Chapter 56: Drunk
Xiao Moyan crossed her arms over her chest, her long, narrow eyes narrowing slightly. She stared at Hu Feifei without blinking.
"Are you threatening me?"
Hu Feifei, with tearful eyes, looked at Xiao Moyan and saw the hatred in her gaze. Her heart ached, and she couldn't bear it. She bit her lower lip and shook her head vigorously, whispering in a cry,
"No, how could I threaten you? I just... I just don't want to see you fall like this. Xiao Xiao... please don't be like this... It hurts my heart... it really hurts..."
Hu Feifei was not someone who cried easily. She was always optimistic and cheerful in front of others, not letting anything bother her. But for Xiao Moyan, she kept crying, knowing Hu Feifei was doing this for her own good, hoping she would get back on her feet. Yet, Xiao Moyan...
Xiao Moyan sighed lightly, took a few steps forward, and reached out to pull Hu Feifei into her arms.
"Alright, stop crying."
Curled up in Xiao Moyan's arms, inhaling that familiar minty scent and feeling the smoothness of her skin and the warmth of her breath, Hu Feifei's worry and fear exploded in an instant. She burst into tears, clutching Xiao Moyan's collar tightly with her left hand while wrapping her right arm around her slender waist. She felt aggrieved by the hatred she had just seen in Xiao Moyan's eyes and sorrowful over her endless longing during these days.
Xiao Moyan, why? Even when you hold me in your arms, why can’t I feel your sincerity?
Ignoring her endless stream of tears, Hu Feifei looked up at Xiao Moyan, her gaze tangled with longing and reluctance to part.
The person before her was someone she had thought about day and night for months but couldn’t see. Regardless of status or position, Xiao Moyan was the most perfect person in her eyes. Her disheveled clothes, casually draped hair, skin like ice and snow tinged with the hue of roses, and those bright, captivating eyes that had appeared countless times in her dreams—Hu Feifei stared deeply, unwilling to shift her gaze even slightly.
Xiao Moyan lowered her head and looked at Hu Feifei's already dazed eyes. For some reason, her heart ached. She rested her chin on Hu Feifei's forehead, not wanting her to see her reddening eyes.
You clearly know I don’t love you... so why are you still this foolish?
Hu Feifei wrapped her arms around Xiao Moyan’s waist and buried her head in her chest, murmuring softly,
"Xiaoxiao, you can choose not to love me, you can refuse my love, but you absolutely cannot keep living in such despair. In my heart, Xiao Moyan will always be that unattainable and regal queen."
Hu Feifei could clearly feel Xiao Moyan’s body stiffen and her breathing grew rapidly after hearing those words while half-embracing her. Holding onto a final sliver of hope, Hu Feifei raised her head and gently placed soft kisses on Xiao Moyan's alluring collarbone. Her arms delicately encircled Xiao Moyan's slender waist, her fingertips slowly caressing along her waistline, hoping her tenderness could melt Xiao Moyan’s rigidity.
Yet, in the end, her body was forcefully pushed away. Xiao Moyan, with reddened eyes, looked at Hu Feifei, took a deep breath, and said,
"Feifei, you are a good girl. What you’ve said—I, Xiao Moyan, will remember it in my heart. But this is not a place where you belong. You are the Young Miss of Nanyang, and you shouldn’t be here with me—"
Hearing the implication in Xiao Moyan’s words, Hu Feifei, in panic, stretched out her arms and tightly wrapped them around Xiao Moyan’s neck. Sobbing, she pleaded in her ear,
"Xiaoxiao, don’t make me leave. Even if you don’t love me, let me stay by your side. Consider it as atonement, please?"
All of Xiao Moyan's stubbornness and insistence melted in Hu Feifei’s tears. She extended her arms and hugged her tightly, letting out a soft sigh.
"Silly girl..."
Walking with a limp and supported by Fang Ruolin, Mrs. Xu paused when she saw the scene. She stopped and didn’t move. Fang Ruolin looked at Xiao Moyan’s slightly reddened eyes and Hu Feifei, crying loudly in her arms. She sighed and turned her head away.
Su Lianxue, who had caught up from behind, took Mrs. Xu from Fang Ruolin’s hands. She glanced at her expression, her eyes dimming.
The two of them silently embraced for a while. Xiao Moyan gently pushed Hu Feifei away, looked at the three people standing behind her, and softly said,
"Let's talk inside."
