Chapter 54: Dialogue
Xiao Moyan struggled to pry Xia Lingying's tightly clasped hands off her waist. She endured the ache in her heart and walked out without looking back.
I can’t turn back like this… I must not stoop so low again…
Every step Xiao Moyan took was filled with difficulty, while behind her, Xia Lingying was in even greater pain. Watching Xiao Moyan’s retreating figure, she tilted her head back and shouted,
"Xiao Moyan, I won’t give up on you!"
The wind messed up her hair as Xia Lingying hugged herself tightly with both arms. She stared fixedly at Xiao Moyan's retreating figure, stripped of her former pride and dominance. That faintly desolate figure cut painfully into her heart. She would not give up, absolutely not!
Once, during her darkest moments, it was Xiao Moyan who unhesitatingly pulled her out of that bottomless abyss, no matter how others opposed or doubted her. Since Xiao Moyan never uttered the word "give up," then Xia Lingying could do the same!
Hugging herself, she quietly looked toward the seaside, recalling every detail of her past with Xiao Moyan—those doting eyes, the mischievous smile, the domineering vows, and the childish pout. Xia Lingying’s heart ached with waves of pain.
She had been too immature, always shielded so well by Xiao Moyan that she forgot how sinister the human heart could be. Although none of this was her doing, the woman she loved most was still hurt because of her. It hurt—it hurt so much.
She stumbled out of the beach. Outside the black iron gate, a silver car had been waiting for a long time. A tall man stepped out of the car when he saw Xia Lingying coming. He bent down politely and opened the car door.
"Miss—"
That one word, "Miss," made Xia Lingying feel like she had lived another life. She had dreamed of this moment so many times before, but now that it was real, why did her heart still feel empty and lost, drifting without a direction?
After Xia Lingying got into the car, the man looked around carefully. Only then did he open the door and sit down. He turned to Xia Lingying and spoke softly,
"Miss, the master sent me to protect you. You can call me A'Kun."
Xia Lingying nodded weakly, her mood low.
"The master said to take you to Tianhuang to get used to things."
Xia Lingying did not reply. She turned her head to look out the window and faintly saw a thin black figure under a willow tree. Her heart jumped. Was it Xiao? She quickly rolled down the window and looked again, but the figure was already gone. Only the willow tree swayed in the sea breeze. Xia Lingying sighed and shook her head. How could it be her…
When they arrived at Tianhuang and entered the door, Xia Lingying could clearly feel that something was off. Everyone knew about the sudden change of power at Tianhuang, and Xia Ran had openly announced that Xia Lingying would now take over all matters of Tianhuang. People had different thoughts about this.
When Xiao Moyan was in charge, she was sometimes temperamental, but she was also considerate of her subordinates. Plus, she used her beauty well, which made people like her. Now, suddenly accepting a newcomer like Xia Lingying to take over Tianhuang was hard for anyone to accept.
But because of Xia Ran's authority, most people still nodded and smiled respectfully at Xia Lingying. A few straightforward ones walked past her with no expression. In their hearts, they were all dissatisfied. Everyone knew how Xiao Moyan treated Xia Lingying, and no one expected it to end up this way—raising a tiger only to have it become a danger.
In front of others, Xia Lingying remained as cold as ever, walking into the President's office with a blank face. Inside, Xia Ran sat on a black leather sofa, holding a stack of documents and reading them, while Lan Chen stood respectfully beside him. When he saw Xia Lingying enter, she put the documents down and smiled.
"You're back?"
The moment she saw Lan Chen, Xia Lingying's anger surged in her heart. Without her usual elegance and reserve, she casually grabbed the phone on the table and threw it hard. Lan Chen was startled and quickly dodged away. The phone was heavy It fell to the ground with a loud noise.
A'Kun quickly closed the door and stepped forward to block Xia Lingying with his body.
"Miss!"
Xia Lingying bit her lip and stared at Lan Chen. Lan Chen lowered her head with a guilty conscience, not daring to look into her eyes. Xia Ran, who had been sitting on the sofa, changed her expression, looked at Xia Lingying with squinted eyes, and whispered
"Xiaxia, that's enough!"
The thick bass revealed irresistible majesty. Xia Lingying took a deep breath and looked at Xia Ran, her eyes filled with tears. She was not a fragile person, but in the past few days, she had shed almost all the tears in her life. She had never felt like this before. Xiao Moyan's misunderstanding and indifference were like cutting her body apart with a razor, and it was so painful. There was no one to talk to about the pain, and it was driving her almost crazy.
"Dad, let me ask you, did you arrange all this a long time ago?!"
Xia Lingying slowly spoke the words, never once blinking as she stared at Xia Ran. She still didn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe that the father who loved her most would use her as a pawn to take control of Tianhuang.
Xia Ran looked at Xia Lingying and waved his hand. A'Kun and Lan Chen both stepped out. He picked up the nearby pipe, silently smoking it. The smoke rose slowly, and through it, Xia Ran gazed at Xia Lingying, his deep eyes endless, making one feel a chill.
"Xiaxia, do you know how your father has been living abroad these years?"
Xia Lingying's eyes dimmed, and she pursed her lips, staying silent.
"Back then, to secure his position as Tianhuang's chairman, Xiao Nian didn’t hesitate to wipe out anyone in his way. I was on the run. If your mother hadn’t begged him on her knees in the end, Xia Xia, you probably would never have seen your father again."
