Chapter 52: Separate
Seeing Xia Lingying's tears, Xiao Moyan's heart unexpectedly still ached. She shook her head weakly, raised her right hand, and pressed it against her chest.
"Just leave."
A faint voice, devoid of love or hate, slowly escaped her lips. Along with Xia Lingying's tears, Xiao Moyan's heart seemed to drift in midair, unable to feel any emotion.
"I don't want..."
Xia Lingying covered her mouth, sobbing softly as her body trembled. Her long hair brushed against her fair neck, faintly revealing dark red kiss marks—traces left from their intimacy the day before.
The soft sound of her crying lingered in Xiao Moyan's ears. Seeing the love marks she had left, Xiao Moyan's heart throbbed with pain. Memories of their time together replayed rapidly in her mind: the fleeting glance during their first meeting at the interview, the unyielding look in Xia Lingying's eyes in the Vice President’s office, the sarcastic remarks when leaving the villa, and finally, the wild night at the bar. Drunk and leaning against her warm embrace, Xia Lingying had whispered softly. In those moments, Xiao Moyan had poured out the feelings she had buried for so long, driven by wholehearted love.
Countless nights of passionate intimacy, the connection of hearts and hands, and the intertwining of love and desire—each trivial quarrel only drew their young hearts closer together.
Xiao Moyan never imagined that the love she had given her all to protect could be so unbearably ugly. It was layered with lies and hatred, stripped of the purity and joy it should have had. Xiao Moyan wanted to fight for it, to strive for it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t see through Xia Lingying’s heart.
But the innocent face in front of her and the desolate look in her eyes made it impossible for Xiao Moyan to hate, to believe that all of this was nothing more than a prearranged scheme. Xiao Moyan lowered her head, tears falling drop by drop.
She had grown used to cherishing her and loving her. Even though she knew she was being used, and even though she knew everything was inextricably linked to Xia Lingying, Xiao Moyan still couldn’t bring herself to hate her. Her heart still beats for her, and the sweetness of their past lingers in her mind. Tears clouded her vision, and she could no longer clearly see the woman holding her hand.
A powerful sense of fear tightly enveloped Xia Lingying. From the depths of her heart, muffled sobs spilled from her throat as she gripped Xiao Moyan's hand tightly, pleading softly.
A strong sense of fear tightly surrounded Xia Lingying, and a cry from the heart escaped vaguely from her throat. She grabbed Xiao Moyan's hand hard and begged in a low voice.
"Xiao, you can hit me or scold me, just don’t make me leave you..."
Xiao Moyan pulled her right hand back and gently shook her head, her gaze empty as she stared ahead.
"Why are you still following me? I, Xiao Moyan, am now like a stray dog with nothing left. I can’t give you what you want anymore. Xia Ran is back, and your goal has been achieved. Everything in Tianhuang is yours now. Let’s leave it at that. I don’t want—I don’t want to keep entangling with you anymore..."
"No, I don’t want to—
In the past, no matter how angry or how intense their arguments were, Xiao Moyan had never spoken of giving up. Yet now, she had personally said they should part ways. Xia Lingying, her face covered in tears, stood unsteadily, clutching the sofa for support.
"Xiao, you... you said we would be together for a lifetime. You can’t—you can’t let go... I really didn’t know Lan Chen would come. How could I let her hurt you and Mrs. Xu? How could I, how would I..."
Xia Lingying shook her head as she cried. She truly hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. She would rather endure a thousand, ten thousand times the pain herself than harm this woman who had always cherished her, loved her, and tolerated her without limits. That afternoon, Xia Ran had forcibly kept her by his side under the pretense of visiting Qiu Muying. Several times, Xia Lingying had tried to bring up leaving to see Xiao Moyan, but Xia Ran had effortlessly dismissed her attempts. Xia Lingying, knowing her father's temperament, feared he might harm Xiao Moyan and dared not act rashly. She had called Xiao Moyan repeatedly, but she refused to answer. She never thought things would still go wrong...
When Fang Ruolin appeared in front of her, Xia Lingying was terrified. She didn’t care about anything and followed her to the Xiao family. What she saw, however, was this heart-wrenching scene... Xia Lingying understood very well the place Mrs. Xu held in Xiao Moyan’s heart. Now, Lan Chen had not only hurt the one person Xiao Moyan cared for, but had also trampled on the pride she held so dear. The humiliation this would bring to Xiao Moyan was unimaginable...
Xia Lingying suppressed her sobs, her body slightly bent, leaning against the sofa. Ignoring the resistance, she gripped Xiao Moyan’s hands tightly.
"Xiao, look at me... don't ignore me, please—"
Their fingers intertwined tightly, clinging desperately, making one last attempt to struggle. Xia Lingying lifted Xiao Moyan’s right hand and rubbed it against her temple, tears marking her face. This was the motion Xiao Moyan loved the most. Every time Xia Lingying followed her lead, Xiao Moyan would happily pucker her lips like a well-fed kitten. But now, no matter how much Xia Lingying begged or cried, Xiao Moyan remained unmoved.
Xia Lingying held Xiao Moyan’s hands tightly, the coldness of her touch causing her heart to ache once more. The woman who should have been proud and forever above it all had fallen so low because of her. How could she not hate her? How could she not feel guilty?
