Chapter 23: Mother Hen
"Miss Xia, there are some things... I'm not sure if I should say..."
Xia Lingying looked up in surprise at A'Sen, her swollen eyes still teary. A'Sen was momentarily stunned by the sight, then quickly regained his composure, turning his head away. His dark skin flushed with purple, unable to look at Xia Lingying anymore. No wonder Miss was so obsessed with her. Her brows, like wisps of smoke, seemed to be furrowed yet not, her eyes, seemingly filled with ambiguous affection, contained a fatal allure within her aloofness, making people unconsciously feel close to her. Such a beauty would naturally evoke compassion. A'Sen calmed down, took a deep breath, and said softly, "I don't know what's going on between you and Miss, but, Miss Xia, if you really love each other, don't torture each other like this anymore. Miss... she's also very pitiful..."
At this point, A'Sen's emotions became somewhat agitated, remembering the suffering Xiao Moyan had endured these past few days, his eyes turning red. "Miss lost her mother at the age of fifteen, and at sixteen, she went abroad to study alone. At that time, she held a grudge against Master for Madam's death, refusing to use a penny of his money. To support herself, she worked odd jobs everywhere, doing many menial tasks..."
Xia Lingying widened her eyes in disbelief, looking at A'Sen. Work... Xiao Moyan? How could that be?!
A'Sen nodded and continued.
"At twenty years old, Miss returned to the country after finishing her studies abroad. The years of hardship overseas smoothed out her rough edges, making her more polished and adept at dealing with people. However, her relationship with Master did not improve. Because of a lingering sense of guilt, Master entrusted the company to Miss, yet harbored resentment towards her for her perceived disrespect, offering no assistance and watching from the sidelines, waiting for her to show weakness and seek help... But Miss endured all the suffering alone, always appearing glamorous and radiant in front of others like a queen. She did this to spite Master, to show him that she could still thrive without his help. But... can you imagine how much hardship a young woman like her had to endure, single-handedly supporting such a large enterprise..."
Xia Lingying covered her chest with her right hand, her gaze once again turning towards the direction Xiao Moyan had left, her heart aching.
"I personally witnessed those malicious executives forcing Miss to drink, you know how it is in the entertainment industry. For the sake of survival, even if the poison is at your lips, you cannot take away someone else's dignity, you must drink it down. At that time, Miss had just entered the entertainment industry and had not yet found her footing, unable to gain the crowd's approval, but she was stubborn and eager to succeed. So, no matter how much suffering, she gritted her teeth and endured, glass after glass of strong alcohol poured into her mouth, yet she never said a word, enduring silently until she returned home and suffered the torment of drunkenness alone. Slowly, with this stubbornness, Miss earned the admiration of many people and gradually formed her own circle of influence, but her body also suffered countless injuries..."
A'Sen looked up, gazing at Xia Lingying, heaving a long sigh.
"After each social gathering, she would vomit, until one day, she had massive gastric bleeding and was rushed to the hospital. It frightened Mrs. Xu, and she tearfully begged her not to continue risking her life like this. Although Miss has always been tough towards others, Mrs. Xu... perhaps she's the only person Miss cares about in this world. Seeing Mrs. Xu's tearful pleading, Miss finally relented..."
Xia Lingying listened quietly, her heart unable to suppress its trembling, feeling the pain, aching so much. She never imagined Xiao Moyan would endure such hardships... She always thought Xiao Moyan had ascended to success with the help of Xiao Nian, unlike herself, who had experienced countless ups and downs, endured countless hardships and gazes of disdain... But now, the harsh truth lay before her eyes. Xiao Moyan had suffered just as much, if not more, than herself, and yet had never complained. Even in her darkest moments, Xiao Moyan had been by her side, silently guarding her, while she had only inflicted pain upon her...
A'Sen looked at Xia Lingying, his eyes full of pleading.
"Miss Xia, I know Miss' stubborn nature and fiery temper must have hurt your heart a lot, but you have to understand, no one has ever shown her warmth since she was young... No one has taught her how to love... what love is... So, Miss can only express herself in her own way... Perhaps she's suspicious, perhaps she's jealous because Miss has always been betrayed by those closest to her... With so much heartache, she naturally becomes cautious. Despite her appearance of being high and mighty every day, she's actually more fragile than anyone else... And I've never seen her treat anyone else the way she treats you, so attentive. Anything concerning you, she handles personally. But... this period has been when she's cried the most..."
Xia Lingying, tears streaming down her face, shoulders trembling uncontrollably, covered her mouth and rushed out after a moment.
***
Xiao Moyan parked the car in front of the company entrance, her face dark and gloomy as she slowly stepped out, her footsteps somewhat floating, her mind filled with Xia Lingying's words.
‘Xiao Moyan, you're going too far! Whatever I do has nothing to do with you!!! I will never fall in love with you!!!’
Xiao Moyan's eyes welled up again as she lowered her head slowly. She had never felt so helpless before. Xia Lingying, do you really mean you will never fall in love with me...?
