing beside him, her eyes filled with hatred and resentment. For some reason, Xia Qingyi felt that Shen Rou had always looked at her as though she was a thief, and this look in her eyes made Xia Qingyi feel scared. Thus, she quietly moved a few steps away from Mo Han. She knew that Shen Rou had always disliked her standing next to Mo Han. Mo Han did not see that Xia Qingyi had no intentions of following and only said to her, ¡°Wait in the living room for a while.¡± He then went to the study room with Shen Rou. Waiting outside the study room to eavesdrop on them speaking, Xia Qingyi sat down slowly and started to think. They were probably breaking up. But why? Just yesterday they were still very close with each other when she came out, why would it be like this merely in one day? She could not help but panic just thinking about this. It made her feel scared. She did not get along well with Shen Rou, but it was Shen Rou who did not like her. She could not think of any reason why. Did it have to do with her? Xia Qingyi thought about Shen Rou¡¯s gaze whenever Shen Rou looked at her, but not liking the way Shen Rou treated her this did not mean that Xia Qingyi wanted them to fight because of her and break up. Xia Qingyi could hear Shen Rou¡¯s crying and shouting from the study room. The noises were like curses coiling around her brain. She felt that the crying was bing more and more sharp, even starting to tear apart, boring into her ears as though it wanted to make her explode from the inside. Xia Qingyi wanted to cover her ears and block those crying noises, but she wanted to hear Shen Rou¡¯s crying clearly and understand Shen Rou¡¯s pain. Xia Qingyi felt that she would be hurting Shen Rou even more if she turned a blind eye to Shen Rou¡¯s suffering. She heard the sounds of the door opening, and then closing. Shen Rou came running out covering her tear-streaked face. Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes met with hers, and Shen Rou looked as though she wanted to slice Xia Qingyi apart. Shen Rou walked towards Xia Qingyi, stopped in front of her and said, ¡°I broke up with your brother, are you happy now?¡± ¡°I... not...¡± ¡°However, I want to tell you that I¡¯d still be your sister-inw in the end,¡± Shen Rou¡¯s eyes were filled with determination. Mo Han shouted from behind, ¡°Shen Rou... I¡¯ve already made it clear to you.¡± Shen Rou turned back and looked at him, but she did not say anything and only took her luggage and left. Xia Qingyi asked Mo Han, ¡°You two... why did you two break up?¡± ¡°Notpatible.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled lightly. ¡°Three years? Still notpatible until now?¡± Mo Han frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I mean that you shouldn¡¯t have broken up with her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll decide on my own matters,¡± Mo Han was a little angry. Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to handle your matters either. I won¡¯t ask about your personal matters in the future.¡± Seeing that Xia Qingyi had her head lowered, Mo Han did not want to get angry towards her and only said, ¡°You just came back from the hospital, go and have a good rest first.¡± Xia Qingyi listened to him and obediently walked towards her own bedroom. Mo Han added, ¡°Remember to drink a cup of milk before you sleep, and sleep on the bed.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Alright.¡± Chapter 79 - Have You Ever Loved Me?

Chapter 79: Have You Ever Loved Me?

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi felt ufortable in her heart. She knew that she should not ask too much about Mo Han¡¯s personal matters, but she felt terrible after hearing him say that they had ended their three-year rtionship just because they were ipatible with each other. It did not make any sense why she would feel this terrible hearing about a long-term rtionship ending. As though she had experienced this before. Xia Qingyi did not drink her milk, and went to retrieve a box of sleeping pills from the lowest drawer of her bedside table. She washed a pill down with warm water and climbed on her bed to sleep. Before she fell asleep, she was staring at the ceiling when all of a sudden, a sentence emerged within her mind. It¡¯s been so many years, have you ever loved me? After that, she cried, her tears falling uncontrobly from the corner of her eyes onto her pillow. Xia Qingyi plunged into the dream with the vast ocean once again. Mo Han only went to wake Xia Qingyi when it was dinnertime. He knocked on the door and called out twice from the outside, but nobody answered him. Xia Qingyi had always left her doors unlocked, so he opened the door. Xia Qingyi was still sleeping on the bed covered underneath her nket. Only after Mo Han went over to nudge her did she wake. Her hair was in a huge mess, and she looked at Mo Han with misty eyes. After waking up from the dream where she had been sinking endlessly, she felt as though everything around her was an illusion. ¡°What is it?¡± Mo Han noticed that her expression was a little strange. Xia Qingyi looked at her surroundings, slowly came to and said, ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Wash your face first and go to eat, you haven¡¯t eaten a full meal for the whole day today.¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head. When she went outside to the living room, Xia Qingyi was surprised to see that the food on the table was different from usual. When she came back from school in the past, she would usually call for delivery as she did not know how to cook any borate dishes. But one look and she could tell that today¡¯s dishes were served from the kitchen. Xia Qingyi turned her head, looked at Mo Han disbelievingly and asked, ¡°You made these?¡± Mo Han came from the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup, ced it on the table, and hummed a yes. ¡°You know how to cook?¡± ¡°A little.¡± Xia Qingyi sat down and looked at the delicious-looking dishes that had juste piping hot from the kitchen, unable to believe that they came from the workaholic who had not touched the kitchen for half a year. ¡°Why did you suddenly cook by yourself?¡± Mo Han sat opposite Xia Qingyi, took up the chopsticks and started to eat. ¡°I was too busy in the past, but I don¡¯t really want to work today, so I decided to cook since I have nothing much to do.¡± Xia Qingyi started to eat as well. ¡°So even you also have times when you don¡¯t feel like working, because you just broke up?¡± Mo Han gave her a look. ¡°Don¡¯t make any wild guesses and eat your food.¡± Xia Qingyi lowered her head and continued eating quietly. The next day, the entirepany was discussing the new gossip when Mo Han had not arrived yet. Their most coveted bachelor, the rich and handsome boss Mo Han was finally single again! The news came from one of Shen Rou¡¯s old ssmates. That ssmate was in a wreck after having to take on additional work due to the boss¡¯s absence, and was finally able to get a good rest when she reached home. She was browsing on her phone when she realized that Shen Rou had suddenly flown back to America without a word to anyone. She felt surprised because Shen Rou would always stay for a long time whenever she came back to China, and had never returned to America so quickly before. She messaged Shen Rou, and found out the shocking news. They had broken up. No wonder their boss had note into work the entire day. Chapter 80 - Seduction

Chapter 80: Seduction

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios In these three years, Mo Han had always been carefully approached by numerous otherdies due to him being in an rtionship. Now that he was back to being single, this was a chance that delighted thedies. The atmosphere in thew firm was abuzz with noise because of this news. A number of female colleagues had quietly put on make-up, waiting for Mo Han toe to work. When Mo Han came to work however, he did not notice that thew firm was different from usual, and immediately talked to his secretary Anna when he came, ¡°Inform everyone that we¡¯ll have a meeting in the conference room in half an hour, and that they¡¯re not to bete. Also, remember to photocopy 10 copies of the Shengdapany¡¯s property dispute case, we¡¯ll use that during the meeting.¡± He turned his head and said to Liu Zhiyuan, ¡°Bring me the subpoena that the court had issued to Meihe Enterprise, and the research on Meihepany¡¯s financial situation for these few years.¡± Therefore, a group of them had to hurriedly return to their ces and start working even before they had any time to find out about their boss¡¯s current feelings. They know that Barrister Mo would definitely not let them off easily if they did not properlyplete their work. Everyone in thew firm all knew that Mo Han had a unspoken rule, that he would never speak about personal matters in his office. This applied to his girlfriend as well, even if Shen Rou would visit thew firm asionally, Mo Han would always make her wait at the guest room before he left. So, while many colleagues were happy that Barrister Mo had be single, they noticed a very serious problem at the same time; the chance to develop a phenomenal rtionship with their Barrister Mo was going to be minuscule. However, Mo Han was not aware of their thoughts as he was currently hard at work in his office. He held meetings, organized documents and went to the court to arrange for negotiations as per usual. Even though it was eight P.M. when he returned from the court, and he had already released most of the people at thew firm, he still decided toe back as there was a book on civil judgment that he wanted to read at the office. Mo Han once again seated himself, and let Anna serve him a cup of coffee. Anna prepared a cup of coffee that suited Mo Han¡¯s tastes from the pantry, ced the coffee in her office first, and then smoothed out her own clothes. She did not really do anything, but only folded her skirt up to wear it shorter, exposing her slim and long legs, and left the top of her white shirt unbuttoned to show a little cleavage. Ever since she had heard about Mo Han¡¯s break-up this morning, she could no longer suppress her feelings. She was a graduate from a prestigious university, came from a good family and had pretty good rtions. When Mo Han¡¯sw firm had just started out, there had been many bigger and betterpanies fighting to employ her, yet she chose to work at Mo Han¡¯sw firm. One of the reasons for doing so was because of Mo Han. Mo Han and thisw firm were different from others. His aura in court would make even the older and more experiencedwyers feel scared. His thinking was meticulous and every word he spoke was justified. This was also why Mo Han was able to be sessful in this industry in such a short period of time. The more Anna thought about it, the more she liked and idolized him, her heart fluttering with her, as though she would be together with Mo Han the next moment. She was confident about that. She was pretty, had a good figure, and was capable at work, so she was well-liked by men. She believed that she could make Mo Han be hers not long after. Therefore, she took the cup of coffee, straightened up, knocked on the door and said, ¡°Boss.¡± ¡°Come in,¡± Mo Han called from the inside. Chapter 81 - Dont Overstep the Boundaries

Chapter 81: Don¡¯t Overstep the Boundaries

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Anna pushed the door open and slowly walked towards Mo Han. Seeing that he had not raised his head and continued to look at his documents, she was a little dejected, but she still smilingly ced his coffee on the right side of his table. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll put the coffee here.¡± Barrister Mo nodded and hummed a ¡°yes¡±, still looking at his documents. Anna did not leave and continued standing at his right until Mo Han raised his head after a long time and asked, ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, Boss, I just wanted to ask, for the Shengdapany¡¯s property dispute case, should we send a copy of the results over to Shengdapany? Mo Han only looked at her for a moment, and lowered his head to continue reading his documents. ¡°Didn¡¯t I instruct you already? That the results were to be sent over tomorrow morning?¡± Seeing that Mo Han was not paying any attention to her, Annaughed, feeling a little anxious. But she did not want to give up, so she secretly dropped a pen near Mo Han¡¯s feet and said, ¡°Aiya, I dropped your pen identally, let me pick it up for you.¡± Anna smiled as she bent down, because she made sure that Mo Han would be able to see her exposed cleavage from that angle. All men were sensory creatures, and she did not believe that Mo Han would have no reaction. But the moment she stood up, she saw Mo Han seated and looking at his documents while taking a sip of coffee, his position no different from before. He was that cold and distant Barrister Mo who was able to reject someone without even speaking a word. Anna was a little disappointed, and ced the pen on the table and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just go now.¡± Mo Han did not reply, and only after Anna had taken a few steps before he suddenly spoke a sentence in a cold voice, ¡°Anna, don¡¯t overstep the boundaries.¡± Anna looked back at him. ¡°Boss...¡± Mo Han remained looking at his documents. ¡°Don¡¯t do things that are pointless.¡± Anna almost walked to his side and said loudly, that she loved him, that she loved him to the point of being jealous of his overseas girlfriend every single day. She wanted to say everything that she felt, but Mo Han¡¯s phone rang before she could even speak. Mo Han eyed his phone and gestured for her to leave. Anna unwillingly left Mo Han¡¯s office. After Anna left, Mo Han picked up the call and realized that it was from Xia Qingyi. ¡°Hello? I want to speak to you about something,¡± Xia Qingyi said. Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows; it sounded like bad news. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already finished the procedures. After next month¡¯s exams, I can change my specialization.¡± Mo Han closed his eyes and took a deep breath to suppress his emotions, but still spoke in the end, ¡°Are you just that impatient?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What specialization are you transferring to?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°Psychology,¡± Xia Qingyi chose psychology because out of all the disciplines in that college, the only one that she felt she could pass was psychology. To be honest, if she did not have to consider Mo Han¡¯s feelings, she wanted to quit school the most. ¡°Forget it, just pick what you want to, whatever suits you. And also, why didn¡¯t you tell me that you fought with someone else in school that day? Remember to talk to me when you¡¯re home tonight.¡± ¡°Why should I tell you, fighting with someone else is my own business, it has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°Nothing to do with me?¡± Mo Han smiled lightly. ¡°I wish you can remember that in the eyes of thew I¡¯m your brother in name. I¡¯m your only guardian, I have the rights to know whatever you do.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to emphasize that you¡¯re my brother, I know.¡± Mo Han felt that he had gone a little overboard with his words, and softened his tone and said gently, ¡°You just need to tell me what happened, I just want to know about it.¡± Chapter 82 - Hiding

Chapter 82: Hiding

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi did not want to debate this matter with Mo Han for too long, so she casually made up a reason. ¡°It was nothing much actually, it¡¯s just that the girl damaged something I really loved, and declined to apologize. I was in a bad mood that day so I ended up fighting with her.¡± After hearing this, Mo Han could see the ws in what she said, but he did not point them out. ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Just like that.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not willing to say then forget it, but you should know that I will find out the truth.¡± Xia Qingyi did not agree, but she just wanted to hang up now. ¡°Is your cold better now?¡± Mo Han continued asking. Xia Qingyi was perplexed; the colleagues from hispany said that their Barrister Mo was a quiet person, so why were there times when she felt that he nagged just like an olddy? She replied quickly, ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go back in a while, remember to take your medicine.¡± ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Actually, Xia Qingyi wanted to hang up early because she was scared that Mo Han would find out that she was lying. There was still something else that she had not told Mo Han, because she did not dare to. She had listened to that police officer Zhang Yang and taken up part-time work at a detective agency at the same time as she was studying. She did not have to do much. She did not have to stay there if there was nothing to do, but just had tomunicate more with the boss when there were assignments, to help him analyze the target¡¯s psychological process and try her best to find for leads. Since she was rmended by Zhang Yang, the boss had a certain level of expectation regarding her abilities, so the sry was pretty good. Xia Qingyi felt satisfied, because this meant that she no longer had to spend her days using Mo Han¡¯s money. Mo Han did not stay in thepany for long. He wanted to go back early so that firstly, he could ask Xia Qingyi about the fighting incident properly and secondly, his stomach had started to hurt for some reason. There was no more medicine in his office, and only some left at his house. Therefore, he went home not long after Xia Qingyi¡¯s call. When he reached home, Xia Qingyi was sitting on the rug in her pajamas and watching the television while eating snacks in the living room as usual. Seeing that Mo Han had returned, she only turned her head to look at him calmly and said, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Mo Han bent down to change his shoes, walked in and sat on the sofa beside the rug, cing his briefcase at the side. His stomach was still hurting, and he did not want to move at all after driving back home, so he leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. ¡°Go to the bedroom, and bring me the bottle of white pills from the second drawer on the left,¡± Mo Han said with his eyes closed, feeling as though he had no energy. Xia Qingyi turned around, and seeing that Mo Han did not look well, she asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Gastric,¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi felt a little sorry seeing him in that condition, so she stood up and obediently went to get the medicine from his bedroom before she went to the kitchen to fetch him a ss of warm water. After Mo Han had taken his medicine, he remained sitting on the sofa, though he looked a bit better now, and he said to Xia Qingyi, ¡°When will you start psychology?¡± ¡°Two months.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure that you¡¯ll definitely pass the exams for the transfer?¡± ¡°I will,¡± Xia Qingyi assured him. Mo Han smiled. ¡°You still don¡¯t n to tell me the reason for the fight?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you, that girl damaged something that belonged to me.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯d believe that?¡± Mo Han said in a low voice. Xia Qingyi suspected that if she did not tell him the truth, Mo Han would keep on asking and pressuring her. He wanted to make Xia Qingyi understand that he would hear her say the truth from her own mouth one day. ¡°You really want to hear? Xia Qingyi said. ¡°Of course I do, exactly what would make you fight with someone to the point of quitting school.¡± ¡°Will you regret hearing it?¡± Mo Han only answered by giving her a smile. Chapter 83 - Gastric

Chapter 83: Gastric

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Since you¡¯re not scared, then why should I be?¡± She sat down, looking at the noisy television in front of her, and said seriously, ¡°That girl was my friend. She told others behind my back that I was a mistress being kept by someone. I overheard her and went to p her. She got angry and fought with me.¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Kept as a mistress? Why would they say this?¡± ¡°Because they saw you picking me up that day, and mistook me as the god-sister that you kept, understand?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han with a forced smile on her face. Mo Han did not speak and remained calm. Both of them kept silent for a few seconds, before Mo Han steadied his voice and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to fight with them over such things, you¡¯ll just end up hurting yourself. Just tell me next time, I¡¯ll get someone to settle it.¡± ¡°Settle it? How? Give them a good beating? Would you go as far as that? They¡¯re girls, beating girls up is not something honorable,¡± Xia Qingyi only smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯d just be to teach them some life lessons.¡± Seeing that Mo Han¡¯s face was bing gloomier, Xia Qingyi felt that the words he spoke were not simple, and started to regret telling him everything. ¡°There¡¯s no need to do so since I¡¯ve already taken my anger out on them, you don¡¯t have toe in.¡± ¡°So, you wanted to change your specialization because of this?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head. ¡°Not totally, I¡¯ve wanted to change it since some time ago.¡± Mo Han still remained looking gloomy, and Xia Qingyi started to feel scared sitting next to him, so she stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, I¡¯m going to sleep first, you can continue watching television if you want to.¡± Xia Qingyi even sneaked a look back at Mo Han when she left. He was still leaning back on the sofa, his right hand on his stomach, as though his stomach was hurting again. She did not think much and rushed back to her own room. She did not think about what the scenario would be like when she saw Mo Han again. Under the training Mo Han forced on her, Xia Qingyi had learned how to sleep properly these past few nights. She felt that sounds seemed to being from the outside, but her subconscious remained hazy. She had no energy to think as she wavered in and out of consciousness. It was the sound of a dull thud that woke her up. Xia Qingyi woke up from her dream-like sleep, and only when she sat up did she realize that the noise came from Mo Han¡¯s room next to hers. She felt strange and got out of her bed, left a smallmp switched on and knocked on Mo Han¡¯s door. ¡°What happened? Are you okay?¡± Mo Han did not reply. She felt even more strange. Mo Han would always answer her. Xia Qingyi opened the door. It waspletely dark inside and she could not see anything at all, so she shouted hesitantly, ¡°What happened to you? Are you sleeping?¡± At this moment, she heard Mo Han¡¯s trembling voice. ¡°Come here.¡± Xia Qingyi felt scared, she could feel that something had happened to Mo Han, so she switched on the light in his bedroom. Light filled the entire room in an instant. The scene that she saw in front of her shocked her until she moved back two steps. Mo Han was lying on the floor tangled in his nkets, his eyebrows furrowed. His forehead was full of cold sweat and his face was pale, his right hand covering his stomach, and many things in his room had fallen onto the floor. Xia Qingyi ran over and knelt down by his side, not daring to touch him. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Mo Han remained lying on the floor frowning. His stomach felt as though there was a knife slicing him from the inside and moving back and forth continuously, and he felt his entire body trembling. Chapter 84 - Fainted

Chapter 84: Fainted

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi only managed to help him up with all her strength, and seeing that he kept covering his stomach, she said, ¡°Your stomach hurts?¡± Mo Han nodded his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital, you can¡¯t stay like this. We¡¯ll go to the hospital right now... I have to send you to the hospital, but I can¡¯t drive... Are there still taxis outside now...¡± Xia Qingyi felt extremely anxious and kept looking back and forth, looking as though she would burst into tears at any moment. Mo Han spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t panic... Help me to the parking lot, I¡¯ll take you there, you just have to help me get medicine from the hospital.¡± Xia Qingyi saw how weak Mo Han was right now, and said tearfully, ¡°But... you¡¯re already in such pain...¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can endure it, I just wanted to take my medicine now and identally fell out of my bed.¡± Xia Qingyi had no choice, so she rushed to support Mo Han, even forgetting to change out of her pajamas. ¡°Then... we¡¯ll leave quick... quick and reach the hospital immediately.¡± Mo Han leaned on her and stood up slowly. Mo Han had no energy, so Xia Qingyi helped him put on a coat and wore her own before she continued to help him, and they took the elevator down and walked towards the parking lot. The two of them got into the car with some difficulty. It was already 2 A.M. and there were cars passing by on the roads asionally. Xia Qingyi sat in the passenger seat and looked to her left, where Mo Han was driving while enduring the pain, sweat continuously dripping from his face. Xia Qingyi was worried to death and kept looking at the time. On the contrary, Mo Han was the one whoforted Xia Qingyi and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re nearly there.¡± Except that Mo Han¡¯s voice got softer and softer, and after driving past a cross junction and turning right into a street, Mo Han could not endure it any longer. He stepped on the brakes, released the clutch and fainted on the steering wheel. After he fainted, Xia Qingyi feltpletely lost. She was scared, their surroundings were silent, and Mo Han remained immobile on the steering wheel. She did not dare to talk, because she would only be hearing her own voice, and this made her feel even more terrified. In the end, Xia Qingyi spent one minute calming herself down, to make her own hands stop trembling, and to clear her own mind. She got out of her car, opened the door at Mo Han¡¯s side, and used her shoulders to move him into a standing position and rested his body on the back of the car. Xia Qingyi turned her head and looked at the cars passing by them without stopping. She shouted loudly, wanting them toe and help her, to help send Mo Han to the hospital, to make them stop, but she was only greeted with the sound of cars zooming past. Xia Qingyi panted. Looking at Mo Han¡¯s pale face, she felt that she could not wait any further and went to search her surroundings. In the end, she found an old bicycle in a dark corner. She dragged Mo Han towards the bicycle¡¯s direction with some hope in her heart, Mo Han¡¯s hard body leaning against her. The distance was short, but when Xia Qingyi paused her head was already full of perspiration. Luckily, the bicycle was not locked. Xia Qingyi quietly thought, oh good samaritan, I will return the bicycle back here soon. Xia Qingyi did not hesitate any longer, and mustered all her strength to ce Mo Han on the rear bicycle rack properly, leaning him against her own body, and then slowly climbed onto the bicycle. Xia Qingyi was afraid that Mo Han would not be safe in this way, so she used her own coat as a rope and tied his body to hers. Xia Qingyi managed to start cycling after some difficulty, and then realized that whilst Mo Han did not look heavy, he felt like a block of iron sitting at the back. When Xia Qingyi was cycling, she was still worried that Mo Han would fall down, so she held onto his arm with one hand and steered the bicycle with the other. Chapter 85 - Gastrointestinal Perforation

Chapter 85: Gastrointestinal Perforation

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios She cycled until her entire body was sweating, and only managed to finish thest stretch with some difficulty. When Xia Qingyi saw the hospital sign, she felt her heart calm down a little. Xia Qingyi shouted loudly for the paramedic toe, and when she saw theming with the stretcher, Xia Qingyi felt a little more rxed. A nurse questioned Xia Qingyi as she checked on Mo Han, ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°He had a very serious stomach pain, and he suddenly fainted on the way here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably gastrointestinal perforation by now,e on, prepare the operating room, we¡¯ll operate on him immediately.¡± They lifted him onto a gurney and then hurriedly pushed him away. One of the two remaining nurses said, ¡°You can go and settle the admission procedure, operation fees and hospitalization fees first and then wait outside the operating room.¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head nkly and only managed to respond after a while. She ran up to Mo Han¡¯s gurney. ¡°Wait, the money is with him, I don¡¯t have money.¡± The nurse nced at her silently, and turned away to do something else. Xia Qingyi ran back and forth to finish the admission procedures, sign the informed consent for the operation and paid the operation fees and hospitalization fees. When she dazedly walked back to the operating room, Mo Han¡¯s operation was already over. She had to put in some effort before she finally found his hospital ward. There, she saw Mo Han lying on a snow-white quilt, deep in sleep. He was even on a IV drip. She was finally able to stop worrying now that she saw Mo Han. Xia Qingyi sat beside his bed and finally realized how tired and sleepy she felt. It was actually already six in the morning. She yawned and let herself fall asleep after having rushed around for the entire night. It was eight A.M. when she woke up. Mo Han was still not awake, and Xia Qingyi could not stay any longer as she had to go for her lessons, so she took out Mo Han¡¯s phone, called his good friend Bai Yu and asked him to look after Mo Han. Bai Yu was shocked when he heard that Mo Han had been hospitalized, butrgely due to him not expecting that a girl proiming herself to be Mo Han¡¯s sister would call him. Bai Yu hurried over to the hospital. Wasn¡¯t this girl who proimed to be his sister the same one as the girl whom Mo Han had brought to his shop to eat with, when he had to send her to the hospital halfway through? Since when had she be his younger sister? When she saw his eyes on her, Xia Qingyi lowered her head and only said that she had to leave first to go to ss. Bai Yu watched the girl in her pajamas leave with his mouth agape, unable to understand what was going on here. He thought to himself that he would definitely have to question Mo Han about it when he came around. The doctor came in a few times while Mo Han was lying unconscious on the bed. He checked Mo Han¡¯s conditions and told Bai Yu that Mo Han was very lucky. Even though his gastric had developed into gastrointestinal perforation, he was admitted just in timest night, so he would be fine after the operation and that he would only have to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation and rest. After listening to the doctor, Bai Yu looked at Mo Han and thought how something would have happened sooner orter with the way he so often risked his life to work. He had been friends with Mo Han for nearly five years now, and ever since Mo Han opened his ownw firm, he had been busy almost every day. It had gotten better in recent years, but when he first started thepany by himself, he was always so busy that he even had to squeeze in time just to sleep. Bai Yu sat by Mo Han¡¯s bedside for a while and was feeling really bored, so he busied himself by going off to refill the kettle, and in the meantime, chatted up a few prettydies by the nurse¡¯s station. But not long after he stepped away, Mo Han woke up. Chapter 86 - Busy for an Entire Night

Chapter 86: Busy for an Entire Night

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios When he woke up, his abdomen was numb and he could vaguely feel a little pain. He opened his eyes and saw that his surroundings was filled with snow-white walls, his own body was covered with the same snow-white nket, that there was a faint smell of disinfectant in the air, and he realized that he was in the hospital. Mo Han started to think back on what happenedst night, no, today. Hisst memory was that of himself bearing with the intense pain in his abdomen and pulling the handbrake, and stopping the car by the roadside. Then? There were only some bits and pieces that he could remember. There seemed to be the feeling of someone pulling him, he could vaguely hear someone panting heavily, his body seemed to be leaning on someone else. That person¡¯s body was soft, warm, thin and small. Was it Xia Qingyi? There was only her by his side after he fainted. She must have been really frightened at that time. He clearly remembered that when he was driving to the hospital, she kept looking him constantly, her eyebrows were furrowed and she did not dare to speak, as though she was about to cry at the next moment. Just as when he was still deep in his thoughts, Bai Yu came back smilingly with the kettle in his hands. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Bai Yu sat beside Mo Han and ced the kettle back onto the table. ¡°I almost thought that you¡¯d only wake up some timeter.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Mo Han asked. Bai Yu looked at him, his face filled with curiosity. ¡°Speaking of this, I want to ask you, the person who called me is your sister? Is she the girl who you brought to my restaurant to eat? Mo Han was also a little confused. ¡°She called you?¡± ¡°Yup. Woke me from my dreams at eight in the morning, to take care of you!¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°She went to school. She left when she saw me arriving, and said that she¡¯d be back tonight.¡± Mo Han did not speak again, and thought quietly. ¡°Oi! I asked you a question! She¡¯s really your sister? Howe I¡¯ve never heard you mention that you have a sister?¡± ¡°Yes, my parents adopted her overseas, I didn¡¯t really understand why, she wanted toe to China a while ago so my parents let here and find me.¡± ¡°I see. No wonder I haven¡¯t heard you mention this before. Judging from the rtionship between you and your parents, you definitely wouldn¡¯t have heard about their lives in America.¡± Bai Yu touched on Mo Han¡¯s forbidden topic as he continued to speak, and immediately stopped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to talk about your family matters.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Nothing to worry about, what you said is the truth.¡± The two of them were talking when the doctor and nurse came in. Seeing that Mo Han was already awake, they walked to the front of his bed, checked his medical records and asked, ¡°When did you wake?¡± ¡°Just now,¡± Mo Han said. The doctor with a big white coat checked his scar from the operationst night and said, ¡°Luckily you were admitted here just in time. If not it wouldn¡¯t have been resolved by something as simple as an operation.¡± Mo Han did not speak, and smoothed out his clothes. The doctor saw that he remained unconcerned,pletely different as that of his anxious sister waiting outside the operating room yesterday. ¡°To you, you only had to go through a short operation for this illness, but it was taxing on your sister.¡± The doctor continued, ¡°You didn¡¯t see how she looked like when sheid on the ground panting heavily after carrying you to the hospital in the middle of the night, I almost thought she was the one who was sick. She didn¡¯t just send you to the operating room, she even had to settle the fees, collect the medicine, and search for the ward you¡¯re staying in, she was busy all the way until morning before I saw her rest.¡± The nurse beside him chimed in, ¡°Exactly. When I started my shift this morning, she even ran to the nurse station to inform me to take note of your IV drip.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t seem to sleep much the entire night, and when you came out of your operation this morning, I still saw her at the lobby.¡± The nurse had noted the handsome patient, and was trying to take the chance to speak more and make him remember her better. Chapter 87 - Millet Porridge

Chapter 87: Millet Porridge

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Except that she did not know that the Mo Han in front of her was only thinking about thest moment when he saw Xia Qingyi in his car yesterday. So she had actually been taking care of him the entire night. Mo Han felt an overwhelming mix of emotions in his heart. He wanted to speak, but he did not know where to start. Bai Yu sneakily said from his side, ¡°It¡¯s not obvious, but your sister really treats you as someone important.¡± After the doctor left, Mo Han got Bai Yu to pass him his phone, thinking of calling thew firm¡¯s assistant Liu Zhiyuan to inform them of his sudden operation and hospitalization. He gauged that thew firm was still unaware of his condition, so they were probably in a mess after being unable to contact him. He only found out after he called that Xia Qingyi had already contacted thew firm and informed them, to postpone Mo Han¡¯s duties and wait for Mo Han to contact them. After Mo Han heard this, he felt at a loss. In the past, he wouldplete most of the things by himself and arrange many things alone. But now, someone actually had finished everything that should be done when he was sick, and he only had to rest on the bed and do nothing. All of a sudden, the time freed up was making him feel at a loss. The pain in his abdomen had lessened a lot. He did not feel sleepy sitting on the bed at all, probably because he had already slept for a long time. After staring out of the window for a full 20 minutes, he sent Bai Yu go to his office to bring some files over. He felt bored sitting on the bed, so he might as well settle the things that needed his attention. After Bai Yu left, Xia Qingyi came back when it was nearing nighttime. She was still wearing the same set of clothes asst night, the long coat tied around her waist reaching her knees. She was carrying her bag on her back, her hand holding a stic bag, the contents inside unknown. She did not have much expression on her face after she saw that Mo Han had woken up, only nced at him lightly before she lowered her head, walked in and said nothing, as though she had already known about Mo Han waking up. She only ced the stic bag she was carrying on the table with her head down and opened it. ¡°What is it?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°Food.¡± Xia Qingyi opened the bag, took out a white stainless steel thermal box and carefully opened the cover. ¡°Millet porridge, I bought this at the hospital entrance on my way here when I came back.¡± Xia Qingyi took out a spoon from her bag, poured the millet porridge into a bowl, and passed the bowl and spoon to Mo Han. ¡°Eat.¡± Mo Han looked at her, his hands unmoving. ¡°What¡¯re you looking at? Eat. The doctor said that you can only eat this after the operation,¡± Xia Qingyi thought that he did not like eating millet porridge. Mo Han nced at her again, took the bowl from her and ate slowly. ¡°How did you get me herest night?¡± ¡°I brought you here on a bicycle.¡± Xia Qingyi suddenly thought of something and shouted abruptly, ¡°Ah! I forgot to return the bicycle back.¡± ¡°Bicycle?¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi nced at him and said, ¡°Yeah, you stopped the car¡¯s engine and I don¡¯t know how to drive. There just happened to be an unlocked bicycle at the roadside in the middle of the night, so I let you sit at the back and cycled over.¡± Mo Han did not know why he felt angry and said sternly, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have waited for passing cars to give you a lift or call 110? It was in the middle of the night and the hospital was so far, why did you ride a bicycle? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be smart? Why did you think of such a horrible idea!¡± ¡°What are you angry for?! Did you think I want to do it? You fell unconscious on the steering wheel yesterday, I was scared to death, I couldn¡¯t even think of anything. It¡¯s just nice that there was a bicycle by the roadside, so of course I used it and brought you here,¡± Xia Qingyi always felt baffled by Mo Han¡¯s sudden anger. Mo Han said, ¡°Don¡¯t do this next time, just stay at where you are if something like this happens in the future, call the hospital and let them pick you up and don¡¯t run about.¡± Chapter 88 - Dont Work Anymore

Chapter 88: Don¡¯t Work Anymore

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°The hospital was near where you stopped, why would I call the hospital and trouble someone else.¡± Mo Han ate the porridge as he spoke with her, and unknowingly finished the porridge. He ced the bowl on the table and just as he was about to continue speaking with Xia Qingyi, Bai Yu returned. He was leaning on the door smiling widely as he watched the two of them talking with each other. He walked in straightaway, threw the files towards Mo Han¡¯s bed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see the day when Mo Han was disliked by someone.¡± Mo Han nced at him. ¡°There are certainly many things that you¡¯ve never seen before.¡± Bai Yu¡¯s eyes were evidently not on Mo Han, and he was smilingly looking at Xia Qingyi sitting on the stool at Mo Han¡¯s bedside. ¡°Are you really Mo Han¡¯s sister?¡± ¡°Yes, we met at your restaurant before,¡± Xia Qingyi voice did not betray any emotion. Bai Yu smiled. ¡°Aiyo, you still remember.¡± He then asked, ¡°You looked really young, how old are you? Still schooling?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 20, currently at university.¡± Bai Yu looked at Xia Qingyi closely, as though he was enchanted by her. He had never known that a short-haired girl like her would have such a spirit, her eyes were bright as that of a deer¡¯s, shining like the stars in the night sky. ¡°Such pretty looks,pletely different type as to your brother,¡± Bai Yu eximed. Bai Yu!¡± Mo Han red at him, while Xia Qingyi suspiciously looked at Bai Yu. ¡°I mean it, what¡¯s the point of your brother¡¯s handsome looks, when he always kept his face dour. You¡¯re better,¡± Bai Yu teased. Xia Qingyi nced at Mo Han, and turned to Bai Yu with her face scrunched up in disgust and said, ¡°I also feel that my brother putting on a dour face is very irritating. As if someone owed him eight million dors.¡± After hearing her sentence, Bai Yu held onto his stomach andughed uncontrobly, and said to Mo Han, ¡°Oh, Mo Han, why is your sister so fun to y with, introduce her to me!¡± Mo Han answered him with an icy cold stare. ¡°Alright, alright, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to introduce her to me!¡± Bai Yu admitted defeat. Mo Han looked at Bai Yu and said, ¡°Other than the files, there¡¯s nothing else for you to do, go back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to chase me away like this?¡± Bai Yu could not believe him, ¡°Think about it, how long did I stay here with you?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should leave,¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone remained the same. Bai Yu rolled his eyes at Mo Han and said, ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll leave, I¡¯ll leave... Anyway, the next time you want me toe over when you¡¯re sick, I gotta consider it.¡± Mo Han did not look at him, picked up the files and flipped it open and said, ¡°Bye.¡± Bai Yu left begrudgingly, leaving only Xia Qingyi sitting beside Mo Han¡¯s bed. Seeing that Mo Han was still looking at files even when he was sick, she was a little angry. ¡°You just woke up, are you that impatient to get back to work?¡± Mo Han was a little surprised at her tone, but he only smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t work for the entire day today, I only took a glimpse at the files.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still counted as work. Your gastric has already developed into gastrointestinal perforation, can¡¯t you be more worried about your health?¡± Mo Han looked into her eyes for a long while, as though he was about to be sucked inside them. Seeing how worried she was about him only made him want to smile. This was the first time that he felt warmth in his heart, as though the warmth was going to fill his chest to bursting. He smiled lightly and put down the files in his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll stop, I¡¯ll stop, I¡¯ll continue after I am discharged.¡± Xia Qingyi did not expect him to actually listen to her this time round; didn¡¯t he usually pay little attention to what other people said? Chapter 89 - Babies

Chapter 89: Babies

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Are you bored?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°Still okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take you for a spin, sit on the wheelchair and I¡¯ll push you outside for some fresh air.¡± ¡°It¡¯s you who wants to go out, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi froze for a moment, and then nodded her head. ¡°The hospital smell doesn¡¯t smell good, I don¡¯t like it.¡± Mo Han nced at her, peeled away the nket and moved to get out of bed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and get the wheelchair,¡± Xia Qingyi stood up. Mo Han stopped her. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, I didn¡¯t injure my leg.¡± His stomach no longer hurt and he only felt a little tired, so he kept sitting on the bed to rest. Mo Han stood up and looked outside the window only to realize that it was windy outside and that it seemed to be pretty cold, so he took his coat ced at his bedside, wore it outside his hospital gown and said to Xia Qingyi, ¡°It¡¯s cold outside, wear more clothes.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°It¡¯s not cold, I just came from outside.¡± ¡°Wear it.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at the windbreaker on her and said, ¡°But I only wear just this one piece outside.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you put on more clothes when you came out?¡± Xia Qingyi gave him a dirty look in her mind, thinking I had to rush back and forth today, if I¡¯m not at the hospital then I¡¯m at school, when would I have the time to go back and get more clothes to wear. But she still replied calmly, ¡°Forgot.¡± Mo Han sighed, took out the coat that he just wore and put it on Xia Qingyi. Xia Qingyi only looked at him disbelievingly. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Wear it,¡± Mo Han said, his tone a little strong, his hands buttoning the coat one by one. Xia Qingyi thought of saying something, but Mo Han had already walked out of the ward so she had to follow. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Mo Han turned his head around and asked her. Xia Qingyi thought for a while, and said smilingly, ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look over there.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°The baby room.¡± Mo Han did not understand why she wanted to go to the baby room but he followed her anyway. He walked over to Xia Qingyi¡¯s side in a few big strides. ¡°Do you know how to get there?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Xia Qingyi had already entered the elevator. She pressed the button for the third floor and said, ¡°I went there once before.¡± Mo Han stood beside her and looked at her, feeling as though she was beaming with happiness. He did not understand why the baby room could make her feel so happy. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Xia Qingyi brought Mo Han along the corridor, walked a few turns and they finally reached the baby room. At this moment, she was standing in front of the ss window and was looking smilingly at the babies tucked safely in their beds. Xia Qingyi looked at the babies smiling and kicking around on their beds and said, ¡°This is the only ce in the hospital that I like.¡± Mo Han walked to her side, and only looked at her. ¡°Why?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She gently stroked at the ss window, as though she wanted to touch the babies, ¡°Didn¡¯t I stay in the hospital for a very long time? After I woke up and was able to walk I roamed around the hospital by myself looking for a ce where I could be alone and discovered this ce.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes were filled with delight. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that they¡¯re really blessed?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes never left the babies for a single moment, ¡°They have long lives ahead of them, with so much time for them to try many things, so much time for them to grow, so many possibilities in their future.¡± Mo Han twisted his head around to look at Xia Qingyi, and only then realized that she was crying. He gently wiped the tears away from her face and said, ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Xia Qingyi blinked, touched her face and froze. ¡°I cried?¡± Mo Han did not speak, and only looked at Xia Qingyi¡¯s face. Xia Qingyi wiped away her own tears, smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m really strange.¡± Chapter 90 - His Parents

Chapter 90: His Parents

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi nodded, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Mo Han walked ahead with Xia Qingyi following behind him as she said, ¡°You¡¯ll sleep alone tonight. There¡¯s not much space in your hospital room, so I¡¯ll go back home to sleepter ande back tomorrow morning.¡± Mo Han stopped walking as he said, ¡°What I meant was, let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you not discharged from the hospital yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to settle the discharge formalities now.¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t...¡± ¡°I feel fine. I sleep better at home, so let¡¯s go back.¡± The two went straight to the lobby to settle the discharge formalities before heading back to the hospital room to get their belongings and left the hospital afterwards. They could only take a taxi home as the police had towed Mo Han¡¯s car in the morning after having left the car parked at the side of the road in the middle of the night. Xia Qingyi had taken off her outerwear once they had reached home. She wanted to take a shower and sleep, only to be stopped by Mo Han, ¡°I have some things to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Mo Han ced his belongings on the table as he took a seat at the table. He said, ¡°It¡¯s about that thing that I¡¯d wanted to tell you about before.¡± Xia Qingyi took a while to realize that Mo Han was talking about the thing that he had wanted to tell her when they had argued with each other. Though, he had said to wait for a while as there was no suitable time to tell her in detail. ¡°Let us talk about why I hadn¡¯t told my ex-girlfriend and my parents about you like you asked that time.¡± Xia Qingyi felt a little ufortable suddenly as she registered that Mo Han had used the word ¡®ex-girlfriend¡¯. It had not seemed long when Shen Rou was still telling her proudly that she was his girlfriend. Yet, in a blink of an eye, she was now an ex-girlfriend. ¡°Sit down.¡± Mo Han pointed to the ce next to him, ¡°It¡¯ll be quite long.¡± As she stared at Mo Han¡¯s expression, Xia Qingyi felt that the atmosphere then was rather serious. She obediently sat next to Mo Han. ¡°What kind of identity do you think I have?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°That you¡¯re a really formidable and richwyer.¡± Xia Qingyi replied ording to her impression of him. Mo Hanughed, ¡°Have you heard about my parents?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head. She had heard some gossip from Mo Han¡¯s assistant at thew firm. They had said that Mo Han was a very mysterious person and had studied in America. They had been quite shocked to hear that he had started hisw firm with his own money and without anyone else¡¯s help while working alone after he had returned to the country after graduating. It was only untilter that they had heard from somewhere that Mo Han¡¯s parents were actually very rich entrepreneurs in America that they understood slightly why Mo Han had enough money to start hisw firm. However, the weird thing was that no matter how close they were to Mo Han, no-one had heard him mention anything about his parents before. There was once where someone had mentioned his parents in front of Mo Han in public in the heat of the moment and was fired by Mo Han after a month. From then on, no-one had mentioned his parents in front of him anymore. ¡°I grew up in America. I was the same as everyone else when I was young. Like others, I had parents who were especially concerned with their kids. Like others, I had countless fun toys. Like others, I attended the top schools. I was also always within the top three in my cohort in school. There seemed to be nothing that Icked. Some of the things I had were even better than others.¡± ¡°It was until one day when I was about eight years old that I returned home from school to see my father hitting my mother. My mother was lying on the floor in the living room. There was blood and shattered ss all over the floor while my mother¡¯s hair was in a mess and tangled together. She kept crying while my father kept scolding her while kicking her. He kicked her from the living room to where I had been standing. She started to pull the hems of my pants after she¡¯d seen me, asking me to save her.¡± Xia Qingyi could only feel a chill run through her body as she listened to his words. Mo Han remained expressionless as she watched him continue recounting his past. Chapter 91 - I Just Want to Hug You

Chapter 91: I Just Want to Hug You

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten what I was doing then. I was probably crying, but I can¡¯t really remember clearly.¡± Mo Han shook his head, before he continued, ¡°It was only afterwards that I found out that my father, who appeared warm and nice in front of the people in hispany, had gotten addicted to drugs unknowingly. My mother seemed to know this as well. His addiction had acted up on the day that he had hit my mother. My mother hadn¡¯t let him take drugs, so he¡¯d lost control himself and had hit my mother.¡± ¡°They¡¯d acted as per usual after that day. They would attend my parent-teacher conferences arm-in-arm and in smiles. They would tell my ssmates to take better care of me when they¡¯d met them and they would look for my teachers to discuss about my academics and life.¡± ¡°But, who knew what happened behind the scenes? They became even more unrestrained with their actions after they realised that I knew about the drugs. They never restricted me and gave me total freedom. My father would continue to take drugs at home while my mother would hit and scold him, to not take drugs. My father would then continue to hit my mother in return.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never seen the smile that my father gave when his body shook as he took the drugs. It¡¯s something that is impossible to forget, really.¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice was trembling a little, ¡°My father even asked me once if I wanted to have some while he sat on the floor as he took the drugs.¡± Xia Qingyi could not help but ce her hand softly on his as she looked at him. Mo Han turned to nce once at her. He did not remove his hand, ¡°My mother gave up on him eventually, but they didn¡¯t divorce. I know that it¡¯s because she¡¯s reluctant to part with my father¡¯s wealth. She would be nothing without my father. She¡¯d started to find other men outside using my father¡¯s money. One after another, she¡¯d even brought them home to their bed. Then my father would start to hit her again and the cycle would repeat.¡± Xia Qingyi held his hand as she listened to his words silently. ¡°I called them over when I¡¯d graduated from high school. I told them that from that day onwards, I was no longer their son and wouldn¡¯t interfere with their lives anymore. In return, I hope that they wouldn¡¯t interfere with my life.¡± Xia Qingyi could clearly feel Mo Han¡¯s freezing hands as they trembled slightly, no matter how well he had masked his feelings when he had said all these. She gripped Mo Han¡¯s hands tighter, wanting to use the temperature of her hands to warm him up. She held herself back from looking at his eyes because she was afraid. She knew too, that Mo Han would not want her to see. ¡°All the money I had used to start thew firm was earned by myself when I was in university. But, I really have to thank my father in this aspect. He¡¯s a really sessful entrepreneur. When the people that knew him heard that his son was earning money for himself, they tried to help in various ways to make it easier for me to do so. My parents had never oncee to look for me when I was studying in university. They transferred money to me into an ount, but I never touched the ount.¡± Mo Han has a small smirk on his face, ¡°I understand them actually. My father was no longer the person he was originally after he¡¯d taken drugs. He was so eager for me to stay far away from him so that he could keep his secret. And my mother? She naturally wouldn¡¯t want the men that she¡¯d find outside to know that she actually had such an old son.¡± ¡°You should know why I didn¡¯t want to tell them about you now, because there¡¯s no reason to. They wouldn¡¯t care anyway. And about my ex-girlfriend, she was an ident. I didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be back so soon and find out about you.¡± Mo Han said as he looked at Xia Qingyi. It was a pity that Xia Qingyi kept her head down instead of looking at him. What Mo Han did not expect, was that Xia Qingyi had opened her arms to hug him in the next second. Her thin and delicate figure wrapped around him softly, together with her body temperature and faint body perfume. Her entire head was buried in front of Mo Han¡¯s chest while both of her hands were crossed behind him, as she hugged him tightly. Chapter 92 - To depend on

Chapter 92: To depend on

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say since it feels wrong to say anything at all. I just want to hug you.¡± Xia Qingyi said. Mo Han was surprised by her hug. His hand rested onher shoulders. He wanted to push her away, though he did not do anything as seconds passed. He had just ced his hands there as a symbol. There was even an urge to return the hug. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry anymore that you¡¯d be chased away when my family knows about you. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t have any family.¡± Mo Hanughed softly with a hint of helplessness as he said this. ¡°That won¡¯t happen. You still have me, older brother.¡± Xia Qingyi said with her soft voice. She looked up to look at Mo Han, only to realize that Mo Han was looking down at her as well. Their faces were so close to each other that Xia Qingyi could see the faint stubble on Mo Han¡¯s chin. Mo Han felt weird suddenly. He avoided eye contact as he put some distance between the two of them. He pushed Xia Qingyi away as he smiled, not knowing what to say. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you next time, older brother.¡± Xia Qingyi said. Mo Han smiled again as he ruffled her hair. He said, ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Xia Qingyi merely looked at him for a very long time, before she turned to give him another big hug. She whispered goodnight softly in his ear. She hoped that Mo Han would know her current thoughts, that she would always be with him even though she could not do anything and the only thing she could give was a warm hug. Mo Han had been the only one that she could rely on ever since she had left the hospital with her memory lost. Now, she would like to give Mo Han something to rely on. Mo Han could feel Xia Qingyi softly telling him goodnight as her head leaned on his shoulder. He should have pushed her away right then, but his hands hesitated to do so as they hovered in the air. He did not know why he had told Xia Qingyi about his parents. He had kept this secret deeply buried in his heart for many years, not to mention even telling others about it. This girl in front of him had no need to find out about his parents nor to be involved in the mess that his family was in. Yet, he had still told Xia Qingyi about it. He had originally thought that he would feel very down after he had said it. But surprisingly, at the moment that Xia Qingyi had hugged him after he had finished, he felt was as if a huge burden had just lifted off his shoulders. It was the feeling that his heart could finally rx for a while after being depressed for such a long time. He could faintly feel that he would get a good sleep that night. The people in thew firm were holding a gathering since Mo Han had just been discharged from the hospital, and also since thew firm had just settled a ratherplicated economic case. They had wanted to celebrate the recovery of their boss, and to also celebrate the end of the case thanks to the court¡¯s final verdict after being in a stalemate for half a year. These were of course the secondary reasons. The main reason was that the females working in thew firm wanted to use the chance at the gathering to develop a closer rtionship with their boss. They could hardly hold the excited stirring of their hearts after finding out that the Barrister Mo that they had constantly longed for had finally regained his single status. Nevertheless, they did not have high expectations for the gathering this time as their boss was usually not too fond of such gatherings and entertainment. It was why when Anna, Mo Han¡¯s secretary, had told him about the n, she had been shocked for a moment when Mo Han had paused for a few seconds before he agreed to the gathering. The presupposition for being shocked was because she did not know what had been happening on his side when she had called Mo Han. The truth was, Xia Qingyi was sitting in the living room when Mo Han had answered the call. She had preferred to not sit on the sofa as per usual, choosing to sit on the carpet as she leaned on the sofa. She was eating snacks with her legs ced anyhow while watching the clich¨¦d drama that was airing on the television.. Sheughed from time to time as she roasted the characters in the drama. Chapter 93 - Beautiful Girl

Chapter 93: Beautiful Girl

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios When Anna had asked if he had wanted to attend the gathering, Xia Qingyi had just been watching the male lead character in the drama telling the female lead with a poker face that he liked his quiet life. She sat on the floor speechless, as she said that it was all nonsense as the male lead would probably end up finding the female lead to go out. She watched seriously, as she said that shouldn¡¯t men all go out to see the flowery world. Would it not be such a pity if he had no friends because he wanted some peace and quiet? Mo Han, who had been sitting behind her, nced at her at her words. He swallowed his original rejection before saying after some hesitation that alright, he would join in their gathering. In the meantime, Xia Qingyi, who had been watching the television with all her attention in front, had no idea what had happened. The gathering was eventually set to be at 7 P.M. on Saturday. The people from thew firm had booked a private room in one of the famous restaurants in the city. There was a bar above the restaurant. They had said that they could go up to celebrate after finishing the meal. Time passed, with Mo Han continuing work at thew firm after being discharged while Xia Qingyi continued to attend lessons. She had gone to the detective agency during her free time to earn some extra allowance. The good thing was that the boss at the agency had taken a particr liking to Xia Qingyi, seeing that she was a pretty and intelligent girl, and tried to give her simple tasks as much as possible. Mo Han had called Xia Qingyi when it was Saturday afternoon, telling her that he would be outte that night and that she should go to sleep first instead of waiting for him. Xia Qingyi found it weird, ¡°What do you have to do?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a gathering at thew firm. They said it¡¯s to celebrate my recovery.¡± ¡°I want to go too.¡± Xia Qingyi replied. ¡°Why do you want to go there for?¡± ¡°To eat nice food! I¡¯ll be really bored if I¡¯m at home alone.¡± Xia Qingyi murmured pitifully. Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows together, as he kept quiet in hesitation. Xia Qingyi begged, ¡°Please? Please? I won¡¯t cause any trouble. Not to say, don¡¯t the people in yourw firm know me? I¡¯m your younger sister, it¡¯ll be more lively with one more person!¡± ¡°Older brother...¡± Xia Qingyi continued. It might be due to when Mo Han had told her about his parents, but since that day, Xia Qingyi had taken a particr liking to calling her older brother. Before she went to sleep in her bedroom for these few nights, she would always tell him, ¡°Goodnight, older brother.¡± ¡°Alright, you cane. I¡¯ll tell them.¡± Mo Hanpromised. Xia Qingyi smiled as she said, ¡°Thank you, older brother!¡± ¡°Come straight over after your lesson in the afternoon is over. I¡¯ll wait here for you.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Mo Han was already waiting at the ground floor of his office building when Xia Qingyi saw him again. He was quietly talking to some of his colleagues. She got out of the car, calling out to him from afar as she ran over with a wide smile. The crowd that had been standing next to Mo Han turned to look at the direction where the voice had came from, only to see a smiling short haired girl wearing overalls and a bag hung behind her running towards them. She looked like a mini sun with her smile. Their eyes sparkled suddenly. These male colleagues had long known that Mo Han¡¯s younger sister had looked really good. Now that they had seen her again in private, the only thought they had was that their previous impression of her could not evenpare to half of how she looked when smiling. No one could ignore her eyes that looked like stars when she smiled. Xia Qingyi ran over to stand next to Mo Han. She bowed her head slightly while smiling after seeing the people next to him. Looking at her closer, they could only think that she must be really young and that she was prettier by a few degrees. She was full of youth. ¡°Where are you attending school, little girl?¡± They all wanted to be closer to her. Xia Qingyi hated it when people treated her as a child. She was slightly annoyed, though she still replied sweetly, ¡°I¡¯m attending school at XX University.¡± Chapter 94 - Drinking

Chapter 94: Drinking

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°You¡¯re already in university? Which course are you studying at?¡± ¡°I¡¯m currently studying Human Resource Management, but I changed my course recently to Psychology.¡± ¡°Not bad, not bad. If you need our help in the future, feel free to say so. We¡¯d definitely help.¡± Mo Han quietly pulled Xia Qingyi behind slightly as he noticed that the rest were staring straight at her. He said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s not early anymore. Let¡¯s go and eat.¡± When they had reached the restaurant, there were a few females from thew firm sitting at the same table as Mo Han. Xia Qingyi understood the moment she saw the gentle way they had looked at Mo Han. She secretly said to Mo Han, who was next to her, ¡°There¡¯s quite a few females from yourw firm that are lusting over your beauty.¡± Mo Han red at her, as he said quietly, ¡°Just eat.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xia Qingyi replied as she sat obediently. She yed with the cutlery while waiting for the dishes to be brought over. They kept chatting as they ate. Xia Qingyi was the only one who kept quiet with her eyes opened wide while she ate nonstop. Everything should give way to delicious food. ¡°Come, Barrister Mo. Let me give you a toast.¡± Liu Zhiyuan came from Xia Qingyi¡¯s direction with half a ss of wine in his hands, wanting to pass to Mo Han. Mo Han stood up. He smiled slightly as he resisted, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I still can¡¯t drink since my stomach had just recovered.¡± Liu Zhiyuan hit his head, ¡°Look at me! My brain can¡¯t work suddenly. My boss definitely can¡¯t drink since he just had a surgery. Oh, my memory!¡± Liu Zhiyuan put his ss on the table before he walked towards the rest. Xia Qingyi, who had been sitting down, did not pay any attention to their conversation. She had choked a little after having eaten too fast, and she hurriedly picked up the ss on her right, wanting to drink some water. Only, she could only feel the burning sensation after taking arge gulp. Her mouth and throat was filled with the taste of strong spirit. ¡°Ah?!¡± Xia Qingyi cried as she held onto her throat. Mo Han look at her, asking hurriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He quickly took the ss from her hands after seeing it, ¡°You drank alcohol?!¡± Xia Qingyi only felt better after hurriedly drinking another big gulp of water, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that it was alcohol in it.¡± ¡°Alcohol is alcohol while water is water. They taste different. How could you have mistaken?¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows together. He looked at the nearly empty ss in his hand as he said, ¡°You drank it all?!¡± A man sitting on the other side next to Xia Qingyi asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± She waved her hand around before she pinched her throat once more. The burning sensation was undoubtedly ufortable, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Have you drank before? How¡¯s your alcohol tolerance level? If you feel ufortable, then just rest for a while over there.¡± He asked considerately. ¡°I¡¯ve never drunk before. I don¡¯t know my alcohol tolerance level either. All I see that it¡¯s burning so badly. Why do you all like to drink such things?¡± Heughed, ¡°Who knows?¡± Mo Han was a little unhappy as he stared at the two who were chatting without leaving some space for himself. He stared at the man next to Xia Qingyi. It was Zhang Jingchen. He had heard before that he was exceptionally good at making girls happy privately, but he had never really paid any attention to his private life, seeing that he worked diligently and conscientiously. It was definitely so now that he had seen it today. Subconsciously, he wanted Xia Qingyi to stay away from Zhang Jingchen. Xia Qingyi, who had been sitting next to him, did not think so much. She coughed twice before picking up her chopsticks calmly to start eating again as she had not taken what had happened to heart. Mo Han was slightly assured after seeing that Xia Qingyi was not acting any differently. The person sitting next to him started to talk to him again about some things rted to work, and he could only listen to the former speak. Chapter 95 - Kiss

Chapter 95: Kiss

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios When he had turned his head over again, Xia Qingyi had her head resting on one hand while the other was still holding onto her chopsticks. She had stopped eating, however. She was looking down, though he had no idea what she was doing. Mo Han asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you feel ufortable?¡± Xia Qingyi looked up and shook her head as she smiled at him. Mo Han felt a little uneasy at Xia Qingyi¡¯s smile for some reason. There was something abnormal about her. Xia Qingyi ced the chopsticks down as she straightened her back. She ced both of her hands on the table to support her head with a wide smile. She looked at everyone around her. Her voice was neither loud nor soft, ¡°Are you guys... ready?¡± The attention of everyone at the table suddenlynded on her as they looked at her puzzled. No-one knew what had happened. Xia Qingyi was still smiling widely, ¡°Then I¡¯ll begin.¡± ¡°Three.¡± Xia Qingyi counted by herself. Mo Han felt that something was wrong. He quickly pulled her arm, thinking she had gotten drunk as he asked, puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Two.¡± Xia Qingyi giggled. For some unknown reason, the people sitting at the table started to be nervous. They had forgotten to speak as they only looked at her. ¡°One.¡± Xia Qingyi turned over to look at Mo Han without any buffer time once she was done speaking. She then gripped Mo Han by the chin with her right hand to pull his head down and she moved forward to kiss him. Mo Han was astonished when their lips touched each other. He watched Xia Qingyi helplessly. She had her eyes closed as she kissed him. Her lips were soft and moist, like cotton candy. She was so close to him that he could hear her soft and subtle breathing. By the time he had realized what was happening, Xia Qingyi had already pushed him away. She turned to look at Zhang Jingchen, who was on her right, before moving forward to kiss him as well. Everyone at the table was bewildered. They did not know how to react to what was happening in front of them. Mo Han was the only that had moved to pull Xia Qingyi back by her hand when she was about to kiss Zhang Jingchen. Though, no-one had expected Xia Qingyi to ignore Mo Han¡¯s actions as she continued to lift her hands, wanting to embrace Zhang Jingchen by his neck. Zhang Jingchen, on the other hand, might have been too surprised as he merely looked at Xia Qingyi with his eyes wide opened while his body remained unmoved. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mo Han stood up to hug Xia Qingyi. With a strong pull, he separated the two. Xia Qingyi slumped against Mo Han as she could not be bothered to use her energy. She continued to smile widely, though her eyes were shining with seduction, ¡°Why are you so worried for? It¡¯s only been two.¡± Mo Han hugged her waist as he propped her slumping body down with her hands. His expression was frozen like ice, ¡°You¡¯re drunk.¡± Xia Qingyiughed once as she turned her head to point at the others sitting at the table, ¡°You guys... No-one can run away.¡± Everyone at the table started tough out loud at the state that she was in. They started toe and console Mo Han, ¡°Boss, the way that your younger sister acts when she is drunk is really special!¡± Mo Han kept quiet as he did all he could to handle Xia Qingyi, who had been struggling in his embrace restlessly. She was pulling Mo Han¡¯s hand on one hand, while moving her head toward the others as she closed her eyes, wanting to kiss that person again. Mo Han was seriously angry as he freed one of his hand to cover Xia Qingyi¡¯s mouth. He told that person, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for letting you all see such a thing happen.¡± The rest ryed that they understood as they joked, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Boss¡¯ younger sister is so pretty that I wouldn¡¯t mind letting her kiss me.¡± Xia Qingyi was extremely restless as she red at Mo Han. She made some noises, wanting to run away from Mo Han. ¡°Let me tell you, Xia Qingyi. If you continue to act like this, I won¡¯t let you into the house tonight!¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice was extremely strict. Everyone at the gathering was undoubtedly scared when he had said this out loud with his eyebrows furrowed. Chapter 96 - Crying From Misery

Chapter 96: Crying From Misery

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios He did not expect for Xia Qingyi to start crying all of a sudden. Her tears fell drop by drop as she sniffled while sobs came out of her covered mouth. She closed her eyes in misery as she pushed Mo Han with all her might. Mo Han started to panic at her tears. He had never seen Xia Qingyi cry before. He could only release his hand covering her mouth helplessly as he did not know what to do. He started to wipe her tears as his tone turned undeniably soft, ¡°Why are you crying? Don¡¯t cry.¡± Everyone that had seen what just happened had their jaws dropped. They had never seen Mo Han speak like that in their many years of working in thew firm. From their impression, Mo Han was the spokesperson for being cold and quiet. He had no rtion to the words consoling, gentle and soft. But now, what was the current situation counted as? ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. Please eat first, everyone. I¡¯ll bring her out for a while and we¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Mo Han bowed his head as he excused himself. With Xia Qingyi¡¯s current condition, he could not leave her here. Mo Han had a hand around her waist as he pulled her with difficulty towards a quieter corridor. He had let her lean against the wall, though his hand was still wrapped around her waist in fear that she would slide down the wall. Xia Qingyi was still crying as she sobbed silently. Tears covered her face. Mo Han sighed. He whispered while wiping away the tears on her face, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s my fault, alright?¡± ¡°Why do you have to be so fierce to me? What did I do wrong?¡± Xia Qingyi said as she wept and wailed. It was Mo Han¡¯s first time being so soft-spoken when talking to someone. His tone was undeniably soft as he hugged her. He let her lean against his shoulder as he caressed the back of her head softly, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. It¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have been so fierce. Don¡¯t cry.¡± Xia Qingyi did not speak as she leaned on him while still trembling slightly. Mo Han patted her. He waited until she had recovered before asking, ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± She did not reply. Mo Han looked over to see her resting on his shoulder without moving. She seemed to have fallen asleep. Mo Han did not know what to say as he sighed softly before carrying her princess-style carefully. He walked towards the restaurant lobby to ask the staff if there were other empty rooms. The front-desk staff looked at the tall and handsome man who was carrying a girl and looking for a private room stunned. She was guessing what the two wanted to do. Mo Han could see the confusion in her eyes as he exined hurriedly, ¡°You¡¯ve thought wrong. This is my younger sister and she¡¯s drunk. I want to ce her there for a while before taking her back home after I¡¯ve gotten my belongings.¡± She went to find her supervisor half believing and half skeptical of his words. They had gotten him to ce Xia Qingyi on a small sofa in a narrow storeroom. Mo Han had ced her on the sofa before telling them to help look after Xia Qingyi for a while and that he would be back soon. Mo Han ran back to the room they were in originally. He picked up Xia Qingyi¡¯s belongings that she had ced on the chair and his documents when he faced everyone¡¯s questioning eyes as he said, ¡°She doesn¡¯t feel veryfortable tonight so I¡¯ll take her back first. I¡¯ve already paid for the meal. I¡¯ve also contacted the bar upstairs, so you can just go up to yter.¡± He did not have time to see the expressions of the other¡¯s as he left swiftly. He ran towards the storeroom where he had left Xia Qingyi. Mo Han pushed open the storeroom door to see that Xia Qingyi was not sleeping at that moment. She was sitting on the sofa, looking straight at Mo Han who had appeared at the door. Chapter 97 - Kissing Again

Chapter 97: Kissing Again

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han stared at her indecent smile and his heart sank. It¡¯s starting again. ¡°Why are you awake?¡± he asked. Xia Qingyi merely smiled at him in a docile manner as she sat on the sofa. She was swaying left and right, as if she was going to fall on the floor. ¡°Is there more alcohol? I want to drink!¡± Mo Han supported her as he furrowed his eyebrows. He let her lean on her shoulder, ¡°It only took a little alcohol to get you so drunk and act like this.¡± Xia Qingyi leaned on Mo Han¡¯s chest as her hands wrapped around Mo Han¡¯s neck. She shifted against him, ¡°I want to drink.¡± Mo Han pulled her hand away, as he said impatiently, ¡°Let me say once again, do you believe that I¡¯d throw you out of the house tonight?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xia Qingyi merely smiled as she did not let go. Mo Han half pulled half carried Xia Qingyi up as he let her continue to talk nonsense to herself. He merely frowned as he brought her out, wanting to go buy some hangover medicine for her then bring her home to get a good sleep. When he had just brought her over to the side of his car however, Xia Qingyi started to be restless again just as he was ready to force her into the car. ¡°I want to ride the bicycle back!¡± ¡°What bicycle do you want to ride? Get in quick.¡± Mo Han pulled her hand. Xia Qingyi shook him away swiftly as she shook her head, ¡°No. I just want the bicycle.¡± Mo Han sighed, increasing the strength of his grip on her hand while he opened the door with his other hand. He forced her into the front passenger seat in his car before closing the door. He then rushed over to the side of the car where the driver¡¯s seat was. He had not even sat properly in the car after entering the car when Xia Qingyi suddenly opened the car door and rushed out. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Mo Han could only chase after her. All he saw was that Xia Qingyi had run over to where a boy was pushing a bicycle by the road. She was holding on the boy¡¯s bicycle, unwilling to let go as she stared straight at him. ¡°I want to ride your bicycle!¡± Xia Qingyi pouted Mo Han rushed over, having noticed that that boy was looking at her puzzled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. My younger sister¡¯s drunk today. Please do not mind her words.¡± Mo Han exined. ¡°I¡¯m not drunk! Did I drink?! You didn¡¯t even let me drink when I wanted to!¡± Xia Qingyi red at him. She was afraid that the boy would not believe her and she turned to him and exhaled with her mouth opened, ¡°Don¡¯t you believe? Smell it?¡± Mo Han could only feel a headacheing as he pulled her hand to head back, ¡°Are you done with your ruckus? Let¡¯s go home as soon as possible.¡± ¡°No! No! I want to ride the bicycle!¡± ¡°Stop ying. Let¡¯s go back as soon as possible.¡± Xia Qingyi did not want to let go of the bicycle that she was pulling at, ¡°No, I just want to ride the bicycle! Even if it¡¯s just for a while!¡± Mo Han sighed. His head hurt really badly from her words. He had never got into such a situation before in his life. It was because of the damn alcohol. He would have watched her closely so that she would not have touched even a single drop of alcohol if he had known that Xia Qingyi would be like this after drinking. The boy standing at the side nced at Mo Han¡¯s expression, then he nced at Xia Qingyi who had a begging expression. His heart softened a little, ¡°How about this, Mr? Since I¡¯m not rushing home today, you can use the bicycle to bring her back if she really wants to sit on the bicycle. You just need leave your contact so that I can go over to take the bicycle tomorrow.¡± ¡°No, that would be too troublesome for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that troublesome. I think you¡¯d have a hard time bringing her home if she didn¡¯t sit on the bicycle today.¡± the boy smiled. He let go of his hold on the bicycle as he signaled for Xia Qingyi to hold on the bicycle herself. Xia Qingyi immediately broke into a wide smile. She hugged the boy¡¯s neck and kissed him suddenly when he was totally unprepared. ¡°Xia Qingyi!¡± Mo Han pulled her back. His face was so dark that it seemed like he could kill someone in the next second. Chapter 98 - Kissing Technique

Chapter 98: Kissing Technique

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han said to the boy who looked extremely lost, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She must have scared you. She bes like this after drinking.¡± The boy nced at Xia Qingyi as he merely smiled helplessly. Mo Han could not let her stay here for any longer. He took out one of his name cards from his pocket and said, ¡°It¡¯s a really special situation today. We¡¯ll ride your bicycle if you really don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ll return the bicycle to where you want if you give me an address. I¡¯ll even give you somepensation to show my gratitude.¡± The boy expressed his understanding as he told Mo Han his address, before he let Mo Han leave with Xia Qingyi on the bicycle. Mo Han was extremely drained as he rode the bicycle, with what had happened after Xia Qingyi be drunk. The biggestfort to him right now was for him to see her reach home safely and go to bed to sleep. It was a pity, however that Xia Qingyi did not understand his thoughts as she started giggling to herself. Her limbs danced around continuously while she started to murmur inaudibly. Mo Han was worried that she would fall as he merely said, ¡°Settle down a little. Hold on to me obediently.¡± Xia Qingyi held tightly onto his waist with both her hands suddenly, while her head leaned on his back. Mo Han almost shook his hand and stirred the bicycle into another direction in shock with her actions. ¡°Did you like it?¡± Xia Qingyi started to speak again behind him. Mo Han continued to ride the bicycle as he ignored her. ¡°Did you like it?!¡± Xia Qingyi shook his body as she increased her volume. ¡°What?¡± Mo Han was a little annoyed. ¡°That kiss.¡± Xia Qingyiughed softly. Mo Han was really surprised this time as the bicycle braked suddenly. Xia Qingyi bumped hard against his back. Though, he remained quiet as he started to ride the bicycle again. ¡°Say something? Did you like it?¡± Mo Han knew that there was no need to be so serious to a drunk person, but he still replied nonchntly, ¡°That, was not a kiss.¡± ¡°Are you questioning my kissing technique?!¡± Xia Qingyi was slightly infuriated as she replied seriously. Though, with her shaking head and half-opened eyes, it was hard to believe that she was in fact serious. Mo Han shook his head. He really did not want to speak anymore. He let Xia Qingyi continue to nag behind him without a care as he continued to ride the bicycle silently in front. Fortunately, Xia Qingyi had already fallen asleep on his back when they reached home. He did not dare to wake her as he carried her princess-style softly. The way back home was a challenge as he had to carry her carefully before he finally ced her down on her bed. Mo Han panted slightly as he stared at her harmless face while she slept. The day had finallye to an end. He did not know what Xia Qingyi¡¯s reaction would be when she remembered what had happened when she woke up tomorrow. He did not want to think about it further. The thing that he had wanted to do most now is to go and get a nice sleep. In the morning of the second day, Mo Han had only realized that the house waspletely silent after he had woke up and had put on his suit after refreshing himself. It was so quiet that it was a little scary. He walked over to the door of Xia Qingyi¡¯s room. No one answered after he had knocked on the door, so he had pushed opened the door. He immediately saw her still sleeping on the bed with the nket covering her head. Her thin and white calves were exposed while the nket covered every part of her upper body. Her face could not even be seen while the nket under her calves had been curled shapelessly. Mo Han was seriously worried that she would suffocate. Chapter 99 - Taking a Peek

Chapter 99: Taking a Peek

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios He walked over and pulled Xia Qingyi¡¯s nket away. He covered her with the nket once more with just a look. He turned away with a burning sensation in his face. Why was Xia Qingyi not wearing anything at all?! Mo Han had still seen everything despite having taken just a nce. Her right hand was resting on her head while her messy hair covered a good half of her face. Apart from that, there was also an image that made his face burn. There were mellow and delicate shoulders, and pearly white breasts with a pretty shape caused by her lying on her side. Her breasts could be seen faintly, together with her thin waist that seemed as though it would break if he held it. Mo Han¡¯s action when he ced the nket on Xia Qingyi must have been big as she had woken up. She looked at Mo Han who was standing by her bed and had his back facing her with her sleepy eyes. Her head hurt as she turned in bed. She had not noticed any difference in her current situation and thought that Mo Han had onlye to her room to get something. Her head turned to continue lying in bed for a while as per usual. ¡°What time is it, older brother?¡± Xia Qingyi had her eyes closed. Her voice was low and husky. Mo Han merely turned a little, ¡°You should get up.¡± Xia Qingyi hummed once, only to finally realize that the feeling she had of sleeping on the bed was different from the other days. She moved as she suddenly thought of a possibility. She looked under her nket and almost screamed. Why was she naked?! Xia Qingyi immediately tightened the nket wrapped around her as she tried to recall in detail what she had done yesterday. The scary thing was that she could not seem to recall anything. Was she not eating at the restaurant with Mo Han? She was enjoying her meal too. What happened then?! What happened then?! She stared at Mo Han who was facing her with his side as she asked pryingly, ¡°What did I do yesterday?¡± Mo Han turned back. He recalled what he had just seen as he looked at her surprised and scared expression. His eyes subconsciously looked towards another spot, ¡°You drank some alcohol and started to act a little crazy.¡± ¡°Then why am I not wearing anything now?¡± The words seemed to just came out of Xia Qingyi¡¯s mouth. Mo Han looked at how she had the nket wrapped tightly around her with only her head out of the nket. For some reason, he was feeling a little guilty as Xia Qingyi stared straight at him, ¡°What are you talking about?! You.. you... not wearing anything has no rtion to me. I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± Mo Han only realized that he had stammered for the first time in his life after he was done speaking with his incoherent words. He could not even speak properly as awyer. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that it was you. What I¡¯d meant was what did I do after I¡¯d drank yesterday? I can¡¯t remember anything at all now.¡± Xia Qingyi wanted to know more about the missing memory she had after she had drank. ¡°You didn¡¯t do much. You¡¯d just grabbed my colleague and kissed him once.¡± Mo Han left out the part about him getting kissed, as well as many other details. He did not want to think about what had happened yesterday again. Xia Qingyi was quite surprised, as she whispered to herself that it was impossible. She asked again, ¡°What about my clothes then? Why am I not wearing anything?¡± ¡°How should I know why you¡¯re not wearing anything? I went back to my room to sleep immediately after I¡¯d brought you back. Don¡¯t you know what you did?¡± Mo Han started to exin in a hurry suddenly. Xia Qingyi did not understand why Mo Han looked so panicked, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? I didn¡¯t say you were the one who took my clothes off. Even if you did, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything good to look at on my body.¡± Xia Qingyiughed once instead, as her expression was one that did not mind what had happened. Mo Han looked at her in disbelief. ¡°What I¡¯ve said is the truth. There¡¯s nothing nice to see when it¡¯s all just scars.¡± Xia Qingyi wanted to tease Mo Han who was standing in front of the window suddenly. She had found his stony yet panicking expression to be too much fun. She wanted to pull away the nket, as she said while smiling, ¡°Do you want me to show you now? Do you want to see?!¡± Chapter 100 - In the Water

Chapter 100: In the Water

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han turned his face away again, ¡°Xia Qingyi! Please pay some attention on yourself, can¡¯t you?¡± He said again ,¡±You should get out of bed soon. Don¡¯t you need to go to school? I won¡¯t take you to school today. I need to go to work soon.¡± With that said, he immediately left Xia Qingyi¡¯s room as he left herughing to herself alone. Xia Qingyi was a little busy these few days. It was not long before it was the examination for the changing of her course. She was able to use her own capability to understand the course materials most of the time, though there were some theoretical knowledge that required her to keep looking at the books in order to keep them in her brain. That was why she had arrived at school early everyday for these few days and spent most of her time in the library. She had even rejected Zhang Yang who wanted her help in analyzing the details of the next kidnapping case. Zhang Yang did not give up and even came to look for her at the school. It became a norm for Zhang Yang toe and sit in the library with her, while he sat next to her and watch her study. He would then eagerly take out the information to let her take a look when she was taking a break in the middle. Xia Qingyi felt that she could not possibly stay away from this policemen anymore. The good thing however, was that Zhang Yang would only ask for Xia Qingyi¡¯s help when he was not able to understand the case. He would act as if she did not exist usually and not contact her. This made Xia Qingyi more at ease as she did not want to have too much interaction with the police. She still did not understand why she always felt a little apprehensive whenever she saw them wearing their police uniform. It was not fear that she felt, but a type of feeling that she wanted to avoid them unconsciously. Xia Qingyi finally felt herself rx after the examination for the changing of her course had ended. When Mo Han had called her to ask about her performance, she had patted herself on the chest as she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Just wait to see my results!¡± Talking about Mo Han, Xia Qingyi had not really dared to go to hisw firm ever since that incident. She would feel extremely awkward and want to bury herself to hide away at the thought that she had once kissed his colleague in thew firm when she was drunk. Of course, she would probably never know what had happened that night that Mo Han had not told her about. A few days ago, Mo Han had ordered her to not drink even a single sip of alcohol in the future. She could not drink alcohol in any situation. If any others wanted her to drink, she would reject them with the reason that she was allergic to alcohol. Mo Han had not given her any reason when she had asked why. Xia Qingyi would scoff at Mo Han for his behavior like this sometimes, though unfortunately she could not do anything about it. Mo Han had been rather busy these few days, though the correct thing would be to say that he was busy everyday. An example was today. Xia Qingyi had finally gotten the chance to not go to ss after the examination. She had been immersed in the movie she was watching at home when Mo Han had called her to ask her to bring a document to the hotel next to the courts. He had been discussing the details for a partnership with the otherpany at the hotel lobby. He also had a meeting about the details for the second trial of a case at the courtster. He only realizedter that he had left a more important document at home. The vague reason for forgetting was because Xia Qingyi had brought him a cup of coffee before she had gone to sleep when he had just finished tidying the document. He had been afraid that the coffee might spill on it, so he had ced the document on the rack at one corner. He had forgotten the document when he had left the house too early. Xia Qingyi said that she would take about half an hour to send it to the hotel. As a result, she had to turn off the television reluctantly. She had thrown on a shirt randomly before she took the document and headed to the hotel. Xia Qingyi called him when she had reached the hotel entrance, though the call did not go through. It was afterwards that Mo Han had sent her a message to tell her that he was still in the meeting, and that she should go to the meeting room nearest to the outdoor swimming pool on the right of the lobby at the first floor. Xia Qingyi had found the swimming pool. However, she had stopped in her steps after she had incidentally nced at the pool. Do you know the feeling of falling into freezing cold water? That was how Xia Qingyi was feeling right now. Every cell in her body froze. The only difference was that her heart kept thumping nonstop, forming a strong pressure in her chest. Chapter 101 - Pain

Chapter 101: Pain

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios A cold sweat dripped from the top of her head. She knew that she was afraid. She knew that she would feel afraid, extreme fear, for unknown reasons as long as she was looking at the swimming pool in front of her. She did not have time to think of the reason for this. All she knew was that she had to stay far away from it, to stay far away from this ce. Xia Qingyi lowered her head, as she walked around the swimming pool while taking deep breaths. She had finally seen the meeting room that Mo Han had mentioned. The meeting room was only separated from the swimming pool by a huge ss door. She pushed open the ss door and stood by the entrance of the meeting room before she messaged Mo Han to tell him that she had arrived. Mo Han was quick toe out. Xia Qingyi had pushed the document into his hands before she turned immediately, wanting to leave. Mo Han felt that something was wrong with her and he grabbed her straight away to ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xia Qingyi merely shook her head. Every cell in her body was tensed while her blood seemed to have solidified. The swimming pool that was separated from her by a ss door had became the thorn in her heart. ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± Mo Han observed her face. The skin of her face had started to form small and thin beads of sweat. Xia Qingyi nodded with her head down. ¡°If you feel unwell, go back and get a good sleep after you go home. I¡¯ll bring the red bean pastries that you love to eat home tonight.¡± Mo Han did not think too much, assuming that she just wanted to go home to continue watching her movie. The meeting was still going on inside. He could not stay to long outside. He said, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll...¡± He then saw Xia Qingyi leave quickly with her head down. Mo Han nced once at her back view, before he pushed open the door of the meeting room and entered it. On the other hand, Xia Qingyi was currently pushing open the ss door as she walked around the gigantic swimming pool with her head still down. Her peripheral vision could still see the unknown deepness in the swimming pool. This made her continue to suppress the fear within her as she continued forward with her head still down. There is this saying in the world that said that whatever is feared wille. There is a thing called destiny. When she had walked to the center, a small side door next to the walking path had opened. A hotel waiter came out holding a tray with many wine sses ced on it. The waiter was afraid that she would bump into her and break the sses, which was why she had turned to her side when Xia Qingyi passed by quickly. However, Xia Qingyi was extremely sensitive at this point. The hem of the waiter¡¯s shirt had merely brushed by her skin and she instinctively pushed her away and moved back. It was only then that she remembered that there was a swimming pool behind her and she rushed forward as she trembled. The tray in the waitress¡¯ hand shook a little after she had been pushed by Xia Qingyi. The waitress hurriedly tried to stabilize the sses on the tray before she saw Xia Qingyi moving towards her again. She moved to the side hurriedly to avoid her, only to lose her footing. She tried to grab onto Xia Qingyi as a reflex as she was about to fall. However, Xia Qingyi over-reacted and pushed her away with all of her strength. She started to move backwards, as if there was a monster waiting in front of her. She did not even have the strength to look at where she was stepping and she moved back until she was by the edge of the swimming pool. The edge still had some water on it. She slipped, and then she was falling into the swimming pool with her head facing down. What Xia Qingyi did not know, was that it was the deep region of the swimming pool under her feet. There was arge ssh as water went everywhere. By the pool, there were sounds of the waiter falling down, crisp sounds of the sses breaking and theints and scoldings of the waiter. However, she could not hear anything. All of her senses had stopped working when Xia Qingyi had fallen into the water. The only thought she had was that her heart had hurt badly. It was so painful that she could die from it. For some unknown reason, she had suddenly remembered that she had a knife scar on her chest. It was caused by someone putting a knife in her. Who was that person? Xia Qingyi thought as she kept her eyes open in the quiet and dark blue water. Chapter 102 - I Remembered

Chapter 102: I Remembered

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Her body sank bit by bit as her heart stopped aching. What came next was a type of pain in her head that was so heart-wrenching. Fragments of memories followed after. She saw a man. That man had injuries and was bleeding all over his body. He was looking at her as he pleaded with his hoarse voice to save him, that he did not want to die. She was crying. She kept crying as she stared at that man. That man said, ¡°Please promise me something, Miss. This is the only thing I keep in my heart.¡± She walked into a dark alley. It was raining. That man shouted, ¡°You can¡¯te out! You can¡¯te out! You can¡¯te out even if I die!¡± Her body hurt badly, especially at the spot at the back of her back. A needle was piercing through her skin bit by bit. There was a person speaking into her ear. That person¡¯s voice was filled with hatred. Remember the pain you are feeling on your body. Remember the pain that you are suffering right now. Xia Qingyi shook her head desperately. The memories just seemed to kept fast forwarding as they assaulted her mind. The water that surrounded her entered her nostrils and filled her mouth. The more she struggled, the more water entered her body. She stopped struggling finally as her body sank deeper and deeper. And she returned to the same dream that she had when she was still in aa in the hospital, that she was floating in the deep sea. The waiter on the coast had thought that she knew how to swim and she cared only to pick up and tidy the broken ss shards. When she had looked at the water once she was done tidying, she started to panic when there was still no movement. She hurriedly shouted for the people outside toe and save her. People who had been passing by hurriedly took off their shoes and jumped into the water when they saw the waiter shouting for help. Xia Qingyi was in a daze when she felt someone put their arms around her neck and started to pull her towards the surface of the water. She looked at the bright and shiny world through the water and she suddenly heard her faint and weak voice. If I¡¯m dead, just take it as repayment for the help you gave me before. If I¡¯m still alive, I won¡¯t being back. You can just pretend that I don¡¯t exist. Xia Qingyi looked at the shiny appearance outside and heard the sound of her breaking out of the water. The passer-by ced her on the floor, wanting to see if she was alright. If not, she would be given cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, they did not expect that Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes to be open. Her mouth was also slightly open as she stared at the sky above her, unmoving. The passer-by ced his hand under her nostrils and found that she was still breathing weakly. For a moment, he did not know what to do as he stared at her. He merely shook her before asking, ¡°Are you alright? Miss?¡± The meeting that Mo Han had been in was disrupted by themotion outside. The person opposite him paused for a second or so before he continued once more. Mo Han, however, felt slightly uneasy all of a sudden. He had a bad premonition as he thought of Xia Qingyi¡¯s unusual expression earlier. He stood up suddenly, telling the rest that he was going to go out for a while as he had something to do. He saw a group of people gathering next to the swimming pool once he had left. There was a person lying on the floor and he could barely see a pair of shoes. He was sure that they were Xia Qingyi¡¯s shoes. Mo Han ran over as he felt his heart tremble for a moment. He pushed past the crowd and saw Xia Qingyi lying on the floor with her body drenched and her eyes opened wide. He squatted down, shouting as he patted her face, ¡°Xia Qingyi! Xia Qingyi!¡± The people surrounding around told him, ¡°She¡¯d just fallen into the water and had been like that ever since she came up. She won¡¯t talk even though she¡¯s awake.¡± Her body was extremely cold as Mo Han helped her up. He did not care about the wetness of her body as he let Xia Qingyi lean on him. He caressed her drenched hair and said to the person next to him, ¡°Please help me get a towel.¡± Mo Han thought that she had been frightened, as he caressed her hair patiently. He hugged her, trying to pass her some of his body heat, ¡°You¡¯re fine. You¡¯re fine.¡± He looked down to see her hand pulling the hem of his shirt. Her eyes, however, had no shine in them. The person next to him brought the towel over. Mo Han quickly opened the towel and covered Xia Qingyi¡¯s wet body with it. He wrapped her shivering body while drying her hair softly and gently with the towel. ¡°I remember now.¡± Xia Qingyi whispered softly by Mo Han¡¯s ear. Chapter 103 - Life-Saving Straw

Chapter 103: Life-Saving Straw

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han paused his actions. He kept quiet even as he continued to dry Xia Qingyi¡¯s hair. He carried her princess-style after he had dried her hair for a while. He walked to the hotel lobby as he passed the crowd, before he asked the lobby to give him a room. Mo Han ced her on the bed after they had reached the room. Xia Qingyi continued to sit there nkly without a word. Mo Han found a bathrobe in the room, before he squatted down and ced it in her hands. He said as he looked at her eyes, ¡°Go take a shower. I¡¯ll talk to you after you¡¯re done.¡± The sparkle in Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes moved a little as she slowly stood up. She walked towards the bathroom stiffly with her head down, before she lightly closed the door. Sshes started toe from the bathroom as Mo Han sat at the bed in the room. Though, he could not stop moving as he stood up for a while and walked around the room, before he sat down again. Xia Qingyi came out quickly. Her hair was still wet as droplets of water dripped down and wet the floor. She nced at Mo Han who was sitting on the bed. She leaned on the wall behind her with a towel in her hand. She kept quiet as she looked down again. Mo Han pulled her over to sit on the bed. He took the towel in her hands to dry her hair, ¡°Tell me.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at her fingers. Her voice was low and husky, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say it.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°You can start from what you want to talk about the most.¡± Xia Qingyi took a deep breath. She slowly rxed at Mo Han¡¯s actions, ¡°I thought about a dead man.¡± Mo Han did not act any differently as he continued to dry Xia Qingyi¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯d only briefly remembered some things that he¡¯d told me. He told me to promise him something. He called me Miss as he begged me to save me.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s tears dropped as she gripped tightly onto the shirt under her hands unconsciously. ¡°He was begging me to save him. He begged me to save him...¡± Xia Qingyi choked. Mo Han stopped drying her hair and sat next to her, ¡°How do you know he died?¡± ¡°He¡¯s definitely dead.¡± Xia Qingyi felt scared whenever she thought of that scene, ¡°He was bleeding all over his body. There was a lot of blood.¡± She waspletely sucked into the scene that had appeared in her mind. The speed of her words became faster and faster, and be more incoherent. She said everything that she had remembered. ¡°I¡¯d also heard him telling me not toe out! To note out even if I¡¯m dead! He was begging and shouting at me.¡± ¡°I kept crying and crying. I then walked into a small alley. It was raining there. Yes, it was raining. I remember now. The floor was very wet that day, and...¡± Mo Han grabbed her hands to make her calm down, ¡°Listen to me, don¡¯t think about anything else. You only have to tell me, did you remember what your name was?¡± Xia Qingyi froze. She looked at Mo Han with her face filled with tears. She shook her head and cried out again, ¡°I can¡¯t remember... I don¡¯t know... His body was filled with blood... I heard him calling me Miss... He wanted me to help him... He wanted me to help him, but, I didn¡¯t have any idea how to... I didn¡¯t have any idea how to...¡± Mo Han hugged her as he caressed her head infort, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to think about if you can¡¯t remember. I¡¯m here.¡± Xia Qingyi kept crying. She could not help but shiver whenever she thought about being back in the water. ¡°I couldn¡¯t save him... His body was full of blood... Full of blood...¡± Xia Qingyi cried loudly, breaking the hearts of anyone who could hear. Mo Han could feel her deep helplessness as he gently caressed her head. She kept shivering within his embrace. Her hands gripped tightly onto his shirt, as if it was the only straw that could save her. Chapter 104 - Sleep

