Chapter 38 Does Sister Have a Towel? I’m a Bit Cold.

Zhao Hanshang didn’t look like Ning Jiale at all, but he quickly realized that Xia Yuan’s ex-boyfriend was Mu Yao.

Covering the lower half of Ning Jiale’s face, he did bear a slight resemblance to Mu Yao.

However, without Qin Mohuai’s hint, she might not have connected Ning Jiale with Mu Yao.

Xia Yuan took another look at Ning Jiale, and this time, instead of seeing his abs, she met his gaze.

His delicate and clear features radiated youthful energy.

Ning Jiale curved his lips into a smile, mouthing the word “sister” to her.

What was this strange feeling of being tempted to cheat?

Qin Mohuai had already emerged from the water, his sleek, powerful muscles suggesting immeasurable strength, like a beautiful merman who had just finished battling beneath the sea, radiating an aura of aggression.

Xia Yuan couldn’t help but take a step back.

Qin Mohuai’s dominating gaze was piercing. When he sent Mu Yao abroad, Mu Yao had looked at him with resentment, pointing at Qin Mohuai’s nose and shouting, “Who would like a madman and a control freak?  Yuan is still young; she’s been enchanted by your looks and power, but when she grows up, she’ll leave you!”

Mu Yao had taken the suitcase, armed with the ten million Qin Mohuai had given him, to study in Country M.

But those words felt like a curse, haunting Qin Mohuai and leaving him restless.

Xia Yuzhe wiped the water off his face and cheerfully waved his hand, “Brother-in-law, Jiale and I are going to race in swimming. Are you joining us?”

Qin Mohuai had intended to decline, but the words transformed on his lips, “Sure, I’ll join.”

The endless night fell silent in his eyes, making his expression even more intriguing and hard to read.

Xia Yuan felt anxious.

She wanted to explain something, but since Qin Mohuai had already joined the competition, she could only sit on the sidelines and watch.

**System:** “Sooth him, don’t let your affection points drop.”

Xia Yuan scratched her head, “How do I do that?”

**System:** “Devote yourself.”

Xia Yuan: “……”

Is there a possibility that I’m just suffering from heatstroke today, feeling weak and unable to withstand the craziness of this male lead?

**System:** “Then just cling to him! Act cute! Electrocute him! Just don’t let the affection points drop.”

Xia Yuan: “…………”

Xia Yuzhe took on the roles of both contestant and referee, and the cheerful announcement rang out: “3—2—1, go!”

Qin Mohuai lost focus for a moment, trailing behind for a few seconds, ultimately finishing second.

It didn’t matter that he fell behind Xia Yuzhe; he could pass it off as coaxing his younger brother. But Ning Jiale was the one who came in first.

Qin Mohuai: “Best two out of three, let’s go again.”

He narrowed his phoenix-like eyes, the shimmering surface of the water rising and falling on his chest, his calm and unhurried voice revealing no signs of joy or anger.

Ning Jiale confidently replied, “Then it’s two out of three.”

Xia Yuzhe knew he couldn’t compete with his brother-in-law and good friend, and initially, he didn’t want to play. But looking left and right, neither was someone he could provoke.

Well, he had no choice but to play along.

—

When Qin Mohuai’s sharp gaze swept over, Xia Yuan tightened the towel covering her legs and softly said, “Hubby, I hope you win.”

Qin Mohuai had already turned his gaze away, leaving her unsure if he had heard her.

The crazed Qin Mohuai was terrifying, but the indifferent Qin Mohuai was even more frightening because she didn’t know what kind of punishment awaited her.

The ambitious man focused on the competition, winning first place in swimming twice. After getting out of the water, Qin Mohuai walked over to Xia Yuan, took the towel off her legs, and wiped his face as he walked.

He wasn’t overly warm to her, but he wasn’t excessively cold either.

Oblivious, Xia Yuzhe followed Qin Mohuai like a happy puppy, “Brother-in-law, I have a can of coffee beans…”

Wet and dripping, Ning Jiale approached Xia Yuan. “Sister, do you have a towel? I’m a bit cold.”

Xia Yuan gazed at Qin Mohuai’s back, not in the mood to attend to Ning Jiale, and replied dismissively, “Just sunbathe a bit; you’ll dry off. Or ask the maid for a towel.”

