Chapter 732: A Million Times for You (94)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
A joyful smile formed on An Xiaoning’s face the moment she recalled her first encounter with Jin Qingyan. She continued, “I only realized later that I was duped and deceived by his appearance. He’s nothing like what he appears to be on the surface at all.”
“What kind of a man is he really like, then?”
An Xiaoning looked down as she tried to hold her tears back. She knew clearly that no man wanted to hear a woman praise and compliment another man in front of him. It didn’t matter even if she was praising her husband, her ex-husband, or her man!
Hence, she ought to think twice before she speaks.
Speaking recklessly without filtering her words would only warrant an early death.
An Xiaoning knew what kind of a man Jin Qingyan really was. How could she have possibly fallen in love with a jerk and even given birth to his child?
However, it was enough to know it for herself deep down. There was no point in telling the truth to Pei Yi.
Hence, she answered, “He’s a far cry from the gentle and well-tempered person he appears to be on the surface.”
“What kind of a man do you think I am, then?” Pei Yi asked.
“After spending time with you these past few days, I feel like you’re the exact opposite of Jin Qingyan. You seem rather aloof and unapproachable on the surface, but in reality, you’re kind and good-natured.”
“That’s because you have no idea how many people I’ve killed.”
“That doesn’t matter to me. I don’t care how many people you’ve killed, that’s just my impression of you,” An Xiaoning answered without blinking at all.
Pei Yi chuckled and said, “You’ve got such a glib tongue. That explains why he was still willing to sacrifice everything for you even though you’re already divorced. Who knows how you sing praises about him when you’re with him? But that’s not the point. Since you had such an enjoyable time at the hot spring yesterday, would you like to go again tonight?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” An Xiaoning agreed excitedly, for she would finally be allowed to go out. Seems like her prayers had been heard.
She would definitely stand to gain from cajoling him and keeping him happy.
Noticing how delighted he was, Pei Yi appeared much more gentle and said, “Let’s go.”
They entered the elevator and made their way downstairs slowly.
An Xiaoning prayed silently in her heart that she could bump into Jin Qingyan.
She prayed that he would be taking the night shift.
She prayed that she could see him.
Thus, she walked at an exceptionally slow pace.
Her eyes darted all around her surroundings while walking.
She was extremely tensed up while trying not to make it too obvious that she was looking out for Jin Qingyan. After having walked a distance, An Xiaoning caught sight of a few guards on duty, one of whom had a familiar-looking silhouette.
Overwhelmed with joy, she clenched the piece of written note tighter in her fist.
Her panic and anxiety heightened with each step she took.
The guards were all standing a few meters away from each other with their heads hung low.
Jin Qingyan was no exception. He hurriedly stepped on the piece of note, which was crumpled into a ball, the moment he saw it landing near his feet.
He waited for them to leave before bending forward to pick the note up.
Holding the note in his hand, he made up an excuse to go to the washroom, in a bid to open and read the note.
The paper was rather small, but it was covered in words on both sides.
He first took a look at the side facing up, on which An Xiaoning had sketched the route from the living room to Pei Yi’s bedroom. She had even annotated the location of the surveillance cameras as well as the positions of the guards on duty.
Although she had done a bad job at sketching, Jin Qingyan could still roughly tell what it was.
He then flipped it to the other side to see that she had written: “I’ve been clean and untouched so far.”
Jin Qingyan was overjoyed upon reading what she had written. Was she worried that I would misunderstand her again?
That’s why she went out of her way…
Jin Qingyan whipped out a pen and a piece of paper, then began scribbling on it.
When An Xiaoning and Pei Yi returned, An Xiaoning still chose to walk near Jin Qingyan.
Unlike Pei Yi, who always kept his eyes fixed on the path ahead, An Xiaoning would often look down and stare at the ground when she walked. Just as she was about to reach Jin Qingyan, she noticed a small ball of paper on the ground, which was clearly different from the one she had given him.
Quick-witted as usual, she pretended to have lost her balance and fell forward, right onto the ball of paper.
“Ouch…” she groaned in pain, gritting her teeth.
Pei Yi hurriedly rushed to help her up. “Be more careful with your step.”
“I’m fine, thank you, Master Pei.” She hurriedly picked up the ball of paper and held it tightly in her palm.
After having walked a distance, An Xiaoning turned around to meet the eyes of Jin Qingyan, who happened to be staring at her too. Her lips curled into a smile, which was all-too-familiar to Jin Qingyan. It was a smile that was deeply etched in his mind.
Once she returned to the bedroom, she proceeded to the bathroom and opened the note carefully. The size of the paper was much larger than the one she had given him.
He wrote: “I trust you. I’m here with you, you don’t have to be afraid. I love you.”
Tears welled up in An Xiaoning’s eyes as she stared at the words written on the note. She then tore the piece of paper into shreds and flushed them down the toilet bowl.
After washing her face, she returned to the living room and lay down on the couch. She then tucked herself beneath the duvet and closed her eyes. Finally, she could lie on her back to sleep.
What a great feeling.
——
Mo Li was sent home as soon as she was discharged from the hospital. Mo Xun had also brought her luggage home from the Ye family mansion.
Business had been picking up at the breakfast bistro that Mo Li had helped her parents set up using the money she got from selling her jewelry. Hence, they had a steady income and could live rather comfortably.
When Mo Xun got married the year before, his fiancée’s family only allowed them to get married on the condition that he buys a house in the city. Hence, Mr. and Mrs. Mo bought a house in an estate near the breakfast bistro using all their lifelong savings, as well as some extra money Mo Li had contributed.
There were three bedrooms and one bathroom in the apartment, which had a simple interior design.
Mr. and Mrs. Mo would usually stay in the house behind the breakfast bistro while Mo Xun and his wife lived in the apartment.
Things had been peaceful all along.
Now that Mo Li was back, Mrs. Mo did not want to let her daughter suffer and thus decided to arrange Mo Li to move into Mo Xun’s apartment after having had a discussion with him. There was no harm in letting Mo Li move in with them temporarily since there were spare rooms and they did not have any children yet either.
Mo Xun agreed with his parents’ suggestion, for he knew clearly how much his sister had helped him in the past.
However, Mo Xun’s wife had other thoughts.
She found it extremely inconvenient and uncomfortable to live with an extra person in the house.
She was still against the idea, although Mo Li would spend most of her time resting in her room and rarely came out.
Mo Li could sense her sister-in-law’s displeasure ever since she moved in.
One morning, Mo Li overheard her brother and sister-in-law arguing in their bedroom when she exited from the toilet.
“You’re a man, of course you wouldn’t know that women are not supposed to move back to their parents’ home after having had a miscarriage. It’s inauspicious and would jinx her family members. I can’t believe your parents brought your sister home and made her move in with us without hesitation. We still don’t have any children yet. What if she affects us?”
Mo Xun gave her a tight slap across her face and hollered while trying to keep his volume down, “My sister is already in such a sorry plight, yet you’re still spouting such nonsense. This apartment was bought by my parents and my sister. I didn’t fork out a single cent at all. Although they had bought it for me, they’re all still welcome to move in whenever they’d like.”
“Don’t all parents buy houses for their son!?! It’s only right that they do so. The apartment belongs to you now since they bought it for you, and now that we’re married, I own half of this place too. Mo Xun, you jerk! How could you hit me because of your sister!?! Since you’re so close to your sister, why don’t you live with her instead!?!”