Chapter  3

Yan Mojiu looked at Meng Mingxuan, an unusual emotion flashing through his deep, dark eyes.
No one could truly hide any secrets from Master Jiu of Lincheng.
All of Meng Mingxuan’s nervousness fell right into Yan Mojiu’s sight.

He knew — his little girl was hiding something.
Maybe…
It was something Yin Ting had taught her again.

For now, he didn’t know exactly what she wanted to do.
But he was unwilling to break the rare peace and warmth between them.

“Alright,”
He bent down and reached out,
slipping an arm under her knees and gently lifting her up.

“Big brother won’t bring up old scores.”

The moment her body was lifted into the air, Meng Mingxuan instinctively wrapped her arms around Yan Mojiu’s neck.

She had been lonely for so long.
When she died, there wasn’t a single person by her side.
So after being reborn, just this one gentle embrace from Yan Mojiu almost brought her to tears.

“Brother Jiu…” she murmured softly, burying her face into the crook of his neck.
Her arms tightened even more around him.

Yan Mojiu’s breathing hitched slightly.
The girl’s faint, warm breath brushed against his skin, making every muscle in his body tense.

After a long while, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice:
“Don’t use force with your wrists.”

Her wrists were injured.
The doctor had warned — she couldn’t exert pressure.

“I’m not using force,” Meng Mingxuan lied with wide eyes.
She had already died once — how could she still fear a little pain like this?
Even if it hurt, she still wanted to hold him tight.

In this lifetime, she would never leave his side again.
Wherever he went, she would follow.

Meng Mingxuan had moved into the Yan family at age six. Yan Mojiu had practically watched her grow up — he knew her stubborn little temper well.
So he said no more, just carried her steadily as he quickly left the hospital room.

Before long, the two of them were sitting in the back seat of a Rolls-Royce.

Yan Mojiu originally intended to hold her on his lap, but suddenly recalling the condition of his body… he changed his mind and placed her beside him instead.

“Give me your hand,”
he said, tugging at his suit jacket to cover his lap slightly, then reaching toward Meng Mingxuan.

Meng Mingxuan stayed close to him. Hearing his words, her eyes flickered before she obediently stretched out a hand.

Yan Mojiu glanced at her, immediately seeing through her little trick.
“Left hand.”

Meng Mingxuan didn’t say a word and even tried to hide her left hand behind her back.

The burning pain told her clearly — it was bleeding again.
She couldn’t let him see it.

Yan Mojiu’s handsome face instantly darkened with displeasure.

“Stretch it out,” he ordered coldly.

Meng Mingxuan bit her lip and simply scooted over to the car door, sneaking a peek at her own hand.

Sure enough, it was bleeding.
The freshly wrapped white gauze was already stained red.

“It hurts! You can’t touch it!”
Seeing him reach out again, Meng Mingxuan immediately cried out.

Yan Mojiu’s hand froze midair.
He stared at her for a long time, then irritably tugged off his tie and sat up straight.

In the front seat, the driver struggled hard to keep a straight face.

Master Jiu —
he couldn’t bear to hit her, couldn’t bear to scold her.
The moment Miss cried out in pain, he didn’t even dare touch her again.
Even if he clearly saw she was pretending to be delicate, he still couldn’t do anything about it.

But…
after this injury, the relationship between Master Jiu and Miss had eased a lot.
That was really a blessing for them subordinates.

“Three months’ salary deduction,”
Yan Mojiu said coldly, glaring at Xu Li through the rearview mirror.

Xu Li: “???”
He…

Meng Mingxuan froze for a second and quickly pleaded for Xu Li,
“Brother Jiu, this has nothing to do with Xu Li.”

It was because she had hugged him too tightly that her wound reopened.
It wasn’t Xu Li’s fault.

“Miss is wise and magnanimous!”
Xu Li almost burst into tears.

Three months’ salary — that’s hundreds of thousands!
He couldn’t afford that deduction!
He hadn’t even laughed… really hadn’t…

He swore on the life of his future wife!

Yan Mojiu pressed his thin lips together, withdrawing his sharp gaze at last.

“Thank you, Master Jiu! Thank you, Miss!” Xu Li instantly exclaimed in joy.

After following Master Jiu for so long, he could tell with a single look whether it was time to fight or make peace.

Meng Mingxuan paused, then couldn’t help looking over at Yan Mojiu’s cold and handsome profile.

