Chapter 41: In Sequence
Xia Lingying looked at Xiao Moyan, who had a faint smile on her face, but her eyes were filled with deep affection and tenderness. Xiao Moyan gazed back at her with the same deep emotion. After a while, she reached out and held Xia Lingying in her arms, slightly lowering her head to press her cheek against Xia Lingying’s cheek, gently rubbing.
“Xiaxia, you always make me so crazy...”
The ticklish sensation from her cheek made Xia Lingying smile gently and instinctively move away. She leaned her head against Xiao Moyan’s chest, wrapped her arms around Xiao Moyan’s slender waist, and murmured softly.
“Okay, you should go now, or it will really be late.”
Xiao Moyan pouted, tightening her hold around Xia Lingying, and said unhappily.
“If you made me feel at ease, would I still come?”
Xia Lingying was caught off guard by Xiao Moyan's words, and all the things she wanted to say were swallowed back. Thinking about Xiao Moyan's roughness and madness from last night, and the lingering pain in her body, Xia Lingying couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. She raised her hand, touched Xiao Moyan's right shoulder, and stared at her without blinking. Xiao Moyan, feeling guilty under her gaze, cleared her throat as a cover-up, turned her head, and bent down to put on her shoes.
“You don’t trust me!”
Suddenly, Xia Lingying looked at Xiao Moyan's back and said something coldly. Xiao Moyan's body stiffened, and her hands stopped moving. She quickly turned around and looked at Xia Lingying with a hurt expression in her eyes.
"How can you say I don't trust you? Xiaxia, you are the person I trust most in this world, besides Mrs. Xu. I just don’t trust Lan Chen."
Xia Lingying stared into Xiao Moyan's eyes, seeing only grievance and innocence. She sighed and shook her head.
"Xiao, I only love you. How others treat me is their business and won't affect me in the slightest."
Xiao Moyan raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased.
"That affects me! Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I said something so disgusting and was all ready to be praised, waiting happily on the phone for you. But what did you do?"
Xia Lingying laughed in frustration upon hearing this, looking at Xiao Moyan's increasingly skilled pouting and cute expressions, which were simply adorable. Xia Lingying stepped forward again and hugged her tightly.
“How old are you? Yet you act like a child wanting a reward. What reward?"
Xiao Moyan showed no hesitation, her eyes sparkling as she fixed her gaze on Xia Lingying.
"Just repeat what we did last night~" Xia Lingying's face reddened. She looked at Xiao Moyan with a mix of annoyance and helplessness at her untimely teasing, not wanting to let her win every time.
Xia Lingying wrapped her arms around Xiao Moyan's neck, and under her slightly different gaze, pulled Xiao Moyan close, lowering her head to give a strong kiss on her fair neck.
"Mm──"
Xiao Moyan winced in pain and let out a muffled groan but refused to show weakness. Before Xia Lingying could savor the deep red "mark," she found herself pinned beneath Xiao Moyan.
Xiao Moyan propped herself up with her left hand on the edge of the bed, resting her elbow on the bed frame. Breathing lightly, her chest rising and falling slightly, she bit her lip and smiled at Xia Lingying.
"Little bunny, what are you planning to do? With a mark like this on my neck, how am I supposed to face anyone?"
With an ambiguous gaze, teasing words, and a hint of red on her lips, a strand of long hair fell from Xiao Moyan's face and brushed against Xia Lingying's, tickling her. Staring at the smiling Xiao Moyan, Xia Lingying's heart stirred. She reached up, gripping the back of her head, and pulled her down with force.
"Mm──"
Xiao Moyan looked horrified and stared in surprise at the delicate face so close to hers, asking,
"You're not going to film? My flight's going to be delayed!"
Xia Lingying stared intently at Xiao Moyan. They were so close that she could feel the softness of Xiao Moyan's lips as they spoke. Her mental defenses crumbled. Xia Lingying fixed her gaze on Xiao Moyan's red lips and murmured,
"Is that so... I didn’t know."
By the time they were done again, it was nearly eight o'clock. Watching Xia Lingying dress up, Xiao Moyan lay on the bed with a pout, clutching the blanket. Xia Lingying gave her a flirtatious glance, grabbed her bag, and walked out. As she closed the door, she didn’t forget to remind Xiao Moyan,
"Don’t fly back and forth. I'll be going back the day after tomorrow. Be good──"
Truly, everything was hurried, both the words and the person. Xiao Moyan pouted and lazily sat up from the bed, dressing slowly, but her heart was filled with endless sweetness.
Is this love?
From childhood to now, no one had ever told her what love was or how to love. Therefore, when Xiao Moyan realized she truly had love, although she was delighted, she couldn’t help but feel some anxiety. She knew her own nature—domineering, stubborn, and willful. Even though she was aware, how could she change a temperament developed over more than twenty years just like that? For Xia Lingying, she tolerated again and again. But last night’s confession from Lan Chen really angered her. Xia Lingying could only be hers, how could she let those cats and dogs flirt with her everywhere?!