Chapter 104: Sleep

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han vaguely heard his own phone ring. It had to be from the people at the meeting just now, but Mo Han did not pick it up. For the first time, he avoided work-rted matters, chose to let the phone continue ringing, and gently spoke into Xia Qingyi¡¯s ear, ¡°That¡¯s not your fault... It¡¯s okay... It¡¯s all in the past...¡± Mo Han did not know what she had experienced in the past to cause her to be in such pain today. Thest time she cried was when she had a dream, and she could not remember the dream after waking up at all and could only cry. Mo Han guessed that the scene from the dream was probably simr to the one today. He only felt distressed hugging Xia Qingyi¡¯s trembling body; he did not wish for her to remember the memories from the past. ¡°I¡¯ll take you home, go back and get a good sleep. Don¡¯t think anymore,¡± Mo Han pulled Xia Qingyi away and wiped the tear streaks off her face. Xia Qingyi calmed down a little and opened her eyes. Seeing that Mo Han¡¯s white shirt was full of her own snot and tears, she felt a little embarrassed and reached her hand out to wipe them off, looking at him innocently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I dirtied your clothes.¡± Mo Han looked at his own clothes, turned his head away in disgust and stood up to find tissues to clean them. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll send you back.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you still having a meeting?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll call and inform themter,¡± Mo Han rearranged his own suit and threw the tissues into the trash basket. Xia Qingyi sniffed, ¡°I can go back myself.¡± Mo Han walked towards the door, opened it and looked back at her sitting on the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It won¡¯t take very long.¡± Xia Qingyi then walked over and followed behind him. Mo Han walked as he called the people from the meeting at the same time, exining that there was a personal matter he had to handle and asked them to proceed with the meeting and to just send the minutes to him. Xia Qingyi was a little absent-minded during the trip back, and she kept looking at the winding streets outside from the inside of the car. This was the first time that she had clearly felt that some memories from the past were actually important to her. Even if they could be very painful. Even if she had lost them. She suddenly felt that the scenes she had remembered in the water had to be important to her past life, or could be important in her future. Without those, she would not beplete. She could still remember thest sentence that appeared in her brain as she broke through the water surface: ¡°If I died, just take it as repayment for the help you gave me before. If I¡¯m still alive, I won¡¯t being back. You can just pretend that I don¡¯t existed.¡± She felt that her own heart had stopped beating the moment she remembered it. ¡°Have a good sleep first, I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Mo Han said as he closed the door to Xia Qingyi¡¯s room. It was probably because she was really tired, she waved in Mo Han¡¯s direction,y down and drifted off to sleep. She had a difficult time sleeping. She woke up a few times intermittently and drifted blurredly back to sleep, and she was still asleep when Mo Han came back. Mo Han immediately came back after he finished settling the things there. He entered the house and seeing that the lights in the living room were switched off, knew that Xia Qingyi was still asleep. He went into her room and as expected, Xia Qingyi was still sleeping on the bed with her hair in a mess, her head poking out of the nket. He nudged her, and after she blinked her eyes and woke, he said, ¡°Wake up, I bought food for you.¡± Xia Qingyi walked out with a head of messy hair and her eyes still heavy with sleep, and saw that Mo Han bought food for two people and had already ced it on the table. He had even bought her favorite red bean pastries. Chapter 105 - Im Dead

Chapter 105: I¡¯m Dead

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± Mo Han asked, sitting down. ¡°Yeah,¡± Xia Qingyi only nodded and sat down to eat. Mo Han sat opposite her, and the two of them ate in silence. Xia Qingyi slowed down as she ate, thought, and spoke in the end, ¡°I want to try and look for them.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mo Han looked at her. ¡°My past memories.¡± Xia Qingyi said seriously, ¡°I thought a lot, and I feel that I can¡¯t always remain like this and stay at your house. You have to lead your own life. And I also want to know what happened to me in the past, I want to try and find my past memories.¡± ¡°How are you going to do it?¡± Even though Mo Han did not look at her, Xia Qingyi felt that his face did not look good. ¡°I... don¡¯t know... I can probably start by looking at the hospital records first.¡± She could hear that Mo Han¡¯s tone was not happy, and he kept his head lowered as he ate. ¡°Did you think that I didn¡¯t try before? Before your adoption, I thoroughly searched there and I didn¡¯t find any useful information at all.¡± ¡°Then... from the alley that I¡¯d remembered. Even though it¡¯s hazy, but I... still want to try... if I could remember a little bit more...¡± Xia Qingyi was interrupted by Mo Han. ¡°Start your investigation from a hazy image?! Don¡¯t you think this is very impractical?¡± She felt a little angry and put down her bowl and chopsticks. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t want to let me check?¡± Mo Han kept silent and did not speak. Xia Qingyi wanted tough. ¡°I¡¯d remember eventually even if you don¡¯t let me check. I can¡¯t use my memory loss as an excuse to borrow this Xia Qingyi identity, use your sister as an excuse to keep on living here!¡± Since the period when they just started to know each other, the both of them clearly knew their own identities. From then on Xia Qingyi never mentioned the rtionship between the two of them, so she had almost forgotten the fact that she was not Mo Han¡¯s sister, that she was not Xia Qingyi. ¡°What I mean is investigate after you¡¯ve remembered something more precise,¡± Mo Han was also shocked as he had not not thought that Xia Qingyi would say something like that. Xia Qingyi narrowed her eyes at him and said nothing. ¡°I have to confirm that the things you remembered today are indeed real and not your imagination.¡± ¡°I remember it very clearly, it was real and it did exist,¡± Xia Qingyi pouted. ¡°Then you still have to wait until after I find you a psychiatrist and confirm it with him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to see a psychiatrist, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Calm down for a few days first, I¡¯ll bring you to see a psychiatrist. If you remember something again like today in the future, a psychiatrist will be of some help to you,¡± Mo Han said sternly. Xia Qingyi considered his words, and felt that they made sense. ¡°Hurry up and eat, the food¡¯s getting cold,¡± Mo Han said from opposite her. Xia Qingyi did not have any appetite at all, she put down her chopsticks after eating a few bites. The events of this morning felt like a stone crushing her heart, no matter whether she was sleeping or eating, a sentence kept resurfacing in her mind from time to time. That was thest sentence she remembered when she was saved. If I¡¯m still alive, I won¡¯t being back. You can treat me as though I¡¯ve never existed. If I¡¯m dead, just take it as repayment for your kindness for all these years. ¡°What did you say?¡± Mo Han heard Xia Qingyi mutter something with her head down. ¡°Eh?¡± Xia Qingyi lifted her head and looked at Mo Han with a stunned expression. ¡°What did you say just now?¡± Mo Han continued asking. Xia Qingyi realized that she had probably said the sentence aloud identally, but she herself could not think of the reason or the scenario for the sentence; there were no other hints at all. Just like how she knew that it was a wide world behind her, but she was trapped in an alley with a dead-end by this sentence, pacing impatiently as she watched the white sky, and all she could do was wait. She did not intend to tell Mo Han about the sentence for now, she wanted to wait until everything was clear before telling him. So, she only shook her head at Mo Han and kept silent. Chapter 106 - Nightmare

Chapter 106: Nightmare

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi did not sleep well when shey on the bed, her consciousness constantly drifting in and out of sleep. Her head felt heavy, pressing deeply into the pillows as though it was stuck. She wanted to turn over but her body would not move an inch. In her drowsiness, she seemed to dream of a girl who looked extremely simr to her, but the girl¡¯s expressions were different. She was smiling evilly, and kept looking at Xia Qingyi. Xia Qingyi heard her open her mouth and say, ¡°I am Xia Qingyi, who are you?¡± That person¡¯s voice seemed to permeate throughout the fog and fade into nothingness. This made Xia Qingyi feel an inexplicable fear in her heart. She repeated again, ¡°I am Xia Qingyi, who are you?¡± Xia Qingyi did not dare to look at her eyes. Her dream-self was especially scared of this person in front of her; she wanted to open her mouth to speak, the words already at her mouth, but she suddenly could not say any more. Who was she? She was not Xia Qingyi, the real Xia Qingyi was someone else. And she was just someone without any memories. As though she was transparent in this world, that she could disappear at any second, and nobody would remember her as they had no ce for her in their hearts. She was redundant. Her dream-self was very scared, and she covered her ears and crouched down, but she felt that the girl¡¯s voice was bing louder and louder, piercing through the nothingness of the dream until it reached the inside of her heart, persistently asking her dream-self why she wanted to steal her identity away. Xia Qingyi kept shaking her head desperately, but the girl spoke even louder until her voice was tearing Xia Qingyi apart from the inside, I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t! I am Xia Qingyi! I am Xia Qingyi! That girl was stillughing, her appearance was exactly the same as Xia Qingyi. She red at Xia Qingyi crouching in one corner, and stretched her hand out with her nails pointed and came after Xia Qingyi. Xia Qingyi screamed and woke up. This was the second time that Mo Han was awakened by Xia Qingyi¡¯s crying. The room was stillpletely dark, he squinted his eyes and looked at the clock. It was only around two in the morning. The sound of intermittent crying emanated from Xia Qingyi¡¯s neighboring room, and he stood up immediately. He knew that Xia Qingyi had had another nightmare again after hearing her crying. When he reached her room, Mo Han did not switch on the light as he wanted to give Xia Qingyi time to readjust. The lights in the living room were switched on, and he left a gap by the door, using the faint light to walk to Xia Qingyi¡¯s bedside. He bent down to gently pat at her face and called her name. It was only then Mo Han discovered that her face was drenched such that he could not even tell her sweat from her tears. ¡°I... Xia Qingyi...¡± she seemed to be murmuring repeatedly in her dream. Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows, feeling his heart ache a little, and he continued to pat her, shouting, ¡°Wake up! Wake up! You¡¯re dreaming!¡± Xia Qingyi was finally shaken awake. After she struggled to open her tear-filled eyes and blurrily saw that the person beside her was Mo Han, the extreme fear that she felt from her dream finally lessened a little. Mo Han was real, the person beside her was real and could be felt by her touch. He knew about her existence ¨C no matter what, she existed. Xia Qingyi started to gulp down breaths of air, as though she was a dehydrated fish that was impatient to feel the presence of water. Mo Han patted her back and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a dream, it¡¯s fine.¡± Xia Qingyi tugged forcefully at his shirt. ¡°I am Xia Qingyi, right?¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Aren¡¯t you always?¡± Mo Han steadied her emotions. ¡°Only I am... I am...¡± Xia Qingyi muttered to herself. Mo Han realized that her breathing was rather uneven. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared...¡± Xia Qingyi said in a low voice. ¡°What are you scared of?¡± Xia Qingyi remained silent. Mo Han asked again, ¡°What nightmare did you have?¡± Xia Qingyi raised her head and looked deep into his eyes, then she lowered her head and spoke without answering him, ¡°I want to sleep together with you.¡± Mo Han froze for a moment, and seeing that Xia Qingyi had leaned her body over to hug his waist, his heart leapt, and he reflexively wanted to move back, but was stubbornly hugged by Xia Qingyi. ¡°Why do you want to sleep together with me?¡± Mo Han felt her struggling to snuggle closer to him. Chapter 107 - Accompany Me to Sleep

Chapter 107: Apany Me to Sleep

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Just for tonight, I¡¯m too scared,¡± Xia Qingyi said. ¡°It¡¯s just a nightmare, what¡¯s there to be scared of?¡± Mo Han only smiled, but he did not remove her hands from his waist. ¡°I¡¯m really quiet when I sleep, I won¡¯t bother you.¡± ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll stay here and watch over you until you fall asleep before I go off,¡± Mo Han said. The Xia Qingyi in his arms shook her head stubbornly and said, ¡°No, you can¡¯t leave.¡± Mo Han sighed. He wanted to pull Xia Qingyi¡¯s hands away, but she kept holding him tighter until Mo Han felt as though he was going to be strangled to death, so he simply gave up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll apany you to sleep.¡± Only then did Xia Qingyi release her hands, wanting to pull Mo Han onto the bed. ¡°At least wait until I¡¯ve switched off the lights outside,¡± Mo Han said exasperatedly. Xia Qingyi looked at him suspiciously, and was a little anxious when she released his hand. ¡°You have to apany me to sleep.¡± Mo Han let out another sigh internally. When he got up to switch off the lights, he thought, just treat it as a way of a brother reassuring his sister, other people would probably do the same as well. Except that after he switched off the light and walked back to Xia Qingyi¡¯s bedside, he was still feeling a little ufortable. He scratched his head, slowly walked back, and flipped open her nket. Next to him, Xia Qingyi never showed a single sign of difort, and moved quietly to make space for Mo Han before she waited for him toe up. Mo Han felt that Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes kept following him in the dark. He stood at the bedside staring at her for a while before choosing to lie on the bed in the end, apanying her to sleep. He seemed to always be unable to reject her request. Mo Han originally thought that Xia Qingyi would immediatelye over to hug him to sleep when hey down, but she onlyy quietly beside Mo Han, leaving some distance between them, and shey on her side facing him as she slept. After a long time, he then heard Xia Qingyi¡¯s soft pleading voice in the dark. ¡°Can I hold your hand?¡± He did not move and did not speak, like someone who had fallen asleep. Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand slowly reached over, grabbed his hand carefully and then stopped moving. In the dark, the sense of touch became very sensitive. When her soft and tiny hands touched him, Mo Han could not help but hold his breath. Despite not moving, he could still feel Xia Qingyi¡¯s body temperature and hear her slight breathing. Her palms felt slight wet with perspiration, probably because of the shock from the nightmare earlier, and he felt his heart flutter as he held onto her hands. Mo Han had never thought that there would be a day where he would be anxious about holding hands. On the contrary, Xia Qingyi was at ease after holding his hand. Just being able to touch him was enough, she just wanted to know that she could still feel his existence in this dark world. To know that there was a person who knew about her existence. Probably because of Mo Han¡¯s big and warm hands holding hers, Xia Qingyi did not have any more nightmares until she woke. When Mo Han woke up the next morning, Xia Qingyi was still deep in sleep. He looked down, and realized that she had never let go and was still holding tightly onto his hand. She was lying in the same position asst night, with a distance away from Mo Han, and had only turned her head on its side, her long slim neck looking exceptionally beautiful under the sunlight. Mo Han shifted his body, thinking of pulling his hand back, but he identally woke Xia Qingyi up. She hummed lightly for a few times, just like a cat rubbing its head against the nket, and stretched her head towards Mo Han¡¯s direction as she opened her eyes. That was when their eyes met. Chapter 108 - Present

Chapter 108: Present

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios He was a little awkward, and shifted his eyes away, not knowing what to say. On the contrary Xia Qingyi slowly closed her eyes again after opening them. She had slept her fill, and opened her mouth after a while. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, brother.¡± Mo Han was a little exasperated with her habit of wanting to eat right after she woke. He shook the hand that Xia Qingyi was still sping on and said, ¡°Let go, I¡¯ll make you breakfast.¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head lightly, released his hand, and turned her body over and continued sleeping. ¡°It¡¯s already seven thirty, wake up,¡± Mo Han sat at the side of the bed, twisting the hand that she had held on the entire time. There was no movement or noise from her. ¡°Do you want to go to school? Don¡¯t you have lessons in school today?¡± Mo Han got up from the bed, rearranged his clothes and looked at Xia Qingyi, whose back was facing him. After hearing that sentence, she sat herself up slowly, her eyes still closed and her clothes in a mess. She forced herself to nod her head of disheveled hair, and then slowly climbed towards the sides of the bed. Mo Han was already at the door walking back to his room to wash up, and seeing that Xia Qingyi was stumbling out of the bed, hurried back to help before she fell. ¡°Are you that sleepy?¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows. Xia Qingyi forced herself to open her eyes, looked at him pitifully, and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I couldn¡¯t wake up, I¡¯m... really sleepy.¡± Mo Han helped her to one side and said, ¡°It¡¯s the weekend today, the public transportation will be crowded so you probably can¡¯t squeeze in. If you want a ride, can you please hurry up. I¡¯m rushing for time and I have to leavetest by eight.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was feeble. Even though the two of them had been a little unhappy eating dinner togetherst night, after waking up early in the morning Xia Qingyi suddenly felt that they were interacting more and more like real siblings, and this made her feel much better. Even if Mo Han could be cold, rarely talked and always had his life revolve around work, she could feel that he treated her pretty well. Undeniably, Mo Han had always been by her side at her weakest moment. He did not really know how to say anyforting words, and the only words he knew how to say were also, it¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t think too much. He only knew to hug her, touch her head, and pat her back. But Xia Qingyi felt relieved due to his actions. Xia Qingyi remembered from that time he said he would allow her to follow him home at the hospital, she had looked at his back view, thinking about how good it would be if she could always walk behind him like this. She would not feel lost if she could follow him. So she decided to treat Mo Han well. Although this sentence may sound weird, but that was how she thought. Now that she was working at the detective agency, she had some money of her own, so she wanted to buy something for him. But she did not know what he liked. This was a big problem. She wanted to make use of these few days to ask the people around him, get a clearer picture of what he liked before buying it for him and let him know that this additional sister was not useless. Xia Qingyi often went to and stayed at hispany these few days, iming that she needed to rush her homework, but actually she wanted to secretly collect more information about what he liked. The answer was exactly the same¡ªwork. Xia Qingyi pouted, thinking that this was a huge problem. She decided to change her tactic. She could not buy a present for him anymore, for he definitely would not like it. Xia Qingyi suddenly thought of an idea; she knew what to give Mo Han now. Even though she did not know whether he would like it or not, this kind of thing would definitely be useful for Mo Han. Chapter 109 - Falling in Love

Chapter 109: Falling in Love

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios But, to make something like this, she had to find other people in hispany for help. Therefore, she met up with Mo Han¡¯s assistant Liu Zhiyuan outside alone to discuss about it. Mo Han did not know why Xia Qingyi would find Liu Zhiyuan alone. He heard Xiao Zhang from the office front desk saying that he had seen his sister and Liu Zhiyuan on a date outside, so Xiao Zhang was asking around whether the two of them were already together. Mo Han felt that it was impossible; how could she be dating Liu Zhiyuan? He was more curious about what the two of them would talk about when they were outside. So, Mo Han went to ask Xia Qingyi the next day. Xia Qingyi only said that she needed some information for her homework, and that Liu Zhiyuan had the required information, so she asked him to look at it. She was ying with the phone as she said the sentence, her eyes glued on the screen, the corners of her mouth slightly lifted in a smile, and she was not paying any attention to him. Mo Han knew that she was lying. He felt a little ufortable that Xia Qingyi was inexplicably hiding something from him. He wanted to continue asking her, but Xia Qingyi vaguely said that she was going to her room and left. Her eyes were still on her phone as she walked. Mo Han felt that was strange, as she clearly had not liked to y with her phone that frequently in the past, and so he sneakily peeked at her screen. The chatting screen had Liu Zhiyuan¡¯s name. This startled Mo Han. It could not be as Xiao Zhang said. He reflexively stopped Xia Qingyi at once. ¡°You... Liu Zhiyuan...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are you two dating?¡± Xia Qingyi smiled and looked at him. ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± ¡°He¡¯s wooing you?¡± Xia Qingyi was speechless, and gave him a wry smile. ¡°Where did you get that from?¡± ¡°Or it could be, you like him?¡± Mo Han asked again. Xia Qingyi pushed Mo Han away. ¡°Eh, Brother, being suspicious of your sister is not good, isn¡¯t it? Do I, your sister, look like I like him?¡± ¡°Then why are you so close with Liu Zhiyuantely?¡± Mo Han asked, returning back to the usual cold demeanor he had at work. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you? There are some things that I needed his help to negotiate andmunicate on.¡± ¡°Negotiate andmunicate between just the two of you?¡± Mo Han shot back. ¡°So what? We are just two people sitting together to talk with each other. Besides, even if there¡¯s really something between us, even if we were really dating, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°No,¡± Mo Han said, frowning. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too young, it¡¯s not good to date now.¡± Xia Qingyi imagined herself rolling her eyes, young, my foot! I¡¯m already an university student! But she thought of what she wanted to do, and she suppressed her real feelings and said, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not dating that handsome dude. Wait till I¡¯m really dating someone, and you¡¯d definitely be the first person I¡¯d show him to!¡± Just thinking about Xia Qingyi dating in the future, that there would be a man she would point to and say that he was her boyfriend made him feel ufortable. Mo Han did not say anything more in the end, and let Xia Qingyi go to sleep. In his mind, he was nning to find Liu Zhiyuan to talk to him about this matter, as he still felt a little worried. He did not know whether he was worried about Liu Zhiyuan, or worried about Xia Qingyi. Two dayster, Mo Han¡¯s workload increased. Xia Qingyi did not know what he was busy with; she had not called him in the morning for the past few days, and she was already asleep when he returned home. She had to hurry for ss and rushed off early the next morning, so the two of them had not seen each other. Mo Han originally wanted to call her to ask about what was happening recently, but discovered that he did not know how to do it, because it was usually Xia Qingyi who would take the initiative to call him. Chapter 110 - Present

Chapter 110: Present

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han ended work early in the afternoon that day, and prepared to return home early. He was packing his things at the office when Xia Qingyi called him. This was her first phone call to him in two days. ¡°Hello? Brother, have you ended work?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone was not any different from his usual voice. Come out for a while,¡± Xia Qingyi said smilingly. ¡°To do what?¡± ¡°I have a present to give you,¡± Xia Qingyi smiled lightly as she held onto her phone. Mo Han was a little taken aback, he had never thought that Xia Qingyi would buy a present for him. ¡°Today¡¯s not my birthday.¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s just a small present.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°Take a guess?¡± He could hear that Xia Qingyi wasughing, and after hearing for a while he realized that something was not right. He put the phone away from his ears, carefully listened around his office, and actually heard a soft sound ofughter. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°Open the door and you¡¯d know.¡± After hearing her sentence, Mo Han suddenly understood. Holding his phone, he walked straight to the door of his office, opened it in one pull and saw Xia Qingyi standing right outside. She was wearing a soft yellow off shoulder dress, carrying a big bag, looking like an innocent and pure high school student. She blinked her eyes at him, smiled and hung up the phone. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Mo Han was a little baffled. ¡°You¡¯ve finished your work, let¡¯s go,e with me to get your present. You won¡¯t get it if you¡¯rete.¡± Mo Han saw that she was carrying a big bag on her back, and thought it was strange. ¡°Why are you carrying such a big bag?¡± Xia Qingyi only smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll know what it¡¯s for soon.¡± After she finished speaking, she grabbed Mo Han¡¯s arm and walked outside. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, to see your present.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi did not say anything, and continued to walk outside. Mo Han wanted to drive, but was stopped by her. She walked to the streets, called for a taxi and sat inside. ¡°Sir, to the airport,¡± Xia Qingyi closed the door. ¡°Airport?¡± Mo Han did not understand. ¡°Wait for a while more, you¡¯ll know what it is when we¡¯re there,¡± Xia Qingyi said as she looked at the time, somehow looking anxious and hurrying for time, though for what reason was unclear. Mo Han chose not to speak. He leaned back, and instead closed his eyes and patiently waited to see what kind of present she had prepared for him. After around 10 minutes, they stopped at the airport entrance. Xia Qingyi dragged Mo Han out of the car, and hurriedly rushed into the airport. At the terminal, Xia Qingyi looked around at the surrounding signs, pulled Mo Han towards another direction and started running. ¡°Hurry, we might not make it, there¡¯s only half an hour left!¡± Xia Qingyi said, panting as she ran. After entering the terminal and seeing her like this, Mo Han felt more and more strange. He stopped in his tracks and said, ¡°What is it? What are you running for? What does your present have to do with the airport?¡± Xia Qingyi also paused to look at him, and then opened her bag and passed two envelopes to him. ¡°Air tickets,¡± Xia Qingyi said calmly. Mo Han looked at the envelopes in his hand and felt rather surprised. When in the world had she bought two tickets to F City?! The most important part was that one ticket was for her, and the other was for himself. Chapter 111 - Travel

Chapter 111: Travel

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°The hotels over there are already booked. We can stay there immediately once we go today.¡± ¡°What do you mean?!¡± ¡°F City is famous for being near the sea, the surrounding sea is really nice to look at, and there are many hot springs too. I saw pictures of them, it¡¯s a really good ce to visit around this time.¡± Xia Qingyi continued, ¡°You¡¯re tired out from working all the time, so I wanted to bring you out to y. Not for long actually, it¡¯ll only be for three days, just treat it as a holiday for yourself.¡± Mo Han¡¯s head started to throb suddenly. ¡°You¡¯re not kidding?¡± Xia Qingyi felt that he did not seem to really like the idea of traveling, and exined, ¡°I¡¯d already told Liu Zhiyuan to arrange to push forward your work for the next three days and let you do it early. I¡¯ve also told him to advise yourpany to be more attentive these three days. If you¡¯re still worried, then contact yourpany and give them directions for the next few days.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ve been finding Liu Zhiyuan for the past few days for this?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi nodded her head, feeling a little dejected seeing Mo Han¡¯s cold expression. ¡°Where did the moneye from? I remember receiving no expenditures from the card I¡¯ve given you recently.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you. I found a job some time ago, it was Zhang Yang who introduced it me. It¡¯s at a detective agency, and the pay is not bad. A portion of the money came from my sry, another portion was borrowed from Zhang Yang.¡± ¡°I gave you money, and you still went to borrow from others?¡± Mo Han did not expect that there was still so many things that Xia Qingyi did not tell him, and had kept from him. ¡°I didn¡¯t want... to keep using your money,¡± Xia Qingyi said hesitatingly. ¡°So what if you use my money? Too shameful to see others?¡± Xia Qingyi had guessed that Mo Han would be a little unhappy about her bringing him to the airport for an overseas trip without telling him, but she had not expected him to be angry that quickly. Xia Qingyi could not believe that her good intentions had unexpectedly be like this. She took back the ticket from Mo Han¡¯s hand and said, ¡°If you¡¯re not willing to go, then forget it, I¡¯ll go alone. ¡°After working on it for so many days, I can¡¯t just let it go to waste. Anyway, I want to rx for a whiletely, and it won¡¯t take long, I¡¯ll be back after three days.¡± ¡°Did I say that I won¡¯t be going?¡± Mo Han red at her. Xia Qingyi showed him her smile, and pulled at him. ¡°Then we should hurry up, it¡¯ll be time to board soon, I still haven¡¯t printed my boarding pass.¡± Xia Qingyi did not stop even for a moment, and hurriedly pulled Mo Han along as they printed their boarding passes, went through security checks and walked over the jet bridge. ¡°Did you bring all the clothes and what not?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi patted the bag behind her, and smiled slyly. ¡°I¡¯ve already packed them all, clothes and necessities are all inside. I¡¯ve brought two sets of clothes for you, and even packed your underwear.¡± Mo Han looked at her exasperatedly. After they had entered the ne and sat on their seats, only then did Mo Han find it believable. Just a moment ago he had been working at thew firm, and in the next, he was on a ne with Xia Qingyi for an overseas trip? How long had it been since he¡¯d gone on an overseas trip? It had probably been two years. Thest time was with Shen Rou, at that time she had not been to America yet, and she had notified him one month earlier, which was the only reason why he had agreed to put his work aside and apany her to R City to y. Xia Qingyi saw that Mo Han was deep in thought, and thinking that he was still concerned about this sudden trip, she nudged him. ¡°You¡¯re already here, let¡¯s have fun together, it¡¯s only for three days, thepany won¡¯t die without you.¡± ¡°Tell me earlier if you want to go overseas the next time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling you, you definitely won¡¯te along.¡± Mo Han said sternly, ¡°And also, spend my money next time, I gave you my card so that you can spend it.¡± Xia Qingyi pouted a little, and quietly muttered, ¡°Show off.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about your part-time job?¡± ¡°Umm... I forgot,¡± She said quickly. ¡°I think you just didn¡¯t want to tell me at all.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Stop working if you¡¯re too tired, just focus on your studies, god knows what you can do with such a small amount of money.¡± ¡°That small amount of money funded for arge portion of this trip, it may not be a lot, but it can be useful.¡± Chapter 112 - Waking Up

Chapter 112: Waking Up

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The two of them spoke a little here and there, and as they chatted, the ne soonnded in F City. After they disembarked, Mo Han took the bag off Xia Qingyi¡¯s back and carried it himself. F City was not very big, and was a small harbor that was wet all year round. The air was very clean, bringing along a sea breeze with a mild salty taste. It was a little cooler herepared to other ces in China. The breeze caressed their faces and was a little tingly, making every single cell of their bodies feel as though they were stretching. Xia Qingyi could not help but take a deep breath. It was already nine P.M. at night. The two of them stood at the airport exit, and Mo Han asked, ¡°How do we go to the hotel?¡± Xia Qingyi answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t look at it in advance?¡± ¡°I only booked it online, paid the fees, and only remembered the name.¡± Mo Han saw how Xia Qingyi was looking all innocent and said, ¡°Forget it, we¡¯ll just call for a taxi to go there directly.¡± The two of them started to discuss tomorrow¡¯s itinerary in the taxi. Xia Qingyi leaned towards the window, enjoying the blowing sea wind and said to Mo Han next to her, ¡°Let¡¯s go and y on the beach tomorrow.¡± Mo Han used his phone to check the tourist attractions near the hotel and said, ¡°Do you know how to swim?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head. ¡°No. Do you?¡± Mo Han turned his head, and asked her back, ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, you can go swimming, I¡¯ll just stay at the beach, do some tanning and enjoy the sea breeze.¡± Xia Qingyi thought about it and smiled. ¡°Ah! Just thinking about it feels good!¡± ¡°Then what about the day after tomorrow? Do you have any ns?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi thought about it and said, ¡°No, shall we go and y at the sea again?¡± Mo Han¡¯s travels in the past were always properly nned day to day, and he had never encountered such an undetailed n before, to go on a short trip based on just a moment of thought. He looked at the happy-go-lucky Xia Qingyi sitting next to him, and he could not help but worry. ¡°Aiya! We¡¯ll worry about it when the day after tomorrowes! Today and tomorrow are not even over yet, we¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow night,¡± Xia Qingyi said. Mo Han was usually upied with work most of the time, and now that he had three days of free time, he really could not think of what to do for the day after tomorrow, so he simply followed what Xia Qingyi said. The next morning, Mo Han woke early as usual and went out to exercise before he returned to his room to rest. Only then he realized that Xia Qingyi¡¯s room next to him still remained silent, and he went to knock on her door. Xia Qingyi appeared in front of them, looking as though she had not woken up yet. Her baggy nightclothes were hanging off her frame, revealing the strap of her bra and her creamy white shoulder. Mo Han shifted his eyes away, coughed and then smoothly raised his hand to pull up her clothes. ¡°Why are you so early?¡± Xia Qingyi did not notice what he was doing, yawning as she walked back into the room, looking as though she was going to lie back down on the bed. ¡°If you want to go to the sea, better be early.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, F City is not a popr tourist spot, there won¡¯t be so many people going there to y,¡± Xia Qingyiy on the bed, swinging her slim, long legs at the side. ¡°We still have to be early,¡± Mo Han looked at her swinging legs, and could not help but feel a little confused, he tried his best to drag his eyes away from her legs. He chose to return to his own room, ¡°You better hurry and pack, I¡¯ll give you 30 minutes. I¡¯ll go back to get something and wait for you in the next room.¡± Xia Qingyi actually used up less than half an hour¡¯s time before she knocked on Mo Han¡¯s door. She had changed into a strap dress, revealing her white and smooth shoulders, a rope belt loosely tied around her waist. The simple dress only reached to her knees, making her lower legs look slim and long. Xia Qingyi gave Mo Han a huge smile the moment he opened the door, though Mo Han looked at her from head to toe and responded with a frown. ¡°Why are you unhappy?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°You¡¯re going there wearing this?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at herself, thinking that there was nothing inappropriate about them. ¡°Go and change your clothes,¡± Mo Han said. Chapter 113 - Seaside

Chapter 113: Seaside

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Why?¡± Xia Qingyi was unable to understand. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to y at the seaside?¡± She looked at Mo Han¡¯s clothes¡ªa casual gray t-shirt and a pair of loose ck pants. ¡°What about you, why are you wearing pants to the beach, aren¡¯t you going into the sea, and yet you dressed so formally.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve brought swimming trunks, I just have to change into them before going into the sea,¡± Mo Han felt that Xia Qingyi was wearing too little and was revealing too much, except he did not realize that most girls would have probably worn even less when going to the beach. ¡°Go and change quickly, don¡¯t reveal your shoulders,¡± Mo Han said with a surly face. ¡°No! I¡¯m not going to swim, and my clothes isn¡¯t revealing my chest or my butt, why should I change?!¡± Mo Han looked at her for a while, and said exasperatedly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to change, just wear a jacket over it.¡± Mo Han turned back, found a shirt and gave it to Xia Qingyi, ¡°Wear it on the outside.¡± Xia Qingyi eyed the shirt, took it and slipped into it reluctantly. ¡°It¡¯s too big.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the sea breeze, it¡¯s to block the wind.¡± Xia Qingyi pouted but she did not say anything. She quietly wore the shirt but left it unbuttoned and hung it loosely off herself. The two of them jumped out of the circle of clothing, and then started to take some other things before they left. Mo Han found a taxi at the side of the hotel, and they set off towards the seaside of City F. The car drove further and further, and Xia Qingyi could not hide her smile now that she could faintly see the outline of the seaside. She opened the car window and slightly poked her head out to enjoy the cool sea breeze. The sea breeze messed up her hair, and its slightly moist and salty smell lingered at the tip of her nose. The wind was blowing lightly into her ears, and beyond the road, there was the vast and endless deep blue sea, above it the azure sky, and looking at everything from afar, it felt as though the sea and the sky had formed into a line. Xia Qingyi became excited when she heard the sounds of the waves, and she kept smiling as she leaned out of the window. Seeing that her entire body was almost going out of the window, Mo Han reached his hand out and pulled her back, ¡°Sit properly.¡± Xia Qingyi did not manage to sit properly for long, and poked her head out again. Mo Han could only pull at her with one hand exasperatedly. They got out of the car, and as Xia Qingyi had said, it was not a popr tourist attraction, and also because it was not a holiday, there were only a few tourists scattered across the seaside. It was very quiet, and Mo Han could mostly hear the sound of the waves, this made him feelfortable. He could not help but feel rxed, and slowly walked by himself at the back, looking at the back view of Xia Qingyi running around here and there excitedly. Xia Qingyi eventually stopped at a small part of the beach that was not surrounded by a lot of people, looked back at Mo Han walking leisurely behind and said, ¡°We can stay here.¡± Mo Han walked over, put down the bag that he was carrying on the beach, took out the rectangr piece of cloth that Xia Qingyi had prepared at home and ced it on the ground. ¡°Go and y, I¡¯ll just arrange this area first,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to swim?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°Later, you go and y first,¡± Mo Han sat on the cloth, and started to take things out one by one. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go first,¡± After she had finished speaking, Xia Qingyi ran into the waves smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t go too far,¡± Mo Han shouted from the back. Mo Han arranged everything, wore his sunsses and sat downfortably, leaned his arms against the sand, enjoyed the sea breeze and basked in the sun. He had never felt so rxed before. He was uptight most of the time, he had to handle too manyw reports, discussing the development of the case with countless parties, and even when he was traveling, he was always calcting the time needed for this attraction, and nning where to go next for the itinerary. But now, he had came to a small beach, and sitting here suntanning, enjoying the sea breeze, looking at Xia Qingyi ying with the waves in the distance, he felt that spending his time like this was also pretty good. Mo Han¡¯s phone was ced on the cloth. Usually he would keep looking at his phone out of habit even on his travels, to see the time, whether there was any unfinished work. Yet, Mo Han did not feel any concept of time now, he only closed his eyes and smiled lightly, quietly enjoying the passing of time. Chapter 114 - See No Evil

Chapter 114: See No Evil

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi came back with her entire body drenched, her hair wet from the waves and sticking to her face. She had taken off the shirt he had made her wear in the morning, and was casually carrying it in her hands, only wearing a dripping wet strap dress, which outlined her exquisite figure. Mo Han¡¯s face ckened again. Xia Qingyi was still smiling happily as she walked towards him, oblivious to what was happening, trying to catch her breath as she sat down, and theny down on the cloth with a thud. ¡°Howfortable.¡± Xia Qingyi was so tired that she was panting, her chest heaving. Mo Han nced at her again, turned his face away, and forcefully threw a jacket near him at her. ¡°What?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s face was hit. ¡°What did I tell you?¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Xia Qingyi raised her head to look at Mo Han. He was wearing a pair of sunsses and had a poker face on. ¡°I told you to wear that shirt, are you pretending that you didn¡¯t hear it?¡± ¡°You told me to wear it, you didn¡¯t say to keep on wearing it.¡± Xia Qingyi was indignant. ¡°You even want to control what I am wearing...¡± ¡°Say another word, and I¡¯ll go back and throw away all the clothes that revealed your shoulders from your wardrobe,¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi kept quiet; no matter what she said to him, the person losing out in the end would always be her. At this moment Mo Han had taken off his sunsses. He stood up, took off his shirt and threw it beside Xia Qingyi, leaving himself topless. Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes widened when she saw the muscles on Mo Han¡¯s body, she had never known that Mo Han had such a good figure, didn¡¯t he just sit at the office for the entire day? Wasn¡¯t he busy with work for the entire day? When did he have the time to work out? How did his abse about? How did his arm musclese about? This was such a puzzling matter. Xia Qingyi¡¯s brain started churning, wondering if she should take a photo of the moment in front of her and share it with Mo Han¡¯s secretary. Perhaps, by doing so, she might even receive some red packets for sharing such a priceless moment with them. If the women in Mo Han¡¯sw firm saw their Barrister Mo topless, they would definitely explode. ¡°I¡¯m going to swim,¡± Mo Han said lightly. Xia Qingyi watched him as he left, and seeing him take off his pants as he walked, she immediately closed her eyes. See no evil, see no evil. ¡°Look after my clothes!¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice came from afar, and then his pantsnded on Xia Qingyi¡¯s head. Mo Han swam a few refreshing rounds in the sea, and when he came back he saw that Xia Qingyi was wearing his jacket, lying on the beach and talking happily with a few other people. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m studying at a university now. I just came to y because I don¡¯t have any lessons these few days,¡± Xia Qingyi did not notice Mo Han walking to her side, and was engaged in talking to the people next to her. When the people she was chatting with saw a handsome guy with a wet bodying to sit next to her, their eyes brightened. ¡°This is? Your boyfriend...¡± One of the girls said as she looked at Mo Han behind her. Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes widened, and hurriedly shook her head. ¡°No... no... this is my brother, we came here to y.¡± Mo Han did not speak instead, his eyes did not even look at them, and he quietly took a bath towel from his bag and started rubbing at his hair. ¡°Wow, you look really simr to your brother.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes widened again, and turned around to look at Mo Han¡¯s face. ¡°Do we look alike? This is the first time someone had said that about us.¡± Mo Han also turned around to look at her, the corners of his mouth lifting up into a smile, as though he disagreed with what the girl said. ¡°How many years are you two apart?¡± Xia Qingyi had never taken note of this question before, she did not know her real age, and if she followed the date on her identity card, she should be 19 years old. What about Mo Han? She should have taken note of his age before. ¡°Brother... how old are you?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°30,¡± Mo Han put down the towel. Xia Qingyi thought about it, and only after that did she realize that they were 11 years apart. Chapter 115 - Your Brothers Really Handsome

Chapter 115: Your Brother¡¯s Really Handsome

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The girls chatted with Xia Qingyi while they sneakily nced a look at Mo Han¡¯s handsome face out of the corner of their eyes. Before they left, one girl whispered into Xia Qingyi¡¯s ear and asked, ¡°Can you give me your brother¡¯s phone number?¡± Xia Qingyi had long observed those small eye movements towards Mo Han ever since he came, and had expected her to say something along those lines. So she also softly spoke into that girl¡¯s ear, ¡°No. Give it up.¡± Xia Qingyi did not take a second look at that girl as her face turned red in an instant and she ran away in a panic. She turned back and was unable to hold back herughter. ¡°What did you all talk about?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°Nothing much.¡± Xia Qingyi thought of just now and looked at Mo Han delightedly and said, ¡°Brother, you should treat me to lunch.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I helped you solve a tiny problem.¡± ¡°What problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you,¡± Xia Qingyi looked up at him and only knew tough. During the next two days in F City, Xia Qingyi did not bring Mo Han to a lot of tourist attractions. They seemed to be treating it purely as a holiday, most of the time was spent at the sea suntanning and taking a walk. On thest night, Xia Qingyi originally wanted to take Mo Han for a massage, saying that it would relieve him of fatigue and aches, but she was rejected by Mo Han. So, Xia Qingyiy on the massage bed alone in the end and was in so much pain until she cried out, and then fell asleep on the bed after, causing Mo Han to spend 30 minutes to find her before he dragged her back to sleep. Aftering back from F City, Mo Han returned to being a workaholic. There was some work that required Mo Han himself to handle, so he found it a little hard to adjust from thefortable getaway on the first day aftering back. For the first time in his life, he felt his strength fall short of his desire. You could never earn enough money. His ownw firm was on the right track, and the reputation gained from earning a lot of money was something many were envious of. Why work so much every day, and he could go back earlier to eat with Xia Qingyi and be morefortable instead. When Mo Han thought of that, he smiled and shook his head, it seemed that he had gotten toofortable during the holiday that he would actually think thoughts like these. On the other hand, Xia Qingyi received a notice at school not long after she returned, informing her that she had passed the examination, and she could officially change her specialization in the next semester and study psychology. She told this to Mo Han, and said she wanted a reward. She wanted him to treat her to a seafood feast outside. Mo Han said that he had received a rather tricky case these few days, so he would be rather busy. He would bring her out for a feast after the case had progressed. Xia Qingyi delightedly waited for the day when Mo Han would bring her out to eat a feast. Except that before the feast could happen, something else happened. Xia Qingyi started worrying from the night when Mo Han did not return. She remembered that she even called him when she came back, and wanted to ask him to buy red bean cake for her to eat. She then sat on the sofa and watched television as she waited for him. But, she did not see Mo Han even until 11 P.M. that night. She was starting to be a little worried, he would usually return by 10 P.M.test. Even if work was exceptionally busy, it was already 11 P.M., he should be back by now. She called Mo Han, but was greeted with the sound of the phone being switched off. She then called Mo Han¡¯spany. It rang for a long time, but nobody picked it up. In the end, she had no choice but to call Mo Han¡¯s secretary, and her call was finally answered. His secretary said that Mo Han asked her to book a ne ticket to America when she was about to end work that night. It was a night flight, so he was probably on the ne right now. Chapter 116 - Life and Death

Chapter 116: Life and Death

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi thought that he was busy over work, so she was rather unhappy. He had not said a single word to her before he left for America, she did not know when he would return, and most importantly, he had not even brought back her favorite red bean cake. Xia Qingyi did not sleep well that night, as though there was a huge stone in her brain pressing down on her, making her feel befuddled. In her daze, she felt her temples throb suddenly, she wanted to speak but she could not open her mouth. In the morning, she was woken up by a loud noise of something shattering. She tore her eyes open, a thought suddenly clear in her mind. She knew why Mo Han was going to America. Xia Qingyi got up, and saw that a ss bottle near her window had fallen and broken into pieces scattered over the floor somehow, but she did not have the energy to clean up. She wiped the cold perspiration off her face, picked up her phone and called Mo Han. The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up, and Mo Han¡¯s tired voice answered, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mo Han paused for a long time, before he continued, ¡°Still fine.¡± But for some reason, Xia Qingyi could feel that his actual state was not very good when she heard him speak. ¡°I called you yesterday actually, but you didn¡¯t pick up. I had to ask a lot of people before I found out that you¡¯re going to America.¡± ¡°Did they say anything about it?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°No, they only said you went to America for some personal matters.¡± Mo Han stayed silent for a long time on the other end of the phone. She could faintly hear his breathing through the phone. ¡°My father... he... passed away...¡± Mo Han said. The string around Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart broke. Separated far away from each other by the ocean, connected to each other by two cold cell phones via a phone call, Xia Qingyi felt Mo Han¡¯s sadness and helplessness for the first time, even as he tried his best to appear normal. Some things just could not be hidden. Xia Qingyi wanted to open her mouth andfort him, but the words remained stuck in her mouth, and she could not say a word of it in the end. As though everything she spoke was unnecessary, and she even found it hard to say a sentence of constion. There were many things that were far moreplicated than you thought. ¡°He¡¯d overdosed on drugs, hallucinated, and started screaming and yelling on the streets while holding a gun. He injured some passers-by... In the end, the police came and shot him.¡± ¡°After he was sent to the hospital, the doctor gave him tranquilizers, but discovered that all of his blood vessels were in a bad state...¡± ¡°Even if he wasn¡¯t shot, he would still have died sooner orter.¡± ¡°His life... in the end all his wrongdoings had harmed himself.¡± Mo Han kept talking, almost as though he was mumbling to himself and that he wanted to say everything that he knew, ¡°It was only today when I came back that I found out my father and my mother had divorced two years ago.¡± ¡°Two years, they didn¡¯t even tell me that they¡¯d divorced.¡± Xia Qingyi quietly listened on her end of the phone, and did not say any of her opinions. Mo Han¡¯s voice slowly became steady. ¡°I estimate that I¡¯ll be staying here for a period of time, the police left it to me to handle my father¡¯s wake. And my father¡¯spany¡¯s stocks had fallen drastically because of this matter. Regardless of my feelings or logical reasons, I have to save it.¡± ¡°When will youe back?¡± Xia Qingyi spoke for the first time. ¡°I will try my best.¡± ¡°I wait for you at home.¡± Xia Qingyi thought about it and added, ¡°You know, I will always be here waiting for you toe back.¡± Mo Han heard the voice from the other end of the phone, and stopped in his tracks. The silent air slowly flowed along with the passing of time. He stood at the corner of the streets in America, and heard the dull ringing of the bell from the church behind him. The old and ancient metal gates of the church were tightly shut, the people in the church sincerely put their hands together and prayed as they sang hymns. At that moment, he turned his head, looked at the towering spire of the church in the distance and spoke gently into the phone, ¡°Wait for me toe back.¡± Everything rted to his parents were once a nightmare in his mind. No matter a good or bad ending, everything regarding them was no longer important to Mo Han. Because he wanted the ending itself. He just wanted to start over. Chapter 117 - Separation

Chapter 117: Separation

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han gave his father a simple funeral. Even if there were not a lot of people who attended. On his third day in America, his father¡¯s ashes were settled in afortable ce. He stared at them for a long time, a mixture of emotions surging in his heart, before turning and leaving. After he had finished the arrangements for his father¡¯s wake, Mo Han started to handle the problems left behind by his father¡¯spany. Thepany had long been reduced to an empty shell due to his father¡¯s drug problems. When the news about him taking drugs had appeared, stocks had fallen drastically. Many of the investors chose to withdraw their investments, and, afraid that thepany would copse, numerous employees prepared to resign. The internal departments of thepany needed someone to take responsibility and handle everything. Mo Han was also forced to do it. After his father passed away, several of thepany¡¯s shareholders found him and wanted him to help. Mo Han did not know anything regarding thepany¡¯s situation, but he had to brace himself and read up on thepany¡¯s operational situation around the clock. Mo Han only remembered that he did not really sleep for those few days. In the morning, he had to meet with various investors to convince them and try his best to ensure the smooth flow ofpany funds. At night, he had meetings with the shareholders to discuss the internal departments. The rest of the time, he had to look at various data of thepany¡¯s internal departments. Whatever short moments he could squeeze out from the remaining time were his rest time. He depended on coffee and sleeping pills in turn to tide him over. He used a total of six days to pull his father¡¯spany out of the mud. Mo Han did not know that the shareholders often brought him up in conversation on the sixth day, saying that they had never seen a young man save apany so near bankruptcy in such a short time. He had the courage, insight and also the intellect. He knew exactly how to handle things in the business field with its unpredictable nature. If his status of an exceptionalwyer was removed, he could be an outstanding entrepreneur. Except that Mo Han had never thought of bing an entrepreneur. He only wanted to finish handling his father¡¯s matters and go back. Mo Han bought a ticket back to China, but those shareholders wanted him to stay in America to work. He declined, saying that he had no interest in his father¡¯spany at all. Just like that, without turning back, without taking anything with him, he left America. China and America had a 13-hour time difference. Mo Han left nearing afternoon, but when he reached home it was already 1 in the morning. Mo Han stood at the house entrance. For some reason he was unable to find his keys no matter how hard he searched, so he simply gave up and called Xia Qingyi. ¡°Hello?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice wasced with sleepiness. On hearing her voice after being separated for ten days, Mo Han felt the tightness around his chest suddenly loosen. He felt extraordinarily tired, as though his energy was only enough to reach his home. ¡°Open the door,¡± Mo Han said lightly as he leaned on the door. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Xia Qingyi was a little surprised. She promptly jumped out of the bed, switched on the light and ran to open the door. The door lock clicked, and Mo Han nearly fell in as the door opened, but luckily enough, Xia Qingyi managed to hold him in time. ¡°Ah... ah... what happened to you?¡± Mo Han was too heavy, and had almost squashed her into the ground, she had to use most of her strength to steady herself and forcefully grabbed onto his arm. Mo Han could smell the unique faint smell of her soap on Xia Qingyi¡¯s body. It had been a long time since he had smelled it. ¡°Ah... ah... stand properly,¡± Xia Qingyi did not even have the time to hang up his call. She dragged Mo Han with one hand and threw her phone on the nearby sofa first. But Mo Han was really too tired. He felt really sleepy, as though the days he had not slept in America hade crashing down on him at once. His consciousness slowly became hazy. Chapter 118 - Body Reaction

Chapter 118: Body Reaction

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi patted his face. ¡°Hey... Older brother... Don¡¯t sleep... Let¡¯s reach the bedroom before you sleep okay...?¡± Mo Han did not reply as he leaned on her thin shoulders with his entire body weight. Without a choice, Xia Qingyi supported his waist with a hand and ced his arm around her shoulders, trying to pull him towards his bedroom. ¡°Can you use some energy... to walk forward... you¡¯re very heavy...¡± Xia Qingyi nagged. They had only walked a small distance and she was already panting tiredly. When they were passing by the sofa, Xia Qingyi was not paying attention to where she was walking as she looked up to nce at Mo Han. Suddenly, she tripped over something unknown and they fell towards the sofa. The sofa at home had armrests, which were what Xia Qingyi¡¯s waist had bumped into. Her upper body fell onto the soft sofa. Mo Han had fell directly on Xia Qingyi, with his head lying where her neck was. Her waist was stuck on the armrest and her legs could not even touch the floor. Her whole body could not move. Xia Qingyi could not breath with Mo Han¡¯s weight on her. She could not move him away as she had used most of her energy trying to carry Mo Han earlier. She tried to kick Mo Han with her legs to get him to move, but it seemed that he had fallen asleep as he remained unmoved. Xia Qingyi tried to move her body upwards forcefully, so that her waist would not be stuck on the armrest. It would be better to have her legs on the armrest than her waist. However, she had not realized an important issue. Mo Han was currently lying on her chest, and she was not wearing any bra. Xia Qingyi sighed in resignation as she could not push Mo Han away no matter what she did. She had been woken in the middle of the night by his call. Now, he was sleeping here like nothing had happened while she was extremely tired. The room was silent as Xia Qingyi felt sleepinesse to her too. She thought about just going to sleep like that and to think of a solution when she woke up the next day. That was why she turned her head and fell asleep with her hand covering the lights. The next morning, Xia Qingyi was the first to wake. All she felt was pain in her back after having slept on the sofa for the entire night. She wanted to rub her back, though Mo Han was still lying on her. Xia Qingyi did not know the time as she did not even know where she had ced her phone. She was wondering whether to wake Mo Han up first. However, the moment she tried to move, Mo Han, who had been lying on her chest, woke up. His head moved, before he opened his eyes and looked up at Xia Qingyi with surprise. Did he not wake up no matter how hard she tried to wake himst night? How did he wake up so easily now? ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. Mo Han had only started to notice his surroundings then. He looked down to see Xia Qingyi¡¯s bra-less chest that was slightly showing. His cheeks turned red immediately. Then, he realized a more important issue. He had a morning er*ction, right in between Xia Qingyi¡¯s legs. He got up from Xia Qingyi¡¯s body hurriedly, trying to cover himself by standing slightly turned. It was only then that he had realized that he had slept on Xia Qingyi for the entire night. ¡°Ah... ah...¡± Xia Qingyi moaned with her jaws clenched tightly on the sofa. She had moved her body right as Mo Han had gotten up. Her waist was in extreme pain as it was hard for her to even turn her body. Mo Han¡¯s ears turned red at Xia Qingyi¡¯s moans. He did not dare to continue staying here as he ran away hurriedly without looking at Xia Qingyi. ¡°Hm... erm... I¡¯ll go wash my face first...¡± ¡°Hey... Pull me up! My waist hurts... I can¡¯t get up!¡± Xia Qingyi tried to get some pity about what she had experienced as she rubbed her waist in pain. For the rest of the day, Xia Qingyi kept nagging about Mo Han¡¯s cold-blooded behavior. He had slept on her like she was a mattress for the entire night, yet he did not say anything and rushed away when he had woken up. On the other hand, Mo Han had been absorbed by the fact that he had slept on Xia Qingyi for the entire night, and his reaction to it. He was bing more horrified the more he thought about it. He became slightly aware that some things had already strayed from their original course. It was possible, that Xia Qingyi was no longer just a girl that he had helped out of pitifulness to him. Chapter 119: Drunk In the few days that Mo Han had returned to the country, he had yet to fulfill his promise to treat Xia Qingyi to a nice meal. Not only so, he had be busier with work for some unknown reasons. He was so busy that Xia Qingyi had almost thought that Mo Han was avoiding her purposefully. This made Xia Qingyi very ufortable and the ns she had to have a nice meal could only be postponed endlessly. Nevertheless, Xia Qingyi had still had the chance to eat a small meal as per her wish because Zhang Yang had treated her to a meal to celebrate her sessful transfer to the Psychology faculty. He had also specially invited some of his friends to apany them. Xia Qingyi did not really want to go at first, as she felt some repulsion when she thought about Zhang Yang¡¯s friends being policemen. It was only afterwards that Zhang Yang had said that his friends were people from the detective agency and were not anybody special. Xia Qingyi changed her thoughts. She had thought that maybe she could ask the people from the detective agency to help her inquire about what had happened at the swimming pool that time. They might be able to find some traces of the truth. That was why she followed Zhang Yang to the meal. However, Xia Qingyi could not remember what she had ate, what she had said and who she had met too clearly after that day. Her memories of that night were aplete blur. The final second of the memory she had when she was still sober was that Zhang Yang had said something to her at the dining table, though she had forgotten what. She was constantly in a daze, as if she kept floating up and down in the sea. Her surroundings were particrly noisy, though Xia Qingyi could not hear what they were saying. She then fell head first onto something soft. And, she lost all consciousness. By the time she had regained consciousness, she had been woken up by the frantic knocking on the door at 3 A.M. The reason why Xia Qingyi could remember the time so specifically, was because someone had said it agitatedly next to her when she had been woken up. Who is knocking on the door at 3 A.M. in the morning?! That person seemed to have gone to open the door while scolding nonstop. Xia Qingyi was incredibly sleepy. She could not move even though she was conscious. She did not open her eyes and did not know where she was currently. There were two tiny people fighting in her head. One was saying to get up quickly to see where she was, while the other was saying to go to sleep and that everything could be settled after she had woken up. Only, Xia Qingyi had been woken up when a cup of cold water was sshed on her before a victory could be decided between the two tiny people. It was extremely bright when she opened her eyes. She closed her eyes again straight away at the brightness. She continued to close her eyes after she had raised her arms to wipe away the water on her face. She had not yet reacted to what had happened. ¡°Are you awake?¡± Xia Qingyi finally opened her eyes with difficulty to faintly see Mo Han standing in front of her with his face dark as coal. Xia Qingyi was confused as she looked at Mo Han, who seemed to be unbearably close to losing his temper and the unknown man that was lying next to her. She did not know where Zhang Yang had gone, but she was lying on a bed. There was a man whose face she could not see dead asleep and lying by her leg. ¡°Go away!¡± Mo Han pulled the man who was sleeping on her leg away. Xia Qingyi finally realized that she seemed to have gotten herself into trouble. She wanted to open her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Mo Han. ¡°Go back!¡± Mo Han did not even give her the chance to speak. He straight away grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her out of the bed. Xia Qingyi almost fell with her unstable steps from Mo Han¡¯s pulling. She wanted to pull her hands back to put on her shoes and walk by herself. However, Mo Han did not give her the time to put on her shoes. He turned back and stared straight into her eyes. ¡°Xia Qingyi, if you continue to dawdle here for another minute, I¡¯ll make sure you never get to go home!¡± Xia Qingyi was frightened by his gaze. She carefully held onto her shoes with one hand while her other hand was pulled forward painfully by Mo Han. It was only when they were out of the room that Xia Qingyi finally realized that they were at a hotel. She saw another person leaning against the wall at the entrance of the room, which happened to be Zhang Yang. He was dead asleep with his head tilted and face flushed red. Chapter 120: What Are You Doing Xia Qingyi wanted to wake him up to ask him what had happened exactly, but Mo Han did not look at him at all. He merely pulled Xia Qingyi along without looking back as they went out. ¡°My hand hurts.¡± she said softly behind Mo Han. Mo Han kept quiet as he kept his grip tight on her wrist. ¡°Stop. I¡¯m not wearing shoes and my feet hurt.¡± Xia Qingyi tried to drag Mo Han back, not wanting him to continue walking. She had just woken up and was extremely tired. Mo Han stopped and turned back to nce at her, before he suddenly carried her princess-style. Xia Qingyi eximed in surprise as she immediately wrapped her hands around Mo Han¡¯s neck. She opened her eyes wide to see Mo Han¡¯s still angry face. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Put me down! I want to wear my shoes and walk by my own!¡± she kept kicking her legs in Mo Han¡¯s arms. ¡°Be more well-behaved.¡± Mo Han had ced Xia Qingyi on the front passenger seat in his car. Their surrounding was so quiet that they could only hear the wind on their way back. Her wrist that Mo Han had pulled on had turned red. She rubbed her wrist as she tried to recall what had happened. The atmosphere in the car waspletely tense as the two were silent on the way back. Mo Han was angry while Xia Qingyi was afraid. She understood faintly that she had gotten herself into troublest night and Mo Han would definitely scold her when they reached home. As expected, the moment the door had been closed after they had reached home, Mo Han spoke in a tone that had no temperature, ¡°I¡¯ll only give you two minutes to exin.¡± ¡°I... I... don¡¯t know...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you saying such things.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I really don¡¯t know... I can¡¯t remember. I¡¯d only gone out for a meal with Zhang Yang and his friends...¡± ¡°Went out for a meal?! You ate until midnight and did note back! Do you know what time it is now? 4 A.M. in the morning! You went out for a meal and ended up sleeping in the hotel with those unknown men! You¡¯re really capable, Xia Qingyi. I¡¯ve really underestimated you!¡± Mo Han inched toward her as he spoke. Xia Qingyi moved back in fear, only to find her back touching the door. She could not move any further. ¡°I... I didn¡¯t mean to... I think I drank alcohol...¡± Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han who had been inching forward. The distance between them was less than 10 centimeters. She was extremely afraid, desperately wishing that she could hide in the door. Mo Han stared into her eyes. He grabbed her chin suddenly. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you many times not to drink alcohol? To not drink any alcohol, not even a single drop. Did you treat my words as a joke?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him as she trembled in fear. The Mo Han in front of her now did not seem like the person she knew at all. The Mo Han that she knew was a calm and introverted person, but the person that was holding onto her chin now was too invasive. His gaze was like that of a panther who was waiting for its prey without a sound, making others feel as though every second could be theirst. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I admit my mistake. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Xia Qingyi was really afraid. Nevertheless, Mo Han did not let go. In fact, he ced his other hand on the back of Xia Qingyi¡¯s head, forcefully pushing her towards herself until their noses touched. Xia Qingyi did not dare to look at Mo Han as her hands shook. Mo Han whispered softly in her ear as he lowered his head, ¡°What did you do wrong?¡± ¡°I... won¡¯t drink alcohol anymore... I won¡¯t even look at alcohol from now on...¡± Xia Qingyi trembled. Despite so, Mo Han did not back away as he pressed Xia Qingyi against the door. His hand rubbed her chin softly. ¡°What did you all do in the room before I came?¡± Chapter 121: Impossible to Forgive Xia Qingyi shook her head desperately. She turned away from him, not daring to look at him. ¡°Nothing... We didn¡¯t do anything... I just slept...¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone be skittish as he let go of his grip on Xia Qingyi¡¯s chin. Just as Xia Qingyi was about to let out a breath of relief secretly, she sucked in a deep breath instead at Mo Han¡¯s next action. He tugged his hand down from Xia Qingyi¡¯s shirt. He then moved his hand under her shirt, hugging her waist as his hand pressed against Xia Qingyi¡¯s skin. ¡°Did they do this?¡± Mo Han was almost biting her ear as he said this. Xia Qingyi was so frightened that she was speechless. She red at him, wanting to push his hand away. ¡°Or, did they do this?¡± as he said this, Mo Han¡¯s hand slid up from the soft skin at her back. He stopped at where her bra sp was. There was a slight pressure, and the bra sp became undone. Her heart started to beat erratically together with the unsping of the bra sp. She had never expected Mo Han to do things like this. His calloused hand started to caress her back without any reservation. It was also almost immediately that she started to push Mo Han¡¯s hand away desperately. It was a pity however, that her strength was nothingpared to Mo Han¡¯s. Something in her brain snapped. She wanted to give Mo Han a p, only to have both her hands caught by Mo Han suddenly. He pushed her hands up straight and pressed them against the door. ¡°Let me tell you, Xia Qingyi! Those men had thought of way more severe things than what I¡¯m doing now after you were drunk!¡± Xia Qingyi could feel Mo Han¡¯s right hand moving up and down her body. The thin callouses on his palm made Xia Qingyi shiver unconsciously. Her entire body was trembling as shame washed over her. It made her start to struggle desperately. Xia Qingyi was especially afraid of this side of Mo Han. She turned her head towards the side as tears fell uncontrobly. Mo Han eventually stopped when he saw her tears. He slowly removed his hand from within Xia Qingyi¡¯s shirt. He then moved his left hand that had been pressing her hands down, removing his restraint from Xia Qingyi. He had thought that Xia Qingyi would immediately p him. He had done somethingpletely unforgivable from the eyes of an onlooker after all. But, Xia Qingyi did not. She did not do anything. Her tears fell drop by drop with her head still looking towards the side as she rubbed her wrist silently. Mo Han¡¯s rationality was starting to return. He had only realized the extent of his actions that he had made on impulse after he saw how she looked now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Mo Han took a step back as he ced a hand to his forehead. Xia Qingyi was holding her tears back as she bent down slowly to pick up the shoes on the floor. She froze there for a long time with her head down, before she stepped emptily away from Mo Han. Mo Han watched Xia Qingyi¡¯s back view. Her steps were incredibly slow, which could have been due to the fact that what had happened earlier had a strong impact on her. She seemed soulless as she walked forward. He wanted to call her, though he gave up once the words reached his mouth. Mo Han suddenly understood that Xia Qingyi¡¯s and his innocent brother-sister rtionship was probably gone after what had happened earlier. She had treated Mo Han as her older brother. It was Mo Han who had first crossed the line. Mo Han had thought that it was a good thing that he had found this out early nevertheless. There was still time to turn back, and things would eventually return to how they were. It was only in the next morning that Xia Qingyi had found out what had happened exactly when Zhang Yang had called her after she had woken up. Zhang Yang had given her a ss of alcohol when they were eating yesterday. She drank it, not paying too much attention to it and had started to act up not long afterwards. Zhang Yang had been giggling to himself as he told her. He said, ¡°I can¡¯t tell that you¡¯d bite people randomly after you¡¯ve drank, Xia Qingyi?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know, but you gave us all a scare when you started to pull people around you in and bite them on their neck. We wanted to pull you, but you didn¡¯t let us touch you. All of us at the table had been bitten twice, more or less.¡± Xia Qingyi asked, ¡°Then why did we go to the hotel afterwards?¡± Chapter 122: Hotel Zhang Yang started to babble, ¡°That¡¯s because you were quite drunk. I asked you where your house was, and you told me that you didn¡¯t have a house. It was a good thing that I used thest bit of the consciousness I had to find your phone and call your older brother to tell him that you¡¯d stay at the hotel for the night and I¡¯d send you home tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Who knew that you¡¯d start to act up again after we reached the hotel. You woke my friends to continue drinking, and I was even locked out afterwards.¡± Xia Qingyi was slightly relieved after she had found out the truth bit by bit from Zhang Yang. She still had no idea why she could not remember anything after drinking alcohol, not to mention not being able to control her actions. It was no wonder Mo Han had been so angry after he had heard that she had drank. Once she thought of Mo Han, however, Xia Qingyi would remember how Mo Han had acted when he had lost control of himself. Xia Qingyi shuddered in fear at the memory of him restraining her and touching her body without any reservations appearing at the front of his head. Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about it. The next morning, the two of them had the most awkward meal ever as they quietly ate at the dining table. Xia Qingyi had not spoken a single word to him throughout the entire meal. Mo Han knew the reason behind her actions. He wanted to return to their original lifestyle with Xia Qingyi, though he had realized that everything that he did was wrong. ¡°What do you want to eat tonight? I¡¯ll bring it back for you.¡± Mo Han spoke the first sentence for the morning just as breakfast was about to be finished. Xia Qingyi merely shook her head, ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± The two never spoke again. Mo Han returned to his workaholic self, not giving any time for himself to rest. This made the people working in thew firm absolutely miserable, though they did not dare to speak up. There were unending meetings and endless documents to tidy. They had originally thought that their boss would reduce his working hours after his three-day holiday earlier, though the fact is that they had expected too much. Mo Han was the only one who knew that he was like this because wanted to be distracted from what had happened with Xia Qingyi. Since yesterday, he would automatically think about his palm that had caressed her body and her suppressed tears when he had stopped. Mo Han felt absolutely helpless at this. He needed to use his work to fill and distract his brain. ¡°Do you think that Barrister Mo has been angered somehow? What¡¯s wrong with him today? We¡¯d been busy the whole day and he had said that we could knock off work on time. Yet, there came another new casest minute and there¡¯s a bunch of legal documents to read. What do I do?¡± one of the employees of thew firmined secretly to his colleague sitting next to him. ¡°Do you still not understand our Barrister Mo? He¡¯s known for being a workaholic. You have to be prepared that you would sacrifice your body for the legal cause of your country as long as you¡¯re working for him!¡± another employee added. ¡°I know, I know. If this goes on, I think I¡¯d really sacrifice myself soon.¡± the employee had resentment written all over his face as he drank his coffee cross-legged. ¡°Well, if only Barrister Mo¡¯s younger sister was here today.¡± one of the employee said suddenly. ¡°So what if she came?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a lot better if she came, alright?! Don¡¯t you realize? Our boss would definitely let us off work within half an hour every time our boss¡¯ younger sister came to thew firm.¡± the employee said excitedly. The employee who had firstined had a light bulb moment. ¡°Oh! What you¡¯re saying is the truth! It seemed to be like this every time!¡± ¡°Not only so, I think boss had gone on a trip with his younger sister when he took a three-day leave without any notice not long ago.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yes! I heard Liu Zhiyuan say that it was boss¡¯ younger sister who came up with the idea.¡± ¡°Wow! If that¡¯s the case, boss has a really good rtionship with his younger sister. They¡¯d even gone on a trip together!¡± The two chatted quietly in the pantry, making use of the little time they had while refilling their cups. They did not notice Mo Han, who just so happened to be standing by the door. ¡°I didn¡¯t know boss had a younger sisterst time. Now that I know, I¡¯ve realized that our boss is absolutely whipped and protective of her.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes! I think so too.¡± she kept saying nonstop. Chapter 123: Unanswered Call ¡°You don¡¯t even know about it! When I brought some documents to our boss¡¯ office that day, I saw his younger sister sleeping on the sofa while our boss was reading documents on the sofa as well. I didn¡¯t notice much then. It was only when I was leaving that I¡¯d saw that his clothes had been ced on his younger sister. Also, let me tell you. I also saw his younger sister tugging onto his sleeve yet our boss didn¡¯t even push her away.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s real, I saw it for myself.¡± the two heads almost touched as they quietly chatted. Mo Han had heard every word of their conversation, though he merely kept quiet outside the door. Eventually, he walked away quietly. People often said to not listen to others¡¯ words as most of their words are a lie. Their words are just things they had seen from their point of view and they did not even care about what you were thinking. Only, those people had gotten the saying that the spectators can see the chess game better than the yers. Mo Han did not know if he was currently the yer ording to others, or if he was the spectator that he thought he was. All he knew was that he need some alone time to calmly and carefully think about his current circumstances. He needed to be rational and calm, and not to be impulsive and narrow-minded. That was why he needed to stay away from Xia Qingyi for a few days. Xia Qingyi, on the other hand, had remained silent for these few days. Mo Han would see Xia Qingyi¡¯s tightly closed bedroom door whenever he returned home. Even though they could interact with each other once they were home, Mo Han felt that they were separated by two entire worlds. Mo Han had once thought about when Xia Qingyi and he could return to their original lifestyle where they could talk normally to each other. He thought that it would probably take a week at most. His younger sister¡¯s temper came and went easily. They would soon return to how they were before. However, Mo Han had never expected that the reason for them to return to normal conversations was a missed call. He had received a missed call from Xia Qingyi at 9 P.M. Mo Han could still remember it very clearly. The exact time he had received the missed call was 9.38 P.M. This timing had been branded into the small fragments of his memory in the future, and became a hidden scar within his heart. Even after many years, Mo Han had always felt that many things had changed because of this missed call. That call had rung for a long time, though Mo Han did not pick it up as he stared at the shing name on the phone. He had ced his phone in a corner, waiting for the screen to dim. Mo Han had thought that the call was Xia Qingyi trying to reconcile with him. She had lost patience after all, with her tempering and going easily. Mo Han reminded himself to give himself some time alone. He was supposed to be the rational and calm Barrister Mo, not the impulsive and possessive older brother he had be in front of Xia Qingyi. Mo Han had been notified by his secretary that it was time for a meeting the moment his phone screen had dimmed. He left his seat for the meeting, leaving his phone on the table with a document in hand. Ten minutester, there was a new notification on Mo Han¡¯s phone that there was a new message. Xincheng Avenue 3. The sender of the message was Xia Qingyi. Mo Han did not see it however. The meeting went on for about 20 minutes. After Mo Han had returned to his office, he sat down and was about to call a staff at the courts when he saw Xia Qingyi¡¯s message. This ce was actually not far from Mo Han¡¯sw firm. He had no idea why Xia Qingyi had sent an address, though he had vaguely felt that there was some meaning behind it. That is why he had wanted to call Xia Qingyi to ask about it. Only, the voice that had sounded on the phone was a cold female voice. ¡°Sorry, the mobile phone that you had dialed has been turned off.¡± Chapter 124: Pain It was only now that Mo Han finally realized that something was wrong. The same cold words were heard when he called her again. The repeated words kept ringing in Mo Han¡¯s ears. His head was in a mess, with his thoughts tangled together. It was only suddenly that it had dawned on him that something bad might have happened. Mo Han did not dare to continue that line of thought as he ran out with his jacket hurriedly. He did not even tell his assistant as he called while running. He needed to go to that ce immediately. Something must have happened at the address that Xia Qingyi had sent him. This thought pushed through the others to fill his head as his steps quickened. It was only when he walked out of the building that he realized that it had somehow started raining heavily outside. The unexpected rain had engulfed the entire city in fog. Heavy droplets fell and hit the water puddles on the ground, as some smaller droplets sshed out. The unique loud stter of the rain lingered in Mo Han¡¯s ears. He could even faintly hear the sound of cars driving on the wet streets from afar. Mo Han merely paused for a second before he used his hands to cover himself slight as he ran into the rain. He kept calling Xia Qingyi nonstop, though it was the same robotic voice that had answered every time. Mo Han was starting to feel frustrated. The more time passed, the longer he ran and the longer Xia Qingyi did not pick up her phone, the faster his heart beat. He only wanted to ran faster to reach that ce faster. He wanted to see Xia Qingyi. He wanted to see her now. ¡°Go away... Go...!¡± Xia Qingyi screamed as she struggled with all her strength, trying to push away the person that had held her down. ¡°Stupid b*itch! Stay still!¡± The man that had pinned her on the floor suddenly grabbed her hands and pressed them next to her so that she could not move. He spat on the floor, telling the person next to him, ¡°This girl is feisty enough!¡± Xia Qingyi had noticed someone following behind her when she had walked to the entrance of a coffee shop. She had nced at the ss window of the coffee shop unintentionally, before she saw a man wearing a ck baseball cap following behind her. There was something wrong with his gaze as he did not dare to look at her. There was no reason for him to not look at her if he was aplete stranger. Xia Qingyi wanted to shake him off quietly without batting an eyelid. Though, it was when she was at a corner when she realized that it was not only a man following her. Thinking that she would not be able to handle it, she could only put on her earphones and call Mo Han. The call did not go through however, and she had been stared at closely by her pursuers. She was ready to ask for help from the people around her, though with a look ahead, she froze in her steps. She had walked into a long alley unknowingly. The end of the alley that she was at only had streetmps that shined a dusky yellow, some old buildings and the road surface was filled with potholes. Meanwhile, there was a brightly lit and busy street on the other side of the alley. It would be Mo Han¡¯sw firm after walking through that street. Thunder sounded suddenly, and bean-sized rain droplets started to fall. Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart started to beat erratically. She took a few deep breaths to try to calm her throbbing heart, as she stabilized her steps to continue forward. Her hand was in her pocket as she tried to use her memory and the faint light avable to send an extremely short message to Mo Han while she walked. The sound of rain echoed in her ears. The person behind her started to get closer to her as he stepped on rain water. He wasing closer and closer. Xia Qingyi looked at the brightness of the street not too far away from her. She started to run faster and faster. Everything would be fine as long as she could get out of this alley. Her hair was drenched as it stuck softly to her face. The raindrops fell into her eyes, which made her vision unclear. All she could do was run in the direction where there was light in the distance. It was then that Xia Qingyi saw a man standing in the middle of the dark alley in front of her. He was smiling at her darkly and Xia Qingyi was sure that she would never forget that scary feeling for the rest of her life. She was caught by that man. The man kicked hard at her stomach and she fell to the ground. Xia Qingyi did not have the chance to even stand up when the man in front of her kicked hard at her stomach and towards the side of the pole next to them. Xia Qingyi¡¯s abdomen felt like exploding as she clutched her stomach, sweating from the pain. Shey on the floor, unable to move for a long time. The heavy rain fell on her as she waspletely drenched. Xia Qingyi felt that every part of her body stank as shey in the dirty and muddy water. Afterwards, a man took advantage of the situation and came up to her to give her a p. It took Xia Qingyi a long time before she came to after the p. She turned her head to the side and breathed heavily with her mouth. Her abdomen, waist and legs were in extreme pain. It was so painful that she was shaking throughout, and she could not hear anything. Chapter 125: Death ¡°Sh*t! Isn¡¯t it just catching a woman? Why is it so hard?!¡± A man at the side spat on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s raining so heavily today too! How do we get her back?!¡± Xia Qingyi started to regain a bit of her hearing as she started to struggle away. She used her strength to pinch the man that was on her, ¡°Go away!¡± The man that was on her gave her another p after the painful pinch, before he grabbed her wrist and twisted it relentlessly. A wave of pain came as Xia Qingyi screamed. She knew clearly that her arms could not be used in the short term. Her teeth ttered together in pain as her forehead was covered in cold sweat, though it was washed away by the heavy rain immediately. The only feeling she had was that it was extremely cold. It was as though every part of her had been submerged in ice. ¡°Hurry up! It¡¯s raining so heavily here! Let¡¯s take her somewhere else first, in case we get found by others!¡± ¡°Go where?! Don¡¯t you see the bright lights over there? There might be more trouble!¡± ¡°Then we should settle it on the spot. The higher-ups only told us to discipline her anyway.¡± ¡°Hey... I think this girl looks pretty alright. How about we enjoy ourselves first?¡± A man said as he squatted and caressed Xia Qingyi¡¯s face. ¡°Come on...! It¡¯s raining so heavily...¡± ¡°It¡¯s so exciting to do it outside on a rainy day! I don¡¯t care about anything else, let¡¯s talk after I¡¯ve enjoyed myself.¡± With that, the man had already pushed and reced the man that had originally held her down. Xia Qingyi could hear what they were talking about. When that man straddled her, she felt so disgusted that she could vomit as she used her barely movable hand to strangle his neck. However, the moment her hand moved up, her hand was caught by that man. He then took the belt from his pants and used it to tie her hands to the pole next to them. That man leaned down, wanting to kiss her. Xia Qingyi shook her head desperately, as she shouted uncontrobly, ¡°Go away! You crazy man! Go away! Ah!¡± The man held her head and smashed it down on the floor with strength. Xia Qingyi started to lose her consciousness slightly after the strong and violent impact. All she felt was that her head seemed to have a hole in it as a liquid flowed out. She could no longer feel pain, as if her soul no longer belonged to herself. She watched unfeelingly as the man sitting on her started to do things to her, yet she could not do anything. Her body had no longer listened to her. The man sitting on her was tearing her clothes in the rain, while the other men surrounding them wereughing. In the dark and freezing night with heavy rain, she was panting heavily and lying on the muddy floor while a pair of revolting hands were moving all over her body without any reservations. The man also had his mouth kissing and biting every part of his body. Xia Qingyi was really tired. She felt as if there was no chance that she could resist any more. She imagined the way she was suffering all these while lying on the icy cold floor. It was hard to even breathe. Just let it pass like this, just let it go. She could die after it had passed. She would not feel any pain after she had died. Xia Qingyi thought in a daze. In the transience of the light, it seemed as if she had said this before, but she could not remember the scene. It¡¯s alright however. She had already forgotten everything of her past anyway, it would not matter if she could not remember such little things. Xia Qingyi¡¯s consciousness started to disintegrate. She felt as if every of her senses had disappeared. She had even thought that her soul had left her body, and was floating in the air. Chapter 126: I Am Here Just as she was floating in the air, the sudden sound of a voice pulled her back to consciousness. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± The voice was really familiar. Xia Qingyi thought for a second in her trance before she remembered that it was Mo Han¡¯s voice. Mo Han was standing in the rain as he looked at the crowd standing about three meters away under a dusky yellow streetmp. His heart skipped a beat at the moment he saw them, knowing that there was about an 80% possibility that they had something to do with Xia Qingyi¡¯s message. Mo Han had never felt so nervous before. He closed in on the group of people step by step as his body trembled slightly. It was the first time he had prayed so sincerely that what he would see was not what he had imagined it to be. ¡°I advise you not to be a busybody!¡± one of the man shouted angrily at the sight of Mo Han walking over. Mo Han continued to walk forward as he looked only at the center position. ¡°You don¡¯t understand humannguage do you?!¡± that man walked towards Mo Han, leaving a small gap opened to reveal the center position. Mo Han took a nce, and his mind exploded. The oue was a lot worse than he had expected. Mo Han twisted the wrist of the man that had charged towards him. With a crack, his bone position changed. He screamed in pain and was kicked to the ground by Mo Han. The remaining men rushed up to fight with Mo Han after seeing that one of them had been taken down. Mo Han, on the other hand, merely stared at Xia Qingyi, who was lying on the ground with her top torn into bits and pieces. His eyes hurt at the sight before him. He could not bear to look any further after just a nce. It was as if Mo Han had gone crazy, as he fought the men surrounding him with red eyes. He could not be rational whenever he thought that these men were the ones that had put Xia Qingyi into this state. He wanted to kill all of these men, not to spare anyone. There were five of them fighting Mo Han together. One of them was holding a pole and smashed it down with his strength, only to be stopped by Mo Han in his tracks. He then pulled that person over using the pole and punched his back. He kicked that person hard in his stomach next, and that person fell to the floor, unmoving. The men had been knocked out by Mo Han in a sh and they could not get up anymore. It was only then that he rxed his wrist and walked towards Xia Qingyi. Mo Han recalled that he had walked many paths in his life. When he walked towards the judge during a court hearing during his first time as a defensewyer. When he had walked nkly towards his mother after seeing his father hit his mother. When he walked towards his father¡¯s corpse alone in the dark mortuary in the hospital after receiving the news of his father¡¯s death. But there was never a time that felt like this moment. Every step felt like he was stepping on knives. He wanted to finish walking this path as soon as possible, yet he slowed down. He did not dare to face everything that was in front of him. It was still raining as Mo Han finally finished walking this path under the dusty yellow streetmp. He stopped by Xia Qingyi¡¯s legs. He saw Xia Qingyi lying on the ground, covered in mud. She had both of her eyes shut tightly. Her wet hair stuck to her pale skin. One of her hands were tied to the pole. Her upper body was naked, with barely any clothing covering her. She was still wearing her jeans, though the button had been pulled off. Mo Han¡¯s eyes turned red again. He stabilized his emotions as he took a few deep breaths, before he took off his shirt shakily and covered her upper body with it. ¡°You... what did you do to her?¡± Mo Han said as he bit his teeth, returning to step hard on one of the men¡¯s hands. That man¡¯s aplices had already ran while they could, and he was the only one left on the ground struggling. His hand hurt from Mo Han¡¯s stepping, to the point that he felt it was going to be maimed. ¡°Ah! ... I didn¡¯t do anything! We merely beat her up. It was Old Zhao! He wanted to rape that girl. We advised him not to do it and he wouldn¡¯t listen. In the end, he couldn¡¯t take off that girl¡¯s pants as it was wet from the rain. He didn¡¯t have the chance to do anything before you arrived.¡± Mo Han was so angry that he wanted to explode as he listened to that man¡¯s words. He stepped on that man¡¯s hand harder until there was a crisp sound of bones breaking. That man cried out in pain as he begged for forgiveness while writhing on the ground. Amongst the cries of agony in this deste rainy night, Mo Han could hear a soft voice from behind him. ¡°Older brother... Older brother...¡± Chapter 127: It Hurts Amongst the cries of agony in this deste rainy night, Mo Han could hear a soft voice from behind him. ¡°Older brother... Older brother...¡± Mo Han¡¯s heart beat intensely. He moved his leg to stabilize his shaking steps towards Xia Qingyi. ¡°Older brother... It hurts...¡± Xia Qingyi moaned. Mo Han wanted to break down after hearing her words. He knelt on the ground, untying the rope around her wrist carefully. He supported her back and hugged her in his embrace. Mo Han tried so hard to stop himself from stuttering. ¡°I know... I know... I¡¯m calling the ambnce immediately.¡± ¡°Stay still. Hold on for a while.¡± Mo Han tried to console Xia Qingyi as per usual, though his trembling hand as he called the ambnce betrayed him. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine soon! It won¡¯t hurt in a while.¡± Mo Han kept hugging Xia Qingyi¡¯s cold body after calling the ambnce. He did not dare to let go. ¡°Help me... put my clothes on properly...¡± Speaking had became extremely hard for Xia Qingyi. With every word she said, she felt a scorching fire burning in her chest. Xia Qingyi¡¯s shirt on the floor had been torn into pieces and could not be worn anymore. Mo Han carefully wrapped her in the jacket that he had ced on her earlier, as he buttoned up the shirt one by one shakily. ¡°It¡¯s worn properly now. You¡¯re fine. No one can see anymore.¡± Xia Qingyi felt a little bit of warmth. Her tired consciousness had reached its limit and she was about to fall into deep sleep. ¡°You¡¯re fine. You¡¯re fine. I¡¯m here now.¡± Mo Han move to caress Xia Qingyi¡¯s face, only to touch a sticky liquid at the back of her head identally. Under the dim light from the streetmp, he saw a patch of dark red on his palm. It was the color of blood mixed with dirt. Mo Han¡¯s voice was hoarse and shaking. ¡°Be good and don¡¯t go to sleep. Talk to me.¡± But there was no more sound from Xia Qingyi. Her head was leaning against Mo Han¡¯s chest, while her hand fell on the dirty ground. Mo Han hugged her as he desperately wiped away the blood on his hands with his shirt. He held back his churning emotions and ced Xia Qingyi¡¯s injured hand on him instead. Mo Han could not do anything. He did not dare to touch Xia Qingyi any further, afraid that her injuries would be made more serious by him. He just knelt there with her in his arms. Every second of him looking at Xia Qingyi¡¯s pale face was a torture to him. He kept looking around the alley corner, trying to see if the ambnce had reached. In his memory, he had waited for a very long time. It was such a long wait that he had almost lost control and wanted to carry Xia Qingyi to the hospital. The ringing of the ambnce only arrived from afar in the hazy and rainy night. However, the truth was that he had only waited for ten minutes. It was just that every minute had felt like a year to Mo Han. ¡°Please wait outside first and go settle the administrative procedures at the first floor. We will inform you if anything happens.¡± The nurse and doctor outside of the emergency room forbade Mo Han from entering again and pushed him out after they had gotten Xia Qingyi into the emergency room. ¡°You¡¯re injured too. Why don¡¯t you go clean up your injury first?¡± A nurse at the side advised him nicely at the sight of some blood traces on Mo Han¡¯s arm, as well as his disheveled appearance. Mo Han turned his gaze away from the emergency room to look at his arm. He merely looked at the blood on his shirt, and his words were emotionless. ¡°I¡¯m fine. This is her blood.¡± Once the administrative procedures had been settled, Mo Han kept waiting at the entrance of the emergency room. Though, it had not been long since he had sat down when the public address system of the emergency room suddenly sounded. ¡°Can the rtive of Xia Qingyi, the rtive of Xia Qingyi, please proceed to the emergency room now.¡± His heart skipped a beat as he stood up and walked to the entrance of the emergency room. He then saw a doctor came out that said, ¡°Who is the rtive of Xia Qingyi?¡± ¡°I am. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°How are you rted to her?¡± ¡°We¡¯re brother and sister. I¡¯m her older brother.¡± ¡°Alright, please follow me.¡± The doctor pushed open the door of the emergency room and signaled for him to follow him into the emergency room. Chapter 128: She¡¯s Not in Good Condition ¡°What happened to her?¡± Mo Han asked. The doctor led him inside. He did not have the chance to answer him before Mo Han heard Xia Qingyi shouting from inside. ¡°Go away! Ah...! Don¡¯t touch me! ... Scram!¡± ¡°Miss, you¡¯re in the hospital now. You¡¯re alright. Please rx. We¡¯re treating to your injuries.¡± On a hospital bed at some distance away, Mo Han saw Xia Qingyi struggling with oxygen tubes attached to her. There was a patch of blood belonging to her on the bed sheets, as well as blood that had dripped onto the floor. The doctor said, ¡°Your younger sister... she¡¯s not really cooperating with the treatment... her head keeps bleeding and there¡¯s a slight fracture at her left hand. We need to stitch and bandage her wounds immediately, but she seems to have remembered something bad and keeps struggling.¡± Mo Han stared at her, frozen on the spot as he kept quiet for a long while. ¡°Please help to try to make her understand and calm down.¡± Mo Han walked forward slowly. The nurses at the side automatically made way for him as he touched Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand that had been firmly held against the bed by the nurse. He nced at her wrist to find some blood traces caused by the friction from the rope. If there was someone present that knew Mo Han, they would definitely not believe that this person in front of them with such an expression was him. People knew him as always rational, calm, objective and sometimes heartless. Yet, the gentleness and heartache revealed in the eyes of this person in front of them touched every stranger present. There was no way they could be the same person. ¡°Everything is over now. You¡¯re in the hospital now. I¡¯m with you too. Be good and let them treat you. Let¡¯s go home after you¡¯ve covered.¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone was surprisingly gentle as he held down Xia Qingyi¡¯s struggles. ¡°Ah... Go away... No...¡± Xia Qingyi kept shaking her head. ¡°Open your eyes and take a look. I¡¯m your older brother. I¡¯m the only one next to you right now.¡± Mo Han bent down to whisper softly by her ears to calm her down. Xia Qingyi might have had heard his voice as she slowly stopped moving her restless body. She opened her eyes to look at Mo Han with her pale face. Tears fell as she whimpered weakly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid... Older brother...¡± A part of Mo Han¡¯s heart hurt at the sight of her tears. There was a lump in his throat as he wiped Xia Qingyi¡¯s tears away. His lips trembled as he spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid... Don¡¯t be afraid... You¡¯ll be alright soon. I¡¯m here with you.¡± ¡°Older brother...¡± Xia Qingyi was still moaning. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid... You¡¯ll be alright soon. We¡¯ll go home once you¡¯re alright. I¡¯ll bring home nice food. Didn¡¯t you always want to eat seafood? I¡¯ll take you to eat seafood... and the red bean pastries. I¡¯ll buy as many as you want to eat...¡± Mo Han bent down, unable to hold back as he ced a kiss on her forehead. Slowly, Xia Qingyi gradually calmed down. She closed her eyes as she breathed slowly. Ayer of sweat on her head mixed with the bloody water on her face. Mo Han slowly pushed away her hair, as he caressed her face. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here.¡± The nurse that had been sitting by the side hurriedly picked up the stitching tools with the other staff around her at the sight of Xia Qingyi calming down. They got ready to clean her wound at the back of her head. ¡°You should go out and stay away for a while. We have to clean up her wounds.¡± the nurse said to Mo Han. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with her. She¡¯s afraid of the pain.¡± Mo Han replied softly as he stared at Xia Qingyi¡¯s quiet sleeping side face profile. ¡°It¡¯s not that painful. We would give her anesthesia.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just sit by the side. I won¡¯t disturb you.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that she would act like just now if I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°The sight of her wound might be a little... Are you sure you can stay?¡± Mo Han grabbed her hand softly. ¡°She¡¯s the one enduring the pain on the bed. There¡¯s nothing much about me just looking at it.¡± The doctor could not say anything else as he pulled the curtain to separate Xia Qingyi and the other patients. He gave her an anesthetic shot and shaved off a small part of her hair at the back of her head. He then cleaned the blood and dirt around the wound, before he picked up the stitching thread and started to stitch up the wound. Mo Han stared as Xia Qingyiy there on her side, while the doctor wearing a mask was stitching up her wound intently behind her. If he could ignore her pale and white face, ignore her dirt covered body, and ignore the hands of the doctor behind her that kept stitching, the way she was in deep sleep now looked extremely like a child. Chapter 129: In Jail Only, Mo Han suddenly thought of the fact that he could not help to share the burden of all the pain that she had suffered. He could only look at her pale face and apany her. For the first time, Mo Han felt absolutely helpless. After the doctor was done cleaning up the wound on her head, he took out the gloves and mask. He carefully ced Xia Qingyi¡¯s head back on the pillow to prevent cing any pressure on the wound. As he moved Xia Qingyi into the right position, he said, ¡°I gave six stitches. There might be a scar afterwards, but because it¡¯s at the back of her head, it shouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue as her hair can cover it.¡± The doctor continued to say, ¡°You have to bring her to get a CTter. It won¡¯t be just a simple stitching and bandage if there is internal bleeding in her head. Also, we need to check if there is internal bleeding in the other parts of your sister¡¯s body. There is also a slight fracture on her left hand. After you¡¯re done with the CT, you can bring her to the orthopedics to get her into a cast straight away. She might not be able to move her arm for about two weeks.¡± Mo Han merely nodded at the doctor as he caressed her hand. ¡°She needs to stay in the hospital for observation for some time. She needs to recuperate as well. Her body¡¯s condition isn¡¯t good as she¡¯s very weak.¡± Mo Han replied, ¡°I understand. Thank you, doctor.¡± After the doctor had left, Mo Han followed the nurses and pushed Xia Qingyi to the various checkup rooms for her tests. They went from the department of cardiac and neurology to the department of orthopedics. The results were that there were no problems and that she does not need any surgeries. The only problem was that her body¡¯s condition was so bad that she needed a long time to recuperate. When it was all over, Mo Han kept holding onto Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand as he sat next to her. He finally rxed as he listened to Xia Qingyi¡¯s stable breathing with the aid of an oxygen mask and the subtle beeping of the electrocardiograph machine. It was only then that he felt slightly exhausted as he sat unmoving on the chair for a long time. It was only when dawn was breaking that Mo Han had left Xia Qingyi¡¯s side for a while to go out and give Liu Zhiyuan a call. He told him that he would not be at thew firm for these few days, that his work would be passed to Barrister Liao and that to call him only when there were things that could not be settled. After he had ended the call to Liu Zhiyuan, he pondered for a moment before he called Old Zhang from the police force. ¡°Old Zhang, please help me with something.¡± Old Zhang was a little surprised as Mo Han did not ask for help from others usually. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Something has happened to my younger sister. She¡¯s in the hospital now.¡± ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°There were a few men that had surrounded her in an alleyst night. They hit her and almost...¡± Mo Han paused before he continued, ¡°Please help me investigate their background.¡± ¡°Do you want it to be a public investigation or a private one?¡± ¡°A public investigation. I want them in jail.¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°Alright, I understand. In that case, I¡¯ll get some men to go down to the hospital to take her statement after she wakes up.¡± ¡°Please wait for a while. I¡¯m scared that she¡¯s emotionally unstable now. I¡¯m scared that she might... think of the bad things.¡± ¡°Then where did the incident happen? What time was it? I have to know these details.¡± ¡°It was at Xincheng Avenue 3 at around 9 P.M. There should be still some traces left.¡± ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Mo Han had wanted to end the call after that, though Old Zhang asked again, ¡°Your younger sister, how... are her injuries? Do you want her to take an injury identification?¡± Mo Han kept quiet for a while as he leaned against the wall. ¡°She... hasn¡¯t woken up yet... I¡¯ll let her decide after she wakes up.¡± After Mo Han had ended the call, he took several deep breaths as he leaned against the wall. It was then that he felt the need to smoke. His fingers were itching against his leg. Now that he had thought about it, it had been a long while since he had smoked. Mo Han could not hold back the urge eventually as he got up to walk to a corner outside of the hospital. He got a cigarette from a middle-aged man next to him and started to puff out smoke after he had lit the cigarette. He had always inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaling out the smoke when he smoked. The cloudy smoke diffused in front of him. His deep eyes appeared to be extra charming under the contrast of the smoke, though it waspletely shing with the slight stubble present on his chin and his crumbled clothes. Chapter 130: Regaining Consciousness The middle-aged man that had given him the cigarette was standing by the road and wanted to talk to him, though he had retreated from his reticent attitude. Mo Han had kept a distance from him as he leaned against the tree. His face was stern as he remained silent. He finished the cigarette, having only taken out the cigarette only when the spark was about to burn to the end of the cigarette. He kept it between his fingers, not extinguishing it. The middle-aged man asked, ¡°Do you want another cigarette?¡± Mo Han shook his head. He looked at the cigarette in his hand as he seemed to think of something. He then waved his hands and extinguished the cigarette stub on the rubbish bin next to them. Before he left, he nodded and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Mo Han walked to the hospital ward that Xia Qingyi was staying at. The moment he had reached the entrance, he heard the sound of ceramic breaking. Mo Han quickened his steps and entered the ward, only to see Xia Qingyi lying at the edge of the bed with her body nted. Her hand was stretched towards the table, though she had yet to retract her hand, which was still attached to a drip, as it fell on the bed once more. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mo Han moved to support her and helped her to lie on the bed properly. He checked her hand, where the blood had flowed backwards. Mo Han carefully ced her hand back to its original position and forbade her from moving. An oxygen tube was still attached to Xia Qingyi¡¯s nose. She looked extremely ufortable as her eyebrows were furrowed together. She did not speak either. Mo Han looked at the broken cup and the spilled water on the floor. He asked, ¡°Do you want to drink water?¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head. Mo Han help her lightly sit by the side of the bed. He went to get a new cup and filled it with water, before bringing the cup to her mouth. Xia Qingyi drank the water with small sips. It was then that her expression rxed as she squinted at Mo Han with half-opened eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Han asked uneasily since she kept looking at him. ¡°When did you be like this?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was coarse and dry, though it wasced with slight humor, ¡°You look so unkempt, even your beard had grown out.¡± Mo Han wiped away the remaining water droplets next to her mouth. His lips stretched into a smile as he kept quiet. ¡°How long have I slept?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°About a night.¡± Xia Qingyi closed her eyes again, ¡°You smoked?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t smoke anymore. The smell is unpleasant.¡± Xia Qingyi said softly. ¡°Sure.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s head started to hurt again. She could faintly tell that the back of her head had been stitched. The pain from the unhealed wound made her sweat. Her body was sore all over for unknown reasons, and she did not have any strength to move at all. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that I didn¡¯t pick up your call.¡± Mo Han suddenly said with a low voice after a period of silence. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It seemed like that oue would be like this even if you did pick up the phone.¡± it was apparent that Xia Qingyi did not care about these things. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I camete.¡± Mo Han caressed her hand. He had his head down, and his voice was hoarse. Xia Qingyi was a little surprised as she had never heard such a speaking tone from Mo Han. He looked like a lonely king of the animal kingdom that was downcast because he had lost his territory. Though, Xia Qingyi¡¯s thoughts changed in the next second. A king of the animal kingdom would not let himself lose his territory. And Mo Han was not a king of the animal kingdom. He was a calm, steady and charismaticwyer. ¡°You didn¡¯tete. I¡¯m still alive at least, and those men didn¡¯t get their way.¡± Xia Qingyi could feel Mo Han¡¯s grip on her hand clearly tightened, trembling as she said this. ¡°I could have been earlier.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s energy from the sip of water started to dissipate. She felt extremelyforted as she listened to Mo Han¡¯s deep voice. She was tired, as sleep started to wash over her again. ¡°Older brother, I want to sleep for a while. I¡¯m too tired.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyelids could not stay. ¡°Let¡¯s chat again when I¡¯m awake.¡± Xia Qingyi propped herself up, wanting to lie back down on the bed despite the fact that this movement was too difficult for her currently. Mo Han quietly agreed as he helped her lie back down on the bed. He carefully covered her with the nket. Chapter 119 - My Face

