Chapter 6  –   He Doesn’t Believe in Gods or Buddhas, Yet He Believes in Fate for Her

One week later, Xia Yuan’s high fever had subsided, her mind was clear, and her spirit was revived; this little cold was finally over.

Xia Yuan was so happy she almost cried. She had originally hoped to win the mad male lead’s affection through her illness, but now it seemed that path was unworkable—being sick was just too uncomfortable.

She could smell the sour scent of her hair and skin. Yuck. Qin Mohuai kissed her face every day—didn’t he have a cleanliness obsession? How could he bring himself to do it?

After washing up her weakened body, Xia Yuan felt instantly rejuvenated.

When Qin Mohuai came home after finishing work, he saw Xia Yuan wrapped in a creamy-white blanket, nestled in a single armchair reading a book. Her fluffy jet-black hair was gathered to one side, revealing half of her pure and elegant face.

Qin Mohuai tugged at his tie, his unruly blue hair rubbing against her neck, and his thin lips occasionally stealing a few kisses from her soft white neck.

Xia Yuan, newly recovered from her illness, squirmed uncomfortably as she tried to avoid him but eventually ended up in the warm embrace of him.

Qin Mohuai wrapped his arms around her, continuing to bury his face in her neck and collarbone…

“Baby, you scared me these past few days. Don’t you think you should give me a little compensation?”

“Wait until I’m fully recovered!” Xia Yuan was a bit afraid, worried he might be forceful.

( The novel’s author had set up the mad male lead with a ‘sex addiction’ but also mentioned he had been abstinent for twenty-seven years. Given how he seemed insatiable every day, Xia Yuan was deeply skeptical of this setup! )

Qin Mohuai’s voice was muffled, “Alright, I’ll just ask for a little interest first.”

Unable to withstand his intense kiss, Xia Yuan’s fragile body sank into the sofa. Her fair, small legs kicked wildly, but the man easily grasped her ankles, holding her firmly.

From a distance, it looked like a tall wicked demon feeding a scene that seemed cruel and bloody, but in reality, the handsome demon was just trying to please his wife.

“My mouth… hurts.” Xia Yuan finally managed to breathe, her beautiful face buried in the man’s broad shoulder, crying pitifully.

Her frail waist twisted stiffly, trying to escape the man’s sweet embrace, but Qin Mohuai was determined not to let his wife escape his control. His large hand pressed on her waist and back, gently helping her.

“So delicate, complaining of pain when I haven’t even kissed you hard enough,” Qin Mohuai sighed lightly, holding her as he looked for lip balm.

Though her lips were small, they were full and beautiful. With a moisturizing lip balm, they looked even more like a ripe, sweet peach.

Noticing Qin Mohuai’s dangerous gaze, Xia Yuan pulled her shoulder-length hair closer to distance herself from him.

Qin Mohuai said, “Yuan  here.”

–

Xia Yuze sat in the living room drinking milk beer, as he was recently practicing his tolerance for alcohol.

Xia Yuan asked, “Can’t you drink outside?”

Xia Yuze seemed to not understand his sister’s tone, responding, “I’m an idol with positive energy now. My fans are mostly kids, so I can’t drink or smoke in front of the camera. I try to avoid any misconduct, even when I’m in hotels or at home, out of fear that paparazzi might catch me with a telephoto lens. But here at my brother-in-law’s place, it’s definitely safe, so I can drink without worrying about being photographed.”

“It smells terrible.” Xia Yuan sat beside him, clearly showing her disdain.

Qin Mohuai sat between them. Though he had flamboyant blue hair, it didn’t affect his graceful and calm demeanor.

Xia Yuze felt that drinking milk beer next to his brother-in-law made him seem like a child. He finished his drink with a ‘glug glug,’ crumpled the can, and tossed it into the trash.

“Sis, are you completely fever-free now? Do you feel any discomfort?”

Xia Yuan replied, “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry so much.”

During her fever, she overheard Qin Mohuai and Yang Yi discussing arranging a thorough medical check-up once her cold was over.

She was someone who was very afraid of going to the hospital; just seeing a white coat made her feel like she was doomed.

The mad male lead really was a bad influence on her!

Xia Yuze tilted his head, looking at her like a small dog. “You used to have frequent fevers when you were little. The worst one lasted two to three months without getting better. Mom and Dad was desperate thought you were being tormented by a little ghost, so they hired a fortune-teller.”

“The fortune-teller said you had a calamity in your fate, and if you couldn’t get through it… you might be in serious danger.”

“Although we didn’t know what calamity the fortune-teller was referring to, after hiring her, you indeed didn’t get as sick as before.”

Xia Yuan’s heart sank. That fortune-teller was very accurate; ‘Xia Yuan’ had taken a lot of antidepressants and was already dead.

Qin Mohuai’s expression darkened, “Did the fortune-teller say when the calamity would occur?”

Xia Yuze shook his head.

Qin Mohuai asked, “Where can we find the fortune-teller?”

