Chapter 65: Roll Like The Tide
Xiao Moyan froze, staring at Xia Lingying in disbelief.
In her memory, this was the first time the woman before her had treated her this way. Xiao Moyan locked her gaze on Xia Lingying, her heart freezing in an instant. She couldn't tell if it was pain or numbness.
Xia Lingying clasped her fingers together, resting them against her chest as she leaned back in her chair. She no longer avoided Xiao Moyan's eyes, lifting her head to meet her gaze. There was no emotion in her eyes, just a faint sense of detachment surrounding her.
Xiao Moyan, isn't this exactly what you wanted? Are you satisfied now?!
Time passed, second by second. In the end, Xiao Moyan lowered her head and, under the watchful eyes of the board members, slowly signed her name.
Xia Lingying quietly watched those slender, pale fingers move across the paper. She bit her lip, forced back the tears in her eyes, pushed back her chair, and walked out without a word.
Xiao Moyan looked up at the door that had been slammed shut. Her fingers, still gripping the pen, turned pale.
Beyond the door, thunderous applause erupted. Xia Lingying's tears finally slid down her cheeks. She clutched her chest, leaned against the cold wall, and slowly slid down.
Xiao Moyan, I have returned it to you… Everything you wanted, I have given back to you…
Bending her knees, Xia Lingying lowered her head, wrapping her arms around her increasingly cold body, biting her lip to hold back the tears.
No more. She would never be weak again. She would never shed another tear for her.
It hurts… It hurts so much… Xiao… Why? Why do this? I love you… Why treat me this way?
She didn’t know how much time had passed before her weak, trembling body was suddenly yanked up. With a pale face, Xia Lingying lifted her head, only to meet Gu Yuan’s furious eyes.
“Xiaxia, let’s go. I will take you away.”
Xia Lingying shook her head, waving her arms to stop Gu Yuan from touching her. But Gu Yuan’s eyes were already red with urgency. Gone was his usual tenderness—he gripped Xia Lingying’s wrist tightly and roared hoarsely,
“Xia Lingying, enough! Do you even know what you look like right now?!”
Just as the departing board members pushed open the door, they were met with this scene and froze in place. Then, almost in unison, they turned to look at Xiao Moyan.
Xiao Moyan narrowed her eyes, glancing at the two struggling figures. After a brief silence, she expressionlessly swept her gaze over the board members. A chill ran through them, and without a word, they all pretended to see nothing, lowering their heads and slipping away.
In less than a minute, the sound of hurried footsteps faded, leaving the corridor in complete silence.
Xiao Moyan crossed her arms and watched the two. Then, she turned and said something to Su Lianxue. Su Lianxue nodded, stepped forward, and firmly pressed down on Gu Yuan’s wrist. With both hands, she exerted force and twisted sharply.
Gu Yuan had no time to react. His brows furrowed as he was pinned against the wall.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and though he gritted his teeth, he refused to utter a word of surrender. Su Lianxue glanced at Xiao Moyan. Seeing no response from her, she gradually tightened her grip.
“Let him go.”
Xia Lingying looked at Xiao Moyan and spoke coldly.
Su Lianxue paused for a moment and turned to look at Xiao Moyan. But Xiao Moyan remained squinting, staring at Xia Lingying without blinking. The tenderness and affection of the past had been completely replaced by endless hurt and ridicule.
Xiao Moyan let out a cold laugh. She hated seeing Xia Lingying plead for others, especially for Gu Yuan.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Fang Ruolin rushed in from outside and instantly panicked at the scene before her. She strode forward, glaring at Su Lianxue.
“Let go!” she demanded.
Su Lianxue didn’t even spare her a glance.
“Damn it!”
Fang Ruolin was furious. She raised the camera hanging around her neck and swung it at Su Lianxue.
Su Lianxue gave her an indifferent look, shifted her body slightly, and dodged with ease.
“You—”
Not only did Fang Ruolin miss, but she also lost her balance, stumbling and nearly falling. Su Lianxue smirked at her flustered state, but the strength in her hands did not waver.
"Reporter Fang, impressive skills."
"Su Lianxue!"
"Enough."
Xiao Moyan finally spoke.
Su Lianxue immediately let go of Gu Yuan’s hand. The deep red marks on his fair wrist stood out starkly.
Suppressing the searing pain in his wrist, Gu Yuan furrowed his brows and looked up at Xia Lingying. Just one glance and his heart shattered into dust.
Xia Lingying bit her lower lip, glaring at Xiao Moyan with eyes full of hatred.
A deep sorrow settled in Gu Yuan’s heart. He looked at Xia Lingying one last time, shook his head, and turned to leave.
What was the point of staying? Yes, Xia Lingying, even in hatred, your gaze never left Xiao Moyan. Your heart has only ever belonged to her...