Chapter 119: My Face

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°You should go back, take a shower and change your clothes, older brother. You don¡¯t look good like this.¡± When Xia Qingyi could remain conscious, she smiled as she told Mo Han, who was sitting on the bed. Mo Han smiled too. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can.¡± He watched Xia Qingyi slowly drift off to sleep as he sat on the edge of the bed. He kept his hand on her nket to feel her weak breathing, as if this was the only way that could help his thumping heartbeat be regr. Mo Han left eventually. He listened to Xia Qingyi¡¯s words and returned home to take a shower. It was only when he saw himself through the fogged mirror in the washroom that he realized that he really looked the way that Xia Qingyi had described. Even his beard stubble had grown out. Mo Han smiled, as he took out the razor to shave his chin clean of stubble. He wiped his hair as he walked out to put on his clothes. He did not stay at home for too long. He went to Xia Qingyi¡¯s room to get some clothes after his shower and got some necessary items that Xia Qingyi needed for her hospitalization stay before he hurriedly rushed to the hospital again. He started to worry again at the thought of Xia Qingyi being in the hospital alone. This time however, Xia Qingyi slept longer. After he had reached the hospital and had sat by her bed for two hours, she was still not awake. ¡°Your younger sister seem to be in quite good condition right now. She can be transferred to a normal ward if there are no issues after two more days of observation here.¡± The doctor making rounds stood in front of Xia Qingyi¡¯s bed for a while as he listened to her heartbeat with the stethoscope. ¡°Do remember toe back after two weeks to remove the stitches. Do not let her eat anything spicy or sour for the next few weeks and let her eat more light food. It would be good for the healing of her wound.¡± the doctor continued to say. ¡°I got it.¡± Mo Han answered. He asked as he looked at Xia Qingyi¡¯s cast, ¡°Her hand should be fine, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. She has a slight fracture and has twisted her tendon. Try not to move her left hand too much in the mean time and just let it recuperate. If not, it might have some effect on the healing of her bone afterwards.¡± Mo Han asked, ¡°It¡¯s fine for her to keep sleeping and not wake up right?¡± The doctor replied, ¡°Let her sleep if she can sleep. She¡¯s probably exhausted. There¡¯s no problem with it. You don¡¯t have to wake her up.¡± The doctor turned to look at Mo Han. ¡°However, there¡¯s one thing for you to pay extra attention to. I heard that she was practically naked when she had been sent here. Did she...?¡± ¡°Almost, but no.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to remember to counsel her a little after she wakes up. She¡¯ll be slightly affected psychologically after experiencing such a thing. Try not to let a psychological problem arise from this.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Mo Han sat back on the edge of Xia Qingyi¡¯s bed after the doctor had left as he waited for her to wake up. Xia Qingyi woke up about half an hour after he had started to wait. The first thing she saw after opening her eyes was Mo Han. In her sleepy daze, she smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Xia Qingyi opened her mouth to speak. Mo Han moved to caress her hand. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°My head hurts.¡± Xia Qingyi felt a little more conscious. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine after a few days.¡± Xia Qingyi sobered a little and finally saw the cast on her left hand. She could not move her body as there was still a drip connected to her right hand which was wrapped in bandages. ¡°My hand... is broken?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just a slight fracture. You need the cast and to let it recuperate for two or three weeks.¡± ¡°Ah? For such a long time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not long. The most important thing is to recuperate your body.¡± ¡°Is there a mirror? Nothing had happened to my face, right?¡± Mo Han smiled. ¡°Your face is fine. It¡¯s quite good.¡± ¡°Bring the mirror please. Let me take a look, I can¡¯t be at ease.¡± Xia Qingyi pouted. Chapter 120 - Loving Couple

Chapter 120: Loving Couple

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios She could not move her hand, so Mo Han helped her up and sat her down with her back against the wall, then he took the mirror next to them and ced it before her. ¡°How ugly! I was caught in the rain for the entire day yesterday, I didn¡¯t bathe, how did my hair be like this,¡± Xia Qingyi carefully examined herself in the mirror, looking like a child denied of her sweets. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¡°How is this not bad? I want to bathe, to change my clothes. So ugly!¡± Xia Qingyi yelled. Mo Han was originally worried that she would be as the doctor had said. Xia Qingyi already had so many injuries on her body, he did not want her psychological state to be negatively affected because of this matter. But looking at how she was right now, he secretly let out a sigh of relief. ¡°You have an injury on your head, how are you going to bathe? How are you going to wash your head? Wait till you¡¯re better before you bathe.¡± ¡°Ah? No way...! Look at me, look at what I¡¯m like now, I¡¯ll suffer to death if I don¡¯t bathe. How am I going to face anyone when I¡¯m so ugly?¡± Xia Qingyi was still muttering as she looked into the mirror. ¡°Then you¡¯re not going to face anyone. Stay at the hospital and rest.¡± Mo Han kept the mirror and ced it face down on the table, ¡°Think about what you want to eat now.¡± ¡°Eat?! I¡¯m already so ugly,¡± Xia Qingyi grumbled. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Mo Han asked again. Xia Qingyi looked at him, and continued to pout. ¡°Would you buy what I want to eat?¡± ¡°So what do you want?¡± ¡°Seafood feast,¡± Xia Qingyi said. ¡°Change it to something else, you can¡¯t eat that now. Eat something light.¡± ¡°See! Like what I said! You won¡¯t buy what I want!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to eat after you¡¯ve recovered. Eat something light now, like porridge. I¡¯ll buy some backter.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already decided yourself, what else can I say. Porridge it is then.¡± The patient next to her bed heard the both of them talking and could not help butugh. ¡°You couple are really loving. Even I¡¯m envious when I see you two bicker.¡± Xia Qingyi turned her head to look at the patient, and looked back at Mo Han to see his unchanging face, andughed. ¡°We¡¯re not a couple... we...¡± ¡°Oh... I understand I understand... Still hadn¡¯t captured your heart yet, has he... Aiya... Seeing you two like this, you two will get together sooner orter.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled even wider. ¡°No... what you thought...¡± Mo Han interrupted Xia Qingyi, pulled up her nket and tucked her in. ¡°Don¡¯tugh too hard, you¡¯re not healed yet.¡± The patient next to them said, ¡°Still say you¡¯re not... He¡¯s the standard image of a good man, hurry up and get him!¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°You¡¯ve really misunderstood, he¡¯s my brother.¡± The patient looked a bit surprised. ¡°Oh? By birth?¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Yeah, sort of.¡± The patient looked at the cold-looking man¡¯s face opposite him, smiled a little and nodded. The patient was a little awkward. ¡°About that... I¡¯m sorry... I was mistaken, but you two are really close.¡± Xia Qingyi leaned over the bed to talk with the patient next to her. ¡°Look at my brother, he looks so cold, it¡¯s only because I¡¯m sick now that he treats me better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still better than having no one visit me when I¡¯m sick.¡± Mo Han sat at the bedside and listened to the two of them chat, but his eyes remained on Xia Qingyi. As the two of them chatted, Mo Han¡¯s phone rang. It was from thew firm. He stood up, told Xia Qingyi that he was going out to receive the call, and then took his phone and went out into the corridor. ¡°Eh... how did you get injured? You have stitches on your head, and how did you break your arm too?¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I fell. I didn¡¯t walk carefully, tripped over a big rock, and smashed my head onto it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really unlucky.¡± Xia Qingyi sighed and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty unlucky.¡± Chapter 121 - Hickey

Chapter 121: Hickey

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios After Mo Han finished his call, he opened the door and said to Xia Qingyi, ¡°I need to do something at thew firm, I have to go and get some files from there. I¡¯lle backter.¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head. ¡°Go, go, it¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯te back.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Don¡¯t run around the hospital, be obedient and rest on the bed. Just shout for the nurse if your drip is empty. Call the doctor if you feel unwell.¡± ¡°I know, I know, you¡¯re so naggy.¡± Mo Han gave her a look. ¡°You still have to listen even if I¡¯m naggy.¡± Xia Qingyi pouted, and when she looked over again, Mo Han had already closed the door and left. After he left, Xia Qingyi did not chat with the patient next to her for long. A doctor came to push the patient away for a checkup not long after they had started talking. Xia Qingyi went back to zoning out on her bed. She felt really bored after sitting for a while, so she waited until the drip was nearly empty and then impatiently stood up to go for a walk. Her waist started to hurt immediately when she moved. Xia Qingyi pulled up her clothes only to see that a big patch of the back of her waist had formed into a green-purplish bruise, and her stomach area also had a few scratches. She thought back, and realized that they were probably from when the person had kicked her into the pir. But Xia Qingyi still got up. She moved her body to the side of the bed with difficulty, and after seeing that her legs did not have any shoes on, she froze. Xia Qingyi could only move her right arm, so she was unable to wear her shoes. In the end, she simply found a pair of slippers by her bed and stepped into them. Xia Qingyi used a lot of her energy to stand up, and ayer of sweat had formed on her forehead from enduring the pain of her waist. She put her right hand against the wall as support, and walked step by step outside. There were many people walking along the corridors. It was inevitable that she would be excited aftering into contact with a crowd for the first time since she woke up, so she kept watching the people walk past as she held onto the wall. Xia Qingyi wanted to walk to the balcony in front to enjoy the wind. The sunlight looked wonderful there, and the air would most likely be cleaner than in here. She moved in small steps until she reached there. Just as she had expected, basking in the sunlight there made her feel nice and warm, and she could not be any morefortable. A smile slowly formed on her face, and she started towards the railings to look at the scenery. However, she saw a huge ss mirror at the side out of the corner of her eyes and stopped in her tracks. Xia Qingyi turned her head and walked closer towards the ss mirror to take a clear look at herself, and was no longer able to smile. The small mirror that Mo Han had given her did not show everything. She only saw her pale and haggard face in that small mirror. But the reflective ss mirror in front of her now let her see the entire top half of her body. She slowly turned her neck to see that there was a series of green-purplish hickeys from her neck to her corbone, and also traces of bite marks. Xia Qingyi touched the marks on her own neck, and slid her finger down to her corbone. Judging from this, there were probably more on her chest. Xia Qingyi could not bear to keep looking at it. Mo Han had probably seen it in the patient ward earlier. Xia Qingyi recalled that the patient she talked to had looked at her strangely, and slowly started to understand that the patient had probably seen it as well. So they had always known about it. They knew what had happened to her, only she herself was acting as though nothing had happened, like a fool. She wanted to forget what had happened that night, forget the feeling of that man touching her body. So she did not mention anything on purpose, hoping to not let other people know that she had gone through those kind of things. But in the end, she realized that she was only lying to herself. Chapter 122 - Im Dirty

Chapter 122: I¡¯m Dirty

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay in the ward to rest? Why are you outside?¡± Xia Qingyi did not know when, but Mo Han had already returned and was standing behind her. ¡°Hm?¡± Xia Qingyi turned her head back to look at him. ¡°What are you doing here? Who let you out of bed?¡± Mo Han¡¯s expression did not look good. Xia Qingyi turned her head around again to look at herself in the ss mirror and did not answer Mo Han, remaining silent. Mo Han looked at her, and seeing that she kept staring at herself in the mirror, he started to understand something, and lowered his tone. ¡°Don¡¯t look at it anymore. It¡¯s windy outside, let¡¯s go back.¡± Mo Han pulled at her hand forcefully and made her turn back towards the ward. Xia Qingyi obediently followed behind him. She walked as she stared at her feet with her head lowered. ¡°Help me buy a scarf then,¡± Xia Qingyi said lightly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I saw those on my neck... I feel disgusted,¡± Xia Qingyi said with her head down. Mo Han stopped walking. ¡°It¡¯s those people who are disgusting, not you.¡± ¡°I want to bathe, my body is dirty,¡± Xia Qingyi was almost always gritting her teeth as she said the word ¡®dirty¡¯. ¡°The injuries on your body are not healed yet.¡± ¡°I want to bathe.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I want to bathe!¡± ¡°I said no means no!¡± Xia Qingyi panted, and flung Mo Han¡¯s hand away from hers. ¡°Go away! I¡¯ll go back myself!¡± Mo Han pulled at her hand and did not let go. ¡°You want me to injure this hand even more, you think that my injures from when I was tied to that pir weren¡¯t serious enough, don¡¯t you?!¡± Mo Han loosened his hold slightly, and Xia Qingyi took this chance to fling his hand away. The atmosphere between the two of them became tense. Seeing that Xia Qingyi was bing more and more irritable, Mo Han remained silent. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me bathe? Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m dirty?! Don¡¯t you feel disgusted looking at the markings on my neck?!¡± Xia Qingyi said loudly, keeping her eyes on Mo Han as she pointed to her own neck using her right hand. ¡°You saw them, right?! You saw every single marking on my body, right?! You know how dirty I am, why don¡¯t you let me bathe!¡± In the hospital corridor, Xia Qingyi howled loudly as tears flowed down her face. The air seemed to turn silent, and some of the passers-by stopped to look at the agitated and pale-faced Xia Qingyi standing in the middle of the corridor, her arm in a ster. Mo Han hugged her in front of everyone, patted her back and ced her head onto his neck and let her cry. ¡°Alright, if you want to bathe, then bathe. You can bathe as long as you want,¡± Mo Han said gently into her ear. ¡°But you can¡¯t let water go into the injuries on your head. I¡¯ll find someone to help you shampoo, alright?¡± Mo Han said. ¡°Brother... I really feel extremely dirty and disgusting. I... was just thinking about how Iy on the ground that day... that man... he...¡± Xia Qingyi cried intermittently, ¡°I want to throw up... I think about what happened that night when I saw these markings... I can¡¯t forget it no matter how hard I try...¡± Mo Han felt his heart twist, and he could not hold himself back from kissing Xia Qingyi¡¯s hair. ¡°me me, it¡¯s my fault for noting earlier, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head. ¡°Brother... I shouldn¡¯t have gone out that day... It was I who didn¡¯t listen to you, you didn¡¯t like me going out to y, so I ran out on purpose because I wanted to make you angry. It was my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have gone out...¡± ¡°No... me me. I promise, there won¡¯t be a next time, I¡¯ll protect you, I won¡¯t let you get hurt anymore.¡± Mo Han hugged her tightly. Mo Han felt that every single sentence Xia Qingyi said was a reminder of his foolish actions that night. If he had not distanced himself from Xia Qingyi on purpose, and refused to pick up the phone, then perhaps the ending would not have be like this. It was a pity that ifs did not matter in this world. Past mistakes could not be changed. Mo Han could only do his best to make up for it in the future. There would no longer be anymore situations like this, Mo Han thought to himself. I will always protect you for every single day in the future. Chapter 123 - Unemotional

Chapter 123: Unemotional

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi did not stay at the hospital for a very long time. The doctor originally said that she could transfer to a ordinary ward for observation, but Xia Qingyi insisted that she was fine and wanted to go home and rest. Mo Han knew that she did not like to stay in the hospital and do nothing. Every time she walked along the hospital corridor, she would always quicken her footsteps, as though she would be better if she walked faster, that her pain would disappear immediately. Mo Han did not stop her. He only wanted her to feel better, and did not want to see her miserable in the hospital. When it was time to go home, Xia Qingyi sat on the bed, looked at Mo Han standing in front of her and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to work?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Xia Qingyi felt suspicious, unable to understand why he was always at the ward ever since she was admitted to the hospital. Didn¡¯t he always view his work as the most important priority? Even if she was sick, two days had passed since then, and she had already left the hospital, why was he still staying here? ¡°It isn¡¯t busy at thew firmtely.¡± Mo Han took out the clothes Xia Qingyi had folded and packed at the hospital. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you just received a tricky case a while ago?¡± ¡°I passed it to Barrister Liao, he can handle it properly,¡± It was obvious that Mo Han was not concerned about those problems. He walked to the window and pulled the half-closed curtains shut to block the blinding light from the outside. ¡°But... no... go back, I can handle my things myself.¡± ¡°How are you going to handle it? Using the hand that¡¯s still wrapped in bandages?¡± ¡°I, I can. I may be slower, but I can do it properly.¡± Xia Qingyi raised her head to look at him. ¡°Just focus on resting well. I know best when ites to my own work, I¡¯ve already arranged properly.¡± It was obvious that Mo Han wanted to change the topic, and said, ¡°What do you want to eat at night? Something light.¡± ¡°Anything¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not very hungry.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°I¡¯ll cook riceter, lie on the bed and sleep first if you¡¯re tired.¡± Xia Qingyi felt shocked and uneasy at the changes in Mo Han. This made her feel that there were a lot of things about Mo Han that she was still unable to understand, and there were many things rted to him that she only vaguely understood. She had always been using her own instincts to judge a lot of things. For example, Mo Han loved to work. For example, Mo Han was unemotional. For example... she had assumed everything about Mo Han. ¡°I signed you up for training lessons. After you¡¯ve recovered, you can go and learn,¡± Mo Han said at the dining table. ¡°Training lessons?¡± ¡°Female self-defense training course,¡± Mo Han said calmly as he took the vegetables on the table. Xia Qingyi nearly spat out the vegetables in her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re not kidding?¡± ¡°No.¡± Mo Han had a very stern expression on his face. ¡°I thought about it, I can¡¯t always be by your side. If the dayes... when... that kind of situation happens, I want you to be able to protect yourself.¡± Mo Han added, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you in the hospital again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to see myself in the hospital too,¡± Xia Qingyi said weakly. ¡°Then learn properly.¡± ¡°But... Female self-defense is probably pretty tiring, I¡¯d get muscle aches on my waist and legs just after one day.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better than you staying at the hospital.¡± Xia Qingyi did not want to get pushed into learning some self-defense rubbish right after getting out of the hospital. Just hearing about it made her feel numb; she could already imagine getting thrown onto the ground by the coach. It would definitely be painful. ¡°I swear, that kind of situation will never happen again in the future.¡± Xia Qingyi raised her right hand with her chopsticks and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make me go and learn some self-defense rubbish, I don¡¯t even want to move right now.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no room for discussion. I¡¯ll take you to and fetch you back from ss,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°But... I really...¡± Xia Qingyi still wanted to argue a bit more. ¡°Stop talking, eat your food, the food¡¯s turning cold.¡± Mo Han was firm on this topic. Chapter 124 - Wearing Clothes

Chapter 124: Wearing Clothes

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios For the next few days, it went just as Mo Han said. He still took Xia Qingyi to and from ss everyday even though he had returned to work. The ster on Xia Qingyi¡¯s arm was not removed yet, so it was still a little inconvenient for her in her everyday life. During these times, Mo Han would walk to her and help her with all sorts of things without saying a word. Just like one time, Xia Qingyi¡¯s elbow got stuck when she was wearing her coat, and she was grimacing in pain as she used her right hand to slide her left into the sleeve. Mo Han saw it and walked over to help her wear her clothes and pull her zip, his movements fluid and meticulous. Every time he did this, Xia Qingyi would highly suspect that he had taken the wrong medicine. Or that her brother had changed without her knowing. Mo Han did not know what Xia Qingyi was thinking, but he still kept some time to fetch Xia Qingyi. This kept up until her ster was removed from her right hand, and Mo Han only stopped fetching her to and from ss after she had strongly objected to it and let her take public transportation to ss like she had done previously. For the weekend when the ster was removed, Xia Qingyi decided to go shopping and buy things with a few new friends to celebrate the return of the usage of her hands. They parted on the streets in the evening. Xia Qingyi walked on the road by herself, and when she turned her head she suddenly realized that there was a familiar figure on her right at the next street. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Xia Qingyi shouted over the passing cars across to the next street over, in disbelief that Mo Han would appear here at this time. There was a pedestrian crossing between the two streets. Xia Qingyi ran over, thinking of crossing over to the other side, but was stopped by the red traffic light, so she had to stop and stand at where she was and smile as she waved to Mo Han on the other side. Mo Han was wearing a neat blue suit, and was standing straight as a ramrod on the opposite side of the road, his briefcase in his hand. Amidst the crowd and passers-by, Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes were only on him alone. The green light lit up, and Xia Qingyi walked over with a smile on her face. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Xia Qingyi asked again. Mo Han rearranged the coat that had slid down her as she ran over. ¡°The courts is nearby, I had something to discuss with the judge and to hand some files over to him.¡± ¡°Oh, then do you still have to go to thew firm?¡± Mo Han looked at his watch and shook his head. ¡°No, I hired a few new people recently, I¡¯ll just let them handle the trivial matters. I¡¯ll go home.¡± Xia Qingyi followed Mo Han¡¯s pace as she walked along the street. ¡°New people? Didn¡¯t you dislike hiring new people in the past?¡± Mo Han smiled lightly. ¡°Things change.¡± ¡°Did you drive here?¡± ¡°I did. There¡¯s no parking lot here, I parked at the street in front. We just have to walk over there.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great, I¡¯ll go home with you.¡± Seeing Xia Qingyi smile, Mo Han also could not help but smile as well. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Mo Han walked a few steps, and seeing Xia Qingyi wet her lips and swallow, he looked at her. ¡°Are you thirsty?¡± Xia Qingyi nced at him and nodded. ¡°A little.¡± ¡°What do you want to drink?¡± ¡°Ummm... anything¡¯s fine... perhaps something cool.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go there,¡± Mo Han saw that there was a shop selling milk tea in front, and said to Xia Qingyi beside him. Xia Qingyi sat on the railings next to the street and shook her head. ¡°You go. I¡¯m tired, I want to rest here for a while.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t walk off, be obedient and stay here.¡± Xia Qingyi nodded and shifted most of her weight onto the railings, putting one leg on top of the other as she watching Mo Han¡¯s rear view get smaller in the distance. Xia Qingyi wanted tough again. Just thinking about this person buying something for her while she waited made her feel very happy. Chapter 125 - Nian Nian

Chapter 125: Nian Nian

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios It was this cool, handsome and quiet person buying something for her. Xia Qingyi felt her own heart fill to bursting in an instant. Happiness lit up her eyes. Just at this moment when she was filled with delight, Xia Qingyi suddenly heard a man¡¯s voice from behind her. ¡°Nian Nian.¡± It was a voice filled with love. Xia Qingyi looked at the people around her, they were all rushing past her and did not stop, or turn to look behind them. ¡°Nian Nian...¡± That person shouted again. Xia Qingyi felt strange, so she straightened her body and turned back to look at the person shouting. Time seemed to freeze at the moment when Xia Qingyi turned her head around. The entire world went silent and unmoving, and even the minuscule particles floating in the air seem to stop moving, remaining suspended in midair. Xia Qingyi did not move and froze in position, her hair flying in the wind. Many yearster, Xia Qingyi kept thinking, if she had not turned around at that time, if she pretended not to have heard that sentence, if she had walked in Mo Han¡¯s direction at that moment, whether things would have been different in the future, and whether it would have made things easier for her. Except that there were no ifs in this world. On that day, Xia Qingyi turned her head. She saw a man with a face full of tears. She did not recognize him. What kind of expression could it be, he was staring carefully, not daring to step forward, as though even softly saying a sentence would make a lot of things disappear. Even though there were a lot of people passing through, and there was a wide street in between them, Xia Qingyi still had a feeling that he was looking at her. Both she and that man stared at each other across the street. There was no change of emotions within her, and she kept silent. The man standing on the opposite side did not move and only smiled at her as he let the tears flow down his face. ¡°What is it?¡± Mo Han had returned, and he passed a cup of milk tea over to Xia Qingyi. Xia Qingyi turned her head, took the milk tea and shook her head. ¡°Nothing, let¡¯s go now.¡± She pulled Mo Han as they walked forward so that he would be at her side, not wanting him to see the man at the opposite side. Her steps got quicker as she walked. In her stupor, she felt as though she would be dragged down by the past if she looked back. And she did not want her past to find her. ¡°Nian Nian!¡± The man shouted loudly again. The entire street could hear his hoarse voice. Both Mo Han and Xia Qingyi stopped in their tracks. Mo Han turned his head, but Xia Qingyi tugged at the corner of his shirt, wanting him to continue walking forward. Mo Han saw that there was a man going against the crowd to walk towards them on the opposite side. He gently patted the back of Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± That man had already run to Xia Qingyi¡¯s side, out of breath. He did not look at Mo Han, his eyes focused on Xia Qingyi¡¯s back. Xia Qingyi thought about it and still turned her head back and looked at the man. That man was slightly shorter than Mo Han, and had attractive features, except that he looked exhausted and his hair was in a mess. He had not trimmed it for a very long time. He had huge dark eye circles and green colored stubble on his chin. ¡°Nian Nian...¡± That man murmured as he looked at her. ¡°Sir, you¡¯ve probably mistaken me for someone. My name is Xia Qingyi,¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him straight in the eye. She originally thought that she would more or less be a little panicked, but the strange thing was that she did not feel a lot of emotions, as though he was really a stranger. That man reached his hand out as though he wanted to touch Xia Qingyi, but she avoided him. He awkwardly put down his hand and only looked at her. ¡°How could I not recognize you?¡± Xia Qingyi took out her own identity card from her bag and showed it to that man, ¡°Ummm... here¡¯s my identity card, you really have the wrong person.¡± Chapter 126 - Anger

Chapter 126: Anger

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Standing beside her, Mo Han nced at her and did not speak. The man froze for a while after he saw Xia Qingyi¡¯s identity card, forcing himself to raise the corners of his mouth into a smile and said, ¡°Sorry, I probably recognized the wrong person.¡± He looked at Xia Qingyi as he muttered to himself, ¡°You two, really look alike. I should let you see her photo. But I was in a rush today and forgot to bring it along, I... have not seen her for a long time already, she disappeared at this ce, I¡¯ve been searching for her for a long time.¡± Xia Qingyi said an apology to the man, told him that they should be going back soon, and then tugged at Mo Han¡¯s hand. ¡°Brother, let¡¯s go home.¡± Xia Qingyi did not look at that man again, she turned around and pulled Mo Han along as she walked forward. That man looked at Xia Qingyi¡¯s retreating back until it could not be seen anymore. In the distance, Xia Qingyi actually felt very confused, an indescribable fear suddenly arising in her heart. She was not afraid of the man¡¯s sudden appearance, what she was afraid of was the fact that she had no feelings towards the man. When she saw him, her heartbeat felt the same as usual. She thought back to the man with his tearful face, and she felt no change in her emotions. She had really forgotten every single thing from her past, which was why she could be this distant towards what had happened that day. Xia Qingyi walked for a long time before she realized that Mo Han had unknowingly held onto her hand. He was driving at this moment, and was expressionlessly using his left hand to control the steering wheel while his right was gently holding onto Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand. Xia Qingyi took her hand back and looked out of the window. It was rare that she felt a moment of rity. ¡°Why did you say that?¡± Mo Han asked after a long time. ¡°Then how else should I say it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know about your past?¡± ¡°No.¡± The street view outside went past slowly, the dim yellow streetlights turning the road into one long line. Xia Qingyi stared at it for a long time and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to know how I nearly died at that time at all.¡± ¡°That person looked as though he had a very good rtion with you in the past,¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi smiled grimly for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. When the hospital released the emergency medical notice seven times while I was unconscious at the hospital for a month, why didn¡¯t theye and find me? If they wanted to find me, they only had to report me missing at the public security bureau and they¡¯d have been able to find me using the hospital records. I think they probably treated me as dead.¡± Mo Han looked at her stubborn back and wanted to reach his hand out to pat her. ¡°What about your parents? Don¡¯t you wish to know about them?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes became nk, her voice lowered as though she was sighing. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I think that it¡¯s best if you understand more about the truth, understand more about what happened in the past before you decide.¡± ¡°Is the truth important? It¡¯s already been so long.¡± Xia Qingyi mumbled to herself at the window. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to regret itter,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of letting me to reunite with them earlier, and only when you see me hug them until I cry then you¡¯d be happy because you can get rid of me earlier, right? You¡¯re sick of cleaning after me when I¡¯m such a mess after all,¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was cold and distant. Mo Han¡¯a hand on the steering wheel tightened, his mouth pursed and his eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if I don¡¯t reunite with them, I wouldn¡¯t pester you. You just have to say the word, and I will leave whenever you want,¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s tone was calm, and she only stared at the scenery constantly zooming past her outside, as though she was merely talking about what she had eaten in the morning. Mo Han endured the impulse to stop the car at the roadside, his hand holding tightly onto the steering wheel. He swerved the car a little more when turning at the corner and swung Xia Qingyi onto the other side. ¡°You¡¯ve been really good at talkingtely, even talking over me when I¡¯m thewyer here. What shall I do? Shall I present a trophy for you to keep at home?¡± Mo Han said in the end. Xia Qingyi snorted and did not know what to say, only lifting the corners of her mouth into a forced smile, though the corners of her eyes were wet. ¡°Xia Qingyi, remember this, don¡¯t let me hear you say those words from your mouth for a second time!¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice was even colder. Xia Qingyi kept smiling, raising her head and trying to hold back the tears that were about to fall. So there really was such a moment in this world where you could smile to the point of crying. During these kind of moments, there seemed to be no other way other than to forcefully smile to cover the sadness in her heart. Smiling was the best tool to cover everything. Chapter 127 - Marriage

Chapter 127: Marriage

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi had instincts better than most people sometimes. When people asked her about it, she often could not say the reason why, but always felt that things should be this way and not that way in her heart. And the things that happened would always prove that her instincts were right. Just like how Xia Qingyi had a premonition that something would happen that day, that the man she met on the streets had something more to him than he looked. After that, she heard someone calling out her name when her lessons ended. She went out to take a look, and it was the man from that day. He no longer looked as tired as he did that day, his hair was trimmed and even his stubble was gone. He was wearing spectacles with a golden frame, which made his eyes look intense. But what could not be denied was that with such looks, he was a very handsome man. ¡°If you¡¯vee here to find me because of what happened that day, then there¡¯s no point, there¡¯s nothing more to say between us,¡± Xia Qingyi opened her mouth and said. ¡°I know Xia Qingyi is only a false identity,¡± That man said in a resounding voice, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. Xia Qingyi only froze for a moment. ¡°So? What else do you want to say?¡± ¡°I know you lost your memory, Nian Nian, so that¡¯s why you don¡¯t remember me. You don¡¯t remember everything from the past.¡± That man looked at Xia Qingyi, his expression gentle as he said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you, Nian Nian.¡± Xia Qingyi felt repulsed. ¡°Don¡¯t keep calling me Nian Nian! Didn¡¯t I tell you? My name is Xia Qingyi, I¡¯mpletely not rted to the Nian Nian that you keep calling for. There¡¯s so many people in this world who look simr to one another, why are you so sure that I am the Nian Nian that you know?¡± That man only looked at her, as though he was looking carefully at every single detail on her face, and then took out a small red booklet from his pocket and handed it to her. It was a marriage certificate. Xia Qingyi did not see wrongly. The man flipped to the cover page, and there was a man and a woman smiling sweetly and leaning their heads against each other beneath a red backdrop. The man in the photo was the same man standing right in front of her, and the woman looked exactly the same as Xia Qingyi. Xia Qingyi kept staring at the woman smiling sweetly in the photograph, as though she was looking into a mirror. She waspletely stunned, her brain was nk and she could not think at all. ¡°You¡¯re my wife Song Yue Nian, I¡¯m your husband Han Liang, we¡¯ve been married for a year. How can I not recognize you?¡± The man said. Xia Qingyi only looked at the marriage certificate, staring at the woman smiling brightly. Han Liang saw the suspicion in her eyes and continued, ¡°Nian Nian, there¡¯s a tattoo on your back. That¡¯s my back view. I objected to it and said that it¡¯s too painful at that time, but you stubbornly said that you can keep me by your side forever in this way.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s brain remained nk, and she kept silent and did not speak. ¡°Nian Nian, stop trying to remember about the past if you can¡¯t, let¡¯s go home.¡± Han Liang¡¯s voice was trembling a little as though he was suppressing his emotions. ¡°Nian Nian, it¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re back.¡± Han Liang moved one step forward to hug her, but Xia Qingyi avoided him. Taking in a few deep breaths, she moved back a few steps and did not dare to look at Han Liang as she said in a low voice, ¡°Can you let me calm down for a while?¡± ¡°I will wait for you, wait for the moment you remember me.¡± Xia Qingyi wanted to escape from the current situation, she wanted to do something to dismiss the feeling of loss in her heart, yet she did not know how. After that, the bell in the corridor suddenly rang, finally letting Xia Qingyi find an excuse. ¡°You... you go back first, I need to go for ss.¡± Han Liang looked at her as he said, ¡°You waited for me for so long during this period when you lost your memory, now it¡¯s time for me to wait for you. I will wait here until you end ss.¡± Xia Qingyi only said, ¡°Whatever suits you.¡± Chapter 128 - Chaotic Truth

Chapter 128: Chaotic Truth

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Going to ss was a mess as Xia Qingyipletely was not listening to what the teacher was saying. Just thinking about the man standing outside earlier made her want to tear at her own hair, why had things be like this? How did she turn from a student just starting university into someone else¡¯s wife who had been married for a year in a blink of an eye? Xia Qingyi did not want to believe what was happening, but Han Liang¡¯s words from earlier kept ringing in her ears, and the photo of the woman who looked exactly the same as her also kept floating around in her mind. Was she really Song Yuenian? Then what about the injuries on her body? How was she going to properly arrange the fragments of her memories? Xia Qingyi¡¯s brain remained in a daze until her lesson ended. She walked out and saw that Han Liang was indeed standing at the corridor waiting for her. ¡°You¡¯ve finished ss.¡± ¡°I want to go home. Leave.¡± ¡°Go home? Go back to which home? The man who was with you a few days ago, your so-called brother¡¯s home?¡± Han Liang smiled bitterly. ¡°You checked on me?¡± Xia Qingyi frowned. ¡°Nian Nian, there¡¯s nothing to be rmed about. For the past few days, I kept thinking whether there¡¯d really be someone who looked so simr in this world after I met you on the streets. After you showed me your identity card, it was so much easier to find you.¡± Han Liang continued, ¡°I know, that man. Right, he¡¯s called Mo Han, seems to be a rather sessfulwyer. He probably gave you your identity as well. If he had not given you a false identity and let you be his sister, I wouldn¡¯t have taken so long to find you.¡± ¡°I was the one who shamelessly insisted that he took me in, this had nothing to do with him.¡± ¡°I know, I wanted to thank him as well. He was the one who took care of you when I wasn¡¯t with you after all.¡± Xia Qingyi did not know why she felt a little ufortable in her heart when she looked at Han Liang at this moment. She was still unable to remember the things from her past, and now she was unable to escape from the sudden truth. ¡°No matter what you want to say now, it can wait until tomorrow, I want to go home now.¡± Xia Qingyi still wanted to stay away from him. Han Liang was a little unhappy. He seemed to be unable to understand why after not seeing her for half a year, she would be so cold and distant to him after she had lost her memory. It was as though she had changed into apletely different person. ¡°That¡¯s not your home, your home is at F City. Your parents are sitting at home and waiting for you toe back everyday ever since your ident.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled coldly. ¡°ident? What ident? I don¡¯t think you are all waiting for me toe back everyday. You are probably thinking of letting me die outside earlier so that I don¡¯t ever have to go back.¡± Han Liang looked at her disbelievingly. ¡°Nian Nian... how could you say that?¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t youe and find me? Why didn¡¯t you alle and find me when I was lying in the hospital for a month and nobody was there to identify me?! Why didn¡¯t youe and find me when I was going to die lying in a pool of blood and no one was there to save me?! Why didn¡¯t youe and find me when I was starving on the streets for two days with nothing to eat and no ce to stay?!¡± Xia Qingyi was almost screaming towards the end. Han Liang froze. He looked at the frustrated Xia Qingyi and lowered his voice as though he was mumbling to himself, ¡°How do you know that we did not search for you? We were all in F City when you were kidnapped. We searched in F City together with the police, but nobody knew that you were moved here by the kidnappers. We arrested the kidnappers after that, I asked them where you were, they said that they stabbed you to death, chopped you up and threw your remains into the river.¡± Han Liang¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. ¡°Do you know what I felt at that time? I nearly killed him! After that, I did not manage to find your body here, so I kept believing that you must be alive. As long as I didn¡¯t see your body, I would never give up. You would definitely not die so easily.¡± Xia Qingyi listened to him talk about the past withplicated feelings and did not interrupt. ¡°Luckily... I found you.¡± Han Liang sniffed, smiled and said, ¡°Nian Nian...e home with me.¡± The phone in her bag chose to ring at this inappropriate moment. Xia Qingyi looked at it. It was from Mo Han. Chapter 129 - Wife

Chapter 129: Wife

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°You¡¯ve finished your lessons, right? Where are you at now?¡± ¡°I just left school, what is it?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been wanting to eat seafoodtely? I¡¯ve finished up the things at thew firm, I¡¯ll take you to the seafood restaurant at Dongdan street for dinner,¡± Mo Han spoke into the phone as he expertly controlled the steering wheel. Xia Qingyi thought of Han Liang walking beside her and sighed. ¡°Today... may not be convenient.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Mo Han said in the phone. Han Liang suddenly interrupted from the side. ¡°Why can¡¯t you go? If Mo Han doesn¡¯t mind, I¡¯m hoping that I can go with you too, I want to speak with Mo Han as well.¡± Xia Qingyi nced at Han Liang. Mo Han could only hear a man¡¯s voice on the phone, but was unable to tell who it was. ¡°Is there someone beside you?¡± ¡°Oh... uhmm... it¡¯s the person we met on the street a few days ago,¡± Xia Qingyi thought about it and answered him in the end. Walking next to her, Han Liang was rather unhappy hearing Xia Qingyi refer to him as that, and spoke into Xia Qingyi¡¯s ear. ¡°Let me speak with him on the phone, alright?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head instead. Covering the phone with her hand, she moved back a few steps and said to Han Liang, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, we¡¯re about to finish talking, I¡¯ll introduce you to him some other day.¡± Xia Qingyi did not take note of what Mo Han was saying on the other end. She bent down, covered the receiver and whispered to Mo Han, ¡°I¡¯ll hang up first, we can continue talking at home.¡± Xia Qingyi hurriedly hung up the phone and said to Han Liang next to her, ¡°I¡¯m really going home, go back if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Han Liang was a little angry. ¡°Why are you so stubborn on staying here and refusing toe back with me? You¡¯re the same as in the past. I¡¯m bringing you back to your real home, your parents, your friends are all there! They¡¯re waiting for you toe back everyday!¡± Xia Qingyi took a deep breath, and looked at him seriously. ¡°Han Liang, it may be hard for you to understand my feelings, but you¡¯re just a stranger to me. I¡¯d already told you that I havepletely no memory of everything you said about the past. So to me right now, my home is the ce I¡¯ve been living at for the past few months. Han Liang, you can¡¯t make me leave immediately and go to the ce which you call home, but ispletely unfamiliar to me.¡± Han Liang seemed to have understood something, gave a long sigh and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m too impatient. But at least, let me take you back. Nian Nian.¡± Xia Qingyi did not reject him again, and rode Han Liang¡¯s car home. Even when she took the elevator, he followed Xia Qingyi and stood behind her. Xia Qingyi did not speak and only quietly looked at the number on the elevator jump, until the elevator stopped. Xia Qingyi walked out and was in front of the house door in a few steps. She turned around and said to Han Liang, ¡°I¡¯ve reached home, you can go back.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you letting me go in to take a look? This is where you¡¯ve been staying at for the past few months after all, I want to know what kind of ce you¡¯ve been staying in.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s patience was reaching her limit. ¡°This is not my house, it¡¯s his. It¡¯s not nice if I let someone else in without his permission.¡± The smile on Han Liang¡¯s face was rather strange and inscrutable. ¡°Without his permission? You¡¯re that obedient to him, honey?¡± Hearing him call her honey in thest sentence made Xia Qingyi feel disgusted. She did not know why she felt like that, but it was the truth that her stomach had turned and she wanted to vomit when she heard that word. Just as when Xia Qingyi was not sure how to answer him, the door behind her opened, and she looked behind her. Mo Han had not changed and was still wearing his suit that he wore to the office. Xia Qingyi looked at him, not knowing why he had suddenly opened the door. Mo Han saw Xia Qingyi¡¯s expression. He nced over Han Liang, looked at her again and said lightly, ¡°I heard voices at the door, I guessed that you might be back.¡± ¡°You must be Mo Han, Barrister Mo. I¡¯ve heard about you,¡± Han Liang spoke. ¡°I¡¯m ttered, I¡¯m just awyer who takes on cases for people,¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°Thank you for taking care of Nian Nian for these days,¡± Han Liang smiled. ¡°Nian Nian?¡± Chapter 130 - Husband

Chapter 130: Husband

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Nian Nian?¡± ¡°Nian Nian, didn¡¯t you tell Barrister Mo about us?¡± Han Liang looked at Xia Qingyi beside him and smiled again. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my fault, it¡¯s my fault, Nian Nian has been together with me for the entire day today, it¡¯s no wonder she didn¡¯t tell you. Then let me formally introduce to you, I am Han Liang, and Nian Nian¡¯s husband. She is my wife who I¡¯ve been searching for a long time, Song Yuenian.¡± Xia Qingyi did not really dare to look at Mo Han¡¯s expression, she could imagine that his expression had to be astonishing. But when Xia Qingyi sneakily raised her head to look at him, there was no expression on his cold face. He only stood there for a long time and did not speak. ¡°I want to bring Nian Nian home, but she insisted oning here. I had no other choice, so I hope to let her stay with you for a while more. I will take her home after a few days when she has adjusted a little better,¡± Han Liang said. ¡°If I have not guessed wrongly, she is probably not of a legal age to marry yet,¡± Mo Han looked at Han Liang, his voice was colder than Xia Qingyi had ever heard. Han Liang smiled, took out the marriage certificate and showed it to Mo Han. ¡°You worry too much. Nian Nian is 21 years old this year. We are childhood friends and we grew up together. After she went to university, we went to collect our marriage certificate on the day she turned 20.¡± Mo Han nced at Xia Qingyi and attempted to look for signs of a 21-year-old from her face, but no matter how he looked, he only saw a struggling high school student. But the marriage certificate Han Liang held out clearly showed her true age, and Mo Han was unable to refute him. Mo Han closed the marriage certificate. He did not really want to look at the photo of an unfamiliar Xia Qingyi smiling with another man. The Xia Qingyi that he knew, who was the girl standing next to him right now, was clearly not the wife this man was talking about, Song Yuenian. But unfortunately, Mo Han could not find any evidence. No matter whether he believed it or not. ¡°I will not believe your words by purely basing on a marriage certificate. What awyer wants is evidence,¡± Mo Han returned the marriage certificate to Han Liang. ¡°Of course. If you don¡¯t mind, you cane with us to F City next time. That is the ce where I grew up with my wife, and there¡¯ll be a lot of the evidence that you said. Nian Nian may even get back her lost memories when she returns there,¡± Han Liang smiled as he looked at her. ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s not early now, we should rest,¡± Mo Han pulled Xia Qingyi into the house and reached to close the door. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow,¡± Han Liang said to Xia Qingyi in the house. Mo Han closed the door with a loud thud, leaving Han Liang outside. Han Liang was still smiling even after hearing the door shut. He looked at the door as he said in a low voice, ¡°Nian Nian, I¡¯ll definitely not let you go this time.¡± Mo Han¡¯s face immediately changed after he closed the door and asked Xia Qingyi with an angry look on his face, ¡°When did he find you?¡± ¡°Today during ss.¡± Mo Han stood in the living room, while Xia Qingyi leaned against the doorway entrance and stared the painting of a scenery on the opposite wall, the two of them in silence. ¡°Did you remember anything after seeing him?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°No.¡± Xia Qingyi lowered her head. ¡°I can¡¯t remember anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you tomorrow.¡± Mo Han stopped but he continued to speak. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Mo Han looked at her. ¡°He wille to take you to F City.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was feeble, and she gave a long sigh. ¡°Okay.¡± She straightened her body and stopped leaning against the doorway entrance. She did not look at Mo Han and walked towards her own bedroom. ¡°I¡¯m a little tired, I¡¯ll rest first.¡± ¡°Remember toe out and eatter,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to eat.¡± Xia Qingyi had thought about it many times before ¨C what kind of situation it would be when her own family came to find her one day. Would she cry? Would she get angry? Or would she be so happy that she was unable to speak? But she only felt tired now. Chapter 131 - I Want to Look at You More

Chapter 131: I Want to Look at You More

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios But she only felt tired now. Just thinking that she would be leaving here soon made her feel a little scared. Even her body felt weak. Mo Han definitely would not keep in contact with her after she left. His life would probably be a little more rxed, since he would no longer have to buy food for her and clean up the mess she made after she got into trouble. Xia Qingyi remembered that when she had just arrived at Mo Han¡¯s house, she had asked him why he had helped her. How had he answered her at that time? He seemed to have said that he had merely resolved a problem for himself. Xia Qingyiy on the bed, and stared at the ceiling in the dark at one A.M, not sleepy at all. She probably wouldn¡¯t sleep again tonight, Xia Qingyi quietly thought. The next morning, Xia Qingyi had just sat down at the table next to Mo Han to eat breakfast when her phone rang. It was from an unknown number. But Xia Qingyi could guess who the caller was. She picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Nian Nian, I¡¯m at your house downstairs.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to, I¡¯m eating now, I¡¯ll go downter myself,¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s movements when she ate her food were rather robotic. ¡°Nian Nian, I¡¯ll take you back to F City to take a look today.¡± Xia Qingyi stared at the bowl. ¡°Okay.¡± Han Liang still wanted to say more on the other end, but Xia Qingyi suddenly interrupted him. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m hanging up. We can continue talkingter downstairs.¡± After she hung up, Mo Han, who had heard everything, said, ¡°How did he get your phone number?¡± Xia Qingyi shrugged and absentmindedly jabbed at the food on the te with her chopsticks. ¡°How would I know, he¡¯s probably looked for it, it¡¯s not difficult to do so after all.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell him that I¡¯ll go along with youter?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to, I¡¯ll just tell him directly when I go downter.¡± The two of them continued to eat, but the atmosphere in the house was no longer the same as the past, as though something had changed, but Xia Qingyi was not sure exactly what had changed. After they had finished their food, Xia Qingyi had changed and was bending down to put on her shoes at the door getting ready to go out with Mo Han, who was waiting outside, when she suddenly remembered that her phone battery was rather low. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t bring my portable charger, I¡¯ll go back and get it.¡± ¡°How much battery do you still have left?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi looked at her phone. ¡°56 percent.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to bring it, we¡¯ll return soon. You can charge it after we¡¯vee back,¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi suddenly felt worried after hearing what he said. Would she really return here afterwards? ¡°What are you thinking, let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll get toe back early if we leave early.¡± Xia Qingyi nced at Mo Han, put the phone back into her bag, followed Mo Han and left without her portable charger. She wished that she coulde back earlier. When they reached downstairs, Han Liang was leaning against a car as he waited, and immediately broke into a weing smile when he saw Xia Qingyi. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Xia Qingyi only nodded her head. Mo Han said, ¡°This is your car?¡± ¡°Yes, my own car is in F City. I felt that it was rather inconvenient after sending Nian Nian back yesterday, so I bought another car here.¡± Mo Han smiled, though Xia Qingyi did not show any expression, and she opened the back door of the car and sat inside. Mo Han immediately reached out for the front door to the passenger seat. ¡°Nian Nian,e and sit at the passenger seat, I want to look at you more.¡± Xia Qingyi eyed Han Liang standing outside and did not move. ¡°I prefer to sit here.¡± Chapter 132 - Your Restaurant

Chapter 132: Your Restaurant

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The corners of Han Liang¡¯s mouth twitched a little. ¡°Then... alright. We have all the time after this.¡± The car drove on a wide road, and either side of the highway was a never-ending view of fields and trees. Everywhere was green. Xia Qingyi was quietly staring out the window throughout the ride. She continued to look at the scenery outside until it had be monotonous and boring, as though she could see something else there. Mo Han did not speak much either. He was looking at hisptop, his fingers constantly moving, as he had some work to finish up. ¡°We¡¯re approaching F City, and also reaching home soon,¡± Han Liang said. ¡°Okay,¡± Xia Qingyi answered. ¡°Nian Nian, are you hungry? Shall we go and grab a biteter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°Go and eat something, we¡¯ve been sitting in the car for so long, and we don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll get to eat our next meal,¡± Mo Han said from the passenger seat, looking at his watch. Xia Qingyi was still leaning against the car window and looking outside. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go and eat something.¡± The car stopped at a restaurant in the city with an ancient design. The signboard in front of the restaurant was made purely from wood and had an antique feel to it. The doors of the restaurant were simr to that of screen doors, half hollowed out with patterns of huge and delicate red lotus flowers, and a moving crowd could be vaguely seen through the door. The waitresses standing at the door were also well-dressed in figure-hugging cheongsams. Han Liang stood at the restaurant entrance and said to Xia Qingyi, ¡°Do you remember now?¡± ¡°Remember what?¡± ¡°You were the one who opened this restaurant.¡± Hearing this, Xia Qingyi could not help but to re-examine the restaurant and herself, unable to believe that she was actually an owner of a restaurant. ¡°This restaurant was really opened by me?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in, there are many people inside who miss you,¡± Han Liang only smiled. Han Liang pulled Xia Qingyi and walked into the restaurant. Xia Qingyi turned back to look at Mo Han. He was still standing at the original spot and looking at the signboard, lost in thought. The three of them went into the shop one by one, Xia Qingyi walked behind Han Liang, while Mo Han was always standing at her right at some distance away. ¡°Sister Nian Nian!¡± Xia Qingyi was walking when a cashier at a counter called out and ran towards Xia Qingyi in small steps with her eyes bright. She stood beside Xia Qingyi and only looked at her, not daring to do anything else. ¡°Boss! Is it really you?¡± That girl kept staring at her. Xia Qingyi did not speak and kept examining that girl, trying to look out for her unique features as she scanned through her brain in search for her past memories. It was a pity that nothing had changed and she was unable to remember her. ¡°Xiao Mei, didn¡¯t I already tell you? You need to be calm when you see her,¡± Han Liang said. ¡°Brother Han! Is it really Boss? Is Sister Nian Nian really back?¡± The girl pulling at Xia Qingyi¡¯s sleeves looked as though she was about to cry. ¡°She¡¯s really back, don¡¯t worry.¡± Xiao Mei hugged Xia Qingyi and started to cry, wiping her snot and tears on Xia Qingyi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Sister Nian Nian. We... we thought you were dead... only... Brother Han, he didn¡¯t believe it, he wouldn¡¯t believe it no matter how we persuaded him.¡± Xia Qingyi furrowed her eyebrows and kept looking at her surroundings, not knowing what to do. Mo Han looked at the both of them from the side and said in a mild voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat first.¡± Chapter 133 - Keeping a Distance

Chapter 133: Keeping a Distance

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xiao Mei finally let Xia Qingyi go and wiped her eyes, which were red from crying, and said chokingly, ¡°So you¡¯re hungry, Sister Nian Nian.¡± Xia Qingyi moved back a few steps and silently went to stand next to Mo Han. Han Liang noticed her actions, and quietly walked forward to pull Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand, intecing his hand with hers, and said to Xiao Mei, ¡°Follow the rules likest time and send the food to the east wing.¡± Shocked to see that he had inteced his hand with hers, Xia Qingyi wanted to shake his hand off, but Han Liang tightened his hold. Standing opposite them, Xiao Mei noticed their movements as well and stared at the two of them, slight suspicion on her face. ¡°Why are you still standing here? Are you not going to inform the kitchen?¡± Han Liang did not let go, and looked at Xiao Mei as he spoke. Xiao Mei answered with an ¡°oh!¡± and ran towards the back. ¡°Can you let go now? Can¡¯t you see that her hand is already red?¡± Mo Han waited until Xiao Mei left before he quietly spoke, not looking at the two of them. ¡°Thank you Barrister Mo for the reminder. She¡¯s my wife, naturally I will not hurt her.¡± ¡°That remains unknown, since we don¡¯t know how she got the scars on her body,¡± Mo Han smiled. ¡°That¡¯s already in the past! That will not happen again,¡± Han Liang red up a little and increased the volume of his voice, unintentionally tightening his grip. ¡°Han Liang, you better let go, my hand hurts,¡± Xia Qingyi said. Han Liang heard what she said and turned to look at her hand, which was already turning white from his hold on her. Han Liang immediately let go after seeing it and massaged the back of her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Xia Qingyi pulled her hand out of his grip. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The three of them arrived at an elegant room. The room was separated from the outside with a wooden sliding door, which was draped with a reddish brown cloth, and had a Japanese style to it. The inside of the room was very clean, and there was a bookshelf erected on the right, a pile of books and some small potted nts ced on it. It was clean and elegant like a living room, and did not look like it was a ce for eating. ¡°This room was your favorite in the past. It was used as the VIP roomst time, but we really could not stand seeing the customers fill the room up with smoke, so we simply stopped letting the customers use it, and it became your personal room,¡± Han Liang introduced. Xia Qingyi carefully looked around the room, and was delighted. She liked this room. This room may have been unfamiliar to her, but after seeing it for the first time, she liked this kind of elegant style, as though she had stepped into another world. But Xia Qingyi did not show too much of her delight and kept her expression the same as usual, quietly sitting down on one of the chairs. When she was in the middle of eating her food, Xia Qingyi got up to go to the toilet, leaving the two men in the room. Han Liang spoke first. ¡°I know... Nian Nian is rather close to you at the moment.¡± Mo Han lowered his head and smiled as he ate. ¡°Yes, you could say so.¡± ¡°She wille back here very soon. So, I hope that you two can keep a distance between each other in the future.¡± ¡°You seemed to have gotten the other person wrong.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The person who should keep a distance away is you.¡± ¡°What did you say?! Nian Nian is my wife, we¡¯re in love, you want us to keep a distance with each other?! Are you kidding me?¡± Han Liang almost flew into a rage. Mo Han quietly took a sip of tea. ¡°Frankly speaking, I¡¯ve never believed what you said. Including the marriage certificate that you have. To me, all these documents can always be forged. Of course, I¡¯m also not sure what¡¯s the point of you taking the trouble to make use to F City to hear what the people outside have to say.¡± ¡°You think that I¡¯m lying, that I took the trouble to spin a lie to deceive you.¡± ¡°You can take it that way,¡± Mo Han¡¯s expression was reserved, but he would never restrain his tone and words. Han Liang smiled coldly. ¡°Barrister Mo, don¡¯t be too cocky. There are many things that cannot be predicted. Don¡¯t be so confident of your words.¡± ¡°I only have confidence in things I¡¯m certain of,¡± Mo Han replied. Chapter 134 - A loving couple

Chapter 134: A loving couple

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi, who had been in the washroom, did not know about the tense conversation between the two. She was currently leaning against the basin, not wanting to go out as another person might appear and tell her about what had happened in the past if she were to walk out. She feared thisplete unknown feeling. What she wanted to do the most now was to sit on the rug in the living room at Mo Han¡¯s house, watching television as she ate snacks while waiting for Mo Han to return. Though, she did not know when she could do that again. Xia Qingyi nced at her watch. She was dejected to find that about 20 minutes had passed. It would seem odd if she did not go back out. Xia Qingyi freshened up a little. She walked out of the bathroom and happened to be face-to-face to Xiao Mei who had gone to the washroom as well. ¡°Sister Nian Nian, did youe for the washroom?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Xia Qingyi wanted to turn and leave. Xiao Mei stopped her. ¡°Sister Nian Nian.¡± Xia Qingyi was still a little unustomed to this name. She stopped and looked at her. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You seem to be a little different.¡± Xiao Mei said. ¡°How am I different?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°You and Brother Han. Did you fight with Brother Han?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why did both of you look slightly unhappy today? You didn¡¯t seem very willing when Brother Han held your hand earlier in the afternoon as well. Did Brother Han do something to make you angry?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled and shook her head. How was she going to exin what had happened between them to this girl in front of her? Xia Qingyi thought for a while, before she asked Xiao Mei, ¡°Do you have any photos of me from the past?¡± ¡°Yes. Why?¡± ¡°Can you show me?¡± Xiao Mei could not understand why she wanted to see photos from the past, though she still took out her mobile phone. She started to search her photos from her phone¡¯s gallery. ¡°Here, this one.¡± Xiao Mei showed Xia Qingyi her phone. The photo was a selfie of the two of them. Xiao Mei was smiling sweetly with an arm around her shoulder. ¡°Are there any others?¡± ¡°Swipe down then. There¡¯s a few more behind.¡± She swiped to the other photos. There was a photo behind that was a full-body shot of her. Or to be exact, it was a full-body shot of Han Liang and her. They did not seem to know that the camera was there. Han Liang was looking at aputer while she had her arm linked in his as she smiled widely at him. Xiao Mei said, ¡°This photo was taken at your house. You¡¯d invited many staff from the restaurant to go y at your house. After the meal, I just happened to see the both of you smiling in the living room. That¡¯s why I took this photo.¡± ¡°Did I have a very good rtionship with him in the past?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. Xiao Mei looked at her in disbelief. ¡°How could you ask such a question? The both of you were always joined at the hip like Siamese twins. It made all of us around you very jealous everyday. If you didn¡¯t have a good rtionship, then who did?¡± Xiao Mei felt a little weird. Why did Sister Nian Nian seem unhappy today? That was why she asked, ¡°Sister Nian Nian, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Xia Qingyi smiled reluctantly. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Sister Nian Nian, you¡¯ve finallye back after all the trouble. Don¡¯t worry. The both of you are so in love with each other. You¡¯ll get through anything.¡± Xia Qingyi returned her phone to her. ¡°Thank you. I should go back. They¡¯re probably a little anxious from waiting for me.¡± When Xia Qingyi had returned, the two of them were each sitting in a corner as they ate silently. It looked like nothing had happened, though Xia Qingyi did not think too much about it. All of her thoughts were on that few photos that Xiao Mei had showed her earlier. ¡°Why did you go for such a long time?¡± Han Liang got up and pulled out a chair for her. ¡°I met Xiao Mei when I was done and we chatted for a while.¡± ¡°You can remember her?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head. She picked up a pair of chopsticks and ate with her head bowed. In her peripheral view, she could see that Mo Han¡¯s expression was a little cloudy for some unknown reason. Chapter 135 - A long memory

Chapter 135: A long memory

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°I¡¯ll take you home for you to take a look after we¡¯re done eating. Your mother is waiting for you at home.¡± Xia Qingyi was still expressionless. The food she was eating was tasteless to her. The three of them forcedly finished eating in a weird and quiet atmosphere. After they were done eating, Xia Qingyi quickly got into the car alone when they were outside. Mo Han, who had been walking behind her, whispered into Han Liang¡¯s ear before he got into the car, ¡°Don¡¯t forget what I told you just now.¡± Han Liang stared straightly at Xia Qingyi, who was sitting in the car. He smiled slightly. ¡°I¡¯m still going to say those words, Barrister Mo. Don¡¯t be too confident.¡± Mo Han replied, ¡°It seems like your ears don¡¯t work too well. In that case, I don¡¯t mind repeating my words again. My tolerance for you will only hold up until tonight. I hope you won¡¯t weave such a lie with so many loopholes to try and make us believe you in the future.¡± Han Liang smiled, as if he had made up his mind. ¡°Alright. You¡¯ll know who¡¯s the liar tonight.¡± Not long after they had got on the car, Han Liang had drove to an intricate Western-style bungalow. The Western-style bungalow had a good-sized courtyard with a fence around it. ¡°We¡¯re here. You should get out of the car. This is your house.¡± Xia Qingyi got out of the car and stepped on the grass patch in the courtyard. She kept staring at the small cross at the third floor of the bungalow. She did not feel much at her first nce, though as she continued to stare in more detail and the more she looked at the surrounding, Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart started to beat faster. It felt like she had been here before. This ce was very familiar to her, so familiar that every cell in her body was moring to wake up. ¡°That... cross...¡± Xia Qingyi felt like she was in a dream, even her voice had sounded unreal. Mo Han turned his head to see her staring at the cross on the Western-style bungalow intensely. ¡°Do you remember something...?¡± Han Liang seemed very excited. Xia Qingyi slowly woke up from her dream-like state at the sight of an excited Han Liang. She looked away, as her legs stepped forward on the soft grass. She walked towards the door in the middle. Right as she had just started to walk over, the door opened from inside. There was a woman who had her hair loosely tied at the back. That woman was wearing a dark red long dress that ended at her ankles. She had a beige shawl with tassels wrapped around her upper body. She smiled faintly at Xia Qingyi, not able to hide the thin wrinkles at the end of her eyes. She was a beauty even in her old age. Even though she had aged, Xia Qingyi could still see very clearly with a nce that she looked very simr to the woman. No one would question that they were mother and daughter. ¡°You¡¯re here... It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back...¡± that woman¡¯s eyes were full of tears. Xia Qingyi stared at that woman silently, watching as that woman slowly closed the distance between them step by step. She held onto Xia Qingyi¡¯s hands lightly asrge droplets of tears fell against the back of Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand. She could hear the sobs that the woman was trying so hard to hold back. ¡°You¡¯re finally back... you¡¯re finally back...¡± If she had believed 50% of the words Han Liang had told her when Xiao Mei had showed her those photos at the restaurant, then she believed 90% of his words now that she had seen this woman. Because, she had cried. She did not know why she had cried either. Her heart had started to ache at the sight of that droplet of tear falling onto the back of her hand. Afterwards, her vision became aplete blur and she could no longer see the pair of wrinkled old hands holding her hands softly. This woman in front of her looked very familiar to her. Her voice was familiar too, even the temperature of the woman¡¯s pair of hands holding onto her hands was familiar too. But she could not remember anything. At this thought, Xia Qingyi started to cry even harder. She extended both of her arms to hug her at the sight of Xia Qingyi crying. She hugged her in an extremely protective posture as she gently patted her back. ¡°Mother has been waiting for you for a long time... Mother won¡¯t let you leave again...¡± Xia Qingyi started to cry uncontrobly as she leaned on her shoulder. Every breath she took in at the tip of her nose was full of the familiar and warm smell on her. It was a smell that made her feel at ease. Chapter 136 - Locked from the Inside

Chapter 136: Locked from the Inside

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The surrounding quietened as Xia Qingyi¡¯s head started to hurt. She could see her twelve-year-old self standing by the road, staring at a silhouette that kept walking further and further away. She walked alone on the empty road, as the sounds of her wanton crying and the howling wind rang in her ears. She could no longer see the silhouette in the distance and she cried louder. Suddenly, she heard someone shouting from behind her. She turned back and saw the woman that she had met earlier. It was obvious that she was younger than she was now. She was wearing a yellow dress and ran over to hug her as she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home. Let¡¯s go home.¡± This was the first time she had contact with her memories from the past. It was very clear to Xia Qingyi that they were her real memories and not what Han Liang had showed her with the photo, not what Xiao Mei had told her, and definitely not what she had carelessly assumed to be her memories. It was a real and painful memory that belonged to her. ¡°Nian Nian... Did you... remember something?¡± Han Liang asked after a long silence. Xia Qingyi had gotten out of the emotional hysteria as she wiped away the tears on her face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just have a headache that¡¯s hurting really bad.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go into the house then. I¡¯ll get some medicine for you. You often had headaches when you were young too.¡± the woman spoke. Xia Qingyi nced at her once, though she did not say anything as they pushed her into the house. Before she had entered, she turned to look at Mo Han, only to see his cold eyes. Xia Qingyi knew that Mo Han had understood the emotions she had felt earlier. The sense of familiarity strengthened after she had entered the house. Xia Qingyi breathed harder as she looked left and right at the dark purple curtains, the piano that had a pure white silk cloth covering it and the traditional wooden floor. Her legs lost strength. She was about to fall as she could no longer support herself. ¡°Are you alright? Nian Nian?¡± Han Liang asked. Xia Qingyi shook her head as she supported herself with the edge of the sofa in the living room. She continued to observe the ce. From the familiarity she felt, Xia Qingyi could confirm that she must had stayed here for a very long time, though she still could not remember the stories that had happened in this house. She was all too familiar with the objects, as they overwhelmed her senses. Her memories, however, were still a nk, as if they had turned invisible. ¡°Liang Liang had told me what happened to you. I know that you lost your memory, but it¡¯s okay even if you can¡¯t remember them. I just hope that you live well in the future.¡± the woman said. She looked at Mo Han, who had been standing next to Xia Qingyi. She nodded and smiled. ¡°You must be the person who had been taking care of Nian Nian when she had got injured. I¡¯m really thankful.¡± Despite how cold his words were, Mo Han still smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Han Liang had unknowingly ced his hand on Xia Qingyi¡¯s waist. ¡°Nian Nian, do you want to go and take a look at the second floor? Your room is upstairs. You might remember something.¡± Xia Qingyi would have noticed that he had ced his hand on her waist if she had been paying attention. This time, however, she only stared at the woman in front of her. She wanted to see if the parts of the woman¡¯s aging face ovepped with her memories. She had not noticed his actions, and naturally, did not stop him. However, her actions had another meaning in Mo Han¡¯s eyes. No-one had noticed that his right hand behind his back had moved into a tight fist. Xia Qingyi followed Han Liang to her bedroom on the second floor. There was a huge wedding photo hung above the bed. She was snuggling against Han Liang¡¯s shoulder while wearing a white wedding gown, as happiness shone from her eyes. ¡°Your mother had gone down to prepare some tea. She¡¯lle up soon.¡± Han Liang said as his phone started to ring. He took a nce, before he let go of Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand and said, ¡°There are some issues at work. Take your time and look around. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡± After Han Liang was gone out, there were only two people left in the room. Xia Qingyi moved around the room as she looked at the interior design of the room. On the other hand, Mo Han had locked the door from inside after Han Liang had left. Xia Qingyi heard the sound and turned to take a look. ¡°Why did you lock the door from inside?¡± Mo Han walked towards Xia Qingyi. ¡°Do you remember now?¡± Chapter 137 - Im Not Your Older Brother

Chapter 137: I¡¯m Not Your Older Brother

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi knew that she could not hide the truth from him and she nodded. ¡°A little.¡± ¡°What do you remember?¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice sounded very different from the usual. ¡°That woman downstairs. I remembered some things about her from the past. I believe it¡¯s real even though it was very little.¡± ¡°What about Han Liang?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head. ¡°But, I think that it¡¯s likely to be true.¡± Mo Hanughed, ¡°What is real? It¡¯s merely a guess from you. You¡¯re such an intelligent person, you can¡¯t possibly be confused by this?¡± ¡°Older brother... in the afternoon... I saw some photos that Xiao Mei showed me. I think that the person in the photo is really me. Also, about the room in the restaurant, I really think... that it should be like that.¡± ¡°You merely remembered that woman downstairs, yet you think that everything that Han Liang had told you is true?¡± Mo Han asked her in reply. ¡°Then... how do you exin this photo? How do you exin this ce?¡± Xia Qingyi pointed to the wedding photo behind her as she replied to Mo Han, ¡°Do you think he¡¯d do this much for a ploy to make me his wife? ¡°Older brother...¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Don¡¯t...¡± Mo Han interrupted her words angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t call me older brother... I¡¯m not your older brother!¡± Xia Qingyi froze. Her voice softened as her shoulders sagged. ¡°I know you¡¯re not my older brother. When I saw you for the first time, at yourw firm, I knew that you weren¡¯t my older brother as I stared into your eyes.¡± ¡°I know that I don¡¯t have any rtives.¡± Xia Qingyi looked down. ¡°But, I... finally remembered a little of what had happened in the past today. I¡¯m happy regardless of whether it¡¯s good or bad. I feel like I¡¯m finally more than a person who was abandoned by others.¡± ¡°If... I didn¡¯t remember anything today... or if I¡¯d didn¡¯t feel anything, I would quietly follow you back and continue to be your family in name since I already thought that he was lying.¡± Xia Qingyi continued, ¡°But I remembered... I would like to try even though it¡¯s only a little part of my memory. I want to know what it feels like to be with family.¡± ¡°So... you want to return to be with them?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi did not reply. Mo Han nced at her, then at the wedding photo that she had taken with another man behind her. The photo was aplete eyesore for him. The Xia Qingyi in the photo was looking at that man with so much love in her eyes, how could it be her?¡± She was definitely not Song Yuenian that had been married to that man for a year. It must be another woman. Xia Qingyi did not seem to believe it unfortunately. He could not stop her thoughts. He could never stop whatever she wanted to do. A knock was heard from the other side of the door and Han Liang shouted from outside, ¡°Why is the door locked?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han, who remained unmoved. He stared straight at her, standing in front of the door. His gaze was one that Xia Qingyi had never seen. Eventually, she went to open the door in the midst of Han Liang¡¯s shouts from outside. Mo Han grabbed her hand that was on the door handle with strength, stopping her from moving. Xia Qingyi used her other free hand to push him away as she mouthed the words to him. ¡°Let go. Let me try.¡± The door opened. Han Liang, who had been on the other side of the door, looked at Mo Han, who had his back to him, and Xia Qingyi, who was smiling faintly. ¡°Why was the door locked?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It must have been locked earlier. There was a gush of wind earlier and it happened to close the door. We were about to open the door.¡± Han Liang looked at the opened window in the room. He walked over to close it. ¡°I forgot to close the window.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°I have some work at thew firm. I¡¯ll return first.¡± ¡°Why are you leaving so soon? You didn¡¯t drive here, so how are you going to return?¡± Han Liang asked. ¡°I¡¯ll call a taxi. I shouldn¡¯t disturb you any further.¡± Mo Han was using all his strength to control his emotions. With that said, Mo Han did not stay any longer as he turned to leave the room. Han Liang wanted to stop him, though he turned back to look at Xia Qingyi with confusion. ¡°Let him go. He¡¯s quite busy usually.¡± Xia Qingyi said as she looked in the direction he had left. Chapter 138 - Our Memories

Chapter 138: Our Memories

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Han Liang pushed her shoulder, wanting her to sit by the bedside. ¡°Wait here for a while, I have something to show you.¡± Han Liang brought a thick photo album. He sat next to Xia Qingyi as he flipped it open. He pointed to the photos inside, exining the photos to her slowly, ¡°This photo was when we were in middle-high school. I was tutoring you since you were so bad at mathematics at that time. As a result, your mother asked me toe and tutor you. You were always listening to me exin quietly. Regardless, your mathematics results were still at the bottom. I¡¯d often say that my exnations went in one ear and straight out the other.¡± ¡°This photo was from when I apanied you shopping after you¡¯d just entered university. We were dating at that time and were about to get married. Look at yourself. You¡¯d always smile so happily whenever you went out to enjoy yourself. You¡¯d find anything I bought yummy, and whine to get more of the same food.¡± ¡°Look at this... we¡¯d gotten married. We had gotten our marriage licensest year. You didn¡¯t want me to hold a wedding, saying that you wanted to hold it together with your graduation when you graduated from university. That was why we¡¯d only taken our wedding photos.¡± ¡°This photo... is you preparing a meal for me. Yes... it wasn¡¯t bad. It looked appetizing at least. I watched your culinary skills improve step by step. The meal that you¡¯d cooked waspletely appalling. You almost burned down the kitchen.¡± Han Liang caressed those photos, as if he had gotten sucked into his memories. ¡°You can¡¯t remember... any of these? Not even a little bit?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xia Qingyi replied. Han Liang kept the photos. ¡°It¡¯s alright, as long as we have our future,¡± he said as he looked at her affectionately. ¡°I won¡¯t let you leave me again in the future.¡± Han Liang hugged her. She wanted to push him away, though she immediately held back the urge to do so when her hand touched his shirt. She could not be like this. Since she wanted toe back, since she wanted to try to recall her memories from the past, she needed to learn to change. They were her family. They had waited for her for so long. She could not make them sad. Since she had chosen thepany of family, she would have to learn to be this man¡¯s wife, to be the daughter of the woman downstairs. Xia Qingyi hugged him back. On the first day in this house, Han Liang and her mother had asked if she wanted anything to eat, if she needed anything, if she was feeling well every second. They had even waited at the entrance when she went to the washroom, afraid that something would happen to her. Han Liang especially. He seemed to want to make up for the days that he was not with her. They wanted to treat her doubly well. However, this made Xia Qingyi feel slightly ufortable. She had gotten used to the freedom of Mo Han¡¯s house. Mo Han had given her enough time for herself. When Mo Han returned home, he was either working or cooking for Xia Qingyi. He would sit on the sofa and watch television with her asionally. There was usually no one at home to bother her most of the time, and she had been at ease and veryfortable with that. On the other hand, she was currently sitting on the sofa. Her mother had asked her countless times if she wanted to eat anything. Xia Qingyi could only force a smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not hungry.¡± It was afterwards that Han Liang had told her that her hospitalization fees, amodation costs had been borne by Mo Han since she had been staying at his house for so long. Now that she was back, it was natural to give some of the money back. He had asked Xia Qingyi how much was suitable. Xia Qingyi said, ¡°You should decide by yourself, though it¡¯s probably best to give a little more. He has been rather worried about me.¡± Xia Qingyi was stillughing at herself for thinking of helping Mo Han earn some money at this time. His work was hard enough. However, she did not know if Mo Han would be satisfied with this sum of money. It was not as if she did not know that Mo Han was rich. He might even say, ¡°This sum of money that you¡¯re giving cannot evenpare to the money I earn from awsuit.¡± When they were going to sleep at night, Xia Qingyi had naturally stayed awake. Han Liang was already lying on their bed, reading a book. Xia Qingyi thought for a while as she walked to the bedroom door. She did not enter. ¡°I won¡¯t sleep here tonight. I¡¯ll sleep in the guest room next door.¡± Han Liang felt that it was weird. ¡°Why? We¡¯re already married, why are you still concerned about this?¡± Chapter 139 - Insomnia

Chapter 139: Insomnia

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m not used to it. You know that I don¡¯t remember what happened in the past and I¡¯ve been sleeping by myself for this period of time after I woke up from mya.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re worried about that, please be assured that I would never touch you without your permission.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled. ¡°No, I¡¯m just really used to sleeping alone now.¡± Han Liang seemed to want to convince her more as Xia Qingyi said again, ¡°Can you let me slowly adjust by myself before I regain my memories? It won¡¯t take too long.¡± Han Liang said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± He looked at Xia Qingyi, who was standing at the door. He slowlyughed again, ¡°Nian Nian,e over.¡± Xia Qingyi replied a secondter, ¡°Yes? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Come over.¡± Xia Qingyi walked over to stand next to Han Liang, who was reading on the bed. Han Liang suddenly sat straight up as he hooked an arm around her shoulders to pull her down. His lips moved forward for a kiss. rm bells rang in Xia Qingyi¡¯s head. She did not have the time to think too much as she pushed Han Liang away straight away. Xia Qingyi had pushed him back on the bed before his lips had even touched her. Han Liang did not seem to expect such a big reaction from her as he looked at her in shock. Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart was still thumping crazily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± Han Liang sat up. He was a little disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just that I thought that you would remember our daily goodnight kiss.¡± Xia Qingyi did not know how to continue the conversation as she stood awkwardly at the side of the bed. ¡°Never mind. It¡¯ste now, you should go to sleep.¡± Han Liang said. Nevertheless, Xia Qingyi did not go to sleep as Han Liang had said. At the very moment she hadin on the bed after returning to that bedroom, she felt that insomnia, which had not visited her for a while, woulde again. In the end, it was really as Xia Qingyi had thought. At about 1 A.M, she had had enough and sat up on the bed. She was already starting to miss Mo Han, after the ninth hour of leaving him. She thought about him cooking for her, thought about him buying red bean pastries for her, thought about how he had sat by his bed and watched her sleep when she could not sleep. She was even starting to miss the way heined about her walking too slow with his eyebrows furrowed. Xia Qingyi stood up. She did not turn on the lights as she pulled open the curtains. The cold moonlight shone into the room. Xia Qingyi sat on the floor, resting her head on her hands as she watched the cloudy moon. She thought about how Mo Han had apanied her to watch the moon that day. He had even said that he would always be with her, until she had found her family. He had done that. He had done it pretty well. In fact, he did everything very well. Xia Qingyi stood up again and pushed open the door of the guest room. With light steps, she walked to the living room on the first floor. She walked to the window and pulled open the curtain slightly to make the room look a little brighter so that she would not end up falling. She slowly touched every corner of the room, from the sofa to the tables and chairs. She had even touched the walls. She measured every detail of the house closely, like she had when she arrived yesterday. Alone, she used her breathing to quietly take in this house. Everything was so familiar to her. She must have stayed here before. Xia Qingyi vaguely remembered that the scissors were ced in the second drawer on the right side of the television. She was curious as to why she had remembered this. She slowly remembered the details of this house. She walked to the second drawer on the right side of the television and pulled it open. As expected, the scissors were lying there. Xia Qingyi felt their icy cold touch. Even the feel of the touch was exactly the same. Faintly, she remembered that there was supposed to be a box there. The box had contained many of her things, though she could not remember where she had ced it. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± her mother¡¯s voice suddenly appeared in the dark night. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep, so I came down to look around.¡± Xia Qingyi was a little shocked. ¡°Why? You aren¡¯t used to the bed?¡± ¡°No, I have insomnia. I haven¡¯t adapted to this ce yet since I¡¯ve just arrived. It¡¯ll be better after a while.¡± ¡°Insomnia? Is it serious? I should get some medicine for you tomorrow.¡± ¡°No... It¡¯s fine. I will adjust to it.¡± Chapter 140 - An Indescribable Night