Xia Yuze reminisced, “Mom and Dad had someone find the fortune-teller; she wasn’t from our village, and she was quite old back then. It’s hard to say if she’s still around after so many years.”

Xia Yuan felt uneasy. If the fortune-teller discovered she was an impostor, it would be disastrous for her.

The mad male lead in the novel despises betrayal. The resilient female lead has used various methods to resist him but has never betrayed him.

Even the luck-protected female lead wouldn’t dare betray him, so Xia Yuan certainly wouldn’t!

Although she had already done so.

Xia Yuan maintained her composure, “You’re just being superstitious. Stop talking about these ghostly matters; it makes me anxious and make me even scared to go to the bathroom alone at night!”

Qin Mohuai touched Xia Yuan’s face and said seriously in his low, magnetic voice, “I have strong fate; if heaven doesn’t protect you, I will.”

He had noticed Xia Yuan long ago, initially just finding her beautiful with no extra thoughts.

It was only that day when he was giving a speech at that Xia Yuan seduced him by knocking on his car door. At first, he felt disgusted, then attracted, and finally thought, “I have a wife.”

When he heard that his family was arranging a marriage with Xia Yuan, he never wanted to part with her. He would never love another person as deeply as he loved her, even if he were to become a monstrous, bloodthirsty creature in the next life; he’d probably still be hopelessly obsessed with his wife.

At the pinnacle of power, Qin Mohuai’s sole indulgence was Xia Yuan. His lower half only thought about her, while his upper half focused on earning money to buy her beautiful dresses.

During dinner, Xia Yuze mentioned his mother’s small restaurant.

Since the business was doing well, Xia’s mother wanted to expand by leasing two nearby storefronts.

Qin Mohuai, cutting his steak elegantly with a fork and knife, pushed the neatly cut pieces to Xia Yuan.

Without hesitation, Xia Yuan devoured the steak, looking like she was gobbling it down, but in reality, she only ate four or five pieces of beef in a busy manner.

Qin Mohuai chuckled lightly, “Tomorrow I’ll send an assistant over to help your mother with the store’s affairs.”

Xia’s mother agreed to Xia Yuan’s relationship with Qin Mohuai not because of his power but because of the upper-class medical resources.

With Qin Mohuai, Xia Yuan would have access to top-notch doctors when she was sick, and she wouldn’t have to worry about her daughter’s health.

Even if they broke up and Xia Yuan’s health took a turn for the worse, Qin Mohuai wouldn’t stand by idly due to past ties.

–

The next day, Xia Yuan called her mother to tell her not to work too hard; Qin Mohuai would send someone to help with the store.

Xia’s mother replied, “I want to expand the store because I’ve earned money, and it’s more reassuring to use my own money. Even if you’re getting married, I can’t keep asking Mr. Qin for help. That would be mean living under his shadow.”

“Tomorrow is your grandmother’s 70th birthday. I’m bringing her home for the celebration. Your uncle’s family will also be coming, so remember to come back with Yuzhe.”

Xia Yuan asked, “You didn’t mention my relationship with Qin Mohuai to Uncle, did you?”

Xia’s mother replied, “Of course not. It would seem like I’m bragging if I brought it up.”

Xia Yuan urged, “Please don’t say anything. Qin Mohuai doesn’t want anyone to know about our relationship.”

************

In the novel, Xia Yuze had more scenes, and the author described the Xia family’s situation.

Uncle Liang Bo started a children’s toy factory with the dowry from Xia’s mother. He not only showed no gratitude but also morally blackmailed Xia Yuze into endorsing his inferior products. The foam mats for children contained excessive formaldehyde, leading to leukemia in children. Xia Yuze, overwhelmed by public pressure even committed suicide by jumping off a building.

Xia’s mother confronted Liang Bo, but he retaliated by exposing their home address. Every day, people threw waste at their door, and eventually, they could died from gas poisoning.

With all the focus on Xia Yuze, Liang Bo managed to stay hidden, paid the fines, and continued to profit after the factory was rectified, even increasing his wealth significantly.

However, this good fortune didn’t last long.

Qin Mohuai discovered that Ouyang Jing kept Xia Yuze’s love letters, which made him extremely jealous.

But since Xia Yuze was dead, the Xia family was left with nothing. Qin Mohuai, unable to vent his anger, targeted Liang Bo, easily ruining his factory and leaving him and his family in debt of eight million, in a worse situation than beggars.

It seemed that at Xia’s grandmother’s birthday party, Xia Yuze was forced by Liang Bo to endorse inferior products, Xia Yuan, fond of her little brother and decided to help him.

*************

At night, Qin Mohuai buried his head in his wife’s chest to listen to her heartbeat.

“Your heartbeat is very rhythmic. You’re so good.”

“Without a heartbeat, you’d be dead.”

“Close your eyes and sleep. Don’t mention that word again.”

Xia Yuan murmured inwardly about his domineering ways.

In the novel, Qin Mohuai was a staunch materialist who didn’t believe in gods or Buddhas, and was known for his rebellious and self-centered nature. How was it that now he believed in the fortune-teller’s words and thought she might die early?