Fang Ruolin watched Gu Yuan’s desolate figure disappear, then glanced at Xia Lingying. With a sigh, she said nothing more. Turning around, she grabbed Su Lianxue’s hand and quickly walked out.
"Are you looking for death?"
The moment they stepped out of Tianhuang’s entrance, Fang Ruolin spun around, shouting at Su Lianxue. Was she insane? Did she really think she could afford to provoke Gu Yuan?
Su Lianxue cast her a calm glance and shook her head.
"You—!"
Fang Ruolin was so furious she couldn't even speak. Staring at Su Lianxue’s ever-expressionless face, she had nowhere to vent her anger.
Grinding her teeth for a moment, she suddenly lifted her head and flashed Su Lianxue a sweet smile.
Su Lianxue shuddered, instinctively wanting to step back, but Fang Ruolin was faster. Her ten-centimeter high heels lifted and stomped down mercilessly.
"Mm—!"
"Su Lianxue, you want to fight me? Hmph!"
Fang Ruolin flicked her hair, picked up her camera, snapped a photo of Su Lianxue as she hunched over, gasping for breath, then walked away.
****
With no more outside interference, the vast corridor was left with only Xiao Moyan and Xia Lingying.
Xiao Moyan kept her arms crossed, staring at Xia Lingying’s face. Under her burning gaze, Xia Lingying instinctively turned away.
Xiao Moyan sighed, stepped forward, and reached out, trying to cup Xia Lingying’s chin, but Xia Lingying quickly dodged.
A fleeting bitter smile crossed Xiao Moyan’s eyes. Her hand froze midair as she tensed her face, staring at Xia Lingying.
"Do you really have to do this?"
"What do you mean by 'this'?"
Xia Lingying lifted her head, her entire demeanor sharpening in an instant. She let out a cold laugh.
"Tell me, President Xiao, how exactly should I act? You tell me!"
"Xia Lingying, you need to understand—I, Xiao Moyan, only did what I was supposed to do. I owe you nothing!"
"That is right. Who would Xiao Moyan ever truly care about? Just like you said before, to you, I was nothing more than a dispensable bed partner. Everything was just my own foolish dream."
Xiao Moyan stared at Xia Lingying without blinking, her chest rising and falling rapidly, the anger in her eyes unmistakable.
Xia Lingying’s pale cheeks were tinged with a faint flush from her agitation. She had had enough. Today, she was going to say everything in her heart.
"Xiao Moyan, tell me—what am I to you?"
Xiao Moyan took a deep breath, looking at Xia Lingying without answering. Her body trembled slightly with rage.
"Can't say it? Ha..."
Xia Lingying let out a self-mocking laugh.
"Xiao Moyan, you keep saying I used your feelings, that I took advantage of your sincerity—but what about you? If my last name wasn’t Xia, if I weren’t Xia Ran’s daughter, would you have ever spoken those so-called words of 'love' to me?!"
Xiao Moyan’s breathing grew heavy as she struggled to control her emotions. Her voice turned hoarse and low.
"So, Xiao Moyan should never have touched you? Everything is just my own doing, something I brought upon myself?"
Xia Lingying took a deep breath, turning her head away, refusing to look at her.
Xiao Moyan choked on her words, tilting her head up in a desperate attempt to keep the tears from falling.
"Xia Lingying, you will never understand my pain. What do you think I should do? Give up my hatred and be happily together with you? I tried... I really tried..."
"All these years, I have never been happy. Your family was destroyed, but Xia Ran still cares about you. He can still forgive Qiu Muying, can he not? But me—what do I have? On my mother’s death anniversary, I begged him. I begged Xiao Nian to have some pity on the woman who loved him with all her heart, to at least go see her, even if it was just a glance at her grave... But what did Xiao Nian do? He still guards Qiu Muying, still protects the woman who ruined our family, praying for her forgiveness."
Droplets of clear liquid fell one after another. The heart-wrenching pain of the past surged through Xiao Moyan, consuming her completely.
"Every holiday, watching others reunite with their families, how do I spend mine? I go to my mother’s grave, holding that cold tombstone, sitting there the whole day. I miss her... I miss her so much. But what can I do? I can only cry silently, cry until there are no more tears left. It was Mrs. Xu, despite her old age, who kept dragging me home time and time again, disregarding her own health. But in the end, what happened? I watched with my own eyes as she was humiliated and hurt, unable to protect even the person I cared about the most. Xia Lingying, you want me to forget my hatred? Then tell me, how? How can I forget?!"
Xia Lingying curled her index finger, biting down on it as her tears fell uncontrollably. She lifted her head, looking at Xiao Moyan.
"So, Xiao... you do not want me anymore? You do not want to love me anymore?"
Author's Note:
(⊙o⊙)… Comrade Qibao, are you there? You actually cursed Yezi to choke on a chicken leg... What am I supposed to eat this week…