Chapter 140: An Indescribable Night

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°You have to tell us if you¡¯re not feeling well. We¡¯ll go to the doctors if your body is not well. We¡¯ll go to the psychologist if you don¡¯t feel well mentally. I just want everything to go well for you.¡± Xia Qingyi patted her hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I know, I¡¯ll tell you if I don¡¯t feel well.¡± After seeing her for the first time in the afternoon yesterday, Xia Qingyi could almost confirm that she was her mother. She naturally rxed around her as she asked, ¡°Did I have a boxst time? I think it was made of metal and is very old. Do you know where it is now?¡± ¡°A metal box? Ah... that one... it was very long ago. You liked to ce many weird and interesting things in the box when you were young. Though, I can¡¯t remember where we put it when we tidied the things upstairs a few years ago. It might be in the storeroom.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go take a look tomorrow.¡± ¡°Why go find it and get dust all over yourself when you might not be able to find it anyways? Don¡¯t look for it. If you want to know about the things that happened in the past, I can tell you.¡± She seemed not to want Xia Qingyi to find that box. Xia Qingyi felt that it was a little odd. A big question mark arose in her heart when she saw her mother¡¯s shifting gaze in the cold moonlight. It seemed like there was something that they were hiding from her. Now that she thought about it in detail, Han Liang and her mother had not seemed to mention anything about her getting injured. They had only said that it was a kidnap, but what about the reason for the kidnap? Was there no ransom? Why did she get that injured back in F City? Why did she not have any memory of the kidnap? On the other hand, why was she so familiar with so many details of this house now that she had returned to this ce? The more Xia Qingyi thought about, the more she felt that it was astonishing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Nian Nian?¡± her mother asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Xia Qingyi replied, ¡°I suddenly feel a little sleepy. I¡¯m going up to sleep.¡± She sent her mother back to her room, before she ran up to the second floor to where she had tried to sleep. She turned on the lights and looked at every part of the room again in detail. She was anticipating finding some clues to remember something from the past as they might be helpful for her. However, she could not remember anything useful even after a few times of looking around the room. She was a little tired as she sat on the floor to tidy up her thoughts, though she did not remember anything. Xia Qingyi opened the window. A light breeze blew into the room as the cold moonlight shone on her. She leaned against the windowsill as she slowly understood. She could not believe everything that she saw. The more a thing felt like the truth, the higher the possibility that it was an illusion. The only thing that she could depend on were her memories. She was sure that the woman downstairs was her mother. The pain she felt in her mind would not lie to her. She was also sure that this house used to be her house. It seemed as though that she was sure about many things, yet it somehow felt odd. Where did it go wrong? What was her mother hiding from her? What exactly had happened in this house? She wanted to understand everything, yet she did not where to start with her nk memory. She thought again and again, only falling asleep on the floor when it was 5 A.M with the sky brightening. On the other hand, Mo Han, who had returned to S City, had also just spent his first night without Xia Qingyi by watching the television on the sofa. When he was eating alone after returning, he took a while to make himself ept that Xia Qingyi had already returned to the ce that she thought was her house. Mo Han could not understand why Xia Qingyi had not realized that there was something wrong about Han Liang when Xia Qingyi was such an intelligent person? He must have been lying to her, about the marriage and trying to find her! The more Mo Han thought about it, the angrier he became. He watched television as he could not fall asleep at night. He could not help but to grip the television remote in his hand tightly. When there was no show that he wanted to watch, he threw the television remote on the coffee table. He stood up and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of red wine and a wine ss from the highest shelf. Xia Qingyi could not drink and he did not really like to drink at home either, which was why he had kept his collection of wine in the highest shelf. He had locked it and stayed away from it for a very long time. Now that she was not here, Mo Han suddenly had the urge to drink. He held the bottle in one hand and the wine ss in the other as he sat on the sofa again. He poured a small ss for himself, swaying the ss as he slowly sampled the wine in the quiet and lonely night. Chapter 141 - A Red Wine Kiss

Chapter 141: A Red Wine Kiss

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios As he tilted the ss, he remembered the kiss at the dining table when Xia Qingyi had first drank alcohol. She had her eyes closed while smiling happily, as she tugged on his tie. He had not even had the chance to be aware of what was going to happen when she had kissed his lips. Mo Han had never told Xia Qingyi that her lips were very soft, moist with something lingering. When he was dating Shen Rou, they had kissed and had even more intimate interactions. Men were beings that were driven by desire. The weird thing, however, was that he had rarely felt this primal impulse with his few ex-girlfriends. He had always thought that this was caused by his rational and indifferent personality. But, Xia Qingyi was clearly different. Xia Qingyi¡¯s clothes were always in a mess when she had just waken up. Sometimes, she would not even know that half of her shoulder was exposed. Mo Han would always turn his eyes away from her body every time, not daring to keep his eyes on her for more than a few seconds. He was afraid that he would not be able to hold back. A body¡¯s reaction was always the most correct. He felt an impulse for her. Mo Han stared at his hand as he remembered that time he had held her against the door when they had returned home after she had gotten drunk. His fingers had moved around her body without a care. Compared to Xia Qingyi¡¯s body, his fingers were hard and very rough. There was some sort of unexinable desire as they touched her body. He had touched almost every part of her skin of her upper body, from her soft breasts, smooth back and thin waist. Xia Qingyi had obviously been frightened as she looked at him. He told her that he had done it to make her learn her lesson. But Mo Han was clear that he had done it to satisfy his personal desires. If it had not been for Xia Qingyi¡¯s tears that day, he might have been unable to hold back the urge to kiss her in the dark. Mo Han felt that it was funny. Xia Qingyi had still been calling him older brother, clueless that there was a wolf lurking next to her. Unknowingly, Mo Han had singlehandedly finished half a bottle of the red wine. It was probably due to the quiet and lonely night and tipsy feeling he had from the alcohol that Mo Han could let go of himself and recall what had happened that night. His lips touched the edge of the wine ss lightly. The fragrance of the red wine lingered at the tip of his nose. The liquid touched his tongue. The feeling was simr to Xia Qingyi¡¯s slightly cold and moist lips that day. He stared at the dark red liquid and he could not help but finish it in one go. The next morning, Mo Han woke up with a hangover. He had finished the entire bottle of red wine on the table. He fell asleep on the sofa, and his head felt like exploding from the pain when he had woken up. The sky was bright and Mo Han looked at the time on his phone on the table. It was 7.30 A.M. It was not toote as Mo Han forced himself to get up and take a shower in the bathroom. He hastily dried his hair and brushed his teeth and changed for work as usual. He did not have the time to eat breakfast, before he hurriedly left for work with his document bag. Mo Han stopped in his steps when he reached the door. Unconsciously, he wanted to turn back and rush Xia Qingyi to hurry up, or she would bete for her sses. However, there was no one behind him. The entire house was so quiet that it was scary. Mo Han¡¯s eyes hardened as he tidied his tie and pushed open the door to leave the house. In the morning, Xia Qingyi did not think the way she hadst night, having been suspicious of everything in her sleepy daze. She wanted tough a little when she thought about her actionsst night. She did not know when she had be so suspicious. It was not like she could find out the truth about everything that she had not quite understood in such a short time. Xia Qingyi was clear about the fact that any decision made at night was unreliable. That was why her heart calmed down as the sky brightened. She was still going to stay here. Regardless of everything else, she had memories of this house. She had memories of her mother in this house. The answer that she wanted was definitely in this house. She was starting to feel that all of her past memories were especially important to her. She did not want others to tell her about these memories. She wanted to slowly remember them by herself. She would be able to do it. All she needed was time. Han Liang had told her to not go to the school in F City, and that the university that she had originally been attending was here. It was a very established design school, and he would take her to report at that school when she was rested enough. Chapter 142 - Going Back to See Mo Han

Chapter 142:

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi listened to his arrangements obediently. If she could find her memories here, she could give up her studies over there temporarily, even if she really liked that course of study. However, she had told Han Liang that she would need to go to S City today. She wanted to settle the procedures for dropping out of school herself. Not only that, there were still some of her things at Mo Han¡¯s ce in S City that she need to get. Han Liang wanted to go with her, only to be firmly rejected by her. He had no choice but to agree, though he made her promise to return by 8 P.M. And Xia Qingyi returned to S City just like that. She wanted to take a good look at that city and make her farewell quietly so that others would not find out. Mo Han was definitely still angry and did not want to see her. It was not like she dared to appear in front of him either. That was why she had specifically chosen a time that he was definitely not going to be at home to go back to his ce secretly to take some of her stuff. When she went back, the house was really empty. Xia Qingyi felt so guilty that she did not dare to stand straight as she entered the house. When she passed by the living room, she smelt a very strong smell of alcohol She nced towards the table and saw an empty bottle of red wine and an empty wine ss. Had Mo Han drank? Xia Qingyi walked over and picked up the empty wine bottle to take a closer look before she ced it down again. His clothes hanging on the balcony were dry and Xia Qingyi walked over to ce them in his room out of habit. After having looked here and there, Xia Qingyi had already forgotten the real reason why she hade. She started to act like she was at home usually, as she tidied the table and threw the empty wine bottle into the rubbish bin. She felt a little better after tidying. She then went to the kitchen and got fruits from the refrigerator, before she sat down on the carpet in front of the sofa with the television on as she started to eat the fruits. It was only after she had finished an apple, three oranges and a bag of potato chips that Xia Qingyi finally remembered the main reason foring here after she saw that it was already 5 P.M. She hurriedly ran to her room to start packing her things. Actually, she did not have too many things. They were just some simple daily items that she had gotten used to using. She did not like to use the new things over there as well. There was also one more thing that Mo Han had bought for her, a pillow to help with her insomnia. It had a type of natural aroma that was able to make her nerves rx and was especially effective for helping with insomnia. Xia Qingyi remembered when Mo Han had first bought the pillow. She was still puzzled about why Mo Han would buy a pillow. He had not told her about the use of the pillow either, which was why she had just thrown it to a corner of her bed and did not care about it. It was only afterwards when Mo Han had entered her room and saw that she had put the pillow under her legs indifferently that he could not hold himself back and told her about the use of the pillow, and for her to use it to sleep next time. Xia Qingyi followed his words in half-belief afterwards and hugged it to sleep everyday. True to his words, she really fell asleep very quickly every night. At some point, Xia Qingyi had even thought that the pillow was her ¡°sacred¡± item. That was why she could never throw away this thing. She thought about cing it in which bag. Just as she was lying on the floor with her arms stretched to take the big bag under her bed, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open. Xia Qingyi jumped at the sound. She looked up hastily and hit her head against the edge of the bed. She climbed up as she winced in pain while rubbing her head, only to see Mo Han, who was standing at the door. ¡°Why are you back so early?¡± Xia Qingyi shrank herself as she asked softly. ¡°What are you doing? Mo Han¡¯s expression was the same as yesterday. There was no sign that he was going to stop being angry, as Xia Qingyi felt that she had practically sent herself to her death bying over today. ¡°I... I... came to get something. I¡¯m sorry... I thought that you weren¡¯t around.¡± ¡°Take what?¡± Mo Han looked behind her. Xia Qingyi knew that she definitely looked like a thief currently. She weakly picked up the pillow next to her. ¡°This... I¡¯m sorry... if you don¡¯t like it... then I won¡¯t take it.¡± Mo Han chuckled, ¡°Is a pillow worth it for you toe back secretly?¡± Xia Qingyi thought that he did not like her taking things from his house as they had seemingly broken ties. She did not feel too happy about it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I shouldn¡¯t take it.¡±

Going Back to See Mo Han

Chapter 143 - A Ferocious Kiss

Chapter 143: A Ferocious Kiss

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°I¡¯m not so petty that I wouldn¡¯t let you take a pillow.¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone was cold. Xia Qingyi¡¯s head dropped lower. She only spoke after a long while, ¡°I came... to settle the procedures to drop out of school. Han Liang said that I have a university course that I¡¯m currently attending there. It¡¯s a design school. I would probably start to attend school there after a while.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a day and Han Liang had already decided everything for you? You also epted everything that he gave you so quickly and are so obedient to him. Did you fall in love with him and want to be his wife for real?¡± Sourness erupted in Mo Han¡¯s heart as he did not care about what he said anymore. ¡°No... it¡¯s not what you said...¡± Xia Qingyi hurriedly tried to rify. Mo Han closed in on her step by step as heughed grimly, ¡°If it¡¯s not like that, then what is it? Do you want to have a child with him too?¡± Xia Qingyi stepped back. Mo Han¡¯s gaze made her scared and she could feel her heart thumping nonstop, as if it was going to jump out. Her feet kept moving back shakily, until she could move back any further when she reached the table behind her. Mo Han was right in front of her. Their faces were merely a few centimeters apart as they could feel each other¡¯s breath on their faces. ¡°Xia Qingyi... why didn¡¯t I realize that you were so mean, that you¡¯d throw away something just because you don¡¯t want it?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi looked at his eyes as she trembled in fear. ¡°I didn¡¯t... older brother...¡± Mo Hanughed out lightly at her words. The warmth from his breath touched Xia Qingyi¡¯s face as he stared at Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes with a glimmer of meanness. He whispered into her ear, ¡°You really think that I¡¯m your older brother, don¡¯t you?¡± If Mo Han had said this in the past, she would definitely not think anything other than Mo Han was just trying to break ties with her, that he was just emphasizing the fact that he had merely saved a stranger that he pitied. But with the intimate situation they were in now, Xia Qingyi could not help but to think in another direction. She seemed to reach an answer that she had never thought of before. Xia Qingyi asked, ¡°Are... you...¡± Before she could finish, Mo Han ced a hand at the back of her neck. He closed his eyes and kissed her lips ferociously. Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart that had been thumping suddenly stopped. Her brain had really crashed this time round. She was still immersed in having been scared so her brain had jammed when Mo Han had wrapped his arm around her waist. She was taken off guard as his tongue entered her mouth. By the time Mo Han had already conquered every part of her oral cavity, Xia Qingyi was still frozen. It was only when Mo Han identally hurt her when he sucked on her tongue that she moved to push Mo Han away with her eyebrows furrowed. However, Mo Han had easily constrained her hands as he continued to kiss her. Xia Qingyi started to have difficulties in breathing as she turned her head desperately. She had only moved her head away a little when Mo Han moved along and continued to kiss her. Time passed really slowly. It was so slow that Xia Qingyi felt as if she was a fish that had gotten stranded on the shore and was about to die from suffocation when Mo Han finally stopped kissing her. He breathed slowly at the side of her lips. There was a silveryyer covering her lips that slowly dripped down. It was impossible to tell whose saliva it was and Xia Qingyi did not even have the energy to hit him. Her legs were weak, as she hung onto Mo Han¡¯s arms and the table behind her to support her. ¡°What you thought was right. Xia Qingyi. I crossed the line.¡± Mo Han said by her lips. Xia Qingyi did not look at him, as she lowered her gaze while she panted heavily to calm herself down. Mo Han raised her chin, as he started to kiss her again with small and short kisses. This time, however, it did not take long for Xia Qingyi to use all of her strength to push him away. She had used so much strength that the things on the table fell one by one as well. A ss cup crashed next to Xia Qingyi¡¯s leg. The loud smash was especially ear-piercing in the quiet room. Xia Qingyi¡¯s legs were still weak as her hands trembled slightly. She breathed with her head lowered as she leaned against the table behind her in silence. ¡°You should not... be like this...¡± She slowly opened her mouth to speak amongst the sound of Mo Han hurriedly moving back. ¡°It has alreadye to this.¡± Mo Han sat by the bed, as he pushed back his hair with a hand. He let out a long breath, trying to calm himself down as well. The two of them kept quiet for a very long time. No one spoke. The only sound in the room was the the sound of breathing, until Xia Qingyi¡¯s phone¡¯s ring tone broke the silence. Chapter 144 - Dont Meet Again

Chapter 144: Don¡¯t Meet Again

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Only Han Liang would be calling her at this time, though Xia Qingyi let her phone ring and vibrate in her bag as she remained unmoved. The phone rang again and Xia Qingyi slowly straightened herself. She said, ¡°I need to go back.¡± Mo Han sat by the bed with his hands on his knees. Xia Qingyi slowly walked towards him. He finally said as she took her bag on the bed, ¡°Since you¡¯re set on leaving, let¡¯s not keep in contact anymore and just end it here.¡± Xia Qingyi froze while taking her bag. Her eyes sparkled for a moment before she took her bag once more, as she quietly agreed, ¡°Okay.¡± She stopped when she had walked to the bed room¡¯s door. She turned back to smile at Mo Han. There was a bitterness in her gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t work so much in the future. Take good care of yourself.¡± Mo Han did not speak; nor did he look up as he heard the depressing sound of Xia Qingyi closing the door. Her footsteps got further and further away from the door. Mo Han heard her footsteps slowly disappear, as if she had never been there at all. As he had expected, Xia Qingyi had finally left him for good. Xia Qingyi did not return to F City by 8 P.M like Han Liang had wanted. By the time she had left Mo Han¡¯s house, it was already 6 P.M. She had too many things flooding her mind as she spent an hour walking aimlessly on the streets before she remembered that she needed to return to Han Liang¡¯s house. Han Liang had called her again and she finally answered his call for the first time at 7 P.M that night. ¡°Why are you only answering your phone now? Did something happen?¡± he asked anxiously. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I left my phone at the store and had just got it back.¡± Xia Qingyi realized that she was getting better at lying, so much that she herself almost believed her lies. Han Liang finally rxed. ¡°Where are you? Are you at F City already?¡± ¡°No, something happened on the way. I¡¯m about toe back now.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Xia Qingyi did not know if she was thinking too much, but she felt as if Han Liang seemed to want to know every single thing that had happened to her. ¡°I got lost, and spent some time trying to find my way. I¡¯m on my way back now.¡± the truth was, Xia Qingyi had not even got on the bus that was going to F City. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for you toe back. Your mother had made some chicken soup for you. Come back soon to have it.¡± Xia Qingyi hummed once as she hastily hung up the phone without waiting for Han Liang to say anything more. She still had yet to regain her memories, which was why she needed to returned to F City. Up until now at least, she knew that ce had a part of her memories and she definitely needed to get them back. It was already 10 P.M when she returned to that bungalow at F City. In that time, Han Liang had called her several times again, though she did not pick any of the calls up since she had felt too annoyed by them. She merely messaged him to tell him that she would bete, before she turned on the silent mode on her phone and ignored it from then on. She jumped in shock when she saw her mother and Han Liang sitting on the sofa with grim expressions after she had arrived home safely and opened her door. ¡°Why are you sitting here?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. The two people sitting on the sofa turned to look at at Xia Qingyi, who had just returned. It was obvious that they were relieved. ¡°You¡¯re finally back.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Xia Qingyi was baffled. ¡°You can¡¯t be like this in the future. You must pick up the phone when we call you and you must tell me the rough time that you¡¯ll reach home too.¡± Han Liang looked at her with absolute seriousness. ¡°But I... didn¡¯t I say in the message... I said that I would be homete.¡± Han Liang replied, ¡°What time iste? Did you specify which hour and which minute? What if you weren¡¯t the one who sent the message? What if something had happened to you outside?¡± Xia Qingyi could not understand why he was so anxious. ¡°What could happen to me? I can protect myself. Also, it¡¯s not even thatte right now. It¡¯s only 10 P.M.¡± Chapter 145 - Mother

Chapter 145: Mother

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Nian Nian, you should listen to Liang Liang. He said all this for your own good. You should tell us the rough time that you¡¯ll be home in the future. There¡¯s too many bad guys out there now.¡± Her mother was speaking for Han Liang too. ¡°Aren¡¯t you two thinking too much? You don¡¯t have to worry too much about me. I will protect myself properly.¡± As Xia Qingyi finished her words, she suddenly remembered Mo Han trying to make her go for female defense sses. In the end, she hade to F City before she had the chance to attend the sses. Now, she was talking nonsense about protecting herself. If Mo Han were to hear this, he would definitely say something about it. ¡°Nian Nian, listen to me for once. Don¡¯t be like this again in the future.¡± Han Liang said. Xia Qingyi did not want to argue anymore about this. She knew that they were worried for her safety as she swallowed her pride and said, ¡°Alright, alright... I¡¯ll tell you the rough time in the future, alright?¡± It was only now that Han Liang looked slightly at ease. Xia Qingyi pulled them along as she walked to the corner. ¡°Alright... I¡¯m back now anyway... I¡¯m hungry...e eat with me.¡± With Xia Qingyi¡¯s reminder, her mother finally remembered about the chicken soup she had boiled since the morning. She brought out a bowl of chicken soup, reheated the dishes that she had cooked earlier and ced them on the dining table. The three of them sat around the dining table and started to eat. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I see any family photo here? Where¡¯s my father?¡± Xia Qingyi suddenly asked as she ate. The other two at the table froze instantly. Her mother, who was sitting opposite her, said, ¡°Your father... passed away two years ago.¡± ¡°He passed away?¡± ¡°His body condition wasn¡¯t that good. Two year ago, he suddenly had a bleed in his brain. We sent him to the emergency room but he could not be saved. He died on the hospital bed.¡± her mother¡¯s tone was rather calm. ¡°Still, I want... to see him.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s his death anniversary in a few days. I¡¯ll take you and your mother to go visit him together then. His grave is in F City, so it¡¯s not too far away from here.¡± Han Liang said. Xia Qingyi nodded and buried herself in the food again. After the meal, Xia Qingyi saw her mother washing the dishes alone in the kitchen. She walked inside and stood next to her before she started to wash the dishes with her. However, her mother seemed to have seen something as she hurriedly grabbed her hands and told her not to soak them in the water. She then continued to tell her that she could go rest, and that she was fine with washing the dishes alone. Xia Qingyi replied her that it was fine and went to grab the dishes once more to wash them. Her mother went to grab her hands again, to stop her from washing the dishes as she said that she should not do such chores since her hands were those that belonged to a designer. Xia Qingyi did not listen to her as she started to wash the dishes regardless of her mother. She also chatted with her while smiling. ¡°Mother, was I veryzy in the past?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. Her mother stopped washing the dishes and turned her head to look at her for a very long time. She said, ¡°No, you were very hardworking. When you were young, and your height had just reached my waist, you were already leaning on the kitchen top and asking to help me cook. You would always run here and there. There was almost not a second where you werezy.¡± Xia Qingyi listened as she scrubbed the te in her hands. ¡°You were really different. You didn¡¯t like to make friends and would always find other kids too childish when they wanted to y their dolls with you. You liked to read books while sitting in your room alone.¡± There was a spark of thought as Xia Qingyi asked subconsciously, ¡°Was I reading ¡®I Wonder Why¡¯?¡± Her mother looked at her with surprise, ¡°How do you know?¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I suddenly remembered some things from when I was young.¡± She felt that it was unbelievable. She seemed to have unknowingly remembered a lot of small details from when she was young after listening to her mother telling her stories about her past. She had even remembered that she had cried for a very long time after losing that ¡®I Wonder Why¡¯ book. Her memories seemed to being back bit by bit after returning to this ce where her mother was. ¡°Did you buy another encyclopedia for me after I lost that ¡®I Wonder Why¡¯ book?¡± Xia Qingyi suddenly found that it was very easy for her to remember scenes from when she was young. The scenes were slowly bing realer as they seemed to materialize before her eyes. What had actually happened a long time ago seemed like it had happened yesterday. ¡°You remembered everything?¡± Her mother seemed to be very surprised. Xia Qingyi thought for a while, only to find that her memories stopped there abruptly and she could not remember anything else. Chapter 146 - Sleeping Together

Chapter 146: Sleeping Together

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Her mother saw her troubled expression and smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We can think again about the rest of the things. You¡¯re back now. There¡¯s plenty of time in the future.¡± Xia Qingyiughed too, ¡°I know.¡± Xia Qingyi was reallyfortable now that she was reunited with her family after all the trouble. Even if she was only helping her mother in washing the dishes, she felt very blessed. Despite only having remembered a small part of her memory from when she was young, she finally felt as if she was the same as any other person, that she had memories and family. She was reading in the study before going to sleep at night while Han Liang was working next to her. She had finally felt sleepy and was about to get up to return to her room to sleep when she was stopped by Han Liang. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep in our room tonight.¡± Did she not say that she wanted to sleep alone for the time being just yesterday? He had also agreed to it, so why was he saying such things right now? She waspletely puzzled, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree that I¡¯d sleep alone yesterday?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t like it.¡± Han Liang said calmly. ¡°But... I¡¯m not used to it...¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it eventually. You¡¯re my wife.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would respect my opinions?¡± Xia Qingyi was slightly angry. ¡°I did say that before, but I¡¯m your husband. We can¡¯t possibly go on like this. I just want to sleep with you.¡± Xia Qingyi was firm in her tone. ¡°I told you before, Han Liang. I¡¯ve lost my memory and I can¡¯t remember anything from the past. Nor do I have any feelings for you. You cannot use the way we used to live together in the past on me now.¡± ¡°You can regain your memories! You¡¯d remember everything from the past quickly if we lived the way we did in the past!¡± Han Liang said as he walked in front of her. Xia Qingyi moved back. ¡°But you have to give me time. I can¡¯t possibly learn how to live with you as husband and wife in such a short time.¡± ¡°Then how long do you need? A month? A year? What if you never regain your memories? Would we have to live like this forever then?¡± Han Liang seemed to be unhappy as well. ¡°You can give me a week, right? I cannot be the wife that you had in the past immediately.¡± Xia Qingyi exined helplessly. ¡°Nian Nian... I¡¯m not forcing you... I just want us to return to how we were in the past...¡± Han Liang said as he stretched out his hands to caress the stray strands of hair that had fluttered down onto her forehead. Xia Qingyi held back the urge to move back. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Han Liang took one step forward as he lowered his head with his eyes closed, wanting to kiss her. However, she moved back still as she looked away and said, ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. I¡¯m going to bed.¡± She did not wait for Han Liang to say anything as she walked out after ncing at him once. She returned to the room she had slept in yesterday to go to sleep. Once she was back in the room, Xia Qingyi could not sleep. The sleepiness that she had felt in the study originally had been suddenly blown away by Han Liang. She turned, remembering that she had nned to bring the pillow that helped with her insomnia, though she had forgotten about it when she had left. If she had the pillow in her arms, she would definitely not be like how she was now, turning endlessly in her bed without a tinge of sleepiness. She could not help but to think about the lingering kiss she had with Mo Han that afternoon at the thought of the pillow. That kiss was too fluttering. Even if some time had passed since the kiss now, Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart would still thump at the thought of it. It felt way too vivid and made her heart tickle, as if his heavy breathing was still brushing against her neck. She had really been surprised. Xia Qingyi had always thought that the most that Mo Han felt was an affection between siblings that grew from pitifulness and had never thought in that direction before. Mo Han had said that what she thought was right, but she had never guessed that he had liked her. It was only because of his gaze on her yesterday that she had suddenly understood with a start. Chapter 147 - Death

Chapter 147: Death

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The only thing was, Mo Han had said to not keep in touch anymore. No matter what type of rtionship they had, everything was supposed to end here. In the days after Xia Qingyi had left Mo Han¡¯s ce, there seemed to be no change in Mo Han, and he continued with his life as usual. He went to work at thew firm in the day, then he would return home and work until midnight, before refreshing himself simply and going to. It was the same as before he had met Xia Qingyi. His day was spent working and sleeping, without a single bit of entertainment. The only difference was that Mo Han became even quieter. The people at thew firm did not know what had happened. They only knew that the time Barrister Mo had spent in the office was getting longer. He spoke less apart from meetings and his workload be heavier. He had actually hired a business professional from overseas, yet he had ended up doing most of his work. This made the new worker very confused, and was constantly worried that it was because his boss had found his work not up to standard. Many of the staff were secretly afraid as they watched their boss work recklessly. They were discussing with each other if something had happened to thew firm, or if their performance was not satisfactory which made their boss read their documents to decide who to fire. On the eighth day after Xia Qingyi had left, Mo Han received a call from Old Zhang from the police force. Old Zhang had told him that they had found the gangsters that had wanted to kidnap Xia Qingyi in the alley that day, though they were dead. They had been found in a quiet and secluded grove a few days ago. There were a few others as well, which brought the number of deceased to six people. They had all been horribly shed to death. Also, the man that had wanted to rape Xia Qingyi had had his hands severed. The police could not find the severed hand, which might have been thrown somewhere else. Old Zhang said that the death of that group of people had almost no rtion to Xia Qingyi¡¯s case as there were witnesses that saw two groups of people fighting in the grove. The witness had managed to get a clear glimpse of one of the men and after a few days of investigation, the police had found that the case was a conflict between two groups split from the higher management of a mafia gang in the city. The mafia gang was an influential one and it would not be good for the police force to have a direct collision with the mafia. That was why the case of that few gangsters could only be left unsettled, and instead, needed to be settled privately. Old Zhang asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you speaking so little?¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Nothing, I¡¯ve just been a little busy these few days.¡± Old Zhang replied, ¡°Tell your sister toe to the police station to sign the paper one of these days. This case should be ssified as temporary closed from there.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell her, though she probably won¡¯t be able to go. It¡¯ll be fine for you to sign on her behalf.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t ask anymore.¡± Mo Han said. Old Zhang stopped speaking after hearing Mo Han¡¯s tone. He knew that he would be the one suffering if he continued to ask, which was why he hastily said a few more sentences before he hung up the call. After the call, Mo Han ced down a pen that he had been holding and stared into space for a long time, so long that he did not even know that Liu Zhiyuan had knocked and entered the room. ¡°Barrister Mo... Barrister Mo...¡± Liu Zhiyuan called him with his waist bent and a document in his hand. Mo Han broke out from his daze and looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°This is the rejection document of the second appeal sent from the courts. You told me to bring it for you.¡± ¡°You can put it here. I¡¯ll take a look in a while.¡± Liu Zhiyuan wanted to put down the document and leave, though he could not help but to ask carefully after seeing his boss acting that way earlier, ¡°Barrister Mo... Is thew firm... in some sort of trouble recently?¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Mo Han had already started to bury his head into the documents. ¡°Then why do you seem unhappy recently?¡± Mo Han looked up at him, ¡°Do I?¡± Chapter 148 - Turn a Blind Eye

Chapter 148: Turn a Blind Eye

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Liu Zhiyuan usually had a good rtionship with Mo Han at work, he could even chat a little with Mo Han whenever he was free, so he was less restrained with his words. ¡°Seeing you so busytely is making everyone in thepany feel scared. There is a lot of work that you don¡¯t have to do yourself. We thought that there¡¯s something wrong with thepany, or we¡¯re worried that we¡¯ve done something wrong. Besides, you¡¯re going to fall sick sooner orter if you keep on working like this, and it¡¯s not worth the loss.¡± ¡°You guys think too much. I feel pretty goodtely, my body is fine too.¡± ¡°If your sister were to see you like this right now, she¡¯d definitely say that you don¡¯t want to live,¡± Liu Zhiyuan muttered. Mo Han¡¯s face changed in an instant after hearing her mentioned. ¡°When did you start to be in charge of so many things?¡± Even after meeting so many difficult customers and tricky cases, Liu Zhiyuan had never heard Barrister Mo speak in this tone before, and hearing Mo Han like this shocked him, so he started to speak more formally. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Barrister Mo, I didn¡¯t know that you don¡¯t like it, I won¡¯t ask about it in the future.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention her in front of me again,¡± Mo Han said. It was only then Liu Zhiyuan realized that Mo Han was probably like this because he had fought with his sister. But he did not dare to casually ask about it again, this was the first time he had made the boss angry so he could not make a second mistake, and therefore said, ¡°Alright, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go. Barrister Mo.¡± ¡°Leave,¡± Mo Han started to look at the files on his table again. Except that this time round, he was unable to continue looking at them. Irritation. Irritation. Every single part of his body felt restless, and it was difficult to calm down even when he was sitting down. He was clearly not thinking about anything rted to Xia Qingyi, and yet he was always affected by her. He put down the file, and released a long sigh. He buried his face in his hands, and closed his eyes to try to calm himself down. But the secretary knocked on the door at this time and said that there was someone outside looking for him. Mo Han was a little tired. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say not to receive anyone without an appointment?¡± The secretary said, ¡°He said his name is Han Liang. That you¡¯d want to see him.¡± The corners of Mo Han¡¯s mouth raised a little. That man sure had good timing. He said to his secretary, ¡°Let him in.¡± Han Liang was wearing gray casual clothes and gold-rimmed spectacles, which made him appear like a respectable businessman. He leisurely sat down on the chair in front of Mo Han. Mo Han smiled faintly. ¡°What brings Mr. Han here today?¡± ¡°Barrister Mo, I don¡¯t like to beat around the bush, so I¡¯ll be straightforward. I came here today to give you this.¡± After he finished speaking, Han Liang ced an envelope in front of Mo Han. ¡°What?¡± Mo Han said coldly. ¡°Nian Nian told me, that you two had signed an agreement before. If she was to return to her family, she would providepensation. Now that Nian Nian has safely returned to my side, it¡¯s logical to thank you. So we¡¯ve discussed and decided to give you this bank card. I believe that you¡¯ll be satisfied with the amount inside.¡± Mo Han looked at the envelope, opened it and saw a bank card inside. He smiled coldly. ¡°It¡¯s rare that Mr. Han is this thoughtful.¡± ¡°I hope that after Barrister Mo has gotten thepensation that he deserves, you will stop interfering in Nian Nian¡¯s life. Barrister Mo, you should know that some things wille to an end.¡± Mo Han remained smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Han. I will not go that far to stop doing my work and disrupt your blissful life.¡± He ced the card back on the table, changed his tone and said, ¡°But Mr. Han may not know that for the period of time your wife has been staying with me, there are some things in life that could not be measured with money.¡± ¡°What Barrister Mo is saying is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know whether she mentioned it to you before, but when we just met, we slept together with each other everyday,¡± Mo Han said casually. Han Liang¡¯s eyes clouded over with hatred. ¡°So?¡± Mo Han smiled again. ¡°Mr. Han, don¡¯t think too much. She had insomnia and could only fall asleep when there was someone next to her. Which was why I stayed by her side. Of course, what I¡¯m saying is that I freed up my time to apany her. I could have done some work, or handle my personal matters, but I have to dy them to take care of your wife. How do you n to calcte the costs for this period of time?¡± ¡°How do you n to calcte them?¡± Han Liang asked. ¡°Mr. Han, do not worry. I do not want to make things difficult for you. I just feel that some things should be handled by the party responsible for them, and not you. This will be less productive, it is inevitable that we will miss things, and it will be a waste of time in the end.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but unfortunately, my wife is unable toe for this period of time.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Han Liang smiled faintly as he answered, ¡°It¡¯s my fault, I only thought of myself. I was busy with her and tired her out these past few nights, and she¡¯s developed a slight fever, so she has to stay at home and rest for now.¡± Nobody noticed that the hand Mo Han ced beneath the table had be a tightly clenched fist, blue veins popping up on the back of his hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can talk in greater detail after she has recovered,¡± Mo Han said. Han Liang said, ¡°Then I¡¯d have to trouble Barrister Mo to wait a while more.¡± Mo Han constrained the frequency of his breathing. ¡°If there¡¯s else, Mr. Han, you can leave. I¡¯m rather busy working here after all.¡± Han Liang stood up to leave and smiled lightly. ¡°Then, Barrister Mo, see you next time. I¡¯ll leave the bank card here with you, just take it as a small token of appreciation.¡± Mo Han did not see Han Liang leaving. When he was still in the office, Mo Han kept his head lowered and flipped through the files on his, but not a single word entered his head. The office door closed, and Han Liang was gone. It was only then Mo Han was no longer able to control the anger in his heart, and he violently snapped the pen in his hand in half, the broken pieces falling onto the ground soundlessly. Those words that Han Liang said earlier kept ringing in his ears, coupled withughter, and seeped into his skin and bones. I had tired her out at night, she could note to see you. She said that you two had signed an agreement before, this card was a sign of our appreciation. Mo Han took the card, red at it as through he was able to burn a hole through it, and slowly crushed it in his hand before he threw it into the rubbish bin. He felt that even his breathing had be erratic, his chest felt stifling and tight. Nothing in the past had made him so furious before. Mo Han could not control his emotions, and he forcefully pushed all the files on the table onto the ground. The coffee followed suit, the cup breaking instantaneously, and brown liquid flowed out and spread all over the files. The secretary heard the loud sounds from the outside, and thinking that something had happened, she pushed the door open and entered, asking, ¡°Barrister Mo?! What happened?¡± The door had just opened, and there was not even enough time to see what the situation was inside when she heard Mo Han roar, ¡°Get out!¡± The secretary was so scared that her entire body was trembling. She quickly ran out and closed the door immediately, pretending as though nothing had happened. A few of the nearby staff curiously asked the secretary, what was it? What happened to the boss? The secretary kept shaking her head, and said in a small voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know too, Barrister Mo scared me. He was fine just now, but he suddenly became like this.¡± One of the staff said, ¡°No... did you guys not realize it? Barrister Mo doesn¡¯t feel like himself these days, something must have happened just now...¡± Another staff asked, ¡°Who was the person who went into Boss¡¯s office just now? Is it rted to him?¡± The secretary quickly stopped any discussion on the topic and did not let them continue, ¡°Stop guessing blindly, Boss is in such a bad mood now, we¡¯re dead if he knows that we¡¯re still talking about it behind his back.¡± Like frightened birds, the few of them scattered and went back to work. Mo Han spent more than ten minutes in the office before he managed to get his temper under control. He looked at the files scattered all over the floor and slowly calmed down. He released a long breath slowly, and felt as though his energy had beenpletely sucked away. He was exhausted, and he unsteadily leaned against the back of his office table. He had already said that everything had ended. She was already gone. They had agreed to stop contacting each other. He had tried his best to return to who he was before, work everyday, eat and sleep. Nothing had changed, but why did he always feel repressed. No one knew that when he switched off all the lights in the room every night, he would lie in bed, looked up at the endless darkness and he would not longer be able to sleep, even if he felt extraordinarily tired everyday. He thought that Xia Qingyi had probably passed her insomnia to him. He did not know when he had slowly be simr to her. The ce where he lived had too many traces of Xia Qingyi¡¯s existence. She had left in such a rush, her toothbrush and toothpaste were still in the washroom untouched. She had left some clothes hung out to dry under the sun that she had not kept, the yogurt that she loved to drink were still in the refrigerator in the kitchen, even if it was going to expire soon. There were even some of her books left untidily on the table in the study room. Mo Han did not touch them. Or rather, he did not dare to look at them. He led a peaceful life with them sharing the same space. Just like before. After she left, Xia Qingyi did as he had asked, and stopped contacting him. His phone was always switched on and was always by his side, but he never received a phone call or a message from her. They remained at a stalemate, turning a blind eye to each other. Xia Qingyi had not had a good time these past few days, the main reason being her severe insomnia. She had not had a good night¡¯s sleep since arriving here. She was clearly on the brink of exhaustion everyday, and yet she could not fall asleep after lying on the bed no matter what. The longer shey, the more anxious she became, the more confused she felt and the more awake she would be. She really had no choice but to lean at the window and look at the moonlight outside, hoping she might sleep a little after looking at it. She simply could not hold on anymore after that. She bought a bottle of sleeping pills at the medicine shop outside, and would take two pills before she slept. But things started to happen that night. Chapter 149 - My Wife

Chapter 149: My Wife

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios That night, after she took her medicine, her brain became dazed as though she was going to fall asleep. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she felt that there was a mass of hot air pressing down on her, making her feel itchy and ufortable. She fought her sleepiness to open her eyes, and saw a half naked Han Liang bending over her. His strong arms were exposed and he was hugging her shoulders while he kissed her neck. She was shocked wide awake in that moment, and immediately sat up to push him off her. However, the effects of the sleeping pill made her entire body felt soft and weak, and she was so anxious that she kept sweating. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Even her voice was faint. Han Liang did not answer her question. She heard ruffling sounds as Han Liang stood up to take off his clothes. She fought to stay awake and ruthlessly bit the tip of her tongue. The pain woke her up and she gave Han Liang a p when he came upon her again. Han Liang froze, using the tip of his tongue to lick the corners of his mouth and stared at her disbelievingly. Xia Qingyi pulled her clothes back, but Han Liang came upon her again. She felt that her strength wasing back a little and she no longer felt like cotton, so she simply kicked Han Liang off, who rolled out of the bed. Xia Qingyi sat up and wanted to walk out barefooted without even wearing her shoes, avoiding her gaze at the nearly naked Han Liang sitting on the floor. But Han Liang grabbed her hand and tried to push her towards the bed. Xia Qingyi was furious. She climbed out of the bed, but Han Liang wanted to get in again. She climbed towards the window on the bed and shoved the windows open in one push, the cold wind entering from the outside instantaneously. ¡°Take one more step towards me, and I¡¯ll jump!¡± Xia Qingyi red at him. Han Liang stopped moving and looked at her. ¡°Nian Nian, stop messing around. We¡¯re husband and wife.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled. ¡°Han Liang, you¡¯re really disgusting. I¡¯m not even how we got married in the first ce.¡± ¡°I¡¯m disgusting?¡± Han Liang said, ¡°You said that I¡¯m disgusting? Nian Nian, you¡¯ll know how loving we were everyday if you could remember it. Unlike how you¡¯d walk so far away whenever I touch you for a moment now.¡± Han Liang continued, ¡°Nian Nian, I¡¯m your husband. You told me to give you time to adjust, and I did. Now that one week has already passed, why are you still like this? Is it because of that Mo Han? Why, have you fallen in love with him after you¡¯ve forgotten about me? Are you addicted to staying with him?¡± She felt Han Liang was acting ridiculous. ¡°What does this have to do with him?! We¡¯re talking about things between the two of us! Don¡¯t drag anyone else into our matters.¡± Han Liang raised his leg and inched closer to Xia Qingyi. ¡°Since this has nothing to do with him, let¡¯s go on with our own lives happily.¡± Xia Qingyi gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Han Liang, I¡¯d reminded you already.¡± ¡°What?¡± Han Liang inched closer towards her again. However, Xia Qingyi did not give him any chance. He had never thought that she would really jump. She had already jumped in the instant when he wanted to grab her, and shended on thewn with a loud thud. Han Liang¡¯s heart went still immediately. He looked down, and saw Xia Qingyi twitch on the ground before she slowly stood up. She turned back to look at Han Liang, and then walked through the door to the outside beneath the hazy moonlight. She had already left. Han Liang sat at the bedside and thought back to the expression on Nian Nian¡¯s face earlier. A heavy sense of defeat loomed over him. He knew clearly that Nian Nian was no longer the same. She waspletely different from who she was in the past. But he only wanted to believe that Nian Nian had returned. His most beloved Nian Nian had finally returned to his side no matter what. To him, this was already enough. As long as Nian Nian was back, he could deal with anything in the future. This had always been his obsession. Xia Qingyi did not walk too far, because she really did not know where to go. She did not know what time it was now. Walking alone in the cold silent night beneath the dim yellow light from thempposts, she could only hear the sounds of her own footsteps. It was fortunate that she was not injured badly and had only bruised her leg, making walking a little inconvenient. She was only wearing thin pajamas, so she was freezing in the cold night and she kept trembling. She had to keep on rubbing her body non-stop and moving her feet to keep her body warm. Because she had no ce to go, she simply found an entrance of a shop with steps and sat down, letting herself have a ce to rest in this night filled with problems. She sat on the icy steps, looked up at the wide starless night sky and felt that she might not be able to hold on any longer. She originally thought that things would be better after getting her memories back. But her memories were not back yet, and she was already unable to stomach it any longer. She wanted to return to Mo Han. Except that she did not know whether she could go back. Since she could not find the important part of her memories, and she could not remember all the memories she had during her time together with Han Liang, she could not act rashly. But Mo Han no longer wanted her toe back. Even though he had clearly told her that she should not contact him any longer in a stern voice, she could not stop herself from wanting to call him. She wanted to tell him what had happened to her here. The more Xia Qingyi thought about it, the more she felt like crying, so she took out her phone to call him, but realized that she had not even brought her phone out along with her. She gave up and curled her body up, cing her head onto her legs and using both hands to hug herself for warmth. The night wind brought cold air along with it as it blew, making her tremble with cold. Her brain started to be dazed as well, making her want to make use of this haziness to fall asleep. In her daze, the sky had turned slightly lighter. Xia Qingyi still remained awake, and she found Han Liang standing before her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we... should go home,¡± Han Liang apologized softly. He added, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t be like this, you have your own reasons, I should be more understanding of you. Nian Nian, let¡¯s not fight over this matter, alright? Come home with me.¡± She looked up at him and said nothing. ¡°We can take it slowly in the future, I won¡¯t ask for anything else, as long as youe back.¡± Xia Qingyi stood up in the end and followed him home, back to that house. Because she knew that if she wanted to get her memories back, she had no other choice. After being exposed to the wind outside for an entire night, Xia Qingyi started to develop a fever when she came back. Han Liang helped her apply for leave, and let her rest in her room after eating medicine. But Xia Qingyi still did not dare to sleep. Even though she felt extremely weak and was on the brink of exhaustion, she still did not dare to sleep, afraid that what had happenedst night would happen again. Han Liang watched her pretend to fall asleep in the room and left, saying that he needed to attend to something. Xia Qingyi waited until he left before she sat up again, preparing to find her friends at the detective agency. She wanted to investigate what had happened in this family in the past. She could not simply sit here and do nothing and wait for her memories toe back. Luckily, that friend was also in this city. Xia Qingyi did not waste a lot of time before she spoke with him in a cafe. When he left, it was already two in the afternoon. The sunlighting through the ss made the window warm, and the long awaited sleepiness finally entered her body. She looked at her surroundings. The cafe had put on some gentle music and the customers were speaking softly within their small groups, and even her body felt like jelly as she leaned back against the sofa. Since the environment was just nice and cosy, she might as well try to sleep for a while. She was afraid that she would still be unable to sleep even after closing her eyes, so she dug out her sleeping pills from her bag and ate two. She rested her head again the ss window and slept. As she closed her eyes, Xia Qingyi secretlyughed at herself for being so pathetic, never once before had she thought that sleeping would be such a difficult thing for her to do. Mo Han still went to F City. After he had calmed down at the office, he called the number he had been wanting to for the past eight days, except that no-one picked up. After that, he drove to F City because he just wanted to see her. No matter what she said, no matter what her attitude towards him would be, he just wanted to see her. It seems that if he saw her, the pain that had been pressing down on his heart would be better. Mo Han went to that house, but she was not there. He drove out to find her, just as he did in the past in S City when she was yful and stayed outside. Lost in the twists and turns of the streets, he felt as though he was back in the past. She had never left, and nothing had happened between the both of them. The past was filled with smiles and happiness, whilst the present was only loneliness. Parting was easily the saddest thing. Sadness was someone leaving, and it was others leaving while you were left to wait by yourself. Only you had to take on the pain and the loneliness. Mo Han thought through the numerousyers of the past, and through the crowded streets, finally saw Xia Qingyi leaning against the ss. She slept quietly. She looked the same. But Mo Han felt as though he was in another world. He stopped the car at the roadside and walked into the cafe. A waitress was standing beside Xia Qingyi looking at her, and she seemed to be troubled. ¡°Miss, Miss?¡± The waitress asked. Mo Han walked to her side, looked at the sleeping Xia Qingyi and said, ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡± ¡°Do you know her?¡± The waitress asked. Mo Han nodded his head. The waitress let out a sigh. ¡°She had been sleeping here for two hours, no matter how I tried calling her she wouldn¡¯t wake up. I¡¯m only afraid that something had happened and was thinking of sending her to the hospital.¡± ¡°Nothing, she¡¯s probably too tired.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Go and do your work, I¡¯ll wake her upter.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be great.¡± The waitress asked, ¡°Would you like to drink something?¡± Mo Han looked at the sleeping Xia Qingyi, ¡°The same as hers please.¡± The waitress nodded her head and left. Mo Han sat down beside Xia Qingyi and carefully moved her head from the ss window to his shoulder, listening to her steady breathing. Chapter 150 - Handsome Guy

Chapter 150: Handsome Guy

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios He had not seen it earlier from outside through the ss window, but when Mo Han reached her side he realized that her face actually looked rather frail. He could vaguely see dark eye circles, her face had a strange red flush, he touched her forehead and felt that it was slightly warm. She slept rather deeply, leaning on his shoulder without much movement. It was no wonder that the waitress was afraid and wanted to send her to the hospital. He had only been gone for eight days, how had things be like this? Mo Han quietly sat beside her, her bag in between the two of them. Mo Han gently took the bag away, and a bottle of medicine dropped out of the bag onto Mo Han¡¯s feet. He took it up and realized that it was sleeping pills. Mo Han turned his head to look at Xia Qingyi, who was sleeping without a sound. He thought back to how careful Xia Qingyi had been that day when she came back from F City to sneakily take her pillow. He should have thought of it. She had never slept well, and now she was using sleeping pills to get herself to sleep. Mo Han took a tissue from the table, poured out most of sleeping pills on top of it, leaving only some in the bottle before he closed it and quietly put it back into the bag. The warm afternoon sunlight poured through the ss window, and the cafe yed a soft guitar tune. Mo Han looked at the people walking past on the streets outside the window, his hands inteced with hers. If there was a moment he could freeze in time, Mo Han thought, then that moment would be now. He would probably never experience another moment more peaceful than this in his life. It was dusk when Xia Qingyi woke up. The sun was gradually setting on the horizon of the city, painting a corner of the sky red. The sky outside was gradually getting darker, and the streetlights were already lit. Stars hung bright in the light blue evening sky. She turned and stretched her neck. She had thought that her neck would feel unusually painful after sleeping for so long, but realized that it was not so after twisting it, and was only slightly sore. She looked at the time and realized that she had slept for a whole four hours. This made her unusually happy. She decided toe and sleep here in the future. Xia Qingyi felt much better, and decided to give the waitress a big tip. She took her bag and walked out in good spirits. What she did not realize was that there was a car opposite the cafe facing in her direction, and had not moved for a long time. Xia Qingyi went home as usual. Her mother had left a while ago, saying that she was going back to Uncle¡¯s ce for something and would note back for two days. So there would only be Han Liang and her alone in the house for these two days, and Han Liang would always order food from restaurants. Eating together went on pretty smoothly. They both acted like they had forgotten about what happenedst night, and went back to the same state as when she had just arrived. Han Liang kept telling her non-stop about interesting stories from the past while she ate quietly and would only look up to smile and say a few words asionally. After they had finished their food, she pretended to go to sleep as she had in the past. She would lie on the bed with her eyes closed, and when Han Liang came in to talk to her, she would keep silent, meaning that she was ¡°asleep¡±. She had probably slept too well during the afternoon in the cafe, so Xia Qingyi was still wide awake even until midnight. She sat on the bed and yed with her own nket. Xia Qingyi heard the sound of the door opening outside, not knowing who hade. She closed her eyes andy on her side as she continued to pretend to be asleep. The door opened, and small rays of light came in from the outside, reflecting a man¡¯s shadow on the wall. It was Han Liang¡¯s shadow. Xia Qingyi¡¯s back faced the door and heard the sounds of the door opening, then after a while, the door closed gently and silence enveloped the room once more. Xia Qingyi heard the sounds of her mother talking outside. She seemed to havee back. She crept out of bed, walked closer and stuck her ears on the door to hear what was happening outside. ¡°Is she asleep?¡± Xia Qingyi recognized her mother¡¯s voice. ¡°She¡¯s asleep.¡± Han Liang said, ¡°How are things at Uncle Luo?¡± ¡°Not much problems. We can take Nian Nian there in two days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Xia Qingyi carefully heard the two of them talking through the door. The contents seemed to be the same as usual, on topics that would be inevitably touched on everyday. But Xia Qingyi was clearly aware that the tone of their voices were different than from when they were around her. This seemed to be a rather cold and emotionless tone. Completely different from when they talked to her. ¡°Earlier on, the police station called me. Said that... they¡¯ve found it.¡± For some reason, she felt that her mother¡¯s voice was trembling towards the end of the sentence. ¡°No. Don¡¯t talk about that again ever.¡± Han Liang interrupted. ¡°But... we clearly know that...¡± Her mother said. ¡°Know what? Isn¡¯t this the truth now? She only managed toe back to us after so much difficulty, and you want her to leave?¡± Her mother quickly replied, unable to hide the sadness in her voice, ¡°No. No. She¡¯s my daughter, she finally returned to my side after so much difficulty, I¡¯m not going to let her leave, I only have her left.¡± ¡°You need to understand that she¡¯s back.¡± Han Liang said again in a low voice, ¡°She¡¯s back here with us no matter what.¡± ¡°But... Han Liang... don¡¯t you think this is unfair to her?¡± Her mother asked. ¡°Then who would treat us fairly? Have you forgotten how we got through thest six months?¡± ¡°Han Liang, I don¡¯t have anyone else, I only have my daughter. Her father had already passed away. I also know that I¡¯m not going to make it soon, and I don¡¯t know when I¡¯m going to kick the bucket. She only has you. You have to treat her well and not let her suffer. ¡°You have to treat her well like you didst time. No matter what reasons you have. I only want to spend the rest of my days in peace.¡± Xia Qingyi leaned against the door and heard her mother say this sentence in the quiet night. She sounded as though she had lost all hope. Xia Qingyi could imagine her old face quietly looking crestfallen beneath the light, as though she had reached the end of her life. ¡°I will. You know that, I¡¯ve always loved her only. No matter if it is now or in the future,¡± Han Liang said. Xia Qingyi did not continue listening any longer, and quietly went back and sat at the bedside. Their voices outside seemed to quieten slowly in the dark. Either they had stopped talking, or they were still talking but she was unable to hear them. She silentlyy back down, covered herself with the nkets, and closed her eyes. Her head was full of the words they had said earlier. Not long after, she heard the room door open again. It was probably Han Liang. Ever since she hade back, Han Liang would keep opening the door repeatedly every time she slept, as though he was afraid that she would suddenly disappear and was no longer there. Xia Qingyi heard him close the door again and the words he had whispered softly in the dark, I¡¯ll always love you, Nian Nian. After her life in F City had gradually settled, Han Liang brought her back to her previous school to learn design. She understood nothing and had ended up drawing a huge mess. Everyday after her lessons ended, she would go to the restaurant to do something and chat with Xiao Mei. Her reason for staying in the shop was so that she could simply go home a littleter. Her sleeping cycle remained in disarray, but she would at least asionally pop by the cafe everyday to sleep for an hour. When the cafe waitresses saw her, they would give her her usual order of a milkshake, seat her at the front, and watch her slowly fall asleep before she would wake after one or two hourster and stretch herself before she left. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I see that handsome guy apanying you today?¡± After sleeping for a while at the cafe as usual, Xia Qingyi went to the cashier to pay. Perhaps because she had been staying here longer for these few days, the cashier started to chat with her. Xia Qingyi was puzzled. ¡°Handsome guy?¡± ¡°Yeah, a really handsome guy. We were still discussing what¡¯s your rtionship with him that day. Are you two a couple?¡± The cashier smiled. ¡°You probably recognized the wrong person, I¡¯m always by myself when Ie here.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s you. It was during the first time when you came here and you slept at the windowsill over there.¡± The cashier pointed. ¡°I thought that you were feeling unwell at that time, and was thinking if I should send you to the hospital or not. In the end, the handsome guy came over and said that he knew you. He kept sitting by your side, didn¡¯t you know?¡± Xia Qingyi thought about it and was still unable to recall anything. Could it actually be Han Liang? But that was impossible. If it was him, he would definitely have mentioned it when she woke up, or had she lost her memories again? The cashier saw that she was still unable to recall after thinking about it and patted her shoulder. ¡°It was so nice that we took a photo for you, because he was really too handsome!¡± Even her eyes were shining with love as she spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t even know howpatible you two looked sitting together. I was so envious!¡± She pulled Xia Qingyi to one side, took her phone out and showed it to her. When she saw the photo, Xia Qingyi froze. Beneath the sunlight, her head was on Mo Han¡¯s shoulder, her entire body leaning against him. And Mo Han was calmly drinking coffee as he leaned back on the sofa. How could it be him? Wasn¡¯t he in S City? When had hee here? Why did hee? Why would he be here that day? How had she not noticed leaning against his body? Countless questions spun around within her mind. ¡°You remember it, right? He stayed here for a long time that day. I originally thought he would apany you here, but I only saw you alone.¡± Xia Qingyi still remained rooted to the ground, speechless. ¡°Oh, if you two were able toe over here together someday, you both can take part in our afternoon tea couple promotion event. If your photo was to go on the wall, I can guarantee that you two will definitely win! You two are just toopatible!¡± Xia Qingyi smiled awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, he¡¯s rather busy. He probably won¡¯t be interested in these kind of events.¡± Chapter 151 - Let Me Go

Chapter 151: Let Me Go

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°I don¡¯t think he looked like that though, he sat here beside you and waited for a long time that day. He didn¡¯t do anything, and just drank his coffee. I reckon he wanted to wait until you had slept enough, but you slept for too long in the end and he left first.¡± Xia Qingyi felt that it was a little inappropriate to hear news on Mo Han so abruptly from a stranger. She could see that the girl would keep on chatting and wanted to leave. ¡°That... I still have something on... in the future... when I have time, we can talk.¡± Xia Qingyi retreated and did not continue to listen to what the girl was saying, leaving as though she was fleeing for her life. She walked on the road, thought back to what the girl had said when she suddenly remembered something. She stopped in the tracks and her eyes widened before she started to flip through her bag. No wonder she kept feeling that her sleeping pills had decreased by a lot these few days. She had just started on them, and when she woke up she felt that there was less than half of the bottle left. Now that she thought of it, Mo Han had probably poured the pills away when she was still asleep. Xia Qingyi held up her phone and wondered whether to give Mo Han a call. But she decided not to in the end. He had not mentioned it to her when he hade probably because he did not want her to discover it. He had also told her not to contact him. What if he got angry? She let go of this thought and prepared to return and act as though nothing had happened when Han Liang called her. ¡°Hello? Where are you?¡± ¡°At Linyin Street, I¡¯ming back soon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go home,e to where I am at, I have something for you to do.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know when youe. I¡¯m at Someday restaurant, you can take a taxi here.¡± ¡°Must I go?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. She thought that Han Liang was going to introduce her to some friends from the past again and chat with them, but she had never liked doing these kind of things. ¡°Yeah. Juste over.¡± She could not shirk away from it any longer. ¡°Alright, then wait for me for a while.¡± After Xia Qingyi hung up, Han Liang shook his phone before the person sitting opposite him at the Someday restaurant. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯lle here soon.¡± The person opposite him smiled lightly, and spoke in a low but attractive voice. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m used to waiting for her.¡± When Xia Qingyi arrived and saw Han Liang, he was sitting alone at the table. He smiled and waved his hand at her, and Xia Qingyi walked towards him. She had just sat down and wanted to ce her bag at the side, but her clothes identally hooked onto the zipper on her bag, and she bent her head down as she tried to separate them. She was busy trying to deal with the clothes stuck in the zipper when she suddenly heard that there seemed to be someone beside her, and Han Liang had asked him, what did he want to eat? She raised her head, wanting to see what Han Liang¡¯s friend looked like, and she did not expect to see a familiar face. It was Mo Han. Their eyes met, the many words they wanted to say hidden within their eyes, but they just quietly stared at each other. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be surprised.¡± Han Liang rubbed her head. ¡°We wanted to discuss the remuneration, which was what we had talked about earlier with you, as a form of appreciation to Barrister Mo. I initially wanted to go S City today, but he said he was in F City, so we just decided to meet here. I called you here so that you could help with some suggestions.¡± ¡°This is between the two of you, so you can just discuss it between yourselves. There¡¯s no need to call me here.¡± Xia Qingyi hastily nced at Mo Han before she avoided looking into his eyes, her heart thumping about agitatedly, and she moved her hands a little to hide the mor within herself. She lowered her head and tried to get her clothes out from the zipper, but the more she tried, the more wedged it became. ¡°What is it? Your clothes are stuck?¡± Han Liang and Xia Qingyi sat on one side, and he looked over the table at her. ¡°Yeah,¡± Xia Qingyi did not raise her head. Her hand was all sweaty, she held onto her clothes and refused to let go. ¡°I can help you,¡± Han Liang wanted to lean over. ¡°No need, no need...¡± Xia Qingyi wanted to retreat, but Han Liang grabbed her hand, and helped her pull her clothes out. ¡°Don¡¯t be so anxious, look, your hands are all sweaty now, it¡¯s no wonder you couldn¡¯t pull it out,¡± Han Liang said, his hand slowly tugging at the zipper, and her clothes were freed not longer after. Xia Qingyi secretly wiped the sweat on her palms on her shirt, and stoically smiled at Han Liang. After Han Liang helped her smoothen out her clothes, he looked over at the expressionless and silent Mo Han and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Barrister Mo, look at me! I was helping her with her clothes and had forgotten about you, I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Mo Han only said, ¡°Let¡¯s order our food.¡± The meal turned out to be a rather ufortable experience. Xia Qingyi kept her head lowered and only took food from the te closest to her for the entire time. She nibbled on her food, hoping for this meal to end sooner. She had thought of what the situation would be like when she met up with Mo Han, but she never thought that it would be something like this, that it would be sitting beside Han Liang to discuss the amount of remuneration with Mo Han. Han Liang said, ¡°I will take care of the medical fees, school fees, living fees, whatever amount Nian Nian had spent over there with you. In addition, the both of us will prepare another sumpensation for you, just treat it aspensation for the time you¡¯d spent taking care of Nian Nian.¡± Mo Han¡¯s eyes always remained on Han Liang. ¡°She mostly spent small amounts of money here and there when she was with me, so if you really want topensate me for every single cent, I can no longer remember what she spent it on.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s like this, then we can only do it ourselves. Nian Nian, how do you think we should decide for thepensation?¡± The hand that was holding the chopsticks trembled a little. She did not even dare to look at Mo Han and hastily said, ¡°As long as he¡¯s satisfied. You two don¡¯t have to consider my opinions.¡± ¡°How can we not consider your opinions? Your opinions are very important.¡± Mo Han interrupted Han Liang, seemingly replying to Xia Qingyi¡¯s previous statement, ¡°Actually...¡± He stopped for a while, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. He casually poked at the vegetables in his bowl as he continued, ¡°Things don¡¯t have to be soplicated, if you two are willing topensate me more, I¡¯m okay with any amount. She¡¯s someone who had stayed at my ce for so long after all.¡± Xia Qingyi raised her head, and looked at him for the first time they were at this table. ¡°I¡¯m not Nian Nian¡¯s rtive, I pretended to be her brother in name only. Now that she¡¯s returned, if you want to pay remuneration, then you can pay. The amount doesn¡¯t matter; I don¡¯t care about the money anyway.¡± After hearing Mo Han say these words, Xia Qingyi did not feel very well, as though all the feelings and rtionship between the two of them could be settled by a sum of money. The rice she was chewing in her mouth had already lost its taste. She really did not want to sit there and listen to them talk about money, so she simply stood up and said, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m going to the washroom.¡± Xia Qingyi behaved just like before, she clearly did not need to go to the toilet but she still holed herself in there and did not want toe out. She did not want to face the two people outside discussing the calction of money because of her. During times like this, she felt that she was no different from worthless goods. She sat on the sink in the female washroom, looked at her dangling legs with her head lowered, and asionally raised her head to look back at herself in the mirror. There was not a trace of a smile on her face, and she had some slight dark eye circles, her dispirited look making her seem like a stranger. So what if she could find her memories? She was still unable to go back. Why did she want to go back? Without her, Mo Han¡¯s life would be smoother. Without her, he would probably be able to adjust back to his old life quickly, and return to the peaceful and steady life he had in the past. She jumped down from the sink, faced the mirror and sighed at herself. She patted her own face, she should stop thinking about it. It was time to go out. She closed the washroom door, and when she turned back she was shocked by the person leaning against the wall. It was Mo Han. He leaned back against the wall, and opposite him was the male washroom. He was smoking, his eyes looking at the swirling smoke, seemingly not noticing Xia Qingyi¡¯s presence. Xia Qingyi smelled the pungent smell of smoke and frowned. Seeing him all quiet and in such low spirits, she did not know what to say either, and decided to turn and walk away, pretending not to have seen anything. ¡°You don¡¯t even want to greet me after you¡¯ve seen me?¡± Mo Han deeply sucked in a puff of smoke. Xia Qingyi turned around again, and forced herself to smile. ¡°It¡¯s just that, I don¡¯t know what I should say.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what you should say, this is unlike you.¡± Mo Han smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you like to talk in the past?¡± ¡°People will change.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ve changed too fast, it has only been ten days.¡± Xia Qingyi made herself smile a little, not knowing how to answer him. Mo Han saw how meek she looked,pletelycking the arrogance and bossiness she had initially, totally unlike the cheery and noisy Xia Qingyi who would fight over everything with him. He finished smoking hisst cigarette and pressed the head of the cigarette onto a table next to him. ¡°Did he bully you?¡± Mo Han asked in a low voice. Xia Qingyi raised her head and looked at him, not understanding why he would ask and only shook her head. ¡°No, things are pretty okay.¡± Mo Han smiled coldly. ¡°Then, going to bed with him is something you¡¯re willing to do?¡± She stared at him disbelievingly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°After going back to your old life, did you remember everything and start to be chummy with your husband? Can¡¯t wait to put your hands on him in front of everyone?¡± Mo Han did not know why, but the memory of Han Liang helping her with her clothes kept reying in his mind, and this irritated him to the point of making him be incredibly sharp-tongued. Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, that there would be a day when I would hear such thingsing out of your mouth.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it too, that you can get into your identity as a wife so quickly.¡± Xia Qingyi was so furious that she kept panting. She did not want to speak with him and turned around and left, but Mo Han tightly grabbed onto her arm. ¡°Let me go!¡± She said in a low voice, using all her strength to get out of his grip. ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Mo Han looked at her. Chapter 152 - A Person With a Family

Chapter 152: A Person With a Family

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°What exactly do you want? Han Liang is right outside! Aren¡¯t you afraid that he¡¯d understand there¡¯s something between us if he saw the both of us together and ruin yourwyer reputation?¡± Xia Qingyi despaired over how he was making trouble out of nothing, and started to talk more rudely. Mo Han pushed her against the wall in one pull and moved forward to trap her using his body. ¡°Then bring it on, let¡¯s see who is destroying whose reputation?!¡± Xia Qingyi red at him. ¡°Mo Han, you¡¯re crazy!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m crazy!¡± Mo Han used his hand to cup her chin, moved so close until she could feel his breath on her face, and gazed at her lips. ¡°I¡¯m actually contemting letting Han Liang see what we look like now. Whether we look like the wretched couple that they are talking about.¡± Xia Qingyi used all her strength to push at him. ¡°I want to go back.¡± ¡°What are you going to do when you go back? Go back and get all lovey-dovey with him, go back home with him and...¡± Mo Han did not finish when Xia Qingyi swung a palm across his cheek. Head whipped to one side, Mo Han smiled, slowly moving his left hand away from the wall and said in a low voice, ¡°Go back.¡± Xia Qingyi stepped away from his hold, turned around to leave but she stopped after a few steps. ¡°I¡¯m not the kind of person you think I am. I¡¯ve also never thought that you¡¯d think that way of me.¡± Xia Qingyi added, ¡°The memories are mine, so you may not be able to understand, but I wish to get them back.¡± She left after she had finished speaking. After turning the corner, she saw Han Liang smiling as she walked towards him, and sat by his side, pretending nothing had happened. She knew that Han Liang had probably seen her interaction with Mo Han just now. His chair was facing outside. And the most important point was that he would never let her move out of his sight for so long. Especially when two out of the three of them were not at the table. Xia Qingyi realized that she was actually starting to understand Han Liang¡¯s actions little by little. ¡°Hurry up and eat, the food¡¯s cold.¡± Han Liang said smilingly as usual. Xia Qingyi sat down, and started eating her portions in small bites. Mo Han came over not long after. He sat down opposite Xia Qingyi and said to Han Liang, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was an urgent matter on the phone earlier.¡± Xia Qingyi scolded him for being fake, she had known he was cold in the past, but she had never known that Mo Han had such a pretentious side to him. Han Liang told him that it was fine, and then took some vegetables for Xia Qingyi. ¡°I know you like to eat this. Have more.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled at him, thanked him and continued to eat her own food quietly. After that, Han Liang and Mo Han did not talk about the money for long. They would even talk like friends, ask each other about their current situation and work-rted matters. The longer Xia Qingyi heard, the more irritated she felt. Was it that everyone had two faces, or even more? To put up a front for others, just for benefits or purely just for the sake of their ego. Even Mo Han was the same. He acted in one manner when he talked to her outside the washroom, and now he behaved in another manner when he was talking to Han Liang right in front of her. He clearly had a cold personality, and yet he wanted to act like he often talked to others in front of Han Liang. ¡°I¡¯m full, I want to go home,¡± Xia Qingyi really did not want to stay here any longer and said that to Han Liang. ¡°Do you want to eat more, I feel that you didn¡¯t eat much,¡± Han Liang said. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I ate on the way here just now. You two can continue your discussion,¡± Xia Qingyi stood up and wanted to leave. ¡°Stay a little longer, don¡¯t you want to reminisce about the old times with your ¡®brother¡¯?¡± Han Liang asked. Xia Qingyi did not even take a look at Mo Han, slung her bag on her shoulder and stood up. ¡°There¡¯s no need to. Mom is alone at home; I want to go back to chat with her.¡± ¡°Alright then, be careful on your way back.¡± Han Liang watched as Xia Qingyi left the restaurant. He turned back to look at Mo Han, and the warm smile on his face immediately disappeared, recing it with a strange kind of coldness. ¡°Barrister Mo, you sure had a hard time holding yourself back.¡± Mo Han smiled. ¡°I do not quite understand what you mean. Can I trouble Mr. Han to exin a little for me?¡± ¡°From what I see of Barrister Mo¡¯s cleverness, I¡¯m sure you can guess what I mean.¡± Mo Han only smiled, lowered his head and calmly ate the vegetables that Xia Qingyi had eaten earlier. ¡°I know it¡¯s not her problem. She¡¯s beautiful, so it¡¯s inevitable that men have feelings for her after looking at her. So I can also understand the sudden feelings Barrister Mo has for her.¡± Han Liang looked at him and said, ¡°But she¡¯s a person with a family. I¡¯m her husband, we have an official marriage certificate, we still have feelings for each other and we¡¯re not divorced. If the ident hadn¡¯t happened, we would still have been a happy family. I hope Barrister Mo can control his feelings and not be a person who would get in the way of someone else¡¯s family.¡± He smiled a little, and then casually emphasized, ¡°This is immoral after all.¡± ¡°What I do is my own business. If you truly have no confidence and are afraid that she¡¯d leave with me, then look after her and make sure that there are no chances for someone like me to take,¡± Mo Han said casually, seeming to not mind Han Liang¡¯s words, and only smiled. ¡°Thank you Barrister Mo for your reminder, I¡¯ll take note of it.¡± Han Liang said, ¡°If you have nothing else, then I should be going. I¡¯m not too assured letting her go back by herself, so I¡¯ll go and apany her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already paid for the meal. Please enjoy your food, Barrister Mo, I¡¯ll go first.¡± Han Liang left his seat proudly as though he was a king. Mo Han ate his food with his head lowered and did not look up at him. ¡°Alright and thanks.¡± The two of them parted. Mo Han sat at the empty table by himself and ate the nearly untouched food. He was eating before he suddenly started tough. He put down his chopsticks, leaned back on his chair and released a long sigh. He admitted that he had lost. In his entire life, he had never lost a singlewsuit, whether big or small. He had never lost all sorts ofpetitions during his time in university, not even external sportspetitions. But he had lost here. The feeling of defeat. He had never felt such a strong feeling of defeat. He knew that just seeing Xia Qingyi sit together with him was making him go mad with jealousy. After seeing Xia Qingyi for a while that day at the cafe, he was originally feeling a little better and more calm. But after he left, when he saw Han Liang and her again, only then did he realize that it had not helped him. That kind ofsting feeling of defeat and powerlessness had crushed him. Xia Qingyi just reached and entered her home. There was no one in the living room nor the kitchen. She called out twice but nobody responded to her. She thought it was strange, changed out of her shoes and walked to the second floor. ¡°Mom... Mom...¡± Xia Qingyi called out as she walked. But still no one responded to her. She reached the second floor and opened the room doors one by one, looking for her mother. She walked to the door of the innermost room on the second floor and strangely enough, she had never seen this room before. She turned the door handle, but realized that it was locked from the inside. She could vaguely hear the sounds of her mother crying, and Xia Qingyi pushed at the door handle with more strength again and knocked on the door. ¡°Mom... are you inside?¡± ¡°Mom... open the door,¡± Xia Qingyi knocked again. After a while, there was the sound of the lock turning, and the door was finally unlocked. Her mother stood in front of Xia Qingyi with red-rimmed eyes, and had lowered her head as though trying to avoid Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyesight. ¡°What happened?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. She only shook her head, closed the door behind her and moved to leave. Xia Qingyi responded quickly, moved forward to stop her and managed to beat her to it. She pushed the door behind open, bypassed her and walked in. The room did not appear to be any different at first. There was a study table ced in front of the window at the opposite side, and on top of it was a few books and amp. Beside the study table was a bed with two pillows, but the bed was slightly small and seemed to be that of a child¡¯s. A fluffy pink cartoon cat carpet rested on the floor. The wall was painted a light pink color and seemed to be a little girl¡¯s room. ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen this room before?¡± Xia Qingyi asked as she looked around the room. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to see here, it¡¯s going to be a store room soon, you lived here when you were still small and it was no longer in use,¡± Her mother seemed like she did not want her to stay in the room for long. Xia Qingyi did not think so. The room still looked clean, and there was no dust on the table, as though it was often cleaned. She looked at her mother standing at the doorway, spun around and casually asked, ¡°Mom, what were you doing in this room just now? You didn¡¯t respond at all when I kept calling out for you.¡± ¡°No-Nothing much... I was just too concentrated on tidying a few things and I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°What are you tidying?¡± ¡°Ah... nothing... some old books. I was thinking of taking them to the study room,¡± Her mother walked in and grabbed a few books from the bookshelf in a rather flustered manner. Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes looked at her mother¡¯s hands, and she took some books and flipped them open. Andersen Fairy Tales , Stories of Greek Myths , The Soldier and the Princess . The book spines were dusty, and dust came flying out when she used her hand to touch the books. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to see, it was just the books you¡¯d read in the past.¡± Her mother took the books from her hands, ¡°Go, go, go... let¡¯s leave, this room is dusty, don¡¯t dirty your clothes.¡± Xia Qingyi was pushed by her mother, and her eyes hurriedly scanned across the room. Pale blue curtains hung on the windows, two wooden chairs sat beside the study table and a locked drawer. There was a huge half blue, half pink wardrobe, and a smiling rabbit plushie encrusted in dust sitting in a corner of the room. Xia Qingyi was dragged by her mother to the outside, and the door locked in front of her eyes. ¡°Why are you locking the room?¡± ¡°Ah...¡± Her mother said, ¡°It¡¯s a habit, the room was unused for too long. Not a lot of peoplee in here, so I lock it by habit, since there are so many other rooms that can be used anyway.¡± Xia Qingyi hummed an agreement and did not speak. She looked at the books her mother was holding on and asked, ¡°I¡¯ve been bored these past few days, can you let me read these books?¡± Chapter 153 - The Little Girl Within the Memory

Chapter 153: The Little Girl Within the Memory

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Her mother looked at her in the eye and passed the books to her. ¡°Take a look. You¡¯ve always loved reading every since you were young.¡± Xia Qingyi took the books, felt the heaviness of their weight, hugged them to her chest and thanked her mother. Han Liang had just returned downstairs. He changed his shoes at the entryway, ced his keys on the table, walked to the living room and raised his head and saw the two of them standing at the second story corridor. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Han Liang asked. ¡°Mom just gave me two books to read,¡± Xia Qingyi went downstairs hugging two books to her chest and waving another in her hand. ¡°What kind of books?¡± ¡°Mom said they were books I read in the past, ummm... Andersen Fairy Tales . I want to read them again.¡± Han Liang scanned through the book title and turned his head around. ¡°They¡¯re children books, and yet you like reading them again.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°It feels good.¡± Han Liang asked again, ¡°What do you want to eat tonight?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll eat whatever Mom cooks,¡± Xia Qingyi was already sitting on the sofa and casually flipping through the books, looking indeed like a child reading books. Most of the books had colorful illustrations, and the words were printed in huge sizes with phic transcriptionsbeled at the bottom, making them look likeic strips. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go for ss the day after tomorrow. I requested leave for you, and we¡¯ll go to Uncle¡¯s house for a meal together.¡± ¡°Uncle?¡± Xia Qingyi remembered the words she had heard them say that night at the door. ¡°Yup... your uncle heard that you¡¯d returned, he missed you and wanted to see you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Is his house far from here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty far, around a six to seven hours drive from here, we¡¯re thinking of staying there for a day.¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head and said okay. When the day to go to her uncle¡¯s house came, Han Liang woke her up early, and the three of them started driving to her uncle¡¯s house after they had finished eating at nine in the morning. Xia Qingyi did not have much impression of this uncle. She could still vaguely remember a few things when her mother told her about her uncle from the back seat, but only a little, and only memories from when she was very young. Xia Qingyi asked her mother why most of the things she could remember were from when she was young. Her mother said that their family had interacted more with her uncle when she was young. When she was still young, they would put her at her uncle¡¯s house if anything had happened at home, and pick her up after two days. They moved here after she had grown up, and did not contact him much, so it was normal that she did not have much impression of him when she was older. But Xia Qingyi kept feeling that there was something wrong. She sat in the passenger seat, Stories of Greek Myths that she had taken from her mother two days ago sitting on herp. She thought that she could look at it in the car. But after going through it in detail, the book showed no signs of being used by someone else before. Other than the myths which she had no interest in, she did not discover any useful information. Unknowingly, they soon arrived at her uncle¡¯s house. Han Liang got out of the car and opened the car door to carry some things they had brought for her uncle. Xia Qingyi got out and went to the back to help her mother out. Her uncle¡¯s house was located within a rather luxurious looking area. The three of them arrived below the apartment. With his hands full of things, Han Liang said to take the lift straight to the twelfth floor, where her uncle¡¯s house was. Not long after, they stood in front of her uncle¡¯s house. Xia Qingyi rang the doorbell, and after a while, someone opened the door. This made her feel surprised. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived,¡± Uncle Luo Su stood at the doorway, smiling. ¡°Come in quickly, don¡¯t remain standing outside.¡± He looked plump and sported a buzz cut, making him look amiable. Xia Qingyi did not know whether she had imagined it, but she felt like her uncle had been staring at her ever since she had entered. ¡°Come,e,e... sit on the sofa... are you thirsty? I¡¯ll bring some water for you to drink,¡± Luo Su hurried to the kitchen. They sat on the sofa. Only Xia Qingyi was a little cautious and sat in a rather uptight manner, her hands ced on top of her knees. She was a little surprised that her uncle passed a cup of water to her first, and hurriedly thanked him as she epted the cup from him. Luo Su sat at the sofa on her side after he had finished handing out the water and looked at her. Xia Qingyi felt a little scared seeing him stare at her, and carefully asked, ¡°Uncle... is there something you want to say?¡± Luo Su smiled and shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Mom say that I would asionallye and visit you here in the past?¡± Luo Su nced at her mother, and quickly said, ¡°Ah? Yes... but you woulde for only once a year, and plus you had an ident earlier on, so I haven¡¯t seen you for a year and a half.¡± Luo Su looked at Xia Qingyi and muttered to himself, ¡°I almost can¡¯t believe that you¡¯re actually back.¡± Xia Qingyi felt that the words he said were strange. She furrowed her eyebrows, sipped at her water and kept quiet. Luo Su continued to look at her for a while, and was finally dragged away by her mother to cook in the kitchen. There was only Han Liang and Xia Qingyi left in the living room. Han Liang quietly sat beside Xia Qingyi, leaning his arm against the sofa as he put it around her shoulders. Xia Qingyi tried to ignore his action. Seeing that there was no one else in the house, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of Uncle¡¯s family?¡± Han Liang said, ¡°Your aunt is on a business trip to Q City, and said she woulde back in three days. Their children are at school; I think he¡¯s going to pick them upter.¡± He inched a little closer to Xia Qingyi. Xia Qingyi quietly pretended to look around and stood up to escape from his embrace and started walking around the living room. ¡°Is this a photo of his family?¡± Xia Qingyi picked up a photo from the table. It was a family photo, with a man, a woman, and a little girl around seven or eight years old inside it. Han Liang walked over, and looked at it. ¡°Yup, this is his family.¡± ¡°Oh... right... why haven¡¯t I found my family photo at home... I don¡¯t even know what my father looks like.¡± Xia Qingyi suddenly thought of this. ¡°Oh, that. Your mother kept it. Ever since your father passed away, there¡¯s not a single family photo in the house.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at the other photos. Han Liang was summoned to the kitchen by her uncle for some reason. She walked and stopped around the room. Seeing that there was a photo album on the coffee table next to the television, she swiftly took it and flipped it open. Most of it was photos of her uncle¡¯s family. There were solo shots, couple shots, and also photos of the three of them together. They smiled so sweetly in the photos that even Xia Qingyi could not help but smile as well. She continued to flip until she saw an old photo, and her hands froze. The little girl in the photo looked very simr to her. She was probably around seven or eight years old, was standing in the courtyard with her face all dirtied, a small shovel in her hand. Wearing a dress, the girl was smiling happily at the camera. She also noticed that in the far distance of the photo, there was another girl on the grass as well. She was wearing two ponytails, her back was facing the camera, and she was sitting on the grass doing something. Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes moved from the girl smiling at the camera to the girl with her back facing her. She kept feeling that this girl¡¯s back view was very familiar, as though she had seen it somewhere before. And there was an inexplicable intimate feel to it. ¡°You¡¯re looking at photos of you when you were young?¡± Luo Su walked over and looked at the photo Xia Qingyi was looking at. She was a little surprised by him, and nodded her head. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You were really yful when you were young. This photo was from my previous house when you insisted on ying with the shovel with Xiao Pang next door, and made yourself all dirty. Your mother almost wanted to scold me for taking care of you until you became like this when she came to pick you up.¡± ¡°Then what about this girl?¡± Xia Qingyi pointed at the girl sitting on the grass behind. ¡°My daughter. She was looking at the flowers on the ground at that time.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at it a few more times and then closed the album. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to check on Mom.¡± Luo Su nodded his head and followed behind her. They were sitting around the table and eating when Luo Su¡¯s daughter came back. She was probably around seventeen or eighteen years old. Her wide blue and white school uniform was tucked in around her waist, and she was wearing ripped jeans and carrying a huge schoolbag. She silently noticed the people eating around the table and made a beeline for her room. ¡°Luo Meng! Stop right there! Where are you going? Can¡¯t you see that we have guests?¡± Luo Su saw that she had immediately walked towards her room once she reached home and was angry. Luo Meng reluctantly turned her head and threw her schoolbag onto the sofa in the living room. ¡°After being locked up at school for so long? Don¡¯t I have any freedom at home? I¡¯ll go wherever I want to go.¡± Luo Su looked a little awkward. ¡°Your... your cousin finally came back, can¡¯t you just sit down and eat and talk a little with her?¡± Luo Meng nced at her and snorted. ¡°She... I¡¯d rather not! What does hering back have to do with me? Why must I talk with her?¡± ¡°Luo Meng! Don¡¯t go too far. You can mess around however you want usually, but today¡¯s not the day for you to throw your tantrum!¡± But Luo Meng did not take his words to heart. She frowned and continued to walk back to her own room. Luo Su apologetically looked at the three of them at the table and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I spoiled her too much. And she¡¯s in her rebellious period now, so please be tolerant towards her. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go and make here over and eat with everyone.¡± After he finished speaking, Luo Su stood up to go after Luo Meng. ¡°Uncle, there¡¯s no need to trouble you. She doesn¡¯t have toe if she doesn¡¯t like it. The more you control her, the more irritated she could be. We¡¯ll just eat together,¡± Xia Qingyi said to him, not wanting him to take another trip. ¡°No, no, how can this be. The three of you just eat first, I¡¯ll go check on her and see what she¡¯s fooling around with,¡± Luo Su still stood up and left the table. Xia Qingyi wanted to continue speaking, but Han Liang next to her suddenly stopped her and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t bother, let them settle their family issues themselves. We should eat first.¡± She did not say anything else and looked at her mother beside her. Her mother was still eating, her expression calm, as though she was used to these kinds of things happening. Chapter 154 - The Truth Comes to Light

Chapter 154: The Truth Comes to Light

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Except that her uncle did not return to the table to eat even when they had finished eating. Xia Qingyi heard the sounds of two people fighting in the next room. Her uncle came out not long after and apologized to them again, saying that he wanted Luo Meng to stay in the room to reflect on herself. But the more her uncle apologized, the more ufortable Xia Qingyi felt. She came here purely to talk more with her rtives, and yet she was seeing her uncle apologize to them repeatedly now and she could not bear it. So when the rest was watching television in the room, she decided to take the chance and knock on Luo Meng¡¯s door. Luo Meng saw that the person outside was her, smiled disdainfully and tried to close the door and leave her outside. Xia Qingyi used her leg to block the door. ¡°You seem to have something against me.¡± Luo Meng rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes! At least you¡¯re not blind.¡± Xia Qingyi crossed her arms and leaned against the door. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I think I already told you the reason two years ago. There¡¯s no need for me to repeat it,¡± She moved to close the door again. Xia Qingyi shrugged her shoulders. ¡°But I lost my memory.¡± Luo Meng looked at her suspiciously. Xia Qingyi nodded her head again and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t your father tell you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anyway, I¡¯ve never listened to him.¡± Luo Meng said, ¡°What does you losing your memory have to do with me?¡± Xia Qingyi could not understand exactly where Luo Meng¡¯s hostility towards her wasing from, and decided to probe her by asking, ¡°I did something that made you unhappy in the past?¡± Luo Meng nced at her resentfully and did not answer her question. ¡°That means... you like Han Liang?¡± ¡°Please, I beg you, stop your nonsense. I don¡¯t care about men like Han Liang. I hate you, there¡¯s no reason for it.¡± She looked up and down at Xia Qingyi and muttered to herself, ¡°I just don¡¯t get why you¡¯re so lucky? If Sister Mumu was as lucky as you, then things wouldn¡¯t have been like this now.¡± ¡°Sister Mumu... who is she?¡± She had never heard her mother or Han Liang mention this name. Luo Meng heard what she said and smiled coldly. ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten everything.¡± ¡°She is... my friend?¡± Xia Qingyi still wanted to know the answer and decided to try and guess. ¡°Stop guessing. She passed away many years ago. But this is meaningless to you. It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve forgotten about it, so that it won¡¯t disrupt your life now.¡± Xia Qingyi felt that Luo Meng seemed to be rather angry. ¡°Then can you tell me about her?¡± Luo Meng¡¯s eyes seemed to dim for a few moments, before she returned to her original attitude. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to let you know about her. You only have to know that Sister Mumu used her life to exchange for the stable life you have right now.¡± Luo Meng closely looked at her eyes, like one of those witches casting curses that were often seen on television shows, and spoke in a hypnotizing voice, ¡°You must remember clearly that you can forget about anyone in this world, but not Sister Mumu.¡± She finished speaking and then closed the door in her face with a loud thud. Xia Qingyi went deep in thought, and she suddenly had an idea, one that seemingly would be able to uncover the truth that had been buried for a long time. But she did not know how to dig for it. Just one step more, Xia Qingyi firmly believed, just one more step and she would be able to discover the truth immediately. She was still missing something, something extremely important. This missing piece was enough to connect everything together and uncover all the answers to the questions she always had in her mind. ¡°What happened?¡± Han Liang asked from beside her. She did not know when, but she had already walked to the middle of the living room and was standing in front of the huge television. Xia Qingyi looked at Han Liang and shook her head. She carefully looked at him and did not leave any details on his face out. It seemed that she would be able to unravel the mystery soon. Xia Qingyi¡¯s mind was elsewhere the entire time on the way back. She rubbed the book of Stories of Greek Myths that she was holding, and stared at the various colorful gods as though in a trance. They just reached home, Han Liang was unlocking the door and her mother standing behind her when Xia Qingyi¡¯s phone suddenly rang. The plump guy from the detective agency had called. Her heart thudded in her chest. Han Liang had already entered the house. She turned and told her mother to go in first, and that she had to pick up a call. ¡°Hello?¡± She stood in a corner of the courtyard and spoke softly, ¡°Did you discover something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it counts as one.¡± ¡°Just tell me whatever you¡¯ve found.¡± ¡°I went to check on the information from when you were young until you grew up, and discovered that all the information on you before you were eleven years old was missing, but information after you turned eleven could be found. Most of them only touched on the schools you went to. Even the basic information such as your ss and teacher could not be found.¡± The plump guy added, ¡°I thought it was weird, so I went to check the information from the school and wanted to ask around. But I only found out that the principal and the teachers are all new, and the old principal and experienced teachers had already resigned when I reached the school.¡± ¡°And there is also something strange. Your mother regrly goes and visits a graveyard in H City in March for the past few years, but the strange thing is that your father¡¯s grave isn¡¯t there. I¡¯m not sure what her purpose of going to that graveyard is.¡± ¡°I even investigated your kidnapping that they said. It was true that it happened, and seemed to have caused quite a furore. The police station said you were dead, but Han Liang did not believe it. He had even specially posted a reward in the newspaper half a year ago because he couldn¡¯t find any traces of you.¡± ¡°And as for the marriage certificate between you and Han Liang that you said, it¡¯s true as well. The registry in the Civil Affairs Bureau even has your serial number. The people at the bureau also said that the person who oversaw your registration remembered seeing the both of you too, so there¡¯s no sign of forgery.¡± Xia Qingyi carefully listened to the bits and pieces the plump guy said about her investigation, and after a long while, she asked, ¡°Did Han Liang do anything odd in the past month?¡± The plump guy said, ¡°Oh, I would¡¯ve forgotten if you hadn¡¯t mentioned it. Han Liang did interact with the people at the detective agency in privatest month. He¡¯s ssmates with the boss of another private detective agency. They usually don¡¯t contact each other, but Han Liang had suddenly sought him out a while ago. I initially wanted to ask the boss what the two of them had talked about, but the boss said that this would touch upon his ssmate¡¯s privacy and refused to talk about it, so I didn¡¯t ask further.¡± Xia Qingyi listened to him speak and did not say anything. She felt the mystery was being unraveled little by little, the fog before her eyes slowly dissipating, and the truth was within that dream-like fog. Except that there was still something missing, something important. What was it? Where could it be?! Exactly where was it?! It had to be near her, it had to be that she had not found it yet, that she had neglected a certain detail. All of a sudden, realization dawned on Xia Qingyi. That had to be it. She hurried ended the phone call, and then quickly walked inside. Seeing her rush around, Han Liang could not understand it. ¡°What happened to you? What are you doing?¡± Xia Qingyi did not answer him and walked directly towards the second floor, her hurried steps extraordinarily loud as she climbed up the stairs. Han Liang followed behind her and stopped at the doorway of her room seeing that she was about to enter it. ¡°I have to change my clothes,¡± Xia Qingyi said. ¡°What are you changing your clothes for?¡± ¡°To go out and buy fish for you. Didn¡¯t you want to have fish soup?¡± ¡°Really? You¡¯re in that much of a hurry?¡± Han Liang looked a little happier. ¡°Yes,¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head, her hand on the door handle. ¡°Alright, do you need me to go with you?¡± He asked. ¡°No, I can go myself. I¡¯ll be back soon. The market will close if I¡¯mte, so I have to go there now.¡± Han Liang gave in. ¡°Then alright, you go.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled slightly at him, and then closed the door. The moment she closed it, her expression changed immediately, and she anxiously started to flip through her things. Her movements were light; otherwise Han Liang would be able to hear her from the outside. She knelt on the ground and carefully searched for the item that she wanted; the third book The Soldier and the Princess that she had taken from her mother two days ago. If she had not guessed wrongly, then it would have the item that she wanted. She finally found the book in a drawer. Xia Qingyi sat on the ground, flipped the book open and tried to find something valuable. She had already carefully looked through Andersen Fairy Tales andStories of Greek Myths and she did not find anything special, so only this book was left. She hurriedly flipped through every single page of the book, making paper crackle, and Xia Qingyi felt that her own heartbeat start to go faster. She flipped to the secondst page of the book. At the bottom right corner of the page was a series of words. Her heart stopped. After that, she started to forcefully shake the book, and finally discovered a folded envelope that was stuck to the back cover using tape with a color simr to that of the cover¡¯s. The opening of the envelope started to loosen under her intense shaking, and a photo dropped out. Its back was facing up. Xia Qingyi was trembling as she picked the photo up. When she saw the front, the truth finally came to light. ¡°Nian Nian! Nian Nian!¡± Han Liang was knocking on the door from the outside. Han Liang was shocked when she opened the door. Her entire person had changed. He was unsure where it had started; perhaps from her eyes, or her lips, or her hands. She basically looked like her body had be stiff, and that she had lost her soul. She did not know why she would have this kind of feeling. She would feel something breaking inside her every time Han Liang touched her, like how a cigarette was extinguished. ¡°What is it?¡± Han Liang asked. Chapter 155 - Kiss Her