Recalling the past, Xia Ran was clearly agitated. His voice changed in tone, and his hand holding the pipe began to tremble.
"Although I once hated your mother, hated her infidelity, hated her change of heart, my love for her has never changed. Do you know what it feels like to see the person you love kneel? I think you would understand—"
After speaking, Xia Ran raised an eyebrow and looked at Xia Lingying. When he saw the pain in her eyes, his heart trembled, and he shook his head with a bitter smile.
He hadn’t expected that after all his hard work, and all his calculations, in the end, he had still lost his most precious daughter. What kind of magic did the Xiao family possess, to have all of his family members fall under their spell, losing their wits?
Sighing, Xia Ran continued.
"I know about you and Xiao Moyan, but Xiaxia, I do not agree."
"Why?"
Xia Lingying quickly lifted her head and looked at Xia Ran.
Putting down the pipe, Xia Ran quietly stared at Xia Lingying. After a moment, he lowered his voice.
"Xiaxia, do you know how your mother and Xiao Ran fell in love when they were young?"
Xia Lingying was stunned for a moment, gently shaking her head, her gaze fixed on Xia Ran. In the house, ever since the incident, Xiao Nian’s name had become taboo—no one mentioned it, and no one dared to. Now, he had brought it up himself. Could it be? At this thought, Xia Lingying's heart trembled, and she looked at Xia Ran in disbelief.
"Is, is—"
Knowing what she was about to say, Xia Ran gave a slight nod.
"That's right, the unspoken rule."
After listening to Xia Ran's words, Xia Lingying felt a cold air rising from the bottom of her heart. She became unstable and reached out to hold the table beside her.
"Back then, your mother was a newcomer, and Xiao Ran was a rich young man who inherited his father's business. Your relationship with Xiao Moyan is exactly the same now."
As soon as the words hit her heart, Xia Lingying's chest felt tight and she shook her head in a daze.
"No way..."
"One of them is in their prime, beautiful as a flower, and the other is talented and handsome. Although their relationship was based on illegal transactions, they fell in love over and over again. Later, they broke off because the Xiao family did not agree with their son to marry an unknown woman. Then I met her——"
Speaking of this, Xia Ran's eyes suddenly turned sharp and she looked at Xia Lingying
"Xia Xia, there is a reason why I oppose this. As for the issue of gender, I can ignore it. I've seen a lot of it in these years abroad. But—Xiao Moyan, leaving aside the deep enmity between our families, Xia Xia, it’s her corrupt past that I cannot accept! You know better than anyone how many women she’s had. You’re still inexperienced, unaware of how treacherous people can be. Xiao Moyan tells you a few sweet words, and you throw everything to love her. You’ve seen my past—can you guarantee there’s no one else in her heart? That you’re not just a temporary emotional outlet for her? You—"
"Enough!"
Xia Lingying waved her hand, weakly interrupting Xia Ran's words. She raised her head, looked at him, and with slightly parted lips, said firmly, "I believe Xiao Moyan!"
Xia Ran sneered, put down the pipe in his hand, and said, "You believe her? Why believe her? Why believe her? Xiaxia, don't be so naive, okay? I have planted some spies in Tianhuang as well, and my understanding of Xiao Moyan is far more than yours. What kind of person is she? She changes women faster than clothes, and you... you are only because your repeated rejections make her feel fresh, which makes her fascinated by you."
"You don’t understand, so you have no right to speak!"
Xia Lingying’s words made both her and Xia Ran freeze. No matter when Xia Lingying had always been the obedient and docile girl in front of Xia Ran. But now, facing Xia Ran’s earnest persuasion, she couldn’t help but not be moved, instead becoming angry time and time again. Xia Ran’s heart ached, and he shook his head.
"Xiaxia, no matter what, I can’t watch you get destroyed by Xiao Moyan."
"She has already suffered enough. Dad, let her go!"
"Xiaxia, Xiao Moyan is not as weak as you think!"
"No matter what, I don’t want to see her hurt again. Dad, I beg you, please, just treat it as me asking you, okay?"
"..."
Hearing the pleading voice tinged with a hint of sobbing, Xia Ran looked at Xia Lingying with pain in his eyes.
"Xiaxia, why do you have to do this? Dad is back, and for you, I can overlook everything from before. I can bring your mother back home, and we can be a family again, living like we used to. Why are you so persistent? You can like other women, there are plenty of them. Why Xiao Moyan? Doesn’t she hate you? Doesn’t she never want to see you again? Why this?"
"I don’t know, I don’t know..."
Xia Lingying shook her head gently. She didn’t know what was happening to her. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Xiao Moyan. She couldn’t listen to anything anyone said. All she wanted was to see her, hold her, and tell her that she would never leave again.
Xia Ran looked at Xia Lingying and shook his head helplessly.
"Xiaxia, Dad knows I can't change your mind, but there’s something I still need to say."
Xia Lingying fought back tears and looked at Xia Ran.
Xia Lingying held back tears and looked at Xia Ran.
"Xiao Moyan is definitely not this simple. She is only temporarily numbing herself. Once she regains her composure, Xiaxia, you..."
Author's Note:
The next part is the Queen's revenge. I need to express Xiao Moyan's feelings from back then, so Yezi needs to find the right feel~
Facing such a strong-willed Xiao Moyan, what will Xiaxia do... Yezi needs to think this over carefully.