Chapter 68: Fighting Fire
As each second ticked by, Xiao Moyan's heart gradually sank, yet she refused to give up. Her right hand gripped the phone tightly, pressed against her ear, anxiously waiting. Ignoring the raw pain in her neck, she dialed again and again, only to be met with the cold, unyielding sound of the unanswered call notification. When the sound of the phone powering off echoed, Xiao Moyan bit her lower lip, her eyes dazed as she stared ahead, her slender right hand falling limply.
Xiaxia, have you really given up on me like this? You won't even answer my call? I can't believe it, I won't believe it...
Xiao Nian stood silently to the side, watching Xiao Moyan. He gazed at her thin face, so strikingly similar to his own, without saying a word. Yet, his eyes carried a mix of complex emotions.
For a moment, the two of them remained speechless—one with a heart as if being cut by knives, the other with emotions churning uncontrollably.
No one knew how much time had passed when the sound of hurried footsteps broke the deathly silence. Xiao Moyan immediately lifted her head to look toward the door, but what she saw was the unsteady figure of Mrs. Xu, not the person she had been hoping for. In an instant, her hope was extinguished. She sighed and lowered her head weakly.
Having been together for so long, Xiao Moyan understood Xia Lingying’s personality well. Despite her outward appearance of fragility and coldness, Xia Lingying was, in truth, strong-willed. Once she made up her mind, she would never regret it. Even if she were covered in wounds, she would fight to the end. The words she spoke would never be taken back. Thinking of what Xia Lingying had said earlier, Xiao Moyan clutched her chest, her swollen, red eyes growing wet again. She looked helplessly at Mrs. Xu, her vision gradually blurring with tears. The pain from the wound on her shoulder still lingered, but it was far less than the pain in her heart at this moment.
Even though she had hurt Xia Lingying, she had never imagined that Xia Lingying would truly leave her. Just as Xia Lingying had said, the reason Xiao Moyan dared to hurt her so deeply was because of her love. Xiao Moyan had never considered the possibility of losing her, which made her even more reckless and unrestrained. But even the deepest love has its limits, doesn’t it?
Already within their line of sight, Mrs. Xu stopped and glanced at Xiao Nian, her eyes faintly showing anger. She clenched her fists and walked straight to Xiao Moyan’s side. Seeing the horrifying bloodstains on her pale neck, Mrs. Xu pursed her lips, her eyes filled with heartache. Yet, she said nothing, simply reaching out to pull Xiao Moyan into her arms. Just like always, her right hand gently patted Xiao Moyan’s shoulder.
Leaning into Mrs. Xu’s embrace, into the arms of this motherly woman who loved and protected her, Xiao Moyan finally let down all her defenses. Like a kitten curled up in Mrs. Xu’s arms, she cried softly, her hands tightly clutching her clothes, releasing the pain in her heart.
“Mrs. Xu, I didn’t mean to hurt her, it wasn’t like that…”
“I understand, I understand…”
Mrs. Xu’s voice trembled as she spoke, her heart aching deeply for Xiao Moyan. She let her cry and release her emotions in her embrace. Xiao Moyan buried her face in her chest, crying freely—not just for Xia Lingying’s departure but also for the bitterness and pain she had been carrying in her heart these days.
Hurting the person she loved, how could Xiao Moyan’s heart feel at ease? Every night, in her dreams, she would return to the past with Xia Lingying… Those were moments of joy and happiness, but now…
“Xiaoxiao, be strong. Listen to what Mrs. Xu has to say—”
Ignoring Xiao Moyan’s slight resistance, Mrs. Xu reached out to steady her shoulders. With her left hand, she brushed aside the strands of hair scattered across Xiao Moyan’s forehead, fixing her gaze firmly on her eyes.
“Xiaoxiao, go. Go now and get Xiaxia back. She loves you—you should know this better than anyone.”
Xiao Moyan bit her lower lip hard and shook her head forcefully.
No, Xiaxia wouldn’t want her anymore. She had said it herself—that she would take back her love.
“If you don’t try, how will you know she won’t? Don’t let yourself regret this!”
Mrs. Xu’s tone was resolute. She understood what Xiao Moyan was hesitating about. People in love were always like this, constantly second-guessing each other’s hearts, only to end up hurting both themselves and the other. Once love was lost, it could never be reclaimed. She didn’t want to see Xiao Moyan suffer even a little, so this was something that absolutely couldn’t happen.
Xiao Moyan looked into Mrs. Xu’s determined eyes, feeling a part of her heart being filled. After a long silence, she said nothing more, turned around, and rushed out quickly.
Watching Xiao Moyan’s departing figure, Mrs. Xu let out a long sigh before swiftly turning to face Xiao Nian.
At some point, Xiao Nian lit a cigarette, holding it between his fingers as he smoked quietly, his expression blank as he looked at Mrs. Xu.
“Master.”
Mrs. Xu spoke respectfully, but the anger she struggled to suppress did not escape Xiao Nian’s sharp eyes.
“Mrs. Xu, if you have something to say, say it directly. Hiding things isn’t your style,” Xiao Nian said calmly, taking a drag from his cigarette. His voice carried authority without anger.
Mrs. Xu raised her head to look at Xiao Nian, surprising him with her lack of fear.
“Master, you—” Mrs. Xu took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and finally spoke her mind. “Enough is enough.”
“Oh?” Xiao Nian looked at Mrs. Xu indifferently.
Unable to withstand his piercing gaze, Mrs. Xu sighed and lowered her head with a bitter smile. “Master, my heart aches for Miss. It aches so much, so much.”