Chapter 155: Kiss Her

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi looked at him, and carefully looked at her own hand. She then used her hand to touch her face, saying nothing. ¡°Are you alright? Do you feel unwell?¡± Han Liang carefully pulled at her arm. Xia Qingyi finally returned to her senses and nced at Han Liang, looking back to normal. ¡°Nothing, I was thinking of something just now.¡± ¡°What are you thinking of?¡± ¡°Thinking... of going out to get fish for you,¡± Xia Qingyi seemed to be muttering to herself. Han Liang felt less worried. ¡°How about you go another day, you don¡¯t look well today.¡± ¡°No... I want to go...¡± Her tone was firm. Since she was going to buy fish for him, Han Liang thought that she was preparing to settle down in the rhythm of their everyday life and decided to go along with her wish. ¡°Then go, we¡¯ll wait for you at home,e back soon.¡± When Xia Qingyi walked out of the apartment building, she was still not sure why she wanted to leave. From the moment she had found out the truth, she felt as though she was in a daze. The sudden intake of a huge amount of information made her rmed all of a sudden. She had even forgotten to go and question Han Liang and her mother. To ask them why they would hide something so big from her. But she did not dare to ask, afraid that she would be unable to handle the truth when it was in front of her face. She thought of a thousand possibilities, but had never thought of this. This was rather unbelievable after all. She had been a coward once and chosen to escape. She thought that she was probably unable to peacefully walk back into this house and get along with them as usual in the short term. Walking away from her house on the road that she had just passed earlier, she thought of where to go and what she should do next. But it seemed like she could not think of anything, and she did not know what to do. Her mother, Han Liang, her uncle, everyone was working together to keep the truth from her, all of them were lying to themselves everyday. They were constantly drawing an imaginary protective circle around themselves, and she was trapped inside, unable to move. She had finally walked out of the circle now and seen the reality in this world. Yet there was no one to tell her what was the next step she should take and to lead her in the correct direction. Xia Qingyi walked at the roadside, feeling helpless. She kept telling herself repeatedly to keep calm, keep calm, but both of her hands still trembled. Just like that, she did not know why, but when she raised her head, she saw that she had arrived at the bus station. She went back to S City. It was midnight, and Mo Han forced himself to settle down and finish up his work for the day. But this was far from his usual work efficiency, and even the staff from hispany could see that he was different. Mo Han knew that deep down in their hearts, they were suspecting that their boss had fallen sick and had be muddled. Their boss would never let his mind wander when reading a civil judgment book in the past. And he would never break off in the middle of his speech during a video conference and stop to think about what he had to say. And he definitely would not have insomnia. Ever since he returned from F City, he was unable to sleep for the entire night. Once he closed his eyes, his mind would be filled with shadows of Xia Qingyi, herst expression he had seen that day, and how she would be looking at Han Liang obediently. He thought, he had be just like Xia Qingyi probably as punishment for the words he had said that day. They would not owe anything to each other in this way. She could not fall asleep, and neither could he, even if he wanted to. But luckily, there was a way to cure his insomnia. He just had to lie on Xia Qingyi¡¯s bed, smell her scent on it and he would unknowingly fall asleep. He had never told anyone about this. He did nothing more other than to call Bai Yu at two A.M and ask him toe over and apany him to drink for the one night when he was simply no longer able to bear it. Bai Yu was sure that Mo Han definitely had something on his mind, and wanted to trick him into saying it, asking him how he wastely. Bai Yu even said that if Mo Han revealed it, he was willing to pull in some big clients for Mo Han¡¯sw firm. But Mo Han still did not speak, and only continued to drink. When he was a little tipsy, he had to restrain himself from giving in to reckless thoughts of calling Xia Qingyi, and told himself that he could not stray down the wrong path. Not a step out of ce. He could not disrupt her life and drag himself to hell for it. He had been enduring it like this. Until Han Liang called. ¡°Hello? Did you say something to Nian Nian today?¡± His voice sounded rather anxious. Mo Han smiled. ¡°Why are you so sure that I was the one who said something to her?¡± ¡°Who else could it be but you! Who else does she know? I felt that there was something not right about her when she came back today. Did you say something to her on the phone?¡± ¡°Can you stop bothering me about things between the two of you?!¡± Just hearing Han Liang talk made Mo Han want to hang up immediately. ¡°She has nothing more to do with me. Isn¡¯t that exactly how you wanted it to be?¡± ¡°Did you really not contact her?¡± His voice sounded disappointed. ¡°Then what happened to her? Why would she be like that all of a sudden?¡± Han Liang remembered her sorrowful and soulless eyes from when she stood at the doorway again. ¡°What happened to her?¡± Mo Han felt that something was wrong. ¡°Did shee and find you?¡± Han Liang was afraid that she had found out something. ¡°No.¡± His answer worried Han Liang once again. If it was not because of Mo Han, then why had Xia Qingyi suddenly left without even taking her phone with her. The expression that she had when she stood at the doorway before she left had frightened him. He was afraid that she would not return anymore this time. ¡°Did the two of you have a fight? Or did you do something that let her down. You said that you would treat her well when you took her away initially, and yet something had already happened when she only left a while ago,¡± Mo Han asked, gritting his teeth. ¡°You have to tell me if she contacted you,¡± Han Liang said in the end. After he hung up, Mo Han felt unsettled. The clock on the wall showed that it was nearing one in the morning. He pulled opened the curtains and saw that it had started raining sometime ago. There were only the pitter-patter sounds of rain hitting the window in the silence of the night, numerous water droplets on the ss window, separating Mo Han from the dark and blurry world outside. Mo Han thought about it, and still took his coat and prepared to go out. But when he opened the door, he glimpsed someone sitting quietly in the corner. It was a dripping wet Xia Qingyi. Her hair was drenched, and she was sitting quietly with her legs to her chest on the cold floor, the damp ground beneath her clothes making her look as though she was sitting in a puddle of water. Her eyes were nk, staring ahead at the wall in front of her. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Mo Han asked. She heard his voice, turned back to look at him, and then slowly stood up using the wall as support and stared at him. ¡°I¡¯m asking you, why are you here?¡± Xia Qingyi only stared at him, not speaking, as though she had used up all her energy. Mo Han touched her clothes. It was soaked through as though she had fallen into a river. He furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Don¡¯t you know to bring an umbre along with you when you leave the house? How did you be like this?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was trembling. ¡°Can I sleep here?¡± Mo Han looked at her for a long time, and then said, ¡°What happened between you two?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head, the cold rain making her shiver. She huddled closer to the wall and did not step forward nor backward. She only stared at Mo Han, her face filled with emotions. ¡°If the two of you had a fight, I don¡¯t think you shoulde here to me in the middle of the night. You should go back,¡± Mo Han also suppressed his own feelings. ¡°I... just want to stay here for a while,¡± Xia Qingyi said in a low voice, as though her voice had lost its soul. In Mo Han¡¯s eyes, this was simply hering here to seek warmth andfort after fighting with Han Liang. He did not know that he always lost all reason when it came to Xia Qingyi¡¯s problems. ¡°Do you know what you are doing?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi felt extremely tired. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°No matter what happened after you walked past this door, you would always go in,¡± Mo Han asked her. Xia Qingyi nodded her head, seeming as though she no longer had any energy to answer Mo Han¡¯s questions. She only wanted to rest after she saw him. Mo Han walked to the front of Xia Qingyi, looked at her eyes, and suddenly pulled her arms towards him. He pulled her into the house, forcefully kicked the door closed and pushed Xia Qingyi up against the door. ¡°Xia Qingyi, don¡¯t ever think about leaving now that you¡¯vee in,¡± Mo Han said into her ear. Xia Qingyi did not respond. Mo Han could not see her expression with her head lowered. Mo Han was not satisfied with her current state, thinking that she had reluctantly entered his home. But she had clearlye in herself. She still came in willingly after he had finished speaking. So, to punish her for looking the way she was now, he firmly tipped her chin up with his hand and roughly kissed her lips. Her lips were still as soft as they were in the past. His tongue easily slid into her mouth, and he greedily savored the sweetness of it. He used his teeth to bit down on her lips, but she did not have a single response. Mo Han stopped and looked at Xia Qingyi¡¯s expression. Her eyes still looked empty, and she remained unmoving, staring fixedly in the direction behind him. He started to feel scared. The current her waspletely different from who she was in the past. She seemed to have walked through hell and back. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Xia Qingyi blinked her eyes, raised her head to look at Mo Han, and then gently hugged him, her voice clear as water as she spoke while in his embrace, ¡°I want to rest for a while.¡± Mo Han was a little flustered, and he touched Xia Qingyi¡¯s forehead. ¡°Are you... ill?¡± Xia Qingyi shuddered in his arms, but remained silent. Mo Han moved her away from his chest, and was surprised to see that her face was full of tears. She looked distressed, her mouth was wide open, and she looked like a child who had lost her most beloved toy. ¡°What is it? What happened to you?¡± Mo Han saw her crying and softened his voice, wiping off the tears on her face a little anxiously. Xia Qingyi hugged him tightly. ¡°I want to sleep.¡± Chapter 156 - Take Off Your Clothes

Chapter 156: Take Off Your Clothes

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han patted her head. ¡°Go and sleep, if there¡¯s any problem we can talk about it after we wake.¡± He brought her to her bedroom and seated her on the bed. He then went to the bathroom to bring her towels to wipe her head and body dry. ¡°Do you want to shower? Or you¡¯ll get a cold,¡± Mo Han sat at the bedside as he helped to dry her hair. Xia Qingyi shook her head, her tears still flowing down continuously. ¡°Then change out of your clothes at least. Change into something dry before you go to sleep.¡± Xia Qingyi reached for the hem of her shirt to take it off, and Mo Han quickly stood up and covered her with the towel, his head whipping to one side. ¡°How are you going to change when I haven¡¯t brought you a new set of clothes?! Wait a minute.¡± Mo Han went to her wardrobe, took out some of her old pajamas and looked away as he passed it to her. ¡°Wipe your body first before you change.¡± Xia Qingyi took the clothes, put it aside and did not seem to have any more energy after she took her own sopping wet ones off. Her tears are gradually stopping, and she only felt tired. She tried her best not to think about everything that had happened in F City and focus her energy onto now and on wiping her body clean. Except that when she saw the corner of the photo poking out from the pocket of her wet clothes, she was dragged back to reality again. Mo Han heard no more soundsing from Xia Qingyi and thought that she had already finished changing. He turned his head back and realized that she was still topless and sitting on the bed unmoving and in a daze. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing any clothes?!¡± Mo Han turned around again. Xia Qingyi only returned to her senses after hearing his voice. She slowly put on her pajamas, and theny down on the bed with her eyes staring out of the window. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep, you can leave.¡± Mo Han turned over, and seeing that she was lying on the bed on her side with her hair wet, her top half wearing her pajamas and the lower half still in her dripping wet jeans, he did not have the heart to lose his temper. He sighed, ¡°I¡¯lle and help you.¡± He knelt down at the side of the bed, lifted her nightshirt a little and unbuttoned her jeans. He looked away and carefully pulled down her jeans, but Xia Qingyi only kept staring out of the window and did not respond at all. Mo Han knew that something had to have happened. Otherwise, she would not be like this. And this matter was definitely not as simple as fighting with Han Liang, or else Han Liang would not have called him. He quickly helped to clean Xia Qingyi up, and then walked to the bathroom to take the hairdryer. Sitting by the bedside, he adjusted the temperature of the hairdryer and started drying her hair even as she slept. She seemed to be morefortable, her eyes closed as she allowed Mo Han¡¯s hand to ruffle through her hair. The warm wind from the hairdryer let her slowly start to rx, and also made her face, pale from being drenched in the rain, gradually turn red. She unknowingly weed a non drug-induced sleep. And she slept all the way until ten A.M the next day. ¡°Are you awake?¡± What surprised Xia Qingyi was that the first thing she saw when she woke was Mo Han. He was wearing casual clothes and lying on her bed reading newspapers as he leaned against the headboard with one of his legs on top of the other. Xia Qingyi had slept until her mind was befuddled, and she dazedly rubbed her head as she sat up. ¡°Han Liang has already called me three times. I said you weren¡¯t here, so call him if you want to go back.¡± Xia Qingyi moved to the side and was about to wear her slippers and get out of bed when Mo Han said from behind, ¡°What is it? You¡¯d thought through it? You don¡¯t want to fight any longer, and you can¡¯t wait to call him back?¡± Xia Qingyi stood up, turned around to look at him, seemingly a little exasperated and said softly, ¡°I¡¯m just going to the toilet.¡± Mo Han also sat up as well and followed behind her, until he saw her enter the bathroom. After around three or four minutes, Xia Qingyi came out. She washed her face, some water droplets still remaining in her hair, and she still looked a little tired but she definitely looked much better than she had yesterday night. Mo Han asked, ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Xia Qingyi replied, ¡°A little.¡± ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Mini wontons from Zhouji.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll order take-out, it¡¯ll be here in a while.¡± Mo Han would let her stay in the house while he went to buy food in the past. But he truly did not dare to leave her alone in the house in this state. ¡°Where did you put my wet clothes from yesterday?¡± Xia Qingyi asked him. ¡°They¡¯re in the washing machine.¡± After hearing him say that, Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart leaped and she immediately turned and ran towards the bathroom. The washing machine was at the corner of the bathroom on the right. ¡°Are you looking for this?¡± Mo Han shouted from the back. Xia Qingyi turned back, and seeing that he was holding a photo in his hands, she lightly swayed from one side to another. She walked back to his side, wanting to take the photo from his hands, but he held it up high so that she could not reach it. ¡°What happenedst night?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter, give me the photo first.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han, her hand outstretched towards him, as though she was sure that he would definitely return the photo back to her. Mo Han did as she wanted. He looked at her for a while, and then ced the photo onto her hand. ¡°I want to borrow your phone,¡± Xia Qingyi said. ¡°To do what?¡± Mo Han asked, taking his phone from the bed. ¡°Call Han Liang.¡± He wanted to give it to her at first, but froze when he heard her speak. But he still respected Xia Qingyi¡¯s decision and passed the phone to her. Xia Qingyi took the phone from him and walked towards the balcony. By rights, he should walk to another room at this moment and let her talk alone, but seeing Xia Qingyi walking away with her back to him, he wanted to hear what the two of them wanted to say between themselves. Mo Han still chose to leave. He thought that Xia Qingyi probably would want to be alone now. When Xia Qingyi was washing her face in the bathroom and the moment she had her face dipped in the water, she thought that she should go and face the facts. She should solve this matter properly and uncover theplicated and painful truth. But even so, her hand was still trembling as she gripped the phone and made the call. She took in a few deep breaths desperately and ced the phone next to her ear. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Xia Qingyi said. Han Liang heard her voice and felt reassured, but after seeing the phone and realizing that it was Mo Han¡¯s number, he grew cold. ¡°You went to find him yesterday.¡± ¡°He has nothing to do with what happened yesterday.¡± Xia Qingyi stopped for a moment, and still spoke in the end, ¡°Han Liang, I know everything.¡± His heart thudded in his chest. ¡°You know what?¡± ¡°I thought that all of you would lie to me. I thought that you all probably hid the things that happened before I lost my memory, but I¡¯d never thought it would be like this.¡± ¡°Nian Nian, did you hear something from someone else, don¡¯t believe it, why would we lie to you?¡± ¡°Han Liang! Stop lying to yourself, I¡¯m not Song Yuenian!¡± The phone went dead silent on the other end. After a long time, Han Liang finally opened his mouth. ¡°How did you find out?¡± ¡°Yesterday, I... found a photograph, I thought... you might have not seen it yet, which is why it identally fell into my hands.¡± Xia Qingyi tightly clutched onto the photo in her hand, ¡°Han Liang, let¡¯s meet up and talk.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He muttered to himself in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯lle and find you.¡± After Xia Qingyi hung up and walked out of the balcony, she closed the door and saw Mo Han sitting at the living room outside, aptop in front of him, probably typing out some documents. ¡°Are you not going to prepare to exin what happened yesterday?¡± Just as Xia Qingyi thought about letting him work in peace, and was walking towards the study room to not disrupt him, she suddenly spoke. ¡°I... I won¡¯t be able to speak clearly now... if you are willing to listen after I¡¯vee backter, I will tell everything to you slowly.¡± ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± ¡°To see Han Liang?¡± ¡°Why? The two of you fought? Had a fight and you wish to divorce?¡± Mo Han was really unhappy. She had never properly talked about what had happened to her since she had entered his home yesterday, and even though he knew that Xia Qingyi needed time, he always felt that she treated him like a stranger now, even after he had clearly told her the things that could happen after she came into his house. What surprised Mo Han was that Xia Qingyi did not get angry. She weakly turned her head to look at him. ¡°No, you thought too much.¡± Mo Han got even more angry. ¡°Oh? Is that so? You¡¯re only throwing tantrums at him for a while? Then why did youe and find me in the middle of the night yesterday?! Treating me as constion for when you¡¯re sad?! Treating me as a one-off affair?!¡± Xia Qingyi could not really understand why he would fly into a rage for no reason and was shocked by it, scratching her ears in puzzlement. ¡°I didn¡¯t! ...Why must you always think of it that way. What I mean is... I wasn¡¯t married... No, I wasn¡¯t married to Han Liang... Aiya... It¡¯s just that I am not even Song Yuenian!¡± Mo Han looked at her. ¡°What did you say?!¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Basically... I can¡¯t exin everything to you in a sentence... I¡¯m going, I¡¯ll exin to youter after Ie back.¡± ¡°When will youe back?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know it may be a whileter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to, this is between the two of us. Things might be worse if you¡¯re there.¡± Seeing that Xia Qingyi was back to herself and was no longer like she was yesterday, Mo Han felt reassured, but he was still confused after the words she said earlier. He thought that she must have gone through a lot of things in F City that day, and he knew nothing about it. Xia Qingyi had already changed and was at the entryway. She bent down to put on her shoes, while Mo Han stood in the living room staring at her. ¡°What do you want to eat when youe back tonight?¡± Xia Qingyi finished wearing her shoes, raised her head and smiled at him. ¡°You decide.¡± It felt as though they had returned back to those idle yet warm days, when Mo Han would ask her what she wanted for dinner, and she would say anything was fine. In that moment when she was standing at the doorway and looking at Mo Han, Xia Qingyi was finally able to feel at ease. It felt like the tearful moment when she was finally able to glimpse her hometown in the cooling breeze after drifting outside for too long and had gone through many hardships. She no longer wanted to leave. To always stay here forever. Till she was old, till her death. Chapter 157 - The Real Song Nianmu

Chapter 157: The Real Song Nianmu

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Han Liang sat at the restaurant on the street in S City where he saw Xia Qingyi for the first time. A cup of water sat on the table in front of him. He had been sitting here for half an hour, and the cup of water had turned from boiling hot to cold. He only stared through the window at the streets where they had gazed at each other from afar that day. He originally thought that she would not suspect so soon. He originally thought that he could let her fall in love with him first before she discovered that something was wrong. Even if she found out the truth at that time, she probably would not leave him. He had not expected everything to happen so soon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... a littlete. There was a traffic jam,¡± Xia Qingyi hurriedly came and found Han Liang. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Han Liang behaved just like in the past, gently smiling at her, and even asked her as he would normally do, ¡°Do you want to go anywhere else after eating?¡± ¡°I think there¡¯s no need to. Let¡¯s go back after we¡¯ve finished eating and talking.¡± ¡°Alright... we¡¯ll go back togetherter.¡± Xia Qingyi interrupted him. ¡°Han Liang! Don¡¯t you understand? I won¡¯t go back with you, I¡¯m not Song Yuenian!¡± Han Liang¡¯s expression immediately changed, and he also put down the cup he had lifted to his mouth. He kept looking down and only smiled lightly. Xia Qingyi took out the old photograph that got slightly wet from the rain yesterday and ced it on the table. ¡°This then is the... real Song Yuenian. It¡¯s no wonder we¡¯re so alike, since we¡¯re twins after all.¡± In the old photograph, there were two eleven-year-old girls with ponytails standing hand in hand in front of that house in F City. What was different was that the girl on the left holding a doll was smiling, but the girl on the right with a book in her hands had a grumpy look on her face, as though she was not too happy to take a photograph. ¡°The one on the right is me, isn¡¯t it, and the one on the left is my younger sister. Also the Song Yuenian who you¡¯ve been trying to find, right?¡± ¡°You got your memories back?¡± Han Liang asked. ¡°No, I still only remember Mom. Only some things from when I was young. I deduced all the rest myself. I was still a little unsure on my way here in the taxi, but now that I¡¯ve met up with you, I guess I¡¯m probably right.¡± ¡°How did you know which girl in the photograph is you, and which is the one you think is Song Yuenian?¡± ¡°Even though I lost my memory, my intuition has always been urate. Perhaps you¡¯re not able to understand it, but when I saw this photograph I felt that the girl on the right was me. I can feel that her expression is simr to mine.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t convince me with that reason.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled. ¡°I heard Xiao Mei said that Song Yuenian liked to grow flowers, so there are a lot of small potted nts in the house. Those were probably kept by her. But coincidentally, I don¡¯t really like flowers. And also, the most important point is that Xiao Mei said she loved you a lot, but I hadpletely no feelings for you after I returned. This is why I felt that something was wrong. I always felt that the current me does not match up with the Song Yuenian from the past.¡± Han Liang nodded thoughtfully. ¡°It seemed that only she loved me that much.¡± He finally admitted that the woman in front of him was not Song Yuenian, even if they had looked exactly the same. He was suddenly able to understand what Nian Nian¡¯s mother was talking about that day. She said that everyone in the world was unique. Other than their appearances, they had nothing else inmon. ¡°She... has passed away, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Xia Qingyi said. ¡°She¡¯s not dead!¡± Han Liang suddenly became hysterical. ¡°I heard the conversation between you and Mom that night. The police have probably found her body,¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was steady. ¡°Don¡¯t act as though you know everything! You thought that just because you did a little investigation, you can say that you¡¯re not Song Yuenian, and determine that she¡¯s already dead yourself?! I¡¯m telling you, we¡¯re childhood friends, I¡¯ve lived together with Nian Nian for ten years, do you know how long it was? How could I not know whether she had left here or not?! Han Liang was practically roaring by now. Their surroundings became silent. Xia Qingyi and Han Liang each sat at one side of the table, facing each other. Neither of them spoke. ¡°Exactly what had happened half a year ago?¡± Xia Qingyi spoke with her head lowered. ¡°I was also... not very sure about exactly what happened half a year ago. It seemed as though everything happened in an instant, and even now it feels like a dream to me.¡± Han Liang said slowly, ¡°Half a year ago, I was handling a bill at work when I received a call from an unknown number. He said that he had Nian Nian, and wanted me to prepare one million yuan in cash in exchange for her. I still remembered that I hadughed at that time, I felt that it was impossible. Nian Nian had called me an hour ago and told me to go and pick her up, how could she be kidnapped in such a short time.¡± ¡°The call was very noisy, and that person let me hear Nian Nian¡¯s voice. The voice kept crying, I wasn¡¯t very sure whether she was Nian Nian or not, as she stumbled over her words. I was actually still a little suspicious that I was being cheated even after I hung up the call.¡± ¡°I called Nian Nian after that, but no one picked up. I went to her school to look for her, but her ssmates said they saw her leave after making a phone call one hour ago. I went to look for her at the restaurant and at home, but I couldn¡¯t find her anywhere.¡± ¡°I started to believe in that phone call. So I prepared one million yuan and waited for the kidnapper to call to exchange for Nian Nian. I didn¡¯t care about the amount of money, I only wanted Nian Nian toe back. But the kidnapper never got back to me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯sughable? I¡¯d already prepared the money. I never thought of calling the police, I only wanted Nian Nian toe back safely. But the police came to find me of their own ord, they said that they found a few male bodies in a basement in the downtown area a few days ago, the autopsy report said that they died from gas poisoning. The basement contained a lot of information on us, and also a broken rope.¡± ¡°I asked where Nian Nian was. Do you know what they said? They said they didn¡¯t know where she was.¡± Han Liang probably had not had such a good talk with someone for a long time. He kept talking quietly, and Xia Qingyi listened in silence. ¡°They said that Nian Nian¡¯s situation looked grim. There was a big pool of blood in the room and when they checked it, they found out that it was Nian Nian¡¯s.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°So you kept on searching like this?¡± ¡°Actually, your mother kept saying that Nian Nian was already dead. The police contacted me two months ago, and said that they had found Nian Nian¡¯s body. They said that it was an ident. Nian Nian fell into a very deep ditch when she was escaping. She already had some injuries on her body, and there was no-one around to save her, so the blood loss was too great.¡± He stopped and did not continue talking. He seemed to be immersed in the past, so Xia Qingyi decided to soothe his emotions and change the topic and asked, ¡°Then what about me? How did I lose my memory?¡± After hearing Han Liang speak so much, Xia Qingyi realized that there was not a single piece of information about her for these past six months. She could not really understand it. She thought something had happened to her at the same time as Song Yuenian, but after hearing what Han Liang said, it did not seem like it. Han Liang looked at her, and said a little exasperatedly, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know how you lost your memories. I only met with you once, and it was on the street that day.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes widened. This was rather astounding. ¡°When I was young, there was only Nian Nian left when I met her. I only heard about it before that Nian Nian had a twin sister who had passed away in an ident. After that, when I identally met you on the street, I went back to question them, and only then they realized at that time that you were not dead.¡± Xia Qingyi felt more and more confused, unsure how things had be like this. ¡°Two years ago, your mother wanted to bring you back, but you refused. You said that you were no longer with them, that you were doing well, and that you no longer wished to see them.¡± Xia Qingyi was suspicious about the credibility behind his words. Han Liang seemed to see that she did not believe him and said, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t believe it as well two years ago. How do I say this? I only saw you once, but I could see the hostility in your eyes immediately. The way you talk was also cold and distant, I couldn¡¯t even believe that you¡¯re Nian Nian¡¯s twin sister.¡± He added, ¡°I¡¯m actually not very sure about your circumstances. You left when you were 11, as for why I also don¡¯t know about it. Your mother probably knows the reason, you can go and ask her.¡± A sudden realization came to Xia Qingyi. ¡°I¡¯m talking about why I can only remember things from when I was young when I came back home with you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re different from when I met you two years ago. At that time, you were cold and distant, and you always looked sharply at me,¡± Han Liang recalled. ¡°Then... what about my name? My real name,¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°Song Nianmu.¡± Xia Qingyu repeated the words softly, her memories once again like strings of silk tangling within her mind. ¡°Except that you didn¡¯t seem to like this name two years ago, and you made us call you Lina.¡± ¡°Lina?¡± Xia Qingyi furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°Yup. You seemed like you didn¡¯t like us looking for you too. I remember that when I came with your family to see you, you told your family to take it as though they¡¯d never seen you, and to treat Song Nianmu as dead. When we went to find you again after that, we discovered that you had changed your address and moved away. From then on we never saw you anymore.¡± Xia Qingyi felt strange hearing him talk about the her from two years ago. Was she really the person who he spoke of? Why did it feel different from her current self; could they have recognized the wrong person? Chapter 158 - You Dont Love Me

Chapter 158: You Don¡¯t Love Me

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Are you sure that the person you met two years ago was me?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes. I discovered the tattoo on your back at that time,¡± Han Liang said. It was then Xia Qingyi remembered that she started to believe the words he said at the time because he had mentioned the tattoo on her back. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t met you before at that time, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to convince you to believe me so easily,¡± Han Liangughed at himself. Xia Qingyi realized that the more she thought about her own things the more confused she felt, so she decided to stop beating around the bush and asked Han Liang, ¡°Why did you want me to rece Nian Nian at the time?¡± Han Liang smiled, his eyes looking at the streets outside. ¡°When I saw Nian Nian¡¯s body at that time, I felt that my life was over, that she was really gone and was no longer able toe back. Then, when I saw you on the next street over, I suddenly felt that Nian Nian had returned. Your expression looked extraordinarily like her at that moment.¡± ¡°At that time, I felt that Nian Nian could finallye home for the first time. The two of you looked so simr, both of your expressions were so simr too, I thought that you definitely would be a second Nian Nian, but... I was wrong.¡± He turned around and looked at Xia Qingyi seriously, ¡°Your mother is right, the two of you were never the same. No matter how alike the two of you were, you¡¯re Song Nianmu and she¡¯s Song Yuenian.¡± ¡°Mom... why would she agree to let you treat me as Nian Nian and bring me home?¡± Han Liang said, ¡°Your mother loves you very much. She¡¯s actually extremely afraid, because she¡¯s already lost a daughter. She didn¡¯t want to lose another. She couldn¡¯t help it when you were unwilling to return initially. When she found out that you¡¯d lost your memory, she wanted to take the chance to bring you home. Whether you¡¯re back as the you right now, or as Nian Nian, she only wanted you toe back.¡± For some reason why, Han Liang felt incredibly peaceful at that moment, and he looked at Xia Qingyi and said, ¡°Do you know? Both you and your sister¡¯s names contain the word ¡®Nian¡¯. But Nian Nian was actually your nickname initially. My wife was originally called Yue Yue. After you left when you were young, her nickname was changed to Nian Nian.¡± Xia Qingyi only looked at him. After listening to what he said, she felt that everything was not totally real. ¡°I wish you could stille back even after you know the truth. Nian Nian... she probably would not return anymore.¡± Han Liang smiled bitterly as he said, ¡°If you leave again this time, your mother will really be left all by herself.¡± Xia Qingyi lowered her head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Han Liang thought about it and said, ¡°Actually, I should apologize to you...¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him, and Han Liang smiled. ¡°That night... treating you like that in your room... I¡¯m really sorry... I really missed Nian Nian a lot that day, and you two looked so alike... I thought you could fall in love with me after that, then I¡¯d really be able to return to the kind of life it was likest time, I was truly in pain, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xia Qingyi knew that he was talking about what he had done to her in the room that night, but she could not bear to see him like this. She looked at him apologizing with his head lowered and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Actually, the current you is very simr to Nian Nian; the only difference is that you don¡¯t love me.¡± His voice was hoarse, and he was ying with the cup of water that had already gone cold, immersed in the past. ¡°Only she loved me so much. ¡°Are we letting her down?¡± Han Liang looked up and asked Xia Qingyi. Xia Qingyi shook her head. ¡°I think she¡¯d understand.¡± Han Liang only smiled faintly and did not speak. ¡°Bring me to see her someday,¡± Xia Qingyi said. Han Liang said, ¡°Ask your mother to take you there. I don¡¯t know where she... is buried.¡± Han Liang raised his head, looked at her suspicious expression and said, ¡°After she... passed away, I never went to see her again. I don¡¯t dare go and see her lying there so quietly.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll follow your wish.¡± The two of them chatted sparingly next to the ss window in the restaurant. After their meal ended, they did not touch their food much, but the sky outside had already turned dark. Xia Qingyi looked at her watch and said, ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go back.¡± ¡°Are you really not going to consider returning back to F City? If you¡¯re concerned about me, I can move to another house in F City.¡± Xia Qingyi declined his offer. ¡°No. I still want to stay in this city temporarily. I¡¯ll trouble you to exin to my mother on my behalf, I¡¯ll go back to visit her asionally.¡± ¡°You¡¯re used to staying here?¡± ¡°Probably so. It could also be because I stayed here since I woke up, and I felt reassured after staying here for so long.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at the color of the night sky and the people walking past. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s very beautiful here?¡± Han Liang also nced outside the window. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± He turned over and asked Xia Qingyi, ¡°The reason why you want to stay here is purely because it¡¯s beautiful? Are there no other reasons? A person, for example?¡± Xia Qingyi knew he was talking about Mo Han, but she did not seem to know the answer to his question, so she could only reply him honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The two of them did not talk much after. Han Liang initially wanted to take her back, but she did not agree to it and insisted on taking a taxi back. After seeing Han Liang¡¯s car drive away, only then did she rx and call for a taxi. She looked at the time in the taxi, and it was already nine P.M; it would probably be nine thirty when she reached home, so Mo Han would probably be back soon. But she did not expect that the house would be dark inside when she unlocked the door. Xia Qingyi switched on the light, scanned her eyes over the house and discovered that there was no one at home. Could it be that Mo Han had not returned yet? Wasn¡¯t he always back home around eight in the past? Why hadn¡¯t hee back yet today? Was he busy with work? Xia Qingyi pondered it as she walked towards her own bedroom. She switched on the light, and prepared to take a bath. But when she walked to the wardrobe to take her clothes, she looked around her and realized that the ce had changed. She walked to the study table, and saw that there were a few books scattered on it. An Exnation and Model Cases of China¡¯s Economic Law , Regarding China¡¯s 2017 New Regtions in Economic Law , and there were a few thick books in English. She flipped through them and realized that she could not understand them. These were probably Mo Han¡¯s books, but why were they here? There was even a ck eye mask on the bedside table. Xia Qingyi took it up and looked at it. This did not seem to belong to her too. And there was also a ss cup half filled with water, as though someone had just drunk from it not long ago. Xia Qingyi circled around her room. Mo Han hade here? From what she saw, he seemed to stay in his room for quite long periods of time, so why would he want toe to her own room? Didn¡¯t he always work in the study room next door? She did not want to make herself think anymore. She had used her brain for the entire day and was on the brink of exhaustion. She shook her head, messaged her stiff neck, took her pajamas and went into the bathroom to bathe. Mo Han returned home not long after Xia Qingyi went into the bathroom. He reached out to switch on the light on the right side by instinct, and looked up and realized that the room was bright. He saw Xia Qingyi¡¯s bag on the sofa, the keys on the table, the clothes casually flung onto the side of the sofa and lighting out of the unlocked door to her room. Mo Han put down the briefcase in his hand and heard the soft sounds of watering from her room. He strode over in a few steps, opened the door and walked in. The room looked exactly the same as it had in the morning; the only difference was the light shining through the frosted ss and the sounds of watering from the bathroom. Mo Han sat on the bed, pulled off his tie and took off his zer. He unbuttoned the first two buttons of his white shirt, took out his cuff-links and waited for the sounds of water to stop. Xia Qingyi came out in her pajamas rubbing at her hair not long after. She got a shock and moved back a step when she saw Mo Han sitting upright on the bed. ¡°What are you going here?¡± She asked. ¡°Waiting for you,¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°To exin what happenedst night and this morning.¡± Xia Qingyi walked past him, wiping her hair as she walked towards the study table. She took her moisturizer, poured some out and applied it onto her face. ¡°It¡¯splicated, where do you want me to start?¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Do it chronologically.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled. ¡°Then you¡¯re making it difficult for me. Let me think, I¡¯d probably even have to tell you about my previous life.¡± ¡°What? You got your memory back?¡± Mo Han stood up, turned around and looked at her. ¡°Not yet.¡± Xia Qingyi sighed. ¡°But I¡¯m almost there. At least, the truth is already out.¡± She turned over, leaned against the table and looked at Mo Han as she continued to dry her hair. ¡°To put it simply, I¡¯m actually not Song Yuenian, I¡¯m her older twin sister Song Nianmu.¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Older twin sister?¡± ¡°Yeah. Han Liang could not get over my sister¡¯s death when she passed away due to an ident. So when he met me that day, he wanted me to rece her.¡± Mo Han muttered coldly. ¡°What did I say initially? I said that he was a liar. What can I do if you don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°He was forced to lie to me. He¡¯s heartbroken over what happened to my sister.¡± Xia Qingyi remembered what he looked like in the cafe and blurted out. ¡°You¡¯re still talking for him even now?¡± Mo Han looked at her disbelievingly. ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything evil, nor did he harm me. He¡¯s actually a pretty good person.¡± ¡°He did not harm you?¡± Mo Han was still unable to forget what Han Liang told him in the office about the nights they had spent together. ¡°Then why did youe back? Why not stay there?¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone was icy, and Xia Qingyi immediately knew he was angry when she heard him. ¡°You don¡¯t want me toe back?¡± Xia Qingyi asked him back. ¡°It¡¯s your choice toe back here or not, I can¡¯t control you. I have nothing to say even if you go back to F City now. This has never been your home after all, isn¡¯t your home back there?¡± Mo Han said. Chapter 159 - I Dont Like You

Chapter 159: I Don¡¯t Like You

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Since this is what you said, then I¡¯ll go back thereter. But there¡¯s no more cars on the roads outside, so I¡¯ll go back tomorrow,¡± Xia Qingyi teased him on purpose. ¡°How dare you! Have you forgotten about what I said to youst night?¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice got louder. ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten about it,¡± Xia Qingyi echoed after his words, shrugged her shoulders and acted as though it did not matter much as she turned around to take the hairdryer to dry her hair. Except that she did not realize Mo Han was slowly inching towards her. She went to put the plug in the socket and was about to switch on the hairdryer when Mo Han grasped her arm from behind and made her put down the hairdryer. Xia Qingyi turned her head to look at him. Mo Han was taller than her by a head, and he was standing right behind her, his head looking down at her, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. She kept blinking her eyes and moved her head back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve really forgotten?¡± There was a charming allure to Mo Han¡¯s voice. ¡°No... No...¡± Xia Qingyi started to deny. ¡°Then say it for me to hear...¡± Mo Han leaned in closer towards her. Xia Qingyi started to stammer and kept moving back. ¡°You don¡¯t... don¡¯t be like this...¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we also solve the problems between the two of us?¡± Mo Han spoke as he gently grazed his lips across her ear. Xia Qingyi continued to shrink back, not daring to look at Mo Han. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, it¡¯s itchy.¡± Mo Han saw that her ears were red and she was still furiously blinking her eyes, looking extremely adorable. His heart fluttered, and he could not help but to lower his head and move forward to kiss her on the side of her face. Xia Qingyi avoided him, smacked his left arm and took the chance to escape through the space beneath his arms. She did not look too happy, and said with a frown, ¡°In the future... don¡¯t do this... I don¡¯t like it.¡± Mo Han saw her expression and calmed down. Even his voice had changed. ¡°You don¡¯t like me?¡± Xia Qingyi stood a distance away from him. She did not dare to look at him in the eye, and only stared at the side of his face. ¡°I... see you as my older brother. I...¡± Mo Han interrupted her, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t say it. I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone turned as cold as the time when she had first met him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything, have a good sleep.¡± After he finished speaking, he did not look at Xia Qingyi, turned, and left the room. Xia Qingyi saw him walk out of the room. The door closed with a bang, leaving her alone inside. She turned her head back and saw the zer and a blue tie Mo Han left on the bed. She had never thought that his reaction would be so big. Xia Qingyi took his clothes and tie and carefully left it on the sofa in the living room to let him keep it when he saw it the next morning. She went to look at Mo Han¡¯s room and saw that his door was locked tight. Why did she reject him? He was clearly a good person, and it was an honor to be liked by him, so why did she reject him? But what kind of person was she? She was someone who did not even know about her own past, and her personality was not good. Even she disliked herself sometimes. If they really got together, as her lover, he would slowly start to realize her real self and would probably dislike her as well. So, why bother? She was not a person who liked romance. She had always liked being by herself, and did not really like someone bothering her at her side. It was better to stop it before they got too serious with each other. Xia Qingyi felt that this was only a temporary thought by Mo Han. It was probably Han Liang¡¯s sudden appearance that made him feel as though someone else had snatched something that belonged to him, and not a kind of undying love. She admitted that perhaps her sorrow had made her wary towards a sudden appearance of kindness. It seemed that good things were forever descending upon her. She admitted that she was really unlucky in this area. Xia Qingyi saw that Mo Han was already sitting at the table when she woke up and went out of her room the next day. He had already changed, his ironed suit ced next to him as he ate. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± Xia Qingyi sat on the other side of the table. ¡°I wanted to let you sleep longer,¡± Mo Han replied as he ate, his cold tone emotionless. ¡°Okay,¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head as she chewed on her chopsticks. His estranged attitude also made her lose interest in chatting, so she sat at one side and quietly ate her food. Since she had suddenly decided not to talk this time round, she realized that she was the one who would chat about all sorts of things with Mo Han when they ate for most of the times. Now that she did not say anything, the house was silent to the point of being eerie. Xia Qingyi could not bear it any longer, and spoke in the end, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the school toplete the procedures this afternoon and try to start sses by this week.¡± Mo Han did not speak and only ate his food. ¡°I¡¯ll have nothing to do when Ie back this afternoon, can I go to yourw firm and stay there for a while?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°No.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him as he said, ¡°Thew firm is rather busytely, it won¡¯t be convenient if you¡¯re there.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t cause any trouble, I¡¯ll just sit at the side and look at you all.¡± Xia Qingyi could see that Mo Han was still going to reject her and said, ¡°Alright, alright... I won¡¯t go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve finished, I¡¯ll go to thew firm,¡± Mo Han put down his chopsticks, took his briefcase and stood up. Xia Qingyi looked at him, and nced at the clock on the wall. ¡°Why are you so early today? You might end up going there too early.¡± Mo Han had already walked to the doorway and was about to put on his shoes. ¡°Thew firm is busytely, so I have to go earlier.¡± Xia Qingyi was just about to ask him what time he would be back tonight? But Mo Han had already closed the door with a loud thud and left. She released a deep breath, sat back down on the chair, stunned. She saw the unfinished food on the table, but she no longer had any appetite. Was he purposely distancing himself from her? Or was he hiding from her? Because of what had happened yesterday? When she came home from school in the afternoon, her mind was constantly elsewhere. Because she was alone and she did not know how to cook, she ordered takeout, sat on the rug and finished it. Usually Mo Han would return a whileter in the past. Sometimes he would even bring back food for her and the two of them would sit and eat together at the dining table. But now, there was only Xia Qingyi tastelessly poking at her food alone. She robotically ate a few bites, and was unable to continue. She simply threw the rest into the bin and went to the study room to read. At nine P.M, Mo Han was quietly sitting in his car in the parking lot. He had actually reached here half an hour ago, but he still did not want to go up. Actually, him telling Xia Qingyi that thew firm was busy in the morning was a lie. The expression she had when she saw him leave also revealed that she knew about it. She definitely had let him go back earlier, but he still hurriedly left, as though he was running away. He had not expected her rejection. He initially thought that there would no longer be any problems between them without Han Liang. He thought that she liked him, but Han Liang hade in between them after that. But now, she did not act as he had expected even without Han Liang. He had neglected an important problem. She did not like him at all, she had only treated him as an older brother. When she said it yesterday, he was truly shocked. So he did not really want to see her in the morning. It was not her fault, but he would be ovee by the memory of the awful state he was in when he heard her say that she did not like him. Hinting that having romantic feelings was merely on his part. His expression at that time had to be really ugly, since he had turned around and left in such a panicked manner back to his room. And now he had to be really ashamed, sitting in the parking lot inside his own car thinking of when to go up to his house. As he continued to wait, Mo Han looked at the time and saw that it was already nine thirty. It would probably not be good if he remained out here. Would she still wait for him to return as she did in the past? Mo Han quickly shook his head. Don¡¯t think so much! She did not think the same way as you. She only treated you as a brother, stop imagining things. He still opened the door in the end and went home. The moment he opened the door, the house was still lit as he expected. Except that Xia Qingyi was not in the living room. The house was empty and quiet, only the bright light filled the room. Mo Han did not go to her room to look for her as he usually did in the past. Her room had be a forbidden ce to him. There were still some details to be ironed out for the Yuanchen Company case on theft of trade secrets and embezzlement of funds. He wanted to continue doing it when he went back to work tomorrow, but he realized that he did not feel sleepy at all after he had reached home, so he simply followed his old habit, took a cup of water andptop to the study room with him and prepared to work. But when he opened the door to the study room, he froze. Xia Qingyi was sleeping soundly on the small sofa seat in the study room; the book in her hand had fallen to the floor. She was lying down facing the inside on her side, her legs propped up high on the side of the sofa, it was unknown how long she had slept, and there was nothing covering her body. Mo Han nced at her, walked past her and gently closed the door. Murphy¡¯s Law was indeed right. The more you worried that something would happen, then the more likely that the particr thing would happen. Like now. Mo Han walked over, and seeing her sleep in such an unguarded manner, he shook his head. She certainly slept soundly. He picked up the book that had fallen onto the floor, and saw that she was reading Basic Principles of Economic Law . She would really read all kinds of books; it was no wonder she had fallen asleep. Mo Han turned back to look at her sleeping face, and hesitated over where to wake her up. Just as he was pondering about it, Xia Qingyi probably ached from sleeping on the sofa and was tossing and turning around to find a morefortable position to continue sleeping. Mo Han came back to his senses, gave a small cough and said, ¡°Go to your room and sleep.¡± Awakened by his voice, Xia Qingyi was rather grumpy. She buried her head into the sofa and softly grunted a sound. ¡°Go and sleep,¡± Mo Han said again. Chapter 160 - Angry

Chapter 160: Angry

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Go back and sleep,¡± Mo Han said again. Only then did Xia Qingyi awaken a little. She sat up crookedly but her eyes were still closed. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Mo Han¡¯s heart leaped for a moment. He could not be tempted by this, remember what she had said yesterday! Remember what she had said yesterday! ¡°Yup, go back to your room and sleep,¡± Mo Han steeled his voice and said. Xia Qingyifortably yawned for a long moment and finally opened her eyes. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°Almost ten,¡± Mo Han walked towards the table next to the bookshelf, sat down and opened hisputer. Xia Qingyi rubbed her eyes, looked at Mo Han sitting on the chair concentrating on hisputer and said, ¡°You¡¯re going to continue working?¡± ¡°I have a file that had to be finished before tomorrow morning.¡± Xia Qingyi stood up and staggered towards the door in a nt. ¡°Then I¡¯m going back to sleep, don¡¯t work toote.¡± She seemed to be interacting on and off with him like she did in the past, except that he was probably no longer able to interact with her as he did previously. Some spoken words were like spilled water, no longer able to be taken back. And it would be impossible for things to return back to as they were in the past. Mo Han had never thought that Xia Qingyi would have such a profound influence on him one day. After she left, he spent a total of two minutes to adjust himself and continue focusing on his work purely from having to speak with her. The situation for the next day was just like yesterday. The two of them sat at the dining table and ate quietly. But the only difference this time was that Xia Qingyi told him she would be taking a trip to F City in two days. She said that she wanted to visit her younger sister with her mother and Han Liang. The girl who had already passed away. Mo Han did not say anything. He did not have any right to judge her household matters. He always felt like an outsider every time she mentioned her mother or Han Liang. She said that she might have to stay there for a day since the graveyard was pretty far away, so they probably would not be able to make it back on time. Mo Han did not speak and only nodded his head. She seemed to be furious. She had never known how to hide her emotions. Mo Han was much better than her in this area. She did not even finish her food, the corners of her mouth lowered as she said with a frown that she was full and that she was leaving. She left earlier than Mo Han, closing the door with a bang. Mo Han did not even know where she was going today. He left not long after and drove to thew firm. The house felt too empty with only him alone. Mo Han just arrived at thew firm and had not even stepped in yet when he felt that the atmosphere in the office was different. Liu Zhiyuan saw him from afar and ran towards Mo Han, his face full of worry. Mo Han asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The CEO of Yuanchen Organization and their representativewyer are here. ¡°So early?¡± Mo Han nced inside. ¡°They are going to court with Daren Company in two days, they¡¯re probably up to something. I told them you¡¯re not here yet, and even if you were there are other meetings to attend to. But they insisted on waiting for you.¡± ¡°Push back all my meetings a little, I¡¯ll go and hear what they have to say.¡± Liu Zhiyuan waved him towards the waiting room. ¡°Be careful, Boss. They don¡¯t look too happy.¡± Mo Han patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Mo Han walked into the waiting room. There were five people sitting at the round table, and a few of them stood up when they saw Mo Han enter the room. Only the person in the middle remained unmoved, leaning back against the chair to look at Mo Han. ¡°Barrister Mo sure iste,¡± the person in the middle said. ¡°I¡¯m right on time, you reached here early.¡± Mo Han walked to the side of the table. ¡°From what I know, my schedule for today did not seem to include an appointment with Chairman Du.¡± ¡°What should I do? I¡¯m still not worthy enough for Barrister Mo to grace us with your presence?¡± The man sitting in the middle was the CEO of Yuanchen Organization, one of the most famous men in the country. He was slightly short, his figure a little plump, and the top of his head had a balding patch from old age. But this did not affect his stern hold over thepany. He nned to use this kind of attitude to intimidate Mo Han. But this did not affect Mo Han. His attitude remained the same, the corners of his mouth was even slightly lifted. ¡°You tter me. If Chairman Du wants to meet me, you can send someone to inform me, and I can go over to yourpany. Why trouble Chairman Du to personallye all the way down to my humblew firm,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°Barrister Mo sure is modest,¡± Chairman Du said. ¡°Chairman Du, do say what you¡¯re here for. Don¡¯t disrupt our work here.¡± Chairman Du sitting opposite straightened his body and looked at Mo Han. ¡°Then I shall not beat around the bush. We¡¯re here for the case between ourpany and your client Rendapany, which yourw firm is representing.¡± Mo Han sat on the opposite side and said, ¡°If it¡¯s for that case, then I¡¯m afraid that Chairman Du had made a wasted trip. All the instances regarding theft of trade secrets and embezzlement between yourpany and Renda Company havergely been finalized. Your representativewyer is likely to have received the summons from court. The court will naturally decide on the oue based on the evidence presented during the trial, so this is not something that can be decided by me.¡± He added, ¡°What¡¯s more, I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s not advisable to meet with the other party involved in the case in private before the trial.¡± Myriad emotions were disyed on Chairman Du¡¯s face. ¡°Barrister Mo is not afraid that there will be new changes to the case?¡± Mo Han smiled. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Chairman Du has worried too much. We have probably finished preparing the evidence for this case. Yourpany¡¯s theft of my client¡¯s trade secrets is already a fact ofw, so why don¡¯t you invest your energy intomunicating with yourwyer and discuss the matters of the oue as well as the amount of the fine instead ofing here to discuss the case.¡± Chairman Du stared at him for quite a while, before he smiled again, as though he was trying to alleviate the atmosphere. ¡°Aiyo, don¡¯t be so strict with your words, Barrister Mo. You don¡¯t know that the matter of theft was blown out of proportion. In such a huge market, it¡¯s inevitable that there will be the same ideas. The idea by our creative department was only simr to Rendapany¡¯s, why be so uptight about it? How good will it be if all of us can split the market!¡± ¡°Then what about the cases of embezzlement?¡± Mo Han said. ¡°You can¡¯t me me for this one. me my failure of a son. He was yful and in over his head just because he had a bit of intelligence. He came over to thepany¡¯s finance department and only took out some funds temporarily to pay for a few cars. What does that have to do with me? Now that things have be like this, I¡¯m also a victim as well!¡± ¡°I¡¯m in awe that Chairman Du¡¯s son can actually spend a few million on cars alone,¡± Mo Han smiled and kept silent, thinking how thick-skinned Chairman Du could be to push the me onto someone elsepletely. How he could immediately push someone else into the fire to protect himself once it involved his self-interests. ¡°If Barrister Mo wants a car, I¡¯m willing to buy one for you personally, take it as an exchange of friendship between the two of us. After all, Barrister Mo is such a renownedwyer within the country,¡± Chairman Du said. ¡°No... no... I have my own car.¡± Mo Han understood that businessmen would never conduct a sale at a loss. ¡°If Barrister Mo has any other needs, feel free to inform me. I will do it for you no matter what it is. As long as Barrister Mo can look after us in the court as well.¡± Mo Han looked at Chairman Du¡¯s face andughed. See, the fox¡¯s tail was finally revealed. ¡°Chairman Du...¡± Mo Hanughed softly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared that you¡¯re being recorded?¡± A few of them immediately showed stunned faces, and Chairman Du even looked at him with hatred. ¡°Just joking with you, Chairman Du. Why would I resort to such methods? And I hope that Chairman Du can understand something. A gentleman who seeks fortune will have earned it in a proper way.¡± Mo Han said softly as he looked at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte; I have to go for a meeting. Please leave.¡± Chairman Du was panting with anger, his hand tightly clenched into a fist, and he stood up. ¡°Then I shall not disturb Barrister Mo.¡± ¡°Then I shall not see you to the door. Farewell, Chairman Du,¡± Mo Han said as he held the door open for them. After Chairman Du and the four other men marched off, the staff leaned out to look at the direction of where they left. With a few cups of coffee in his hands, Liu Zhiyuan looked at them leave, then turned to look at Mo Han, as though asking why they had left so early. ¡°Hurry up and work. Everything¡¯s fine,¡± Mo Han said. Liu Zhiyuan casually put the coffee on a table and ran over to ask Mo Han, ¡°What did they say?¡± ¡°Nothing much, I¡¯ve already dealt with the case,¡± Mo Han said. Liu Zhiyuan showed him a thumbs up. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re the bomb. You can even handle that old fellow from Yuanchen Organization. You don¡¯t even know how cunning his methods are, he¡¯s said to be the tyrant of the business world. I thought that they were going to stay here for the entire afternoon.¡± Mo Han smiled. ¡°He actually didn¡¯t talk much and only wanted to get on my good side to bribe me. But it was a pity that theirpany¡¯s offenses are already confirmed, and even the evidence are there. It¡¯ll be pretty difficult to turn the tables around, which is why they resorted to this method hoping that we¡¯d help them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re really daring. They can dream about us letting them go. Even if theirwyer is capable, who is going to supply the 60 million yuan ofpany funds that they had misappropriated without authorization? Even if theirwyer is capable, it¡¯s most likely that they will not be able to win.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Even then, we cannot let our guard down. Pay more attention to theirpany¡¯s situation these few days. We¡¯ll go to court in a few days¡¯ time, so we can¡¯t let anything go wrong.¡± Liu Zhiyuan patted his chest. ¡°Count on me.¡± And he added, ¡°Boss, I saw your sister on the streets yesterday. She wasn¡¯t paying attention, and didn¡¯t even hear me when I greeted her, as if she was thinking of something.¡± Chapter 161 - Destined

Chapter 161: Destined

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°You saw her yesterday?¡± ¡°Yeah, just right opposite thepany. I met her on the way when I went down to buy coffee.¡± Mo Han turned silent, and Liu Zhiyuan next to him rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, ¡°Did anything happen to her? Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time. Didn¡¯t shee to our office asionally in the past? She¡¯s noting here anymoretely.¡± ¡°You¡¯re concerned about her?¡± Mo Han said. Seeing that Mo Han¡¯s expression had changed, Liu Zhiyuan immediately said, ¡°No... no, don¡¯t worry, Boss, Xia Xia and I only friends!¡± ¡°You call her Xia Xia?¡± The tone of his voice dropped by a few degrees. ¡°No... no, Xia Xia told me to call her that. It¡¯s not... what I¡¯m saying is...¡± Seeing his boss slowly cornering him, Liu Zhiyuan could not even speak clearly. He sighed. ¡°In the beginning, I thought her name was difficult to say, so I told her, shall I call you Xia Xia then, she said anything is fine, whatever suits me. So I kept on calling her that.¡± ¡°Do you two contact each other a lot in private?¡± Mo Han asked again. Liu Zhiyuan shook his head. ¡°Not really, we¡¯ll just chat a bit once in a while.¡± His heart went cold went he saw Mo Han¡¯s expression, and he decided to stop talking about Mo Han¡¯s sister with Mo Han any longer. He was always the one left speechless in the end, so he started to retreat. ¡°That... Boss I remembered that I have something on, I need to go.¡± Far away from Mo & Associates, Chairman Du sat frowning inside a car. He felt furious whenever he remembered the words that Mo Han had said earlier in thew firm. He had heard that Barrister Mo was a cold-hearted person a long time ago, but he only got to experience how firm Mo Han was for himself when he was there today. The cases he received would not have any changes from then on as long as they had enough evidence. Of course, even if he did not have enough evidence, he could also look for leads and then firmly stood his ground. In his five years of being awyer, he had not had a single case that had a chance of losing. ¡°This person Mo Han really doesn¡¯t know his own ce,¡± Chairman Du looked in front as he spoke, one hand knocking at the car window. ¡°Exactly as people said,¡± the representativewyer beside him said. ¡°Do you know whether he has any weakness?¡± Chairman Du asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But ording to what I know, a few people that wanted his help were rejected in the past few years. Should we change the tactic, and meanwhile I¡¯ll treat the judge to a meal these few days and see whether things can turn for the better?¡± Chairman Du stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient, we should continue working on Mo Han. If things with the judge do not go well, then it¡¯d be even more disadvantageous for us.¡± The representativewyer said, ¡°But... it was already like this today...¡± Chariman Du smiled. ¡°It¡¯s certainly hard to discuss matters with Mo Han, but we can do it from the people close to him.¡± ¡°People close to him?¡± ¡°I heard that Mo Han has a younger sister.¡± ¡°Oh... I heard about it before too. They don¡¯t seem to be blood-rted. She was adopted by Mo Han¡¯s parents in America, and just came here a while ago.¡± Chairman Du looked delighted as though he had found something interesting. ¡°Not blood-rted?¡± ¡°Yup. But actually, the siblings¡¯ rtionship with each other seems pretty good, his sister often goes to thew firm to y.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his sister¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Xia Qingyi.¡± ¡°It seems like we need to have a good chat with Miss Xia.¡± The representativewyer seemed a little worried. ¡°Will this work? Mo Han doesn¡¯t seem to be someone who¡¯d get tricked by this. I remember that I had a colleague who went to find Mo Han in the past for some matters and got the cold shoulder. He somehow managed to find Mo Han¡¯s girlfriend in America after that, hoping that she could plead for him, but it didn¡¯t work.¡± Chairman Du felt that he had already found the perfect solution, and confidently said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Dealing with a girl is much easier than dealing with Mo Han. If his sister doesn¡¯t listen to us, then we can do it the hard way, there will definitely be a solution.¡± ¡°Then alright, I¡¯ll try contacting her,¡± the representativewyer said. Faraway in F city, Xia Qingyi did not know that she was going to be embroiled in trouble. She was still angry at Mo Han¡¯s indifferent attitude when she told him this morning that she was going out and noting back. His confession was rejected, and he became like this? As though he could not wait to cut off all ties with her, and pretend that he did not know her? Was he determined to distance himself from her? Even if they were not in a romantic rtionship, did he want to antagonize her and not say a word to her? Xia Qingyi felt that Mo Han was behaving in a ridiculous manner. As though everything was her fault that she rejected him, and that him wanting to distance himself from her was a consequence that she should bear. But, had he not thought it through? Mo Han was the only person who she could brazenly talk to, and now that he had distanced himself from her, there was really not a single person that she could talk with any longer. There were billions of people in this world, and yet she did not have a single person who she could chat with. So, in a fit of anger, she brought her trip forward, went to F City and apanied her mother to Song Yuenian¡¯s grave. Speaking of her mother, she did not seem to be angry that Xia Qingyi had gone back to S City after she found out the truth. When Xia Qingyi saw her again, she was still smiling, and she even came over to pull Xia Qingyi to stand next to her. When they stood in front of Song Yuenian¡¯s gravestone together, she seemed to have resolved a knot within her heart, and was much more rxed than she was before. ¡°I always thought that you¡¯d choose to not see us any longer after you found out the truth,¡± her mother said. ¡°You¡¯re my mother,¡± Xia Qingyi stood before the grave with her and stared at the photo on the gravestone of the girl who looked exactly like her. Her mother nced at her, and then smiled as she said, ¡°Do you want to hear about the past?¡± ¡°I do, tell me.¡± Her mother said, ¡°Oh you, your personality is still the same as it was in the past. Your sister was the kind tough everyday and she liked going out to y with others. But at home, she¡¯d keep quiet and didn¡¯t like to talk. You¡¯re different. You¡¯d show a glum face to others the entire day outside, and you¡¯d even bring a book along to read, but in fact you¡¯re actually really kind. When you saw someone being rough to a rabbit, you¡¯d worry that the rabbit would get hurt. At home, you¡¯d even tease us and make us happy asionally.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled. ¡°Really? I was really like that when I was little? I can¡¯t remember it clearly. I only remember crying in yourp.¡± Her mother also smiled along with her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about that time, that was the only time you cried. Do you know why?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you saw a dog get knocked down by a car until it waspletely bloodied over when you went to school by yourself. You carried the dog and begged passers-by to apany you to the vet, but they were cold-hearted and said that the dog had to be dead, that you shouldn¡¯t waste a trip there and that you should go to school. After that, when you thought of all sorts of ways and finally brought the dog to the vet, he said that the dog could no longer be saved.¡± Her mother said, ¡°When I went to the vet, you were wailing in the corridor.¡± As Xia Qingyi heard her mother¡¯s words, she thought about it dazedly, and traces of memories appeared. This was a rather wonderful feeling. Even if they were only fragments, slowly remembering things from the past made her feel awake. ¡°Han Liang probably told you before, that we were separated from each other for a period of time.¡± When her mother said this, the smile on her face disappeared and was reced by sorrow. She quietly listened to her mother speak. ¡°I always feel that things in the world are merely a cycle. When you left at that time, only Nian Nian stayed by our side. And now, you¡¯re back, but Nian Nian is gone. This is probably destined, and in the end, only one of you can stay.¡± Her mother¡¯s expression looked devastated as she slowly went deep into her memories. ¡°At that time your father¡¯spany was in trouble, cash flow was tight, even paying the employees was a problem. He borrowed from loan-sharks and originally thought that he could pay it back immediately after he earned some profits. But no one would expect that he¡¯d used up all the money he borrowed within a month. After that, the loan-sharks came to our house and kept breaking things outside, trapping us inside the house. Your dad and I knelt down and begged them to let us go, they grabbed him and dragged him to the rooftop on the third floor, which is the house with the cross on top, and wanted to throw him down and cripple him to get some cash from the insurance.¡± ¡°You were only 11 years old at that time, your sister was so scared that she kept crying in myp. You red at the loan-sharks and asked what would it take for them to let us go.¡± Xia Qingyi nced at her mother, thinking that the words she said were rather unbelievable. Was she like that at that time? Her mother also nced back at her, and smiled as she said exasperatedly, ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Her mother continued speaking, ¡°We were shocked. You were like a tiny warrior at that time, standing in front of us and asking the loan-shark with a scar on his face. The scarface saw you standing, and he smiled and said that if you could make them happy, then he¡¯d let us go.¡± ¡°I hurriedly went to grab you, afraid that they had terrible things in mind. But you were not scared at all and you even asked them what you could do to make them happy. I quickly covered your mouth when I heard you say that and hid you behind me, but you didn¡¯t want to move back at all and kept standing in front.¡± ¡°They came to grab you after that. I refused to let you go, so they came over and broke my arm. Your father was hung on the cross so he could not move. I kept screaming from behind, and had to see them take you away from me with my own eyes.¡± Chapter 162 - Moving Out

Chapter 162: Moving Out

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Her mother¡¯s tears were already falling as she cupped her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud, though her tear-filled eyes made her look exceptionally sad. Xia Qingyi could not imagine that her past was like this. She wanted to cry together with her mother, to help soothe her sadness, but she found that she could not cry, because she did not have this part of her memory. ¡°What happened next?¡± she asked. ¡°After that, you were taken by three of the men. The remaining three men stayed to watch us. Your younger sister was so frightened that she fainted. My arm had fractured from the beating while your father was about to copse from exhaustion. I could only wait for you toe back. We couldn¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry...¡± her mother choked on her tears as her shoulders shook tremendously. Xia Qingyi patted her mother¡¯s shoulder. For the first time, she was so d that she did not have her memories from the past. She did not want to remember the pain she felt from the past, so that she couldfort her mother easily, as if she had just heard a story about a stranger. It was merely another person¡¯s story, no matter how painful, how twisted and how much empathy she felt. ¡°That group of people came back after two days, but you didn¡¯t. They said that they didn¡¯t need the interest owed from the loan anymore, that it would be fine once we repaid the money that we owed within two weeks. I ask them about where you were. They¡¯d told me that I should just treat it as if you had died and that there was no need to look for you anymore, that I already had a daughter anyway.¡± ¡°But the both of you were different. You¡¯re my daughter too. Why can¡¯t they just give you to me?¡± her mother¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°For a long time after that, I went to the police station to file a police report to say that you¡¯d been killed by them. Those police kept telling me okay, yet there was no more news from them.¡± Her mother patted her hand, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you didn¡¯t die. Han Liang was the first one to meet you two years ago. It was then that I knew that you hadn¡¯t died. I went to see you to ask you toe back to us. Yet you said that you wouldn¡¯te back since you and I are in different worlds now.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Han Liang told me a few days ago.¡± She turned her body to give her mother a big hug. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sad anymore. It¡¯s all in the past. Besides, I can¡¯t remember anymore.¡± Her mother continued to cry as she leaned on her shoulder and whimpered quietly. Xia Qingyi quietly gave her a hug as she patted her. After that, she and her mother stood in front of the tombstone for a long time as they embraced each other. Her mother would nce at Nian Nian¡¯s photo on the tombstone from time to time and would say a few sentences to herself. She would then nce at her asionally, patting her hand while she smiled bitterly, as if she was afraid that Xia Qingyi would leave. By the time they had returned from the cemetery, it was already dark. There was a two hour traveling distance from here to her home in S City. Her mother tugged on her hand as she asked her to not go back today and to stay with her in F City for the night. Han Liang had also moved out a while back and her mother was the only one left in the house. Xia Qingyi nced at her watch and estimated that even if she were to go back to S City now, it would already be midnight by the time she reached there. Perhaps, she might even disturb Mo Han¡¯s rest, which was why she might as well not go back. Nevertheless, she still had to give Mo Han a call to tell him about her whereabouts, in case he might seize this opportunity and continue to fault her for it if she had not done so. Her mother was a little tired after they had returned to the house in F City. Xia Qingyi told her to head in first and rest for a while, and that she would head in after the call. She sat at the steps on the front porch and called Mo Han. The call rang for three times before the call got through on the other end, and she could hear Mo Han¡¯s voice. ¡°I brought forward my schedule and came to F City to see my younger sister with my mother. It¡¯s toote now, so I won¡¯t go back today.¡± There was still a bit of angerced in Xia Qingyi¡¯s tone when she spoke. Mo Han paused for a while before he said okay from the other end of the call. Xia Qingyi got a little angry at his indifferent tone, though she still tried to suppress her emotions the best she could. ¡°I¡¯ll probably reach home tomorrow afternoon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. You cane back anytime you want.¡± Xia Qingyi heard Mo Han saying this from the other end of the call. Xia Qingyi gripped the phone tightly as silence ensued the phone call. Mo Han said after a while, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up.¡± Xia Qingyi shouted at him, ¡°Wait, don¡¯t hang up.¡± Mo Han was silent on his end of the call, as if he was waiting for her to continue. ¡°I... know that you¡¯ve been distancing yourself away from me. If you don¡¯t want to see me again, you can just tell me directly. It¡¯s also okay to ask me to move out. I don¡¯t have a reason to stay at your ce now after all... But, please don¡¯t treat me like this, like it¡¯s a waste of your time to even talk to me.¡± Xia Qingyi did not know what she felt as she said this out. All she felt was all sorts of pressure from unknown sources that pressed heavily in her chest as they moved around anyhow in her body. Her hands were held tightly into fists, as if she was cheering herself for the words she had just said. It had been a while since she had wanted to say this, though she had felt that their rtionship would never be able to go back to what it was after she did. Ultimately, Mo Han and her could not go back to the type of rtionship they had originally. Xia Qingyi felt that there was nothing to lose since she had already confronted him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to act as if you¡¯re very busy with work,e back home sote everyday or avoid me when you¡¯re home anymore. I will move out. I know how you feel. Since it¡¯s impossible between us, then let¡¯s cut our ties like you wanted, so it won¡¯t be awkward next time we meet.¡± Mo Han, who was on the other end of the call, kept quiet. He did not speak even after Xia Qingyi had said all this. It was so quiet that Xia Qingyi had thought that the phone signal had been cut off on his side. She moved the phone away to take a look at it, only to find the call time continue to move second by second. ¡°Do you really think this way?¡± he asked quietly, as his breathing hardened. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk again after you¡¯re back.¡± Xia Qingyi did not know what else to say after hearing his words and merely kept quiet. Mo Han asked from the other end of the call, ¡°Are you alright?¡± She hummed in response. On the other end of the call, Mo Han said with an extremely t tone, ¡°You hang up first.¡± Listening to his words obediently, she nodded her head and hung up, only to realize afterwards that he had told her to hang up first as she stared at her phone. But why did he do that? Why did he ask her to hang up first? Xia Qingyi found herself getting caught up by such a small issue again. She stayed with her mother for a day, before she got on the bus to go back to S City the next afternoon. She wanted to start packing some simple things when she went back in the afternoon originally. She could probably leave when Mo Han came back at night. However, she was stopped by a group of people before she could even reach home. At that time, she had already reached the apartment block and was about to take out her keys from her bag. She had been waiting for the lift, though she was already blocked by a well-built person before she could even take out her keys. Xia Qingyi almost thought that they were the group of loan sharks from when she was young, and they were here for her. However, they had only lifted their hands to stop her and did not do anything else. ¡°Can... I help you?¡± she looked at them guardedly. ¡°You must be Miss Xia Qingyi.¡± One of them made the other men put down their arms as he asked her with a smile and his body slightly bowed. Xia Qingyi started to panic a little due to his smile. She summoned her courage and said, ¡°Yes. Can I help you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this, President Du would like to meet you.¡± he pointed to the side and Xia Qingyi finally noticed that an extended ck limousine had unknowingly stopped next to them. The car body was beautiful and smooth. She could tell that it was owned by a rich person with just a nce. ¡°I don¡¯t think... I know President Du.¡± That person continued to smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯ll be fine as long as President Du knows you.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t really remember... if I¡¯ve done something that would make President Du remember me.¡± Xia Qingyiughed bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s about your older brother. President Du would like you to pass a message to your older brother.¡± she could feel that man¡¯s smile slowly faltering with the different sort of resistance from her. She was about to say something else when one of the man covered her mouth and carried her over his shoulder towards the direction where the car was. Xia shook her head desperately. She felt especially dizzy when her head facing downwards. As a result, she just let them do what they wanted to see what their motive was. That man threw her onto the backseat of the car and closed the car door with strength. She sat up and saw a man sitting opposite of her. He looked dignified and wore a ck suit. Both of his legs were on the seat as he leaned against the seat with his eyes squinted, as if he was studying her. Xia Qingyi thought that this was probably the ¡®President Du¡¯ that they had mentioned. ¡°President Du, I think you should know that what you¡¯re doing now is counted as using violence to illegally restrict my individual freedom?¡± Xia Qingyi said unhurriedly as she reorganized her clothes. President Du moved forward, wanting to get a clear look of her face. ¡°You¡¯re Mo Han¡¯s younger sister, Xia Qingyi? This is slightly interesting.¡± The car that the both of them were on suddenly started to move slowly. Xia Qingyi asked, ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± President Du asked, ¡°Why? Are you afraid?¡± Xia Qingyi broke into a smile instead. She sat straight and looked into President Du¡¯s eyes. ¡°Of course I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m afraid that President Du might get called a kidnapper for no reason while I¡¯m fer on. Wouldn¡¯t that be unjust?¡± President Du changed his posture. ¡°You¡¯re definitely Barrister Mo¡¯s younger sister. You¡¯re quite good with your words.¡± He lit a cigarette without a care. Xia Qingyi furrowed her eyebrows at the choking smoke. She could not help but to breathe with her mouth opened wide. President Du, who was sitting opposite her, merely exhaled a mouthful of cigarette smoke slowly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I only wanted to say one thing. You can leave after I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s something that you want to say, you can just say it in the car. We don¡¯t have to dy President Du¡¯s time any further.¡± President Duughed, ¡°We can¡¯t do that. We have to at least eat a meal for me to express my sincerity for such a prettydy before we can properly discuss the matter.¡± Xia Qingyi knew that she would not be able to leave for a while no matter what she told him. Since she is in such a situation, she might as well sit up and be ready to see what tricks he had next. Chapter 163 - Dont Hurt Her

Chapter 163: Don¡¯t Hurt Her

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios President Du did as he had said and brought her to a private room in a huge restaurant. Xia Qingyi looked at the humongous table in front of her. There was a sumptuous spread on the table. President Du, a serious-looking person dressed in a suit next to him and an indifferent Xia Qingyi were the only ones left in the room while President Du¡¯s remaining aides all left the room. Xia Qingyi was actually very hungry. Running her eyes across the table, she wanted to eat the food, though she knew that the situation that she was in was not a good time to eat. She did not even know the motive of these people, which was why she forced herself to move her vision away from the food and controlled her strong urge to eat. ¡°Just say what you have on your mind, President Du.¡± Xia Qingyi wanted to end this as soon as possible. ¡°It seems like Miss Xia is more impatient than me, wanting to start our discussion without even tasting the dishes.¡± President Du said, ¡°But, I really like this straightforward attitude of yours, Miss Xia.¡± President Du turned his head to the side to look at her. ¡°It¡¯s like this. I would like to work with your older brother on a recent case. But, he didn¡¯t seem too eager to consider my proposal at all and rejected me when I went to find him a few days ago. I know that you are very close to your older brother, which is why I was thinking if it would be better if you were the one to tell him. If you¡¯re willing to help, I would definitely give you remuneration that you would be satisfied with.¡± Xia Qingyiughed silently in her mind after she had heard his words. She was close with Mo Han? President Du probably did not know that they had recently argued and wanted to ask her for help after hearing from others that he had a younger sister. However, she would die even more miserably if she were to interfere with Mo Han¡¯s work now. She said, ¡°Since my older brother has made a decision about his work, there probably won¡¯t be many changes to it no matter what others said. I¡¯m afraid I couldn¡¯t help you even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to see who does the job about this matter. Others might not be able to, but if it were you, I think that Barrister Mo would definitely consider it properly.¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head as she said, ¡°My older brother doesn¡¯t like it when others interfere with his work, even if it¡¯s me. I think you have the wrong person.¡± ¡°If there is nothing else, I¡¯ll excuse myself.¡± She bowed her head slightly as she stood up, indicating that she was going out. ¡°It seems like Miss Xia isn¡¯t going to ept my kindness.¡± President Du leaned against the chair and looked in the direction that Xia Qingyi had left in. He nced at the serious-looking man that had been sitting beside them and that man immediately rushed over and grabbed her hands from behind her. He pinned her hands behind her back and Xia Qingyi bent her body in pain. She lost energy all over her body and was almost kneeling on the floor. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just forcing me to use force against you? Others might me me for being so rough on a girl in return.¡± President Du walked towards her and patted her face with one hand. If Xia Qingyi had had a knife in her hands at that point, she would definitely have stabbed him without a thought. Unfortunately, she did not have a knife. As a result, she could only re at him. ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± President Du still spoke slowly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t like to hurt people. Since you said no to my suggestion, then I have to ask you to cooperate for a whileter and stay to watch a show with me.¡± ¡°You want to use me to force my brother to agree to your request?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°Not bad, you¡¯re quite smart.¡± ¡°I advise you to give up then. It¡¯s impossible for him to say yes.¡± ¡°Young girl, it¡¯s not good to make a conclusion even before he¡¯s here. You¡¯ll know when the show starts.¡± President Du had a cigarette between his fingers as he returned to where he was sitting earlier. Xia Qingyi had also been escorted to sit next to him. She wanted to shift a little after sitting down when a cold and icy sharp item was pressed against her back. She turned back to see that man looking at her with a knife in his hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be like this, Sir. I¡¯m not running away. I only moved a little.¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head helplessly. That person continued to look at her fiercely as he kept quiet. She nced to her left and found that President Du was already making the phone call. The phone rang for a very long time before it went through. ¡°Hello.¡± Mo Han¡¯s cold voice could be heard from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello, Barrister Mo. I¡¯m President Du. Doe and have a meal with me.¡± President Du said rxedly. ¡°If it is for the case about Renda Company from that day, then I think there is no need for this meal.¡± Mo Han was settling another case about the allocation of apany¡¯s shares. He had no energy to deal with what President Du had said, as he thought about ending the conversation so that he could hang up the call as soon as possible. ¡°Please don¡¯t reject me too hurriedly, Barrister Mo. Do you know who I¡¯m eating with currently?¡± President Du nced at Xia Qingyi, who had her head bowed while she ate as she ced food into her bowl nonstop. She had been too hungry and had given up on her dignity for the table of delicious food in front of her. Mo Han did not pay attention to President Du¡¯s words. It was a no-brainer that President Du had invited some famous people in the legal profession to get them to convince him to agree to President Du¡¯s request. Mo Han said, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to know. I¡¯d like President Du to understand that I still have documents to settle. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯te even if your younger sister was here?¡± Mo Han froze for a while. There was an obvious change in his tone as he asked, ¡°My younger sister? Xia Qingyi?¡± ¡°Yes. Why do I only now know that you have such a pretty younger sister? It¡¯s such a pity.¡± President Du was teasing Mo Han. ¡°Is President Du joking with me?¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone was cold. ¡°How can I be joking with you? Come... I¡¯ll let you listen...¡± President Du pointed the receiver end of the phone towards where Xia Qingyi was and the man dressed in ck on her right poked her lightly with the sharp end of the knife. She jumped in shock as she had been busy eating. She shouted immediately, ¡°Hey! ... What are you doing?! ... It hurts.¡± On the other end of the call, the pen that Mo Han had been holding in his hand dropped at the sound of her voice. President Du passed the phone to Xia Qingyi. ¡°Say something to your older brother.¡± She took the phone and ce it by her ear. She was slightly resigned as she said, ¡°Come over... and eat with them.¡± Mo Han calmed his emotions. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s quite nice here.¡± Xia Qingyi replied. She wanted to say more, though President Du had already taken the phone and said, ¡°Barrister Mo should believe me now. Can¡¯t you put down your work for a while ande eat with me?¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°Old Shanghai. It¡¯s not far from your office.¡± ¡°She has nothing to do with our matter. Don¡¯t hurt her.¡± ¡°Listen to your words, you sound as if I¡¯m very mean. I just want to discuss about us working together, not hurt anyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right there. I hope you remember what you said.¡± Mo Han had never thought that his work would cause Xia Qingyi to be in such a situation one day. He ran out of thew firm. His mistake had caused her to be sent to the hospital in that conditionst time. He would definitely not let her get injured again because of him this time. Never. However, he could not go there blindly. He drove as he told himself to calm down and think about a solution for the situation at hand. After some deliberation, he eventually decided to call awyer friend he knew in A City. Mo Han reached ¡°Old Shanghai¡± twenty minutester. He had just reached the entrance when he saw two people walking towards him from the side as they indicated for him to follow them. Mo Han followed them up to the second floor and into a fancy VIP private room in the center of the second floor. He saw President Du, Xia Qingyi and a stranger sitting at the table in front of him the moment he had entered the room. Mo Han looked at Xia Qingyi, who did not appear to be injured. She was currently eating calmly and had merely looked up to nced at Mo Han after seeing that he had arrived, before she continued to eat. Mo Han was slightly relieved. President Du, who had been sitting opposite of him, stood up and approached him with a smile. ¡°Oh, our busy Barrister Mo is finally here.¡± He replied, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare note, since President Du had used such a special method to get me here after all.¡± President Duughed, turning to walk behind Xia Qingyi. He rested his hand on her shoulders as he bent down to ce his head near Xia Qingyi. ¡°I can¡¯t help but to say that Barrister Mo¡¯s younger sister is really beautiful. Even I, a man with a long experience of seeing almost every beauty in the world, can¡¯t help but be attracted.¡± Mo Han¡¯s eyes were like daggers. ¡°Take your hands away.¡± Xia Qingyi could not help but sigh silently in her mind. The pair of hands on her shoulders were like a piece of stone that weighed heavily on her shoulders. There was also a knife pressed against her at her back. It seemed like she could not continue to eat anymore. President Du raised an eyebrow as he lifted his hands in a rxed manner. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so agitated, Barrister Mo? Have I done anything yet?¡± Mo Han said, ¡°She has nothing to do with our business. Let her go and I¡¯ll discuss with you.¡± ¡°Listen to your words, Barrister Mo. I¡¯m afraid that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see you until now if it wasn¡¯t for your younger sister.¡± President Du continued to stand behind Xia Qingyi as he took the knife from the person who had been sitting next to Xia Qingyi. He turned slowly ced the knife against Xia Qingyi¡¯s neck as he looked at her ruthlessly. ¡°I wanted to discuss about working with you guys sincerely and agreed to any benefit that you two wanted, yet both of you siblings are the exact same! The two of you are so stubborn!¡± Mo Han held his breath as he stared at the knife ced against Xia Qingyi¡¯s neck. His heart had almost stopped beating. He nudged forward carefully. ¡°We can still properly discuss about what you wanted. I will consider it properly. Put the knife down first and sit down, then we can discuss the details of the issue.¡± However, Xia Qingyi appeared to bepletely unconcerned by the fact that President Du was pressing a knife against her neck. She nced at the knife pressing against her neck as she spoke slowly, ¡°Don¡¯t think about. It¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s impossible for him to agree to such a thing.¡± Chapter 164 - Injured