Looking at Xiao Moyan's back, Xu Nai's gloomy old face finally had a smile. Looking at Hu Feifei who was crying, she was filled with gratitude but didn't know how to express it, so she secretly made up her mind to never bully her again.
The layout of the seaside loft was simple. When Xiao Nian entrusted her to Xiao Moyan, it was just a plain four-story white house. Xiao Moyan, too busy with Tianhuang, didn’t bother managing it and never renovated it. Though not luxurious, the small building served as a hotel for tourists to rest, offering dining as well. Since it was the only one of its kind, business was decent, but compared to Tianhuang, it was still a drop in the ocean.
It was winter, the off-season for tourism, so there weren’t many people. Xiao Moyan, without a place to stay for the time being, spoke with the acting manager and got a room to move into. The group walked in one after another. Su Lianxue helped Mrs. Xu to the bed, made sure she was seated steadily and then glanced around. Without a word, she walked over to Xiao Moyan, straightened her posture, and raised her hands obediently.
Hu Feifei glanced at Su Lianxue with slight surprise. Meeting her calm yet piercingly sharp eyes, she felt a hint of fear in her heart. She quickly turned her head toward Mrs. Xu and asked softly,
"Mrs. Xu, how’s your leg?"
Mrs. Xu nodded and said,
"It’s fine. The doctor said it will fully heal in a few days with some rest."
After speaking, she looked up at Xiao Moyan. Xiao Moyan ignored their conversation and simply stared at Mrs. Xu’s right leg. Gradually, her dark eyes filled with intense hatred.
The winter sun by the seaside was even more intense than usual. It streamed through the white gauze curtains, pouring into the room and casting a faint glow on Xiao Moyan. Her snow-white, translucent skin made her features seem like ink paintings. Her coffee-colored curls draped over her waist, and her eyes were slightly red and swollen. Her long eyelashes seemed to hold dewdrops. Yet, the familiar dominance in her gaze stunned those present, filling them with renewed hope.
Xiao Moyan raised her head and looked at the few people staring intently at her. She slowly began to speak,
"Tianhuang was never truly the Xiao family's. I have no complaints about Xia Ran taking it."
She paused, fixing her gaze on Mrs. Xu.
"I will set the grudges of the past, aside for now. The revenge for my parents can also be dealt with later. But—of all things, Lan Chen should never have touched the person who matters most to me right now. And as for Lan Chen, the only one she takes orders from is Xia Ran."
The group silently watched Xiao Moyan without uttering a single word, offering no rebuttal to her statement. Mrs. Xu was no exception. She knew Xiao Moyan's personality all too well—if not for her hatred of wrongdoing, she would have let go of the matter with Madame years ago and reconciled with Master. While Mrs. Xu didn’t wish for Xiao Moyan to create more trouble because of her, she also understood Xia Ran's nature. Even if Xiao Moyan didn’t seek him out, he would certainly come to settle the score.
Xiao Moyan noticed the concern in Mrs. Xu’s eyes. She shook her head slightly and sneered coldly,
"Xia Ran cannot touch me now. The way he took Tianhuang, I can take it back the same way. Besides, the person currently in control of Tianhuang—she..."
Hearing this, Hu Feifei and Fang Ruolin both fixed their gazes on Xiao Moyan. Xiao Moyan murmured softly,
"This time, I won’t hold back. I’m going to hollow out Tianhuang."
After speaking, Xiao Moyan looked up at Hu Feifei.
"Feifei, you—"
Hu Feifei interrupted her hastily,
"As long as you’re willing, I’ll give you everything I have."
****
The sky gradually darkened. After finishing the documents in hand, Xia Lingying glanced out the window, sighed, got up, picked up her coat, and walked out of the President’s office.
Out of habit, she lowered her head to check her phone, only to be met with the same dark screen. She knew this would happen, yet a strong sense of disappointment still rose from deep within her heart.
Looking at the photo of the two of them on the desk, Xia Lingying pressed the phone to her chest.
Xiao Moyan, where are you? What are you doing?
It had been almost a week since the two parted by the seaside. Xiao Moyan seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. No matter how hard Xia Lingying searched or how many people she sent to investigate, she couldn't find any news. Even the reporters, who were known for digging up anything, could only gather fragmentary information, with vague reports about the "Queen preparing to rise, gathering strength," and other nonsense. However, deep down, Xia Lingying always felt uneasy.
During this week, Xia Lingying had cried, and felt pain, and in the dead of night, she curled up in Xiao Moyan's room, hugging her knees and silently weeping. She longed for Xiao Moyan to hold her like she used to, but whenever she reached out her arms, all she felt in return was the cold, empty air.