"Xiao, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was too late..."
Looking at the woman in front of her, cold as ice and lifeless, Xia Lingying’s heart ached terribly. There was once a time when, no matter how fearful or anxious she was, Xiao Moyan would always appear in front of her to shield her from everything. As long as she had her, she could face anything with peace of mind. But now, not only had she failed to reach Xiao Moyan’s side to protect her during her most vulnerable moment, she had instead pushed her into an abyss from which she could never return...
Crystal-clear tears slid down Xiao Moyan’s once-beloved cheek. Yet Xiao Moyan remained unmoved. She quietly looked at Xia Lingying, then, after a long pause, suddenly yanked her hand away, stood up, and walked toward the bedroom.
Xia Lingying stumbled and followed her inside, crying. Inside the room, the white bed seemed to still carry the lingering scent of their closeness. Everywhere, there were photos of the two of them together. In the photos, Xiao Moyan’s indulgent smile and affectionate gaze made Xia Lingying’s tears flood instantly. But now, Xiao Moyan only gave her a cold back. She pulled clothes from the wardrobe carelessly, opened a heavy suitcase, and sealed everything away.
Xiao Moyan turned around, took one last deep look at the home she had lived in for over ten years, and then forced back the tears in her eyes. She dragged the suitcase and walked out. Xia Lingying bit her lip, grabbing Xiao Moyan’s hand tightly.
“Please, Xiao, don’t leave me alone...”
The suffocating anger in her chest was ignited by the constant tugging. Xiao Moyan turned around, grabbed Xia Lingying’s hands, and forcefully shook them off.
“Xia Lingying, you’re really a great actress, still acting after all this time!?”
“I didn't...”
Xia Lingying shook her head forcefully, pleading with Xiao Moyan with her eyes.
"No, don’t leave me..." The thought of Xiao Moyan leaving with her suitcase, severing all ties with her, made Xia Lingying’s heart tear little by little. The red pain spread, a feeling she had never experienced before. She had grown used to her love, used to her care. Now that Xiao Moyan was leaving, how was she supposed to live the rest of her life? The family reunion that should have been perfect had completely lost its color at this moment. Xia Lingying would rather everything return to the beginning than face the cold, distant reality of being strangers to Xiao Moyan.
Xiao Moyan thought she had long since turned to ashes in her heart, but why did the sound of Xia Lingying’s crying still cause a sharp pain deep within her? Xiao Moyan bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and said,
"Let go, don’t make me hate you."
"Xiao... will you listen to my explanation?"
Xia Lingying sobbed softly, still holding onto Xiao Moyan’s hand, unwilling to let go. There was a determination in her eyes that had never been seen before.
"I admit, when I first accepted your threat, I harbored resentment. Later, my patience was to use you to help my father return home as soon as possible. But from the moment you appeared at the bar, arrogantly taking me to dance, I had already fallen for you. Xiao, I—"
"Enough!"
Xiao Moyan interrupted Xia Lingying's words, looking up at her eyes and coldly murmuring,
"Even now, you still want to remind me that you came to the Xiao family because I forced you? Xia Lingying—"
At this point, Xiao Moyan lifted her head, gripping her luggage tightly, staring at Xia Lingying's swollen eyes, and spoke each word slowly.
"I, Xiao Moyan, took your body, that's a fact. I have no words for that, but what you took from me is definitely not just that. Now, Tianhuang is with Xia Ran. Whether it's from the past lives or from you and me before, there's no more connection. From now on, I, Xiao Moyan, don't want to see you again."
As her voice fell, her pale right hand finally slid down in defeat. Xia Lingying stared at Xiao Moyan, her soul lost, and her mind stopped thinking completely.
Xiao Moyan looked at her quietly for a long time, then took out a silver bracelet from his arms, slapped it on the pine table nearby, and whispered
Xiao Moyan quietly looked at her for a long time. Eventually, she took out a silver bracelet from her pocket and placed it on the pinewood table beside her, speaking softly.
"On my birthday, I saw you hide it behind your hand, keeping it in your heart, but it seems like you forgot about it, never mentioning it again. When you weren't around, I took it, kept it with me, hoping that one day you'd put it on for me yourself. Now, there's no need for that anymore. Xia Lingying, I, Xiao Moyan, have never regretted anything I've done, including—my love for you."
After speaking, Xiao Moyan turned around, slowly pulling her luggage and walking out. When she opened the door, thinking about how from now on, there would be no connection left between her and the woman behind her, Xiao Moyan couldn't help but pause. Her eyes grew hazy as she looked out the door, murmuring softly.
"Don't contact me again, Xiaxia, don't force me to hate you..."
Xia Lingying cried out loudly, her composure completely lost for the first time.
"But... I love you..."
Tears poured down at this moment. She never expected to hear the love she had longed for, but that broken heart no longer beat. Xiao Moyan tilted her head back, fragile tears sliding down her face, not wiping them away, letting them fall freely. Xia Lingying also sobbed softly, the same tears drowning their two hearts that once loved each other, slowly sinking, unable to see each other anymore.
Author's Note:
Oh well, finally wrote it.