Ning Jiale looked up at the moon, and after watching Xia Yuan walk away, he called Ouyang Jing.

“Sis, do you know what Xia Yuan likes?”

Ouyang Jing was surprised. “Why are you asking that?”

Ning Jiale sat on a lounge chair and whispered, “Aunt is worried that Xia Yuan will affect your engagement with the Crown Prince, so she asked me to find a way to break Xia Yuan and the Crown Prince apart.”

His aunt was Mrs. Ouyang.

Ouyang Jing sighed, “Don’t follow my mom’s whims; be careful not to get burned! You haven’t seen Qin Mohuai’s methods and don’t know how terrifying he can be. Stop plotting against Xia Yuan and back off.”

Ning Jiale shrugged, “Isn’t there you backing me? You’re my cousin, and Qin Mohuai is my cousin-in-law. Can he really do anything to me?”

He flashed a mischievous smile, revealing his sharp little tiger teeth. Thinking of Xia Yuan’s fair and delicate skin made Ning Jiale feel hot all over, forcing him to jump into the swimming pool to cool down.

Ning Jiale looked handsome and youthful, with a sweet smile that could charm fans.

Little did they know, the number of women Ning Jiale had been with could form two soccer teams, and he preferred passionate and mature women. He found weepy young girls troublesome, but Xia Yuan was an exception. Her soft, white skin radiated allure; she had been thoroughly developed by Qin Mohuai, making her an irresistible temptation.

“Cousin, even though you’re not competitive, we don’t want to see you suffer.”

After saying this, Ning Jiale hung up the phone.

From childhood to adulthood, Ouyang Jing had never needed to fight for anything; her parents and relatives would always help her get what she wanted, and she only needed to accept things with grace.

—

After sending the two boys away, Xia Yuan texted Xia Yuzhe, asking him not to bring Ning Jiale to the Shenghai Manor anymore.

**Xia Yuzhe:** Is your husband jealous?

**Xia Yuan:** You can understand it that way.

**Xia Yuzhe:** Then I won’t bring any boys next time. When I get a girlfriend, can I bring her over? [Cute puppy emoji]

**Xia Yuan:** Of course you can.

She remembered that Xia Yuzhe had a crush on Ouyang Jing. Although she didn’t know how they met, Ouyang Jing was now Qin Mohuai’s fiancée.

Even if Qin Mohuai didn’t mind Ouyang Jing dating, wouldn’t Old Master Qin also care?

Whoever became Ouyang Jing’s boyfriend would surely be in for trouble.

Xia Yuan sent another message to Xia Yuzhe: You’re only nineteen; you should read more books when you have free time. Qin Mohuai didn’t have a girlfriend until he was in his late twenties—why are you in such a hurry?

**Xia Yuzhe:** Because I’m the King of Urgency! [Cute puppy popping up]

Xia Yuan rolled her eyes. Qin Mohuai had been busy in the basement for half an hour without coming out.

In the original book, every time the female protagonist angered the crazed male lead, she would be locked in the basement for reflection. Although Xia Yuan had never been locked in the basement, she didn’t have a good impression of it.

“Uncle Wang, what is your young master doing in the basement?”

“When the young master is in a bad mood, he goes to the basement. He doesn’t really do anything—just sits there. The last time he sat alone in the basement was after his parents passed away. Sigh, he stayed there for a long time, losing so much weight that he looked like skin and bones, and his temperament became gloomy.”

Xia Yuan’s expression turned serious. Was what happened tonight really that bad for Qin Mohuai? Was it an exaggeration to compare it to when his parents died?

“Then I’ll go down and check on him.”

“Take these medications with you; the young master hasn’t taken his medicine tonight.” Uncle Wang handed Xia Yuan seven or eight bottles of medicine.

Qin Mohuai had to take a lot of medicine every day to ensure his mental state wouldn’t collapse, trying to appear like a normal person.

Xia Yuan had never cared about Qin Mohuai’s medical treatment; after all, her task was to win him over, not to heal him. But holding a pile of medicine made her inexplicably anxious.

Having a mental illness and taking so many medications was a setting the original author assigned to Qin Mohuai. But since he didn’t kill that security guard or follow the path the author had arranged for him, was there a chance for him to become a normal person?

—