“…”
Xiao Nian said nothing, but his fingers tightened around the cigarette.
Lowering her head, Mrs. Xu murmured as if speaking to herself, “Back then, when you and Miss had a falling out, she ran home alone and cried for an entire day and night. Master—she doesn’t not love you. She’s just been hurt too many times, constantly restraining herself from loving you. Miss has done so much, and all she wanted was for you to go to Madam’s grave and admit your mistake, to visit her during the holidays—nothing more. But how much has she sacrificed…”
At this point, Mrs. Xu’s eyes turned red as she stared unwaveringly at Xiao Nian.
“Master, ever since Madam passed away, I haven’t seen Miss truly happy. Every day, she puts on a forced smile to face the countless people in the business world. She silently bears all her pain and suffering alone. As a young woman just starting out, she endured every difficulty and humiliation to establish a foothold in the business world and prove herself. Every night, she drank herself into a stupor, retching until only stomach acid came out. Master, do you even know about all this?”
Xiao Nian still didn’t speak, merely turning his face slightly to avoid Mrs. Xu’s questioning gaze.
“I don’t ask you to love Miss the way you did before Qiu Muying appeared, but Master, I beg you—please, stop hurting her. Miss has been through so much… She cries silently, never telling anyone, simply because of her pride. For so many years, only Xia Lingying has been able to bring her genuine happiness and laughter. So, Master, I beg you—let Miss go. Don’t let them, who clearly love each other, continue to torment one another…”
Tears streamed down Mrs. Xu’s face as she wiped them away with the back of her hand, pleading as she looked at Xiao Nian. She could no longer bear to watch Xiao Moyan be hurt and manipulated by the person closest to her.
“I’m helping her,” Xiao Nian defended, shaking his head. His hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly.
“Helping her?” Mrs. Xu shook her head in disbelief, her last shred of trust in Xiao Nian crumbling instantly. She spoke softly, “If you were helping her, why did you wait until everything had already happened, until Xia Lingying decided to leave Miss, to tell her the truth? Master, by doing this, not only will you fail to win Miss’ heart, but when she learns the truth, she will hate you even more. And Qiu Muying will never forgive you for trying to bring her daughter’s lover back together. You—”
“Enough!”
Xiao Nian shook his head irritably, extinguishing the cigarette in his hand. His expression darkened as he looked at Mrs. Xu.
“Mrs. Xu, stick to your duties. My affairs, are not for you to meddle in.”
“I wouldn’t dare, Master,” Mrs. Xu replied quietly, lowering her head.
With that, Xiao Nian stepped forward, slowly walking past Mrs. Xu. She kept her head down, saying nothing more.
What else was there to say? Everything had already been laid bare. Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. She could only hope that Xiao Nian would stop using his daughter to win back that woman’s heart. Miss is your biological daughter—how could you bear to hurt her again and again? How could you push her into a whirlpool of pain, leaving her with no way out…
****
After countless struggles and searching through countless places, spending an entire afternoon, Xiao Moyan walked into that familiar bar with one last shred of hope. Pushing through the crowd, she finally found Xia Lingying at the bar.
Xia Lingying was half-leaning on the table, her cheeks tinged with an unusual pink. Her bright eyes were misty with a thin layer of moisture, and her slender, fair fingers held a glass of wine, occasionally lifting it to her lips for a sip. Beside her, Gu Yuan also held a glass of wine, but he didn’t drink. He simply sat there, quietly watching Xia Lingying.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Moyan’s heart filled with bitterness, but she couldn’t care about that now. She rushed forward in a few quick steps and grabbed the wine glass from Xia Lingying’s hand.
“Xiaxia—”
Xiao Moyan’s sudden appearance startled both of them. Gu Yuan’s eyes instantly dimmed as he looked at Xia Lingying’s drunken gaze fixed on Xiao Moyan. His heart ached, and he stood up to leave.
Unexpectedly, he felt a soft, slippery touch on his hand as it was tightly grasped. Xia Lingying’s eyes remained on Xiao Moyan, but her voice came out stiffly.
“Gu Yuan, don’t go.”
Gu Yuan silently looked at Xia Lingying. After a moment, he turned back, holding her hand in return, and spoke softly.
“I won’t go.”
Xiaxia, I will never leave you, never—even if it’s just being used...
One of Xia Lingying’s hands was tightly held by Xiao Moyan, while the other was firmly gripping Gu Yuan’s hand. With a sharp motion, Xia Lingying withdrew the hand that Xiao Moyan was holding, placed her wine glass down, and tilted her head to look at Xiao Moyan. Her voice was cold as she spoke.
“Do you think I, Xia Lingying, am just a puppet to be summoned when needed and discarded when not?”
Her low voice, stripped of its past tenderness, now carried only an icy hatred. Xia Lingying kept her head raised, staring unblinkingly at Xiao Moyan, seeing the unmistakable pain hidden in her eyes.
Xiao Moyan, I was genuine in my feelings for you, giving up all my pride. Yet you, driven by hatred, refused to turn back and look at me. Now, as if nothing happened, you come looking for me again. You leave when you want, you come back when you please—do I, Xia Lingying, mean so little to you?
Xiao Moyan’s gaze locked onto Xia Lingying and Gu Yuan’s tightly clasped hands. Her breathing quickened, her expression growing darker and darker. She looked up, her eyes fixed intensely on Xia Lingying.
Author's Note:
Yezi went to eat hot pot, making you all jealous, \(^o^)/~