Chapter 117: Confession – Will I Live to Be 50?

The golden, high-waisted dress shimmered under the lights, reflecting a glistening beauty.

Xia Yuan walked arm in arm with Qin Mohuai, making their appearance in front of the crowd. Gasps of surprise immediately erupted.

“Mrs. Qin isn’t dead after all!”

“All those rumors outside were false. Mrs. Qin is alive and well.”

“Maybe it was just a couple’s quarrel, and that’s why the Qin family didn’t bother clarifying the rumors.”

“Mrs. Qin looks so young. Could it be that Mr. Qin makes her look younger?”

“Strange, Mrs. Qin should be about 25 or 26 now, but she still looks like she’s in her early twenties.”

“I wonder what her secret is. I’d love to ask her how she maintains herself.”

Qin Mohuai’s sharp ears caught someone whispering, “Mr. Qin looks like her uncle.” His handsome face, usually calm, twisted into a brief grimace.

Like her uncle?

A group of men in stylish suits, including Qin Ke, Pei Jingchen, Zhou Xuan, Yang Yi, and Xia Yuze, surrounded Qin Mohuai and Xia Yuan like a male model squad.

“Happy 32nd birthday! Now that the well-wishes are out of the way, come on, let’s hang out together,” said Pei Jingchen, who was dressed in a purple suit, smiling brightly. His noble air was paired with a pair of flirtatious fox-like eyes, making him look like a scholar from an old painting who had just rolled through rouge and powder.

Many decent girls would stay far away from someone like him.

Little did they know, Pei Jingchen was a secret romantic at heart. He’d rather guard his purity for thirty years than settle for anything less.

Qin Mohuai loosened his arm from around Xia Yuan’s waist, his deep, magnetic voice calmly instructing, “I’m going to chat with them for a bit. You go mingle with Zhou Mao and the others, but don’t wander off. Stay somewhere I can find you.”

Xia Yuan nodded obediently.

Zhou Xuan, the youngest, seized the lively atmosphere and joked, “Third Brother, if you keep being so strict, you really will end up looking like her uncle.”

Qin Mohuai shot him a sharp, warning glance.

Zhou Xuan instantly fell silent.

Pei Jingchen patted his shoulder affectionately. “You always manage to hit Qin’s sore spots dead-on. It’s quite the talent for someone with a death wish.”

Yang Yi adjusted his glasses. “Speaking of which, men over thirty should take better care of themselves. Exercise, cut down on sugar, and take care of your skin—don’t slack off. Otherwise, when you stand next to your pretty wife, you’ll look old and out of place, like her uncle.”

Pei Jingchen clicked his tongue. “What an angelic doctor. Take off the white coat, and you’re full of snark.”

Yang Yi glanced at the tattoo on Qin Mohuai’s wrist, and the two found a quiet place to talk.

“Did you get what you wanted?” Yang Yi asked.

Qin Mohuai replied, “No.”

Ever since he revealed he had a terminal illness, the attention he got was overwhelming. When they were changing outfits earlier, Xia Yuan even kissed the edge of his tattoo and asked him for the third time that day, “Does it hurt?”

Yang Yi frowned. “There are a lot of people here today. Your plan might get exposed. Why haven’t you tried getting more information out of her yet?”

“I can’t bear to.”

Qin Mohuai leaned on the railing, his tall and upright figure highlighted by his black suit. The blue striped silk tie and the playful yet elegant diamond butterfly tie clip—both handpicked and bought by Xia Yuan—accentuated his look.

Meanwhile, Xia Yuan had just received an eight-figure payment for copyright from Zhou Mao’er and Xia Yuze.

Proudly, Qin Mohuai pulled out his tie to show it to Yang Yi, like a kid in kindergarten showing off a new toy—childish and smug.

Yang Yi was baffled.

Qin Mohuai explained, “No other reason, just showing you. Xia Yuan bought it for me.”

Yang Yi fell silent, thinking, When she finds out you’ve been hiding things, she’ll definitely be mad at you! Heh, enjoy your moment while you can.

Qin Mohuai straightened his expression and said, “I’ll ask her tonight. Even if it comes out, it’s fine. Xia Yuan believes anything I say. She even talked about dying with me.”