Chapter 164: Injured

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios President Du¡¯s other hand wrapped around Xia Qingyi¡¯s neck as he pulled her head up forcefully with his fingers on her chin. There was a faint glimpse of blood on the left side of her neck where the knife was. ¡°What did you say?¡± There was a glint of evilness in Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear clearly? But, I don¡¯t want to repeat my words.¡± Mo Han, who had been sitting opposite of them, watched in fear. It was as if they had gone back to when he had met her for the first time, when she was the only one who had gone up and calmly provoked the person who had been making a fuss when everyone else in thew firm had moved back in fear. She had never bowed down to the strong, no matter what. But, he did not want to see her act like this. ¡°Xia Qingyi, don¡¯t speak nonsense! Shut up!¡± Mo Han shouted from the opposite side. Xia Qingyi had been forced by President Du to lift her head up, though she persisted as she said while her eyes slowly met President Du¡¯s, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry anymore about the case, President Du. Yourpany misappropriated so many public funds. Just wait to spend even your next life in jail with your son.¡± Having heard this, President Du lost control of himself as he raised his right hand up high, wanting to stab the knife into Xia Qingyi¡¯s neck. Mo Han moved quickly towards them and kicked him from behind as he used a hand to pull Xia Qingyi behind him. The man dressed in ck that had been sitting next to Xia Qingyi stood up and threw a punch towards Mo Han¡¯s jaw after he saw that his boss had copse to the floor. Mo Han pushed Xia Qingyi towards the door with his strength after having just pulled her behind him. ¡°Go quick!¡± Xia Qingyi steadied herself as she looked at Mo Han. He was already fighting with President Du, who had gotten up from the floor, and the man dressed in ck. President Du had been boiling in rage as he picked up the knife and moved it towards Mo Han, wanting to stab him. Mo Han did not even realize his movement as he had been engaged in fighting with the man dressed in ck. Xia Qingyi watched this with great rm as she picked up a te from the table and threw it over. The te hit President Du¡¯s head and the knife dropped to scratch a cut on Mo Han¡¯s arm as blood appeared straight away. However, Mo Han did not have time to look at the injury on his hand as he bit down on his jaw and increased his strength to break free of the grip that the man dressed in ck had on his wrist. He spun his leg over and that man copsed to the floor Making use of the chance he had, Mo Han stepped on that man¡¯s hand as he turned to sit on that man. He held onto his head to smash it against the floor, and that man dropped. He turned to look at President Du, who was currently heading over to where Xia Qingyi was with a knife in his hand. Xia Qingyi had her back facing the closed door, ensuring that no-one entered the room and Mo Han ran over from behind as he jumped once more and kicked President Du. President Du flew on the floor as he fainted, and the knife dropped next to him. Xia Qingyi saw the man that had copsed behind him and ran over hurriedly. She looked at Mo Han worriedly as she pulled onto his sleeve. ¡°What do we do? He still has many men outside.¡± Mo Han patted her hand. ¡°It¡¯s alright. The police wille in a while.¡± He looked at the blood on Xia Qingyi¡¯s neck and touched it as he softly wiped the blood away. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Xia Qingyi avoided him. ¡°You called the police?¡± ¡°I told one of my friends in a call to inform the police if I¡¯m not back within an hour. The police should be here in a while.¡± ¡°What will we do if the people outsidee in before the police arrive?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll dispose of anyone whoes.¡± The sound of the door being smashed became louder outside. Xia Qingyi got frightened from the sound as she gripped onto Mo Han¡¯s sleeve and hid behind him. It was only when her hand touched his shirt that she realized that his arm was still bleeding, as blood dripped drop by drop from his finger tip. Mo Han noticed her gaze and shifted his hand inward to prevent her from seeing his injury. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a little bit of blood.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± ¡°Why are you saying sorry?¡± Mo Han was puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Xia Qingyi said again with her head lowered. Mo Han sighed, wanting to say something when he heard the sound of the police siren from outside. There was also a suddenmotion from the sounds of the door being smashed outside. Mo Han listened attentively as themotion outside slowly quietened, and then there was a knock on the door. Mo Han made Xia Qingyi stand behind him as he moved forward to open the door. He opened the door and saw Old Zhang standing outside in his police uniform. ¡°I¡¯ve already caught the person. Are the two of you alright?¡± Old Zhang asked. ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± Mo Han pointed to the two people that had copsed on the floor in the room as he said, ¡°The both of them have been knocked out. Do you think they should be sent to the hospital?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll handle it. It isn¡¯t just an economic crime that they¡¯vemitted now, they¡¯ll probably be charged with a criminal offense as well.¡± Old Zhang looked down to see Mo Han¡¯s still bleeding arm and asked, ¡°Is your arm alright? You should go bandage it up in the hospital.¡± It was only now that Mo Han felt a bit of pain from his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hospital in a while.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go now. Officer Zhang is here. Your arm is still bleeding. I¡¯ll apany you to the hospital.¡± Xia Qingyi said. Old Zhang could not hide his smile as he looked at them. He was thinking to himself that there was definitely some other type of ambiguous rtionship that the two had behind the scenes. He could tell from just their eyes, which was why he was coaxing Mo Han, ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m here to settle the things. You should go to the hospital with her.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± Mo Han said finally. Even though they were going to the hospital, Mo Han was so calm that he did not seem to be the one injured. He took Xia Qingyi back to his car and drove to the hospital with one hand. Xia Qingyi was sitting in the front passenger seat when she saw Mo Han¡¯s sleeve turn red from the blood. She leaned towards the back seat and found a shirt, which she wanted to use it to tie around Mo Han¡¯s hand as a temporary bandage to stop the bleeding. ¡°There¡¯s no need for it.¡± Mo Han drew his hand back as he continued to drive seriously. However, Xia Qingyi seemed to have gotten angry as her tone was cold and hard. ¡°Give me your hand. It¡¯s only for a few seconds.¡± Mo Han steered the steering wheel with his leftnd as he watched her bandage his arm using the shirt seriously. It felt as if it had been a while since he had seen her act like this, though he had also felt as if he had never seen her like this. Mo Han had been telling himself these few days not to be affected by her every action. She had clearly told him that she did not like him after all, and he should not think too much. He should not think too much. But, the further he had distanced himself from her, the more he felt that he was affected by her. The two had seen a doctor after they had reached the hospital. The doctor said that the wound was a little deep and needed stitching. He gave Mo Han local anesthetic and asked him to sit on the hospital bed before he took out a stitching needle. He started to stitch his wound together and bandaged it. Xia Qingyi was sitting outside of the cordoned area of the hospital bed. The two of them had been separated by the white medical curtain. She was a little down as she sat on the bench and yed with her fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that next time.¡± Mo Han suddenly said from inside. ¡°Eh? Be like what?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have said those words when President Du had ced the knife against your neck.¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°Then what should I say? Should I have said that you would help him to clear his offense of misappropriating public funds? Should I have agreed to all of his requests?¡± Xia Qingyi asked instead. ¡°What I meant was that you shouldn¡¯t have acted so extremely. President Du was so agitated at the moment, so why did you go and provoke him further? What if he lost control of himself?¡± ¡°It¡¯d be nice if he did. It¡¯d leave some time for you to fight back.¡± Xia Qingyi said without a care. ¡°Then why must you use such an extreme way? Can¡¯t you think of a safer way to solve this problem?¡± Xia Qingyi could not see Mo Han¡¯s expression with the curtain between them, though she felt as if Mo Han was reprimanding her. ¡°That President Du can¡¯t hurt me at all. Look at him. He has such a big stomach that he shakes even when he walks, how could he have the capacity to hurt people? Even if he did move faster, he would only give me a cut on my body at most. I have so many knife scars on my body, one or two more wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± Mo Han pulled open the curtain suddenly and Xia Qingyi looked up at him. He was sitting on the hospital bed as the doctor was bandaging his wound. His face was ck from anger as he looked at where Xia Qingyi was. ¡°Don¡¯t you want your life?¡± Mo Han stood up, wanting to walk towards her when the doctor held him back. ¡°Youngd, don¡¯t rush, don¡¯t rush. I¡¯m not done with the bandage yet. You young couples just have to give each other the cold shoulder for two days and you¡¯ll make up again. You shouldn¡¯t be concerned with this little time, should you?¡± Xia Qingyi would not dare to speak whenever Mo Han looked at her with this look. She sat on the bench obediently as she yed with her fingers with her head bowed. ¡°We¡¯re not a couple.¡± Mo Han said. The doctor has just finished with the bandage as he picked up a scissors to cut away the remaining length of the bandage. He ced it on the table as he said without a care, ¡°... That won¡¯t take too long either. It will happen soon, youngd. I¡¯m very spot on with my judgment of people.¡± Mo Han stood up as he rubbed his wrist. The doctor was tidying the scissors and pliers as he reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t eat spicy food after going back. Don¡¯t drink alcohol too. Your wound is quite deep, so you need to let it heal properly. We should be able to take out the stitches if there¡¯s not much of an issue when youe back for your appointment next week.¡± Xia Qingyi looked as if she was listening to the doctor more attentively than Mo Han was, as she kept staring at the doctor from her seat on the bench. Mo Han held his bloodied suit jacket in his hand as he looked at the letter. The doctor continued to say from behind him, ¡°Don¡¯t let the wound touch water. Do take note when you¡¯re bathing or washing your face.¡± Mo Han merely nodded his head lightly before he left the consulting room. When they went down to get his medicine, Xia Qingyi wanted to help Mo Han take his medicine as she told him that she had came to the hospital before and knew where to get the medicine. Mo Han merely ced his suit jacket in her hands and told her to wait for him outside. In a ce such as a hospital, there were a surprising amount of people queuing for medicine even though it was just a small pharmacy. Xia Qingyi wanted to stand and wait in the queue with him, though she had obediently moved to the back after seeing the weird stares from the people queuing around. She stood there as she waited for Mo Han to return with the medicine. When they were on the way back, the atmosphere in the car was not as depressing as the days before, even if they still did not talk much. Mo Han continued to drive attentively. Xia Qingyi wanted to speak to him, though she saw that he kept staring ahead of him, as if he did not want to talk to her. As a result, she turned her head to look out of the window at the view outside. Chapter 165 - Reconcile

Chapter 165: Reconcile

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Once they had reached home, Xia Qingyi took off her shoes in the front porch of the house. She was wondering if she should tell Mo Han that she regretted her words and wanted to continue to stay here, or to tell him that she would move away like they had agreed upon on the call earlier. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she had not taken off her shoes even after a while. She stopped moving after she had bent down and her leg was hovering in the air. ¡°Hey... your phone is ringing.¡± Mo Han called her. Xia Qingyi turned around before she really heard her phone ringing. She quickly changed into her home slippers and took out her phone from her bag, though she froze with one nce at the caller ID. ¡°Are you picking it up?¡± Mo Han asked her again. There was a short glimmer in Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes as she picked up the phone. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°I heard from mother that you¡¯reing back?¡± it was Han Liang¡¯s voice. Xia Qingyi had not thought that her mother would tell Han Liang so soon that she was leaving Mo Han¡¯s ce. On second thoughts however, her mother might not have been the one that had told him. Her mother was not that type of a person. ¡°No. I had only said that I¡¯d be leaving where I¡¯m currently staying, not that I was going back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all the same. You don¡¯t have anywhere else to stay at in S City apart from his ce, so wouldn¡¯t it be better if youe back? Your mother and I are here. We can take care of you too.¡± Xia Qingyi realized that Han Liang had never given up on the thought of making her go back. He had called her immediately after she had mentioned leaving Mo Han¡¯s ce. However, she did not understand his purpose for doing this. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m quite happy here.¡± Mo Han, who had seemingly been tidying up things as he sat in the living room, suddenly changed his expression. He kept quiet, though his actions became more exaggerated as the sound of him tidying suddenly echoed loudly in the living room. Xia Qingyi nced at him and cupped her phone while she walked towards the balcony as she thought that he was unhappy that she was speaking too loudly on the phone. She closed the partition door to the balcony and spoke quietly. ¡°Did something happen between the two of you? If not, why would you want to move out from there?¡± Han Liang asked. ¡°No. It¡¯s just that I¡¯d been returning home toote as I have to prepare for an exam at school. I felt that I¡¯d been disturbing him a little. That¡¯s why I thought about renting a house to stay outside.¡± ¡°He agreed?¡± ¡°Yes. He didn¡¯t have much to say.¡± Han Liang sneered on the other end of the call, ¡°Humph... I thought he was better than this.¡± Xia Qingyi furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I know that he likes you. I originally thought that you would get together with him immediately after we split up after you found out the truth. Now that I look at it however, I don¡¯t think that is the case.¡± Xia Qingyi did not know why she felt a little unhappy as she listened to his words, though she did not know what else to say and she kept quiet. ¡°Never mind. You don¡¯t have toe back if you don¡¯t want to, as long as you¡¯re livingfortably and remember to take time off and visit your mother once a while.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± Xia Qingyi replied. For unknown reasons after they had hung up the phone, Xia Qingyi started to feel frustrated. She pulled open the partition separating the balcony and the living room, though she jumped in shock at the silhouette in front of her. She had no idea when Mo Han had started to stand there. ¡°Why are you standing there?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart thumped crazily. ¡°I wanted to get the clothes, but you were talking on the balcony.¡± Mo Han leaned on the door as he nced at the clothes that had been hung up high on the poles. ¡°Oh... I¡¯m sorry. You can go in.¡± Xia Qingyi walked out. ¡°Are you guilty?¡± Mo Han asked her casually from behind her. Xia Qingyi stopped and turned to look at her. ¡°It was Han Liang that called you right? ... Are you still in contact with him now?¡± ¡°Yes, he was telling me something.¡± ¡°What was it? Why were you so secretive? You don¡¯t dare to say it in front of me?¡± ¡°It was nothing. He was just asking me when I would go back to visit my mother.¡± Xia Qingyi said simply, as if she was trying to downy with situation. ¡°Do you know that your fingers keep moving around when you lie?¡± Mo Hanughed as he said softly. Xia Qingyi immediately stopped her moving fingers resting at the sides of her body. It was obvious that Mo Han had seen her movement as he walked over and stood in front of Xia Qingyi. He looked down at her. ¡°Do you really want to leave me and return to him so badly? Have you fallen in love with him?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head hurriedly, as if she had heard something impossible. ¡°I¡¯m in love with him?! Are you trying to beedic? How could I like him? He¡¯s my brother-inw!¡± ¡°Then why are you in a rush to move out?¡± Xia Qingyi could not help it as the words just left her mouth. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you in the phone call? The reason for me wanting to move out is because I don¡¯t want to see the way you don¡¯t say anything at home and look as if you wanted to have no rtion to me. Isn¡¯t it just you confessing and me rejecting it? We don¡¯t have to not speak anymore, do we? But since you don¡¯t want to see me, I wouldn¡¯t want to stay here and be the victim of your emotional abuse. Can¡¯t we just amodate each other?!¡± By the time Xia Qingyi had digested what she had said, she had her hands sped over her mouth as she shut her mouth. Xia Qingyi did not dare to look at Mo Han while Mo Han did not speak and just looked at her. The two of them were silent as they looked at each other. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Xia Qingyi had not expected Mo Han to speak first. He said, ¡°It¡¯s been my problem... these few days... you don¡¯t have to move out... I will slowly adjust.¡± She had never seen Mo Han bow down to anyone before. She had always thought that he was unreasonable and proud of himself. But as she looked at Mo Han¡¯s expression now, that did not seem to be the case. ¡°Actually... I have been thinking... why did you reject me that day?¡± Mo Han looked straight into her eyes. Xia Qingyi froze for a moment before she looked down immediately. ¡°Actually... it¡¯s not your problem either. I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t believe in love.¡± It was apparent that Mo Han did not understand what she was saying and Xia Qingyi continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m like this too. When I see sweet couples walking together on the street, I would think about when they will break up. If there were still together after two years, would they still be like how they were now ten yearster? Although I admit that my thoughts are rather evil, I can¡¯t seem to control them.¡± ¡°And the truth is that there are couples that I know around me that cannot evenst two months.¡± Xia Qingyiughed. She stared at Mo Han, appearing to be a little resigned. ¡°And I feel that you don¡¯t seem to really like me that much. Instead of not being able to stay as friends after we get together and then break up after two months, I¡¯d rather we stick with the status quo where I feel more rxed.¡± ¡°How do you know that we¡¯d break up after two months?¡± Mo Han said. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just have the feeling that it would be like this.¡± Mo Han was silent. ¡°I don¡¯t want to not talk to you, and neither do I want to change the rtionship we had before. Can we go back to how we were?¡± Mo Han wanted to reject her at first as he had never wanted to have a sibling rtionship with Xia Qingyi. However, as he stared at her expression, he felt as if that she would immediately consider moving out if he were to say no. To Mo Han, the two of them had two choices. One of the choice was to be lovers and their rtionship would be better than what they had now. However, it was apparent that Xia Qingyi had rejected this choice. That left them with the remaining choice, which was to not see each other for the rest of their lives and act like strangers if they did. However, Xia Qingyi wanted to return to how they were before and act as if nothing had happened and stay as an ordinary pair of siblings. Mo Han suddenly remembered a saying that to possess is to lose at the same time. He seemed to understand a little about what this saying meant. ¡°We¡¯ll have it your way then. Let¡¯s act like how we did before.¡± Mo Han chose topromise as he gave up the two choices he had. He did not want Xia Qingyi to leave. Xia Qingyi smiled as Mo Han watched as he thought sadly that this was the first time he had seen her smile these few days. What Mo Han did not know was that Xia Qingyi was not smiling because Mo Han hadpromised. She was thinking, ¡°That¡¯s good. I can still stay with you after all.¡± Xia Qingyi thought, ¡°That¡¯s good. My only friend is still with me.¡± If he had let her leave, she probably would not have anyone that she could talk to in the future. The two of them returned to their original spot in such an awkward manner. They were both trying their best to put the confession that day in the past as they tried to fill its missing spot with new memories. However, the past will always be present no matter what, even if it was buried. Xia Qingyi did not leave in the end, as the two of them had seemingly returned to the lives they had before. Xia Qingyi went to school everyday and would call Mo Han when she reached home in the evening to ask him to bring food for her. Mo Han would give her the food after he had returned home from work while she would sit on the carpet in the living room as they ate and watched the television together. Mo Han would be in his study for most of the time, though he would asionally watch television with Xia. On the other hand, Xia Qingyi¡¯s old habit had not changed as she would be so sleepy and fall asleep on the carpet after it was 11 P.M. At this point, Mo Han would wake her up and tell her to go back to her room to sleep. The days passed in this routine manner. On the fifth day after they had reconciled, Xia Qingyi¡¯s schoolmate had asked another friend and her to go watch a movie. Xia Qingyi did not really want to go originally, but she had agreed after seeing that the movie was one that she had wanted to watch recently. The movie was scheduled for 8 P.M and they had reached the cinema at half seven. While they were waiting to collect their tickets, one of them beside her got a call and said that she had to rush back as there was an emergency. One minuteter, the remaining person had also received a call and said that their professor wanted her toe over. After that, Xia Qingyi was the only one left with three movie tickets in her hand. She really did not want to watch the movie alone. She stood up, wanting to head home, though on second thought, she called Mo Han under some weird impulse. ¡°Are you busy now?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± ¡°I have three movie tickets with me for 8 P.M tonight. When will you get off work?¡± ¡°To watch a movie?¡± ¡°Yes. I wanted to watch with two of my friends originally, but something has cropped up suddenly and they had to leave. If you¡¯re free, do you want to watch a movie with me? I don¡¯t want to watch it alone.¡± Chapter 166 - Ex-girlfriend

Chapter 166: Ex-girlfriend

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°You go in first. I¡¯lle over after I¡¯ve settled this job I have on hand.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go in to wait for you. I¡¯ll keep the ticket at the sales counter so you can just get it from there when you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll hang up if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± After they had hung up, Xia Qingyi smiled at her ticket happily and contented. Going back to how they were previously was the mostfortable after all, as she could just tell him if there was anything that had happened. She was never lonely with him around. A few momentster, the sign in front of her lit up, indicating that the cinema hall was about to be opened. She ced both of the remaining tickets at the sales counter, before she took her ticket and entered the cinema hall. The movie that Xia Qingyi was watching was an English horror movie. The storyline was fast paced and it was already a little scary even though it had just started. Xia Qingyi gathered all of her attention and watched the movie with utmost seriousness, to the point that she had temporary forgotten that Mo Han wasing. Ten minutes after the movie had started, Mo Han lowered his head as he apologized to the people around him. He moved in front of a few people to reach his seat. In the meantime, Xia Qingyi was still absorbed in watching the movie with her eyes opened wide and her head ducked in her seat. Mo Han sat down silently as he watched the movie silently. Quite a long time had passed when Xia Qingyi rxed slightly to take a short break from the movie and finally noticed that Mo Han was already sitting next to her. ¡°When did you arrive?¡± Xia Qingyi asked softly. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a while now.¡± Mo Han was watching the movie. ¡°I thought that you might need to work eventer.¡± ¡°I came over once I was done with work.¡± Xia Qingyi turned back to watch the movie. The movie started to enter its scariest part, though Mo Han was indifferent to it. He merely looked at Xia Qingyi as she kept moving back while shrinking herself. She looked extremely afraid. The brightness of the screen lit up her eyes as the moisture shining in her eyes made his heart flutter. Instead of watching the movie, it would be more urate to say that he had been watching her. He was about to be attracted to her again, Mo Han realized. Suddenly, Xia Qingyi jumped and grabbed Mo Han¡¯s hand that he had ced on the armrest of the seat. Mo Han¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He tried to retract his hand, though Xia Qingyi did not let go as she held onto it tighter. She looked as if she was about to die from fear, as she crouched and squeeze further back into the seat. However, she continued to watch the screen without blinking. It seemed like she had yet to notice that she was grabbing his hand. Mo Han could not retract his hand. He turned to continue to watch the movie, though his palm continued to rest on hers. He could feel all of his senses concentrating in the warmth of Xia Qingyi¡¯s palm. He quietly finished watching the entire movie without moving. When the movie had ended, Xia Qingyi was still in the same posture as she had while watching the movie. She kept staring at the end-credit scenes of the movie. The lights of the cinema hall turned on and the people around them started to stand up. Xia Qingyi only broke away from the movie when there were people wanting to pass by them to head out as she shifted her legs to let them pass. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Xia Qingyi said as she stood up. Their hands had not separated. Mo Han nced at her once before he stood up. He turned to another direction which made him in front and it became him pulling Xia Qingyi along. It was only when they had left the cinema that Xia Qingyi finally realized that she was holding hands with Mo Han. There were many people walking around at the entrance of the cinema and she had been identally pushed towards Mo Han and bumped into him. ncing down, she finally noticed them holding hands. Mo Han was still walking about half a step ahead of her as Xia Qingyi stared at their hands while she walked. It took her a while to remember that she had grabbed his hand when she got too excited while watching the movie earlier. But why did he appear to not have any reactions about it? It was still fine when she did not feel it, but now that she had seen Mo Han holding her hand, she felt a little awkward. She had even felt that the temperature of his hand that was holding hers was exceptionally high. Quietly, she rxed her hand and let go of Mo Han¡¯s hand. Mo Han did not turn back. He appeared to be the same as he continued to walk ahead with half a step of distance between them. However, his fingertips trembled a little when his hand returned next to him. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s go eat something.¡± Xia Qingyi wanted to relieve this silent awkwardness. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± he asked. ¡°Anything is fine. I¡¯m only a little hungry. I¡¯m fine with that restaurant in front.¡± Xia Qingyi pointed to the front carelessly. ¡°Are you in a rush to go back to work?¡± Xia Qingyi asked again. ¡°I¡¯ve settled all my work.¡± Mo Han replied. Xia Qingyi had pointed to a fast food restaurant. There were not too many people in the shop as it was already 9.30 P.M after the movie had ended. However, Xia Qingyi and Mo Han were not in a rush to head back as the owner said that the restaurant would operate until 12 P.M. The two of were sitting at the table as they waited for their food after ordering. Xia Qingyi stood up, saying that she needed to go to the washroom and she left her seat. After she had exited the washroom and was walking at the center aisle of the restaurant, she saw a woman sitting at where she was sitting earlier which was opposite of Mo Han. She tilted her head in confusion. She only heard the woman¡¯s voice only when she was near to the table and realized that the woman was Shen Rou. Mo Han¡¯s ex-girlfriend. ¡°Oh my, what is this? Mo Han is actually willing to eat with someone on such ate night?¡± Xia Qingyi immediately smiled when she saw Xia Qingyi walking over from behind. Now that she had seen her properly, Shen Rou seemed to have be prettier. With having the same exquisite make-up on her face, the pale green mini dress that barely covered her buttocks showed the curves of her body. Xia Qingyi could not help but admit that Mo Han had good taste in women since he was able to get such a pretty woman with an amazing figure as his girlfriend. ¡°Do you mind if I sit here?¡± Shen Rou stood next to where she had sat earlier. ¡°No.¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head and moved to sit on the chair next to her. Mo Han, who was sitting opposite of her, had a cold expression as he did not say a word. ¡°I just returned a few days ago. I just happened to pass by here after settling the work I had today and saw Mo Han sitting here alone, which was why I came over to greet him.¡± Shen Rou looked at Mo Han as she tried to tease him. ¡°So, how? Would you mind treating your ex to a meal since we¡¯ve met again, ex-boyfriend?¡± ¡°Another day.¡± Mo Han replied. ¡°How about today instead of another day? I happen to be hungry and we can use this chance to catch up with each other.¡± Shen Rou said. Xia Qingyi did not know the exact reason of why they had broken up that time, which was why she was even more confused now that she happened to see them meeting each other again. She felt as if it was slightly inappropriate for her to be with them right now. She was slightly awkward as she looked down in silence. The good thing was that the food was served quickly and Xia Qingyi quickly picked up her chopsticks to start eating quickly in order to hide her emotions. ¡°What did you two do just now? Why are you still outside when it¡¯s already sote?¡± Mo Han did not speak as he looked down and eat like her. Silence washed over the dining table and Xia Qingyi quickly answered, ¡°Oh, I was supposed to watch a movie with my schoolmates, but they had to leave early as they had something on. I¡¯d ask him to watch the movie with me since I didn¡¯t want to waste the ticket. We just came back from watching the movie.¡± Shen Rou smirked at her, before she nced at Mo Han and said, ¡°Him? Watching a movie?¡± ¡°Yes... he didn¡¯t really want toe actually... I forced him toe.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice suddenly softened. Shen Rou stared at Mo Han, who was opposite of her. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell, Mo Han? I didn¡¯t know someone like you would apany a person to watch a movie one day?¡± Xia Qingyi felt as if she had said something wrong. She was about to exin herself when she heard Shen Rou say coldly from beside her, ¡°From the looks of this, the two of you did get together after all? When did it happen?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°No, no, no... You¡¯re mistaken... We¡¯re not, we were just watching a movie...¡± Shen Rou ignored her as she continued to stare at Mo Han. ¡°When did the two of you get together? How far have the two of you gone? Have you gone to bed?¡± Xia Qingyi felt that her heart was about to burst and have a volcano eruption. ¡°Are you done making a fuss?!¡± Mo Han said. ¡°I¡¯m making a fuss?! Am I making a fuss now?! I told you many times when we were still together that she was definitely problematic. You didn¡¯t believe me and now that it hasn¡¯t even been three months since we¡¯d broken up, you¡¯re already messing around with this woman?! Are you sure that I¡¯m the one making a fuss, Mo Han?¡± Shen Rou stood up suddenly. Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaken, Shen Rou. I¡¯m not dating Mo Han, and neither is the situation like you said.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°I told you clearly about the reason for us breaking up when we broke up. I thought you understood, though I finally realized now that you didn¡¯t even listen to any of my words.¡± Shen Rou was very angry. ¡°The reason?! I might have really believed all of your stupid excuses before I saw the two of you. But I understand now that you broke up with me because of this woman, right?!¡± After she was done, she red fiercely at Xia Qingyi. She looked as if she wanted to tear her into pieces. Xia Qingyi was always against the idea of reasoning with women who were on the verge of a mental breakdown, which was why she had chosen to keep quiet at Shen Rou¡¯s current state. The rest of the people in the restaurant all turned to look at them after hearing themotion over here. Mo Han said, ¡°We¡¯ve already broken up, Shen Rou. Whether I have a girlfriend or not is none of your business, so why are you so agitated right now?¡± Shen Rou was still looking at him, though she seemed as if her tears were about to fall any second. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can finish this meal today. I think it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t meet anymore in the future.¡± Mo Han stood up and took his stuff, wanting to pull Xia Qingyi and leave. Xia Qingyi was a little hesitant as Mo Han pulled on her wrist to make her leave. Shen Rou was still sitting inside when she saw their action. A fire burned within her as she suddenly pushed Xia Qingyi away. Xia Qingyi had not expected that Shen Rou would do this and she fell on the floor. ¡°B*itch!¡± Shen Rou was still scolding her. Mo Han shouted at her, ¡°Shen Rou! That¡¯s enough!¡± Chapter 167 - Getting Back Together

Chapter 167: Getting Back Together

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia had not injured any part of herself actually as she merely pped her hands together before getting up by herself when Mo Han went to get her up. She red once at Shen Rou, as anger started to burn within her as well. ¡°Are you forcing me to fight you?¡± ¡°You still want to fight me?! What a shameless third party!¡± Shen Rou said. Xia Qingyi had her jaw agape when she heard this. She forcefully held back the strong urge to scold her. ¡°You should really return back to primary school and let your teacher reteach you the meaning of words.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What I meant was that you should use your brain. What¡¯s the use of such a pretty brain?! It shouldn¡¯t be used to scold people! But to be used to think! It¡¯s to think about when you should use the words ¡®third party¡¯ and when you should not!¡± Xia Qingyi was silently scolding and calling her an idiot in her brain. ¡°Also, you¡¯d already broken up with my older brother. It¡¯s none of your concern even if he were to find another woman a day after you¡¯d broken up and had sex with her. If you don¡¯t like him anymore, then just go away and stop meddling in others¡¯ affairs! If you still like him, then woo him again! You don¡¯t have to show how noble and dignified you are by belittling me here!¡± Xia Qingyi was so angry that she kept saying nonstop. Mo Han had never seen her this angry as he merely stared as Xia Qingyi continued to speak nonstop. She was so angry that she did not even take a breath between her words. Opposite her, Shen Rou seemed to have been surprised by her words as she merely red at her without saying anything. At this very moment, Mo Han actually had the urge tough. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to scold me about? I¡¯ll let you finish scolding in one go, in case you act like this again when I see you next time!¡± Xia Qingyi asked as she nced at Shen Rou. Shen Rou was speechless. Xia Qingyi could not be bothered to look at her again and said to Mo Han, who was beside her, ¡°Let¡¯s go. What are we still doing here? I want to go home and shower.¡± This time, it was Xia Qingyi who was walking ahead with Mo Han following behind her. From a distance away, Shen Rou stomped angrily as she stared at their disappearing silhouettes. When they had returned home, the anger in Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart was still present whenever she thought about Shen Rou¡¯s words. She had even tried to vent out her anger when she was changing her shoes and had almost kicked the cupboard next to her. ¡°I¡¯m going to shower.¡± She said. Xia Qingyi stopped when she was halfway to the washroom when she turned to Mo Han and said, ¡°If you meet Shen Rou again in the future, please don¡¯t tell me. And if... the two of you get back together one day hypothetically, please do not force me to be friends with her. I can¡¯t be friends with her... never.¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. We already broke up.¡± Mo Han felt that what she had thought about was unimaginable. ¡°I hope so... anyways, I can¡¯t get along with her, be it in the past, the present or the future.¡± Xia Qingyi turned again as she returned to her room to shower and sleep. The next day, an unknown number suddenly called him on his mobile phone when he was working in his office in thew firm. He nced at his phone before putting it on silent mode and continued his work. The calls continued toe continuously while Mo Han continued to concentrate settling his work documents. When he stood up to get a document from Barrister Liao, whose office was next to his, an hourter, he nced at his mobile phone after he had returned. He found over 10 missed calls and over 30 messages. He did not even need to think to know who it was. He swiped his phone to turn it on and casually looked over her messages. He read all of them poker-faced before he turned off his phone. He threw it to the sofa at a corner of his office and continued to work. Mo Han did not look at his mobile phone a single time as he continued to work until it was almost time to get off work in the evening. Mo Han had no longer worked until veryte at night like before. Xia Qingyi usually returned home earlier than him, and needed him to buy food for her asionally. That was why Mo Han had slowly gotten used to knocking off work on time. He would also bring home the work that he did not have time toplete if there was any. Right after he had exited his office and thew firm, Mo Han saw Shen Rou standing at the entrance of thew firm. He nced at her swiftly as he continued to walk out with big steps without even stopping. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± it was obvious that Shen Rou did not have the same attitude as yesterday. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say these words to me.¡± Mo Han had his back facing her. Shen Rou moved up to pull on his sleeve. ¡°I know I¡¯m wrong, that I¡¯m really in the wrong. I thought about it a lot after I¡¯d went back. I know that you two are not together, that I was mistaken. I know that I shouldn¡¯t have acted like that yesterday. I just couldn¡¯t let it go. I¡¯m sorry... I couldn¡¯t control myself.¡± Mo Han lifted his hand and shook her hand off. ¡°Please keep your hands off me. We¡¯ve already broken up.¡± ¡°Mo Han... Since we¡¯d been together for such a long time, you should still have feelings for me right? Let¡¯s start again, okay? Give me a chance... okay?¡± Shen Rou was practically begging him. ¡°Shen Rou, I think that you should have understood when we broke up that it¡¯s impossible for us to continue.¡± Mo Han wanted to leave. Yet, Shen Rou suddenly hugged him from behind. ¡°I miss you so much... I¡¯m sorry... I really miss you so much... I missed you everyday after leaving you...¡± Mo Han said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, however. My life had been rather pleasant everyday after I¡¯d left you.¡± He reached out to pull away Shen Rou¡¯s grip on his arm. ¡°Shen Rou, the you that I knew was a confident person, and you¡¯re acting now as if you have no dignity.¡± Shen Rou asked as if she had lost her soul from behind him, ¡°Did you fall for her?¡± ¡°Yes. I fell for her, but it was after we¡¯d broken up. She has nothing to do with what had happened to us.¡± Mo Han said. He turned over to see Shen Rou crying, and his voice softened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shen Rou. You should understand it¡¯s really over for us even if I didn¡¯t tell you. We were over from the day we broke up.¡± ¡°But... I really love you...¡± ¡°I have to go now, Shen Rou.¡± Mo Han nced at her who had covered her eyes to cry as he said, ¡°You should go after you¡¯ve calmed down. I¡¯ll get the people in thew firm to keep the door open for you so you can stay here for a while. Ultimately, Mo Han left this ce, not leaving any hope for Shen Rou. He was letting her watch him to let her know that he would never turn back once he had moved on. They were only left with each other¡¯s silhouette. When Mo Han had reached home, Xia Qingyi had just finished showering and was sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching the television as she ate. She did not move her eyes from the television after hearing that Mo Han had returned as she swayed her hand without a care. She said, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Mo Han put down his document bag and took a bottle of water from the fridge before he sat on the other side of the sofa to drink the water. ¡°There¡¯s still some food in the kitchen. Do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Where did the foode from?¡± Xia Qingyi nced at him as she broke into a smile. ¡°I made it.¡± Mo Han walked to the kitchen to take a look, only to see that there really was a simple home-cooked dish on the kitchen top. He asked, ¡°Why did you think of cooking?¡± ¡°I got a little too bored at home since my ss had ended early. You¡¯ve been the one cooking so I suddenly thought about trying out my cooking skills, which was why... I made it.¡± Xia Qingyi gave up on watching the drama as she turned to looked at him with a sparkle in her eyes. ¡°Does it taste good?¡± Mo Han took a few bites. ¡°It¡¯s quite good.¡± Xia Qingyi pouted however, ¡°If you say this, then it means that what I made does not taste good.¡± ¡°It stillcks a bit of vorpared to the food I cooked.¡± Mo Han did not put down his chopsticks. ¡°You should continue to cook in the future then, in case you don¡¯t like the taste of the food I¡¯d cooked.¡± Xia Qingyi turned back to watch the television. Mo Hanughed as he leaned against the kitchen top. He asked as he ate the food that Xia Qingyi had made, ¡°Is there rice?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s in the fridge. Heat it up yourself.¡± Xia Qingyi rolled her eyes. Mo Han got the rice and put the rice and the food on the dining table next to the kitchen. He started to eat alone while Xia Qingyi continued to sit on the sofa and watch her drama. The atmosphere was quiet yet cozy and warm. The doorbell suddenly rang when he was about to be done eating. Xia Qingyi had just happened to reach the climax of the drama as she urged Mo Han to go open the door. Mo Han went to open the door, to find Shen Rou standing outside. Xia Qingyi was still watching the television on the sofa when there was no more sound from the door. She asked Mo Han loudly, ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡± There were soft mutterings from the door, though she did not see Mo Haning in. Xia Qingyi found it weird. However, sitting on the sofa was in the blind spot for seeing what was happening the door. As a result, she could only get off the sofa and go over with her slippers to find out what had happened. She had only taken a few steps when she saw Shen Rou standing at the door. Her red and wet eyes made people feel pity for her at the sight of them. ¡°I¡¯m just here to say something to Mo Han. I¡¯ll leave once I¡¯m done.¡± Shen Rou said. Xia Qingyi shrugged her shoulders as she walked back. ¡°The both of you shoulde in and talk in the living room. I¡¯m going back to my room.¡± She felt very irritated after she had returned to her room. Judging from Shen Rou¡¯s appearance, she must have seen Mo Han once again. But when had they met? They couldn¡¯t possibly be getting back together, could they? At this thought, Xia Qingyi became more irritated. She kept pacing back and forth in her room, and leaned on the door to try to listen to what they were saying, though she could not hear anything. There was a knock on the door, which gave Xia Qingyi a shock since she had her head ced against the door. She stood straight immediately, and waited for a few seconds before she opened the door. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡± Mo Han said. ¡°So quick?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°Yes, she left after saying a few sentences.¡± ¡°Are you two... getting back together?¡± Mo Han looked at her. ¡°Are you that worried that we would get back together?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s gaze swayed a little before she said, ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you would make me be friends with her in the future.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Mo Han asked her in return as there was a glint of amusement hidden in his eyes. ¡°Would I need to ask you if I knew? Don¡¯t beat around the bush anymore. You just have to tell me if you would get back together with her.¡± ¡°What would you do if we got back together?¡± Mo Han leaned against the door frame. Chapter 168 - An Incidental Kiss

Chapter 168: An Incidental Kiss

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart sank a little. ¡°It can¡¯t be that the two of you are really back together, are you?¡± Mo Han did not speak and merely stared at her. Xia Qingyi turned her head as her words became a little blunt. ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t be friends with her. Please do not bring me if the two of you are going on a date, in case she starts to find fault with me randomly again.¡± ¡°Then why are you so angry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry!¡± Xia Qingyi emphasized. ¡°If you¡¯re not angry, then why are you like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯d told you, I¡¯m not angry!¡± Xia Qingyi paused for a while before she continued, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep now. I have a lesson in the morning tomorrow.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t get back together. I told her that we¡¯re over.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°She came just now to say this.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°This has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± ¡°This is myst time meeting her. She came to say farewell to me.¡± ¡°This is something between the two of you. You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡± ¡°But, I want to tell you.¡± Mo Han had his eyes fixed on her while his voice was deep and maic. Xia Qingyi looked up into his eyes, feeling as if she was going to be sucked into his intense gaze. She seemed to have seen this gaze somewhere before. ¡°Don¡¯t think so much and have a good sleep.¡± Mo Han said. She did not dare to continue looking at such a gaze and closed the door to her room. She leaned on the door as she stretched her hand out to turn off the lights. She stared at the boundless darkness as she listened to her heartbeat. Xia Qingyi touched where her heart was. She only returned to her bed after a very long while. These past few days, Mo Han had been preparing a big contract to provide external economic legal advice for a well-known multi-national corporation for a year. If the contract was signed sessfully, he would not need to worry about the sry for all of his employees in thew firm for the year. He started to be busier, to the point that he did not even have the time to cook for Xia Qingyi. He would type on hisputer, read documents and have video conferences with the overseas representative ofpany the moment he reached home. Xia Qingyi was tactful about it and did not go and bother him. She would sit in the living room and watch television as per usual. Halfway through, however, she suddenly remembered that she needed to take out a homework that she needed to bring to ss tomorrow and she went to look for it in her room. She had found it on top of her wardrobe in the end. Xia Qingyi could not remember how her homework had ended up there no matter how much she thought about it. She shook her head speechlessly, as she stood on her toes and reached for it with all she could. She could not get it down after using more than half of her strength. Xia Qingyi sighed, as she moved the chair next to her over and stood on it to get her homework. With her homework in hand, she did not have the chance to celebrate when she suddenly fell since she had been standing by the edge of the chair. The chair fell on her. ¡°Ah!¡± Xia Qingyi lied on the floor. It was so painful that she started to sweat. Mo Han heard her from the study and ran out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xia Qingyi pointed to her leg. ¡°My leg! My leg!¡± Mo Han was about to touch her leg when Xia Qingyi immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it! Wait a minute, it¡¯s too painful!¡± ¡°How did this happen?¡± Mo Han was extremely worried. ¡°I fell from the chair and my leg was squashed by the chair.¡± ¡°Why did you stand on the chair for no reason?!¡± ¡°Why are you so angry?! My homework was up there and I couldn¡¯t reach it, which was why I had to stand on the chair.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you get me if you can¡¯t reach it?!¡± Mo Han was speechless. ¡°Aren¡¯t you working? I can get it down myself.¡± Xia Qingyi replied. Mo Han stopped speaking. He nced at Xia Qingyi, who was sitting on the floor with her teeth bared in pain and he softened his voice. ¡°Can you try moving your leg?¡± Xia Qingyi endured the pain to move her ankle around slightly. She could still move it, which means that she had probably not injured her bone. She was slightly reassured by this. ¡°I think it¡¯s probably fine.¡± ¡°How is it fine when your ankle is so swollen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as painful as earlier anymore. I think it got better a little.¡± Mo Han went to support her. ¡°Do you think you can walk?¡± Xia Qingyi stood up and grabbed onto Mo Han¡¯s elbow as she slowly moved forward. Even though her ankle still hurt a little, it was definitely a lot better than how it was earlier. ¡°Sit on the bed. I¡¯ll take a closer look.¡± Xia Qingyi sat on the bed, while Mo Han held onto her ankle to take a closer look at it. He pressed onto where it was swollen on Xia Qingyi¡¯s ankle and asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Xia Qingyi immediately hit the bed in pain. ¡°Pain! Pain! How can it not hurt when it¡¯s already swollen?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi stopped him. ¡°We don¡¯t have to go. It¡¯s just slightly swollen, and my bone is fine. Look, I can move my leg now.¡± She stretched her leg in front of Mo Han to let him see her ankle which she was twisting and moving. ¡°You have to get it checked since it¡¯s so swollen.¡± Mo Han tried to convince her. ¡°Let¡¯s go tomorrow then. It¡¯s toote now, and I¡¯m toozy to move. Isn¡¯t there medicine at home? I¡¯ll apply it first and if it¡¯s not better by tomorrow morning, then I¡¯ll go to the hospital to get checked.¡± Mo Han did not speak as he seemed to not agreepletely with her words. ¡°Alright, alright, go get the medicine for me. It¡¯s not as serious as you think it is.¡± Xia Qingyi tugged on Mo Han¡¯s sleeve. Mo Hanpromised. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t go back on your words if it¡¯s not better by tomorrow and go to the hospital to get it checked by a doctor.¡± Mo Han got the first-aid kit and squatted by her leg. He applied the medicine for her seriously and used the warmth on his hand to massage the area around her ankle to ensure that the medicine was absorbed properly. Even if it still hurt a little, Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart was full of a sense of security as she looked at the crown of his head on the bed. She could not help but to smile. Xia Qingyi teased him, ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a strand of white hair on your head.¡± Mo Han merely continued to message her ankle with his head down without stopping. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little too early to have white hair at 30 years old?¡± Xia Qingyiughed, ¡°Let me think about it, I¡¯m only 21 years old. It¡¯s quite a big gap between us.¡± ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m old?¡± Xia Qingyiughed again, ¡°Who says that you¡¯re old? 30 years old is not old at all, alright? It¡¯s the prime of your life. Even if you¡¯re old, you are old but vigorous too!¡± Mo Han suddenly increased his strength of his hand and it was so painful that Xia Qingyi could not help but to kick him. ¡°You be softer.¡± She was very happy, and slightly cheeky as she acted as if she was trying to pluck out Mo Han¡¯s white hair. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Let me pluck out a strand for you to see.¡± He pressed down on her leg and ced it properly as he slowly massaged the medicine into her ankle. ¡°Am I counted as old if I have white hair? Your words are not reliable at all.¡± Xia Qingyi said, unwilling to back down, ¡°How about you stop rubbing my ankle and let me look at your face? You might have some wrinkles at the corners of your eyes. It¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t noticed them.¡± Mo Han put down her leg and looked up into her eyes. ¡°Take a look then.¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll take a closer look for you.¡± Xia Qingyi moved closer towards his face as she stared into his deep eyes. She could not hold back the urge to touch his face as she carefully traced the corners of his eyes. Her voice was incredibly soft. ¡°There really are a few thin wrinkles.¡± Mo Han merely looked into her eyes. He did not know if she had realized that the distance between them was too small. They were so close that he could feel her faint breath. She was even smiling, which revealed her white teeth. And then, he moved forward and lightly kissed her on her lips. As expected, Xia Qingyi stoppedughing as she broke out of her daze and looked at him. She froze. Her nk look made Mo Han want to kiss her again, but he did not. He was afraid that Xia Qingyi would be angry. Xia Qingyi kept looking at him and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you still have work to do?¡± Mo Han did not know how to reply as Xia Qingyi pushed him away and put some distance between themselves. ¡°You should go and work. Isn¡¯t that contract quite important? I shouldn¡¯t hold you up from your work.¡± Mo Han could not tell if she was angry, but still said nevertheless, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I couldn¡¯t hold back suddenly...¡± ¡°You should go and finish your work earlier so you can go to sleep.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s expression was about the same as her usual expression. She merely lifted her leg onto her bed before she lifted the nket andy inside the nket. ¡°I¡¯m about to sleep anyway.¡± Mo Han nced at her as he sighed softly. He picked up the medicine on the floor before he exited Xia Qingyi¡¯s room and lightly closed the door. He was slightly regretful of what he had just done. It felt a little too hasty and although Xia Qingyi did not p him like he had expected, she did not wee him either. From her expression just now, was she angry? But she did not seem like she was. Mo Han felt as if he was trying to solve a problem that was more difficult than any cases he had before. The next day, there was nothing different as Xia Qingyi ate her breakfast at the dining table. She continued to chat with Mo Han while she ate, as if nothing had happened the night before. She had evenughed nonstop while resting on the table when she had said something interesting. ¡°Is your leg better?¡± Mo Han had not forgotten about her injured leg. Xia Qingyi stretch her leg out to let him take a look from the side of the table. ¡°It¡¯s fine now. Look, it¡¯s not swollen anymore.¡± She twisted her ankle to show him. ¡°I think it¡¯spletely fine. It¡¯s quite amazing since it was so painfulst night when I had just injured it, yet it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore when I woke up this morning.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make too borate actions, in case you pull the muscle again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll pay attention to it. It¡¯ll be fine after applying the medicine again for a few nights.¡± Xia Qingyi asked, ¡°How¡¯s the contract that yourw firm is doing? Is it hard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite alright. We¡¯re almost done with it. If nothing happens, we can sign the contract by next week.¡± ¡°Okay. Will you have a celebration meal after the contract is signed sessfully?¡± ¡°We probably will to reward them, but I¡¯m not usually a fan of gatherings. Liu Zhiyuan is the one who usually goes to settle everything. I¡¯m only in charge of paying.¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re such a good boss.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I want to go to the celebration meal too, to eat.¡± She continued, ¡°I haven¡¯t met your colleagues at thew firm in a while. I quite miss them. Can you invite me for the celebration me? They know me anyway.¡± ¡°Alright, you just have to tell me if you want to go for the gatherings in the future.¡± Mo Han was a little puzzled with why she suddenly remembered about the gatherings theirw firm had, but he would agree if she wanted toe. Chapter 169 - Drunk

Chapter 169: Drunk

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios The meeting about signing the contract with that multi-national corporation went smoother than he had expected. Both parties had beenmunicating for a week when he had finished settling theplete document. He had traveled overseas to do the handover of the work to the staff of the legal department of the other party and to understand better about how theirpany usually worked, together with a few otherwyers from thew firm. They had signed the contract with a two-year duration on thest day. What he did not expect was to see Xia Qingyi waving at him from afar at the airport on the day he flew back. Mo Han walked towards her, with a few otherwyers that had gone on the trip next to him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°To pick you up from the airport.¡± Xia Qingyiughed. A few of thewyers next to him were previously recruited from outside by Mo Han, and had never seen Mo Han¡¯s younger sister. They were a little distracted when they saw a girl smiling prettily suddenly appearing in front of them, and they looked at Mo Han. Mo Han introduced her to them. ¡°This is my younger sister.¡± ¡°Oh! So this is the younger sister of yours that I always hear people in thew firm mentioning! It¡¯s definitely better seeing you than hearing about you!¡± Xia Qingyi nced at Mo Han before she waved at him while smiling. She said a soft, ¡°Hi.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Did I tell you the rough time of when I¡¯ming back?¡± ¡°I found out after asking Liu Zhiyuan what time you¡¯d be back.¡± ¡°When did you arrive?¡± ¡°Hm... not long ago. I¡¯ve only waited for a while.¡± Xia Qingyi asked, ¡°Can I go to yourw firm directlyter? I don¡¯t have sses and I feel really bored alone.¡± Thewyers standing next to Mo Han watched as they chatted happily and kept smiling. Mo Han said, ¡°It¡¯s still the same old rules. Don¡¯t cause trouble and don¡¯t disturb them from working.¡± ¡°Okay... okay... I know your same old rules.¡± Xia Qingyi said. After they had returned to thew firm, many people in thew firm were very surprised when they saw that Xia Qingyi hade. It had been about two months without seeing her at thew firm if they had been counting. For a very long time in the past, Xia Qingyi would alwayse here directly after school. She would asionally do her homework, read books or y with her mobile phone in Mo Han¡¯s office as she waited for Mo Han to get off work and go back home with him. Xiao Zhang, who worked at the front desk, had sparkles in her eyes when he saw Xia Qingyi. She quickly greeted Barrister Mo before she pulled Xia Qingyi to ask her about many things. Xia Qingyi was very happy too as she sat there and chatted with her for a long time. The most they had said was. ¡°During the period when you just stoppeding, Boss worked until veryte every night. He didn¡¯t even leave any free time for himself.¡± It had even made her think that Xia Qingyi had fought with her boss. Xia Qingyi merely shook her head with a smile as she said that she had gone on a trip because something had happened at home during that period and she had only just returned a while ago. When it was nearly 5 P.M, Xia Qingyi was still chatting with the people she knew in thew firm when Mo Han walked out from his office and said, ¡°We¡¯ll end work early tonight. I¡¯m treating everyone to a meal.¡± The people in thew firm suddenly howled crazily as the room filled with cheers. The staff next to Xia Qingyi touched her shoulders and said, ¡°Look! You didn¡¯t believe me when I said that good things will happen to ourw firm whenever youe.¡± Sheughed amongst the crowd, amongst the cheers and other things. From a distance away, she saw Mo Han. That man who was also smiling and looked handsome and spirited in his suit. It seemed as though there was no more sound from everything around her. She saw him walking towards her. ¡°Let¡¯s go? Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to eat with us?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi looked at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Mo Han had made a reservation at a restaurant that had a very artistic style. There were about 30 people from thew firm and they were separated into two long tables in a big room, yet it did not seem squeezed at all. It might have been due to the fact that it had been a while since they had a group gathering, as the people eating at the table were all very excited. Compared to them, Mo Han really seemed like he was in a different world as he merely watched them talk quietly while looking down to eat asionally. However, Xia Qingyi, who was sitting next to him, kept chatting nonstop with one of the female colleagues that was sitting next to her. In the mean time, a newwyer in thew firm who was sitting opposite of Xia Qingyi kept covering his mouth andughing like an idiot. His eyes never left her as his heart itched to do something. Mustering all the courage he had, he picked up a wine ss, wanting to get closer to her, ¡°Mei Mei [1. Mei Mei is the same term as younger sister, though it can be used to address a younger female who is unknown or not close with you], do you want to drink?¡± Xia Qingyi was still chatting with the person next to her when she suddenly heard a stranger from the opposite side suddenly call her like this. She froze a little and did not answer as Mo Han, who was next to her, said before she could reply, ¡°She doesn¡¯t drink. I¡¯ll have her drink.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han. He had already stood up and taken that ss of wine as he finished it in one go. Liu Zhiyuan, who was sitting at the long table, had heard themotion over here as he shouted from afar, ¡°Mo Han¡¯s younger sister really can¡¯t drink. She acted weirdly after she drank a ss of alcoholst time. It was so funny that we nearly diedughing.¡± There were others at the long table that had gone for the gathering that time and had remembered what had happened after hearing Liu Zhiyuan¡¯s words. They all started to snicker. ¡°I know... you can¡¯t really me this on her... with so little alcohol, she got so drunk that she was not the same afterwards.¡± Xia Qingyi was the only one who looked at the people around her with a confused face before she looked at Mo Han and asked him quietly, ¡°What did I do after I got drunk that day?¡± ¡°Nothing much, you just acted a little crazy.¡± ¡°What kind of craziness? Why can¡¯t I remember anything?¡± ¡°That was why I¡¯d told you not to drink any alcohol outside and just tell others that you¡¯re allergic to alcohol.¡± ¡°Then tell me how I acted crazy? I¡¯m panicking because I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Mo Han turned to look at her as he smiled. ¡°Think about it yourself slowly.¡± Xia Qingyi rolled her eyes at him as she turned to stop speaking to him. Halfway through the meal, Mo Han had to pick up a phone call that seemed to be something rted to work. He left the long table to speak on the phone outside of the room. After Mo Han had left, the female colleague sitting next to Xia Qingyi suddenly spoke to her quietly, ¡°Hey, do you want to know what you did after you drank alcohol the previous time?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at her. ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°You¡¯d kissed our boss, the lip to lip type.¡± the female colleague opened her mouth wide to tell her, even though her voice was incredibly soft. Xia Qingyi sucked in a breath, ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± ¡°How can I be kidding? What I said is real!¡± ¡°Impossible! Why don¡¯t I have any recollection of it?¡± Xia Qingyi did not dare to believe it. ¡°I still have the photo! Even though it¡¯s not the one with you kissing him, but it¡¯s about the same.¡± the female colleague took out her mobile phone excitedly to find the photo she had taken that day. It was a photo of Mo Han half hugging and half carrying her. Xia Qingyi could see that she was almost leaning in Mo Han¡¯s embrace. Mo Han had an annoyed expression on his face while his body was also leaning backwards. He only had a hand around her waist to prevent her from falling on the floor. Xia Qingyi could feel her soul flying away in shock from the photo. She still did not dare to believe such a frightening thing as she kept sitting there nkly and stared at the phone. ¡°You didn¡¯t kiss Barrister Mo only that day. You also kissed Barrister Zhang sitting next to you.¡± She pointed to a man who was drinking at the long table and said, ¡°There... that person is Barrister Zhang.¡± ¡°If Barrister Mo hadn¡¯t stopped you, you would have probably kissed all of us in the room.¡± she said again. Xia Qingyi waspletely speechless. ¡°Hey... it¡¯s actually not much of a big deal. We more or less all do stupid things when we¡¯re drunk.¡± The female colleague said tofort her after seeing that she had been shocked by it. ¡°Mo Han... my older brother... did he say anything?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°What could he say? He was also scared stiff, alright? Do you know what you were doing before you kissed him? ... You were counting over there, and we were all puzzled about why you were counting. In the end, when you¡¯d counted to three, you kissed him. You didn¡¯t even see Barrister Mo¡¯s expression, he waspletely nk.¡± Just as they were still chatting, Mo Han had returned from outside after ending the call. Xia Qingyi hurriedly sat straight and stopped talking to the female colleague next to her as she stared at the food in front of her. Mo Han had not noticed her movement as he sat back on his seat. He nced at her once before he picked up his chopsticks to eat. Xia Qingyi did not dare to look at him. She drank a cup of water in front of her to hide her guilt, though she ended up choking on the water, having drunk it too quickly. The water spilled all over her as she coughed nonstop. Mo Han patted her back. ¡°What are you thinking of? You¡¯re so impatient even though it¡¯s just drinking water.¡± Xia Qingyi waved her hand as her face turned red. She was starting to get relief from her coughing as she indicated for him to stop patting her. The more he touched her, the more she would think about what the female colleague next to her had told her earlier. If there was nothing between them, she would not think too much about it. But Mo Han had just kissed her two days ago, and that made everything moreplicated. She had never understood why Mo Han had fallen for her in the past, though now that she had found out about kissing Mo Han a long time ago, she could faintly guess a bit. It was probably then that Mo Han had stopped seeing their rtionship as a normal sibling one. Now that she thought about it, it was her who had first killed off the sibling rtionship. Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart shivered once at this thought. She could feel all of her goosebumps standing up, which made her suddenly wake up from the sleepiness that she had gotten from the food. When the meal was ending, Mo Han went to the front desk to settle the bill alone. Xia Qingyi felt too stuffy in the room after he had left. She went to the corridor outside of the room and paced around. Her head was still a little hazy as she rxed and leaned against the wall. She squatted down. Her hand fell on the floor and she started to trace circles nonstop on the floor with her finger. ¡°Why did youe out?¡± Mo Han saw Xia Qingyi squatting down on the floor with her head down when he returned from the front desk. He did not know what she was doing. Xia Qingyi looked up to nce at him once before she looked down again as she continued to squat instead of standing up. Mo Han walked next to her. He squatted down as well and asked her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you unhappy?¡± Xia Qingyi lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes. She wanted to open her mouth to speak, though she did not know where to start from. ¡°You didn¡¯t drink again, did you?¡± Mo Han suddenly thought of it at the sight of her unusually red face, as he stretched his hand out to touch her red face. Chapter 170 - Getting Together

Chapter 170: Getting Together

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi thought for a while to confirm that she had not drank alcohol at all. She had probably blushed due to the stuffiness of the room. Mo Han¡¯s hand was very cold, and she was a little ufortable when he had suddenly touched her. ¡°I didn¡¯t...¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s tone was incredibly soft as she spoke. Mo Han felt that it was even more likely that she had drank after hearing her voice. ¡°Did you drink it yourself, or did someone else ask you to drink...? How many times did I tell you not to drink alcohol...? Why can¡¯t you remember?!¡± Mo Han sighed as he nced at Xia Qingyi, who looked like she was in a daze. ¡°Never mind, you¡¯ll forget everything that I¡¯m saying now when you¡¯re sober.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°From now on, you can only stay next to me and not anywhere else, in case you go around creating trouble again.¡± Xia Qingyi stood up while still leaning on the wall. ¡°What kind of trouble could I create?¡± Mo Han looked at her. There was a faint feeling that she was acting slightly differently todaypared to how she usually acted when she was drunk. ¡°Never mind. The gathering is going to end anyway, and they should be leaving soon. I should be able to control you alone.¡± However, Xia Qingyi walked closer to him as she stared into his eyes. She said, word by word, ¡°Was the trouble... that you were saying...¡± She pulled onto Mo Han¡¯s cor as she stood slightly on the tip of her toes and kissed him on his lips. ¡°This...?¡± There was not much fluctuation of emotion on Mo Han¡¯s face, as if he had already expected that she would do this. He supported Xia Qingyi on her waist as he looked into her eyes when he suddenly noticed that Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes were unexpectedly sober after drinking tonight. It felt like a kiss by a real pair of lovers, and he could not help but to want to sink into it. And that was why he had jumped into it willingly. Mo Han corrected her, ¡°It was like this.¡± His hand moved up to support the back of Xia Qingyi¡¯s head decisively to make her lean on him entirely. He tilted his head slightly and kissed her lips. She did not fight back, as she leaned on him as if she did not have a backbone. She let Mo Han¡¯s tongue enter her mouth and twirled around her own. Xia Qingyi could hear Mo Han¡¯s faint pants, which unexpectedly gave her a sense offort, as if this was all what ought to be. After having been kissed by him for a while, Xia Qingyi felt drained throughout her body. Her head that was originally a little dizzy from in the room became dizzier, to the point where she felt that she had ack of oxygen. As a result, Xia Qingyi could only hit Mo Han a few times to make him stop. Xia Qingyi stared at him with hazy eyes. There was still some silvery ze on his lips as he stared at her too. Neither of them spoke. Xia Qingyi breathed in and out slowly before she hugged Mo Han. She said softly in his embrace, ¡°Let¡¯s try, Mo Han.¡± Mo Han froze, as his body became stiff. ¡°Did you not realize that there wasn¡¯t a trace of alcohol in my mouth when you kissed me earlier?¡± Xia Qingyi said calmly in his embrace. Mo Han really did not know how to react. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question...¡± Xia Qingyi said as she let go of his hand to stand in front of him. ¡°What did you mean... about trying?¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°We... let¡¯s try to be together... I realized that I cannot treat you as an older brother anymore... so, let¡¯s try. If there was a day where you no longer like me, or I no longer like you... then we can break up... okay...?¡± ¡°Have you thought clearly?¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi nodded, ¡°Yes... if we were to break up one day... I wouldn¡¯t disturb your life, and you shouldn¡¯t disturb mine too... let¡¯s just do it nicely, alright?¡± Mo Han could feel that she was more serious than she had ever been. He said, ¡°Okay.¡± The two of them had continued to keep quiet without a word as they both stood at the corridor. After a while, people started to walk out from the room. They saw Mo Han and his younger sister standing at the far end of the corridor and walked towards them. ¡°Hey... what are you two standing here for...?¡± Mo Han heard it and nced at Xia Qingyi once before the two of them walked over. ¡°Are you done eating?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°We were done eating quite a while ago and were chatting in the room. We came out after seeing that the two of you haven¡¯te back in a while.¡± Liu Zhiyuan said. He asked when he saw Xia Qingyi¡¯s red face, ¡°Xia Xia, why is your face so red?¡± Xia Qingyi replied, ¡°It¡¯s too stuffy in the room, so I feel a little warm.¡± They walked out of the restaurant with the few people that had just walked out of the room. Surprisingly, Xia Qingyi spoke very little on the way. Even after everyone had left, and they were the only two people remaining, Xia Qingyi continued to stay quiet as Mo Han drove her home. She rested her head on her palm as she quietly stared into the view outside the car window. It was already eleven P.M and there was a slight coolness in the wind at night. The air also smelled a little damp as the bright street lights were thrown behind them. Mo Han drove really slowly as the two of them did not seem to be in a rush. They seemed to be slowly appreciating the view outside during the ride. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be regretting it, can you?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi looked at him andughed, ¡°No. It just feels a little unreal.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already my girlfriend now. There¡¯s no way out.¡± Mo Han said. ¡°I know.¡± Xia Qingyi asked him, ¡°But I haven¡¯t been in a rtionship before. So I don¡¯t know how we are going to act in the future.¡± It was Mo Han¡¯s turn tough this time. ¡°We¡¯ll act however you want to act, as long as you don¡¯t run away.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Please don¡¯t mind if I¡¯m not doing very good. I will change slowly.¡± Mo Han moved to hold her hands, as he inteced their fingers together. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything, actually. I¡¯m satisfied just with you by my side.¡± Xia Qingyi stared at his hand. ¡°If I... regain my memories in the future... and someone tells me he¡¯s my boyfriend or husband again, what will you do?¡± Mo Han paused before he held onto her hand tightly. He smiled. ¡°Then we¡¯ll see... if you like me more, or if you like that person more at that point... the decision lies with you.¡± Mo Han continued to drive on. ¡°Actually... I¡¯m selfish too... I can¡¯t be a person that is too generous... if you are boyfriend and girlfriend with that person, I will wait until the two of you break up... if you had married that person, I will wait until you¡¯re divorced... I will still hope that you can be by my side as long there is a chance.¡± ¡°But... I will respect your decision... I cannot help you decide what type of life you choose to have... you¡¯re the only one that can do it.¡± Xia Qingyi stared at his side view as she leaned against the car seat with her head angled. Suddenly, she had faintly understood why she suddenly had the courage to try being in a rtionship with him. People like him deserve all the love from everyone. She felt slightly happy about what she had done at the restaurant earlier. Maybe, she should have done this even earlier. ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± Mo Han turned to ask her. ¡°Nothing, just looking at your handsomeness.¡± Mo Han smiled. ¡°Is it toote to know it only now? You were saying that I¡¯m old a few days ago.¡± ¡°Well,pared to me, you are a little old.¡± Xia Qingyi retorted with augh. ¡°This is not old. It¡¯s called maturity.¡± Mo Han said as the car drove into their housing estate. Xia Qingyi looked ahead as she let go of his hand. ¡°Are we home? That was fast.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not early anymore. It¡¯s already past 11 P.M.¡± Mo Han parked the car under their condominium block skillfully before he let Xia Qingyi get down from the car with her stuff. After reaching home, the two of them entered the house and continued to do their own thing as per usual. They washed themselves up before going to sleep. Xia Qingyi was just about to enter her room when Mo Han stopped her. ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Mo Han beckoned her. ¡°Come over for a while.¡± Xia Qingyi walked over and Mo Han pulled her by the waist to kiss her gently on her lips. ¡°Goodnight kiss.¡± She pushed him away. ¡°You scared me. I thought something had happened.¡± ¡°Have a nice sleep.¡± Mo Han said. ¡°Alright.¡± Xia Qingyi did not continued to speak with Mo Han. She rushed back to her room and hurriedly showered and got on the bed to sleep. She had a morning lesson the next day, so she had to wake up early. The next day, Xia Qingyi hurriedly rushed out of her room, wanting to run to the porch to change her shoes and go out of the house. It was then that she saw Mo Han walk out from his room, dressed neatly and properly. He asked when he saw Xia Qingyi¡¯s panicking state, ¡°Do you want me to take you?¡± Xia Qingyi lifted up her legs to wear her shoes as she used the chance to tidy her hair in the reflection avable at the porch. ¡°There¡¯s no need to. There¡¯s probably a huge jam outside. It would be slower if you take me.¡± She opened the door with a hand carrying her bag. She waved behind her to Mo Han. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Mo Han shouted from behind her, ¡°I¡¯lle and fetch you after your ss in the afternoon.¡± The door shut with a loud bang right in front of Mo Han and he did not even know if Xia Qingyi had heard what he just said. On the first day of them being together, everything continued as per their usual routine, though there were still some things that were secretly changing. It was a type of blissfulness and happiness that could be felt in the air. As a result, Mo Han was in a good mood for the entire day. Healso acted differently from how he was usually; when an assistant in thew firm had made a mistake and was waiting for be scolded while shivering with her head bowed. He had merely waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, just take note next time.¡± In the afternoon, Barrister Wang, who had just entered thew firm, came to Mo Han¡¯s office to get a document. He could not help but ask him a few things and chat about some private affairs with him when he saw that Mo Han¡¯s mood was exceptionally good. That was why he continued to stand in front of his desk without leaving when Mo Han had passed him the document. Mo Han asked him, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Barrister Wang seemed to be a little embarrassed as he smiled. ¡°Can I ask... for your younger sister¡¯s mobile number?¡± Mo Han said with his work-only voice, ¡°Liu Zhiyuan should have her mobile number with him. You can ask him... also, is there any reason why you¡¯re looking for her?¡± Barrister Wang replied as he chuckled happily, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I just want to get to know her.¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at him. ¡°During the mealst night, I thought that your younger sister was very beautiful when she smiled as she sat opposite of me. Why didn¡¯t you tell us that you have such a pretty younger sister?¡± ¡°What should I say... should I say that my younger sister is really beautiful and that the few of you should quicklye and hit on her?¡± Mo Han was a little angry as he looked down, pretending that he was reading the document seriously. Chapter 171 - A Stranger

Chapter 171: A Stranger

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t hear about it before...¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you only been in thew firm for a while? Why do you know so many details about my private life...?¡± ¡°Oh... it¡¯s impossible for the two of you to get together anyway, Barrister Mo. So why don¡¯t you introduce her to me? I will treat your younger sister very well...¡± What did he mean by saying that it is impossible for the two of us to be together and to introduce her to you?! For someone as calm as Mo Han usually was, he could not help but to want to throw the document in his face so badly. However, he still tried his best to control his emotions. ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about it anymore. She has a boyfriend now.¡± ¡°But I asked Liu Zhiyuan yesterday and he said that she didn¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°She just got onest night.¡± Mo Han¡¯s tone was incredibly cold. Barrister Wang could sense that Mo Han was not in a very good mood right now. From his past experiences, he decisively chose to back off as he slowly moved back and said to Barrister Mo cautiously, ¡°Barrister Mo, I¡¯ll take the document. I¡¯ll get Little Liu to bring it back to you after I¡¯m done.¡± Mo Han¡¯s eyes were fixated only on the document. ¡°Go.¡± Mo Han was still felt a little ufortable after Barrister Wang had left. He called Xia Qingyi, and the call rang for two times before it was cut off. He received a message from Xia Qingyi not long after. ¡°I¡¯m still in ss! What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Han replied her message, ¡°What time will your ss end?¡± ¡°At 5.30 p.m..¡± ¡°Wait for me in school after your ss.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I just go to your office directly? Aren¡¯t you still at work at that time?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have toe to thew firm. I¡¯ll go and find you.¡± Mo Han thought about Barrister Wang who had just came to his office again as he typed out the words. He felt ufortable whenever he thought about what Barrister Wang had said, even though he knew that Xia Qingyi did not even know about what happened. He had the urge to hide her away. He wanted to be the only one to know about her good qualities, and to be the only one to know about her everything. Mo Han¡¯s thoughts were like those belonging to a youngd that had just fallen in love. Mo Han did not make Xia Qingyi wait too long. There was not too much work after that contract had been settled. He left slightly earlier and drove his car to Xia Qingyi¡¯s school to fetch her. Xia Qingyi had been waiting for him at the school gate. He could see her from a distance away as he stopped his car by the side of the road and then called Xia Qingyi. ¡°Look to your right.¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi looked behind her in puzzle, still trying to find him. ¡°You¡¯re looking to your left.¡± Mo Hanughed. She looked right and finally saw Mo Han¡¯s car that was parked by the side of the road while Mo Han was waving his hand outside of the car window. Xia Qingyi hung up the call and walked over to open the car door. She sat in the front passenger seat. She was about to ask Mo Han where they were going to eat when he leaned forward and pinned her on the car seat before he kissed her. It was another long and deep kiss. Xia Qingyi patted his shoulder as she hummed with widened eyes, though Mo Han continued to pin her without moving. When they had finally ended this kiss, Mo Han was still leaning right in front of her as he looked into her eyes with a smile. Xia Qingyi wiped away the saliva on her lips. She red at him. ¡°Can you not kiss me so suddenly?! I was scared to death.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll slowly get used to it in the future.¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi pushed him away. ¡°Don¡¯t do this anymore in the future. There are many people outside.¡± ¡°What are you afraid of? They can¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t see, but I can see them.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be scared of even if they can see. You are my girlfriend, it¡¯s normal to do this.¡± Mo Han said insistently. Xia Qingyi nced once at him, not wanting to argue further with him as she said, ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s not talk about this. Let¡¯s go eat, I¡¯m hungry.¡± Mo Han took her to a western restaurant. The menu of the restaurant was entirely in French and Xia Qingyi could not understand anything. As a result, she threw the responsibility of ordering food for herself to Mo Han. He chose a steak for her. The meat was very tender and the thick sauce zed on it made it exceptionally fragrant. It was even more delicious when she ate it with some refreshing vegetables. Xia Qingyi thought as she ate, if she did not know what to eat in the future, she would definitely let Mo Han make the decision. To her, the food that Mo Han had ordered for her was more delicious that what she chose for herself sometimes. Xia Qingyi looked at Mo Han. He did not act as she did by nodding as she said that it was delicious while she ate. He merely smiled as he cut the steak. No one could tell what his preference was by looking at him. Halfway through the meal, Xia Qingyi wiped her mouth to go to the washroom. After she was done, she was thinking of rushing back to finish the rest of the steak as she washed her hands. However, she almost knocked into a man behind her when she turned around. She jumped in shock as she hurriedly apologized to the person behind her. She looked up to see that the man that she had almost bumped into was exceptionally tall and well-built. It seemed like he had a crew cut as Xia Qingyi merely saw a head covered in a baseball cap with him looking down. That man moved back, leaving a gap for Xia Qingyi, as if he was letting her past by him. Xia Qingyi said her gratitude and nodded before she walked past him towards the back. Halfway through, she slowly stopped her steps and looked back to nce once at that man earlier. He had disappeared. He was no longer where she had saw him earlier. Xia Qingyi did not know why but there was a slight unease within her, though she did not know where the uneasiness hade from. She continued to eat the steak when she had returned to her seat. It was either that the steak had turned cold or that she had lost the appetite but the taste of the steak that she had been longing for when she was washing her hands had already changed. Xia Qingyi merely ate a few more mouthfuls when she put down the knife and fork. Mo Han stopped and looked at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating anymore?¡± ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t want to eat a bit more?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head as she smiled, ¡°Nope. I¡¯m already full.¡± Mo Han put down his knife and fork as well and wiped his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Xia Qingyi and Mo Han did not spend too much time outside. Mo Han took her home early after they had finished eating. They sat on the sofa in the living room to watch a movie while Mo Han ced an arm around her shoulders on the side of the sofa. Xia Qingyi had been originally watching the movie seriously as she hugged a pillow. However, Mo Han pressed down on her head to make her rest her head on his shoulders. Xia Qingyi red at him before she sat straight up again and continued to watch the movie. After a while, Mo Han did the same thing again. He was absolutely insistent about having her rest her head on his shoulders. ¡°My neck would be very tired like this.¡± Xia Qingyi retorted. Mo Han ruffled her hair. ¡°Just rest for a while.¡± In the end however, Xia Qingyi was a little tired from watching the movie and she unconsciously rxed and rested her head on his shoulder. Mo Han caressed her head as he smiled. ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry again.¡± Xia Qingyi said. ¡°You said you were full at the western restaurant earlier?¡± Mo Hanughed as he lightly hit her small head. Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I felt really full at that point and I couldn¡¯t continue eating. But I¡¯m a little hungry again after watching the movie at home.¡± Mo Han had actually noticed Xia Qingyi¡¯s emotions at the western restaurant, though he did not continue to ask her after seeing how she was. He was afraid that she could end up being unhappier. It was only now that her mood was slightly lifted. Mo Han rxed a little as he tried to ask her, ¡°Did... something happen at the western restaurant earlier?¡± Xia Qingyi looked up at him. She was a little surprised. ¡°You know...¡±?¡± Mo Han shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened exactly, but your expression when you returned was a little different.¡± Xia Qingyi got up from Mo Han¡¯s shoulders and sat straight. ¡°Actually... it¡¯s nothing much...¡± Xia Qingyi narrowed her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just that... I felt uneasy somehow.¡± ¡°Uneasy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure either... it¡¯s like I suddenly became uneasy...¡± Xia Qingyi did not tell Mo Han about almost bumping into that man. She had thought thoroughly when she had returned, feeling that she was probably too sensitive at that time. That man had not done anything too weird. He had not even spoken. She had not felt ufortable when she had stood in front of him as well. However, she felt terribly uneasy when she saw him disappear. She did not want Mo Han to worry about her sudden uneasiness. This was merely a painless small thing, and there was no need for them to put it to their heart. ¡°What are you afraid of? ... I¡¯m here, right?¡± Mo Han pulled her on top of his chest, letting Xia Qingyi lie on it as a pillow. ¡°I will always be by your side no matter what happens.¡± Xia Qingyi could hear his heart beat through his shirt. The side of her face can also feel the faint and small beating. She should feel that she was happy, since she had the best thing next to her. However, there was still a small corner of her heart that was filled with uneasiness. She could hear a voice within her tell her secretly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting happiness so easily? How long can such a happinessst? Even if Mo Han likes you, can you guarantee that he would still stay by your side after finding out all the truth?¡± She was not sure, even she was not sure that she would not be weighed down by all the truth of her past. What about Mo Han? Xia Qingyi sighed unconsciously. Mo Han caressed her face and saw the way she had furrowed her eyebrows. He pushed her eyebrows t as he smiled calmly at her, as if he wasforting her. Xia Qingyi held onto Mo Han¡¯s sleeves. She did not want to think about anything else now, she only wanted to hold onto the present now. At least, it was enough that she was happy right now. Chapter 172 - You Will Remember Me

Chapter 172: You Will Remember Me

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi had been slightly more busy the past few days, having stayed in the library for many hours everyday. There was a teacher in her course that appreciated her skills and had asked her to try to write an academic thesis. She wanted to see if it was possible to publish the thesis in a Psychology academic journal. That teacher treated her quite well usually, and Xia Qingyi forced herself to ept her teacher¡¯s request. That was why she had gone back homete, having spent her days in the library trying to find various academic references that were rted to Psychology. There were even times when she had told Mo Han to wait a little longer after he had already worked two more hours at thew firm and called her afterwards to fetch her home, because she needed to write down the important parts of a book. The first few times that it happened, Mo Han had agreed to her request. However, she started to stay longer and longer after that. She was even reluctant to leave the school library when it was already 11 P.M and that was when Mo Han started to get a little unhappy. He told Xia Qingyi to bring the books home and to write her thesis at home. Initially, Xia Qingyi wanted to stay up to finish the thesis as soon as possible, though Mo Han had disagreed and had only let her write the thesis until 1 A.M in the morning at most. After that, he would cut off all of the electricity at home to force her to go to sleep. Even though it was extremely exhausting, but her tough days were finally over as Xia Qingyi had finally finished her thesis after spending a few days on it. She felt a sense of liberation when she finally handed thepleted thesis to her teacher that night. As a result, she was thinking happily on her way home if she should go to Mo Han¡¯sw firm and give him a surprise. He would definitely rx as well if he knew that she hadpleted the thesis. When she had not been sleeping these few days, he barely slept as well. He would always wait until the light was off in her room before going to sleep with his heart at ease. At 8 that night, she was slowly walking towards Mo Han¡¯sw firm alone as she followed the streetlights. However, as she walked, she suddenly hear footsteps behind her. As if someone was following her. Xia Qingyi was a little unsure, afraid that she was being too sensitive as she continued to walk ahead with her original pace. After walking for a while, she noticed that the footsteps behind her had slowed down, as if they were further from her. When she reached a turn in front of the a shop that had a motorcycle stopped in front of it, her footsteps had slowed down as well. She looked behind her through the rear mirror of the motorcycle and saw a suspicious tall and bulky man wearing a ck baseball cap. It looked like he was about ten meters away from her. It was the man that she had bumped into outside of the washroom at the western cuisine restaurant that day. Xia Qingyi could remember it very well. It seemed like he was the only one that was following her, Xia Qingyi thought as she walked. However, she could understand his motive for following her. If it was an ordinary kidnap and tailing, then why did the pace of his footsteps not change at all when she had reached a quiet ce? He seemed to be just following her with a distance that was not too near and not too far. For unknown reasons, however, Xia Qingyi believed that he had no ill intentions. The only question was that she did not understand why he was following her. When it was 8.30, Xia Qingyi did not want to continue to drag it out with him any further. It was also just nice that she had walked to a ce where there were not too many people around them. She stopped her steps and turned around to ask him, ¡°Why are you following me?¡± The man who was wearing the baseball cap was standing in a dark corner. Xia Qingyi could only faintly see the contour of his face as he just stood there, facing her. Xia Qingyi could tell that he was using the cover of the darkness to look straight at her. ¡°You have to listen carefully to the words I¡¯m about to say.¡± that man said. His voice was so low and husky that it could enchant a person. Xia Qingyi stared at him as she stood in the light. ¡°Master Dong will be caught soon. He does not have anyone to back him anymore. His men under him can¡¯t save him either. He probably won¡¯te out anymore after he goes in. I probably don¡¯t have many days left either. I think that I¡¯d need to go in too.¡± That man paused for a while as he said in the darkness, ¡°I probably won¡¯t be able to protect you in the future. You have to be more alert.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand was shaking uncontrobly. She felt that the words that he was saying were rted to her past, though she did not dare to ask as she continued to remain silent. ¡°I know that you can¡¯t remember anything now... it¡¯s good this way too... it saved a lot of trouble.¡± ¡°I had already asked people to settle Xiao Ye¡¯s funeral affairs. He¡¯s buried in Jian Shi Cemetery at A City. I have also settled everything with the sexton there. You just have to ask the sexton when you¡¯re there.¡± That man said, ¡°If you remember everything in the future, you might want to go see Xiao Ye. However, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have the chance to tell you all this in the future, which was why I wanted to tell you beforehand.¡± ¡°You know me... right?¡± Xia Qingyi asked as her voice trembled. ¡°That¡¯s not important anymore.¡± He said again, ¡°After all, you originally wished to be like this.¡± That man¡¯s voice sounded a little bitter. Xia Qingyi did not know if he was forcing himself to smile as his body remained still like a sculpture. ¡°Do you know... how to fight now?¡± he asked. Xia Qingyi shook her head as she stared at him. ¡°You should learn a little again. You should be able to use it in the future. It¡¯ll be fine as long as you can protect yourself.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Xia Qingyi said. She felt that she should say this to him. She heard the man seeminglyugh. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say thank you to me. I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be able to say that ¡®thank you¡¯ after you know who I am. ¡°This is probably thest time we¡¯re meeting. I probably won¡¯t be able to disturb your life anymore as you had wished.¡± he said, ¡°Let us... say farewell to each other here.¡± Xia Qingyi stared at his face in the darkness when he turned around and started walking away from Xia Qingyi. He stopped after a few steps as he said without turning back, ¡°That barrister... seems like he¡¯s treating you very well... it¡¯s fine as long you¡¯re living well...¡± Xia Qingyi asked from behind him, ¡°Who are you exactly?¡± He said right before he left, ¡°You will remember.¡± Xia Qingyi stood there for a very long after the man had left. She stared deeply in the direction that the man had left in, though she did not follow him. She knew that she was currently going further away from her past. When she was in Han Liang¡¯s house, she kept trying to find the truth. She was desperate to know every bit of her memory for every second that she was there. Now however, her past was just right before her eyes. She might be able to remember her past as long as she chased after that man and stood in front of him to look at his face and stare into his eyes. All she had to do was just to take a step forward and she would be able to touch her past. But she did not. Staring at that man¡¯s back view, she could feel intensely that the her before she had lost her memories did not want her to return to the past, that she did not want her to remember what had happened in the past again. Back then, was she thinking to forget everything in the past so that she would not be held back by her past in the future, that she needed to go forward with big steps and never look back? Was the truth about the past really that important to her? For a moment, Xia Qingyi had suspicions about this matter that she was once so fixated on. When she had reached home, Mo Han had already finished his work. He had changed into casual wear as he watched the television while sitting on the sofa. It was apparent that he was waiting for her. ¡°Have you submitted your assignment to your teacher?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Xia Qingyi changed her shoes and threw herself on the sofa in tiredness. Mo Han thought that she had been tired out from continuously researching and writing the thesis. He sat next to her as he patted her back andughed, ¡°Are you tired? If I¡¯d known you¡¯d be like this earlier, I would not have let you until sote every night.¡± Xia Qingyi closed her eyes as she hummed. She could feel the temperature of Mo Han¡¯s hand and she felt a lump form in her throat. She did not know why she had a sudden urge to cry. ¡°I was a little busy at thew firm this afternoon, so I couldn¡¯t go and fetch you. What did you eat for dinner?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi had not eaten anything for dinner actually. She had originally nned to go to Mo Han¡¯sw firm and make him apany her to get a meal. However, after she had parted from that man on the road, she had lost a bit of her appetite as she dazedly walked home. Nevertheless, she did not want Mo Han to worry and said, ¡°I ate Zhou Ji¡¯s small dumplings.¡± ¡°Were they good?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Xia Qingyi hummed from her nose. She buried her face into the pillow, feeling to urge to cry again. She was afraid that Mo Han would sense the difference in her as she tried her best tough and moved herself. Shey in Mo Han¡¯s embrace, burying her face into his chest and hugged his waist so that he could not see her expression. Mo Han was a little surprised by the sudden touch. He caressed her soft hair with his hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m too tired and feel like falling asleep right here.¡± Xia Qingyi replied. Mo Han said, ¡°That¡¯s not possible. What will happen if I can¡¯t control myself with you lying in my arms?¡± Xia Qingyi pinched Mo Han hard on his waist, as a form of reply. His voice became a little more husky as he said from the top of her head, ¡°Xia Qingyi, what should I do when I want to kiss you now?¡± Xia Qingyi rubbed her face against his chest a few times. ¡°No kissing. I want to sleep now.¡± He caressed her head again. ¡°Okay, have a nice sleep. I¡¯ll take you to your bed once you¡¯re asleep.¡± Xia Qingyi leaned into his embrace as she slowly rxed her body. She did not think about what had happened as she merely felt tired. She was so sleepy and she wanted to quietly fall asleep while listening to Mo Han¡¯s heart beat. She was always feel secure whenever she was next to him, be it in the past or now. His existence was a very special one to her. This was something that Xia Qingyi never doubted. When she woke up in the morning, Xia Qingyi noticed that she was still lying in Mo Han¡¯s embrace. He was still sleeping next to her. His hair was in a mess as he was on his side facing her. He also had a hand wrapped around her. Xia Qingyi looked around her, and finally realized that they were in Mo Han¡¯s room. The sun had started to rise outside. She moved her body, moving towards the side of the bed. She wanted to go take a look at the clock, wanting to know what time it was now. Mo Han had woken up when just a slight movement from her. With sleepy eyes, he looked at Xia Qingyi, who had her eyes opened wide in his embrace. He smiled as he continued to hold onto her tightly. Chapter 173 - Morning Kiss

Chapter 173: Morning Kiss

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°Let me see what time it is?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to look at the time. I¡¯ve set an rm that will ring at 7.30. Go back to sleep for a while longer.¡± Mo Han moved his head down and rubbed it against her neck. ¡°What time did I fall asleepst night?¡± ¡°You fell asleep quite fast. You¡¯d fallen asleep as you leaned against my chest.¡± Mo Han replied quietly. ¡°Why did you let me sleep in your room?¡± Mo Han still had his eyes closed as he breathed out a long breath with his nose. ¡°I wanted to sleep with you.¡± The rm that Mo Han had set by the bed started to ring and Xia Qingyi pushed Mo Han a little. ¡°Hey... it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows as he stretched over and turned off the rm. After that, he went back and slept against Xia Qingyi¡¯s neck with his head nted. Xia Qingyi poked his head with her finger as sheughed, ¡°Are you like that when you wake up every morning?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s just that it suddenly feels... as if sleep is a veryfortable thing with you by my side.¡± ¡°What do you mean when I¡¯m by your side? Sleeping is always a veryfortable thing.¡± Xia Qingyi pushed Mo Han¡¯s heavy head that was resting against her neck as she said loudly, ¡°Get up now. You need to go to work and I need to go to school.¡± Mo Han finally opened his eyes for real as he slightly eased his grip on Xia Qingyi¡¯s hand that he had been hugging. He squinted as he looked at Xia Qingyi. ¡°Let¡¯s have a morning kiss.¡± She said, ¡°But... I haven¡¯t brushed my teeth. Mo Han pushed her down again, suddenly kissing her lips. The thing he loved most was to kiss Xia Qingyi¡¯s lower lip, which was soft like cotton. He would always get the urge tough whenever he saw her close her eyes as he could not help but bite her lower lips. He secretly felt for her hand on the bed and intertwined their fingers together as his other hand was on the top of her head, holding it down. His tongue slipped into her mouth as he explored every corner of her mouth. His tongue lingered with hers without holding back. They stopped only when they had kissed once again until she could no longer breathe with her face red. When he withdrew from her mouth, Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes were watery and dazed, as she kept panting. Mo Han moved to kiss her ear again and he slowly moved down to kiss her neck. He sucked a spot on her neck hard, leaving his own mark on it. Xia Qingyi furrowed her eyebrows from the pain, yet she could not fight back as she had lost of all her energy from being kissed by Mo Han. Mo Han continued to kiss her, moving to kiss her lips again after kissing her neck. The morning kiss had long been turned into something else. Mo Han was the first to stop as he let go of Xia Qingyi¡¯s slightly swollen lips. He quietly panted above her, before he let go of her hand andy next to her. ¡°We can¡¯t continue kissing anymore. If we do, I¡¯m afraid something bad will happen.¡± It was only then that Xia Qingyi finally noticed that something near her legs was wrong. Her already red face instantly became redder, though before she could say anything, Mo Han had already gotten up from the bed with his back to her. ¡°I¡¯ll go wash myself up first. You should get out of bed too.¡± Xia Qingyi buried her face into the nket. She took a while to calm down before she finally lifted her head and got out of bed to wash up. If it went ording to her expected schedule, Xia Qingyi could have rushed to school before 8.30 to begin her first lesson of the day. She would have lunch with her schoolmates, then go on to finish her afternoon lessons. After that, she might go to Mo Han¡¯sw firm by herself, or wait for a while in school for Mo Han toe and fetch her for dinner. Xia Qingyi had never thought about changing that. It was probably quite nice that she could continue living like this in the future. She had a few friends now, and though she could not say that they were close friends, at least she would not be in school alone. She had Mo Han. Despite the fact that there were still many uncertainties between them, they were still at least living rather peacefully and they could slowly resolve the many problems that would arise in the future. She could almost predict the life that she would have 10 yearster. Everyday would be like this. Despite so, she felt that this was pretty good too. It seemed like she would be alright with anything as long as she had Mo Han with her, a few friends that she could chat with, and a mother that would miss her. However, she did not reach school before 8.30 A.M that day to attend her first lesson of the day. The reality had only a small deviation to what she had expected, yet it was this small deviation that had cause her to be further away from reach of the life that she had expected. Xia Qingyi was a little dazed on the public bus that day, having gotten off at the wrong stop. It was only after she had gotten off the bus that she realized that she was in a ce that she did not know at all. She sighed as a result, ready to walk to the opposite side of the road to wait for the public bus that was going back so that she could go back to her school. She crossed the road and walked towards the other side of the road before she stood under the bus stand to wait for the arrival of the bus together with the people around her. She had been looking forward, trying to find any hint of the public bus when a hand suddenly grabbed her from behind. Xia Qingyi looked behind her to see an unknown man. He had average looks, was not too tall, and had a skinnier build despite having muscles. He was currently looking very nervous as he looked at her. ¡°Why are you here?¡± The man asked her as he lowered his voice. Xia Qingyi was thinking, wanting to tell him that she did not know him. However, that man looked around them, as if he was watching out for something before he pulled her away from the bus stop. Xia Qingyi did not stop him. Her intuition was telling that this man might be rted to the man that had followed her for a long timest night. Besides, it was broad daylight now and there were many people around them. He could not possible do anything to her. That man held onto her as he dragged her into a quiet alley. He only let go of her after seeing that there were not too many people around them. He stood beside her, with about a two-step distance between them. ¡°Third Young Master went to find youst night, didn¡¯t he?¡± Xia Qingyi thought that the Third Young Master that he had mentioned was probably the man that had spoke to her in the dark. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any ill intentions, actually. I know you don¡¯t like to see him now, but he only went to find you in this critical juncture because he cares about you. Please don¡¯t me him.¡± he seemed to be exining the actions of that man that had appearedst night. ¡°Something happened to Master Dong and Boss had gotten into some trouble recently. Without Boss, those id*ots under Liu Ge mighte and cause some trouble for you, so you should try to go out less recently. You should go home earlier at night. It¡¯ll be best if you could reach the ce you¡¯re staying at before 9 P.M. Be more cautious in the future and protect yourself, got it? If there¡¯s no other way, then go to the police, got it?¡± He noticed that she had not spoken at all. Her gaze was different from before as well. It had be very gentle and did not have any aggression at all,pared to the past. He asked confusedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong... with you?¡± Xia Qingyi knew that this person in front of her probably knew her in the past. There was no way she could deceive someone that was impossible to be deceived and she decided to say the truth, ¡°I... can¡¯t remember you.¡± He appeared to be a little surprised, as his eyes looked down to think for a while and spoke to himself, ¡°You lost your memory... no wonder...¡± he asked again, ¡°Did you forget everyone? Even Third Young Master?¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head. He said as he looked up, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve forgotten... there¡¯s actually not much that you must remember... it¡¯ll be okay as long as you¡¯re living well now...¡± It seemed as if almost everyone did not really want her to know what had happened in the past. This man in front of her appeared to have sunk into what had happened in the past. He looked a little sad after knowing that she could not remember anything. He said to her, though it also seemed like he was speaking to himself, ¡°Back then... actually... many of us owe you... owe Xiao Ye... an apology. ¡°I¡¯m actually relieved now that you can¡¯t remember anything. There isn¡¯t an ending that is more perfect than this. However, I feel as if the stone in my heart is bing heavier. It¡¯s probably something that all of us won¡¯t forget for the rest of our lives.¡± Xia Qingyi watched as he lowered his head. For unknown reasons, she suddenly felt very sad, as if there was a corner of her heart crying. ¡°It will be Xiao Ye¡¯s death anniversary in a few months. We probably won¡¯t be able to go. Please help me apologize to him if you¡¯re going to see Xiao Ye. Thank you.¡± He stopped speaking as he smiled at Xia Qingyi after finishing his words. ¡°I¡¯ll be off then... Take good care of yourself.¡± Xia Qingyi watched as he left, like she had watched that man¡¯s back viewst night. She stood in the light, watching as they stepped into the darkness and towards a ce that was getting further and further away from her. However, she did not chase after him. She should go take a look at Xiao Ye¡¯s grave, she thought. It was no longer important whether or not she could regain her memories. All she felt was that she should go visit her. Her past self would also wish for her to do this. As a result, she gave up on attending her lessons for the day. She booked an air ticket to A City and called Mo Han to tell him that he did not need toe and fetch her tonight, that she could probably reach hometer. Mo Han did not ask for the reason as he merely told her to be more careful on her way back. She boarded the flight to A City at 11 A.M andnded at A City at 1.37 P.M. She wanted to go to Jian Shi Cemetery to take a look at Xiao Ye¡¯s grave ande back. The moment her feet touched the floor after taking a taxi from the airport to the entrance of Jian Shi Cemetery, she felt a very strong sense of familiarity. Her heart seemed to have felt something as it started to pound nonstop. She had definitelye here before. Xia Qingyi was very sure that she had definitelye here before. The sign that said ¡°Jian Shi Cemetery¡± at the entrance were very simple. It seemed like this ce was a cemetery with a very long history as the paint on the words of the signboard had already faded. The entrance was very quiet, though it did not seem too gloomy. There were also a few small shops around the cemetery. The entire street was very quiet, though it was probably because it was in the early afternoon that there were not too many people. She did not go in immediately, as her eyes darted around before theynded on a bar not far away from the cemetery. She could not control her feet as she slowly walked over. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss, but this shop is about to close for good soon. We¡¯re currently preparing to clear away the things, so please go to another ce.¡± A man that was wearing a ck singlet and had his arms exposed told her while bowing, after having carried some things out from inside. Chapter 174 - Arent You Dead?