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Tian Huang, a girl was waiting eagerly, holding a stack of CDs in her arms, her face beaming with smiles and anticipation for Xiao Moyan's arrival. Hu Feifei was dressed in youthful attire, a bright red open-necked T-shirt, and a mini skirt revealing her sexy collarbones and long legs. Her long hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing ten-centimeter high heels. Her eyes were unusually bright and agile, darting around, and she was chewing gum, occasionally blowing bubbles. At first glance, Hu Feifei appeared youthful and naive like a college student. When she spotted Xiao Moyan in the distance, a big smile lit up her face, and she quickly ran up to her, getting close and saying cheerfully,
"Xiaoxiao*, you finally came! I've been waiting for you for so long."
*Hu Feifei goes back and forth with Xiaoxiao and Momo to address Xiao Moyan, not sure if that was intentional or the author just forgot.
Xiao Moyan couldn't help but furrow her brow and looked up at her.
"Didn't I tell you not to come to the company?"
Hu Feifei looked up, her face full of grievances as she looked at Xiao Moyan.
"If I don't come to the company, how can I see you? You won't answer your phone, and when I waited for you at your door, you scolded me. I had no choice but to come to the company to find you."
Xiao Moyan sighed and didn't say much. She turned around and was about to walk to the company, but was pulled back by Hu Feifei.
"Xiaoxiao, when are you going to my house?"
"Your house?"
Xiao Moyan raised an eyebrow, and felt a headache coming in. Why was she bringing this up again? Hu Feifei is like a hot potato, she can't eat it, and can't throw it away. She covets her status, but can't flatly refuse her, truly a headache.
Upon hearing Xiao Moyan's words, Hu Feifei threw her a flirtatious glance, while proudly smiling.
"I spent over a million in the southern district to set up a home for us, just waiting for you to move in."
Xiao Moyan rubbed her head, ignoring her, and continued walking towards the company. Hu Feifei couldn't keep up with her long strides. She stopped and stomped her foot in frustration, muttered a few words, and still chased after her, blocking her path. Hu Feifei picked up the CD in her hand and started talking to herself.
"Momo, didn’t you like watching Tom and Jerry? I bought all the cartoons with cats and mice!"
Xiao Moyan listened with a dark expression, looked around to make sure no one was there, then breathed a sigh of relief. Hu Feifei's interest didn't diminish as she continued talking and flipping through the discs in her arms.
"Look, there's Big Face Cat and Blue Mouse, Shuke and Beita, Black Cat Detective, 3000 Whys of Blue Cat..."
Xiao Moyan looked at Hu Feifei helplessly. Originally feeling down, her interference somehow made it less upsetting. She lifted her head, looking at Hu Feifei with a mix of exasperation and amusement.
"Feifei, don't use tactics to tempt me like you would a child, okay? You know, Tian Huang’s acquisition case is currently being negotiated, and I've been busy lately."
Hu Feifei's hand, flipping through the CDs, paused for a moment. A hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, but she persisted and continued speaking.
"Isn't it just an acquisition of a shabby land in the North District? I'll go back and tell my dad not to compete with you for business, can't I? Momo, I really miss you... It's been so long since we've been together. Don't you miss me?"
After speaking, Hu Feifei looked at Xiao Moyan ambiguously, leaning closer to her body, pressing against her, her soft chest gently brushing against her. Xiao Moyan sighed, trying to push her away, but was suddenly grabbed by Hu Feifei's right hand. Nervously, she lowered her head and looked at Xiao Moyan's swollen hands. Her beloved fair and slender hands were now swollen and wrinkled along the lines of her fingers. Hu Feifei stared at them for a while, then lifted her head, looking into Xiao Moyan's eyes with widened eyes.
"What's going on? What happened to your hands? Why are they so swollen?"
Hu Feifei's question reminded Xiao Moyan of what had just happened, causing her heart to sink. She pursed her lips and tried to pull her hand back, but Hu Feifei refused to let go. She just kept staring at Xiao Moyan's hand, and as they struggled, Xiao Moyan inadvertently saw the familiar figure behind the stone pillar. Her expression turned cold, and she stopped moving, letting Hu Feifei hold her hand.
Xia Lingying slowly emerged from behind the stone pillar, looking at the two tightly clasped hands. She bit her lower lip tightly and looked up at Xiao Moyan.
"Xiao, I have something to tell you..."
Upon hearing Xia Lingying's words, Hu Feifei suddenly raised her head, glaring at her with wide eyes.
"Why is it you again?"
Then, Hu Feifei turned to look at Xiao Moyan, seeing the pain in her eyes, as if she knew something. Immediately, like an enraged mother hen, she spun around and pointed her finger at Xia Lingying, cursing at her furiously.
"How dare you treat her like this? I can't let this slide pp!!! Who do you think you are?!!! Huh?!!! Aah?!!!"
Author's Note:
Yezi likes Hu Feifei the most. Everyone knows from the title how cute she is. \(^o^)/~