Frustrated, Yang Yi stormed off.

A woman in a long gown quietly approached. Qin Mohuai turned around to see Ouyang Jing. Who let her in? She’s someone my grandfather had his eye on.

Ouyang Jing, seeing this as her last chance, summoned the courage for a final attempt, “Qin Mohuai, I like you!”

“For the past three years, I’ve kept having this dream where we are the ones together. It seems absurd, yet it feels so real.”

“I just wanted to know, did you ever have the same dream?”

Qin Mohuai casually slid a hand into his pocket, uninterested, and coldly asked, “What do you like about me?”

Eagerly, Ouyang Jing answered, thinking she had a chance, “I like how gentle, thoughtful, and loyal you are!”

Qin Mohuai replied, “You’re close with my grandfather, so you should know what kind of person I used to be—reckless would be a compliment. Xia Yuan lies to me, throws tantrums, constantly pushes my limits, and her frequent illnesses scare me half to death. I became gentle and caring because of how she tortures me. She didn’t change me; I chose to change for her. She hasn’t sacrificed much; I have. Do you really think I should abandon Xia Yuan?”

After putting so much heart and effort into his relationship, how could he abandon her?

Ouyang Jing’s face turned pale. She was speechless, cornered by his questions.

She had heard rumors about Qin Mohuai’s exceptional wit, almost otherworldly intelligence. No one ever left a negotiation with him unscathed. Now she was experiencing it firsthand.

The lively sounds of the party grew closer, mixed with a soft voice Qin Mohuai knew all too well. His indifferent gaze warmed, and his leather shoes clicked against the marble floor as he walked away.

Xia Yuan, in a gold mermaid dress, leaned against a red velvet table, her aura commanding, with a glint of sharpness in her eyes. Across from her was Ning Kou, who was all fired up.

“If I lose this round, not only will I return the tea seeds to Zhou Xuan, I’ll also make up for those three dog barks from last time!” Ning Kou announced.

People nearby started teasing Zhou Xuan.

“How’d you even lose the tea seeds?”

“Next time, you’ll be losing yourself to Ning Kou.”

“Zhou, you’ve really lost your touch. You used to be the little prince of the gambling table!”

Zhou Xuan gritted his teeth, telling them to shut up.

Xia Yuan confidently declared, “It’s a deal!”

She lifted the dice cup—three sixes! A triple!

Ning Kou admitted defeat and kept her word. With a hand on her waist, she imitated three dog barks, much to the amusement of the crowd. The energy of the party soared.

Ning Kou walked over to Xia Yuan, giving her a playful nudge. “I’ve really missed you these past three years. It’s rare to find someone as good as you to compete with! These parties have been so dull without you around. Please don’t disappear again. Without you, Xiangzhou’s parties are no fun.”

Before Xia Yuan could respond, Qin Mohuai hurried over, wrapping his arm possessively around her waist. His handsome, cold face declared his claim: “She’s staying with me, forever.”

Ning Kou sighed, “…No one asked you that!”

Xia Yuan looks much better standing alone, she thought. So elegant, like a princess. But when she’s stuck to a man, it just feels different.

After the birthday banquet, Xia Yuan went to the children’s room to read a bedtime story to Zhenbao. The gold mermaid dress she wore shimmered under the soft light.

Zhenbao’s eyelids drooped as he sleepily mumbled, “Mommy is a princess.”

Xia Yuan’s lips curled into a smile, completely won over by her son.

Leaving the children’s room, she headed to the small garden, which had been decorated with string lights. Blue roses bloomed at her feet. Holding a guitar, Xia Yuan began to strum and sing a love song she had written for Qin Mohuai.

Qin Mohuai sat amidst the sea of roses, his deep eyes filled with infatuation. The business king, the unbeatable king of negotiations—none of that mattered now. His mind had completely been reshaped by Xia Yuan.

“Mohuai, this is my birthday gift for you. And… there’s something I haven’t told you. To return to this world, I made a deal with the system. It took part of my lifespan, so I can only live until I’m fifty. But I think it was worth it…”

Qin Mohuai’s eyes instantly reddened. A bitter taste rose in his throat as his fingers clenched tightly around the gift he had prepared for Xia Yuan. His heart twisted in pain—So that’s the truth.