In her past life’s memories, Yan Mojiu really had been very strict with her — but as long as it wasn’t a matter of principle, he would always indulge her in the end.

Before Yin Ting appeared, her relationship with Yan Mojiu was actually very good —
even closer than real siblings.

Later…
Meng Mingxuan lightly bit her lip, her eyes flickering.

She knew very well why, in her past life, she had gradually grown distant from Yan Mojiu.
But in this life, she wouldn’t be foolish again.

And she would definitely find out why Yin Ting hated Yan Mojiu so much.

Meng Mingxuan sank into memories of her previous life, but in Yan Mojiu’s eyes, it was interpreted differently.

Just thinking about the person occupying her heart at this moment made it almost impossible for Yan Mojiu to suppress his rising anger.

Meng Mingxuan remained completely unaware.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the Yan family villa, and Yan Mojiu slammed the car door shut with a loud bang,
that Meng Mingxuan’s body trembled and she snapped back to reality.

She looked up blankly at the car window outside.

Brother Jiu…
left without waiting for her?

Meng Mingxuan bit her lip, feeling a hollow sense of loss in her heart.

Her self-harming behavior tonight had hurt Brother Jiu’s heart after all.

At her wedding with Yin Ting in her previous life, Brother Jiu didn’t attend,
but his good friend Nie Ziyang did.

When she, holding onto Yin Ting’s arm, went over to Nie Ziyang’s table to toast,
Nie Ziyang, cigarette in hand, had looked her up and down with a half-smile,
glancing at her pure white wedding dress and saying,
“Little white-eyed wolf looks pretty good in a wedding dress.”

The glass of wine she and Yin Ting offered —
Nie Ziyang didn’t drink it.
He simply got up and left,
leaving only a thin red envelope behind.

When she opened it, she found a check for fifty million inside.

Nie Ziyang…
probably gave such a generous gift out of respect for Brother Jiu.

Or maybe,
it was Brother Jiu’s intention.

“Miss, please get out of the car quickly. Master Jiu is waiting for you at the door,”
Xu Li’s voice came from the open car door, pulling Meng Mingxuan back to the present in an instant.

She lifted her eyes and saw Yan Mojiu’s tall figure waiting by the villa entrance.

Meng Mingxuan’s mood instantly brightened.

It’s okay — she would work hard to repair her relationship with Brother Jiu.

“Mm,”
Meng Mingxuan responded, then got out of the car and ran toward Yan Mojiu.

Yan Mojiu naturally heard the hurried footsteps behind him and knew she was running.

He turned around to look at her, his handsome brows slightly furrowed.

Seeing the worry in his cold eyes,
Meng Mingxuan’s mind stirred —
as she neared him, she deliberately tripped her left foot over her right.

She looked like she was about to fall!

“Mingxuan!”

Yan Mojiu stepped forward like an arrow and steadily caught the girl who was falling toward him.

Meng Mingxuan’s lips curved into a smile as she burrowed into his arms.
“Thank you, Brother Jiu.”

“…”

Yan Mojiu wasn’t someone easy to fool.

That brief moment of worry was pure instinct,
but once instinct passed, he immediately saw through her little trick.

He closed his eyes with forced patience, swallowing back the scolding that had almost slipped out.

She was finally willing to come home.
He couldn’t afford to upset her again.

“Brother Jiu, don’t be mad, okay? I’ll be good from now on, alright?”

Meng Mingxuan still felt quite intimidated by Yan Mojiu.

Especially when he kept a cold face without speaking —
his expression unreadable,
making people’s hearts tremble uncontrollably.

In the past, blinded by love, she had dared to challenge her family for Yin Ting.
Now that foolishness was gone, and the fear of her “big boss” was back.

Yan Mojiu looked down at the girl lifting her face to him,
her delicate little face full of sincere intention to make peace.

His Adam’s apple rolled uncontrollably.

“How good can you be?”
he asked, suppressing the urge to hold her tighter,
his voice tinged with distrustful coldness.

Meng Mingxuan thought for a moment.
“Whatever Brother Jiu asks me to do, I’ll do it.”

Yan Mojiu lowered his gaze,
looking at the girl in his arms —
her small face filled with pure obedience and seriousness.

A dense, bitter sarcasm rose deep inside his chest.

Really?

If he opened his mouth now and asked her to marry him,
would she obediently agree too?

He didn’t believe it.

She was only…
following Yin Ting’s instructions to deceive him.

Even so, he still couldn’t resist indulging in this moment of warmth.