Chapter 174: Aren¡¯t You Dead?

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios That man put down the things that he had been holding as he straightened up. She finally saw what he looked like as the man widened his eyes. ¡°Lina! Why are you... aren¡¯t you dead?¡± Xia Qingyi did not have an impression of him as she merely stared at him in suspicion. That man immediately touched his arms as he circled around her to check her out. He finallyughed when he saw that she was in perfect shape, ¡°You¡¯re still alive... that¡¯s incredible...¡± He asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Xia Qingyi did not know how to reply to him. She had originally walked over here using her instincts, and did not know what she wanted to do aftering over. She thought for awhile, before she asked him, uncertainly, ¡°Can I go in... and take a look? ¡°Of course you can. You¡¯re one of our regr customers after all... no-one would be able to go in and take a look if you can¡¯t.¡± He pulled her into the shop. The lights in the shop were a little dim, while there were a stack of cardboard boxes messily ced in front of the entrance. The boxes were obstructing the entrance a little, and he pushed them to the side. ¡°This shop... can¡¯t be sustained anymore... we¡¯ve already found a buyer. We¡¯ve been packing these few days, which is why it¡¯s a little messy.¡± The basic interior of the bar was still in ce, though the small intricate things on a few of the tables had been kept. There were still musical instruments ced nicely on the singing tform at the front of the bar. There was a drumkit, an electric guitar, an electric piano and a standing microphone. Together with the lights on the floor, everything was in perfect shape. He noticed that Xia Qingyi¡¯s eyes kept returning to the front, around the ce where people sang. He walked over and patted the instruments on the tform and said, ¡°There was a niche singer that came a while ago and sang rather well. I had thought back then that if Xiao Ye and you were still here, the both of you would definitely have liked that singer. ¡°However, it¡¯s a pity...¡± he was talking to himself again. ¡°Do you have a picture fromst time? I want to take a look.¡± He jumped down. ¡°I do. It¡¯s just that you don¡¯t have a lot of photos taken here. You know... it¡¯s not too convenient... we didn¡¯t really dare to keep them.¡± He walked into a small cubicle in the bar as Xia Qingyi continued to look around outside. He had another small box in his hands when he came out. He walked towards Xia Qingyi as he opened it. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot... you can take all of them if you want...¡± Xia Qingyi took the photos from his hand and she looked through them one by one. She could tell from the photos that there used to be quite a crowd here. It looked really lively at night, at least. As she flipped through the photos, she reached a group photo and her gaze stopped on it. She was in that photo. It was her side view as she smiled with a hand resting on the shoulder of the man next to him, though it was not really urate to call him a man. He looked rather young and inexperienced, eighteen at most. Judging from their poses, she was definitely still talking with that boy in the photo, and she was still not ready after the photographer had called them. That was how this photo had been taken, Xia Qingyi thought. They were smiling. She was smiling very happily together with that boy. The shop owner noticed that her gaze had stopped on this photo for a long time. He nced at the photo as well and he sighed, ¡°Xiao Ye and you were so good... back then... it¡¯s such a pity...¡± He said again, ¡°You came here wanting to go to the cemetery in front, didn¡¯t you? Your boss buried Xiao Ye in the cemetery near here, probably because Xiao Ye had said that he didn¡¯t want to leave this city. I visited Xiao Ye¡¯s grave and paid my respects to him a while ago. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s in a good ce now.¡± Xia Qingyi did not know how to describe how she currently felt. It was as if she was in a rapidly spinning typhoon, that she was standing in the middle of the typhoon with this photo in her hand as she felt the wind that came from every direction. She breathed heavily as she stared at this photo. She breathed in and out with her mouth open, as if she was a fish that had been washed ashore by the waves and was desperately trying to breathe. However, she was unable to remove the fear from her heart as she felt herself shivering all over. She was almost losing grip on this photo. Everything spun even more intensely around her. Xia Qingyi gripped anything that could support her as she started to stumble out of the shop. The shop owner was worried about her as he kept following behind her, wanting to go and support her. ¡°Lina! What¡¯s wrong with you? Where are you going?¡± he asked. She merely walked out as she bumped into things here and there. She was trying hard to breathe. ¡°Lina! Are you not feeling well?¡± he grabbed her arm, afraid that she would copse on the floor. She looked up at the light after she had walked out. She had never seen such a bright sun. She kept staring at it, as she breathed slowly. Sweat trailed down her face. She could taste the sweat faintly, and then she suddenly dropped down on the floor. She could not feel that pain in her body. All she could hear was her heavy breathing and the faint sounds around her. There was someone shouting, ¡°Are you okay? Ambnce! Ambnce!¡± She could hear that person¡¯s panicking footsteps right before she had lost consciousness. After the faint and weak sound of breathing, she could not hear anything else and her world finally ended in silence and darkness. It was as if she had a very long dream. There was not anything in her dream as she was merely walking on a road. There was white snow all around her and as far as she could see, there was only white. There were no houses here and she could not see anything else apart from snow. She did not know how she knew that the white thing around her was snow. She had a feeling that this was snow from the moment her dream had started. She stepped on the snow-covered ground, hearing the small cracks of the snow. She kept walking forward, even though there was nothing in front of her. She merely continued to walk forward. And then, she saw that man. It was the man that wore a baseball cap who had told her stuff in the dark. He seemed to be waving for her to go over. She was very happy as she ran over. There was the sound of the wind in her ears and slowly, she saw the snow under her feet melt away. It quickly turned into water around her feet. She saw the water flooding towards her and she started to run, wanting to get away from here and to where that man was. When she ran, she started to see her memories from the past. Those scattered bits of memories sparkled and circled around her like stars, as they slowly surrounded her. She stopped running, and she slowly started to regain those memories. It seemed as if she would remember what happened in the past once they touched her. She stared at the fragments of memories as her body sank deeper while the water drowned her. Her body started to sink slowly into the water. She was suspended in the water, spreading her limbs apart so that she would not sink unendingly. It felt like that dream that she had in the hospital a very long time ago. Xia Qingyi could understood faintly why she had that dream initially, Xia Qingyi thought. She was in the water, in the deep ocean as time returned to the time when she had just left her house. When an 11-year-old Song Nianmu followed those men who were loan sharks out of her house, she knew then that her world would be different from that of a normal person from then on. Her thoughts back then were really naive, thinking at the most those men could do was to kill her. She did not have any losses if nothing had happened to her family and that there was nothing bigger than death. However, the 11-year-old her did not understand that there were things that were scarier than death in this world. This was also the reason why some people had thought of using death to end everything after they had grown up. It seemed like death was always the fastest and most effortless solution to a problem. Song Nianmu did not know then that the hardest thing in the world was not death, but to persist in living. Those men did not kill her, nor did they touch her. They had merely brought her in front of a man. They kicked Song Nianmu once to make her kneel in front of his legs. That man was Third Young Master. Arge part of her next eight years of life was spent standing on his right with her head bowed. Third Young Master was known in the mafia triad as ¡®Poison Three¡¯, because he was the third amongst the brothers in his gang and was also the youngest one. As a result, everyone in the mafia triad, regardless if they were close to him, would all respectfully call him, ¡°Third Young Master.¡± Third Young Master was the most handsome amongst the three brothers, which was why there was never ack of women next to him. He would always bring different women to different asions, embracing the waist of different women as he spoke andughed in front of different people and when it was needed, he would go to bed with them. To Third Young Master, they were merely an essory that could be discarded anytime regardless how infatuated those women were for him. If they were not sensible enough, Third Young Master would immediately change his expressions and show his ability as ¡®Poison Three¡¯. He would use small tricks to make those women suffer for the rest of their lives. ¡°Third Young Master, do you think she is the person you¡¯ve been looking for?¡± The man that had kicked Song Nianmu from behind spoke. Third Young Master used his leg to lift up her face. He looked left and right, as if he was checking out a good. His voice was sombre yet hoarse, ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°Eleven.¡± ¡°She¡¯s too young. I don¡¯t have that much time and energy to discipline her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hear about where she came from?¡± Third Young Master nced at him. ¡°Say it.¡± ¡°Her father owed us money. Her entire family had been begging while she was the only one who did not shed a single tear. She asked us very calmly about what she can do in order to spare her family.¡± Third Young Master was a little interested now. He perked up from his seat on the sofa as he listened to that man speak. ¡°I said to pleasure us and she asked us what she could do to pleasure us.¡± Song Nianmu was rather worried as she knelt on the floor. With her head bowed, she heard them start talking about what had happened to her earlier so easily. She did not dare to look up, until that man next to her used his fingers to grab her chin and made her look up forcedly. He looked at her closely again and Song Nianmu gazed straight at him, trying to use her straight gaze to make herself more bold. ¡°Her appearance is not bad.¡± He started to judge and asked her, ¡°Little kid, do you know the meaning of pleasure that we mentioned earlier?¡± ¡°Are you going to sell me or kill me?¡± She asked without fear. He smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re not going to sell you to old men to make them torture you. We want to buy you, using the amount that your father owed. Don¡¯t you think this is a losing transaction for us since you alone are exchanged for such arge sum of money? Chapter 175 - Follow Me

Chapter 175: Follow Me

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Song Nianmu did not speak. She stared straight at him, not daring to believe what he had just said. ¡°Let¡¯se to an agreement first. If you don¡¯t agree to my conditions, I can send you back right now and the amount that your father owes, together with the interest, will all be settled today.¡± ¡°However, if you agree to my conditions, we won¡¯t need the interest that your father owes us anymore. We¡¯d only need the principal sum, and it¡¯ll be fine as long as it¡¯s returned to us within a week. All I need is for you to obey every word I say unconditionally.¡± He said again, ¡°You have to think about this carefully. You won¡¯t be able to turn back once you¡¯ve decided to follow me.¡± Song Nianmu nodded her head and Third Young Master smiled once. It was a smile that she could not describe. She had been habitually afraid of that type of smile in the first few years, as she had ssified that type of smile as a Devil¡¯s smile in her heart. It was really a scary smile that seemed to havee from hell. He took off his shirt and stood up. He looked down at Song Nianmu, who seemed exceptionally small under his feet as he folded his sleeves and said, ¡°Then... let me give you your first lesson right now.¡± He kicked Song Nianmu¡¯s stomach with his strength and her body bounced towards a leg of the table opposite of her. She moaned in pain when she bumped into it, feeling as if her internal organs were all smashed to pieces. She could no longer stand up. The man opposite her picked her up like he was carrying a small chick and threw her down on the floor again. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to fight me openly in the future after surviving the first lesson. I will teach you the know-how so you can beat me in a fight.¡± He said to her as he hit her, ¡°One more thing. You¡¯re no longer to be called Song Nianmu in the future. You¡¯ll be called Lina. She used to be a young girl by my side, though it¡¯s a pity that she didn¡¯t make it past 15. Theoretically, she¡¯s your predecessor and you will be taking over her position in the future.¡± ¡°I hope that you can survive past 18.¡± The man kicked her heavily again. She rolled to the other side of the floor and spat out a mouthful of blood. She felt that she was definitely going to die. If it was not so, how could breathing be so difficult? She no longer had the strength to protect her head as she desperately arched her body up on the floor like a dying shrimp. The amount of blood that she spat out increased as the blood dripped down her chin and onto her white dress. It continued to drip down onto the floor and she watched as the blood gathered under her and spread into patterns. Song Nianmu fell into unconsciousness. She thought that she would not be able to wake up again. However, she had survived. She woke up in a dark little room, lying on the icy cold floor without anything around her. The ces where she was injured had been bandaged, though it still hurt. She was no longer Song Nianmu. Her current identify was Lina. Song Nianmu did not know how she survived the first two years. The majority of her memory seemed to be her getting hit, as pain was the only thing she felt in that two years. When she had first gotten her period at 12 years old, she had been beaten the next day. She would be hit by Third Young Master sometimes, and by other people at other times. They would make her hit them back as they hit her. She would give them a soft punch after she had gotten up, though those people would kick her straight away and make her kneel on the floor. She used a full two years to achieve a merciless fighting skill while her gaze had also became more sharp. The 13-year-old her was not even at the shoulders of those men, yet she had already learnt the fastest method to strike them down. Slowly, she was able to beat everyone that had hit her before. It was until that day when she finally punched Third Young Master on his stomach and saw him bowed and rubbing his stomach that she finally realized that she had actually survived so many days. ¡°Congrattions. You can learn the second skill now. Follow it in the future.¡± Third Young Master said this to her before he left. From then onwards, she kept standing by his right side. The second skill that Third Young Master had mentioned was to make her learn how to maintain a different appearance in front of different people. At 14 years old, her body started to develop and she started to have the basic features of a woman. Third Young Master bought a lot of things for her and let her move into a big house. He hired teachers to teach her to y the piano and to paint. There were some times where Song Nianmu would feel like he was raising her like a daughter of a rich family. He was not, however. The daughter of a rich family would not be brought to a club, would not be forced to drink and would not have to hear other people around her saying, ¡°This young girl is really pretty.¡± She secretly held in the disgust felt when they were quietly touching her body. If she was the daughter of a rich family, she would not be taken to the various social gatherings. She would not have been made to learn all the different types of superficial smiles and would not be made to linger amongst fat men that held onto wine sses all year round to tter them and extract their secrets. Her age was her biggest disguise. The pure and innocent smile that she wore on her face had seemingly enchanted all the men as they quietly touched her body in obscure ces. Song Nianmu would lure them into her trap and make them obsessed with her and follow her so that they would do anything she wanted them to. On the surface, those men were perfectly normal businessmen. However, under the blurry and beautiful lights in the clubs at night, they would change into apletely different persona. They liked younger girls. The younger the girls were, the better. Those men liked to smell a type of smell of youth that had been long gone from them. She had managed to aplish many things for the Third Young Master because of these men. Yet, it was also because of these men that she would strip herself bare every time she came back and soak herself in the bath for a very long time. Third Young Master said, ¡°If you have the ability to make those men do what I¡¯d told you to obediently without touching your body, you can do anything you want with them afterwards, as long as you don¡¯t kill them.¡± She did not know how she did everything in these few years either. She had never let any of those men really touch her. She had mastered every type of expression in order to achieve this, especially her smile. Those people were willing to do anything once she smiled. Slowly, people started to know that Third Young Master had a delicate beauty with him and anyone would be smitten by her when she smiled. However, not many people dared to really touch her, because she was Third Young Master¡¯s. However, Song Nianmu knew that it was not like this. She barely conversed with Third Young Master. She would always bow her head slightly as she stood on the right side behind Third Young Master whenever they were alone. It was always Third Young Master instructing her about her missions and him telling her whatever was necessary for them. Slowly, she was 15 years old. When other 15-year-old girls were probably still pouting at their parents so that they would buy them pretty clothes, she was already used to smiling coyly in front of different men. She was used to not speaking and not batting an eysh when she fought. She would calmly strangle those people by the neck and watch as their faces slowly turned purple so that they would taste the fear of being strangled to death before she would let go of them. Third Young Master would even sayter that Lina¡¯s means had be more and more merciless and it was hard to imagine that she had just turned 15 year old. Sometimes, however, Song Nianmu would feel that she had actually lived a hundred years. There was probably no more other possibilities in her life as she would most likely stay here until she died. Because, she realized that she had fallen in love with Third Young Master. Third Young Master was older than her by 11 years. When she had first saw him, she was 11 years old while he was 22 years old, though his gaze on her was like that of a mature man in his thirties. She did not know when she had fallen for Third Young Master, nor did she know why she would fall for him, because love was something that was irregr and could not be exined. After that, she had secretly thought of a reason after many sleepless nights. It was probably because of the way he had smiled at her after she had given him the first punch when she was 13. It may also be because that Third Young Master held her hand to attend all the various social gatherings like she was a child, and it may be because Third Young Master was the only person that had apanied her in such a long time. Ever since she had understood that she had fallen for Third Young Master, she had never dared to look at him in the eyes anymore. She would always have her head bowed whenever he would instruct her on her mission when they were alone together. She would listen to him respectfully and try to hide her inner thoughts. She watched at the women next to Third Young Master change one after another. She had personally heard him having sex with a woman, and also personally seen the way he sat by the bed and smoke calmly as a woman kneeled by his leg as she cried and begged him. Ever since the day she had known that she liked Third Young Master, she also knew that it was best if she did not tell him anything or let him know anything about what she was thinking. She had to kill this feeling without a doubt silently. The process of killing this feeling was very painful. She was so desperate to make scenes that she should not think about appear in her mind. She was doing all she could to pull things back to where they should be, but she could not do it. As a result, she would kneel on the floor in her room and stifle her cries every night. She would pinch her palm to make herself wake up, but she kept falling in deeper. Just as she had been tortured by this pain, she met Xiao Ye, a boy that was younger than her by two years. She had just handled a very troublesome matter outside and was reporting back to Third Young Master back in the room on the day he had saw her. She had just entered Third Young Master¡¯s room when she saw a boy lying on the floor with blood all over him. He was Xiao Ye. He had struggled to stand up even though he was almost at hisst breath at that time. ¡°Is everything settled?¡± Third Young Master asked her. She nodded and passed him a document. ¡°This is the thing that you wanted.¡± Third Young Master did not seem to care about that boy who was getting up shakily. He opened the document that she had brought and read it carefully. ¡°You handled it well.¡± The few people standing next to that boy started to hit him again after seeing that boy stand up shakily. The sound of flesh hitting each other started to sound clearer in the room. Third Young Master slowly and calmly exined from the side, ¡°It¡¯s his bad luck to have beat one of our men to death. Second Master had said to give him a lesson and to chop away his hand.¡± She still had her head bowed as she received the thing that Third Young Master had passed to her before she turned to leave this ce. However, when she was walking over, she stopped when she saw that boy¡¯s bright eyes. She turned to say to Third Young Master, ¡°Keep his hand please.¡± The people who had been hitting him stopped to look at her. Third Young Master was also looking at her as nothing could be heard in the room apart from that boy¡¯s faint panting from the floor. Chapter 176 - Cold-Hearted Beauty

Chapter 176: Cold-Hearted Beauty

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios She knew why these people were so surprised. She had already been here for four years, growing up from a little girl to who she was now, and she had never taken the initiative to speak up before, not to mention speaking in such a tone with Third Young Master. Third Young Master only looked at her and smiled. ¡°How are you going to leave?¡± ¡°He can do a lot of things for us with one hand left.¡± ¡°You want to let him do things for us.¡± ¡°His fate is in your hands, he can only follow your orders in the future.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± Third Young Master¡¯s tone changed. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why you want to keep him alive.¡± She did not dare to speak. Third Young Master said, ¡°It¡¯s rare that you spoke up, how can I refuse you? We¡¯ll listen to you, spare his hand and his life.¡± She did not show any expression, and only nodded her head as thanks and left. She did not look at anyone in the house and walked straight out, as though she was not the one that those people were talking about. After that, Song Nianmu thought of the reason why she wanted to save Xiao Ye at that time. She guessed that it was probably because she saw Xiao Ye¡¯s eyes. She could not see his features clearly, they were all covered in blood, but she could still clearly see his bright eyes. And she was gripped by that moment. How to describe that kind of feeling? She seemed to see herself kneeling at Third Young Master¡¯s feet. He had never given in, even if he was afraid of everything that was about to happen. The 11-year-old Song Nianmu was also very frightened at that time. She had wished for a person toe and save her, because she waspletely helpless. That was why she wanted to help the bloodied boy, as though she was helping herself from that time. She saw Xiao Ye again when Third Young Master dragged him to her side. The injuries on his face were nearly healed, there were only some bruises left, but this did not stop her from seeing that he was still young and delicate, just like she had been at that time. He seemed to be more docilepared to that day, standing beside Third Young Master with his head lowered, waiting for his orders. Third Young Master handed Xiao Ye over to her, telling her to bring him around first. Familiarize him with the ce, and whatever she wanted to do to him was her own wish. After Third Young Master left, Xiao Ye followed beside her. When she turned back to do her work, he spoke softly into her ear, thanking her. But she did not n to get too close with Xiao Ye. She did not speak with him often, and when she did she would use a cold tone, and immediately leave after she had finished speaking. She originally thought that many things would happen just as expected. She was still the same in the past, she did not like to speak, she behaved coldly, she was ruthless when fighting, and she would smile charmingly in front of her targeted victims. She originally thought that some things would probably never change until her death. But these were just an assumption on her part. Everything slowly changed from the night she turned 19. That night, she screwed up her orders from Third Young Master for the first time. Everything could have proceeded smoothly. But she drank an additional cup of water when she sat on the bed in the hotel room that man had booked. She had already gotten what she wanted, and she only had to use a bath as an excuse to turn the water on in the bathroom, stay for a while and wait for her people toe and fetch her. But she felt dizzy when she entered the bathroom, so she leaned against the wall and rested for a while, and only then she realized that the water that man had given her was drugged. She felt dizzier and dizzier, and the light above seemed to be spinning around when she raised her head and looked at it. Her body felt like jelly, as though there was no strength left in her. She cursed, wanting to use the door to hold herself up so that she could walk to the side of the bathtub and wash her face to wake herself up. But the floor was wet, and she slipped and fell onto the ground with a thud. She groaned, and the man outside heard her. He knocked on the door and asked how she was. She blinked her eyes with tremendous effort, shook her head, and spoke in a sweet voice as she did before, ¡°Nothing. Wait for me for a while.¡± She managed to stand up using the basin as support and looked into the mirror at herself. Her legs were shaking and she could not even stand properly. She felt as though the world was spinning around her. She would not be able to hold on much longer if it continued like this. She took out her phone from her clothes and wanted to call for them toe up earlier, but there was no signal. The man outside was still asking her teasingly, ¡°Baby! Baby! Are you done? ... I¡¯ming in if you don¡¯t say anything.¡± She replied, ¡°Almost, wait two more minutes.¡± She could not drag this on any longer. She did not know when the people downstairs woulde up, and there was only the man and her in this room. She could not walk out like this. She unzipped her clothes and pulled out a small knife she kept for emergency. She took a towel from the rack above the basin and put it into her mouth. She closed her eyes, held the knife and ruthlessly shed her back. Fresh blood immediately flowed out, the pain piercing right through the fog in her brain, and she woke up from her daze. She gritted her teeth, her head full of cold sweat, and she took a towel to tie around her injury. The man outside was still urging her. ¡°When will you be done... I¡¯ve waited for so long...¡± She wrapped her nightclothes tightly around her, covering the the injury on her back. Maintaining the calm that she tried hard to keep, she cleared her throat and said, ¡°Coming... I¡¯m putting my clothes on...¡± The man outside already was impatiently taking out his keys to open the door. Only a towel was wrapped around the lower half of his body, and he had a wretched smile on his face. Song Nianmu immediately resumed wearing a charming smile on her face and walked towards him. ¡°Why are you in such a hurry... You couldn¡¯t even wait for me to finish bathing.¡± The man ced his hand on the part of her back that was uninjured, and she secretly released a sigh of relief internally. She did not dare to let him see her back. She was still bleeding from her injury, the back of her clothes probably stained red. She remained alert from the pain and faced him, nning to tease him as usual. That man stretched out a slimy plump hand and slid it towards her chest. Her expression remained obscure, and she took and held on to his hand, secretly preventing him from moving it further down. ¡°Little miss... You already promised toe with me tonight... Why are you so reserved now?¡± The man was still smiling. ¡°Why are you in such a hurry, you¡¯re not fun at all.¡± Her head started to spin again, even her gaze was bing blurry. She tried her best to remain calm, and silently gave herself a pinch on her injured area. She seemed to have bled a lot, the pain making her wide awake. She wiped the traces of blood on her right hand away on her back, remained smiling and served a ss of wine to the man. ¡°Drink a little first and warm your body up, you can do whatever you wantter.¡± The man¡¯s smiled turned more lewd. ¡°Really?¡± The man in front of her had a special identity. She still remembered Third Young Master¡¯s words: ¡°Take the item, and leave him unharmed.¡± She strove to keep her emotions at bay, to stop herself from grabbing the knife and shing him across the throat. She could only do her best to drag the time and wait for the people below toe up and fetch her so that she could leave. But she did not know whether it was because of the cup of water she had drunk earlier, or that something had happened to the people below, but there was still no knock on the door even after waiting for so long. She did not know she could hold on for how much longer. The effects of the drug seemed to be getting stronger, and even the pain of her back could not stop the strong feeling of dizziness anymore. Sometimes she felt that her eyes were clearly opened, the sound of the man¡¯s wretchedughter beside her, yet she could no longer see anything. ¡°You sure held on for a long time...¡± She heard that man whispering into her ear. ¡°You took my things, and you don¡¯t even want to give me a little tidbit, aren¡¯t you shameless!¡± His face was close to hers, and Song Nianmu finally could blurrily see a line of sight. She struggled to stand up, but crashed to the ground before she could even do so, panting heavily. ¡°Save your strength... The dose was three times stronger, you won¡¯t be able to wake up tomorrow. Just lie back and enjoy itter.¡± She wanted to open her mouth and speak, to fling a few curses at that man, and yet she could not even form aplete sentence. ¡°Do you believe... that the next few days... will be terrible for you.¡± ¡°Aiyo... what a cold-hearted beauty... I¡¯d long heard that... the woman next to Third Young Master is young and outstanding. Now that I¡¯ve seen you today, I realized that these are all true.¡± The wretched man¡¯s hand lingered around her chest area, and Song Nianmu felt like vomiting, but she had no strength. She was pressed into the ground by him, and she could blurrily make out the man pulling down her bathrobe and leaning forward to kiss her. She felt that she could not hold on any longer. She closed her eyes, not wanting to witness something so disgusting. In her daze she seemed to hear pounding from the outside, but she could no longer think, and she remained lying on the ground like a corpse. It was Xiao Ye who knocked the door down. He was originally supposed toe up and fetch her with another person. They had been waiting downstairs, waiting for her message saying that she had aplished the mission before going up. But they were stopped on their way up, attacked by a group of people with rods. Xiao Ye fought tooth and nail to get rid of their attackers, and when he suddenly realized that something had probably happened to Sister Lina, he rushed upstairs in a craze. He followed the original n and knocked on the door twice, but there was no response. Xiao Ye then knocked the door down and as he expected, the first thing that he saw was Sister Lina being pressed onto the ground by that man, her clothes tousled and she was not moving. That man was terribly overweight, the top half of his body full of jiggling fats. He had not even stood up yet when Xiao Ye sped over and mercilessly sent a flying kick to his head. After that man was off her body, Song Nianmu took a deep breath, forced herself to wake up and pulled her clothes around her. Chapter 177 - I Love Him

Chapter 177: I Love Him

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios In the end, she used the bed as support to stand up, and Xiao Ye ran forward to help her. The man shakily stood up from the ground as well. ¡°Aiyo... your back ups are here... what a pity... but you guys are done for anyway. My men will be here in soon.¡± Xiao Ye said, ¡°I don¡¯t need a short while, I can get rid of you in just a minute.¡± She stood at one side and leaned on Xiao Ye for support. She felt wobbly, and her face was a little pale. She could not help but to hold onto Xiao Ye¡¯s arm for support, to give herself some strength to stay awake. Xiao Ye probably felt her grip and looked at her. ¡°Sister Lina, don¡¯t worry and leave everything to me, you should rest.¡± That man took a knife out of nowhere and rushed towards them. Still wet behind his ears, Xiao Ye was still talking to her rxedly. She forcefully pushed Xiao Ye away, thinking of dealing with the man as she always did. But her movements were slower probably because of the drug, and she actually failed to grab the man¡¯s hand that was holding onto the knife. Her arm was shed, and fresh blood flowed out. Xiao Ye immediately turned furious after seeing this, and rushed towards the man to give him a kick from the side. The man avoided his kick, and tackled Xiao Ye to the ground, the two of them rolling around as they fought. But she could not hold on any longer, she had used up the little energy she had left to push Xiao Ye away. The lights in her eyes started shing, and she could hear her own heavy panting and the thud when she crashed onto the ground. Shey on the floor like a corpse once again, and in her blurry daze, she seemed to see Third Young Master arriving. She smiled, even her illusion had appeared, why would Third Young Master be here? Song Nianmu fell, utterly unconscious. When she woke again, Song Nianmu discovered that she was at the hospital. She felt that this was part of the illusion too, how could a person like her be at a hospital? She was left to lie on the ground all alone in the little ck hut even when she was horribly beaten up at 12, her internal organs ruptured and contusions all over her body. She blinked a few times and she bit her own tongue, and only then realized that this was not an illusion. That slight antiseptic smell in the air was real. ¡°Awake?¡± She looked to her side, and saw that Third Young Master was actually sitting beside her bed. ¡°What happened with Zhang Li there had already been dealt with.¡± His voice was calm and emotionless. Song Nianmu then realized that Zhang Li was that plump man from the hotel. She sat up with difficulty, her head still a little dizzy. ¡°How long has it been?¡± ¡°You slept for two days.¡± She did not show any expression and leaned against the wall, her eyes looking downwards at the white nket, and after a long time, said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I screwed up.¡± She added, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have drank that ss of water.¡± Third Young Master hmphed. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before not to casually drink water given to you by others.¡± She did not exin herself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°You were thirsty?¡± She lowered her head and did not speak. ¡°If you¡¯re thirsty in the future, remember to drink your fill next time, and don¡¯t screw up when you¡¯re on duty!¡± Third Young Master gritted his teeth and said coldly. ¡°I understand,¡± she nodded her head and listened to what he said. Third Young Master stood up and walked towards the door. Before he left, he stood at the doorway and said with his back facing her, ¡°You¡¯ve already been here for seven years, I don¡¯t want to still have to teach you such basic matters.¡± After Third Young Master left, she looked at her hand for a long time, stared at one spot for a long time, and only returned to her senses after that. Her tears fell. She had been here for seven years. For seven years, no matter what happened, she had not shed a single tear, and yet she cried because Third Young Master had scolded her with a few lines today. She thought, it was probably because she loved him too much. There were so many people in the world like her who silently suffered by themselves because they were too deeply in love. Some of them might slowly change because the other person reciprocated their feelings, and they would slowly be blissful and happy. But Song Nianmu felt that she would never be like them, she would always be trapped in this suffering. Because Third Young Master was good at crushing every single one of her hopes. From the moment she fell in love with him, she knew that it was impossible between the two of them. Xiao Ye came not long after Third Young Master left. He was also a little injured, smiling as he walked over, his bandaged hand in a sling. She was already standing up at that time, leaning against the window to look at the scenery outside. ¡°Thanks for helping me that day,¡± She thanked Xiao Ye for reaching her in time. Xiao Ye scratched his head and kept smiling as he stared at her, looking a little ashamed. ¡°I didn¡¯t do much that day. It was Third Young Master who came and dealt with that man after that.¡± She furrowed her eyebrows, not fully understanding, and looked at him. Xiao Ye exined, ¡°That day, Third Young Master came when you fainted. He threw that man onto the wall and bashed him half to death when he saw you lying on the ground. Third Young Master also got rid of the back ups that the man had mentioned on his way there, and he sent you to the hospital.¡± Xiao Ye¡¯s words surprised her. ¡°You¡¯re saying that... Third Young Master hit him personally?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Xiao Ye said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it at first too. I¡¯ve been here for so long, I¡¯ve never seen Third Young Master do the work himself, I initially thought that he didn¡¯t know how to fight.¡± The words Xiao Ye said made her turn silent. She had always thought that seeing Third Young Master before she fainted was a figment of her own imagination, she had never thought that he woulde to save her one day. Xiao Ye saw her deep in thought with her head lowered, seemingly unable to express herself, and finally spoke, ¡°Sister Lina... you like Third Young Master, don¡¯t you?¡± She looked directly into Xiao Ye¡¯s eyes. ¡°I saw you standing guard outside unmoving when Third Young Master booked a hotel room with a girl, and even though no one else noticed... but I felt that... you seemed to be sad.¡± How did other people react during the moment their secrets were revealed? Should she deny it to the death, or quarrel indignantly with the other person? But she did not seem to feel anything. Seeing that she remained silent, Xiao Ye was a little awkward and scratched his nose. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... Did I say too much?¡± She finally spoke, ¡°When did you realize this?¡± ¡°Probably a year ago, for some time.¡± Xiao Ye asked, ¡°Have you told Third Young Master?¡± ¡°Do you want me to die?¡± She smiled. Xiao Ye was a little shocked. ¡°It can¡¯t be that serious.¡± ¡°Third Young Master will never allow the people around him to have other thoughts. I¡¯ve seen those girls he¡¯d been with, none of them had a good end.¡± She gave a helpless smile. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be one of them.¡± ¡°If... Third Young Master thought you¡¯re that special one?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Impossible... I¡¯d rather believe Third Young Master will let me go one day, than believe in that.¡± She suddenly felt a sense of rxedness that she had never experienced before her secret was exposed. She had been guarding this secret alone for so many years, and nobody had ever talked about it before. She had even thought that the moment she would speak about it would be when something serious had happened to her. But now she realized that she could also talk about it in a rxed manner one day. ¡°Then you¡¯re going to... stay like this...¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She did not finish speaking the next half of the sentence, which was, to give me more time. Just give her more time, and I could personally bury this thought. Third Young Master would never find out. She would be quick, and kill off this thought before Third Young Master realized it. Xiao Ye reassured her that he definitely would not let Third Young Master find out about it for the umpteenth time that day. After she was discharged from the hospital, she returned back to working for Third Young Master and life seemed to return back to normal. But things would still change a little in the end. After she had told Xiao Ye everything, her rtionship with Xiao Ye seemed to have be more intimate, and Xiao Ye seemed to like talking to her more. After he had finished the missions assigned to him, he would always stay by her side, rambling non-stop, his eyes filled with happiness, and she did not even know what he was delighted about. After she hade back from the hospital, she seemed to like smiling a little more. She liked chatting with Xiao Ye by her side. Even if she did not talk much herself, she always enjoyed hearing Xiao Ye talk to her as she did her work. She felt that Xiao Ye was like her younger brother at first. Even if she did not have one. But she felt that if she had a younger brother, then he would definitely be like Xiao Ye. She was sure of it. The people around them also noticed the changes in their rtionship. She knew that they were definitely discussing whether she had hooked up with Xiao Ye behind their backs. She did not mind this much, and neither did she bother to exin herself. People would misunderstand even further if she did. But what she did not expect was Third Young Master asking her whether she was together with Xiao Ye one day. He told her to break the rtionship as soon as possible if she really was together with Xiao Ye. She wondered if Third Young Master would still be like this and break all the connections she had with the people around her if she was really dating in the future. Was he hoping that she would always be that cold-blooded killer who relied on her beauty to steal people¡¯s hearts, that she could only be an emotionless tool. She was not able to hold back her own desires, and asked Third Young Master a question for the first time. Chapter 178 - Im Leaving

Chapter 178: I¡¯m Leaving

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°What kind of position do I have by your side?¡± She asked Third Young Master. Third Young Master nced at her and said,¡±It should be clear to you. There were many things that would have been impossible without you for these past years. It is toote for you to ask what kind of position you have by my side.¡± ¡°If I wasn¡¯t there, naturally there would be other people to do those things for you.¡± ¡°What do you mean by this?¡± Third Young Master asked. ¡°I¡¯m saying, that I feel I am not very suitable for this position now.¡± ¡°Are you telling me you want to leave?!¡± ¡°No, I have never thought of leaving. I can never leave, I know that. I¡¯m only thinking that I can do some other minor assignments. I have always been your right hand man for these years, there are many other people who have been eyeing this position for a long time, I should let it out.¡± ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know what you want?! Did you hook up with that boy, and now you want to stay together with him! I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t even think about it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not with Xiao Ye, the one I love is you.¡± She still said it in the end. She did not look at his expression the moment he looked at her, but she could probably guess it, because Third Young Master did not speak for a long time after that. ¡°I know your style, I will step down.¡± It was good to say it aloud, so that she did not have to continue staying by Third Young Master¡¯s side and be unable to let go of her feelings. ¡°Leave? Deal with the goods for Second Master first.¡± Third Young Master said. But she did not expect that the events that happened after would be wrought with so many difficulties. She had always thought that she had already experienced all the pain in the world during the year she was 11. She had told herself to be more rxed more than once in the darkness of the night, that the world would never have anything worse than that. But when she was 20, only then did she know that there were worse things in this world. The batch of goods for Second Master went wrong. The batch of goods did not reach the harbor on time as expected. She and Third Young Master endured the strong sea winds in the night for a long time and failed to see the other party before then they realized that they were being fooled. When they returned, Third Young Master looked angry, and nobody dared to speak to him. She only found out when she was drinking with someone she knew that the batch of goods was stolen by another gang. Everyone delivering the goods was ughtered in the night. And she also knew the gang who had stolen the goods, it was Third Young Master¡¯s archenemy Wang Sheng. Wang Sheng and Third Young Master and were arch-enemies because of a grudge from a long time ago. Wang Sheng was the head of another gang at that time, and Third Young Master had fought them when he was younger. Third Young Master was not nicknamed Poisonous Third for nothing. The other gang had three times more men, but Third Young Master and his men persevered and defeated them using metal rods, even taking one of Wang Sheng¡¯s eyes in the process. After that, Wang Sheng seemed to have disappeared into thin air for a very long time. She knew about Wang Sheng when the people around her unintentionally brought it up three years ago. They all said that Wang Sheng went to hide in a small ce after he was blinded in one eye, and definitely would not reappear again. She did not expect that Wang Sheng¡¯s name woulde up in such a manner after so many years. The batch of goods was really important, so Third Young Master could not simply leave the matter alone. He quickly contacted Wang Sheng and arranged a meeting with him in an underground warehouse, both of them agreeing to go alone without bringing any of their men and weapons. Third Young Master also said the same as he did on the phone. He ordered her not to go, and to stay put and wait for news. Wang Sheng did not show up at all. There was only a video recording showing that both Second Master and First Master were locked in another ce by Wang Sheng. Third Young Master came back with the news. This was truly a nightmare. Second Master and First Master were sworn brothers with Third Young Master, and they were the leaders of the gang. But now, out of the three of them, only Third Young Master was left with the gang. The shipment had gone wrong, their leaders were under the hands of Wang Sheng; this was the biggest threat the gang had faced since her arrival. Third Young Master had been smoking while sitting on the sofa with his head lowered since he returned, and she said, ¡°Did Wang Sheng make demands for you to fulfill? He wanted to threaten you?¡± ¡°He said, that he wants the people around me to die first, and then he will personally dig out my eyes and watch me die painfully.¡± Third Young Master blew out a ring of smoke. ¡°Do you want me to go and meet him?¡± she said. Third Young Master extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray. ¡°There¡¯s no use, the person he wants to deal with is me. Don¡¯t you mess around.¡± ¡°Let me go, it¡¯s thest time, there¡¯s no more chances for me in the future.¡± Third Young Master stood up and looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re that impatient to leave my side?¡± ¡°I know that you don¡¯t like people like me by your side.¡± ¡°You think you know me well?¡± Third Young Master gripped her chin and looked into her eyes, his tone icy cold. She forced herself to calm down and look at him. Third Young Master blew a puff of air into her ear, and said teasingly, ¡°How long has it been since you liked me? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡± She did not know whether it was because she felt guilty, or that it really did happen, but she felt Third Young Master¡¯s lips gently bit the side of her ear, and her heart thumped faster. She knew that it was impossible for Third Young Master to like her, but she could not understand the reason for his actions now. Was it merely to joke with her? ¡°Third Young Master, it¡¯s not appropriate for you to do something like this now.¡± Her eyes were half-lidded, her voice calm. Third Young Master did not answer her. ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered, you smile in front of other men, but when you¡¯re in front of me, you wouldn¡¯t even dare to look at my eyes. Is this liking me as you said?¡± She did not speak. Third Young Master¡¯s hand suddenly grabbed her clothes. ¡°Come to bed with me.¡± She quickly looked at Third Young Master. He was pressing down on her, his hands forcefully pawing at her clothes. She frantically wed at Third Young Master¡¯s hands trying to stop him, her eyes staring at him widely. Third Young Master did not continue. He released both of his hands, the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. ¡°How long have you been by my side? It has been seven years, hasn¡¯t it? Why didn¡¯t I notice it before?¡± Third Young Master slowly stood up and sat back down on the sofa again, taking out another cigarette. He held it in between his fingers and returned to looking cold and distant. Feeling a little tired, he said, ¡°Go back. I¡¯ll deal with this matter myself. I¡¯ll inform you if you¡¯re needed.¡± She could vaguely understand that either Third Young Master did not need her, or he did not want to drag her into this matter. The smart thing for her to do at this time would be to follow Third Young Master¡¯s arrangements and standby for his orders. But she felt rather uneasy for some reason, that this matter would not end so easily. In the end, she was proven right. Except that when she truly realized this, it was already toote. A lot of things could not be saved. After leaving Third Young Master, she was unhappy all the time, and appeared to be absent-minded. Seeing her frowning, Xiao Ye would want to cheer her up. He dragged her along with him and said that he wanted to give her something good. Xiao Ye pulled her into a tattoo shop. He made her sit down on the chair, took out a picture from the drawer and ced it into her hands. She only took one nce at it before her entire body froze. She did not know how Xiao Ye drew it, it was an outline of the silhouette of Third Young Master¡¯s and her back. The shape of it was not very obvious, but if someone took a close look at it, they would discover that it was an outline of Third Young Master and her together. Xiao Ye smiled and asked her whether she wanted to tattoo it on the back of her waist. Only then did she remember that there was a deep scar left behind from when she had cut the back of her waist with a knife. Xiao Ye was even telling her a few days ago that she could consider removing the scar, since scars on a girl¡¯s body did not look very good after all. She looked at the picture in her hands. The silhouettes certainly looked nice. She touched the outline of the silhouette of Third Young Master¡¯s back and felt a little moved by it. She admitted that Xiao Ye understood her better than she did sometimes. She still loved Third Young Master. She nodded her head in the end, and let Xiao Ye tattoo the outline onto her body. Xiao Ye asked her whether it hurt when he did it, and she smiled. This kind of pain was merely ticklish to her. After two days, Third Young Master came up with a strategy. Wang Sheng contacted him and wanted Third Young Master to meet up with him alone in an underground warehouse just like before. Except that this time, Third Young Master secretly took some men along with him. Only two people went with him. One was Third Young Master¡¯s follower, and the other his driver. She did not follow him and was ordered to stay in a neighboring alley to coordinate with others. If something happened to them, she would be the first to rush over. But she did not expect that the driver Third Young Master brought along with him was Xiao Ye. Third Young Master said that Xiao Ye was only responsible for observing them from the perimeters, but she was a little worried. Xiao Ye did not really know how to fight after all. He would usually just stay by her side and do some misceneous tasks, and this was the first time that he would bepleting a task for Third Young Master. She did not know why Third Young Master would suddenly let Xiao Ye go along with him, but she did not ask, because nobody could ever change Third Young Master¡¯s decisions. Xiao Ye did not care, and happily told her that he finally felt useful, that he might be able to make good use of this opportunity, and the people around him would have to call him Big Brother when he came back. She said that he definitely had to call for her if he felt anything wrong. She would be nearby, and she would definitely rush over quickly to help him. Xiao Ye only smiled, and to reassure her, said that what could go wrong with a driver? He could simply drive off immediately and escape if anything happened. Chapter 179 - I Will Die

Chapter 179: I Will Die

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios She red at him, as though teaching her younger brother a lesson. Only then did Xiao Ye say, ¡°Fine, fine, no matter what, I¡¯ll give you a call and wait for you toe and save me, alright.¡± That was thest sentence he ever said that day. She still remembered. On the day of the meet up, she kept waiting in the alley. For some reason why, her heart was jumping really quickly that day. She kept thinking that it was because she had not slept wellst night. She only understood that it was a premonition after everything happened. She waited for a long time. She kept pacing back and forth in the alley, kept touching the phone in her pocket, kept waiting for someone to call her and inform her what was happening. No matter good or bad, as long as someone was able to tell her. She waited until the sky was almost dark, and then she saw the person who had apanied Third Young Master in the afternoon. He stood before her and he did not look very good. She understood in an instant that something had probably happened. ¡°What happened?¡± She asked. ¡°Third Young Master wanted me to take you back.¡± ¡°I asked you what happened?!¡± That person did not speak and only came up to her and restrained her, twisting her arm and dragging her away. She swung her arm out of his grip and asked him loudly, ¡°I asked you what happened?!¡± That person remained silent and continued to restrain her. ¡°I want to see them! Where¡¯s Third Young Master? Where¡¯s Xiao Ye? What happened exactly, say something! Where are they?¡± She was almost howling. He only spoke a sentence into her ear, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± And then her world turned dark. When she woke up, there was nothing around her, just like all those years before. Her head was a little dizzy, and this made her feel as though she had returned to the past, but she soon quickly remembered the events before she fell unconscious. She immediately sat up and wanted to leave, but a bunch of people rushed in from outside and forced her to lie back down. ¡°I want to see Third Young Master,¡± She said. ¡°It is not convenient for Third Young Master to see you now,¡± That person replied. ¡°You guys have to tell me what happened at least! Why do you all want to keep me in this godforsaken ce and refuse to even let me leave?¡± These were Third Young Master¡¯s orders. She was locked there against her will for a day, and then she managed to escape from there with a lot of difficulty. She went back to the nightclub that she frequented, thinking of looking for Xiao Ye. Xiao Ye would definitely be there if he returned. Everyone refused to tell her what happened, so she wanted to ask Xiao Ye, he would definitely know what exactly happened. Except Xiao Ye was dead. The boss of the nightclub she went to told her that. He said that he personally saw Xiao Ye¡¯s body covered in a white sheet. There were a lot of injuries on his body, and he was covered in blood. Actually, he could no longer be saved when he arrived at the hospital, so a death certificate was issued just an hour after his arrival. She feltpletely stunned when the boss of the nightclub told her that. The only words she managed to hear was that Xiao Ye was dead, and she seemed to be unable to hear anything else that he said. Everything was simply a buzzing noise rushing back and forth around her ears. She went to find Third Young Master. He was in the Intensive Care Unit, his eyes were closed and a lot of tubes were attached all over his body. She did not dare to continue looking after one nce. She turned her back to him and tightly covered her mouth with her hands, not daring to make any noise. She buried her head in her arms and did note out for a long time. She was not even sure how she had spent those days after. She did not go to see Xiao Ye for thest time, and neither did she go to his funeral, as though she would have to ept that Xiao Ye was already gone if she went. She did not want to ept this fact, so she remained sitting at the rooftop letting the wind blow past her. The wind at the rooftop feltfortable to her, but it also suddenly brought up memories of something that had happened a long time ago. This matter from a long time ago actually let her understand something. The batch of goods was still not resolved and remained in Wang Sheng¡¯s hands. First and Second Young Masters were saved by Third Young Master, and were staying at home to remain in hiding for now, so no one knew when Wang Sheng would appear again. Third Young Master was in the Intensive Care Unit for nine days. She went to see him the day he was transferred to a normal ward. He was still very weak, and he had a stubble on his chin, making him look extraordinarily decadent. She said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving, Third Young Master.¡± He listened to her. ¡°I¡¯m going to find Wang Sheng. I will deal with everything, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She kept speaking. ¡°First and Second Young Masters are not in the condition to do it, and they don¡¯t know when Wang Sheng wille and make trouble for them again, but someone has to deal with this mess before things can proceed. ¡°If I die in Wang Sheng¡¯s hands this time, then take it as repayment for your kindness for taking me in that year. If I¡¯m lucky enough to survive, let me leave, I wish to lead a normal life.¡± Third Young Master rejected her, saying, ¡°I will deal with Wang Sheng¡¯s matters a few dayster after I¡¯m better.¡± ¡°I realize that I seem to understand a lot of things in this short period of time.¡± Her voice was calm as she suddenly spoke. ¡°What do you understand?¡± Third Young Master stared at her. ¡°Actually, I did not really understand why you would let Xiao Ye be your driver at that time, and I only understood a few days ago.¡± Third Young Master looked at her, but he seemed to be looking at a spot behind her, staring past her eyes. ¡°Xiao Ye told me in the past that there was an old man who would keep secretly staring at him for a period of time. He said that old man had waited at the ce where he once lived at and touched his behind before. When I found out that Xiao Ye had died a few days ago, a daring thought suddenly came to my head. That old man had to be Wang Sheng.¡± She spoke the words out loud, ¡°You knew that Wang Sheng liked Xiao Ye, didn¡¯t you? So that was why you brought Xiao Ye along with you, even though he didn¡¯t do anything much usually?¡± Third Young Master scolded her, saying, ¡°What rubbish are you talking about?!¡± She nced at his expression and smiled. She was able to see his true feelings even at this time. His eyes were filled with guilt. She thought, he probably did not expect her to know about this matter as well, so he was unable to hide his feelings in such a short amount of time. ¡°Third Young Master, the things you do certainly live up to your title of Poisonous Third.¡± She did not cry and kept smiling in front of him. But she smiled and smiled and started to feel tired. She suddenly thought of Xiao Ye, what was he thinking during thest few moments of his life? Had he hoped that she would go and save him? Xiao Ye had not known that Third Young Master was using him until he died, right? That¡¯s good, not knowing was good, she could not imagine what he would feel if Xiao Ye found out. She said, ¡°I will try my best to settle this onest matter for you. No matter how things turn out, the both of us no longer owe anything to each other. ¡°Third Young Master, I wouldn¡¯t stop me if I were you. You can¡¯t stop me either, you know that. I¡¯m just like you, we dislike changing our decisions once we¡¯ve made them. ¡°Whether I¡¯m alive or dead in the future is no longer your business.¡± Third Young Master finally asked her, ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± She nodded. Third Young Master said after a long time, ¡°I hope that you can stay alive. No matter what happens, if you¡¯re alive, then leave here as you wish. I will not question your life in the future.¡± After she left Third Young Master¡¯s side, she went to where Xiao Ye had lived. She tidied up his ce, packed all the things he had loved into a big box and moved it to her ce. The goldfish that he kept was also taken away by her and released into a pond. Before she left, she tidied up her own room. She put Xiao Ye¡¯s box into the deepest part of the storeroom so that no-one else could touch it. It was the safest ce for it. She went to see Wang Sheng. She brought a recording pen along with her, but no weapons. She stood opposite Wang Sheng, while there were many men at his side. He never truly looked at her from the start to the end, probably thinking that she was a naive brat who hade here to die. She smiled, but she did not say out Wang Sheng¡¯s thoughts nor her own. She hade here not just to get killed herself, but to send him to his own death as well. She had never gone into a fight unprepared. She tricked Wang Sheng into speaking with her alone and secretly pressed the recording pen hidden on her chest to record him. She lured him into saying a lot of things, and then gently pressed the pen again to send the recording to the police. After that, she took another empty recording pen that looked exactly the same and waved it at him, telling him that he would probably be taken to the police station for investigation at this time tomorrow. Wang Sheng smiled and said that her actions were unnecessary. He had a lot of connections within the police, otherwise he would not have lived until now. She smiled too and slowly walked closer to him. She held the recording pen high up with both hands, as though she was going to pass it to him. Then in a sh, she swiftly covered his mouth and pressed the button on the pen. A knife popped out from below, and she forcefully drove the knife right into Wang Sheng¡¯s heart. She saw Wang Sheng stare at her with his eyes widened. His hands were gripping hers, leaving bloody red impressions on her arm, but she did not feel the pain. The moment she saw Wang Sheng fall, she quietly spoke a sentence to herself; ¡°My main purpose ofing here was to take your life.¡± Wang Shengy on the ground, and she used her feet to drive the knife even deeper into his heart. There were noises at the entryway, and Wang Sheng¡¯s cronies came. The moment she saw them rush towards her, she smiled, as though she had seen her final destination. She would die at the hands of these people. These people who had the same blood-stained hands as hers. She would personally watch them kill her, personally see her blood flow out until she had none left. She had never thought that she would be able to walk out of there alive. Song Nianmu would die there that day, she deeply believed in that. A man had already rushed to her side with a dagger. The dagger was deadly sharp, and he plunged it right into her chest. Fresh blood flowed out from the wound, and the people around her attacked her even more ferociously after seeing that she was injured. Their punches were powerful, and she could not hold on any longer. She slowly fell down, lying on the bloody ground. That was herst memory. That was Song Nianmu¡¯s and Lina¡¯sst memory. Chapter 180 - I Really Miss You

Chapter 180: I Really Miss You

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi remembered everything in the hazy illusion. Even though she had remembered eight years¡¯ worth of memories from since she was injured at 11 years old in her sleep, she had only slept for less than an hour on the ambnce in reality. Eight years and one hour, she was actually unable to tell which was long and which was short at the moment. Seeing that she had opened her eyes and seemed to be conscious, the hospital staff in the ambnce asked her, ¡°How do you feel?¡± She closed her eyes and opened them again. There was a breathing tube in her nose, and she did not speak. She only turned her head to the side, and in her daze she saw that small brightmp in the ambnce. The shop owner she had seen earlier was not in the ambnce, and she did not know where he had gone. There was only a doctor wearing a white coat and a middle-aged man sitting down, probably hospital staff as well. She struggled to sit up, and the doctor immediately pressed her down, ¡°Don¡¯t move, you need to rest for a while now.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I feel much better now, can I go back?¡± The doctor looked at her in surprise, ¡°Go back? But you¡¯re in the ambnce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you all. I really feel much better now, there should be no problems. Please stop the ambnce at the crossroads in front, I can go by myself.¡± The doctor looked a little unhappy, pointed at the electrocardiogram connected to her body and said, ¡°Look at your heartbeat now, it¡¯s 120 bpm, your blood oxygen level is insufficient as well, nor is your breathing in good condition. It¡¯s better for you to go to the hospital for a checkup now.¡± ¡°I know... but I feel that my body has nearly recovered, I want to go back early. I still have something I need to do at home so I wish to rush back. I¡¯ll definitely go to the hospital tomorrow and have a thorough checkup.¡± Xia Qingyi actually did not want to go to the hospital. If she went, they would definitely make her go though a lot of checkups, and she would definitely be unable to return to S City by tonight as nned. If she called Mo Han, he would worry, and she did not want to worry him. The doctor saw how insistent she was, and since her heart rate on the monitor had decreased, and herplexion looked much better after she had awoken, he decided to respect her decision. He gave her a few basic instructions, dropped her off at a crossroad and drove off. When Xia Qingyi got out of the car, she suddenly felt a little unreal when her feet stepped onto the ground, as though she had just woken up from a very long dream. She stared at the back view of the ambnce disappearing into the distance, and then finally moved her line of sight to the familiar streets that she had forgotten for a long time. She had lived in this familiar city for eight years. Her past self had hidden in this city for such a long time. This city was actually very small, and she had almost explored every single nook and cranny of this ce in the dark in her eight years here. She had spent eight years in those dark days. Xia Qingyi went to Xiao Ye¡¯s tombstone in the end. After saying a few words to the guardian of the graveyard, he led her to a secluded corner. She had not gone to Xiao Ye¡¯s funeral at that time, so she did not know that he was buried there. Third Young Master had told her the address, and whether it was coincidental or intentional that Xiao Ye was buried at the ce where he had mentioned he wanted to be buried at after he died remained unknown. Third Young Master had probably arranged for it. She remembered that he was there as well when Xiao Ye said it. A few more months and it would be the first anniversary of his death. After so long, after going through so many twists and turns, after going so far away, Xia Qingyi came to Xiao Ye¡¯s tombstone for the first time and finally saw what it was like. She did not want to cry, but after seeing the yellowing photo of his smiling face on the tombstone, Xia Qingyi¡¯s tears flowed out. She forced herself to maintain her smile because she wanted her smiling face to be the first thing that Xiao Ye saw, but she could not do it no matter what, her teardrops falling down onto her hands. She covered her own mouth to soften the sounds of her crying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry...I should have...e earlier...¡± She should have said all these words during Xiao Ye¡¯s funeral that day nine months ago, but she had not expected that nine months would pass by before she truly said it to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry...¡± Xia Qingyi only apologized, not knowing what else she could say. Even until now, she kept thinking that if she was stronger and smarter at that time, she would have been able to rush over and save him on the day he died, then a lot of things would have been different now. After waking up and feeling all the memories rush back into her head, she slowly realized that many of the fleeting nightmares in the past were connected with Xiao Ye. Xia Qingyi could never forget Xiao Ye¡¯s expressions from those dreams, how he had reached his hand out towards her with blood sttered all over his face. He said, ¡°Sister, save me. I was waiting for you to save me.¡± In her dreams, he even said to her, ¡°You should leave quickly, you should leave quickly... get away from this ce now and leave me alone.¡± She did not know exactly what the real Xiao Ye was thinking that day before he died. She only knew that she did not go and save him that day when she could have. This was the nightmare of her life. Xia Qingyi was now crying soundlessly in front of Xiao Ye¡¯s tombstone, whispering ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry...¡± She looked at Xiao Ye¡¯s smiling face on the tombstone and cried for a long time before she left that day. Other than saying sorry, she did not speak of much else, and Xiao Ye could nevere back even if she did. Xia Qingyi only managed to buy an air ticket back to S City at around nine P.M. She was sitting in the airport lounge and staring at the ticket in her hands as though in a daze when Mo Han called. ¡°Where are you now? Are you just leaving the airport? Do you want me toe and pick you up?¡± Mo Han thought that she had already arrived in S City. Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was a little hoarse from crying, and she said softly, ¡°I¡¯m... still not at S City yet, I¡¯m at the airport over here, going to board the ne soon.¡± Mo Han was stunned for a moment, and gradually slowed down the speed of his car. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Xia Qingyi was quiet for a long time before she spoke. ¡°Yeah, something small happened. I can¡¯t exin it clearly over the phone, I¡¯ll tell you everything after Ie back.¡± She did not want to hide it from Mo Han, he had the right to know about her past. She could not guarantee that Mo Han would still choose to stay together with her after he heard about her past, since her past self was very different from her current self after all. ¡°What time will the nend?¡± ¡°Around two hourster.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to the airport to pick you up,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°There¡¯s no need to, it¡¯s toote. Go and sleep first, I¡¯ll just take a taxi from the airport when I reach.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle and pick you up,¡± Mo Han repeated. Xia Qingyi sighed. ¡°Come if you want to, I¡¯ll message you the exact timingter.¡± She heard the announcement from the airport broadcast. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, China Airlines KF1098 heading to S City is open for boarding, please head towards the boarding gates.¡± She spoke to Mo Han, ¡°I¡¯m going to board, I¡¯ll call you when I reach S City.¡± The journey was faster than she thought. She was probably tired out from everything. She leaned back on the seat and took a short nap, and when she woke the ne was about to reach S City. It was already midnight when she reached the airport. Unlike the other passengers around her, she did not have much luggage, and was only carrying a bag on her back, making her appear out of ce. She only walked a few steps out of the exit before she saw Mo Han waiting for her at one side. Xia Qingyi saw that Mo Han was smiling. He waved at her, and seeing that she was looking at him, he started walking towards her. At that moment, Xia Qingyi felt like crying. ¡°Why are you sote? The ne waste?¡± Mo Han asked. Xia Qingyi smiled a little. ¡°Probably, I didn¡¯t take much notice. I slept on the ne.¡± Mo Han patted her head as he walked alongside her. ¡°Tired?¡± She nodded her head and followed Mo Han outside. Mo Han did not ask why she had suddenly gone to A City, nor did he ask her about the things she said on the phone, and only gently asked about some trivial matters. She knew that he was actually waiting for the moment she decided to tell him herself. If she did not want to, he would never ask her about it. The night air was rather cooling. They had just left the airport and Xia Qingyi already started to feel cold. She coughed, and Mo Han put his hands around her shoulders, rubbing her arms with his warm hands, asking ¡°Cold?¡± ¡°A little,¡± Xia Qingyi only just finished speaking when Mo Han took off his coat and draped it over her body. He helped her zip it up and did not say a word. Xia Qingyi smiled and patted his head as he crouched down. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± Mo Han straightened his body to look at her after he zipped the coat, cupped her face with both of his hands and gently kissed her lips before he said, ¡°Not cold anymore.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled again, and Mo Han pulled her hand and walked towards his car. He did not let go of her hand even in the car, he seemed to be used to it. He would look forward and drive the car, his right hand holding onto hers, asionally ying with her thumb. ¡°It¡¯s not safe when you¡¯re driving, let go,¡± Xia Qingyi shook their entwined hands. Mo Han still continued to drive expertly with his left hand, not replying to her. Xia Qingyi shook her head and gave up, continuing to hold onto his hand. She leaned a little closer to him, and smiled as she stared at his side profile for a long time. ¡°What are you looking at me for?¡± Mo Han¡¯s eyes remained looking forward as he drove. ¡°I missed you,¡± Xia Qingyi said softly. Chapter 181 - I Will Return

Chapter 181: I Will Return

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han smiled too. ¡°We weren¡¯t apart from each other for more than a day.¡± ¡°I still... miss you.¡± Xia Qingyi carefully scanned the side of his face. After she got her memories back, seeing Mo Han again made her feel as though they had been separated for years. Was the Xia Qingyi who had remembered the past still the Xia Qingyi that Mo Han liked? During the period when she still had not gotten her memories back, she always thought that it would be terrible if she had married or had a boyfriend in the past. But now, it seemed to be worse than she thought. She was not confident that Mo Han would still behave the same after knowing theplete truth. Would he still behave like this if he knew that she had spent her time smiling around loads of other men since she was 13 years old? Would he still behave like this if he knew that she was working for a gang? Would he still behave like this if he knew that she had been in love with another man for five years? Xia Qingyi did not dare to continue thinking about it any longer. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Mo Han asked her. ¡°We¡¯re already home.¡± Xia Qingyi shook off her thoughts and saw that Mo Han had already driven the car to the doorstep of their home. Their hands had separated unknowingly, and Mo Han was controlling the steering wheel to park the car. At home, Xia Qingyi was walking towards her bedroom when Mo Han said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to school tomorrow morning.¡± Xia Qingyi thought about it and nodded. See, no matter what happened, days passed by as usual. After today passed, she seemed to have turned back into the yful troublemaker Xia Qingyi. The Xia Qingyi that belonged to her friends, who had a bright life and thepanionship of Mo Han. The Song Nianmu in her memories seemed to no longer exist, she had already died in that fight nine months ago. But Xia Qingyi knew that she was actually still alive. She could never forget every single event that Song Nianmu had experienced these past eight years; she would keep the memories with her for the rest of her life. After a week, Xia Qingyi still had not told Mo Han about her getting her memories back. Because she was afraid that everything would change if Mo Han found out. She wanted to drag it on a little more, and enjoy the life that she finally had after so much difficulty. She wanted to remember every single moment of the life she had now, for she might not have a chance like this ever again. Mo Han still did not ask her about A City. He seemed to have forgotten about it, always nagging her about trivial things every day, such as telling her to remember her books, to keep in contact with him even when in school. He never forgot to pick her up at school as usual, and the two of them would eat and go home together. Just like today, she was carrying a bucket of popcorn waiting for Mo Han to buy the tickets as usual, and then the two of them would go to the cinema together. Xia Qingyi saw Mo Han walking through the crowd towards her. He just reached her side when her phone in her bag rang. She passed the popcorn to Mo Han and rummaged through her bag to look for her phone. It was an unknown number. She froze for a while. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Third Young Master is caught.¡± Xia Qingyi had actually guessed it a while ago. She remembered how Third Young Master looked like following her in the dark before she went to A City. What was he thinking of when he saw her that time? ¡°He is probably not going to be able to get out. He¡¯s still inside the city prison. I found awyer and prepared the materials, and as long as Third Young Master cooperates, we¡¯ll be able to reduce his sentence. But... Third Young Master disagreed. He seems to be ming everything on himself. I can¡¯t think of anything else, can you help me persuade him?¡± Xia Qingyi slowly remembered who the voice on the phone belonged to. He was an extraordinarily capable assistant at Third Young Master¡¯s side, and she had seen him a few times before. Scanning her eyes over Mo Han beside her, who was looking at the movie tickets, Xia Qingyi slightly turned to the side and lowered her voice, ¡°Why should I persuade him?¡± ¡°Third Young Master will listen to what you say. It was like that in the past. I know you¡¯re no longer working here, don¡¯t worry, Third Young Master¡¯s matters will definitely not implicate you. If you don¡¯t say anything at all, then Third Young Master will really be doomed.¡± He sounded rather anxious on the other end of the phone. ¡°I think you don¡¯t understand what I mean. I no longer have any rtion with him.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s tone was firm. ¡°I hope you will not call me in the future,¡± she said. Xia Qingyi hung up after she hastily ended the call. Mo Han was still looking at her with the popcorn at one side, gently smiling at her, looking not a bit unhappy at all. Even though he appeared curious, Xia Qingyi did not dare to look at his eyes, not daring to let him know about the side of her that he had never seen before. She felt guilty that she did not dare to say anything at all to Mo Han. ¡°Let¡¯s go and watch the movie,¡± Xia Qingyi smiled at him faintly as she said in a low voice. She took the popcorn from him and followed him in to watch the movie. She was not clear what the movie was talking about from the start until the end. When the theater turned dark, she sat down and stared at the light on the screen for a long time, but the thoughts in her brain turned back to the past, and she got trapped within her memories. Xia Qingyi remained seated as she kept using the nail of her right thumb to rub against her forefinger. All the sounds from the movie, whether it wasughter or crying, simply went in and out of her ears. She was only staring at the screen soundlessly, she could not hear anything other than her own heart. But her heart was silent, she only felt empty and hollow inside. She stayed like this and quietly finished watching the movie. She only remembered that Mo Han was beside her the moment the theater lit up. She had not spoken a word to him at all during the past one and a half hours. Mo Han stood up, and reached out his hand to take hers. Xia Qingyi nced at him, ced her hand into his, and followed him as they walked out. After they walked out of cinema, Xia Qingyi suddenly released his hand and stopped walking. Mo Han turned back to look at her. Xia Qingyi looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I think I need to do something.¡± Mo Han was very quiet. He seemed to have seen through everything, and said, ¡°Are you stilling back?¡± ¡°I wille back.¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head and repeated, ¡°I wille back...¡± Mo Han walked up to her, put his arms around her waist and gave her a long kiss. After that, Mo Han hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Xia Qingyi wanted to cry again, tears swimming in her eyes, but she endured it and did not cry. She hugged Mo Han back and buried her face into his chest, wiping her tears on his clothes. They remained like this for a long time. Xia Qingyi realized that she would stay longer and longer in Mo Han¡¯s embrace. He always smelled faintly of mint and tobo. It was a smell that belonged to him alone, no-one else had it. His embrace was so warm that it always wanted to make her cry. But Xia Qingyi still released him in the end. Before she left, she did not dare to look into his eyes. She lowered her head, turned around and quickly walked into the distance, leaving Mo Han further and further away. Xia Qingyi went to see Third Young Master in the end. She went to the prison and requested visitation. Because he was recently arrested, the conditions for visitations were very strict. Xia Qingyi spoke with the officer for a very long time before he finally agreed to grant her 20 minutes of visitation. A sheet of ss separated them from each other, and they met once again in prison. Third Young Master had grown a beard, and he looked much older than before. Exhaustion that she had never seen before was now in his eyes. He was obviously stunned the moment he saw her, and he stood frozen to the spot and stared at her for a long time to make sure that she was real before he sat down, looking at her through the window. The two of them did not speak. Xia Qingyi showed no expression, and she nced at him before she lowered her head to stare at her own fingers. Third Young Master picked up the phone beside the window and only stared at her but did not speak. Xia Qingyi also took the phone and ced it next to her ear. She opened her mouth in the end, ¡°Are you okay... inside?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve remembered?¡± Third Young Master smiled bitterly. Xia Qingyi nodded her head. ¡°I went to A City to visit Xiao Ye.¡± ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t want to see me.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I didn¡¯t really want to see you.¡± Third Young Master smiled and asked her, ¡°Then why did youe here?¡± ¡°Huang the Fourth wanted me toe and persuade you to listen to his suggestion... but I can¡¯t persuade you, I¡¯m sorry... I can¡¯t save you... and I am unable to save you.¡± Third Young Master looked at her with a tired expression, and then he returned back to his usual cynical smile. ¡°I know, I¡¯m not hoping for you to save me. You can¡¯t save me, this is my choice.¡± Third Young Master looked at her on the other side of the ss and saw that she still looked the same, or perhaps she had gotten prettier. She had many things that she did not have in the past. He asked her, ¡°Do you want to know what happened after you went to find Wang Sheng nine months ago?¡± Xia Qingyi nced at him, and he continued, ¡°Wang Sheng did not die. But he was as good as dead. He became a vegetable, and now he¡¯s still lying in the nursing home. The police also received the recording that you sent. The batch of goods was assumed to be Wang Sheng¡¯s, and it was confiscated and destroyed by the police. After what happened to Wang Sheng, his gang fell apart and all the members left. To me, there¡¯s no otherpetitors at my level.¡± He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s still your style. Since the odds of winning are very small, then everyone can lose out together.¡± He looked at her. ¡°Do you know why you ended up at the hospital? They wanted to leave you with onest breath and then watch you die right at the hospital doorsteps. They wanted to dangle thest bit of hope in front of you and let you die.¡± ¡°I initially thought that you were really dead. I only found out that you were actually alive two monthster, just that you had lost your memory. After thinking about itter, I thought that it was good like this, losing your memory may be a good thing to you,¡± Third Young Master slowly said from the other side of the ss window. Chapter 182 - Ill Be Obedient

Chapter 182: I¡¯ll Be Obedient

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Third Young Master did not continue speaking, and the two of them fell silent before Xia Qingyi suddenly said, ¡°I want to ask you something, Third Young Master.¡± She said, ¡°How exactly did Xiao Ye die?¡± Xia Qingyi would ask this because she was constantly haunted by the nightmares of Xiao Ye¡¯s death. If she did not make clear of what happened, she might continue to be haunted by the nightmare even in the future. ¡°He... I never thought that he would die. I know Wang Sheng liked him... I thought of bringing him along because I had no other choice... Wang Sheng no longer hid his feelings when he looked at Xiao Ye, so he had probably guessed that I knew about it. Wang Sheng was really a pervert... I really never thought that Xiao Ye would die... I thought Wang Sheng would let Xiao Ye follow him at the very least... but I really never thought that he would have Xiao Ye be killed.¡± Third Young Master continued to speak intermittently, ¡°He was killed by Wang Sheng with a stab to his abdomen.¡± He lowered his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t understand initially, but I realized why afterwards. Wang Sheng probably would rather destroy the things he liked but he could not attain. So that¡¯s why Xiao Ye died in his hands.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s heart was already dead. ¡°Did Xiao Ye say something before he died?¡± Third Young Master looked at her. ¡°He told me not to tell you how he died. And to let you lead your own life. Most of hisst words were actually for you.¡± Xia Qingyi pursed her lips, and stared at the ground with her head lowered, not daring to look up. ¡°What happened to Xiao Ye that time...¡± Third Young Master said, ¡°Do you hate me for it?¡± ¡°Not to the point of hate, I should have guessed that you would do something like this at that time. I was the one who neglected a lot of things. I was only tired, and I didn¡¯t want to continue living in that kind of environment.¡± Xia Qingyi took in a deep breath. ¡°Were you constantly puzzled by why my rtionship with Xiao Ye was that good the entire time? You¡¯re clearly the one who I loved for six years.¡± She lowered her head and muttered to herself, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t even know why myself. I did like you, I liked you for six years and I couldn¡¯t stop. Xiao Ye knew about this as well. There were no romantic feelings between the two of us, Xiao Ye treated me as his older sister and I treated him as my younger brother.¡± ¡°It was only like that between the two of us.¡± Xia Qingyi lowered her head. ¡°Sometimes I do feel that he was slowly bing like a rtive to me. ¡°It felt warm. Really warm,¡± Xia Qingyi said. Third Young Master looked at her. ¡°Then do you still have feelings for me? Now?¡± Xia Qingyi raised her head to look at him quietly, her eyes showing nothing but the truth, and she did not reply. Third Young Master looked at her eyes, feeling as though he was pierced right in the heart by a sword, and generally understood what she meant. He forced himself to smile and said, ¡°I understand, you don¡¯t have to answer me.¡± Xia Qingyi was still sitting on the stool and looking at him. The officer standing at the side announced that the time was up, and then dragged Third Young Master away. He turned around and left with the officer, standing upright with his chest out, just as when he came in. Even in jail, he seemed to be the same imposing Third Young Master from the gang. Xia Qingyi slowly put down the receiver, watched him until she could no longer see him, and then turned around and left. Mo Han was still waiting for her at home. Everything rting to Third Young Master was already in the past from now on. She would not see him any longer. On the way back, she finally let go of the worries within her and rested for a while. But she had not rxed for long when she thought that it was time to tell Mo Han about her past. She decided to leave it up to him what he wanted to do after he knew about it. If he chose to leave, Xia Qingyi thought that there was probably not very surprising. She would not pester Mo Han, so if he really chose to leave, she would respect his choice. Xia Qingyi actually hoped to some degree that Mo Han would leave. She remained the same from the past until now, but Mo Han was a very good person and he definitely deserved better. If she could not be the best for him, she was willing to let someone else better rece her by his side. Even though she felt like crying just thinking about this. But Xia Qingyi could not me him. After all, he did not know what she was like in the past. People could find it hard to ept the events that had happened to her in the past. Even if she had made all the preparations, she still felt nervous in her heart the moment she opened the door. She had just walked in when she saw Mo Han sitting on the sofa in the living room. When she opened the door, he raised his head to look at her at the doorway. There were no sounds of television in the house, and the atmosphere was so quiet that it made her feel anxious. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head. She closed the door, changed her shoes in the entryway and cautiously walked into the house. ¡°Did everything go well?¡± Xia Qingyi did not dare to sit next to him, neither did she dare to look into his eyes. She only stood far away from him and did not move. ¡°Still okay, it went pretty smoothly.¡± Mo Han still asked in the end. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Xia Qingyi raised her head to look at him, and she knew that she could no longer hide it from him. But she still did not know how to say it. She gave a small sigh, and casually said, ¡°Something did happen.¡± Xia Qingyi walked in front of him and forced herself to face all of this. She sat down next to Mo Han, looked into his eyes seriously and said, ¡°Mo Han... I remembered everything.¡± Mo Han did not look too surprised. Xia Qingyi thought that he had probably guessed it as well. ¡°I remembered everything... all of it...¡± she said. He listened to her. She looked at his eyes and thought for a while before she said, ¡°What I¡¯m going to say now may be different from what you¡¯re thinking, so you have to be prepared.¡± Mo Han patted her head, unable to bear seeing her frowning face, and tried to assuage her feelings. ¡°What kind of different things are there, you¡¯re married?¡± Xia Qingyi shook her head. ¡°Or you have a boyfriend?¡± Xia Qingyi still shook her head, but her expression remained tight. ¡°Neither...¡± She was still troubled, and said a little hesitantly, ¡°My past... is rather uneptable...¡± She turned around to look at Mo Han¡¯s expression, but it remained unchanged, and he was still solemnly looking at her. ¡°Why did you stop talking?¡± Mo Han said, ¡°I¡¯m not as old-fashioned as you thought, just rest easy and continue speaking, I¡¯ll sit here beside you and listen to you.¡± Xia Qingyi rxed a little, adjusted her thoughts and told Mo Han about everything that had happened to her since she was 11. She only left out the part about liking Third Young Master for six years. She hid the part about liking Third Young Master for six years from him, because she felt that there was already no need to say it. She only said that Third Young Master was her superior. Xia Qingyi admitted that she would still feel something for Third Young Master, but it was no longer the painful love she had at that time. She was very clear that Third Young Master was only part of her past now. He did not belong in her future. Her future only belonged to Mo Han. From the moment she told Third Young Master that she was going to leave, she knew that she would not turn back again. She could not let herself get caught up in another painful six years. The Song Nianmu and Lina from the past had already been killed at that dpidated warehouse. And there was just a little part of it that was selfish. Xia Qingyi did not want to let Mo Han get caught up in her past. She did not want to see him troubled over her rtionship with Third Young Master for the entire day. After all, Third Young Master was only part of her past to Xia Qingyi. She felt her throat dry up when she had finished giving a brief summary of the events of the past nine years. She swallowed and looked at Mo Han¡¯s eyes, waiting for him to respond. Mo Han looked at her and smiled before he finally said, ¡°It feels as though I¡¯m listening to someone else¡¯s story.¡± ¡°But... it¡¯s all true.¡± Mo Han¡¯s eyes were twinkling, and he patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s already over. Everything is in the past.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him and did not speak. ¡°Just that... I feel sad for you.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°I finally know how those scars on your body came about... Actually, I sort of guessed it more or less. When I sent you to the hospital for the first time, a doctor talked to me about your injuries for a long time. When I saw you sleeping on the bed through the window after that, I could feel that your past may not be that simple.¡± Xia Qingyi did not expect that Mo Han would have such a casual attitude. He seemed like he did not mind much about her past, and she was a little surprised. ¡°Then you also don¡¯t mind that I was cuddled and hugged by all those other guys before, and that I was holding onto their arms and went to all sorts of different ces with them?¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her. ¡°You just want to agitate me...?¡± Xia Qingyi was showing that temper of hers again. ¡°You just look like... you¡¯re not affected at all. What I did in the past, you don¡¯t seem to care...¡± Mo Han hugged her tight in his embrace. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t mind... but... I don¡¯t want our current lives now to be affected by your past.¡± Xia Qingyi raised her head to look at him. ¡°But your girlfriend was part of the underworld in the past! Such a dangerous person, you don¡¯t mind it at all?¡± Mo Han smiled again, and lightly pinched her nose. ¡°Little brat from the underworld, it sounds pretty charming.¡± Xia Qingyi pouted. ¡°You behave like this now, aren¡¯t you afraid that I would do something bad to you in the future? What if I went back to my old ways, and cut people down and lied to them whenever I felt like it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll look after you properly and stop you from doing all those things in the future.¡± Xia Qingyi did not know what to say. Her fears that Mo Han would leave her after hearing about her past had note true, and their rtionship did not seem to be negatively affected at all. But she was still a little worried. Their time together would be long after all, there was no guarantee that Mo Han would not regret things in the future. But she wanted to just stay at this ce that she had finally reached after so much difficulty. ¡°Then you... have to look after me well in the future.¡± Xia Qingyiy down into Mo Han¡¯sp. ¡°I¡¯ll be obedient, I won¡¯t cause any trouble,¡± Xia Qingyi said softly. Chapter 183 - Third Young Master in Prison

Chapter 183: Third Young Master in Prison

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han kissed her forehead and patted her back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stay by your side and I won¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll look after you.¡± Mo Han patted her arm. ¡°Someday... take me to visit Xiao Ye.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him. ¡°He must be an important person to you. After visiting him, I feel like I will be able to feel what your past was like.¡± ¡°Someday... let¡¯s go together. I¡¯ll take you to visit him on his death anniversary,¡± Xia Qingyi said. He knew what Xia Qingyi was worried about, but he did not want her to worry about him. Actually, when he was listening to Xia Qingyi talk about her past, he was still a little unhappy on the inside. He minded all the events that had happened to her in the past. But all these could notpare to how much he wanted Xia Qingyi to stay by his side, and how he did not want to be separated from her. Ever since she had promised to be together with him, Mo Han never thought of letting her go. To him, he would already be satisfied as long as he had herpany in his life. He knew what was the most important, so he could not let the insignificant ones disturb him. After telling Mo Han everything, Xia Qingyi only felt relief. She had been secretive around Mo Han ever since she had recovered her memories, and she had not even dared to look at him. Now that everything was fine, she no longer had to feel guilty when she smiled at Mo Han. When she was at school the next day, Xia Qingyi felt as though she had an infinite amount of energy in ss. She was extremely attentive, and there would never be a day when she would be as serious as this. When she saw Mo Han¡¯s message that he woulde and pick her up after school, her eyes were filled with happiness, and she felt like cheering loudly in the ssroom. She had never been happier, she thought at that moment. Simrly, Mo Han felt just as rxed in thew firm, because the biggest problem between him and Xia Qingyi was finally resolved. There would probably not be any huge problems between the two of them. Which was why when Liu Zhiyuan said he wanted to go to the police station to deliver a file to Old Zhang, he also took it upon himself to do the simple task. But of course the most important reason was that the police station was especially near to Xia Qingyi¡¯s school, so he could conveniently go to her school after he delivered the document. He drove his car and quickly reached the police station. When he went to Old Zhang¡¯s office, Old Zhang was not in. Mo Han asked where he went, and a colleague said that Old Zhang had probably gone to the interrogation room. They had recently caught a gang leader, and he was probably there talking to that person. Mo Han took the file and went to the interrogation room. He saw Old Zhang sitting on the bench in the room through the ss window, looking stern and confronting the man opposite him. Mo Han waved the file in his hand at Old Zhang, but Old Zhang did not respond, and only then did Mo Han remember that people in the interrogation room could not see the outside through the ss window since it was one-way ss. It looked like Old Zhang would be upied for quite some time. Mo Han was going to turn around and put the file in Old Zhang¡¯s office so that Old Zhang could see it after he had finished his work. But as he was about to leave, he saw the man sitting opposite Old Zhang nce in his direction through the ss mirror, and he stopped in his tracks. The man¡¯s eyes seemed be on Mo Han¡¯s body, and it was a cold and piercing stare. Even though he knew that the man could not see him through the ss mirror, Mo Han¡¯s heart still turned cold. He asked Zhang Yang beside him, who was looking into the mirror as well, ¡°Who¡¯s being interrogated inside?¡± Only then did Zhang Yang notice that the person standing beside him was Mo Han, and he was a little surprised. ¡°Oh... Barrister Mo, what brings you here today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver a file to Old Zhang.¡± Mo Han asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the person that Old Zhang is interrogating in the room?¡± Zhang Yang looked at the man sitting inside. ¡°It¡¯s the gang leader who was recently caught. Chen Tian. He looks young, but he has been in the underworld for more than ten years. His methods are merciless, and he¡¯s known as ¡®Poisonous Third¡¯ in the underworld.¡± Mo Han looked at the unruly profile of him sitting on the stool, deep in thought. Zhang Yang looked at Chen Tian sitting inside and also smiled. ¡°Actually, he also has another name. The people from the underworld always call him that, what was it, oh yeah, Third Young Master.¡± ¡°Third Young Master?¡± Mo Han froze. ¡°Yeah, Third Young Master. This name still sounds awkward. But apparently it was because he was one of the youngest and the most handsome in his gang, which is why the people around him call him that.¡± Zhang Yang went on to mutter to himself as he looked at Chen Tian. ¡°He¡¯s pretty handsome indeed, he still looks good-looking even after having a crew cut. Before seeing him, I always thought that people from the underworld were fierce-looking and had scars all over their faces and bodies, but now my perception has changed.¡± Zhang Yang started chatting with Mo Han. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that with him sitting like this over there right now, he doesn¡¯t look much like a convict, but more of a wealthy young master?¡± Mo Han looked at Chen Tian sitting inside through the ss mirror. If he was not wrong, he was the Third Young Master that Xia Qingyi had mentioned to himst night. The world certainly was small, he did not expect to meet him here today. Mo Han did not leave. He stood there and watched Old Zhang sternly question Chen Tian. Chen Tian did not defend himself much and admitted that he did it. ¡°How many years will he get judging on the crimes he¡¯d pleaded guilty to as of now?¡± Mo Han asked. Zhang Yang said, ¡°At least 15 years. Two people¡¯s lives are on him, he¡¯s involved in smuggling, illegal collection of protection fees and a list of other offenses, and all these add up to around 15 years. But he didn¡¯t sell drugs, and this is what we¡¯re surprised about.¡± Zhang Yang seemed to have gotten interested in talking. ¡°He has been in the underworld for more than ten years, and yet he has never meddled in drugs at all. Most of the drug business is done by his eldest brother, and he has never joined in, I¡¯m not sure why.¡± ¡°Can I talk to him for a whileter?¡± Zhang Yang looked at him. ¡°What do you want to talk to him about? Does your case have anything to do with him?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s personal.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Just tell me whether it¡¯s possible or not for me to do so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible, we¡¯d just have to follow the procedure after Old Zhang finishes interrogating him. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s a special period for him now, so you can¡¯t chat with him for too long.¡± ¡°You can just give me three minutes.¡± Mo Han watched Third Young Master sit there at ease even with handcuffs on through the ss window, and thought of the things Xia Qingyi had said about himst night. The things she said about him were little, and Mo Han initially did not take much notice of him either. But now that he saw Third Young Master here and saw how his expression was like, Mo Han suddenly felt something was strange. Mo Han soon came face to face with Third Young Master. Old Zhang had just finished his interrogation, and knowing that Mo Han wanted to talk to Third Young Master, he did not ask too much and simply brought Third Young Master to the meeting room on the other side. Third Young Master just sat down, and when he saw Mo Han opposite him, he smiled. A few days ago, Xia Qingyi had been sitting in the same seat talking to him. Seeing that he had leaned back against his chair and smiled, Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Why did you smile when you see me?¡± Third Young Master shook his head. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know who I am, and why I want to meet you?¡± Mo Han asked him. Third Young Master answered, ¡°I know who you are. I also know the reason why you want to see me.¡± At this, Mo Han smiled. ¡°How do you know who I am?¡± ¡°Mo Han, Barrister Mo. You¡¯re probably here because of Lina. Oh... no...¡± Third Young Master shook his head. ¡°She should be called Xia Qingyi now, right.¡± Mo Han¡¯s face changed. ¡°You know about the things between me and her?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that I know much, but it concerns me.¡± ¡°How do the things between me and my girlfriend concern you?¡± ¡°Oh, it concerns me a lot... didn¡¯t your girlfriend tell you?¡± He looked at Mo Han¡¯s cold expression and smiled, guessing that she had not told Mo Han about the things between the two of them. Third Young Master lifted the corners of his mouth, his eyes looking yful. ¡°Your girlfriend loved me for six years in the past...¡± His words made Mo Han feel as though he had been locked in an ice cavern. He simply stared at the person opposite him. ¡°I went to find her once before I was caught. But she had not gotten her memories back at that time, and was very estranged when she spoke to me, which made me rather upset... She remembered everything a few days ago, and she came to the prison to visit me once, and we chatted a lot. Yeah... and speaking of it, it¡¯s coincidental how she was sitting right at where you are now.¡± Mo Han remembered that they had gone to watch a movie a few days ago, and how she had not said a single word to him when the movie was showing. After they left the cinema, she said that she had something to do. Now that he thought about it, she had probablye to see Third Young Master at that time. But Mo Han always thought that she was handling Xiao Ye¡¯s things, he never thought that she would be meeting a man who she had loved for six years in her past. Third Young Master said, ¡°You may not be able to imagine her life in the past. It was I who trained her. She had stayed by my side ever since she left her family at 11 years old. Now that I think about it, it has been around nine years. I only found out about her feelings ratherte, around a year ago, but when I found out at that time, she had already loved me for five years.¡± ¡°All the words you¡¯re speaking from your mouth are not credible,¡± Mo Han stared at him through the ss. Third Young Master smiled again. ¡°From hearing what you said, it seems to be a problem for you.¡± He said, ¡°Go back and ask her yourself, only she can understand her feelings for these past few years.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°What happened between the both of you is also in the past, I will not be suspicious towards her because of this.¡± ¡°I do not intend to disrupt the feelings between the two of you, but instead I hope that the two of you can be together. I know that she¡¯s actually a good girl, and that you treat her very well, I know about the two of you. I secretly investigated you a few months ago, you¡¯re a pretty capable person in many areas. She has a good eye, so I¡¯m relieved.¡± Chapter 184 - Hickey