But even though her heart was in torment, Xia Lingying still had to maintain the posture of a president in front of others. It wasn't until this moment that she truly understood the unspeakable pain Xiao Moyan had felt. Perhaps, the lofty position of President of Tianhuang was not what Xiao Moyan truly desired. Like herself, she had merely taken it on out of a sense of responsibility, for her father's hard work.
The continuous, overwhelming work had pushed Xia Lingying to the verge of collapse. Every day, she had to wear a "friendly" smile to face all kinds of people, as well as endless meetings and various ceremonies. But the dazzling self under the flashing lights and the silent self crying in the dark made Xia Lingying constantly go crazy with longing for Xiao Moyan, yearning for her warm embrace, for the faint mint fragrance, for those playful words of affection.
She had woken up crying countless times in her dreams. Xia Lingying tightly hugged herself with both arms and sat there until dawn. Her mind repeatedly replayed the sweetness of the past between them, while the faint smile on her lips was a bitter mockery of reality.
In recent days, senior figures with deep experience in Tianhuang have resigned for various reasons, causing Xia Ran great distress. However, in Xia Lingying's heart, hope began to rise. She vaguely felt that such a coincidence must be related to Xiao Moyan. No matter what Xiao Moyan wanted to do with Tianhuang or with her, Xia Lingying had no words to say. All she wanted now was to see Xiao Moyan, even if just for a moment, to know that she was well and that would be enough for her.
"Xiaxia—"
Xia Ran pushed open the door and entered, dressed in a black suit, with a smile on his face.
"Today, don't work so hard. Your mother is at home, waiting for you to come back and celebrate your birthday together. Who would have thought that I, Xia Ran, would be able to spend my daughter's 24th birthday with her."
Xia Lingying was momentarily stunned, then instinctively nodded. She reached out and placed Xiao Moyan's photo from the table into the drawer, putting on her coat as she walked out with Xia Ran.
They got into Xia Ran's car, and the drive was smooth without any obstacles. The house was still the same as when Xia Ran had left, a three-person family, unchanged. The Xiao family villa had become empty, a knot in the hearts of the three. Except for Xia Lingying, who would return to visit when she missed Xiao Moyan, no one else ever brought it up again. Though both Xia Ran and Qiu Muying carried their own scars, the years of marriage and long separations seemed to have smoothed over everything on the surface. The family could once again gather together, just like five years ago.
The car was parked in the garage, and Xia Lingying and Xia Ran walked home one after the other. The Xia family house was a three-story villa, with European-style decorations. The interior walls were adorned with several landscape oil paintings, the long corridor displayed a few resin sculptures, and there were antique-style clocks with a sense of historical depth. The exquisite chandeliers added a touch of elegance to the space. As soon as Xia Lingying opened the door, the rich smell of food greeted her.
Under the various lights, the dishes on the table whetted the appetite. The butler, seeing the two return, hurriedly took their coats and hung them nearby.
"Xiaxia, don't think about the company today. Relax and enjoy yourself," Qiu Muying lovingly added some food to Xia Lingying's bowl. Xia Lingying lowered her head and quietly chewed, saying nothing.
No matter how hard Xia Ran and Qiu Muying tried to please their daughter, she remained distracted, quickly eating a few bites and then putting on her coat before heading out again, leaving behind a sighing Qiu Muying and a gloomy Xia Ran.
She ran madly all the way to the Xiao family's gate. Xia Lingying trembled as she opened the iron gate, only to be met with complete darkness. The key fell heavily to the ground. Unable to bear the pain in her heart, she leaned against the wall, her body slowly sliding down until she lay weakly on the cold concrete floor.
Xiao Moyan, Xiao Moyan, Xiao Moyan...
In the end, you still refuse to see me, don't you?
Xia Lingying did not know how she managed to drag her numb legs to the bar. The only thing she could do was raise her arm and pour glass after glass of the spicy liquid into her stomach.
The cold tears eventually fell into the red liquid, creating ripples in the drink. Gradually, Xia Lingying's vision became blurry, and her body softened, collapsing. In the haze, she faintly heard the bartender softly call out, "Miss Xiao." She tried hard to open her eyes, but her mind no longer obeyed her, and she fell into a deep, disoriented sleep.
Author's Note:
I won't stay up late anymore... Mm, I'm satisfied with this week's update speed.