Thinking about this, Xiao Moyan felt a bit exasperated. Knowing that Lan Chen had ulterior motives, Xia Lingying let her still clung to her like a sticky rice cake, always mixing with her. Gradually, Xiao Moyan lowered her head, feeling a bit bitter. The issue she had been trying hard to ignore but could never truly let go resurfaced: Qiu Muying... If she were to spend her life with Xia Lingying, with her personality, the father and mother couldn’t be ignored. But how could she tolerate the woman who had personally pushed her mother into the grave?
Xiao Moyan pushed open the door and slowly walked out. A'Sen, who had been respectfully waiting outside, looked at her with surprise. He had seen Xia Lingying leave the room with a look of happiness, but now, why was the atmosphere so low with the Miss?
Xiao Moyan said nothing, her face was like ice. She nodded at A'Sen and got into the car. A'Sen glanced at her cautiously and said softly,
“Miss, we’ll arrive in about three hours.”
Xiao Moyan nodded and instructed,
“I’m a bit tired. Wake me up when we get to the airport.”
A'Sen nodded and said no more. They drove to the airport, and just as he was about to wake Xiao Moyan, he caught a glimpse of her tear-streaked face in the rearview mirror. A'Sen was startled and didn’t dare to say another word.
Xiao Moyan noticed they had arrived and quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She opened the car door and got out.
Xiao Moyan thought of her mother and her heart ached. If her mother knew about her relationship, if she knew that Xiao Moyan had fallen for the daughter of her enemy, how would she react? Would she be furious, berating Xiao Moyan for being unfilial, or would she understand that her daughter had finally found someone she wanted to spend her life with? Had Xiao Moyan been selfish in pursuing her own happiness, deliberately ignoring the deep-seated hatred, and giving everything to the other person? Would her mother be angry if she knew how Xiao Moyan had changed?
The two hours on the plane passed quietly. Compared to her earlier anger, Xiao Moyan now appeared more concerning. Her face was slightly pale, her eyes vacant, staring absently out at the clouds, lost in thought.
When they got out of the car, A'Sen tentatively spoke up, “Miss, after the discussion about the new film, you──”
“Go to the British Nursing Home.”
A'Sen was taken aback. Nursing home? Is the Miss going to find Qiu Muying? This──she and Miss Xia...
Xiao Moyan didn’t have time to explain A'Sen's confusion and hurried to the headquarters. A row of black Bugattis was already parked in front of Tian Huang's building. Xiao Moyan quickly walked inside and finally met her long-lost friend in the reception room. With a simple outfit, a tall figure, and clean skin, Gu Yuan was holding a mug and smiling at Xiao Moyan.
Xiao Moyan smiled lightly and gave Gu Yuan a big hug, looking at him happily.
“You finally came back from America? How many years has it been since you went abroad?”
Gu Yuan smiled faintly, put down his mug, and looked Xiao Moyan up and down.
“Xiao, it’s been six years, and you’ve become even more beautiful.”
Xiao Moyan’s lips curved slightly as she nodded.
“You’re still the same as before, only speaking the truth.”
Gu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh, and this laugh dissolved the estrangement from six years apart. After chatting for a while, Xiao Moyan looked at Gu Yuan with a smile and asked,
“After all these years of not wanting to come back, is this time just for a movie?”
Gu Yuan glanced at Xiao Moyan and shook his head.
“Of course not.”
“Oh?”
“I’m here for someone.”
After saying this, Gu Yuan looked up at Xiao Moyan, his eyes full of inquiry. Xiao Moyan shook her head with a smile.
“I’m already taken, so don’t think about it.”
Gu Yuan continued to look at her. After a moment, he slowly said,
“Xiao, do you remember I once told you I had a little childhood sweetheart?”
Xiao Moyan nodded. She certainly remembered. She and Gu Yuan had both studied in Australia, but while Xiao Moyan returned to the country to take over Tianhuang, Gu Yuan stayed abroad for some reason. During their university years, their relationship had been fairly good, and even after Gu Yuan moved to the United States, they occasionally kept in touch via email. In Xiao Moyan’s mind, Gu Yuan was a man of high quality. Not only did he have substantial wealth and background, but his calm and composed demeanor also made her admire him greatly. During their conversations, Gu Yuan had mentioned a childhood sweetheart he was betrothed to, but due to some sudden family issues, it had been put on hold. They were said to have a good relationship, having grown up together. Xiao Moyan had always dismissed it with a scoff, not taking such seemingly naive feelings seriously. She even bet Gu Yuan that he would not be able to go four years without seeing another woman. Xiao Moyan was surprised to find that he had actually managed to stick to it.
Xiao Moyan smiled and looked up at Gu Yuan.
"Which family's girl has captured our great Young Master Gu's heart? I'd like to meet her," Xiao Moyan said with a teasing smile.
Gu Yuan looked up, thoughtfully gazing at Xiao Moyan, and nodded. "You will meet her eventually. Xiao, where did you go just now? You kept me waiting."
Hearing this, Xiao Moyan's face lit up with a smile. She looked up proudly at Gu Yuan.
Author's Note:
Mm-mm, starting bit by bit.