Chapter 184: Hickey

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han was furious, he disliked that Third Young Master was already of the past and yet he was still secretly investigating the feelings between Xia Qingyi and him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with the matters between me and her. She¡¯s with me now, I¡¯ll treat her well. This is what I should do, you don¡¯t have to weigh in on this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certainly in no position to say this, since I¡¯m already in prison after all.¡± Third Young Master showed the handcuffs on his hands to Mo Han. ¡°You¡¯re right. No matter the past or the future, only you¡¯re in the position to say it.¡± His tone slowly turned dejected. ¡°She loved me for six years, and also suffered for six years. It¡¯s different by your side, she¡¯s always smiling by your side everyday.¡± Third Young Master continued by himself, ¡°Actually, I wanted to be with her when she said she loved me six years ago. But I could not give her the life she wanted, so I simply gave up.¡± ¡°So when she said she wanted to leave, I did not stop her. She¡¯s different from me, I could no longer be saved, but there¡¯s still hope for her. She deserves an even better life.¡± Third Young Master raised his head to look at Mo Han, looking serious. ¡°Please look after her well in the future.¡± Mo Han looked at him and stayed silent for a long time. After that, the time for their meeting ended. Third Young Master followed the officer back to prison, and Mo Han also stood up and left the police station. It was already seven at night, muchter than the time Mo Han had promised to pick Xia Qingyi up. He took out his phone, saw that there were four missed calls from Xia Qingyi and called her back. ¡°Where are you now?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°I¡¯m already at home.¡± Xia Qingyi had already changed and was sitting on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... Something came up tonight, so I waste. I didn¡¯t hear you call me on the way.¡± Xia Qingyi did not take it to heart. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Anyway, I always walked back by myself in the past. You don¡¯t have to pick me up next time if you¡¯re busy, it¡¯s too troublesome.¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t me you, there¡¯s no need to do this, you just have toe back early.¡± Hearing Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice, Mo Han tightened his grip on the phone. He could not let Xia Qingyi leave him. No matter what, he did not want her to leave him. He only had one thought on his mind at this moment. ¡°Then I¡¯lle back soon,¡± he said. ¡°Ah... don¡¯t forget to buy those mini wontons from Zhou Ji, I¡¯m hungry.¡± Xia Qingyi urged him as she usually did. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll also buy you a bag of red bean biscuits.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t buy too many red bean biscuits, it¡¯s easy to get fat when you eat that at night,¡± Xia Qingyi nagged at him. After chatting a few sentences with Xia Qingyi, Mo Han felt the unease from meeting with Third Young Master gradually ebb away. Xia Qingyi did not know, but she would always calm him down in the shortest amount of time. Mo Han told himself that he could not cause problems between the two of them because of things from the past, not when they finally got together after so much difficulty. He could not ruin everything that he finally have after so much hardship because of Third Young Master¡¯s sudden appearance. That was why he had to pretend that he did not know everything at all when he went back, Mo Han thought. Mo Han brought Xia Qingyi¡¯s favorite mini wontons and red bean biscuits back. She was not in the living room. Mo Han brought the mini wontons along and found her in the study room. She was sitting on the chair, her eyes on theputer and her fingers typing continuously on the keyboard. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Xia Qingyi saw him, her fingers still moving. Mo Han held up the bag of mini wontons. ¡°Here¡¯s the stuff you want,e out and eat.¡± Xia Qingyi was still typing away, her gaze on theputer screen. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll finish up. Put it outside, you should go and eat first.¡± Mo Han closed the door and went to the kitchen. He poured the mini wontons into a bowl, sat on the chair and waited for a while. Seeing that she was still noting out, he pushed the door open again and saw that she was still typing, so he said, ¡°Do thatter,e and eat first, or the food will get cold.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°Alright, alright... just a few more words.¡± Not long after she had spoke, Xia Qingyi finished her work and smiled. ¡°Done! Alright, let¡¯s go and eat!¡± She stood up and followed Mo Han outside. When they were eating at the table, Xia Qingyi was constantly moving her chopsticks, while Mo Han¡¯s bowl of mini wontons looked untouched. He kept watching Xia Qingyi eat. Xia Qingyi felt a little strange, and asked him, ¡°Did you have a lot of... trouble at work today?¡± Mo Han said, ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Then... is there something troubling you?¡± ¡°Not that either.¡± ¡°Then why do you look unhappy?¡± Xia Qingyi said. Mo Han touched his face and asked, ¡°Do I? Do I look very unhappy?¡± ¡°Yeah, you look like you¡¯re pretty unhappy.¡± Xia Qingyi bit her chopsticks. ¡°You usually eat quite a lot when you¡¯re with me, but you haven¡¯t eaten much today.¡± Mo Han smiled. ¡°I already ate something outside.¡± ¡°Then you look pretty unhappy, why? What happened?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. He always thought that she would probably not be able to tell his inner feelings, but it did not seem like it now. To him, it was always handy to be able to hide your emotions around others. But whenever he saw Xia Qingyi, he seemed to forget how to hide his emotions. Mo Han forced the corners of his mouth up into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s just a tricky case that we have on our hands now.¡± ¡°Can I help you with anything?¡± Xia Qingyi asked tentatively. Mo Han reached over the table to pat her head, feeling his heart soften. ¡°It¡¯s okay, just take care of your own things. I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him, her eyes trained on him. ¡°If you¡¯re unhappy in the future, don¡¯t stay silent and keep it to yourself. Even though I can¡¯t help you with anything, I can be your rubbish bin. I can still stay beside you and listen to you.¡± Mo Han saw how serious she looked, and he felt warmth in his heart. He kept quiet for a long time. Xia Qingyi saw that he did not speak, and lowered her head to continue eating her mini wontons. Mo Han saw her chew on them, and after a while smiled and asked, ¡°Have you finished eating?¡± Xia Qingyi swallowed thest piece, and raised her head to look at him, not knowing why he had asked that. Mo Han stood up, bent down and kissed her. Xia Qingyi was still sitting there stunned, her eyes staring at Mo Han¡¯s nted head. His lips were still on hers, and he slipped his tongue in between her lips. His kiss was gentle and lingering, which made her feel touched. His tongue identally brushed again the roof of her mouth, making her shudder. She instinctively tried to move back, but Mo Han leaned in closer and used his hands to cup her chin, locking her against him. Xia Qingyi tried to slowly respond to his kiss, and Mo Han kissed her back even harder. She kept tilting her neck up so it felt sore, so she moved back when she really could not take it any longer, putting some distance between the two of them. Mo Han was still standing, and he lowered his head to look at her as he smiled, panting a little. Xia Qingyi looked at him and smiled too. ¡°I am still eating the mini wontons, aren¡¯t you afraid that there¡¯ll be a smell?¡± ¡°No, it felt amazing,¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi pushed the unfinished mini wontons towards him. ¡°There¡¯s more here, you can eat them.¡± Mo Han sat down, held her hand and did not let go and looked at her. ¡°These aren¡¯t as delicious as the ones in your mouth.¡± Xia Qingyi shot him a dirty look and retracted her hand. ¡°E... you¡¯re gross.¡± Mo Han teased her. ¡°There are grosser ones, do you want to try?¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m full, you can eat them if you want.¡± She stood up and wanted to walk away, but Mo Han tugged at her hand again and said from behind, ¡°Sleep in my room tonight.¡± Xia Qingyi could not understand. ¡°Why? I have been sleeping well these past few days, I don¡¯t have insomnia, so why do I have to sleep in your room?¡± Mo Han¡¯s hand unintentionally wriggled in her palm. He kept looking at her and did not speak, and only then did Xia Qingyi understand, and her face turned red. ¡°I¡¯m not going to... have a good sleep by yourself.¡± Mo Han did not release her hand. ¡°You¡¯re really noting?¡± Xia Qingyi took her hand away. ¡°Yes, I have a report to finish, and I need to hand it in to my teacher tomorrow. I have to go back to the study room to do it now.¡± Mo Han stood up, hugged her from the back and gently bit into her ear. ¡°Then, when will youe?¡± Xia Qingyi shrank into her neck. Mo Han biting her ear made her heart skip a beat. ¡°After some time... I¡¯m rather busy with schoolworktely, and I have a lot of sses.¡± Mo Han leaned forward and nted kisses on her neck. Xia Qingyi instinctively tilted her neck up, feeling as though a cat was scratching her with its ws. She pushed at Mo Han, ¡°Stop fooling around, I¡¯m going to do my work.¡± Mo Han gave her another huge kiss before he let her go, leaving a huge hickey behind on her neck, and it was so painful that Xia Qingyi frowned. She rubbed her neck and turned back to look at Mo Han. Mo Han also rubbed the marking on her neck, smiling contentedly, ¡°Go back and do your essay, I¡¯ll stop disturbing you.¡± Xia Qingyi rolled her eyes at him and went back to the study room to finish up her essay. Because she had lessons in the morning, Xia Qingyi woke up early the next day. She passed the essay she had just finishedst night to the teacher so that the teacher could take a look at it and see where she could improve. After she had finished the essays her teachers had instructed, Xia Qingyi had to immediately prepare for another examination. Even though she tried her best to study really hard in the morning, she waspletely not in the mood to continue studying at home. Her examinations wereing, and yet she did not have the drive to study at all. Xia Qingyi discussed with Mo Han about considering to apply for the school dorms to stay there for a few days. Chapter 185 - A Mans Smell

Chapter 185: A Man¡¯s Smell

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han quickly rejected her idea and told her that this was not possible. No matter howte it was, she had toe back and sleep here every night. He would personally fetch her back. Seeing that Mo Han did not agree, Xia Qingyi gave up. She could only study harder at school in the morning, and do less work at night when she came back. She endured it until the examinations, and after handing in her examination script, she felt herself rx. Xia Qingyi released a long sigh, thinking of going back home early to have dinner. But when she was heading outside, she met Zhang Yang in his police uniform. He was standing in the teaching building and looking around; it was unclear what he was doing. Xia Qingyi called out to him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Zhang Yang smiled when he turned around saw Xia Qingyi. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been some time.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled as well. ¡°What are you doing here in our school? What kind of case do you have again?¡± Zhang Yang shook his head, and eyed the teaching building. ¡°Nah, my colleague came to give something to his girlfriend, he¡¯sing down in a while.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I thought that there might be another case at our school. If there really was, then our school is really dangerous.¡± ¡°Nah, how can another huge case happen at your school again in such a short time. We¡¯re busy arresting the gang leader Chen Tian these few days.¡± Xia Qingyi asked suspiciously, ¡°Chen Tian? Who is he?¡± ¡°A well-known gang leader in the underworld. He was finally caught after so long. You may not know him as ¡®Chen Tian¡¯, but as ¡®Poisonous Third¡¯.¡± Xia Qingyi froze, her smile turning hard, and she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal that you don¡¯t know, ordinary citizens would not know much about underworld matters.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled out of politeness, and heard Zhang Yang say, ¡°It sounds strange, but do you know that Barrister Mo came down to our police station and even had a few words with Third Young Master a few days ago?¡± Xia Qingyi was shocked. ¡°He went to the police station and talked to him?!¡± Zhang Yang saw that she had such a strong reaction and was rather surprised. ¡°He didn¡¯t speciallye down to see Third Young Master. He was there to deliver a file to Old Zhang, and saw that we were interrogating Third Young Master, so he said that he wanted to speak a few words with Third Young Master. I thought it was about the case at first, but he said it wasn¡¯t, so I thought it was a little strange.¡± ¡°What did they talk about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, they were separated by the ss when they met under thepany of the officer. I was called away by my superior at that time for a meeting.¡± Xia Qingyi lowered her head, deep in thought. It seemed like Third Young Master could have told Mo Han everything about things between her and him in the past. What would Mo Han think, why hadn¡¯t he mentioned it to her these few days? Xia Qingyi finally understood why Mo Han looked so unhappy when he returned a few days ago. He probably knew everything. ¡°Chen Tian... is his sentence decided? ... How much time does he have to serve?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°Not yet, it¡¯s almost decided and there¡¯ll be a court session in the next few days. It¡¯s estimated that he¡¯ll be sentenced to 15 years, or possibly more, because two people¡¯s lives are on him.¡± Xia Qingyi furrowed her eyebrows. Third Young Master had killed someone? She remembered that he did not really kill people when she was working under him. He knew his own limits, and would always spare people at the veryst moment, to let them hang on until they reach the hospital for treatment. So why would he have two lives on his hands, could he have done it before she met him? ¡°Who did he kill?¡± she asked. ¡°Hmmm... one was from a long time ago. He went to collect money and that person didn¡¯t hand it to him. He did not let the person off easy and shed him to death. The other one was from a few months ago, remember the time when quite a few people died at the Western suburbs? Someone¡¯s hand was even chopped off, and died a horrible death. We only found out from investigations after that it was a gang war, and he brought a few people to hack the bunch of people to death.¡± ¡°Gang war?¡± Xia Qingyi suddenly felt that all these events were very strange, and unknowingly repeated the words. ¡°Yeah...¡± Zhang Yang raised his head and suddenly ooooh-ed. ¡°Now that you said it, I only just remembered... the person that died has something to do with you.¡± Zhang Yang said, ¡°Do you remember that you reported a case before, and said that you were bullied by a bunch of people in an alley. The person that died was from that gang.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it coincidental... I only just remembered... me the guy formitting evil, he was so unlucky to die in a gang war.¡± Zhang Yang muttered to himself and did not see that Xia Qingyi¡¯s face had be paler and paler. Xia Qingyi could vaguely guess. Could things really be that coincidental? If Third Young Master could find her location, then he definitely knew about her report of the case. Then about those bunch of people that she met in the alley, could it be... could it be that... She did not dare to continue that line of thought. She seemed to havee into contact with a scary and unknown secret. ¡°Xia Qingyi... Xia Qingyi...¡± Zhang Yang shouted her name. Xia Qingyi raised her head to look at him, and there was another unknown officer standing beside him. Zhang Yang said to her, ¡°My colleague is here, I¡¯m going back first.¡± She nodded her head, actually forgetting how to speak. Zhang Yang even waved to her before he left. ¡°Let¡¯s chat another day.¡± Xia Qingyi waved back dazedly, butpletely forgetting to speak. She only stared at Zhang Yang¡¯s back,pletely stunned, her thoughts still on what happened earlier. She could not control her own emotions. She had loved Third Young Master for six whole years, and she had not harbored a single shred of hope during that period. And now she finally was able to leave her former life and let go of all the things from the past after so much difficulty, she wanted to lead a good life with Mo Han. But now, she suddenly found out that Third Young Master killed the bunch of people who had bullied her in the past. After being by his side for so many years, she had never seen him kill anyone. Why did he choose to kill someone after she left when it would not benefit him at all? Xia Qingyi started to feel that she had never truly understood Third Young Master all these years. It was around six when she went home. Xia Qingyi pushed the door open and saw that Mo Han was sitting on the sofa in the living room watching the television. This made her feel curious. She rarely saw Mo Han watch the television by himself, she always had to drag him to the sofa to watch television most of the time. And why was he home so early today, didn¡¯t he always reach home at around eight or nine after work? ¡°Why are you back so early today?¡± Xia Qingyi asked. ¡°I finished my work, so I came back early.¡± Mo Han took the cup of water in front of him, drank from it and turned around to look at her. ¡°You¡¯ve finished your exams?¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head, feeling a little tired. She sat down beside Mo Han and twisted her neck. ¡°I can finally rest.¡± Mo Han moved closer to her and stopped watching the television. He leaned his head towards her neck and took in a deep breath. Xia Qingyi shrunk back and pushed at him. ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± ¡°Sniffing out for another man¡¯s smell on your body,¡± Mo Han said with a straight face. Xia Qingyi smiled. ¡°Then can you smell it? Is there the smell of other men?¡± ¡°No.¡± Mo Han kissed her earlobe, and softly spoke into her ear, ¡°You only smell of me.¡± When Mo Han kissed her ear, she felt her body shudder, an electrifying spark traveling all the way up her spine to her brain. Xia Qingyi nted away and tried to hide from him. ¡°Whatever smell or not, I was outside for the entire day, I only smell of sweat and you don¡¯t even find it dirty.¡± Mo Han looked at her, and when he saw that she was nervous, he said, ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I already sitting next to you? Where else can I go?¡± Xia Qingyi said. ¡°Sit on myp.¡± Mo Han patted his legs. Xia Qingyi was shocked. She twisted her upper body away from him. ¡°What happened to you today?¡± Mo Han grabbed her in one hug, and pulled her into his embrace, making her sit on hisp. She quickly moved to stand up, but Mo Han locked his hands around her waist and refused to let her go. ¡°What happened to you today?¡± ¡°Kiss me and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Mo Han cocked his head to the side and looked at her. Xia Qingyi frowned and shook her arms, asking, ¡°Exactly what happened?¡± ¡°Kiss me,¡± Mo Han said. Xia Qingyi lowered her head and gave him a peck on his face. ¡°Alright then?¡± ¡°Not enough.¡± Xia Qingyi smiled faintly, and gave him another peck on the lips. ¡°Will this do?!¡± Mo Han put his right hand at the back of her head and pushed her head towards him. He tipped his face up and gave her a long, lingering kiss on the lips. Sitting on hisp, Xia Qingyi felt her entire body soften. There was no ce for her hands, and she instinctively put them around his neck and hugged him. Mo Han felt her movement, and pulled her forward to kiss her again. In the silence of the room, the only sound was their breathing. When they broke apart, Xia Qingyi leaned on Mo Han¡¯s shoulders and rested, breathing heavily. Mo Han was still nting light kisses down the back of her neck, looking as though he had no intention of stopping. ¡°Exactly what happened?¡± Xia Qingyi asked him. Mo Han hugged her waist, the two of them nested together on the small sofa. ¡°Thew firm found out about us.¡± Xia Qingyi whipped her head up from his shoulders. ¡°What did you say?!¡± ¡°Liu Zhiyuan and Barrister Liao knows about the two of us. I¡¯m guessing that everyone in thew firm will know about it by tomorrow.¡± Mo Han spoke lightly, but this shocked Xia Qingyi. She quickly got up from his embrace. Xia Qingyi said, ¡°How did they find out?!¡± Chapter 186 - Separation

Chapter 186: Separation

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi said, ¡°How did they find out?!¡± ¡°My phone lock screen is a photo of you sleeping. Liu Zhiyuan helped me take a call when I was in a meeting today and he saw it. He asked me, so I simply told him about our rtionship now.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him. ¡°You used my photo as the lock screen?! If they asked, couldn¡¯t you just say that I purposely changed it for you as a prank? Why did you even tell him?¡± Mo Han looked as though he was not disturbed by this matter. He seemed to be unable to understand why Xia Qingyi was so furious, and pulled at her hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong about saying it? I have to say it sooner orter.¡± ¡°Tell me exactly what you said to them today.¡± Xia Qingyi looked at him seriously. ¡°I said, you¡¯re my girlfriend,¡± Mo Han said. ¡°You just said it like this?!¡± ¡°Then how else can I say it?¡± ¡°What were their reactions?¡± ¡°Liu Zhiyuan looked a little surprised, Barrister Liao did not speak for a long time.¡± Xia Qingyi started to worry. ¡°They still think I¡¯m your younger sister. When you said that, aren¡¯t you telling them that you got together with your sister?¡± ¡°They know you¡¯re not my real sister, and that we¡¯re not rted by blood.¡± ¡°Not rted by blood, but I¡¯m still your sister legally. What will they think now that you did this? I don¡¯t care what they think of me, but you, they¡¯ll definitely think you¡¯re a bad person!¡± ¡°But what I said was the truth, you¡¯re my girlfriend now.¡± Mo Han thought that Xia Qingyi would be happy when she knew that he had announced their rtionship, but seeing her expression now, he felt puzzled and asked her, ¡°Did you not want to announce our rtionship? You want us to continue to date secretly, you criticize me when I hold your hand even for a while outside.¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to announce the rtionship between the two of us, but the timing is not right, it¡¯s not the time yet. At least wait until the adoption agreement expires before we say anything.¡± She said, ¡°And also, you should at least mention it to me even if you want to say it. Discuss it with me. It¡¯s not good to make such a decision by yourself.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether it happened sooner orter. Even if the agreement still stands, we are not rted by blood, and we¡¯re dating normally, why can¡¯t we tell others that we¡¯re together?!¡± Xia Qingyi faced him. ¡°But like this... what will other people think of you... They¡¯d say that you have an affair with your sister in secret?! ... This won¡¯t do, this will affect your career in the future.¡± ¡°Work is work, what¡¯s between us is a personal matter. I feel that they¡¯re not rted... and what¡¯s more, you don¡¯t have to worry about so many things, I¡¯ll handle them myself next time.¡± Mo Han was a little angry, and he sounded a little bad-tempered. He could not understand why Xia Qingyi had such a huge reaction over him revealing their rtionship. He saw no point in it. ¡°You can handle it?!¡± Xia Qingyi said, ¡°You think you can handle it, so you didn¡¯t even tell me when you met with Third Young Master?¡± Mo Han looked at her ring at him. Xia Qingyi said, ¡°I saw Zhang Yang at school today. He told me about it.¡± Mo Han lowered his head, his tone a little rude. ¡°I feel that there¡¯s no need to discuss him between the two of us.¡± ¡°You know about it?¡± Xia Qingyi asked him. ¡°Know what? That you loved Third Young Master for six years in the past?¡± snapped Mo Han. ¡°You¡¯re always like that, you keep everything to yourself. You knew that I loved him for six years, and you didn¡¯t even ask me anything when you came back. I don¡¯t even have the chance to exin myself to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, I don¡¯t want to discuss your ex with you.¡± Mo Han could not control his own emotions, and his tone became strict. ¡°Who are you calling my ex?! I didn¡¯t have a rtionship with him in the past, it was purely that of a superior and subordinate.¡± Xia Qingyi started to be in a bad mood after hearing Mo Han¡¯s tone. ¡°You loved him for six years! I bet you¡¯re willing to do anything for him. So, from what I see, this is no different from an ex.¡± ¡°The difference is big! Can you lump an ex and a superior together? What¡¯s more...¡± Xia Qingyi rebutted Mo Han, and suddenly remembered that Zhang Yang had told her about how Third Young Master had killed anyone involved with her in the past. She stopped talking and stood there stunned. Mo Han looked up to see that she was in a dazed, her eyes staring at one spot when he realized she was silent. He smiled, and said sourly, ¡°Are you thinking of your Third Young Master again?¡± Xia Qingyi returned to her senses, feeling as though everything had be a mess. Everything, from the past and present had tangled together, and she felt horribly tired. She released a long sigh and said to Mo Han, ¡°Those are all in the past, can we not talk about it anymore?¡± ¡°I can tell your Third Young Master does not treat you as just a subordinate, and anyway, you only told me that you¡¯d try, but you¡¯re still not able to forget about him. So go and find him then, I¡¯m not going to stop you, as long as you¡¯re willing to date with him in prison, you can leave now.¡± Mo Han did not know why he would say something like that. In truth, he immediately regretted it when the words left his mouth. ¡°What did you say?!¡± Xia Qingyi stared at him disbelievingly. Mo Han stayed silent. He ced his hand on his head and grabbed a chunk of his own hair, feeling extraordinarily frustrated. ¡°You¡¯re that mistrustful of me?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was almost trembling as she said the question, her eyes red. Mo Han remained silent on the sofa and did not speak. Xia Qingyi was angered once again by how he was refusing to say a single word, the sentence he had just said constantly surfacing in her brain. She tried to let herself calm down as best as she could. She softened her tone and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight with you now... Let¡¯s calm down for two days... and not see each other.¡± Mo Han¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re leaving?¡± After hearing him speak like that, Xia Qingyi felt that she could no longermunicate with him and said out of spite, ¡°Yes, yes, yes! I¡¯m going to leave! I¡¯m noting back, stay here by yourself!¡± Xia Qingyi turned around and walked towards the door when Mo Han said from behind, ¡°If you¡¯re going to leave, then I¡¯m not going to go and find you!¡± Xia Qingyi ignored him and mmed the door shut, thinking, whatever! After leaving Mo Han¡¯s ce, she really did not wish to return and fight with Mo Han again. She had never fought with him before, and she did not know what it would feel like to fight with him. Now that she had experienced this once, she did not want to go through it again. Mo Han had beenpletely unreasonable, and he was so stubborn. He refused to say anything, and if he did, it would make her angry. When Xia Qingyi wanted tomunicate with him, he would rebut with another sentence. Thinking about it made her even angrier. Xia Qingyi brisk walked in the streets by herself, her footsteps never stopping. It slowly becamete, and Xia Qingyi was rather tired from the walking. She looked at her feet, and realized that she was actually still wearing her slippers from home. She did not have a single cent on her, and had left her phone at home. She was standing alone on the streets, and the roads were gradually bing quieter and quieter. Under the faint yellow street lights in the dark, Xia Qingyi hugged herself with her arms and slowly walked with her head lowered. She turned around and saw nobody. Mo Han indeed did note and find her. He was scared that he had disappointed her. Ever since she had recovered her memories, Xia Qingyi would asionally feel that some shadows of the past were still on her. She could not escape the entanglements of the past, no matter how hard she tried. Xia Qingyi knew that Mo Han had fallen in love with the Xia Qingyi after she had lost her memories, the normal girl who wouldugh everyday. He definitely would not like the Song Nianmu with her underworld background, who had spent her daily life in debauchery. Song Nianmu was not Xia Qingyi, they were never the same person. But, who was the current her then? She could not figure out this question. The current her had Song Nianmu¡¯s past, and Xia Qingyi¡¯s future. But who exactly should she be? The more she thought about this question, the more lost she felt. Xia Qingyi did not go back that night. Mo Han sat on the sofa where they had fought and waited for the entire night, but Xia Qingyi did not return. He watched the sky slowly turn dark, and then saw it gradually turn into dawn, but there was still no sounds from the door. The ashtray on the coffee table was piled full with extinguished cigarette butts. The smoking addiction that he had finally beaten had returned within one night. He sat on the sofa, going through packets of cigarettes, waiting for Xia Qingyi toe back and stand at the door to scold him for smoking again. But she did not return. It was time for him to go to work. Mo Han finally stood up and switched off the light that had been on for the entire night. He dragged his body along, feeling dizzy because of theck of sleep, and forced himself to go to his room to change his clothes. But he could not tie his tie properly no matter what, and he pulled it off frustratedly. He simply wore a zer over his suit and left. When he walked past the living room, Mo Han saw the phone and clothes that Xia Qingyi had left on the table and stopped in his tracks. He found a pen and paper, scribbled something down, and ced it beside her phone. The paper said, stay at home when you¡¯re back, let¡¯s talk after I get back from work. When he reached the door, Mo Han doubled back and found a spare key from the bedroom. He put it in a box near the door, Xia Qingyi would know about it. Mo Han drove his car to thew firm for work. From the beginning till the end, he never thought that Xia Qingyi would really leave his side. He only thought that she would definitely sit on the sofa and wait for him when he returned home. He could imagine her expression. She would definitely look angry, and she would demand an exnation from him. But it was okay, he would talk to her. Xia Qingyi¡¯s anger always came quickly and left quickly. What happened yesterday was just a small fight in the long road ahead. Even until afternoon, that was what he thought. Chapter 187 - Departure

Chapter 187: Departure

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi spent one night on the ground below the bank ATM machines. Because it was summer, the weather was not cold, and she leaned against the wall and forced herself to sleep for a few hours. When it was morning, a woman who came to withdraw money was shocked when she saw Xia Qingyi holed up in the corner sleeping, and woke Xia Qingyi up with a scream. The woman kept looking at Xia Qingyi guardedly when she was withdrawing money, probably afraid that Xia Qingyi would snatch her money. She hugged her wallet close to herself when she was leaving and carefully walked out. When Xia Qingyi woke up, she was no longer angry, but she still did not want to go back, because she was afraid. Xia Qingyi knew that Mo Han was a logical person. He felt that she had lied to him, and seeing what he was like yesterday, he was furious and he looked like he did not want to continue being with her. She was scared that after she went back and had a chat with Mo Han, he would want to stop the rtionship between the two of them. She was really scared. Xia Qingyi had no confidence in herself. She was scared that after going through so many difficulties to realize her feelings for Mo Han and having their rtionship progress to this day, their rtionship would end here. She did not want to lose everything. Xia Qingyi sat on the cold ground, and decided that the two of them still needed a period of time to cool down. She decided to have some time to think. By that time, if Mo Han still wished to break up with her, she would agree with what he said even if she felt terrible. She should not hope for too much. That was why Xia Qingyi decided to leave this city and travel. She had her own card. Ever since she had gone to university, she had ced the money from her part-time job sry and her schrships into that card. The amount inside was enough for her to travel around for a few days. She usually did not put that card in her wallet, and she had left it with her friend after buying some things a few days ago. She just had to go to her friend¡¯s ce and take it back. Her identity card was still at home, but Xia Qingyi did not want to go back. She was afraid that she would not want toe out again after going back. She went to the Public Security Bureau, went through the procedures for a lost card and received a temporary identity card. As for school, she asked the counselor to apply a week of absence for her. One week¡¯s time was enough for Mo Han and her to think carefully about many things. She would give Mo Han space and time, and they could then handle their things after she came back. Xia Qingyi went to the bank to withdraw some money and brought a few pieces of clothes. She could not bear to throw away the slippers she was wearing, so she simply put them in a bag and carried it with her. She then went to the airport and bought a ticket to the ce furthest away from this city on the map. It was the westernmost side of this country, with barren deserts and a scorching sun. It had one of the earliest lifeforms on the and was sparsely popted. It was a ce suitable for thinking. Xia Qingyi sat in the airport lounge, ticket in her hand, and looked at the small amount of luggage she had. She initially wanted to quietly leave by herself without saying goodbye to Mo Han. But seeing all the people waving goodbye at the airport, she felt a little dejected. In the end, she borrowed a phone from a stranger and sent him three messages. The first wrote, ¡°I¡¯m Xia Qingyi. I¡¯m messaging you using a stranger¡¯s phone.¡± The second wrote, ¡°We both need some time to cool down. I¡¯m going to travel by myself. You don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯ll be back in a week.¡± The third wrote, ¡°Remember to eat and sleep properly, and don¡¯t be too busy with work.¡± After she sent the three messages, she stared at the words she typed out and her tears started to flow. She stopped the impulse to send a fourth message and wiped off the tears on the screen. She took in a deep breath, locked the screen and returned the phone back to the stranger. The faraway sound of the broadcast announcement was already indicating that the ne was open for boarding. Xia Qingyi stood up, carried the little luggage that she had, took her ne ticket and walked over. The ne took her to another world. Mo Han reached home at six. He stood in the doorway for a long time, arranged his clothes and hair, making sure that he did not took too tired. When he was unlocking the door, he was still thinking that he would see her in a moment, and that he definitely could not lose his temper like he did yesterday. He would sit beside her, hold her hand, and speak nicely to her. Mo Han opened the door to an empty house. Mo Han walked in, and saw that Xia Qingyi¡¯s phone was still quietly lying there like it was this morning, its position unchanged. The note next to it was still in the same ce as this morning. Mo Han looked around his surroundings. Xia Qingyi¡¯s clothes and bag were still on the sofa, things on the table were still arranged the same as this morning. The cigarette butts that he had not had time to clear remained piled up in the ashtray just like this morning, and the shoes Xia Qingyi had taken off in the doorway were still on the shoe rack. Everything remained unchanged. Mo Han ran to every room in the house, opening and closing every door and making a ruckus. But Mo Han still did not find a sign of Xia Qingyi. She had already not returned for a day and a night; a full 24 hours. Mo Han started to feel anxious, and quickly called Xia Qingyi. He only remembered that she had not even taken her phone when the phone rang in the living room. Why had she note back? She did not have a single cent on her, she did not take anything with her, and was wearing slippers when she left. Where else could she go? Mo Han sat down dejectedly on the sofa, how had things suddenly be like this? They were still hugging and kissing each other intimately yesterday, and yet everything had changed today. Could she do what she had said yesterday, and note back? Mo Han did not dare to think any further. The more he thought the more he felt worried, afraid that something had happened to Xia Qingyi. He put in some effort and contacted her ssmate from school. Her ssmate said that she had taken a week¡¯s worth of leave, but she did not say what she was going to do. Her ssmate even said that Xia Qingyi had also taken the card she had kept with her before she left. It was only then that Mo Han knew that Xia Qingyi had another bank card. He rxed a little; he did not felt as worried knowing that Xia Qingyi had money on her. But he started to feel anxious again in an instant. Where did she go? Why did she apply for a week of leave? Why had she not said a word to him before she left? At that time he did not know, and neither did Xia Qingyi, that Mo Han¡¯s phone had the function to block messages from unknown numbers. He did not receive the messages that Xia Qingyi had sent. They had missed out on the final chance to contact each other before she left. Mo Han used two days to check on Xia Qingyi¡¯s specific whereabouts. Because of his upation as awyer, an investigation like this was not that difficult. With Zhang Yang¡¯s help, he found out that she had went to the Public Security Bureau to apply for a temporary identity card on the first day she left. After that, she went to a nearby shopping mall to buy a few pieces of clothes. The salesperson from the mall had a deep impression of her because she was wearing household slippers and had bought a lot of clothes using a card that day. In the end, he found out that she had bought a ticket for a ne leaving at 5.30 p.m. that day to D City. The country¡¯s borders were near D City, and Mo Han was not sure why she wanted to go somewhere that far. He thought about it for the entire day, and could only think that she probably wanted to travel and rx. Mo Han initially bought a ticket to D City. But after thinking about it, Xia Qingyi had probably gone there because she was still angry and wanted to rx by herself. If he went there of his own ord, she would probably be unhappy. He thought about it and canceled the ne ticket in the end. He had to respect everything that she did, and she would be back in a week anyway. When the time came, he would exin everything to her and would not behave like that night, only knowing how to unleash his anger at her. Mo Han continued to wait in this way. He would wait one week for her toe back, and then he would never let her leave him again. He endured this and waited till the seventh day. He watched the clock on the wall turn from 11:59:59 to 12:00:00, but Xia Qingyi was still not back. At that moment, he really panicked. Far away at the country¡¯s border, Xia Qingyi¡¯s travels did not begin as smoothly as she expected. Because she did not have people she knew by her side, a lot of things were difficult when she was there. She had to do most of the things by herself, and she tried her best to not disturb the people around her. The weather here near the border was dry, and she would often have nosebleeds for no reason, so she would drink water often to replenish the water levels in the body. The difference in temperatures at night here was very big. On the first night when she arrived, she kept coughing nested in the thin nkets because she had not brought enough warm clothes. She could not bear it any longer after that, so she went to knock on the hotel boss¡¯s door in the middle of the night, asking for one more nket. In the end, the boss told her that there were no more additional nkets and gave her his own sturdy army coat to drape around her body, and that was how she spent the night. Thend was deste here, and the night sky was exceptionally beautiful. Shey down on the chilly nket, her eyes looking through the window at the resplendent star-filled sky outside, feeling not sleepy at all, and she started to miss Mo Han. Alone in the cold night, she thought back to Mo Han sitting silently on the sofa a few days ago. Xia Qingyi realized that she had never told Mo Han she loved him, and Mo Han had never told her he loved her either. She felt rather astounded. How had they passed all those days when they had not made any promise to each other? Even if the two of them had not promised anything to each other, and that things were not that smooth-sailing, they still spent so many days together lovingly. Chapter 188 - Missing

Chapter 188: Missing

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios She had only just managed to adjust to the weather the second day she was there, and started to chat with the other people living in the hostel. She did not speak much, but she was always smiling whenever she did. This gave the people in the hostel a good impression of her, and they arranged to have a three-day hike across the desert together the next day. Compared to the other travelers who wereden with luggage, Xia Qingyi had a pathetic amount of belongings. The leader did not dare to let her go to the desert just like that, so he took her to the high street to buy a few essential tools and put them in her bag. At night, she secretly packed the pair of slippers she brought from home as well. Even if she knew it was unnecessary, it felt as though she would be reassured with this pair of slippers by her side. The next day, there were five people on the trip, including the driver. The driver drove a ck SUV, suitable for driving in the desert. Xia Qingyi talked less and was the quietest while they were on the road. She sat at the rightmost corner of thest row, and rolled the car window down a little, watching the scenery fly by outside. The car drove forward, leaving S City further behind. After an unknown amount of time passed, the roadsides was already gradually turning to that of a desert. A nce outside, and it was simply a monotonous yellow everywhere. Only the towering sky above was a light blue color, and there were sparse pockets of bush on the ground. The car kept on surging forward continuously, the tires emitting a stream of sounds as they rolled over the yellow grains of sand. Xia Qingyi stared at the long road ahead, feeling as though they would never reach the end of the road. It was noon, and the scorching sun hung high up in the sky, making Xia Qingyi unable to open her eyes. The temperature in the car rose, and the surrounding heat waves made them feel as though they were entrenched within zing mes. The winds and sands from the outside could be felt from within the car, and the heat brought along with the wind constantly lunged towards Xia Qingyi. A boy sitting beside her saw that she was so hot that her neck was covered in sweat and dirt and kindly gave her a mask so that she could block her face from the wind and sand. Xia Qingyi thanked him, wore the mask and continued to look at the yellow world outside. The car continued to move forward bumpily, and a in of yellow sand in the distance slowly came within Xia Qingyi¡¯s sight. Even further away were the rising and falling hills made of yellow sand. The car slowly came to a stop. Xia Qingyi looked at the in of sand dunes, and understood that the desert was right before her eyes. They got out of the car. The seventh day that he endured with difficulty was over, but Xia Qingyi had not returned. Mo Han could no longer wait. He was scared that firstly, something had happened to her on the road, and secondly, that she was still angry, and that she was toofortable over there and no longer wanted to return. No matter what the situation, it was uneptable to Mo Han. He determinedly packed a few simple belongings with him and booked a ticket to D City. He had already found someone to investigate the hostel she had stayed in at D City these few days, so when he reached there, he would be able to see Xia Qingyi. If Xia Qingyi wanted to leave, he would bring her back to S City. If she had not have her fun yet, he would stay and y with her, wait until she was happier and then bring her back. Mo Han only brought along two sets of clothes, his passport and identity card, and took his wallet and keys. Most of the things he took were Xia Qingyi¡¯s belongings. He was very worried about Xia Qingyi. She had simply run out like that by herself and had not taken anything along with her, so there would have been many things that were inconvenient for her. No-one was there to take care of her, and she would have to do a lot of things by herself. Her skincare, bottles of all sizes, he was not sure exactly what they were and what they were for, but he put them all into a bag. There was also her favorite chili sauce and her favorite cartoon pajamas, which he had neatly arranged and packed them into a big bag on his bed. Mo Han stood before the bed, still thinking about what Xia Qingyi would need so that he could bring it along, and the phone in his pocket rang. It was from Liu Zhiyuan. ¡°Boss, have you seen today¡¯s news?¡± he asked. ¡°Little Liu, I already told you this morning. This is my vacation time now, I need to go out for a trip. Work-rted things can wait till I¡¯m back,¡± Mo Han said as he searched for things in the house. ¡°No... not work-rted things.¡± Liu Zhiyuan sounded a little hesitant. ¡°No matter what it is, it can wait till I¡¯m back. Or you can wait until I get to D City, I¡¯m going to the airport in a while, we can talk after I get off the ne.¡± ¡°Boss... ummm... I feel that this matter is very important.¡± Liu Zhiyuan¡¯s tone was serious. ¡°What...?¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Switch on the television, you¡¯ll understand when you look at the news on Central Channel 13. Mo Han walked to the living room outside, switched on the television, and adjusted it to the news on Channel 13. He saw the newscaster sitting upright on the television speaking in a monotonous voice, ¡°ording to our channel news, a rare huge sandstorm that happens only once in a century had urred near the perimeters of D City. The surrounding houses had suffered serious damage. ording to reports, the most serious damage happened at the desert near the borders. Unfortunately, a tour group was driving in the desert when they met with the sandstorm, and a total of five people are missing in the desert. The death toll of the sandstorm currently stands at four people, with 37 missing. The mayor of D City is currently heading towards the disaster area to provide assistance, and to help with rebuilding work. Do stay tuned for further reports on our channel.¡± Mo Han felt his blood turn cold, and the remote control in his hand dropped onto the ground. ¡°Boss... Boss... Did you contact her these few days? Is she really still in D City now?¡± Liu Zhiyuan heard nothing from the other end of the phone and knew that things must have gone wrong. Liu Zhiyuan knew about his boss¡¯s fight with Xia Qingyi. When Mo Han spoke to Liu Zhiyuan this morning, he had also said that Xia Qingyi had gone to D City to rx, and that he wanted to take a break and fetch Xia Qingyi back. Liu Zhiyuan and Barrister Liao could handle thepany matters. Which was why when he happened across the news and D City was syed across the screen, he started to worry and called Boss. ¡°Boss... Boss... are you still listening?¡± he asked. ¡°Liu Zhiyuan, I¡¯m going to D City now. If there¡¯s anything, leave it till I¡¯m back.¡± At that moment, Liu Zhiyuan did not know how to describe Mo Han¡¯s voice on the phone. His voice had suddenly turned hoarse, and he spoke in a low tone. Hearing how he was forcing himself to speak was heartbreaking. ¡°But... there¡¯s already a sandstorm at D City, the traffic probably will not be able to go near there, will you be able to get there?¡± ¡°I will find a way.¡± Mo Han finished speaking this sentence, and did not have anything else to say to Liu Zhiyuan, so he said, ¡°I¡¯m hanging up.¡± After Mo Han hung up the phone, the television was still reporting the news, and the practical way the newscaster reported made Mo Han feel scared. He picked up the remote control and switched off the television. The room was so quiet that it was horrifying. It was only then that Mo Han realized that the hand holding onto the remote control was still trembling. He half-lidded his eyes and there was no expression on his face, but his insides was burning like the grass in the wild ins, as though it was going to burn all the darkness surrounding as well. The huge fire was slowly spreading to every corner of his body. Mo Han¡¯s brain had stopped working, and everything in front of him was a blur. The room spun around him, making him feel as though this was not reality. All thoughts had disappeared from his brain, only leaving the thought that he had to go to D City and see Xia Qingyi with his own eyes. There had never been a moment when he was that impatient to see Xia Qingyi. As long as he could see her safe and sound, he had no other wishes. Mo Han went into the bedroom. He did not take any of the luggage, and only took his own passport, Xia Qingyi¡¯s identity card, wallet and hurriedly rushed to the airport. The ne to D City had already been canceled due to the weather. Mo Han bought another ticket to the neighboring F City, and took a train from F City to D City. The journey to D City was not that smooth. He got down the ne and waited nearly an entire day at the train station at F City before there was a train to D City. The entire trip took 12 hours, and because the tickets were sold out, Mo Han could only buy a standing ticket. The clothes he was wearing was terribly wrinkled, and there were all sorts of smells on the train. Mo Han stood in the carriage alongside weary middle-aged men with weather-beaten faces wearing tattered coats, and stayed together on the rumbling train traveling towards D City. D City was a small ce. Because it was not too far off from the core of the windstorm, it had not experienced heavy damage, and only the trees on the west side were scratched. Mo Han did not stay on the roads for long, he did not spend much time before he arrived at the hostel Xia Qingyi was staying in. It was a rather small, and a little worn down hostel. The doors were made of wood, and the metal on it had already rusted. The door was locked from the inside, and sturdy trees growing all the way out of the hostel could be seen from afar. He took in a deep breath, and knocked on the hostel door. Mo Han knocked a few more times, and after he waited a long time, someone finally came to open the door for him. ¡°Staying here?¡± The person who opened the door stood in the doorway and asked Mo Han. It was a rather short middle-aged man. ¡°May I ask, did a Xia Qingyi stay here before?¡± Mo Han really could not control the intense beating of his heart in his chest when he asked the question. ¡°Xia Qingyi...? Sounds like there¡¯s such a name.¡± The hostel boss opened the door and let Mo Han in. He walked inside and scratched his head as he thought. The hostel boss did not walk far before he suddenly lifted his head and turned around to look at Mo Han. ¡°Xia Qingyi, is she the girl from S City, with big eyes and hair reaching to her shoulders?¡± The hands that Mo Han held together started to tremble again, and he nodded his head. Chapter 189 - A Sudden Accident

Chapter 189: A Sudden ident

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios ¡°She dide here, but... don¡¯t you know what happened recently?¡± he looked at Mo Han questioningly. Mo Han felt his heart twist and had his heart in his mouth. He suppressed the rush of emotions. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°She left here a few days ago, and went to explore the desert with a few other youngsters. The original n was toe back yesterday. In the end the desert they went to had a sandstorm yesterday evening, many things were wrecked and they went missing.¡± Mo Han could not speak a single word after hearing what he said. It had taken almost two days from S City to reach here, and the string he had in his heart still snapped in the end. ¡°How... are you... rted to her?¡± the hostel boss asked. ¡°I¡¯m her boyfriend,¡± Mo Han answered. The hostel boss nodded his head, walked over and patted his back reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, the government has already sent people for search and rescue. There should be news in a day¡¯s time; she wille back safely.¡± Mo Han felt a little dizzy and sat down. ¡°The ce she disappeared at, how far is it from here?¡± ¡°Pretty far. It takes around a ten-hour drive from here.¡± ¡°Can you help me find a car and take me there?¡± Mo Han asked. ¡°No, a sandstorm just urred, vision is going to be limited, and the road conditions won¡¯t be good. It¡¯s not wise to go there around this time.¡± ¡°I can pay more.¡± ¡°This is not about money... you really can¡¯t go there... the roads here are not in good conditions, and are terrible for walking. The desert your girlfriend went to is right at the heart of the sandstorm, the roads there are probably damaged, and they¡¯ll need time for repair.¡± Mo Han lowered his head and stared at the ground, his hand unknowingly brushing through his hair. Xia Qingyi was very familiar with this small movement that he would do whenever he felt frustrated. The hostel boss saw him looking like that, and sat down tofort him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your girlfriend will be fine. Her tour group had their own car and a destination, it¡¯ll be easy for rescue workers to find them.¡± ¡°Can we really not go to the desert?¡± Mo Han asked. The hostel boss nodded his head. ¡°It¡¯s not possible to go there for a few days at least. The expressway at the west side of D City is the only road leading towards the desert. It¡¯s blocked now due to the sandstorm and the roads are all covered in stones and sand. It¡¯ll be extremely dangerous if you drive now. You can only wait a few days for now and wait for news from above.¡± ¡°Wait... wait... I¡¯ve waited long enough... I don¡¯t want to wait any longer,¡± Mo Han said in a low voice. ¡°It won¡¯t be more than a few days, the rescue workers reached there yesterday. If you¡¯re still worried, you can go to the Disaster Prevention and Rescue Center to ask about the progress of the search and rescue,¡± the hostel boss said. Mo Han stood up and thanked the hostel boss. He listened to the boss¡¯s suggestion and prepared to go to the center to inquire on the progress of the rescue. He could not always wait for news, not like the previous time when he waited for Xia Qingyi toe and find him. He wanted to go and find her. Xia Qingyi felt that there was something wrong on the day they were supposed to go back. They had parked the car in the desert, and it was already evening. They were keeping the tent they set up yesterday, and were going to roll it up to put in the car. It was too cold at night in the desert, and their original n to stay for three days had already been extended by one day. They nned to drive back tonight and reach the borders of the desert before looking for a hostel to sleep in. Xia Qingyi was arranging things in the car boot when the wind around her started to get stronger. She wrapped her clothes tighter around her, and quickened her movements so that she could finish packing and get into the car. It was around this time when the air suddenly turned silent, and the wind that had been constantly blowing at her stopped moving. The dust swirling in the air seemed to be falling down slowly. Xia Qingyi heard someone shouting, ¡°Look!¡± The person was pointing at something behind her, up at the sky. She turned around and looked in the direction he was pointing at. In a blink of an eye, the air became frozen. In the west, every corner of thendscape was enveloped in gray and was rushing towards them. It kept on expanding and bing bigger, blocking the sunlight and a huge patch of the sky like the carpet of the death god. The entire world turned dark in that instant. Xia Qingyi could sniff the pungent smell of sand. The winds whipped around her and made a thundering sound, trapping big and small rocks and stones within it. It seemed to slice through every single part of her body, and she felt that she was not able to stand any longer, that her legs were going to give way. ¡°Run back to the car quickly, it¡¯s a sandstorm!¡± someone shouted. ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll take a photo first!¡± Someone wanted to take out her camera from the bag. Xia Qingyi stopped her. ¡°Look at the situation! Forget the photos, take care of yourself first!¡± Some of them no longer bothered about their belongings, and anxiously headed back to the car. They closed the car door and windows tightly. They had never seen a sandstorm before, and they could only gasp for breath in the car, not knowing what to do next. ¡°Let¡¯s sit in the car and wait. No matter how big the wind is, it can¡¯t possibly blow away the entire car with all of us in it. Wait until the sandstorm is over before we leave.¡± No one objected, and they listened to him. All of them sat worriedly in the car and waited for the sandstorm to subside. The sound of the wind outside got louder and louder, deafening as that of cymbals and drums. The sky andnd had melted into one, and the world seen from the car window waspletely yellow outside. Big and small rocks hit against every corner of the car. For some reason, the entire car started to shake violently as well, as though it was going to throw people out of their seats. There was the sound of a crash, and the car window opposite Xia Qingyi was shattered by the rocks. One hit Xia Qingyi¡¯s forehead, and fresh blood immediately rushed out from the wound and flowed towards her eyes. The wind flowed through the huge gaping hole and whipped towards them, the yellow sands trapped within hitting her face. Minuscule grains got into her windpipe, causing Xia Qingyi to feel asphyxiated. Only then did they notice that it was not safe in the car as well, but before they had time to react, the sandstorm had flung the car into the air. Everyone screamed and grabbed anything they could find near them. The car flew into the air, and as they floated they were flung back towards the ground. There was a loud sound of the impact as the car fell and crashnded. Xia Qingyi slowly opened her eyes. The world before her was stillpletely yellow, and she did not know what kind of position she was in right now, but she felt that her own face was bing as rough as the desert. The wind was still howling outside, but it was dead silent inside the car. Xia Qingyi tried to open her mouth, but her throat was jammed by the wind and sand and she could not make any noise. The injury on her forehead seemed to be bleeding again. Her head was spinning and throbbing in pain, and in her daze, Xia Qingyi saw a glimpse of the yellow world before her again before her vision went ck. Mo Han reached the Disaster Prevention and Rescue Center in D City, and it was chaos inside. This sudden disaster had made everyone in the city feel helpless. They had no other choice and could onlye to the government to seek help. The west side of D City had sustained the most damage. All the houses in that area were destroyed by the sandstorm, and the homeless people could only carry their valuables with them to seek help here. Mo Han managed to squeeze past the crowd after a lot of difficulty. He reached the center of the lobby when he saw an olddy sitting on the ground wailing as she hit her own thighs. The people around her wanted to pull her up but were frightened by her loud sobs, so they could only hold on to her arm and listen to her speak. The olddy¡¯s face was full of tears, and she cried, ¡°How could everything be gone all of a sudden? What should I do in the future... I don¡¯t have anything anymore... I¡¯ve already ced everything on my house and my husband... what should I do?¡± The people around her were discussing softly. The olddy¡¯s house was a broken old house, and she wanted to follow her son and move into a new house some timeter. But this sandstorm caused the wall to copse onto her husband, and he could no longer be saved when he reached the hospital. To outsiders, no matter how tragic things were in the world, they could only speak lightly and say how pitiful the person was. Their lives would not be affected because of someone else, and only the person would understand all the pain and misery of the events. Only they themselves could understand the kind of despair. Mo Han nced at the olddy sitting on the ground crying, and felt sad for a stranger for the first time. But he could not do anything much, Xia Qingyi was still not found, so he did not have the heart to do anything else. Mo Han followed the signs of the lobby and found the administration spot responsible for the desert rescue. Themotion was different as that from the outside. This spot appeared to be empty, probably because there was only that one tour group trapped in the desert. ¡°May I ask, is there any news from the team responsible for the desert rescue?¡± Mo Han asked. The administrator raised her head and nced at Mo Han. ¡°You are...?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the boyfriend of one of the girls from the tour group trapped in the desert.¡± ¡°You have good timing, we have just received some information.¡± The administrator had just hung up on a call from the rescue team. ¡°What kind of news?¡± ¡°They found the car in the desert, it was probably caught in the sandstorm and had toppled in the desert. They found two people in the car, but unfortunately, both of them are dead.¡± Chapter 190 - My Star

Chapter 190: My Star

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Mo Han held onto the edges of the table tightly. He felt as if he had suddenly been covered in darkness as he said, ¡°Do you know who the deceased were?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t received the notice yet, they only said that it¡¯s a male and a female.¡± However, Mo Han did not rx because of this. He felt as if everything was pushing him forward, and he could only ept the final oue without any way to deal with this situation. Mo Han controlled himself, to not make his voice sound too shaky. ¡°When can they confirm?¡± ¡°Thetest is probably tomorrow night. The team in charge of search and rescue are already sending the dead bodies back and the personnel in charge of noting down the details will be able to identify them very quickly too.¡± ¡°Where will the dead bodies be sent to?¡± ¡°The Second General Hospital in D City. The dead bodies would be ced in the mortuary temporarily for their rtives toe and get them.¡± The staff watched as Mo Han kept shivering. Mo Han could not seem to stand any longer, supporting himself on the table and the staff passed him a stool to sit on. ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad. What if the female that died wasn¡¯t your girlfriend? Your girlfriend will return safely, have some hope.¡± Mo Han asked softly after a very long while, ¡°Will she really...e back?¡± The chance of survival was actually not too high since this sandstorm was a very huge one, not to mention that that tour group seemed to be in the center of the sandstorm. Nevertheless, the staff member could not bear to see Mo Han like this and said, ¡°She wille back... she will definitelye back...¡± Mo Han sat on the stool without a word as he had his head down. The staff said after seeing the shivering of the hand that he had ced on his knee, ¡°How about you go back and rest for a while? You can leave your contact details with me and I¡¯ll tell you toe over once the dead bodies have arrived here tomorrow.¡± He took out a form for Mo Han to note down his particrs. Mo Han reached out to take the pen and form that the staff had passed to him, though he could not seem to hold onto it as the hand that was holding on the pen was trembling uncontrobly. He sighed once as he put down the pen and paper. ¡°I¡¯ll write itter.¡± As awyer, Mo Han had a habit of always considering the worst case scenario first. He was used to listing all the possible oues of something from the worst to the best, and then resolving the oue that he had expected to be the worst case scenario. But, he did not dare to think of the worst case scenario when it regarded her. When he thought about the possibility of Xia Qingyi leaving him, he felt all the energy within him leave. He would be like a doll that had lost the air in it, like he had lost his soul and no longer had any motivation to push him forward. Do you have that type of person in your life? It was the type of person that would quietly exude warmth and shine in a dark night when you walk forward alone. They would exist far away from you and would always be there watching and apanying you throughout all the pitch dark roads whenever you looked up to the sky in the quiet night. She was like a star. Even though there were countless stars that were shining brighter than her in the limitless night sky, she was the only star that belonged to you and you only had the eyes for that star that was shining weakly. She was smiling at you, and you were smiling at her too. Your entire existence became very simple because of that star. To Mo Han, Xia Qingyi was that star. However, the unfortunate thing was that Mo Han could no longer see that star that belonged to him now. He had identally lost that star. Mo Han could not do anything. The only thing that he could do seemed to be an endless wait. A wait for his star toe back. When Xia Qingyi woke up again, she was surrounded by darkness like before. Xia Qingyi had almost thought that she had lost her sight because of this. However, she finally realized that it was probably night time afterwards when she felt the soft sound of the wind around her and the cold air on her skin that belonged only to the desert. She slowly regained her senses, though all she felt was slight numbness and not too much pain. She tried to move her body, using her hands to support her as she got up from the sand under her. Xia Qingyi saw the boundless sky in the desert full of stars that were spread out in the night sky as she stood among the sound of the slight wind blowing around her. She had never seen such a pretty starry sky. However, she was not in the mood to appreciate the beautiful night sky right now. She sat on top of the sand, shouting the names of the people who were in the same car as her. Xia Qingyi shouted for a few times, though no-one replied. Her hoarse voice was the only one ringing in the empty and vast desert. Goosebumps had appeared on her bare arms due to the cold air. She felt cold, as she hugged herself and rubbed her arms. It was already night time now and Xia Qingyi could not see anything else apart from the stars in the sky. She decided to rest for a while and wait until the next morning when the sun was up before she would decide on what to do. Xia Qingyi followed what she had learnt from the books and use her hands to dig up a long pit in the sand. Shey in it and buried her body in the sand, not leaving any hole so that she could retain her body temperature and not die from the cold of the desert night. Xia Qingyi lied down again on the sand. She had fallen asleep rather quickly, though it might have been that she was too tired or that she felt a little dizzy. She did not have the time to look at the beautiful night sky again. When she woke up again, the sky was already bright. The sun was hanging high up in the sky and Xia Qingyi could not adapt to this strong sunlight for a moment after opening her eyes. She drew her arm out of the sand and covered her eyes with it for a while before she opened her eyes once more. Xia Qingyi sat up, taking in her surrounding as she froze suddenly. Every ce she could spot in this endless desert was filled with only yellow. She was the only person. She could not see anything apart from the sand. She could not spot the SUV that they had rode, could not spot any passengers from the car, and could not spot any trace of anyone walking past. There was only her sitting in this vast desert. It was as if no disaster had urred, and she had been secretly thrown to the desert by a person. She was even starting to suspect she had remembered wrongly. Xia Qingyi slowly stood up. The fear in her grew as she looked at the boundless and vast desert, thinking that she was probably going to die in this ce. Mo Han did not return. It was another sleepless night for him as he sat on the chair in the Disaster Prevention and Rescue Center in D City. He did not dare to think about anything as he quietly waited for the staff to inform him of the news of the search and rescue operation. In the afternoon of the second day, the man that had spoken to him yesterday walked in front of him and told him that the two dead bodies that had been dragged by that SUV in the desert had arrived at The Second General Hospital. The SUV that had been smashed and deformed by the sandstorm had also been sent to a vehicle repair center and was awaiting the brief work arrangement. Mo Han followed them to The Second General Hospital. They headed towards the mortuary at the basement, and the heavy steps ringing in the hospital corridor made people especially dreadful. There was a door in front of him, and beyond the doory the dead body of the female. The staff had already entered while Mo Han stopped in front of the door, not daring to enter. He was afraid that what was waiting for him after he entered the room was another world. Mo Han eventually entered the room. The staff helped him to pull down the white cloth covering the female corpse and he could see theplete appearance of that person lying there. Tears fell first as Mo Han let out a snort. The ends of his lips pulled into a soft smile as his tears continued to fall drop by drop, wetting the white cloth on her. ¡°Is this... your girlfriend?¡± the personnel asked. Mo Han wiped away the tears on his face. He smiled once more as he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not her... it¡¯s not her...¡± Luckily, the person that was lying in this icy cold mortuary was not Xia Qingyi. Luckily, it was just a pale and unknown female that was lying in front of him. Luckily, the hope was still there. Luckily, he could still continue to wait. Mo Han personally covered the face of the unknown female with the white cloth once again. After that, he turned to leave the mortuary and towards the corridor outside. His legs crumpled, unable to hold onto his weight as he slowly slid down and squatted on the floor. He buried his face deeply with both of his hands, not lifting his head for a very long time. Mo Han left the Disaster Prevention and Rescue Center that day and returned to the hotel that Xia Qingyi had stayed in previously. The owner was still guarding the hotel and Mo Han booked the very room that Xia Qingyi had slept in in that hotel. He had not slept properly for three days now and he had already used all of his energy after walking out from the hospital¡¯s mortuary earlier. He needed to rest, so that he could continue to wait for Xia Qingyi in a better condition. Mo Han did not even shower after he had returned to the room. He had simply taken off his outer wear before hey on the bed that Xia Qingyi had slept in before. He inhaled the faint scent of Xia Qingyi lingering on the bed sheets. It was the mostforted he had felt in these few days. Mo Han hugged the nket tightly. He closed his eyes, as if she was sleeping quietly next to him right now. ¡°Xia Qingyi, you have to persevere. I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯ll wait for you right here. Let¡¯s not leave each other again after you¡¯re back.¡± This was the only thought Mo Han had before he fell asleep. Xia Qingyi did not know how long she had walked without a direction. The sun continued to shine brightly above her and it was still the yellow desert around her. She had not seen anything that could make her increase the speed of her steps. The skin on her lips were already peeling while her throat and eyes were so dry that she could no longer speak. Xia Qingyi continued forward as she pushed her tired legs. She was getting dizzier. She stopped to shake her head a few times. She blinked her eyes, feeling that the world around her was spinning. Chapter 191 - Away From Home

Chapter 191: Away From Home

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios It was as if Death was quietly watching her from in front, waiting to take her soul from her when she finally copsed from exhaustion. She could not be able to return to this world anymore, and she would not be able to see Mo Han anymore. Xia Qingyi did not dare to stop. She kept walking forward until she finally reached a stone tablet. The stone tablet was very short, not even reaching her calves and there were red words written on it. However, Xia Qingyi did not dare to look down from the strong dizziness she felt, which was why she could not get a clear look of the words on the stone tablet. As a result, she did not stop and continued to walk ahead beyond the stone tablet. Xia Qingyi¡¯s breathing became heavier as she did not know how long she had been walking for. When she felt that she could no longer push herself, she dropped onto the boiling surface of the sand and there was no more movement from her. The rescue team from D City had made progress. Mo Han had gotten a call from the staff of the Disaster Prevention and Rescue Center. They had said that they had just found a survivor of the sandstorm and had safely sent them to the hospital. The survivor was still conscious and was currently being treated in the hospital ward. The excitement that Mo Han felt within him had not yet faded away when the staff spoke again and mentioned that the survivor was male and Mo Han¡¯s heart dropped into the ice cer once again. Nevertheless, Mo Han had still rushed to the hospital to meet that survivor. That person had interacted with Xia Qingyi, and might know where Xia Qingyi was currently. He might have a trace rting to Xia Qingyi surviving in that desert. When Mo Han saw that survivor, he was sitting on the bed with bandages wrapped around his head. He was looking down at the bag in his hands. ¡°Ah... you must be... that person that they said wasing.¡± The person sitting on the bed looked up at Mo Han after he had heard the sound of footsteps. Mo Han nodded his head as he reached out his hand towards him. ¡°Yes. Hello, I¡¯m Mo Han, Xia Qingyi¡¯s boyfriend.¡± That boy did not look too old as he shook his hand with a light smile. He scratched his head. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Yang Qingliang.¡± Yang Qingliangughed, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you before. Xia Qingyi had told us that she had a very handsome boyfriend. She was definitely telling the truth, now that I¡¯ve seen you.¡± Mo Han said, ¡°She said that about me?¡± ¡°Yes. We asked her if she had a boyfriend the day before we went to the desert. She said that she did have one, a very handsome one. She also said that her boyfriend was the nicest person in this world. At that point, I could tell that the two of you were definitely a very loving couple when I saw the happiness in her eyes. However, she stopped saying anything when we continued to ask her about you.¡± Mo Han did not speak as he kept quiet with his eyes slightly lowered. His shoulders were sunk without any energy and even Yang Qingliang could feel the destion on him. Yang Qingliang passed the bag in his hands to Mo Han. ¡°This belongs to your girlfriend. I woke up and found this with me, though I didn¡¯t know why her bag is with me. When the rescue team had found me, I¡¯d brought the bag along and I¡¯m giving it back to you now.¡± Mo Han took the bag, which was a very light and simple canvas bag with a zip. Mo Han pulled open the zip of the bag, and saw only two pieces of clothing and a ck canvas pouch. There was something bulky inside the ck canvas pouch, though he did not know what it was. Mo Han took out the ck canvas pouch and opened it, only to see the pair of cotton slippers that Xia Qingyi had worn when she had left. He sat with the pair of cotton slippers in his hand, not looking up for a very long time. ¡°Why did she bring a pair of slippers? Why would she need slippers in the desert?¡± Mo Han did not speak as he caressed the soft texture of the the slippers. This was a secret between Xia Qingyi and him. ¡°Did you twomunicate at least once during her travel?¡± Yang Qingliang asked. ¡°No. She left her phone at home.¡± Mo Han said. ¡°That¡¯s weird. I remember her telling me that she had messaged you at the airport and she had only boarded the ne after telling you where she¡¯s going.¡± Mo Han furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Her phone is with me, so how did she message me? Why did I never receive them?¡± ¡°Could it be... that she used a stranger¡¯s number?¡± Yang Qingliang said as he stared at him, ¡°You... didn¡¯t set your phone to block any messages and calls from unknown numbers, did you?¡± Mo Han touched the phone in his pocket as he suddenly understood what Yang Qingliang had said. He swiped his phone and found his settings, finding all of the messages that were sent by unknown numbers and were intercepted as a result. Amongst the messy array of advertisements and the random codes, Mo Han saw the three messages that an unknown number had sent him a few days away straight away. ¡°I¡¯m Xia Qingyi. I¡¯m messaging you using a stranger¡¯s phone.¡± ¡°We both need some time to cool down. I¡¯m going to travel by myself. You don¡¯t have to worry, and I¡¯ll be back in a week.¡± ¡°Remember to eat and sleep properly, and don¡¯t be too busy with work.¡± Mo Han¡¯s heart hurt straight away. It turned out that Xia Qingyi had messaged him before she left. It had turned out that she had still nagged on him on the small things even though she had gone out to y by herself after arguing with him. It had turned out, that she was no longer angry the day after she had argued with him. Unfortunately, he had understood it all toote. If he knew that Xia Qingyi had messaged him at that time, he definitely would not have let her leave him toe to D City and experience a sandstorm that only happened once in a lifetime. However, it was a pity that there were no ¡°what if¡±s in this world. Mo Han and Xia Qingyi had been separated still. Xia Qingyi survived eventually. A group of people had found her in the desert. She had been on herst breaths when they had brought her home. It was only when Xia Qingyi had woken up when she noticed that the faces in front of her all belonged to strangers. They looked different to Xia Qingyi. They had curly hair, green eyes and dry and tanned skin. She had reached another country. She had identally crossed the international border of her country and stepped into another country. Xia Qingyi had tried to exin to them using her poor English skill to make them bring her to the Chinese embassy in this country. However, they looked at each other, not understanding what she said. Xia Qingyi spoke to them in Chinese, though they still did not understand her. Xia Qingyi tried to use bodynguage to exin what she had said as ast resort, though they did not understand her still. They had brought her to a very dirty workshop where there were countless flies flying in the air and the pungent smell of sewage water flowing around the floor. The people standing behind her forced her to stand there and watched the other women in the factory work. They had pulled out something simr to an intestine from a huge metal tub of red and oily water that looked like blood. They were not wearing gloves as they used their dark colored hands to wash that section of the intestine repeatedly before they threw it into arge brown tub. Xia Qingyi felt that it was disgusting as she watched, doing her best to stop herself from vomiting. The people behind her pushed her forward repeatedly. And it was that moment that she understood that these people had rescued her to send her to this factory to work as a cheapbor. She was forced to sit down as she held in her breath and started to do the same thing as those women around her. Her mind, however, was thinking of the ways that she could escape. At night, she slept in the narrow and crowded shared house with those women. The older women there were speaking in annguage that she could not understand and she was stuck between them. She forced herself to calm down, wrapping herself in the old, dirty and clean nket as she thought about what she could do next. The good thing was that the woman next to her had tried to speak to her in English after seeing that Xia Qingyi could not understand what she was saying. She had asked her, ¡°Where are you from?¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s expression brightened up at that moment, sitting up straight immediately as she asked about the basic situation of this ce. The most important thing she had asked, however, was if there was a train station or an airport in the vicinity. Luckily, the woman next to her had told her that there was a small airport in the vicinity. The air ticket was very expensive however, and they could not go out anyway, as she told her to dismiss the idea of leaving this ce. It was that woman¡¯s fourth year here, as she had also been brought here by unknown methods. When she had just arrived, everyone here had tried to escape, though no one had managed to leave this ce sessfully. She pointed to a woman sleeping on the most inside who had half of her hair white and said, ¡°That woman is the oldest person here and she¡¯s been here for 20 years now.¡± It was different for Xia Qingyi, however. She needed to leave this ce, needed to return to her own country where Mo Han was definitely waiting for her to go home. She needed to return, to return to his side. Xia Qingyi was not in such a rush. She had not thought of leaving this ce the next day. She need to wait, to wait until the people in charge of this ce let their guard down, to wait until they thought that she would continue to work here before she acted. She would steal their money and leave this ce. That was why she had continued to work here for a month together with those women. She had been preparing for her n everyday through this month. There was only one door with four men and a vicious dog chained to the fence. In the next month, Xia Qingyi slowly knew that the short man who wore a dirty yellow gown had the most money on him. He usually put and locked the money in the drawer on the most inside of the security room. However, he would open the drawer every Friday night when he was on duty to count the money carefully before he ced it back in that drawer. However, he had forgotten to lock the drawer this time. Xia Qingyi had decided to act on Friday night. She had behaved exceptionally well when she worked that day. She had barely taken breaks and barely spoke, even hastily finishing her meal before she continued her work. The person monitoring her thought that she had finally epted to work here seriously, which was why he had ckened his surveince on her that afternoon. Chapter 192 - Going home

Chapter 192: Going home

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios Xia Qingyi had used this time to secretly hide some of the metal wires used at work on her before she continued to work. People were the most tired between four and five in the morning. Xia Qingyi had not slept for the night, as she secretly counted the time before she quietly got up before the sun had risen. She took only a metal wire as she quietly headed towards the door. It might have been because Xia Qingyi had regained her memories, but she had actually remembered how she had fought with Third Young Master¡¯s subordinate. Her footsteps were usually light and her eyes could actually see some things clearly in the darkness with the aid of the moonlight. She pressed herself against the wall while she sneaked into the security room. The windows were not closed inside and the moonlight shone into the room brightly. That person was still sleeping. The drawer was not locked as expected and she did her best to slow her every action as she pulled the drawer open and took all of the money inside. As expected, the person sleeping on the bed behind her woke up the moment she had gotten the money as he made a noise. Speed was the most important at this moment. Within that second, Xia Qingyi had taken a metal tin from the table and hit it towards his crotch with all of her strength. That person screamed as the same time that Xia Qingyi had jumped onto the table and out of the window frame with her hands supporting her. The person chased behind her while scolding her. She could hear the vicious dog in the courtyard barking crazily at themotion. The gate was locked, though Xia Qingyi knew how to open such an old-fashioned lock since someone had taught her how to open it in school before. It needed time however. That person quickly picked up a wooden club ced against the wall next to him when he saw Xia Qingyi opening the lock and smashed it towards Xia Qingyi. When the wooden club had swung towards Xia Qingyi, her memories of fighting desperately with Third Young Master¡¯s subordinates all came back to her. The eight years spent training her fighting skills under Third Young Master had finallye to good use. She dodged the wooden club easily. She had gotten the upper hand after exchanging a few blows with that person. Xia Qingyi used her palm to slice towards his neck and kicked hard towards his crotch again. That person fell on the floor, moaning in pain. The vicious dog kept barking loudly at Xia Qingyi, still tied to the fence as the metal chains had yet to be untangled. The metal chain was about to break from the dog¡¯s struggles to break free. The dog was about to pounce on her while she heard the sound of another person approaching her quickly from behind. She still had 30 seconds. If she did not leave within 30 seconds, she would be locked up here for the rest of her life. Xia Qingyi turned around to deal with that lock. Her palms sweated while her heart thumped. She kept panting, as she tried to calm down to use the metal wire to deal with that lock. The dog behind her kept trying to break free from the metal chain as it let out intimidating barks. That man behind her was running towards her, as the sound of him running was getting closer to her. The lock in her hands opened within 10 seconds. Xia Qingyi pushed open that door and started to run out as if she was crazy. The person behind her chased after her. The sound of the dog was also approaching her and she increased her speed. She did not dare to look back, nor did she dare to stop as she ran towards the grass field at a distance away. The moonlight shone on her face that had undergone long hours ofbor. Xia Qingyi cried as she ran.. Her eyes were filled with tears, though she kept her mouth shut. She did not dare to make a sound, because the people behind her would hear them. In the darkness, her tears were the only ones that fell as she ran. There were only the soft sounds of the wind blowing by her ear from her running and the soft rustling of the grass under her feet. Faster. She needed to run faster. She needed to be more careful. Xia Qingyi told herself silently as she stood in the vast and empty field, as the sound of the wind blew against her ears,and as the moonlight shone on her faintly. She needed to leave this ce for good. She needed to run to where Mo Han was. She could not stop. Mo Han was waiting for her. He was waiting for her to return in a very far ce. She needed to see him. She need to stay with him. She want to not leave him again for the rest of her life. On the 45th day that Xia Qingyi had left him, Mo Han finally returned to D City. The Disaster Prevention and Rescue Center could no longer provide any more new information. They had all thought that Xia Qingyi had passed away during that disaster together with the other missing person. After all, the chances of surviving that disaster were so low. Mo Han was still unwilling to leave as he kept waiting at the hotel that Xia Qingyi had stayed at. When the rescue team had already dered the end of their operation, Mo Han drove into that desert alone as he searched for her by himself. He searched for her in that desert for a week, though he still could not find any trace of Xia Qingyi. In the end, he still found nothing even though he had searched every part of the desert, even the patches of sand that were far away from where the sandstorm had struck. No-one knew that he had cried for a very long time in his car for the few days that he had returned from the desert. He felt destion for the first time in his life. He had been trying so hard to find her, trying so hard to make her return to his side. In the end, however, he realized that he could not do nothing else but wait. In the first half of his life, he had a lot of knowledge, wealth, a good job and a lot of things that others would not be able to get even if they toiled their life away. But, he suddenly felt that he actually had nothing from the day that Xia Qingyi had left him. Xia Qingyi seemed to have packed and taken everything in his world. In these 45 days, he had been waiting for Xia Qingyi to return. However, he was too exhausted. There was not a day where he could rest at ease in the 45 days of searching for her. He kept having nightmares, and he could not longer fall back to sleep after he woke up. He became very unkempt. He did not even change his clothes, shower or shave for a week, despite being a clean freak before. His eyes were deeply sunken, and it made him look like he was 10 years older in the blink of an eye. Mo Han had fallen ill. The hospital in D City did not offer the medical operation that he had to do, but he was unwilling to leave D City. He was even unwilling to stay in the hospital. Withno choice in the end, Bai Yu and Liu Zhiyuan had toe all the way from S City to make Mo Han unconscious in order to take him back to S City for the operation. When Mo Han woke up, the operation was over. Hey on the bed in the hospital ward as he stared at the hospital ceiling for a very long time without speaking. Bai Yu and Liu Zhiyuan sat next to him, apanying him. They did not dare to say anything either, having only ced a bowl of porridge in front of her and told him to eat it. Mo Han did not speak, as if someone had stolen his soul. ¡°Do you still want to wait for the day when Xia Qingyi returns?¡± Liu Zhiyuan said. Mo Han finally had a bit of a reaction when he heard her name. He sat up and slowly ate the porridge in the bowl. On the third day after the operation, Mo Han had strongly asked to be discharged from the hospital even though he was still supposed to be hospitalized with his condition. He had even packed all of his things and instructed Liu Zhiyuan on all the things to be settled in thew firm with his pale face. He was going to return to D City. Liu Zhiyuan and Bai Yu had both stood up to pull him back. They both stopped him from returning to D City, telling him that he needed to stay in the hospital. Just as they argued, Mo Han¡¯s phone rang. After Xia Qingyi had gone missing, Mo Han had never set his phone to intercept unknown numbers. He would answer every unknown number seriously, no matter who it was. The room quietened suddenly. Mo Han picked up his phone, seeing an unknown number on the screen on his phone. Mo Han¡¯s heart thumped crazily and even Liu Zhiyuan and Bai Yu could see his hand that was holding onto his phone shaking terribly. Mo Han answered the call, and the voice on the opposite end said, ¡°Hello... Mo Han.¡± Mo Han was sure that it was Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice. ¡°Come and pick me up please. I¡¯m so tired.¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was very soft, though Mo Han could still hear her clearly. His voice shook unconsciously as he spoke, ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the airport...¡± Xia Qingyi¡¯s voice was bing softer. ¡°Give me 20 minutes.¡± Mo Han hang up the phone and pulled onto Bai Yu¡¯s arm as he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your car?¡± Bai Yu was a little dazed from hearing the two¡¯s conversation. Mo Han¡¯s grip on him was a little hard and he was forced to think. ¡°It¡¯s in the basement car park. This is the key...¡± Mo Han took the keys and seemingly flew out of the door. Liu Zhiyuan and Bai Yu watched Mo Han¡¯s back view before they hurriedly followed after him in another car, afraid that something might happen. Xia Qingyi jumped down that long ditch. She could still hear the sound of the dog behind her faintly. The dog¡¯s nose was very sensitive, and it would be able to find her. Xia Qingyi had no other choice but to jump down that dirty and smelly sewer. She pinched her nose as she hid under the tform, not daring to breathe too loudly. She heard the sound of dogs and humans behind her as they slowly approached her and then slowly left. She waited for a very long time before she climbed up carefully, taking advantage of the still dark sky as the sun had not yet risen. She moved in the direction that she had found long ago, walking towards a ce where there were many people outside. Her clothes were covered in the ck and solidified sludge. She arrived at the airport with a terrible smell on her. She had arrived at the airport under the suspicious stares of the airport staff. This was a small airport, which was why the procedures of buying air tickets was not thatplex. She used her poor English to beg the people around her to help her buy an air ticket back to China with her money. She was a person without any identification documents after all. An American had finally taken pity and agreed to help her buy an air ticket back to China after seeing her tearful eyes from begging for such a long time. Maybe it was because she had been so unlucky in her life before, but she finally felt that she was the luckiest at this point. There were only two locations in China that the nes in this airport flew to, and S City was one of them. Xia Qingyi¡¯s tears fell uncontrobly as she held onto the air ticket back to S City. All of her emotions burst in that moment. She could not even hide her sobs as she merely held onto that air ticket tightly, trembling while she sobbed. The foreigners waiting in the airport all turned to look at her at the sight of a girl squatting down to sob, even the security guard had rushed to her to ask if she was alright. Chapter 193 (END) - Im Home

Chapter 193: I¡¯m Home

Trantor: As Studios Editor: As Studios They probably could not understand why someone would cry so heartbrokenly. However, all Xia Qingyi could think was that she could not be any happier than at this very moment. There was really nothing that could make her happier than this. She could finally return to Mo Han¡¯s side. She had been thinking of him every day in the days and nights that they had been separated. She had the urge to cry whenever she thought of him every night, though she could only force it down. It was only in the days where she did not have him with her that she had finally realized how much she loved him. Xia Qingyi felt as if she could not hang on for even a day more without him with her. Xia Qingyi felt as if she would die if another day passed. Her soul had long been destroyed, even though her body was still supporting herself. The rest of the journey was a little better than what Xia Qingyi had expected. The security had allowed to her to pass after ncing at her air ticket, even though he saw that her clothes were filled with ck sludge, and her face was exceptionally oily, unlike that of a normal person. Xia Qingyi finally arrived at S City in China in the evening on the 38th day after she had left the country. Xia Qingyi had finally returned to this city where Mo Han was after leaving him for the 50th day. She walked to the exit slowly after she left the ne. She watched as the people around her walked past her and out of the airport. They passed by her in their hurry to rush to somewhere. Xia Qingyi merely watched the familiar faces and familiar surroundings as she walked extremely slowly. She was afraid that she would wake up and realize that this was just an exceptionally beautiful dream if she walked too hurriedly. She wanted to walk forward seriously, step by step. Like what she had done 50 days ago, Xia Qingyi had borrowed a stranger¡¯s phone to call Mo Han again. The phone connected very quickly. She felt like crying again the moment she heard Mo Han¡¯s voice. Her nervous system that had been tense for so long finally rxed. Xia Qingyi knew that she was going to go home. After she hung up the call, she saw her oily hair, dirty face and clothes that look like dirt from the reflection on the mirror in the airport. She was smelly all over as well. Xia Qingyi was a little sad. She was very ugly, and no longer looked like she waspatible with Mo Han. As a result, she ran to the washroom in the airport so that she could let Mo Han see a beautiful her. She used the hand soap to wash her hair once carefully. She had also washed her face desperately for a very long time. She practiced her smile as she looked at the slightly whiter her in the mirror. She was not going to start crying first after seeing Mo Hanter. She pulled out a few tissues to dry her hair so that she could look a little more lively. She had been drying her hair when she seemingly heard someone shout for her name from outside. That person sounded very hoarse and anxious, as he kept shouting for her nonstop. It took Xia Qingyi a long while to realize that it was Mo Han¡¯s voice. But, why had Mo Han¡¯s voice be like this? Xia Qingyi walked out and looked in the direction of where the voice had came from, seeing Mo Han standing among the crowd. As expected, she was able to spot Mo Han at once like how she was usually. He seemed to be different from others and always had a light shining on him no matter how Mo Han looked, no matter how many people were around him. She would always be able to spot him using that spotlight on him. Mo Han turned around, seeing her as well. He ran towards her and Xia Qingyi could not help but smile through her teary eyes at the sound of the nearing footsteps. Mo Han lifted her up. She could feel his hard bones as he hugged around her tightly, so tight until she could not breathe. Nevertheless, Xia Qingyi liked this feeling of not being able to breathe as she hugged Mo Han back tightly in return as well. It was only with the hug that they could feel each other. It was only with the hug that she could feel Mo Han¡¯s body temperature. It was only now that she felt that she was not in a dream, that she had reallye back. She had returned to Mo Han. They hugged for a very long time, with no one saying anything. Slowly, Xia Qingyi could feel Mo Han¡¯s body tremble slightly. She patted Mo Han¡¯s back carefully, making him lift his head to see his face. Mo Han was crying and Xia Qingyi felt very surprised by this. She had never seen Mo Han cry before. His face was very pale and he looked more frail that she was. Xia Qingyi wiped away the tears on his face as she said, ¡°What are you crying for?¡± She started to cry as well, as she spoke and she cried more than Mo Han. She wanted to pull up the sides of her lips to smile, though she failed. She buried her head, leaning into Mo Han¡¯s embrace as she cried until she could no longer speak. Mo Han kissed her still wet hair as he patted her back. ¡°You¡¯re back now... It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back now...¡± Mo Han said as he hugged her thin body, ¡°Lets... not separate again in the future, okay...?¡± Xia Qingyi nodded her head desperately in his embrace. ¡°I¡¯m very tired...¡± Xia Qingyi said again. Mo Han¡¯s tears fell again. ¡°I know... don¡¯t leave anymore... I¡¯m not going to let you leave anymore...¡± ¡°I¡¯m also very hungry...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy you food. We¡¯ll eat after we head backter.¡± ¡°I want to eat the food that you¡¯ve cooked...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cook for you. I¡¯ll cook anything you want to eat.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go home...¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home.¡± Xia Qingyi and Mo Han actually did not eat much after they had reached home. Xia Qingyi finally had a hot shower as she had wished for. She walked into the bathroom with her clothes in her hand, while Mo Han followed tightly behind her into the bathroom. He said that he did not dare to watch her leave his side again. Xia Qingyi let him enter the bathroom. He sat on the toilet bowl as he listened to the rustling of the water in the shower with a shower curtain separating them. He felt terribly satisfied like he never had before. They went to sleep after the shower. Mo Han continued to stay by Xia Qingyi as theyy on the same bed. He seemed to be afraid that she would disappear again after waking up from sleep. He did not dare to leave her side, only knowing to guard her by her side. Xia Qingyi caressed the sides of his frail eyes. She could feel that Mo Han had not lived well at all during this period. She felt her heart ache for him, because her Mo Han looked like he was 10 years older. Xia Qingyi slept next to him, embracing his waist. Mo Han rested on his side as he softly whispered to her everything that had happened in the days that they were apart. He wanted to know how she lived everyday without him with her. However, this period had been too long and Xia Qingyi was absolutely exhausted. She did not want to speak, only wanting to look at Mo Han quietly like this. No one knew how many challenges she had met before she had finally returned to Mo Han, to be able to watch himugh like now. In the past, Xia Qingyi felt that meeting Mo Han was probably the only lucky thing in her life. But now that she thought about it, there were many other lucky things in her life, such as being able to survive, such as being able to return to Mo Han, such as being able to lie next to Mo Han at ease. Mo Han embraced her shoulders, caressing her soft skin as her body temperature slowly warmed the blood in him. He heard his heartbeat for the first time in the two months that they had been separated. He felt that he was still living. He was a person that still had life. In the morning of the second day, Mo Han woke up again with Xia Qingyi in his arms. She was still sleeping quietly in his embrace and he could hear her slow breaths. He smiled, looking out of the window. The weather was bright and sunny today as the sunlight shone onto him warmly. He saw the colorful rays of the sunlight. Xia Qingyi woke up as well. She stretched her body before she closed her eyes again after seeing that Mo Han was in front of her. Mo Han stared out of the window, at the colors in the sunlight as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s get married, Xia Qingyi.¡± Xia Qingyi kept quiet for a while as she smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get married. I don¡¯t want anyone else apart from you.¡± ¡°I will always love you and respect you regardless of the circumstances, regardless of whether we¡¯re rich or poor, healthy or sick, happy or sad, until death do us part.¡± ¡°Mo Han.¡± ¡°Xia Qingyi.¡± The end. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!